81 - People Beginning to Move
The ground was deeply gouged over a fairly wide area. Standing on its edge, Ray gazed at the surroundings. This was the place where the Laurel Kingdom Army, numbering in the tens of thousands, had been deployed, but now there was no sign of a soul. More than a month had already passed since the battle ended. There was no reason for the Laurel Kingdom Army to remain in this empty place.
"I thought a black sphere had suddenly appeared, and then it expanded greatly. It was undoubtedly magic, but it is not within my knowledge."
The one explaining was Cecil. She was telling Ray, who had been unconscious and did not know the end of the battle, about the situation at the time. To hear this, Ray had returned to the battlefield. He knew that traveling this far involved danger, but he felt he had to come regardless.
"I believe the soldiers protecting Ray-sama did not even reach two thousand. They split into several units and charged into the Laurel Kingdom Army, which tried to block their path."
"...I see."
"The central sphere grew larger and larger as it swallowed the people around it, and this must be its final size. I am sorry. I was chasing Ray-sama, so I did not see the end."
Cecil did not know the end either. Because she had been chasing the retreating Ray, she had not seen it.
"There was no sound of an explosion. Looking at the state of the ground, did it simply expand as much as it could and then quietly vanish?"
"...I suppose so."
The ground had been cleanly carved out into a hemisphere. One could imagine that there had been no shock, such as an explosion.
"...That is all I can tell you."
What happened to the Undead Legion, or to Sansei. She knew nothing concrete. Cecil felt apologetic about that.
"............"
"...Ray-sama."
"I'm fine. I'm just remembering a few things."
That was what she was worried about. As far as Cecil knew, Ray had seemed no different than usual, but since coming to this place, his atmosphere had clearly changed. Cecil felt a somewhat ominous air.
"...All my comrades are dead. Even the Demon Race, whom I thought were allies, became enemies. I have nothing but enemies."
"I am here. I am Ray-sama's ally."
"...I don't know when Cecil-san might die. Because there are nothing but enemies in this world."
"............"
She intended to be prepared to throw away her life for Ray. However, that would leave Ray lonely. Looking at the current Ray, she felt that he must not be left in such a situation.
"Even so, I cannot stop. If this world intends to snatch away every single person precious to me, then I will fight the world as my enemy. I will never forgive such a world."
Words whispered quietly. Words spoken matter-of-factly, without any sense of bravado. Precisely because of that, Cecil felt Ray's seriousness.
"Ah..."
Suddenly, Cecil's arm was pulled with strong force. Not resisting that strength, she allowed herself to be drawn in, and Ray's face was suddenly right before her eyes.
"Being with me is nothing but danger. It wouldn't be strange to die at any moment. Even so, have your feelings not changed?"
"...Y-yes. I will not leave Ray-sama's side."
"I see... If you change your mind, please leave me at any time."
"...N-no... I will not leave."
Ray gazed at her with a strong, piercing stare. Cecil's heart trembled at it. She thought it was different from romantic love. And yet, the feeling that she must obey this person grew stronger.
"...I understand your feelings. But it will be problematic if you remain as you are now, Cecil-san."
The moment Ray averted his gaze, Cecil reflexively let out a large breath. Only then did she realize she had been tense.
"You need to become a bit more capable of fighting, even outside of magic. Training in riding horses is also necessary."
"...I'm sorry for being a burden."
She had almost no combat ability other than magic. As for horses, she could ride them, but she wasn't proficient. Cecil was informed that such a level was not enough to accompany Ray.
"If you feel that way, then please do your best. From now on, every day for a while will be filled with nothing but training."
"Yes. I will do my best..."
"Well then, shall we go? We have to move before it gets dark. Though, truth be told, I'd prefer to move after it's dark."
"...I'm sorry."
"I'm joking. Come, let's go."
"Yes..."
A smile was directed at her. Since coming to this place, this was the first time Ray had shown a smile. While feeling relieved by that, Cecil found herself strongly drawn to him. It was the same sensation as before. This person has become strong. Cecil felt that. If the reason was the wounds dealt to his heart, if the reason was a desire for revenge, then one day she might have to die as well. Such a thought crossed her mind. It was fine for her to die. But could Ray become happy with such a life? Thinking of that, tears began to well up.
◇◇◇
Sunlight illuminated the surroundings. After passing through a dim mountain path overgrown with trees, they finally reached their destination. Knowing this, even Geel felt a surge of relief. After all, this was the Forest of Bewilderment. A land where powerful Magic Beasts roamed.
This was his second time coming here. The previous time he visited for training, he fought Magic Beasts many times. He never lost. That was only natural. If he had lost, he would have died then. He had once told people it was an ideal place for training, but in reality, this was a place for actual combat, not training. If one let their guard down, or even if they didn't but were simply unlucky, they would die. It was not a place to challenge repeatedly. Still, the reason Geel came here was not for training. He had come to look for Ray.
"Now then... I can't let my guard down."
He psychs himself up before the entrance. Beyond this was the place where Ray had lived. The home of Kamiira and the others. He stopped just after entering and let his eyes adjust to the darkness. He listened closely to the surrounding sounds. For now, he felt no presence of people. But he couldn't be relieved. Geel knew that Ray could kill his presence.
He advanced, muffling his footsteps. It was a place he had been to before. He remembered the layout of the rooms.
"Kid, Cecil. Are you there? If you are, come out."
He intentionally spoke out. If they came out with this, that would be fine. Even if they attacked, he would simply repel them then.
"Are you there? For starters, let's talk."
Keeping his hand on the hilt of his sword so he could react at any moment, he stepped forward.
"...A miss, huh? No, a hit!"
The flow of air changed. What changed it was a foot kicking off the air. Following that was a hand-blade strike. Something had attacked him, Geel dodged it and swung his sword. The one who had dodged by leaping far back was a woman with shining white skin. A woman of the Vampio race.
"Are you a resident here? If so, do you know Ray? A white-haired kid."
"...If it is him you speak of, I know him."
"Oh? Where is the kid?"
Geel was surprised by the unexpected answer. He had asked intending to provoke her.
"I do not know his location."
"...You're useless."
"I have no reason to be told such a thing by you."
"That's true enough!"
Geel closed the distance in an instant and slashed upward with his sword. The Vampio woman dodged it with an extraordinary leap. Utilizing the momentum of kicking off the ceiling, the Vampio attacked Geel from above.
"There's nowhere to run in the air."
Muttering this, Geel slammed his sword toward the oncoming Vampio. Taking the hit head-on, the Vampio was blown aside. She tried to take a break-fall before hitting the wall, but Geel did not allow it. He slammed his body into the Vampio, pinning her against the wall.
"Ngh!"
The Vampio let out a groan at the impact. Furthermore, Geel kicked her while she lay on the floor. Geel showed no mercy. Without giving her a moment to recover her posture, he simply unleashed a barrage of kicks. He had no thought that the opponent was a woman. Geel knew that if he held back against a member of the Demon Race, he would be the one killed.
"Ah... ngh... guh... ngh...!"
The Vampio groaned under Geel's attacks.
"Making such sexy sounds. You're throwing me off my rhythm."
Despite saying such things, Geel did not slacken his attack. He intended to settle this all at once.
"Ah..."
The groans ceased, and the Vampio stopped moving. Even so, he delivered another kick to her stomach. She still didn't move.
"...Was that a trick? Well then, time for the finishing blow."
He placed the tip of his sword against the Vampio's neck. If he applied force and cut off her head, it would be over. No matter how much of a demon she was, she would die from that.
"Tch..."
Geel clicked his tongue and pulled the sword away. He was hesitating to kill. He was also bewildered by his own feelings.
"The location is bad. It's damn hard to do this here."
This place was where Ray had lived with the Vampio. The place where children who were like younger sisters and brothers to Ray had lived with their mother. Geel knew that. He couldn't bring himself to kill a woman of the same Vampio race.
◇◇◇
Sera was surprised to wake up and find herself alive. Next, noticing that her body was chained to the wall, she accepted that she was alive. Thinking of the humiliation to come, her chest tightened.
"Oh, looks like you've woken up."
A man who had been sitting near the entrance of the room stood up and approached.
"...Kill me."
A wish that likely would not be granted. She tried voicing it.
"If that's your wish, I wouldn't mind killing you, but I have things to ask before that."
"I have nothing to say."
"Say that after you've heard the questions. What were you doing here?"
"............"
She had no intention of answering. She could not tell a human.
"Playing the silent type first, huh. You knew Ray. Did you come here knowing this was the place he lived?"
"............"
Silence again. Not only did she not want to answer, but she was trying to probe the opponent's intentions through the questions.
"Do you intend to kill Ray? If so, as you wish, I'll kill you."
"............"
She answered with silence. However, her feelings were reacting to the opponent's words.
"I have no intention of killing him. He's my disciple, after all."
Reading that reaction, Geel spoke of his relationship with Ray rather than asking a question.
"...Disciple?"
This time, Sera reacted with words.
"Oh, you reacted."
"............"
"You don't have to stay silent, right? You also have no intention of killing Ray. Is that correct?"
"...He is already dead."
She could not let the Laurel Kingdom know of Ray's survival. Those were the words she spoke with that thought, but this was the same as answering Geel's question.
"No, Ray is alive. I know that. That's why I'm searching for his whereabouts like this. Not to kill him. I want him to live longer."
Trying to hide Ray's survival came from a will to protect him. Thinking that, Geel spoke of his objective. He conveyed that he also had no intention of killing Ray.
"...I don't know."
"Don't know what? That he's alive? That's impossible. Then why did you come here?"
"............"
"Going silent the moment it becomes inconvenient, huh. Well, I'll take that as a hit. Now, I want an answer to this. The ones who killed Ray were you, the Demon Race."
"That is..."
Sera could not remain silent at Geel's words.
"Seems to be a fact. If you knew Ray was alive and were searching for him to kill him, I'd understand. But you have no intention of killing him. Why?"
Geel did not understand Sera's objective. What did she intend to do once she found him? There was a possibility that the will of the Demon Race was not singular.
"............"
"Talk a little. At this rate, you'll be chained up for the rest of your life."
"...Kill me."
"That again. If you want to be killed that badly, spill everything. Even if you don't want to die, talk. Whether life or death, the way to be released is to talk."
"...I have no intention of talking."
"Stubborn... Can't be helped. Let's leave it at that for today. Even I've grown tired."
He had continued a journey without a moment's peace until now. This place was finally a place where he could rest securely without worrying about being attacked by Magic Beasts. That sense of security conversely made Geel feel the fatigue. The effect of the life-and-death struggle with Sera likely played a part as well.
"I can't take off the chains. Spend the night as you are."
"............"
Sera's body stiffened with tension. The interrogation was over. But that meant the arrival of a time of humiliation. That was what she was thinking.
"Surprisingly pure. I wonder, do you have no experience with men?"
"............"
Silence. But he could tell it was a hit.
"Are you young?"
The lack of experience and the naivety of unconsciously reacting to that question. Geel wondered if she was a young woman. Even if she were actually thirty, she would be considered young among the Demon Race.
"............"
"Sigh. At this rate, I'll just be talking to myself. I'll tell you this much. Looking closely, you are certainly a beautiful woman. But I have no hobby of embracing a woman who hates it."
"...Liar."
"What would I gain by lying here? Even if it were a lie, you'd find out immediately, wouldn't you? Are you so stupid that you don't even understand that?"
If it were a lie, Geel would try to embrace the reluctant Sera after this. There was no point in telling a lie that would be immediately revealed.
"...I understand, but even so..."
Even if that were the case now, she couldn't say for sure that his mind wouldn't change later. Normally, minds change. The ability to produce misfortune possessed by Vampio women. Sera, naturally, was emitting Charm.
"Sigh. Enough already. Be afraid on your own. I'm going to rest."
Saying this, Geel moved near the entrance. He sat there, leaned against the wall, and closed his eyes. Was he really not going to do anything? A small feeling of trust in Geel's words sprouted in Sera's heart.
"...Come to think of it, this is Ray's room. Did you know?"
With his eyes closed, Geel spoke to her. It was content that didn't seem like an interrogation.
"...I didn't know."
Thinking so, Sera returned an answer.
"In that chained state, Ray was discovered and taken to the royal capital. In other words, this place is also the place where Ray's precious people died."
"...You people killed them."
The one who killed Kamiira was Ray, but the cause that made it necessary lay in the attack by the Laurel Kingdom. Sera knew that.
"I wasn't there. But I can't deny it. If I had been, I might have been the one killing them."
"Kamiira-sama and the others were just living quietly."
"I know. This is my second time here. I found children's belongings then. A family's life existed here. The one who destroyed it was certainly the Laurel Kingdom."
"...Not just this place."
Persecution of the Demon Race was being carried out in other places as well. It could be said to be every place on the continent except for Nordende.
"If you say that, the Demon Race has also killed many humans. There must be innocent people among them."
"That is revenge! Because you humans killed first!"
"How far back does that story go? The first human killed by a demon, or the first demon killed by a human—there's no way to know which came first."
"That is..."
Even for the long-lived Demon Race, that was unknown. The war between humans and the Demon Race had lasted thousands of years. No records of the beginning remained. Still, it was common knowledge among the Demon Race that humans had launched the attack first.
"I'm not trying to say that humans are justice. Of course, the same goes for the Demon Race. If you don't kill, you'll be killed. That's just the kind of relationship it is."
"...Yes, it is."
"And Ray got caught up in it. It might be the fate of someone who is neither human nor demon, but I sympathize a little."
"...Neither human nor demon?"
"Ah, you didn't know? Oops. I intended to get information, but I gave some instead."
Geel had assumed that Sera, being a Vampio, would naturally know. This was a bit careless.
"Who is he?"
"...I don't mind telling you. In exchange, tell me what I want to know."
"...First, tell me what you want to ask."
Whether the content was worth exchanging information for. Without hearing it, she could not judge.
"Let's see. Why did you betray Ray? For the Demon King's army, his contributions should have been things that made the battle advantageous. I don't understand the reason for framing Ray."
"...It couldn't be helped. If I hadn't, the king of my race, and my entire race, would have been purged from the Demon King's army. It would be fine if it were just being purged, but it wouldn't end there."
"I hope I'm wrong, but were you involved in the betrayal?"
Sera's way of speaking made one think so. The emotion bleeding into her tone indicated it.
"...Yes. I betrayed him."
"And you are searching for Ray. Do you really have no intention of killing him?"
Sera herself had not said she had no intention of killing him. However, Geel was speaking on the premise that she didn't.
"I have no intention of killing him. There is no need."
Once the act of betrayal became known, Sera was exiled from the Vampio race. As a crime, it was quite heavy. However, the exile was to satisfy those around her. Behind the scenes, she had been ordered by the Dracul King to search for Ray. Sera's objective was to find Ray and bring him to the Dracul King.
"I see. In terms of foolishness, the Demon Race and humans are no different."
Sera's betrayal was because she was ordered by someone. The motive of the one who ordered it must be different from Sera's. It was the motive of a plot to eliminate the active Ray. One could understand that with a bit of thought.
"I have spoken. Now it's your turn."
"Yeah. Ray is an Otherworlder."
"What...?"
"And it seems he was an acquaintance of the Hero. This information is a bonus."
"...The Laurel Kingdom summoned... no, that's impossible."
If that were the case, there's no way Ray would have lived in this place. There's no way he would have sided with the Demon King's army. The possibility of it being an infiltration strategy involving accepted danger was almost zero. The damage Ray dealt to the Laurel Kingdom should not be something they could tolerate.
"Exactly. By the time he noticed, he was apparently here. It's a mysterious thing. Among those who were acquaintances in another world, only Ray came here. And he became an enemy."
"Indeed..."
She felt some kind of fate. Though she couldn't even imagine what kind.
"Humans and the Demon Race. I wonder which of them is lucky to have Ray's existence?"
Ray had sided with the Demon Race, but that Demon Race let go of Ray of their own accord. In the worst form, which was betrayal. Whose ally will Ray fight for next? That is what Geel was saying.
"...He is fighting to achieve revenge for Kamiira-sama."
"That's right. Avenging the people he lived with. He doesn't want to side with the Demon Race. Fighting as part of the Demon King's army was a means to achieve his objective."
"............"
Ray had no obligation to side with the Demon Race. She should have known that. She had betrayed Ray. She too might have become a target of Ray's revenge. She intended to be prepared for that as well. But being told so clearly by Geel, there was a part of her that was shaken. The mistake she had committed. Sera came to feel the weight of that sin once again.