Chapter 35
"The Saint said her left eye was crushed. As a bonus, she's got a facial fracture, so she'll need to rest for a while even after treatment."
"......"
"I didn't call you here to hold you responsible, so relax. If anything, I want to praise you for a job well done."
She had crushed someone's eye.
Normally, even a noble couldn't escape criticism for such an act, but what came back wasn't criticism, but praise.
For Meria, who could still feel the sensation on her hand, it was hard to accept.
She had experienced hitting people during sword training matches several times, but this sensation left on her hand—the feeling of crushing an eye—was unlike anything else.
Meria frowned at the unpleasant sensation, as if Karin's eye had fallen and stuck to her hand.
It didn't seem like she'd be able to sleep easily tonight.
She had that premonition, and it actually came true.
Late at night, unable to sleep, Meria looked out the window as always, recalling that time.
Looking out the window, the moment Elang left the palace kept replaying in her mind, causing confusion.
It wasn't that she harbored romantic feelings for him, as Karin had sneered.
But it was true that she was drawn to him.
Not in the sense of love, but she liked Elang Meister as a person.
In the hell that was the Demon Realm, Elang was the only one who seemed human.
Even that Saint couldn't overcome the harsh environment of the Demon Realm and relied heavily on lust, but Elang alone endured the terrible conditions.
Watching Elang, who didn't lose his innate goodness despite the Hero's mistreatment, Meria felt like she was looking at a magnificent castle wall that wouldn't yield even to fierce attacks.
That image was so reassuring that she must have unconsciously kept relying on him.
In fact, even when Bel Zuma appeared, even when she learned about the existence of the Hero Coin, Meria still thought in a corner of her heart that there was hope left.
But when Elang left the palace, that sliver of hope vanished so miserably.
It meant that even someone who had endured the Demon Realm and the Hero saw no hope for the country, to the point of throwing everything away.
For the first time, a sense of helplessness dominated her entire body, making even escape impossible.
As she sat still, knights or maids would occasionally bring news from the outside world.
Whether a front line had become stagnant, or someone's embezzlement was discovered and they were ultimately beheaded.
Information ranging from things that didn't matter even if she knew them to truths that would be quite serious if true was indiscriminately relayed.
Then one day, when she heard news of a saint with the whimsical title "Saint of Bread" leading refugees to a pioneer settlement.
When she heard that this pioneer settlement was in the El Berg Mountains, she couldn't help but think of Elang.
Elang, who should have run away broken-hearted and frustrated, had risen again to save the people.
Honestly, she was jealous of that.
Though he probably didn't intend it that way at all, to Meria, Elang's actions felt like he was drawing a line, saying, "I'm different from you."
What am I even doing here...
She hadn't always been this listless.
When her engagement to the Hero was decided, Meria was more full of life than ever before.
It wasn't because she liked the Hero as a person.
It was because she finally thought her inadequate self could do something for her family.
She was prepared to endure any humiliation, to accept any degradation, but the Hero was not a person that Meria, a hothouse flower, could handle.
She could have endured being treated carelessly despite being a duke's daughter.
But the various atrocities he committed were too much for her to bear watching with her own eyes.
She tried to stop him once, but when he raised his hand with a vicious expression, Meria was too frightened to say even a single word.
What should she have done?
If she hadn't given in to fear and had stopped the Hero's evil deeds, maybe the party wouldn't have headed towards catastrophe.
If she hadn't turned a blind eye to the Hero's misdeeds.
If she had devoted herself more to swordsmanship and honed her skills enough to stand on the front lines.
These now meaningless "what ifs" flickered before her eyes, aggravating Meria's weakness.
If only...
When she reached the thought that if she hadn't participated in the Hero's petty bullying in the Demon Realm, maybe Elang would have taken her with him—
Meria finally understood why she stood by the window every day.
In truth, she didn't want to be used as a disposable item.
She wanted to be someone who led the story, not someone swept up in it.
It was an admiration she had nurtured since childhood, separate from family interests or such things.
Realizing that jealousy can only be felt towards someone you admire, Meria's feet naturally started moving towards the window.
The empty main gate where no one was waiting.
Today, that gate where no one was waiting felt a little different.
Was it already too late?
No, surely when you think it's too late is when it's the earliest.
*****
The magical beasts were truly like the giving tree.
Their meat became our blood and flesh, helping sustain our lives, and nothing from their bones, skin, innards, and tendons went to waste.
"We could even use this for the frame of buildings."
The craftsmen said that the bones of magical beasts were harder than ordinary steel, so they could be used for building frames without any problem.
Of course, while they're that hard, we're not short on lumber, so we probably won't use the inconvenient-to-process bones for building houses.
The use for the bones was already decided.
In the Demon Realm, the bones of strong magical beasts, along with mana-infused steel, were considered one of the best materials for making weapons or armor.
This wasn't much different in the human world, and the craftsmen couldn't hide their excitement over this material they were touching for the first time.
The way they looked at the bones, as if licking them with their eyes, seemed like they might actually kiss them if left alone.
Meanwhile, the knights couldn't hide their excitement either. I heard that weapons and armor made from magical beast bones were symbols of strength.
"It's proof that you've taken down such a powerful magical beast. Swords made from bones are very popular."
Come to think of it, famous generals on the front lines always carried an extra sword made of bone.
I'm not a knight, so I can't fully understand their feelings, but it's probably similar to my desire to collect magical beasts and spirits.
The thick hide will be used for armor and cold weather gear, tendons for bowstrings, and the innards were washed and boiled with leftover meat to eat.
As the mountain of magical beast meat started to run low, I went to find the hunting group leader and his subordinates, who were enjoying the innards stew.
"My lord, you've come?"
At some point, the leader started calling me "my lord."
His tone was still casual, but the use of honorifics showed he was paying respect in his own way.
In the eyes of the leader and his tribe welcoming me, the wariness that had been there before was gone, replaced by familiarity.
I had a feeling the conversation would go well.
I approached them just as familiarly and sat down in an empty spot.
"I'm glad you're enjoying yourselves."
"My lord, thanks to you, everyone's eating happily. I can't remember the last time we were this joyful."
"Yes, but I have something I'd like to ask. Do elves have any rules about bows?"
"Rules?"
"Actually, our blacksmith wants to make a bow using the flexible bones of the snake."
When I mentioned making a bow from magical beast bones, his eyes lit up just like the knights earlier, and he focused intently on the conversation.
As the conversation continued, he gradually leaned forward, which was a bit overwhelming, but I was glad he showed such great interest.
"So, if there are no particular rules about this, I'd like to gift a few bows."
"That sounds great! But you're not just giving them away, right? Even if you did, we'd refuse. We have that much decency!"
"Yes, it's not just a gift. Actually, I have a favor to ask."
The totems block strong magical beasts but let weaker ones through.
Normally, this wouldn't be a big problem for us.
Weak magical beasts are at most the level of mountain animals, so we could block them with houses and palisades.
But right now, we don't have palisades, let alone houses, so if magical beasts come down and run wild, we don't know how much damage they could cause.
"I was hoping you could dispatch a few elven hunters until our defenses are built."
The knights can't protect all the land.
I asked the elves for help, but the leader shook his head with a complicated expression.
"I'd like to send them right away, but for a dispatch, we need the priestess's permission."
"Then I'll ask her directly."
I was curious about how she was enjoying this small festival anyway.
Since I had memorized Pina's mana wavelength, I could quickly find her in the crowded throng.
Pina was alone in a remote, dark corner that didn't suit her position at all, sipping innards stew while watching the festival.
It wasn't the side profile of a leader stepping back to let her subordinates enjoy themselves comfortably.
For some reason, her lonely figure, like an outcast child, reminded me of myself during the Hero's party days.
"So this is where you were?"
"Hgak!"
Startled by my voice from behind, Pina almost dropped her stew but managed to catch the bowl.
"...Oh, it's you, Meister."
"I'm sorry for startling you. I'll make more noise next time."
"...No. It's just me being startled on my own. Thank you so much for inviting us to the festival. Both I and the tribe members are truly enjoying ourselves."
"I'm glad to hear that."
"Yes..."
"......"
A small silence fell between us.
Pina seemed to have something she wanted to say, but whatever it was, it just wouldn't come out of her mouth. She just stared down at her cold soup.
What could this child, who had so casually brought up the need for sacrifices, be hesitating so much to say?
"...Miss Pina. There's something I'd like to propose."
Though I was curious, I couldn't keep waiting, so I brought up my business first.
Pina listened to the proposal and nodded, readily agreeing.
"Up to thirty people is possible. However, since they have families too, it would be in the form of rotations with other members."
"That's fine with me. But don't you have something you want to say to me as well, Miss Pina?"
"...Pardon?"
"I apologize if I'm mistaken. But it seemed like you had something you wanted to tell me."
"That's..."
If there really was something, Pina hung her head low and couldn't open her mouth, just flinching like a child in front of a scary adult.
A bead of cold sweat ran down her cheek, which I caught a glimpse of.
Seeing her cheeks gradually turning red, as if she had a fever, I couldn't help but ask:
"...Are you alright?"
"No. I think I might have a slight fever..."
She turned away, saying she'd excuse herself.
Without showing me her face until the end, she disappeared into the darkness beyond the reach of the bonfire.
"...Is she really okay?"
"She's fine. She's just acting like that because she's embarrassed."
Someone answered the muttered question I hadn't meant to say out loud.
When I turned my head, there was an elderly elf with graying hair.
Seeing my surprise at the old woman who had suddenly joined in, she chuckled and said:
"She's only in her first year. It's still too early for her to abandon her conscience. Please understand, my lord."
"You are..."
"...I'm just a chatty old woman you can find anywhere. Just a common old lady worried about a young child."
"......"
"My lord... if you have time, would you keep this old woman company for a bit?"