My Demons

I recall the initial encounter with ‘Slaughter King Ulkar’ during my playthrough of Dark World.

He was clad in horrifying armor, scarcely recognizable as a human being.

The experience was profoundly repulsive and unsettling, intensified by the eerie background music and the direction reminiscent of a horror movie; it nearly induced nausea.

“Hey.”

Engaging in combat within ‘The Colosseum of Slaughter’ appeared more daunting than confronting the Slaughter King himself.

I’ve heard that when it was released in the United States, ‘The Colosseum of Slaughter’ was so brutal that it came close to receiving an Adults Only (AO) rating. It was a small miracle that it managed to secure an Mature (M) rating.

“Hey.”

Suddenly, a thought crosses my mind. What if we were to eliminate Prince Ulkar here and now?

Without the presence of the Slaughter King, Chapter 6 would cease to unfold. With Chapter 6’s scenario gone, what would become of the subsequent chapters? Lost in deep contemplation, I felt a sharp poke in my side.

“Ouch!”

I cried out and turned my head.

Ellen sat there, her legs stretched out, gazing at me with a vacant expression.

“What are you up to?”

“You didn’t respond when I called you.”

“When did I?”

“Just now. You were making a strange face, so I thought something might be amiss.”

…Sarcasm seems to come naturally to her. What a formidable adversary she can be.

After conveying the city’s situation to the prince and his knights through the letter, we took some respite in a tent repurposed as a warehouse.

By now, the prince and the knights were likely in a meeting, deliberating on how to rescue the city.

I glanced around; Grania, Luke, and Arnal had already drifted into slumber.

Grania and I had received healing from a priest under Prince Ulkar’s orders.

It was my first time witnessing the use of holy power, and it was truly captivating. Wounds simply faded away, and new skin emerged, akin to a shedding process.

There were no mentioned side effects, unlike health-boosting potions that might induce hunger or anemia.

I found myself nodding in agreement with the priest’s assertion that it was the power of God.

Perhaps a cleric is an indispensable member of the party.

How many years had it been? I remembered going to a PC gaming center after a night of drinking with friends and delving into Dark World together.

I had volunteered to create a cleric character for our group play, but what level had it reached? I couldn’t recall; it must have been around level 30.

As I reclined, I was met with a pair of blue eyes peering down at me.

“Aren’t you tired?”

“I can’t sleep.”

“Why can’t you sleep? We’ve been through so much today.”

Ellen glanced at the others and pursed her lips.

“It’s bothering me.”

“Bothering you? Now you decide to be sensitive?”

Ellen sighed and squinted her eyes, appearing somewhat frustrated.

“The magic the old man uses comes from the spirit world. You might not notice it, but as a mage, I can sense an unsettling aura quite distinctly.”

“Ah, I see.”

I felt a bit awkward and scratched my cheek. Ellen frowned slightly.

“You don’t feel it?”

“I’m not sure, honestly.”

“What kind of insights can a blood mage like you have?”

I averted my gaze from her inquisitive stare.

Ellen continued to grumble.

“Why do I have to be stuck in a place like this?”

“It’s better than bunking with the soldiers. Maybe it’s the prince’s way of being considerate?”

“Hmph, I don’t like that prince either.”

“Do you like anything?”

“……”

“Why don’t you like the prince?”

“Arrogance oozes from his demeanor and voice. Just because he’s royalty doesn’t give him the right to look down on people.”

“••• I understand.”

“What did you just say?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

Ellen, who had been sneering at me with half-lidded eyes, continued her sarcastic banter while reclining on the straw mat.

“I’ve never seen a fool go into battle dressed in such extravagant armor. Are you trying to flaunt that precious body of yours? Your countenance even resembles a courtesan, always whining.”

“Hey, cut it out. Someone might overhear you.”

Recognizing that her voice had reached a perilous volume, she silenced herself at my admonition. Thankfully, there was no indication of anyone nearby.

After a brief moment, Ellen, who had been attentively listening to her surroundings, briefly glanced at me before tugging the blanket up to her nose.

“So, you turned down the offer too?”

“Huh? Turned down what?”

Ellen was referring to the prince’s proposal, which was essentially an invitation to enlist in his service.

It appeared that he admired my skills and wanted me as his personal guard, offering a position of importance.

I politely and diplomatically conveyed my decision to decline.

Becoming subordinate to someone who could potentially bring disaster to the capital and hasten the end of the world… Well, that seemed like a weighty choice to make on a whim, didn’t it?

The prince didn’t impose any consequences for my refusal, thankfully still displaying signs of sanity.

I nodded noncommittally, feeling Ellen’s gaze upon me.

“Regardless, I have other reasons as well. Returning to a military life at my age is somewhat…”

“Age? You were in the military?”

Oops, what did I just reveal?

“No, not exactly the military… more like a life with military elements.”

“…A life with military elements?”

Ellen’s wide eyes sparkled with curiosity, but I quickly deflected and posed another question.

“What about you? What would you have done if you’d received such an offer?”

“Me? Well, I…”

The prince seemed to be aware of Ellen’s prowess as a spellcaster but hadn’t made a specific offer, likely underestimating her abilities for her age.

Furthermore, he appeared to be associated with a highly skilled mage named ‘Master Lemonade’ or something of the sort.

There was no reason to recruit an unidentified young mage.

If only he had known that Ellen originally hailed from the La-Palais royal palace, things might have transpired differently…

Lost in thought for a moment, Ellen shook her head.

“Never mind. If I were to use palace magic without a mage badge, who knows what suspicions I might arouse.”

“What do you mean? You’ve been using magic freely, haven’t you?”

In response to my query, she looked back at me with a touch of disdain.

“Do you think casting spells in a back alley, sewer, and in front of the prince are all the same, you imbecile?”

“Uh… they’re not?”

“Commoners might say, ‘Wow, a mage,’ but royalty and nobles are a different matter. They’ll undoubtedly scrutinize my background.”

“So what? You’re originally from the La-Palais royal palace, right?”

“That’s true, but…”

Ellen abruptly halted her explanation. It served as a reminder of her predicament.

Of course, she had been falsely accused of murdering her master and had to flee. Placing herself under the prince’s protection would have been a suicidal decision.

It was best to exercise caution and refrain from displaying her magical abilities in front of influential nobles. I needed to be mindful of this in the future.

“Regardless, there are troublesome procedures to navigate, and I have other commitments…”

“Hmm, I understand.”

“Initially, I have no desire to serve under such an unsavory character. What’s so appealing about following someone solely focused on warfare?”

“Why are you getting all worked up? I was just asking. Are you disappointed because you didn’t receive an offer?”

Keeping my composure, I teased, and Ellen promptly scowled.

“Disappointed? Who’s disappointed? If you’re going to spout nonsense, go to sleep.”

“You started this conversation because you couldn’t sleep, remember?”

“Who’s complaining, you idiot!”

“You were, who else? It’s your specialty.”

“You, you scoundrel…!”

As usual, the night in the unfamiliar tent deepened.

I woke up only after the sun had risen high in the sky, my head throbbing as I started doing some mental calculations.

The experience points for defeating Ratman were 10 each, so roughly tallying 70 kills would amount to 700…

Black slimes gave 600 each, while the occasional cockroaches and zombies might have added up to a little over 100 in total.

Tobald’s experience points could be around 1500, and if we include his subordinates, let’s estimate it at 800.

The bandits at the camp— the shabbier ones numbered around 20, and the better-equipped guys about 50? So, let’s say just under 500.

The group we encountered while chasing, the ‘Riding Bandits,’ probably had similar experience points? So, let’s say 150 each, and killing about a dozen of them would amount to around 2200?

If we assume that the experience points (EXP) gained from party play were about half, wouldn’t the EXP earned in two days be around 2400? That’s woefully inadequate.

No, the battles at the campsite and the chases on the plains were essentially solo play.

If I consider the experience I earned by myself during that time, it would be around 3800, right?

The required EXP to level up from 12 is 4500, and if we assume the remaining EXP from leveling up from 11, it seems to roughly match.

The reason I’m wracking my brain immediately upon waking up is none other than to level up.

It was just three days ago that I reached level 12 by fending off Poison and his gang who attacked the inn, and now I’ve already reached level 13.

Well, I did go pretty hard in the last two days. I almost died last night too.

It’s a bit disappointing that Ellen’s level is still the same… If her EXP is around 2400, leveling up would still be a distant future for her.

I invested the stat bonus with 4 points in agility and 1 point in magical power.

As a result, my current stats are Strength 20, Agility 19, Health 20, and Magical Power 2.

Including the effect of the “Dragon Slayer’s Ring,” my strength and agility would go up to 23 and 22, respectively.

I finally decided to invest in magical power after some thought. After all, I’ll need to increase my energy somewhat to use 2nd rank skills when I reach level 15.

It’s better to adapt by investing one point at a time rather than suddenly allocating multiple points.

I saved the skill bonus for now. I plan to invest it in 2nd rank skills as soon as I reach level 15.

Skills like ‘Bloodthirst’ can be acquired later, but ‘Blood Mist,’ ‘Plunder,’ and ‘Hot Blood’ are skills that are effective even with just one point invested.

Sure, it might seem a bit careless to save skill bonuses while dealing with the everyday reality…

Even if I invest 1 or 2 points in ‘Blood Shield’ or ‘Thirst’ right now, there won’t be a significant change.

‘Blood Blade’ and ‘Flowing Blood’ are already at 5 points, so I can’t invest more until I unlock the next rank.

With those thoughts in mind, I drank water from my leather canteen.

As I splashed water on my face to fully wake up, a soldier entered, lifting the tent flap, and conveyed that the prince had summoned me.

Damn, I haven’t even had breakfast yet… Despite my internal grumbling, I quickly got up.

“Ugh.”

Ellen, who was lying next to me curled up like a shrimp, made a comical noise as she glanced around.

“It’s nothing. Go back to sleep.”

“…Mm.”

I covered her with a blanket up to her head to encourage her to continue resting. I noticed that both Grania and Arnal were still asleep.

Luke had already departed, and his sleeping area was neatly arranged.

He shouldn’t wander around carelessly… Well, I assume he’ll be cautious.

Carefully stepping out of the tent, I followed the soldier’s directions to the command post. Unlike yesterday, the tent was occupied only by the prince, a wizard, and two knights.

There were also a few soldiers and servants, but they were of no concern to me.

“Your Highness, the Third Prince, I pay my respects.”

As I saluted, Ulkar nodded slightly and immediately got to the point.

“We’ve decided on the strategy. We’re going to assign roles to you mercenaries as well.”

“Roles, you say?”

Listening to Ulkar’s subsequent explanation, I became certain in my mind.

This guy is definitely insane.