My Demons

Deserted theme park.

“Huh.”

I stood there, clutching a churro, my face devoid of expression.

The young lady seated on the bench in front of the flower bed waved her hand, her smile radiantly beautiful.

“What are you doing? You seem rather foolish just standing there.”

That child, addressing her uncle as a fool.

I furrowed my brows and approached her.

“You’re quite audacious to retort, considering the treatment I’m receiving. Should I inform my sister?”

“What are you talking about?”

She’s exceptionally cheeky today. I ought to report her, really.

The girl brushed her curly blonde hair aside and took a bite of the churro.

“Mmm-! Sweet!”

She exclaimed, her blue eyes sparkling as she swung her legs.

All of a sudden, I was taken aback when I noticed her legs. I had been foolishly smiling.

“Hey, what’s this?”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“This, is it a scar?”

Beneath the hem of her dress, a scar about the length of a finger traced across her knee.

It was a paler scar than her already fair skin; I wouldn’t have noticed it if the sunlight hadn’t caught it.

She shrugged and replied.

“Why are you suddenly concerned? After giving me the potion.”

“… Potion?”

“Yeah. When I got stabbed by the spear.”

What nonsense is she talking about?

“Stabbed by a spear?”

“Ugh, seriously.”

Irritated, she set down her churro and water bottle. Then, she leaned on the bench with one hand and twisted her leg to reveal the inside.

“Don’t you remember this?”

A scar much larger than the one on her knee was deeply etched on her calf.

“Hey, Han Ji-won. What on earth are you talking about right now?”

“… Han Ji-won? What’s that?”

“No, you—”

At that moment, a loud siren shattered the tranquility of the theme park.

Waaaah.

“Ah!”

The noise was so deafening that I quickly covered my ears.

Meanwhile, Ellen gazed at me blankly and took another bite of her churro.

I felt so dizzy I could faint.

I clenched my eyes shut.

The siren grew increasingly louder.

****”*

It was fortunate for the inn’s staff and the guards that I had briefly lost focus. With Luke already throwing a tantrum, it would have been challenging to handle the situation if I had also become unresponsive.

Luke immediately rushed to the guardhouse to request a search.

He obtained approval from the captain of the guards by strongly asserting that she might have been abducted by someone within the inn.

“Phoenix, get back to your senses! Don’t we need to find Ellen?”

Back at the inn, Luke’s scolding finally snapped me out of it.

“Yes, yes. We should find her.”

“I’ll head to the guardhouse. That’s the quickest place to gather information. You should search for places where Ellen might have gone!”

With that, Luke left in a hurry. It was out of character for him, but I was grateful nonetheless.

Come to think of it, Luke had joined us to retrieve the bodies of comrades who had perished in the sewer.

However, since our initial meeting, Luke had never mentioned that story.

He probably knows now isn’t the right time for it.

…Anyway, where should I look for Ellen?

Thinking logically, it didn’t appear that Ellen was in immediate danger at the moment.

Well, that makes sense; she’s a wizard. She’s not just a wand holder with the title of a wizard like before. She can handle four, no, five spells as a capable battle mage.

Furthermore, she’s become quite proficient at casting spells since her recent combat experience…

So, there were hardly any factors that could pose a threat to Ellen within the city.

After all, she left the inn of her own accord. No one kidnapped her.

Alright, let’s take a moment to calm down.

I’ve checked everywhere I thought she might be.

The church, Oleg’s general store, the Drunken Horse tavern, and other inns.

But she was nowhere to be found.

At this point, I began to question why I was even doing this. Ellen isn’t my family, and it felt somewhat absurd to be chasing after someone who had packed up and left.

My determination dwindled as I made my way to the guardhouse.

And there, I received startling news.

“Ellen went into the sewers?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The soldier, looking pale, nodded vigorously.

“When?”

Since the soldier couldn’t answer, Luke spoke up.

“Just after sunset.”

…So that was at least four hours ago.

I turned to the captain of the guards.

“Why are you telling me this just now?”

“Well, it didn’t seem particularly unusual. I forgot about it when my shift ended.”

“Unusual? A girl ventured into the sewers alone. How is that not unusual?”

“She’s no ordinary woman. She’s a wizard, a member of your party, and someone who has entered the sewers several times before.”

I couldn’t help but curse at the captain’s brazen attitude.

“Damn it, this is different. Why didn’t you stop her from entering the sewers during an ongoing operation?”

“Well…”

Interrupting his own words, the captain scowled.

“We’re guards, not babysitters! She went in there on her own. Why are you blaming us? If you continue to be arrogant, we will arrest you immediately!”

With his shout, all the guards in the guardhouse reached for their weapons.

…Is this how it is?

I smirked and nodded.

“Alright, I’ll go. But you all better hope that Ellen returns safely.”

“…Are you threatening us now?”

“This is not a threat. This is a warning.”

As I left the guardhouse, leaving the tense men behind, the captain yelled in anger.

“Did you forget that the inn you’re staying at is under the protection of the guards?”

“What are you saying, you old man?”

“So you’re being defiant? I can charge you with aiding and abetting a criminal.”

This captain, I had only seen him valiantly sacrifice himself for the castle lord in the game, so I didn’t realize he was such a traditionalist.

I gazed at him, wearing a smile as his cheeks trembled with anger.

“Go ahead, give it a try. I’m curious to see what I’d do in response.”

Unable to draw his sword, the captain’s face reddened with fury.

He knew better than to risk his life, didn’t he? What a shame.

Luke and I departed from the guardhouse.

Someone might wonder, ‘Why is this cocky mercenary mouthing off to the captain of the guards?’

Well, it’s not so much about confidence as… something interesting had occurred.

When I went to the Salt Castle to receive a reward from the castle lord, I received another recruitment offer from Prince Ulkar. But this time, it wasn’t an invitation to join as a personal soldier.

In a gathering of nobles, the prince publicly expressed his desire to make me a knight.

The people assembled in the real world chamber appeared surprised, except for the prince himself. Naturally, I was also taken aback.

I had contemplated making a name for myself as a “Blood Knight,” but ultimately, I declined.

I didn’t want to get entangled in the prince’s seemingly foreboding destiny just yet.

However, it turned out that Prince Ulkar had an incredibly high reputation.

Contrary to his appearance, which suggested a life of luxury, the prince had been on battlefields since his teenage years, earning various commendations.

One particular story from eight years ago during the ‘Battle of the Highlands’ had made him especially famous. He had taken down seven knights with just six arrows. Nearly anyone with some knowledge of him would be aware of this feat.

Among young knights, he was exceptionally popular. Many of them memorized all the battles he had participated in and the merits he had achieved. He was practically a pop idol in his own right.

As befitting his fame, the knights serving under the prince were all renowned individuals as well.

Rambolt Elshoer, Ankir Whitestone, Liam Summersong, Ariad Baren… well, there were a few more notable names, but you get the idea.

And yet, a mere mercenary like me had been directly offered knighthood by the prince, and I had declined it.

Naturally, the nobles, including the castle lord, would now view me differently. There was a distinction between a simple mercenary and someone capable of becoming a knight.

When you add in my infamous reputation…

Anyway, that’s why I felt comfortable challenging the captain of the guards.

“So, how about we seek Prince Ulkar’s assistance?” I suggested.

Upon hearing my proposal, Luke narrowed his eyes.

“Hmm, do you think the prince will intervene?”

“It’s a better option than relying on those inept guards. We have nothing to lose.”

I would have preferred to seek help from the Grania gang, but they are currently under the control of the guard force. Given the captain of the guard’s likely foul mood, it would be challenging for the Grania gang to take action.

…I should have exercised more patience. This is precisely why losing my temper can be problematic.

“Currently, the prince’s troops consist of just five or six people. They won’t be of much assistance.”

“Even if it’s a small number, we need reliable individuals. We can’t approach the castle lord because…”

“Because there’s a spy among his close associates?”

“Yes. In the current circumstances, if any information leaks, we can’t predict the consequences. The spy might secretly send troops…”

I let out a deep sigh as I said this.

“Of course, considering the nonsense the captain of the guard has been up to, the information may have already leaked.”

Luke briefly touched his forehead and then lowered his head.

“In that case, it’s best for just the two of us to take action. It’s too late to seek help and gather a group.”

I felt grateful for Luke’s resolute words.

Honestly, there was no particular reason for me to be concerned about Ellen, who had left without a word. It’s not like we had a special connection.

If Luke hadn’t stepped in, I would have had to deal with this on my own.

I appreciate it, but right now, the priority is to locate Ellen.

“So, how do we plan to thoroughly search the entire sewer with just the two of us?”

“We don’t need to search the whole place. We can quickly follow the path that Ellen would most likely have taken, right? Once she entered the sewer, her probable destination would be the secret passage.”

That makes sense. Ellen probably went into the sewer to use the secret passage to exit.

Ah… what a fool. There’s probably a horde of bandits lurking beyond that secret passage. What was she thinking, going down there alone?

I let out a deep sigh and replied.

“Then let’s bring Uteq, no, Hatanca with us. He’ll undoubtedly be a great asset.”

“Do you trust him? He’s a barbarian you’ve only recently met.”

“Well, at least he won’t be siding with the bandits.”

I shrugged and said this, but Luke issued a stern warning.

“That’s not enough. We don’t know him well. Barbarians are physically and mentally different from us; making hasty judgments about them is risky.”

Hmm. That’s a valid point, and I can’t say I disagree. Even in the game, foreigners were often treated as adversaries.

In Utequais’ case, since we are traveling together temporarily, it’s not too bad, but caution is warranted.

I’ll need to have a conversation with Utequais soon. A few days of sharing drinks might help us get to know each other better.

At the end of our brief discussion, Luke and I decided to head down immediately.

We barged into a general store that had just closed for the day and purchased supplies.

Despite our haste, by the time we reached the sewer entrance, it was already approaching midnight.

I’m starting to feel anxious.