Side Story Chapter 210

Joshua let out a long sigh. Even if he wanted to hasten the defrosting, Joshua knew it would be no easy task. Fortunately, the Demon Spirit’s annihilation was going smoothly, and Joshua could tell that the Demon Spirit had lost most of his power because he’d stopped making sarcastic remarks.

-You look tired.

Joshua gave Creshua a bitter smile. “Is that so?”

-Why are you trying so hard?”

“What do you mean?”

-If the Demon Spirit runs free, the entire continent will suffer, not just your country, but you’re the only one who is carrying this burden.

Actually, Joshua had something to say to Creshua on this topic.

“Power comes with responsibility, so someone must do it even if I don’t. Besides, dragons are the Human Realm’s protectors, so I think you’re the last person who should be asking me that.”

-But the only thing you got in return is persecution from your fellow humans.

Creshua had a good point. Although he had lived most of his life in the underground vault, Creshua had seen and heard everything that was going on through a crystal ball. Humanity’s hero had trapped himself inside a chunk of ice for over a decade to vanquish the Demon Spirit once and for all, but those humans were busy ignoring the crisis and trying to keep said hero in check. Some people even used Joshua’s vulnerability to attack him, just like Bel had earlier. If he were Joshua, the first thing Creshua would have done was take out those damned humans.

-And... this duty of guardianship is just something that you humans tacked onto us. You humans always like to put pointless titles on things, just like you obsess over honor without realizing that your empty honor will become your shackles. I thought you weren’t one of those stupid humans, Joshua Sanders. You’re the only one Crevasse approved of.

As Creshua went on, Joshua realized what the hatchling was actually feeling.

“You hate humans.”

-No, I

loathe

them.

Creshua had no worldly experience and yet possessed such a foul emotion. Joshua could only think of one reason for it.

“Is it because a human killed your only family?”

-...I told you to not apply humans’ puny standards to me.

“Well, I can’t help myself when I look at you,” Joshua said with a shrug.

-I would never have left this Bel in one piece if I truly had the lowly desire for revenge.

The magic circle that had been used earlier was a teleportation circle. Most spells wouldn’t work on someone like Bel, so Creshua had forcibly teleported Bel to the northernmost region of the continent. That was far and Bel would have to swim across a vast sea to return to the mountain.

“Then what is it that you truly want?” Joshua asked.

Creshua didn’t answer.

While Joshua was waiting, he felt the ground shudder and then the volcano spat fire. The daunting sight cut their conversation short.

-What are you going to do now? Your country will take quite a lot of damage at this rate.

“I should stop it.” Joshua strode toward the crater. “You’re denying what you’re feeling right now.”

-...What?

“You’re angry. You’re furious about losing your only family, but you’re denying your emotions, telling yourself that the urge to get revenge is an emotion that only despicable humans have.”

-Nonsense.

“You just don’t want to admit it.”

-Shut your mouth. I can kick you out of me right now.

Joshua smiled. “Do as you wish.”

-...You’ll regret it.

“I told you that I can help you find meaning in your life.”

Joshua looked around and then picked up the ice boulder.

-What are you doing?

“I’m going to toss it down there.” Joshua looked down at the crater.

-You’re out of your mind! Your original body is in there. Are you trying to kill yourself?!

“You must be thinking that I’ll take care of Bel even if you don’t obsess over revenge like humans do,” Joshua surmised.

-Don’t be ridiculous! You’re going to die along with the Demon Spirit in the magma! Then Bel will slaughter your whole family!

“Well, I’m a very ordinary human, so I believe in my family,” Joshua said, undeterred.

-Why would you insist on acting like you’re so tough...!

Joshua’s smile grew as he raised the ice boulder over his head.

“Well... we’ll see if I’m just acting tough.”

Before Creshua could stop him, Joshua tossed the ice boulder into the crater.

* * *

The drumbeat of hooves rolled through the air, an alien noise in the Black Monster Forest.

Cain, riding his horse next to Kireua at the front of their group, kept tilting his head in confusion.

“Your Highness, something is odd.”

Kiruea and the others were already close to the center of the forest, but they hadn’t seen a single monster on their way there. Any presences he sensed were all animals like deers. Finding ordinary animals in the Black Monster Forest was as strange as finding nothing because any ordinary animals should have been eaten by monsters long ago.

They didn’t find anything tangible until about thirty minutes later, when they arrived at the forest’s center.

“There’s a body over here!”

A corpse in a place like that...

“I’ll go take a look.”

“I’ll join you.”

Kireua and Cain eagerly snapped their reins. Anna eyed them for a moment before shrugging and following.

Kireua arrived at the site shortly but immediately clapped his hand over his mouth.

“Urgh!”

The site reeked of corpses, but the smell wasn’t the only problem.

“Crazy bastard...!” Kireua cussed.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

It was a gruesome sight: over twenty men and women’s half-rotten corpses hung in the eaves of the forest’s tall trees. Larvae and eggs writhed in the fetid flesh.

“Seeing as they still have flesh, the corpses must be from not too long ago.”

“...Bring them down,” Kireua instructed after quietly offering a prayer for their afterlife.

The knights quickly cut the ropes holding up the corpses.

“Is it possible to identify the bodies?”

“It looks like... they’re some of the missing people.”

Kireua and Cain groaned. That was the last answer they wanted to hear.

The prince gave the bodies of his citizens a grim look. “...We’ll leave after burying all of them.”

Every second mattered, but no one opposed his decision.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

All of the knights and mages worked together to dig the graves. Many of the mages could use a digging spell, so the burial progressed a lot quicker than expected.

“Y-Your Highness...” One of the knights digging graves stumbled backward.

Kireua and the others’ heads turned toward the knight and their faces immediately darkened. Several sets of skeletons were buried near the trees where the corpses had hung.

“...Please exhume the remains as carefully as possible to avoid any damage.” Kireua shut his eyes.

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Dozens, hundreds... almost a thousand skeletons were eventually piled on the ground.

“...There are exactly 927 corpses, Your Highness,” Cain solemnly reported.

“How many people went missing?”

“1,004 people.”

“We’re still missing seventy-seven people.” Kireua frowned. “Please continue to search the area.”

Three more hours passed, delaying the original operation, but there was one silver lining to this situation. The nobles began to view Kireua more positively because they knew no other member of the Imperial Family would devote this much time to finding ordinary citizens’ bodies.

“We’ve found seven more bodies!”

“There are still seventy people left,” Kireua said.

“Your Highness.” Cain was becoming concerned. “if we delay any longer...”

“Those people might still be alive.”

“...We could lose more than seventy people in battle, Your Highness.”

“We’re a special unit whose job is to ambush the enemy. Even if we make it to the enemy camp undetected, it’s entirely possible that their main forces won’t go back to where they came from.”

“Do you really think so?” Cain asked.

“You’ve met Bel as well, Sir Cain.”

Cain waited for him to clarify.

“He’s not someone who will retreat just because some of his people died,” Kireua continued. “He already has a history of abandoning people—he left the paladins in the capital and returned to Hubalt on his own.”

“Then why did Princess Iruca divide our forces into two...?” Cain murmured.

Since he knew the whole truth, Kireua smiled bitterly but chose to say nothing; speaking up would be no better than calling his sister a bitch.

“Well, I have no way of knowing our great strategist’s grand design. In any case, let’s worry about recovering the bodies first. We’ll feel uneasy leaving them behind when we fight—”

Kireua stiffened. Cain and Anna’s head whipped around as well.

“That energy just now...”

“Run!” Cain, the mightiest of all those in Kireua’s band, shouted.

But he was too late.

A black lightning bolt flew in from afar and struck a knight, engulfing him.

“Arghhhhhh!”

-What a delightful surprise. Fresh ingredients walked right into my territory.