Chapter 11 – [Hero] At Deron Castle
The day started again with Yuni waking us all up.
The first thing I did after waking up was to check the status of the party members.
I was especially worried because Seria, as well as Uni and Arin, didn’t look that good yesterday.
“Good morning, warrior.”
“Lol…”
Arin and Yuni sat near the bonfire and chatted, and greeted me happily when they saw me.
Arin greets with a smile and Uni scratches her cheeks awkwardly.
I was embarrassed for some reason, so I slightly averted my gaze.
“Ah! I averted my gaze now!”
“Oh, you were clinging to me so tightly at dawn.”
Arin looked at the two of us and smiled.
Her long golden hair cascaded down as she tilted her head slightly.
Did you manage it from dawn today? He may have been taking care of his hair while staying vigil with Yuni.
It’s just speculation, but it’s probably true.
Anyway, I’m glad they both look good.
“What about Seria?”
“Seria went to the creek first.”
Did you go to wash up?
I’m a little worried because I haven’t seen her condition yet, but at least it means I can move, so I’m somewhat relieved.
“Come to think of it, I can’t see Mr. Jeren either.”
“Jeren went to open the water to help prepare breakfast!”
I woke up late
I feel ashamed for some reason.
“Then, shall I go and help you?”
I need a lot of water because I need to secure drinking water and cook.
It must be a bit heavy for Mr. Jeren alone.
“Oh! Then help us!”
“Can you help me with the ingredients, warrior?”
Hmm… It seems that this one is also busy.
Well, Seria said she was by the stream.
It seems that Jeren helped Seria go to draw water.
Then let’s get breakfast ready before they return.
I prepared ingredients with Arin and Uni while waiting for them.
But Seria and Jeren are later than expected.
“What is going on? Seria is late…”
As if Arin was worried, he turned his gaze towards the stream.
It’s definitely a bit odd. Even if it’s a bit far, it won’t take this long.
If the spirits would give me water, I wouldn’t have to wait like this.
Unfortunately, however, there was a limit to the amount of water the spirit could produce each day.
Usually more water came out in the damp, but on average not enough for the four of us and him to drink.
After all, every day someone has to go to fill up the water.
It’s fortunate that the spirits tell us where the water is.
I’m going to have a look once this is over.
After thinking so, the two finally appeared.
“… Mi, sorry! It’s a little late.”
Seria’s face turned a little red, perhaps because she had run.
Mr. Jeren followed without a word behind him. Perhaps the reason why he doesn’t talk is because the bucket he’s holding is heavy.
Seria was also holding a water bottle, but the one Mr. Jeren was holding seemed twice as heavy.
“You worked hard, Seria. Mr. Jeren too. Did nothing happen?”
I asked lightly, taking her water bottle instead.
“Yes. Nothing happened. It was heavy, so I only took a short break in the middle.”
She said, twisting her fingers through her hair.
“I said I was going to pick it up, but he ended up carrying it. Thanks to that, I came less heavy.”
At that moment, Seria looked back at him briefly, but she didn’t say much.
“I prepared the pot, so let’s have breakfast and leave.”
As Arin put her hands together to pray before her meal, she said.
In a friendly atmosphere, she finished her breakfast.
And nothing else happened until we got to Deron.
Seria’s condition also improved a lot, and although she was occasionally attacked by goblins, she passed without much damage.
After three days like that, Deron Castle finally arrived and was in worse condition than we thought.
“That… Are you the Demon King?”
Seria opened her mouth in embarrassment, but I couldn’t say anything.
Countless creatures camped out in front of the castle.
Various races were besieging Deron Castle, from objects that looked relatively human to demons that looked bizarre enough to make one wonder if they were actually living beings.
It was farther away than I thought because it was camped out of the range of arrows, but it was still enough to surround Deron Castle.
“We… Can I go inside?”
Yuni looked at me anxiously.
I had nothing to say.
I only arrived here following the guidance of the Goddess. Goddess didn’t tell me what to do here.
Still, there must have been a way, so he must have led me to this place. Let’s think.
“This way, I can’t go in or come out. I am worried about the people in the castle.”
Arin was also looking at the castle with worried eyes.
Certainly, if the siege continued like that, everyone in the castle might starve to death.
We have to defeat them quickly…
But how?
As I was lost in my thoughts, Seria carefully brought her words out.
“There is also a way not to enter the castle.”
“What are you talking about?”
Seria pondered a little, then she continued her words.
“We came here because the Goddess called us here, right? To be honest, I never thought the four of us would be able to deal with that many troops.”
That’s what it says. Even if I became ten or a hundred times stronger than I am now, I didn’t think I would win against that many enemies.
But if so, how?
“It’s my opinion, but considering the rumors that circulated before coming, shouldn’t we catch the Four Heavenly Kings?”
“The Four Heavenly Kings…”
“Perhaps the Goddess wants to kill the Four Heavenly Kings first among all the demons.”
It sounded right.
I don’t think the Goddess sent the four of us to deal with that many troops.
Catching the Four Heavenly Kings. Is that our goal?
“But it’s still the same that we have to go inside enemy lines.”
The goal was clear, but it was still a difficult task.
Seria looked me in the face and said, as if my uneasiness had been revealed.
“Don’t worry.”
Confident eyes.
Even in this situation, she did not lose her confidence. Looking at her gave her confidence that I could do it anytime.
She gives me strength
I want to emulate even half of her strength.
“With my magic, I can disappear for a while. Even the Four Heavenly Kings are ultimately the same life form, so it should be easy to take care of them with a surprise attack.”
Surprise attack.
It looks a bit cowardly, but it was also the best move for us now.
We are still weak
I don’t know how strong the Four Heavenly Kings will be, but it’s clear that they are difficult opponents to defeat head-on.
Even if it’s for everyone…
“Excuse me…”
It was Mr. Jeren who broke the silence and opened his mouth.
“… It’s okay.”
Could it be because the spleen atmosphere has been released? Seria swallowed her saliva for a moment.
“Why is that?”
“Now that I’ve heard of it… I think we can go inside.”
“Yes?”
Is there a way to break through that siege and get inside?
Embarrassed, I chased him.
“I know some of the back alleys of this city. Among them, there is a secret route through which smuggled goods are brought in late at night. .”
“For a moment. The city is under siege, how are you going to get in?”
Seria said with a frown on her face.
I feel a little angry for some reason.
“It’s a fact that only those in the know know, but in fact there is a secret passage in the moat.”
“In the moat… ?”
The moat surrounding the castle. The pool filled with water was a strong barrier between the current Demon King’s army and Daeron Castle.
“But is it full of water?”
Yuni tilted her head. Arin also nodded her head as if agreeing with her behind her.
I am still in doubt
“I don’t know the principle, but there is one channel through which water does not pass. Maybe it’s some kind of magic…”
Mr. Jeren just shrugged his head as if he didn’t understand the structure.
It’s magic… If it’s magic, it can’t be helped.
If there is a phenomenon you don’t know much about, it’s always because of magic.
“Magic? Why is that in the moat… ?”
Seria tilted her head as if it was strange, but as Mr. Jeren continued to speak, he listened quietly.
“Since Lady Seria just said that she has magic that allows her to disappear, I think she should go there and go inside through the secret passage.”
Such a way!
Certainly, it would have been impossible without Seria’s magic.
After all, having a wizard expands the range of choices you can choose from.
“Seria, how are you?”
“Um… If you can get inside, there’s no reason to refuse. It would be better to get the cooperation of the lord.”
If you can get the lord’s cooperation, you can disperse the forces of the Demon King’s army with a diversionary operation. The operation will be much easier.
Things don’t look so good inside the castle, but… I want to get proper information, and I want to go inside first is my honest feeling right now.
If things get bad, you might be able to get out in the same way.
“Arin and Uni?”
“I don’t care.”
“Um… I’m not sure, so I’ll do as Eric says.”
I thought about it for a while, but eventually made up my mind to go in.
“Please, Mr. Jeren.”
“Just leave it to me.”
***
Through Seria’s magic, we were able to safely reach the front of the moat.
I briefly explained the principle of light refraction and air flow, but honestly, I couldn’t understand any of it.
Anyway, it was an experience that I couldn’t do without seeing each other even though we were right next to each other.
“Is everyone there?”
Sarah’s voice. It seems to be on my right.
“Huh.”
“I have arrived too.”
Uni and Arin.
“Good. Are you all here?”
“Great. It came easily, too.”
Me and Mr. Jeren.
Everyone has arrived
But just hearing the sound makes me feel a little empty.
Is it really true that everyone is here?
I could hear the sound, so I was sure they were here, but for some reason, it felt like they had left me, and I felt uneasy.
“Here we are.”
I heard Jeren’s voice, but I don’t know because I can’t see him.
“This. Then I didn’t see it. This is the side where the stone falls.”
Mr. Jeren must have picked up a stone and dropped it on the floor. Suddenly, a stone that wasn’t there appeared on the floor with a small sound.
Seria said that she couldn’t see everything around her body, so Jeren would be a little away from there.
“Wow, it’s kind of strange.”
As Uni said, it was a very strange sight.
We huddled together in front of that stone.
They didn’t know where each other was, and since they were so close together, someone’s arm naturally touched them.
Whose arm is it? I touched it lightly without even realizing it.
“Kyaaak! Yo, hero?”
It was Arin.
Rather, why did you think of touching it?
“M-I’m sorry.”
“Yo, since you’re a hero, I’m looking after you…”
Thankfully, Arin accepted my apology right away.
“Then I will guide you one by one.”
Unfortunately, none of our party members could swim.
Uni and I didn’t have a big river or sea near our village, and Arin and Seria lived only in the city, so we didn’t have to learn anything.
The only one who could swim here was Mr. Jeren.
So Jeren-san took us and decided to move one by one.
It was a bit frustrating, but it was also an unavoidable choice since no one knew how to swim.
“Who is the person closest to me?”
“Is it me… ?”
“Oh, I think it’s me!”
Arin and Yuni whispered in a quiet voice.
The closer one was like Uni.
If this is the case, would it be Uni, Arin, me, and Seria in that order?
“Then I will guide you one by one. For the rest of us, please be aware of your surroundings just in case.”
As long as it’s Seria’s magic, I believe there will be no problem, but I decided to be vigilant in preparation for the worst.
“Kyaa!”
“Sorry. Stop not looking good.”
What, what?
I am concerned about the sound from the side.
“Okay, it’s okay… Because I can’t see it, yes! Because you can’t see it!”
“Ruler. Please hold on tight. If it ever falls, it will be really big.”
Harder…
No, let’s not think strangely.
This is an unavoidable act. It would be a big deal for us, who can’t swim, to fall down.
“Hehe, it tickles me a little because I’m good at tickling…”
“It was such a waist. I will try to be a little more careful.”
A waist?
Ugh… Let’s not mind.
With a plop!
After a while, the two jumped into the moat.
I was worried that someone would notice because of the sound, but no one seemed to hear it because it was quite far away.
“Whoa… After all, I’m a little anxious because I can’t see it.”
It was Arin’s voice.
It seemed that she, too, could not adapt to this unfamiliar appearance.
“I know. It’s kind of strange that you can hear the voice but not see it.”
“We can’t make each other visible, so please understand.”
This time, Seria’s voice was heard from the left.
You were next to me I didn’t know because it didn’t smell.
Seria said that she even hid the smell because there might be demons with good noses, but it was really the same.
“… Hey, Eric.”
While waiting for Mr. Jeren for a while, Seria suddenly started talking to her.
“Why?”
“That is…”
She hesitates uncharacteristically. What’s going on?
“Ah, Mr. Jeren is coming up!”
I looked back at Arin’s voice and saw something invisible coming up from the moat.
Chew!
Something popped out of the water.
“Whoa… It’s been a while, so it’s a bit difficult.”
Mr. Jeren came up.
A little distracted by the mysterious appearance, I turned my gaze back to Seria’s direction.
“Sorry, Seria. I’m speechless. What were you trying to say?”
“… No.”
As if she had something to say, strangely, she didn’t say anything.
Just as I was about to ask again, Arin called me.
“Hero, are you there?”
“Huh? Huh. Here it is.”
Took.
Then something touched my stomach.
To touch.
It seems to be a hand. Could it be Arin’s hand?
“Huh, you’re here, warrior.”
“What’s wrong, Arin?”
Is there anything you want to say before departure?
“Hero, can’t you see me right now?”
“Huh. I can’t see Arin either.”
She was silent for a moment.
“… So, does the Goddess not see us right now?”
A slightly embarrassing remark came out of her to be said by her priest.
“I don’t mean to say anything blasphemous, but you probably won’t be able to observe us in a normal way.”
Seria chimed in.
“Whoops… Okay.”
Arin’s smile.
Her hand stumbled upwards little by little.
Arin’s hand stopped on her chin.
I was somehow ashamed.
“Hero.”
Arin suddenly called me,
Side.
At the same time, something touched my cheek.
“I’ll go first.”
Her voice sounded vivid in my ears.
… What’s going on?
“Oh, Arin?”
Seria’s panicked voice was heard.
“Whoops. No one has ever seen what happened.”
After saying that, Arin walked away from me again.
“Okay then, let’s go now.”
With a plop!
And the traces of Arin disappeared.
“What, what! What did Arin do?”
For some reason, only Seria’s voice, which seemed urgent, lingered in the place.
