EP.132 Rough-Mouthed People (2)
Sword Demon, Draka.
Once, Uncle Kuntel mentioned Draka. If I remember correctly, it was probably before I met Draka.
“A dangerous character.”
Dangerous.
“He broke the wall and became a superhuman in the easiest yet most unacceptable way.”
He didn’t walk the right path.
“If Kirmelt Canyon had still existed… Draka would have been executed by the Guardians of Galatrick. They’ve always been wary of someone like Draka being born.”
If Kirmelt Canyon had remained.
If the world wasn’t at its end, Draka would deserve to die. The last Sword Pilgrim had evaluated the Sword Demon that way.
In fact, Uncle Kuntel didn’t seem all that fond of Draka either. He mentioned leaving him alone for the time being since he was of help to humanity.
“Well, aside from that, he is a pitiable individual.”
“To be honest… I think Draka is just crazily insane. At least the purpose of wielding his sword is clear.”
‘Crazily insane, huh?’
I chuckled to myself recalling Uncle Kuntel’s words.
‘Crazily insane, my ass.’
Rather, the openly mad Kelharlem seemed more normal in my eyes.
‘At least Kelharlem doesn’t commit civilian massacres.’
I looked at the man in front of me.
He wore ragged clothes like a beggar, and the smell of blood wafted from his body.
“···Tsk.”
I clicked my tongue.
Just looking at his face made me frown involuntarily. I felt sick to my stomach as if I could vomit.
‘Annoying.’
Memories surfaced.
The unforgettable memories scratched at my insides.
“Ah, you’ve arrived.”
“So you’re the famous hero Kyle. Is that the Ashen Mage over there? And the Saint from the Deloheim Church as well.”
His voice.
“Ah, is this what you mean?”
The voice of the Sword Demon, lacking in tone, echoed in my ears. It was a voice embedded in a terrible memory.
“It’s nothing special.”
A village burning down.
Corpses of humans mixed with the burnt Beast.
The beheaded bodies of villagers trying to cross the barricade.
‘Beasts wouldn’t kill like that.’
‘Beasts wouldn’t set up barricades.’
‘Beasts, especially, wouldn’t burn down anything.’
That was the act of humans killing humans. The corpses of the last humans struggling to survive were horrific. At the end of those corpses stood a man.
Sword Demon, Draka.
Holding a torch in one hand and a bleeding sword in the other, he spoke. His voice did not waver in the slightest.
“I used them as bait.”
As bait.
As if it was nothing special.
“At least I let them die as humans.”
“It’s a fortune that not everyone gets to enjoy.”
“The Deloheim Church encourages this kind of method. It’s more beautiful to die as a human rather than to survive ugly as a non-human.”
The only reason I didn’t kill Draka back then was because Kalt and Kyle, who were with me, stopped me.
‘···They said Draka’s existence is crucial for tracking down the Gletus.’
A being I kept alive out of necessity.
For me, Draka was merely that.
“···What did you say?”
“Are you deaf?”
So, nothing kind would come out of my mouth.
I had no intention of letting a being that wasn’t human hear human language.
“You look like shit.”
I’ve always spoken only the truth.
I mean, I was quite an honest person.
—
Sword Demon, Draka.
He narrowed his eyes. Furrowed his brows. Though he had crossed countless battlefields, he found the current situation hard to comprehend. Anyone brought here would feel the same.
‘···Look like shit?’
He suddenly heard such words.
Especially from a girl he had just met.
‘What the hell······.’
Draka looked at the girl in front of him.
She had a genuinely disgusted expression as if she had seen something revolting. It didn’t seem to be a false statement.
‘What would he say if he was his original self?’
Draka asked himself.
The answer to that question was simple. He might have said the same thing back to her, “You look like shit.”
“And you too···.”
He was about to say something but shut his mouth.
Because he caught sight of the girl’s face, which wore a mocking smile. Looking at her, he couldn’t bring himself to insult her appearance.
“···You lack decency.”
In the end, Draka changed his approach.
“You look like some noble’s child, but I wonder if you received education from a dog? Judging by the way you insult someone’s appearance upon first meeting, your family’s level is quite apparent.”
There were many things to insult without demeaning his appearance.
‘The density of life is different.’
It meant the brutal paths they had crossed were different.
Among the offsprings of noble families, there were always those who, like this girl in front of him, would flaunt their status without any real merit.
‘Those brats with inflated pride about their heritage.’
And Draka knew well how to deal with such bratty children.
“You lack decency. Your speech is vulgar. I’m quite curious about the face of a father who can’t even educate his daughter properly.”
A hit.
Draka looked at the girl with a sneer. It was obvious she would respond with fury. However, it was different from Draka’s expectation.
“Ha.”
The girl merely exhaled as if she found it ridiculous.
She crossed her arms and retorted.
“A beggar like you speaks so highly?”
“······What?”
Draka’s eyebrows twitched.
“You’ve lost your territory, lost your family, and lost your country, yet you dare to lecture me on decency······.”
She shrugged her shoulders.
“Isn’t that just spitting on your own face?”
Crunch, Draka’s teeth ground together.
“Do you know who I am?”
“I could tell just by looking at your ugly face.”
“You know and still speak like that? You must be quite the impressive noble’s child. But it seems you didn’t learn this from your parents?”
Draka nudged his sword hilt.
“If you mention my territory in front of me···.”
“I don’t know about that, but I heard you plan to indulge in some swearing when we meet.”
“···Which psycho said such a thing?”
The girl shrugged her shoulders.
“The Ashen Mage.”
Draka’s eyes narrowed.
‘···The Ashen Mage?’
He scrutinized the girl again.
Upon closer inspection, there were indeed some similarities to that unpromising mage. The symbolic eyes and hair colored that way.
‘Now that I think about it···.’
I think I heard rumors that the Trias family had taken in a new adopted daughter.
“Are you from the Trias family?”
The girl nodded.
Only then did Draka comprehend the situation. If she belonged to the Trias family, which the Ashen Mage was part of, it made sense she insulted him outright.
‘She resembles my brother quite a bit.’
Even the foul mouth and disgusting temperament were similar. Did the Trias family teach sharp language from the start? Pondering internally, Draka fiddled with his sword hilt.
“Then, you especially shouldn’t be saying that to me.”
Kiyeeng, the sword rang.
The blade, slightly drawn from the sheath, gleamed red.
“You seem to have lost your mind.”
“Why? Are you going to cut me?”
The girl raised her arm.
She slowly pulled down the gloves. Mana began to seep out from beneath the removed gloves.
“You think I can’t?”
Draka spoke blankly.
“Try if you can.”
The girl retorted defiantly.
Kiyeeng.
The blade rang out from the sheath.
Tick, Tdidik, sparks flew onto the gloves.
The situation was poised for an explosion.
Those watching felt their blood drain.
Gulp.
The atmosphere between them was tense. It felt like two predators staring each other down. The warriors observing them swallowed dryly. They sensed it.
‘We need to intervene.’
But how?
They didn’t think they could step in between them. There were only two types of people who could intervene.
‘Either someone strong enough to break in.’
Or.
‘Someone utterly careless.’
The warriors swallowed hard and glanced at each other. Somebody had to step forth. Yet, they couldn’t bring themselves to move. And in that moment of conflict among the warriors.
“Found you!”
A piercing voice echoed from somewhere.
The heads of the warriors snapped in that direction. They turned to see where the voice came from.
“What kind of morning is it that you’re here…? It’s honestly such a pain to see your face!”
Master of the White Tower, Selly Devela.
She was pointing a finger at the girl.
“Do you even know how hard I’ve been searching for you?”
There she was.
A complete fool who couldn’t read the slightest hint.
“What’s with everyone staring at me like that? Did I do something wrong?”
“···No, thank you. Master of the White Tower.”
“Thankful? For what?”
“Just, just thank you. It would be even more appreciated if you took Lady Rania with you.”
“No, I mean, it’s not like I wouldn’t do that anyway…······.”
Selly tilted her head.
She found the situation difficult to understand.
—
The reception room in the Royal Quarters.
In a room she had decorated herself, which she had pleaded with the warriors to not clear out yet, Selly finally faced the girl.
‘I feel something overwhelming…’
It felt as if something was swelling up within her.
Selly swallowed tears in her heart and began speaking.
“Do you know how hard it’s been for me to meet you? I’m not someone with that much time, but I’ve spent so much of it for you…·····.”
Her voice felt strangely clumsy.
She sniffled slightly and continued.
“Still, for you, I think I could spend this time. Because it’s you!”
“Ah, yes······.”
Unlike Selly, who spoke in a cheery tone, Rania’s expression remained apathetic. However, Selly didn’t mind. She offered snacks to Rania.
“These are snacks prepared from a famous bakery. Shall we discuss as we enjoy them?”
“I’m full.”
“···Did you not eat breakfast yet?”
“I’m full by plan, so I’m not that hungry.”
Full by plan, what does that even mean?
‘I’ve come all this way to prepare snacks… they’re delicious…’
It was a little disappointing, but Selly didn’t show it. She quickly changed the subject.
“It’s nothing special that arranged the meeting.”
She took out a letter from her pocket and placed it on the table. It was a letter engraved with the sigil of the White Tower.
“If you come to the North, you should at least visit the White Tower once, right?”
She pointed at the invitation with a light tap.
“Of course, if you were to just drop by, it would be a hassle with all the formalities… but with this invitation, you can just skip all that? You could meet with me directly.”
An invitation of immense value.
Saying this, Selly shrugged her shoulders.
“The North is a rugged land, after all. The so-called land of warriors differs a bit from the society of mages. Living in White Night Castle might make things quite uncomfortable for you in many ways.”
A good environment for researching elemental magic.
However, it certainly wasn’t a pleasant environment for a mage. Especially for those who hadn’t entered a tower.
“In this harsh North, the only place dealing with magic materials or magic stones is the White Tower.”
Selly flashed a confident smile.
“Come visit. I will personally guide you.”
Then she added one more thing.
“This is an amazing privilege, you know?”
Emphasizing the word privilege.
Yet Rania’s expression remained flat. She seemed unenthusiastic.
‘This isn’t the reaction I was expecting.’
Selly swallowed hard.
“Well… you could also see the magic book I authored.”
The interest on Rania’s face seemed to dissipate even further.
“They also have local specialty magic stones… .”
Rania glanced at the clock.
“It’s time for a meal, so I must take my leave… .”
“But···!”
Just as she seemed about to end the conversation, Rania opened her mouth.
“Winter gear! Potions! Robes! And, oh! We also stock ropes for climbing the snow mountains!”
…What am I even doing?
I feel like I’m turning into some kind of peddler. Selly felt a strange sense of shame.
“···Ropes?”
Yet the girl showed interest.
Where Selly had never imagined.
‘She bit the bait!’
And Selly didn’t let that response pass by.
“Yes, I usually look into climbing gear as I often have tasks in the snowy mountains. The quality is quite good. We only stock items worthy of the name of the White Tower. It’s true; even a minor thing carries elegance!”
“Oh···.”
Rania nodded.
“That sounds tempting.”
Finally showing interest.
Selly felt a sense of relief but also couldn’t help wondering, ‘Is this really right…?’
‘Is she really interested in climbing gear…?’
She was still an utterly unpredictable girl.
