Chapter 154 Emme Village
After finishing emergency treatment with a healing potion, we visited Emme Village with Arnold, whose body was partially possessed by the demon king, and who had sealed that part within himself.
As Ciello-sama said, Emme Village was close to the sacred domain. Although it was hidden by a barrier, the fact that the sacred domain was near our hometown was—well, there was no time to be surprised.
The villagers, who were familiar faces, were all shocked to see the Hero party arriving with a bloodied appearance.
Without even exchanging greetings, we headed towards my home.
"Mom! Open the bed!"
"La, Laura!?"
"He's injured!"
My mom's eyes widened as she saw her daughter, who had rushed in without even greeting her, carrying an unconscious young man, Arnold, on Vake's back. Without asking any questions, she opened the door to my currently empty room.
I laid Arnold down on the small bed I used to sleep in, which was meant for children in the village. Although it was a bit small for Arnold's current size, he finally got some rest.
Diona stood by the bedside, observing Arnold's condition. After a while, she wiped the sweat from her forehead and let out a sigh. That's when Lukas timely called out.
"How's Arnold's condition?"
"He seems to be sleeping. No matter how much we call out to him, he won't wake up. I think..."
"Is it true that he sealed a part of the demon king's power within his own body?"
"Yes, that's what I think."
Diona nodded, and Lukas, who had asked the question, folded his arms in thought.
To prevent the Hero from wielding the holy sword, the demon king had set a trap and taken control of Arnold's body. However, Arnold's consciousness had overcome the demon king and even sealed a "part" of the demon king's power within his own body.
It's hard to imagine, but that's what happened this time.
As a result, we've managed to land a critical hit on the demon king. We should take advantage of the demon king's weakened state and launch a full-scale attack. However, with Arnold, our excellent magician, withdrawing from the battlefield, our fighting power will inevitably take a hit.
"Ah, anyway, we've obtained the holy sword. The holy land is also safe. But we can't stay in this village for long. The demon king will probably imagine us taking refuge in this village."
Vake calmly proposes.
His words are reasonable. With all the commotion we've caused, it's likely the demon king will expect us to take a breather in the nearby village.
"Once we recover, we should head back to the royal capital. We need to regroup and reassess our situation."
"Yeah, that's right..."
Diona slowly nods, then walks towards the door and reaches for the doorknob.
She turns back to us and announces in a firm tone.
"I'll contact Reinhardt. I'll arrange for Arnold-san to take refuge in the city of Rustu's people."
With that, she exits the room.
It's true that, with Arnold possessing some of the demon king's power, the city of Rustu's people would be the best place to hide him. It's reassuring to have people with the power of light, who can counter the demon king, by our side.
Next, Vake calls out to Wentle, looking up at the sky.
"Hey, Wentle. About the royal capital... is there a spirit's dwelling or something?"
'There's one in the forest near the royal capital.'
A green, glowing orb suddenly appears and answers.
The spirit's dwelling allows for instant travel through the narrow gaps of time and space. That's probably what Vake was getting at.
However, Vake looks troubled, furrowing his brow and scratching his chin.
"That's tough... carrying an unconscious Arnold through the narrow gaps of time and space."
"If we let go of him, he'll get stuck in the narrow gaps of time and space, you know~."
Marta forces a smile and shakes her head. As far as she's concerned, traveling through the narrow gaps of time and space is a bad idea.
"Like, you know, Arnold's got the power of the demon king sleeping inside him, right? Is it okay to go through the narrow gap of time and space... and the spirit's dwelling place?"
Julius, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, chimed in. Wentle-sama responded with a vague "Hmm, yeah..." that didn't quite confirm or deny anything.
If we don't go through the narrow gap of time and space, we only have one way to move. By carriage.
I mentioned this to Vake, also implying that we should increase our options.
"The carriage comes once a day, all the way to the village entrance. But it's not a big carriage, so with this many people..."
"Then let's talk it over today and take a different carriage tomorrow. I'll go out and check."
Vake said that and left the room, sword in hand. It seems we've decided to move by carriage.
Just as we were deciding on our next course of action, Marta stood up, looking tired.
"I'll go scout out the village. If monsters show up, it'll be bad."
"Ah, I'll go too."
Julius followed Marta out of the room――and Vake, who had just left, poked his head back in. Maybe he forgot something.
He didn't even glance at us, instead calling out to Wentle-sama, who was floating in the air.
"Wentle, can we get some backup from the royal capital?"
'Backup?'
"We don't have anyone who specializes in magic among us. So, I was thinking of asking Marcedes-dono for help..."
A temporary "backup" to fill in for Arnold's missing hole. We should've secured their presence earlier.
Marcedes-san had joined the Hero's party when we helped the earth spirit Likerland-sama. She'd be perfect as backup. ――At the same time, a girl's face flashed in my mind.
Elvira Rocco. The genius girl who was chosen as a member of the Hero's party in "Last Brave". Maybe...
Because of Vake's request, Wentle-sama headed to Marcedes-san's place. Vake took care of preparing the horse carriage, while Marta and Julius agreed to patrol the village. ――As a result, the only ones left in the room were me, Lukas, and Arnold, who was lying on the bed.
I sat on the chair beside the bed and gazed at Arnold's face. His peaceful sleeping face made it hard to believe that he had sealed the demon king's power within himself.
(There's a limit to self-sacrifice, too)
Arnold has always been like that ―― never thinking about himself. From a young age, he dedicated everything to his sickly sister, and in the royal capital, his talents were utilized in various ways, yet he never showed a hint of dissatisfaction, as if it was only natural. His devotion was truly admirable, to the point where it was laughable.
This time, too, if he had used the prototype, he might have been able to expel the demon king's power from his body. Arnold must have been aware of that possibility. In fact, after seeing me hold the prototype, he shook his head in refusal.
Despite knowing there was a countermeasure, he chose to seal the power within himself. That was surely to reduce the demon king's power, even if only slightly, and to bring victory to the Hero's side.
He must have judged that the hole created by his absence could be filled by Marcedes-san or Elvira. That judgment was surely correct. If the Hero wins, Arnold's actions this time will be praised as a magnificent decision in the future. However――
"Arnold will be okay."
"...Yeah."
Lukas said, standing beside me. His voice was trembling slightly.
"He said that if we defeat the demon king, he'll wake up, didn't he?"
"Yeah."
"Thanks to Arnold, the demon king must be weakened, right?"
"...Yeah."
So, the more I thought about it, the more it seemed that Arnold's actions this time were the best choice. It was an "attack" made possible only because the demon king had taken over his body. But, but, I――why did I feel regretful?
Why didn't I notice it sooner? If I had realized Arnold's change earlier, I might have been able to seal the demon king's power from myself, and it wouldn't have come to this. But Arnold probably wouldn't have wanted to be saved. Even if we had noticed sooner, we would have made the same choice. That's frustrating. It's infuriating that Arnold, who thought this situation was for the best, is now...
What is this feeling? I wanted to rely on him. I wanted to be his strength. It's close, but it feels a little different.
I close my eyes. The image that floats in my mind is Arnold's back, carrying the burden alone and walking ahead alone. I thought I stood beside him several times. But now, it feels like that back has gone far away.
I stretch out my hand. When my hand touches his back again, I'll pull him close with all my might. And this time, I'll stand beside him. I'll stand tall.
I open my eyes and look back at Lukas, who's standing behind me. If I do, my childhood friend will laugh with a hint of sadness. His smile looks lonely.
"I'll scold him when he wakes up. 'Don't do whatever you want.'"
"Yeah, that's right."
I think that if Lukas and I scold him, he'll be surprised, his black eyes wide with wonder, and I can't help but smile a little.
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