kscans

Chapter 241 - Even if It Means Crossing the Line

Tina stared in disbelief at the devastating answer.

"What do you mean? Did she charge in alone?"

She asked about the uncharacteristic mistake.

"No!" Milfy exclaimed. "That lizard was a monster wreathed in flames. The Kingdom tried to destroy the monsters with a new weapon they'd deployed, but it had no effect on the lizard. Perhaps sensing a threat, it unleashed a massive fireball toward the royal capital. We couldn't escape, and just as we had resigned ourselves to death, Rumily used her wind defense to protect everyone."

"Matilda and I helped, but it was completely useless," she continued. "Then, one of the maids managed to counteract it with the weapon. But Rumily had been the closest, shielding us from the flames, so her burns were much worse than ours."

She showed us her right arm. It was wrapped in bandages, and the skin beneath looked slightly blackened.

"It's that bad?" I asked. "Even a high potion didn't work?"

"It worked on Matilda and me, but it's taking time," Milfy explained. "The doctor said drinking too many in a short period is bad for you. But for Rumily's right leg, even a high potion couldn't heal it. And what's more... they said if it was left as it was, it would endanger her life. Yesterday, Rumily... fully aware of the consequences, asked for it to be amputated."

She could no longer hold back her tears and began to cry. Matilda moved to comfort her.

"Will she be provided with a prosthetic leg?" I asked.

Matilda looked at me with a confused expression.

"Shinsuke," Tina said quietly. "Those who are injured in service to the country or its people are given some compensation. But unfortunately, the kind of things your country has don't exist here."

A cruel answer.

I was overcome with a sense of powerlessness. Honestly, with Bardos and the others here, I had foolishly assumed the damage wouldn't be this bad.

But I was naive.

In a war, you never know who will live and who will die. Everyone in this infirmary was a warrior who had accepted that risk.

But still...

"Tina," I said. "I'm going to step out for a bit. Can I leave you as my escort?"

"Where are you going?" Tina asked, her eyes filled with concern.

"I'm going to get a prosthetic leg," I replied. "But there are things I need to prepare first. I might be gone for a while. Tell the captain that I've abandoned the mission."

"The captain is an understanding man," Tina said firmly. "He would not fault someone for acting on behalf of their comrades."

I felt a wave of relief. I had been worried that this would cause trouble for her.

"But please," she added, "at least tell me where you're going."

"The forests of the Republic," I said.

With that single statement, I left the room.

After I was gone, Matilda asked, "What's in the forests of the Republic?"

Tina thought for a moment. "We heard from an adventurer in a tavern in the Republic. He said... that a Reverse Slime had appeared there."

"That regenerating monster..." Matilda began, a spark of hope in her voice. "Then for Rumily's leg—! Ah, no, that's impossible."

She caught herself and fell silent.

A Reverse Slime could regenerate its own lost body parts, but it couldn't restore what another had lost. That was the domain of the gods. Even for a high-class monster, it was impossible.

"Then why?" Milfy asked. "Come to think of it, he said he was going to bring back a prosthetic leg. But what does that have to do with a Reverse Slime?"

"A prosthetic leg is expensive," Tina explained, "and to have one fitted, you need something like a permit issued by the country. But Rumily doesn't have one. Getting one made for a foreigner would take a long time, with no guarantee of success. That's why he needs it. A means to acquire what he needs."

She said no more.

Milfy and Matilda understood. He intended to use the Reverse Slime as a gift to secure the prosthetic. It was an illegal act, but if it meant Rumily could walk again...

"I won't let Shinsuke-san bear this alone," Milfy said, her face set with determination. "We'll bear it with him."

Matilda's expression was the same.

"You're right," Tina said. "If he successfully obtains it, let's go together. We won't let him take the blame by himself."

She too had made her decision.

Even if it was to save a comrade, what they were planning was borderline criminal. No, it was criminal. Bribing an official, obtaining something through illegal means... But there was a difference between someone who acts for selfish gain and someone who acts for the sake of others.

Which one was the good person, with the resolve to step off the righteous path? The answer was obvious.

*

The scene changed to the throne room.

Only three people were present.

Captain Magnes was on one knee. Before him sat Queen Olivia, with Chancellor Alphonse standing at her side.

"I am truly grateful for this audience today," the captain said. "I hear things have been quite difficult here."

"They have been," the Queen replied. "The capital walls were breached, the monsters launched a fierce assault... and there was that unknown creature. I've heard of the damage in the other nations, but frankly, I believe ours was the worst."

"No, you are correct," the captain agreed. "In the Empire, the capital suffered almost no damage. Only soldiers and adventurers were injured. By the way, I don't see any of the other nobles?"

The chancellor answered the captain, who was looking around the room. "The nobles have been given strict orders to grasp the situation in their respective towns and monitor the monsters' movements. They are not in the capital at present."

"A way of clearing the room, I see," the captain mused. "But I'm surprised the nobles agreed to such an order."

And he was right to be. No matter how bad the war had been, it wouldn't be strange for there to be a few sycophants trying to curry favor with the queen in the capital.

"During the war," the chancellor explained, "a certain noble's knight captain moved his troops on his own authority and was annihilated. What's more, most of the nobles were on his side. They were trying to drag the Queen from her throne. I'm sure you can guess the rest."

The captain fell silent.

He understood. It was treason against the royal family. A crime that warranted severe punishment, but a massive purge was out of the question. So, they were offered a deal: obey the strict orders, and the matter would be forgotten.

It wasn't strange to think such a bargain had been struck.

"In that case," the captain said, "shall we dispense with the formal greetings and pleasantries?"

The Queen nodded.

"Thank you," he continued. "There is something I would like to ask. I heard that the comrades of 'Red Lightning' were quite seriously injured."

"Yes," the Queen said. "They all fought so hard. I would like to award them medals along with their payment. However, when Bardos and the others awoke... they said, 'As long as we get our money, that's all that matters.' That was it. But one of the young women lost her leg. She will no longer be able to live as an adventurer, and even daily life will be difficult. Of course, we will do what is right by her."

Though the atmosphere was heavy, she tried to sound bright.

"I understand how you must feel," the captain said. "But perhaps he might be able to do something about it. I have only known him for a short time, but... I find myself thinking so."

He looked up at the sky through the window, his gaze distant.

"Yes," the Queen agreed. "With him, perhaps..."

She looked up at the sky as well.

*

In the Republic.

I stood at the entrance to some ruins.

I had drawn a teleportation circle in an abandoned warehouse in the Kingdom's capital and jumped to a spot near the forest. I wasn't sure how long it would take, but if it had been seen recently, it shouldn't have gone far.

I activated 'Detection.'

There were no red dots nearby, but there was a blue one behind me. Behind me were the ruins. A person inside? But they should know this place is dangerous.

And just one? Impossible.

Unless they were a complete fool, no one would act alone. With that thought, I entered the ruins. A slime appeared. But it had a strange, divine, almost sacred aura about it.

For some reason, that was the feeling the slime gave off.

"Could it be?" I murmured. "Let's put you to the test."

I drew my sword and slashed the slime in a clean horizontal strike.

Its body split in two. Normally, that would be the end of it, but the separated parts began to move and then rejoined.

Next, I activated my fire magic, unleashing a blast powerful enough to incinerate the entire area.

The slime didn't even try to dodge and took a direct hit. From within the roaring flames, it emerged as if nothing had happened. It should have been burned, or shrunk, or at least half of it should have evaporated, but it was exactly the same shape as when I first saw it.

What's more, despite all my attacks, it didn't turn into a red dot indicating hostility; it remained blue.

Did it not recognize me as an enemy? Or did it simply lack the concept?

"Just like the rumors," I said to myself. "So this is a Reverse Slime."

I had found the monster I was looking for.

I instantly activated 'Matter Conversion.' An iron whip snaked around the slime, forming a small, square cage.

The slime moved, but it couldn't get out of the cage. Although it was fluid, it seemed it couldn't change its shape at will.

With the capture successful, I thought, Alright. Next, I need to retrieve that thing from the Empire.

I used a teleportation circle to jump to the Empire.

It would be suspicious for me to show up while on a mission, so I created an iron helmet that hid my face and headed for the gate.

Naturally, the soldiers told me to take it off, but I said, "This is something I found while adventuring. Once I put it on, I couldn't take it off. It's some kind of curse. So, I can't."

That was all I said. The soldiers, unnerved, let me through.

They couldn't just turn away an adventurer under a curse, especially if he was in the middle of an investigation.

I was surprised my impromptu lie worked.

I hurried to my base, retrieved the item in question, and left through the gate again.

To the suspicious soldiers, I simply said, "I was scorned. I can't stay here any longer."

And with that, I passed through.

The soldiers were speechless and just watched me go. Wasn't security a little too lax? The question crossed my mind, but for now, it was convenient for me.

With my two spoils of war in hand, I teleported to my house in the Kingdom.