Chapter 100: Existence (2)

Is It Bad That the Main Character's a Roleplayer

Chapter 100 Existence (2)

I barely managed to hide my expression, but Deb looked like he'd seen a ghost.

Berserk scratched her cheek awkwardly.

"Erm, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to startle you..."

...Th-This was giving me chills. Just a few days ago, she had been glaring at me, but now...

W-Wait, was it actually her? Or was this someone entirely different? Now that I looked at her a bit more closely, she did seem a little different...

"Get lost."

I replied to her with a hint of annoyance, telling the person before me to go away. Of course, even in this situation, I couldn't help but pay close attention to the other party's appearance.

I kept wondering whether this really was Berserk.

What I saw was as follows:

Thick muscles, as if to prove that even someone from the Sland tribe could be rugged. A giant physique that couldn't even be described as large anymore. Skin as dark as ebony, and hair the color of platinum, which almost looked white when exposed to sunlight, slightly cascading down her neck. Her amber eyes seemed to hold more than what her youth would suggest.

Yeah, that was where the problem lay. Everything about her matched Berserk's description, but those eyes drastically changed my impression of her.

"Y-Y-You... No, big sis, h-how come you're..."

"My younger sister headed this way..."

"Naturally, but...! Wait, could that be why Marial King hasn't arrived yet...? Big sis, have you already met with that guy?!"

"No, not yet. My sister sent him a letter, but I haven't seen his face since we came here."

"...!!"

Meanwhile, Kankan, who was conversing with Berserk(?), let out a silent scream. The expression of shock and horror plastered across his face was honestly quite comical.

"Wh-When did she send this letter...?"

"It must have been around half a year ago? Since it was sent from the north, it would have arrived more recently, though."

"...!!"

When he heard her response, Kankan started to tear at his hair. His pale face vividly portrayed the depth of his confusion.

"What about its contents..."

"Hmm. It's nothing much. It simply said that she wanted to discuss something they'd talked about a long time ago."

"...Something she talked about?"

"That guy once told my sister that he would crush her one day. She ignored it at the time, but looking back, she did become a little curious as to why he said that. For your information, I tried to stop her."

"...So, he went crazy because he received this letter...!"

I wasn't entirely sure what was happening, but it seemed we had uncovered why the Martial King had become so sensitive, bordering on insane. I didn't know why receiving a simple letter would drive someone to kill others, though.

"Erm... Who are you, exactly? You don't seem to be the same person we met before..."

"Ah, I'm sorry. I have some history with Kankan here. Um, if the one you're referring to is Berserk, then no, I'm not her."

Physically, she didn't seem like someone who would use her head much, but her eyes and gestures exuded wisdom and intelligence, making her seem quite strange.

I could tell they weren't the same person, but I felt some dissonance because of the image I had already ingrained in my mind.

"I'm telling the truth."

"...Is that so?"

"Yes."

"Then why are you...?"

"As I mentioned earlier, I came to apologize."

The other person lightly scratched the back of her neck. Her slightly droopy eyes were filled with shame.

"My younger sister, I mean, Berserk, caused a lot of trouble for you."

...I'd thought they looked a lot alike. So, they were actual siblings!

Deb seemed to have similar thoughts, as he immediately looked convinced.

Hmm, if they were related, no matter whether they were twins or just sisters, it wouldn't be strange for them to have similar appearances. There were plenty of people within a family who looked alike, and there were even wholly unrelated people who seemed almost identical in this world.

"I won't accept."

However, I didn't feel like accepting an apology from someone other than the perpetrator, even if she was her sister.

Besides, wouldn't my character feel rather uncomfortable receiving an apology from someone who looked exactly like the person who pissed him off? At least, that was how I interpreted it.

"...Hmm, you seem angrier than I expected."

The other person scratched her cheek again before raising her hand. It looked like she wanted to leave for now.

"This won't be my only opportunity. I'll take my leave for now. I told the soldiers I wanted to use the restroom for a moment and left, so I think I should probably return quickly."

No matter whether they were regular soldiers, adventurers, or fighters, they were instructed not to leave their assigned positions arbitrarily, but somehow, someone I hadn't seen when I was placed here managed to show up here.

If it were a soldier and they got caught, they would face disciplinary actions, but it seemed it was different for adventurers or fighters, huh?

"Ah, right. This is just my own curiosity speaking, but have you ever received formal military training? You seem to be from the east..."

If you snuck out by saying you just wanted to use the bathroom, you should get back quickly! She seemed normal, but she actually wasn't any better than her younger sister!

I didn't say anything. Instead, I simply pulled my longsword—a cheap one I'd acquired after a day of visiting all the nearby shops—from its scabbard.

"Alright, I got it. Let me apologize once more for my younger sister's actions. Well then, take care."

It seemed she understood and departed.

"...No, but even if they're sisters, it's been a long time since I've seen two people who looked so similar. Are they twins?"

After she left, Deb shook his head, a bewildered expression on his face.

I felt the same. I was a little relieved that she was just a blood relative, but the impression Berserk had left on me was just too intense.

Seeing someone with the same face act so differently from what I expected was highly unsettling. Honestly, it felt like Berserk had been possessed by some kind of ghost or something.

"They... aren't twins."

Finally, after regaining some of his composure, Kankan spoke up.

"They may seem like that, though."

He suddenly lowered his eyes, which took on a deep glow.

"Come to think of it, she mentioned that you came from the same place. Do you know each other well?"

"I can't say that I know her well... It's more that she was pretty well-known where we lived. In reality, our relationship is just superficial. The younger sister's personality is a bit... you know."

"Yeah, that's how it seemed. Especially considering how she started picking fights with Mister every time she saw him."

"...! Have you already met? No, more importantly, she picked a fight with you? Did you two actually fight?"

"They fought. Mister did, I mean."

"And you're still alive?!"

What, why, what? What was wrong with me being still alive?

"Seems you're stronger than I thought."

I tried to imbue the words 'Get lost' into my eyes as I looked at Kankan, who seemed to look at me with new eyes. Understanding what I was trying to say, Kankan quickly averted his gaze.

"She's that strong?"

"Very. Growing up without a guardian, somewhere only the strongest survive, they rose to the rank of Great Warrior all by themselves, sweeping up the titles of Weapon Master and Berserk, which only the strongest in an era could achieve."

"Oh..."

Wait a second. Weapon Master? If Berserk referred to the one we'd met before, then Weapon Master would be the older sister we met just now.

Did the sisters each choose a different class advancement? Then, which of the two was supposed to join our party?

"Of course, because of their peculiar behavior... few wanted to get involved with them. The older sister was somewhat manageable, but the younger was so aggressive that one couldn't even describe her as 'combative' anymore."

So, no one got involved with either of them? That was a bit much.

"Because of that, even though Berserk was unendingly arrogant, people avoided conflict with her... And yet, Martial King..."

However, neither my thoughts nor Kankan's words could reach their proper end.

Buooh! Buooooh!

The sound of a horn echoed through the area.

"...!"

"That sound!"

"Demons!"

"Everyone, get ready!"

The relaxed atmosphere suddenly changed. That signal meant that the Demons had started to move.

It went without saying, but everyone around me began their preparations one after another.

Since they wouldn't know when the fight would break out, most had just quietly stayed where they were stationed, in no hurry to move. They had handled their equipment all day yesterday, after all.

"Launch the catapults!"

Thanks to that, not many people were panicking unless it was their first battle.

As if signaling the start of the battle, stones began to fly toward the Demons.

Boom!!

"Alright, great! Smash them all to pieces!"

The catapults' poor accuracy wasn't of much concern. The ammunition landed right where the enemies were.

"Arcane signal incoming!"

"Prepare the arrows!"

The sand of the desert started to shake.

Rumble!

The result was similar to an explosion, causing the ground to rumble as spikes spread everywhere outside the city walls.

In an instant, hundreds of Demons were skewered and doomed to die.

"It seemed like Mister Archmage made his move."

It certainly seemed that way. Of course, the Archmage wasn't doing it alone, but he'd at least probably taken the lead. Indeed, wizards were the best in the field when it came to AoE damage.

"Fire!"

However, there were still some Demons left. Next, the soldiers launched arrows. Their primary targets weren't the ones walking on the ground but those flying in the air.

"O almighty Lord!"

At that moment, the Inquisitor shouted loudly from among the priests.

The faint shine of her silver-blue armor mingled with that of the other priests, forming a massive beam of light.

Since they had to move flexibly as a group, they were clearly visible, standing on the upper side of the wall.

"The accursed ones persecuting your flock. Bestow upon me the power to vanquish them and protect the living. Let this land become a sanctuary with me as its stake!"

A tremendous blessing requiring a ton of divine power permeated through the gaps in the city walls. I didn't know which effects it had exactly, but at least it wouldn't be anything harmful.

"We can win this!"

"Kill them all!"

Morale soared high into the heavens thanks to our Hero's efforts, though no one here knew her by that title. I couldn't help but feel a little uneasy, though.

"Mister!"

"...! What are you doing?!"

Still, it was good for the others. Thinking like that, I leaned into one of the gaps. Fortunately, it was large enough for one person to pass through.

"Seriously, again?!"

No, meat dumpling. If you put it like that, it makes me seem like I'm someone who's completely hopeless. Well, that wasn't entirely wrong, but still, wasn't it a bit much?

I wasn't crazy enough to do something like this. I just couldn't fight properly within the walls.

I also considered the existence of the Martial King and the other riffraff, thinking it would be a good idea to stop them directly.

If they were to stab me from behind, it might be painful, but I couldn't just stand by and do nothing because I was worried about that.

"Mister Archmage told you not to go out!"

"That lunatic—!"

Ah, you guys shouldn't worry. I wasn't going out, not really. I didn't go 'outside' the city walls.

Slash!

I swiftly dealt with the approaching enemies rushing toward the hole I was coming out of before climbing on top of the roof.

Strictly speaking, this could still be considered 'outside', but the 'outside' the Archmage mentioned probably referred to the desert beyond the city walls. In that sense, I wasn't breaking my promise.

I was just going to fight from here.

Kiyaaargh─!?

Swoosh!

Several flying Demons that hadn't gotten struck by arrows tried to pass by me, only to be sliced into pieces. Letting out a [Slash] or two always felt rather satisfying.

Sssssrrrr.

And the [Arcane Spear] skill I'd recently obtained was also excellent.

I could use [Slash] to target multiple targets at once, but they needed to be in a straight line, and the larger the scale, the more Arcane Power was required.

On the other hand, [Arcane Spear] could accurately shoot down one enemy for around 20 points of Arcane Power. That it instantly killed the target via headshots made its damage output irrelevant.

One slight issue was that I had to aim precisely at their heads... But still, long-range attacks were the best. Really thrilling.

"Victory to my blade, glory to the heavens..."

Now that I had [Arcane Spear], shooting down enemies trying to pass by was much easier. I took a moment to offer a proper prayer, something I hadn't done in a long while.

And at that moment, all the Demons flying past me plummeted to the ground with gaping holes in their heads.

Gone were the days of running around desperately to kill airborne enemies.

"Death to those bastards...!"

Wahaha! [Arcane Spear] was just too good!

* * *

* * *

Deathbringer sighed. He was foolish to think that guy would just obediently stand by.

"C-Can we survive...?"

"Damn, keep going, bro!"

"That guy, kill that guy, too!"

At the same time, he felt a bitter sense of resignation. Even though the Demon Knight could be spoken to, there was no way to stop him.

His current performance was proof of that fact.

"A C-Cyclops... Ah! He killed it!"

A Demon as infamous as the Patchwork Golem, known to level castles whenever it appeared, was killed in a single blow.

"Tarrasque down!"

"Manticore shot down!"

Even Demons that were subspecies of dragons and took hundreds of attacks to kill were no different.

The Demon Knight slaughtered Demons much faster and with greater ease than those who'd lived here for much longer and accumulated lots of experience.

Naturally, the damage they suffered was greatly reduced. While the Demons on the ground still caused some casualties, going by the soldiers' attitudes, it seemed to be manageable.

It was very easy to see when compared to other areas. Due to the situation, making precise measurements wasn't possible, but... compared to others, this place didn't have to replace its personnel as fast.

That meant there were fewer deaths.

And that was largely thanks to the Demon Knight.

What excuse could he possibly give to keep him from joining the battle? Especially when even this was already him showing restraint?

If the Archmage hadn't warned him, he would have leaped off the wall and swept away all the Demons around him. He was sure of that. It would have been completely possible for the Demon Knight.

And if he'd done that, the damage to them would have been even less, though the Demon Knight would have been the one most in danger.

"Is this really okay...?"

Deathbringer continued shooting arrows to kill even one more Demon, suppressing these thoughts that kept emerging.

It was true that the Demon Knight was strong, but was it really okay just to leave him there by himself?

He'd heard that the Great Demon could target him, so was it really okay for him to be in such a conspicuous place?

...Wouldn't that seal, which they'd barely managed to complete, break by the end of this battle?

The Demon Knight, who'd never used these techniques when killing the sea dragon, started regularly using skills that only the Demon in him had used since that day...

"Arrows...!"

These stray thoughts completely disappeared along with the arrows he shot. Deathbringer hurriedly reached for one of his spare arrows.

"...!"

That was when something suspicious caught his eye.

Far off, a giant figure approached the praying priests with a raised weapon.

It didn't feel like he'd come with peaceful intentions.

"He's really here. I can't believe it."

He'd kept in mind everyone the iron wall had felt uncomfortable about, the Martial King included. Far beyond just their appearances and personal information, he even memorized where they'd been deployed and their assigned roles.

"Was he really a traitor...?!"

Despite the Archmage's request and warning not to dismiss the possibility, he couldn't help but still feel surprised.

He didn't expect this to happen.

"It's not like the people here have collectively gone blind."

Later, he planned on killing the Martial King, who never even showed up, and everyone he could remember.

For now, he had to stop that ominous hand from reaching the priests.

While he might despise their stubborn and hateful nature, they were still warriors and healers who could save the injured, right? Noticing that they were in danger was more than enough reason for him to move.

"I won't let that happen!"

In his hand, a blade tinged with darkness became filled with anticipation and determination.

Blood splattered against the insides of the castle walls.