Chapter 68 – Friends, Allies, and Enemies (14)

Friends, Allies, and Enemies (14)

Drip, drip, water falls.

Ever since the roots of the World Tree rotted away, the underground has been filled with water from the surface that the soil couldn’t absorb.

If there were someone to manage it, the situation might have been better, but unfortunately, this place has been forgotten by history for a long time. It will probably only be after the ground collapses that they’ll start the urgent repair work. And by then, it will be difficult to find any remaining evidence.

As you navigate through the tunnels that are hard to traverse with just your own body, light appears.
And when you reach out towards that light, the underground of Myluman reveals itself.

“It’s magnificent.”

The words came out unconsciously.
Even if my eyes had been in perfect condition, I would have surely been in awe.
The underground of Myluman is overwhelmingly more spectacular than the surface.
It was a scene that naturally elicited sighs.

The space where the World Tree once stood is now occupied by a cascade of waterfalls.
Pieces of the sky are punctured with holes. Through these gaps, small rays of sunlight penetrate the waterfall, creating rainbows.
The sky and the waterfall, wrapped in verdant tree trunks.
The sound of the waterfall pleasantly tickles the ears.

Nature.
If that one word were to be depicted as a landscape, it would feel like this.

I let myself be lost in thought for a moment, facing the gently blowing breeze. It’s by taking such moments that life becomes enriched.

…Ah.
Now is not the time for this. I must get going.

There’s still a long way to go. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that there’s a long journey ahead to reach the base. Enjoying the scenery can wait; I need to move on.
The place I first entered was just a passageway.
If the resistance’s base had been simply underground, they would have been annihilated by Luto who took over Myluman. Given his nature, he would have surely scoured even this underground.
If they hadn’t built the base beneath the underground… the current situation would have been much different.

Luto.
His original position was the manager of the detention area.
He really dug his own grave.

I knew everything from the moment he turned a blind eye to the riots.

Damn bastard.

*

As I came to my senses, I realized I had reached the headquarters of the resistance.

It took longer than expected to get here on foot, as it was my first time making the journey. Though it was only a matter of minutes, for someone like me who values every second, it was a significant loss.

Fortunately, from here on out, I knew the way.

The place where Troka might have hidden the truth.
I had a rough idea of where it was.
Really rough, but… I had a hunch.

There was no hesitation in my steps.
Passing through a cavernously large room that belied its underground nature, I traversed the familiar quarters where I had stayed for a long time.

A few more steps and a familiar place would appear.
When a faint metallic scent hit my nose, I knew I was close to my destination.

The room I was headed for was smeared with blood.
It was primarily used for disposing of ‘traitors.’
In reality, it hadn’t been used more than a few times.
As far as I knew, only twice.

The smell wasn’t strong. Perhaps because time had passed, and because the land of Myluman purifies contamination, it was to be expected.

Pushing aside the blood-stained wood, the execution chamber is revealed.
The interior was shabby.
It was the place where traitors met their end, so it wasn’t decorated lavishly.

This was where everything started to go wrong.
The place where Troka killed Rapi. During the execution, only Troka and Rapi were in the room. It was the place where Troka hid the object, away from anyone else’s eyes, and the only location I knew of.
So, I thought the ‘truth’ would be here.

But what I encountered was unexpected.

“Oh, what a coincidence?”

Upon opening the door, there stood a woman alone in the blood-red room, her entire body wrapped in cloth. Her mysterious appearance was accentuated by the dark blue hair peeking through the pure white fabric, creating an eerie and unsettling atmosphere.
In her hand, she held various papers. Clearly, she had come here to investigate something.

How on earth did she know about this place…
Let’s skip that for now. That’s not what’s important.

A sly smile crept across her face, exuding a seductive charm.

Ugh.

“Nerati.”

It was Nerati.

Had she arrived around the same time as me?
No, she might have come in before that.

But how?
Ah, right.
She was an elf too.
A messed-up one, but still an elf. Getting in wouldn’t have been a problem for her. Kill a forest keeper and take their place, and it’s easy. No need to struggle like we did.

“Yeah, nice to see you. Now get lost.”

“It’s been a while, almost a year, hasn’t it? I would have followed you around anyway, even if the strategist hadn’t given me such a bothersome task… but look where my diligent following has gotten me?”

I was ignored.
Oblivious to my desire to avoid a fight, Nerati continued to twitch, as if she wanted to move at any moment.

Tsk, I bit my lip.
And without arousing suspicion, I naturally activated Mind’s Eye.
I could somehow manage to beat Nerati. With the holy sword, the demonic sword, and the Demon King dead, it was possible. Even if it meant becoming half-crippled afterward, I could take down a subordinate who wasn’t primarily a fighter.

…Would this mean going to the Dragon Kingdom is out of the question?

“At the Tower of Magic, we parted without a proper goodbye, thanks to that horned, damned, stupid traitor. But now, I can keep that promise…, can’t I?”

Nerati exuded a sharp and ominous murderous intent.
The promise to kill me, that is.
I never agreed to it.

This is an unfair contract.

“I won’t ask why you’re here… How about we go our separate ways? For old times’ sake. Let’s choose the option that benefits us both.”

Nerati smirked, a rotten smile.
She had no intention of negotiating.

Her objective had shifted from gathering information underground to hindering me.
I couldn’t see any fault in that assumption.
There was no avoiding the fight.

Well, she might have found what I was looking for before me. I can’t let that happen.

“Just so you know… everyone who’s come at me has ended up dead.”

Do I have a glorious track record?
Even if they’re subordinates of the Demon King’s army, they’re not to be underestimated.

Aliana, who slammed me into the ceiling, ended up mentally broken.
Aeon might as well be dead.
Cecilia’s mind is gone.
And master…

Well, anyway, I’ve taken down even those who were strong. Not that I’m bragging… but what can’t a subordinate do? If they come at me, I kill them. That’s all there is to it.

I hate pointless bloodshed.
But this is a fight she’s walked into.

And if it weren’t for Nerati, I might not have had to do all that crap. She’s the one who brought me to the containment facility. So, this is revenge. Maybe she’s looking for someone to take revenge on me.

But, that’s just bullshit.
Justifying murder with bullshit.

It’s easier not to think when fighting.

My body feels like it’s reverted to the old days, and my mental state seems to have regressed to that time too.
It’s not bad.

In battle, all you need to think about is winning, protecting. That’s it.
Now, I win and gather information.
That should be enough.

“Flan, then… shall we go?”

Water drips.

Drip.
Nerati pulled out a skewer.

Drip.
I took my stance.

The battle begins.

* * *

The synthesis was more successful than I had anticipated.
The horn of the dragon posed no significant difficulties in processing. However, I don’t expect its efficacy to be remarkable. It’s not that I doubt my skills in alchemy, but at best, I can only hope for him to last a year. Anything beyond that seems nearly impossible.

If I were to make excuses, it would be that the ingredients were too limited.
The horn of Valkvogel was too damaged. Moreover, it wasn’t very large to begin with.

Even a single mistake could prevent the creation of proper medicine.

That pressure only added to the difficulties I faced.
But in the end, I managed to complete it.

I used up every bit of magic power I had to its limits.
I also borrowed a bit of Aeon’s power…
The medicine I completed should significantly improve Flan’s health.

Exhausted, I approached Valkvogel, who lay behind me.

She was staunching the flow of blood from her horn.
Her expression was somehow not good.
Her lips were so bitten that the blood trickling down had pooled at her collarbone.
It couldn’t be helped. If Valkvogel moved, the amount of powder available for use as medicine would decrease. Lacking a proper tool to cut the horn, I sterilized a saw I found nearby and used it. The pain she must have felt because of that…

I did use healing magic, but that was overwhelming just to alleviate the pain of the collar.
I was just grateful she endured it.

Now, it was about dawn.

There was no time to rest.
A single medicine made from the dragon’s horn wouldn’t be completely effective.
So, I needed to find an item to maximize the medicinal effect, the leaves of the World Tree.

After a simple treatment, I sent Valkvogel to Flan. Her eyes were a bit haggard, which worried me, but she’s a dragon, so she shouldn’t be in danger.

I still had more to do.
I had to find the leaves of the World Tree.

The enhancer and the medicine don’t necessarily have to be absorbed at the same time.
In one day, the effects should just barely increase.
Since I can’t perform the morning treatment anyway, let’s substitute it with the medicine for today.

I caught my breath for a moment.
Since dawn had not yet broken, it should be safe to move around. Leaves of the World Tree are easy to come by in Myluman, so if I can quickly gather them and return, it should be fine.
The thought of doing it for him gave me strength.
Embarrassing as it is to admit, that was the case.

Since it was still night, it was difficult to find a shop that was open.

So, in the end, I picked up World Tree leaves scattered on the ground and processed them.
It felt as if I could hear the potency dropping.
But there was no helping it.

About an hour passed, and now the sun was rising.
It’s time to return to the inn and see Flan.
If I go back now, I can administer the medicine, the enhancer, and even the morning treatment. With some luck, I might be able to extend his life by more than two years.

Having finished collecting everything, I stood up.

Plop, pitter-patter.

“…Huh?”

Rain began to fall suddenly.

“Why is it raining…?”

But something was off.
Why did my lips feel wet when it was raining?

When I touched my finger to them, it came away with a red liquid.
It was a nosebleed.
Given the recent hardships, it was to be expected.
Especially after staying up all night… It would be more surprising if I didn’t have a nosebleed.

For Cecilia, an injury was a minor issue that could be healed immediately.

However, even after using healing magic, the bleeding did not stop.

And it was when I realized something was wrong.

I lost consciousness on the street.