Chapter 188: Chapter 184: A World We Can't Live In Alone

A cold wind blew.

As if to commemorate the noble knight’s final moments, buried in this land, the cold wind seemed ready to freeze everything.

If such mourning continued forever, even the immortal monsters would remain frozen, and they would never reemerge in the world.

“…Mr. Phobia.”

Feeling the same wind, Flang, who was on my back, whispered with difficulty.

“Did Mr. Phobia truly return to being human at the end?”

Is she still unsure?

Or is she still grieving over not being able to prevent his death?

“…Yes.”

But my words were not just to comfort her.

The spirits in the wind told me that what he showed at the end was from his regained reason.

Through such communion, I could feel fragments of his life and speak with more certainty.

“I assure you. In the end, he remained human.”

Because his life was miserable, and he was not rewarded for his efforts in this harsh world…

The fact that he overcame all of that and regained his humanity made his final moments even more noble.

“Even in this world…”

With that confident answer, Flang buried her face deeper into my back.

“Even in this world, is it really okay to pursue hope?”

In reality, not in dreams.

Is it okay to chase hope while living desperately, not just immersing in illusions until the end?

“Well, I don’t know that either.”

I wanted to offer comfort, even if it was just empty words, but I couldn’t honestly express that feeling.

This world was too harsh, and I was struggling just to carry this girl.

“…It’s not fair. You came to get me, but now you say that.”

“I’m sorry. The one who came to find you is so inadequate.”

Why did I come here despite the difficulty?

The answer to that question is already clear inside me.

“…Still, if it’s hard, I think it’s better to rely on others rather than handle it alone.”

Because I need this girl.

Following the prophecy that led me to meet her, I felt the same destiny with this girl as with the people I’d met.

“This world is tough to live alone, but together… we might achieve what we couldn’t alone.”

Yes, it’s a harsh world, isn’t it?

Even so, if we want to live, we should reach out to those we can be with, and sometimes it’s necessary to take risks for them.

I hope this girl is included in such a place…

-Clip-clop, clip-clop.

With those thoughts, as we moved forward, I started hearing the sound of someone approaching from the opposite side of the street.

In this cold, without preserving body heat like I do, one would quickly lose warmth. Could there really be a moving monster now?

-Neigh!

No, it wasn’t a monster; it was a horse.

Moreover, unlike the hideous creatures we’ve encountered, it had a healthy body and was fully equipped with protective gear, proving it belonged to someone.

“Why is there a horse here…?”

-Snort!

As I wondered, the horse approached and knelt down.

As if inviting us to sit, there was a note tucked into the saddle.

A letter from the presumed owner of this horse, intended for the person who would ride it.

[Hero, this is Sanson. I don’t know what’s happening, but just in case, I’ve sent a smart horse. If you find it, please ride it and join us at the designated location with Miss Flang.]

…Damn stubborn guys.

They don’t even call me by my name properly, and now they’re ignoring orders to return to the capital.

-Snort, snort!

But now that the situation was settled, their consideration was somewhat welcome.

As I turned back, I noticed the horse reaching its head towards Flang, who was on my back.

It was certainly showing affection towards Flang.

The horses of the expedition were mostly taken care of by her.

“It seems worried about you.”

“Me? This horse?”

“Yes, if you honestly ask for help, it will surely help.”

It must be grateful for her constant care, so surely it could do at least that much.

But my words seemed strange to her, as she just buried her face deeper into my back without petting the horse.

“…It’s an unreasonable request. For someone like me, made to help humans, to ask for help from others.”

“Sometimes you have to rely on others, even to give help.”

If your legs are broken and you need to move forward, you can ask someone to lend you their shoulder.

It might be awkward, but having already been saved by my hands, there were no other options.

Thinking it could gradually be improved, I mounted the saddle, secured the uncomfortable Flang with a strap, and gently asked her.

“Or do you dislike me?”

“…I don’t dislike you.”

Finally giving in, she buried her head in my back and wrapped her broken hand around my waist.

The trembling in her hand indicated that she still couldn’t shake off her fear.

“That’s why I’m afraid. After we leave this place, I might end up pointing my sword at you.”

…Yes, come to think of it, that still remained.

No matter how much we grew to care for each other, she had a mission, and I had the resolve to protect those who care for me.

If we don’t give up on that and continue, we will eventually clash.

Even so, the reason such a future doesn’t seem so scary is that I felt a sense of possibility just from her not pushing me away.

“Then, we should find a way before that time comes.”

Just like me, this girl, too.

I gained the conviction that she would help the people I love…

-Rumble!

But such feelings of expectation lasted only a moment.

A tremor in the ground followed, causing me to stiffen, and my gaze reflexively turned to the direction we had come from.

What should have been there was the ruins of the cathedral, destroyed by Flang’s battle.

But right after we left, something was writhing, rising above the city.

That wasn’t there when we came out a moment ago… Could it be alive?

“Ah. Aaaaaaaaah!!”

A fierce scream erupted, frightening me.

As it echoed throughout the city, the blizzard from behind suddenly became distorted.

It wasn’t just a loud sound; it was imbued with magic.

It was an incomplete but dizzying sensation just from hearing it… Yes, I definitely felt this when I was attacked by the demon before.

“Yasmo… Deus?”

And it wasn’t a mistake, as Flang, who was watching with me, confirmed.

Turning to see that she couldn’t ignore the name, I saw that Flang’s face had turned pale.

“Yasmo Deus is one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King’s Army, right? Why is she appearing here?”

“Because she was the mastermind behind what happened in this city. But I thought she died frozen by Mr. Phobia…”

So she was killed by Phobia, but somehow survived and ended up like that.

But now, as if replacing the cathedral, her form had nothing left of the demon she once was.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Never… Never forgive!!! A beast dared to challenge me and made me look like this…!!”

With an incomprehensible scream, shadows extended in all directions like giant tentacles, smashing parts of the city, causing my body to tremble violently from the shockwaves.

And at that moment, my eyes met with the closest tentacle…

No, it wasn’t a tentacle; it was a person.

Countless people melded together and melted down… It looked like a slime born from a melted crowd.

“Ah, yes… You all, you made me like this…!!”

The long, stretched flesh seemed to reach towards us but then froze in place, stopping its advance.

The blizzard, which had been intensifying since the chaos began, started to freeze the body.

Are the spirits helping us? So we can escape this monster quickly?

-Neigh!

Whatever it is, now that we’ve recovered Flang, there’s no reason to stay here any longer.

Fed up with facing such monsters, I flicked the reins, and the horse carrying Flang and I started down the road quickly.

“Oh… you… destroyed…!”

At that moment, the monster forcibly moved its frozen body, sending splintered flesh-like tentacles toward us.

As we raced down the road, dodging the brutal attack, Flang’s tense voice emerged as she looked back.

“She probably gathered the monsters around her in a final desperate attempt to construct her body while she was dying. Since her original body could turn into a spirit, she managed to piece herself together with the surrounding monsters, even though it wasn’t perfect.”

“And that went wrong, causing her to go berserk?”

“From the start, the fusion of beastmen and vampires was imperfect. Adding demons to the mix is an unprecedented experiment…”

-Crack, crack!!

Frozen chunks of flesh crashed into buildings, sending debris flying in all directions.

Boom, crash! Rocks and ice chunks fell along our path.

We managed to dodge them with the horse’s speed and agility, but even that was precarious.

-Rumble, rumble!

As we advanced cautiously, frozen chunks of flesh twisted and surged like waves behind us.

If we hesitated and slowed down, we’d be quickly caught and swallowed.

“Damn it, it’s too fast!”

“Leave me behind. It might slow them down a little…”

“Don’t talk nonsense! What do you think I came all this way for?!”

Abandoning one broken doll wouldn’t make us much faster, and living only had meaning if we did it together.

The only relief was that we just needed to go straight to the drawbridge exit… Damn, what should we do?

“Unforgivableeeeeee!!”

Even now, the flesh behind us was expanding and chasing faster than us, and the ensuing chaos was destroying the city, blocking our path.

Of course, without the cold, this monster could easily consume the city. There’s no way I could fight it head-on like with Phobia.

At the very least, if we could stall until it completely freezes in this cold…

“Master! Ahead!”

At that moment, a huge shadow loomed ahead.

Startled and holding my breath, the shadow was already right in front of us, opening its mouth.

It was a monster with a thick beak and black feathers… Damn, if we crash, it’s over!

-Screech!

But the monster that caused the alarm flew past us, soaring above.

The monster that struck down the flesh flying at us landed on the street, showing its presence.

A monster covered in feathers, with a head like a crow, and a black cloak.

“Kaaoaa! Kaaoaaa!!”

The monster screamed from the side of the direction we were heading, causing the wave of flesh pursuing us to veer off course.

“Ah, ah. Yes, it’s you! You dare to obstruct me!!”

It seemed unable to overlook the one who hindered it.

The crow-shaped monster, seemingly fleeing, began to run across the city buildings through the blizzard, forgetting to pursue us as Yasmo Deus advanced.

Despite freezing from the cold, it moved in the exact opposite direction of our exit.

“You…”

Feeling a familiarity from its back, despair soon escaped my mouth.

“Why… are you here?”

Virgil Huntress.

Why had he, now completely fallen into a monster, appeared here to draw the attention of that monster?