Chapter 115 : Elf Village (2)
Elf Village (2)
'I can't believe this was really here.'
Louis was just as surprised to see the gravestone in front of the mansion.
The gravestone belonged to none other than Louis's parents, who had been the lord of Seifert and his wife.
He had heard there was a gravestone, but he hadn't really thought about how it could exist.
After all, his parents had been stabbed to death by the Crown Prince's knights disguised as bandits.
Their bodies had been left in the burning domain, so the chance that they were intact was slim.
'And back then, I went berserk after turning into a Chaos Dragon.'
He had breathed fire everywhere, so he had once feared even his parents' bodies had been burnt to ash.
Yet beneath the gravestone, the scent of corpses was clear and distinct.
It was the scent of the very people who had raised him in this world.
"As I thought, you'd come here."
At that moment, the village's representative elder walked over, and Louis asked him,
"You managed to create a gravestone, I see."
"Yes. To be honest, we were shocked as well when we found their bodies unscathed at the scene of that fire."
Fortunately, their bodies had survived.
By some miracle, they had remained untouched in the inferno and thus a gravestone could be made.
"To be honest, the fact that they were completely unharmed without a trace of burning is nothing short of a miracle. I even thought the gods had bestowed some special mercy, considering the good deeds they did in life."
But even if the gods had shown such mercy, Louis wondered what it really meant.
By the time they had been stabbed, their deaths had already been painful and tragic.
"But there was one odd thing about the lord's corpse."
"What was it?"
"He died with a look of utter horror on his face, as if he'd just witnessed something terrible."
"......"
Had his father seen something truly strange right before he died?
As Louis pondered this, a memory suddenly surfaced and his expression hardened.
"And there's something else I haven't told you yet, young master. On the day our domain was engulfed by flames, some survivors claimed to have seen something."
"What did they see?"
"A monster."
The elder's lips trembled as he spoke, and Louis felt a chill run down his spine as cold sweat gathered on his forehead.
"To be honest, looking back now, I always thought something was off. The flames were far too large for mere bandits to have started."
The elder gestured toward the mountain beyond the village.
Even now, the burn marks were visible, and the more they looked, the stranger everything seemed.
Pram and Rio, who stood nearby, frowned as soon as they saw the mountain.
"Did you, by any chance, see that monster too, young master?"
"Well... I don't know? At that time, I was captured by the bandits, so..."
"Is that so?"
Louis had no choice but to feign ignorance.
After all, the monster was none other than himself, the first time he had transformed into a Chaos Dragon.
"I'd like to see what kind of monster that was myself. Don't you agree, Louis?"
Silia, ever quick to catch on, immediately realized who the 'monster' was.
"That's true. If it really exists, that is."
"It must exist. Look at that mountain—there's no way normal fire could do that kind of damage without the power of a monster."
"Elder Sister, is it really necessary to say that while grabbing my shoulder?"
The old man cocked his head, trying to guess what they were talking about, but Louis shook off Silia's hand and looked back at the gravestone.
Just by looking, he could feel the weight of their good deeds in life.
The bouquets of flowers left around the stone proved it.
"In any case, they were people who were kind—almost to a fault, in a world where you can't survive unless you become tough."
The elder placed a single flower before the grave and clasped his hands together.
Having known the vague outlines of this world even before being born here, Louis found the elder's words all too relatable.
That didn't mean you could mock the two of them as fools, not with the evidence of all those flowers on their grave.
"I don't know how they could have such character in a world like this, but as someone who benefited from their kindness, I intend to protect this village."
The place was a mere shadow of the thriving domain it had once been.
It hadn't been rebuilt yet, and the defenses were still laughably weak.
If attacked again, the consequences would be even worse than before.
"I don't know how I look to others, but even if they call me a fool, I don't care. No amount of ridicule can undo the grace those two bestowed on us."
The same was true for everyone who had helped with the reconstruction.
In a world where you're discarded the moment you become useless, a burnt-out village was worthless.
Trying to rebuild it was as foolish as it got—especially with no benefit to themselves.
But the elder and the villagers had chosen to rebuild, just the same.
"In that sense... There's something I'd like to say to you, young master."
The elder smiled, as if a weight had lifted from his chest.
"Thank you for living."
The traces Louis's parents left behind were more than just their kindness;
Simply knowing their own flesh and blood survived gave the people hope.
"I'm not sure what to say, but... at least I know this one thing for sure."
Louis scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.
"This is real gratitude."
Suddenly, the faces of all those he had killed or beaten up so far flashed through Louis's mind.
Some of them had held immense gratitude for those who had helped them.
Case in point: Saber and the others, loyal to the Crown Prince.
Thinking about how they committed murder in the name of repaying the Crown Prince's kindness made Louis see the villagers in a completely different light.
This, right here, was what it truly meant to repay a debt of gratitude.
And so, Louis brought his hands together before his parents' gravestone.
Rio and Pram, who had come along with him, did likewise and spoke.
"Lord, thank you for everything until now."
"Both of you, rest in peace in heaven now."
Swept up by the atmosphere, Silia placed her hands together too.
She might not have been family, but as Louis's administrator, it was only right to join in.
"I'm grateful as well, for everything until now."
Louis also spoke his piece before the grave.
For the two people who had served as lord and lady here after being appointed, there had been a specific purpose.
Managing the Seifert domain, often called the 'tutorial village.'
That in itself was a stepping stone for the growth of the protagonists.
After putting together all these facts, Louis as their child knew what he had to do.
"From now on, leave everything to me and rest in peace."
****
After that, the squad members were able to relax and enjoy a break in the village.
The area now called Seifert Village retained much of the spirit of its days as a domain.
The culture, if not entirely unchanged, was still vibrant and offered much to explore.
Thanks to that, the squad members reminisced about old memories as if they had returned home after a long time.
They played cards with local children and soaked away their fatigue in the hot springs, a famous feature of the domain.
"Haaah... It's been so long."
"Mmm..."
Pram and Rio, immersed in the hot springs, wore radiant smiles.
The two relished the rare chance to bathe, taking in the warm fragrance.
"Compared to this place, that fortress is hardly livable. The facilities are a wreck, the water temperature can't be regulated, and sometimes reeking water pours out."
"The food is way better here, too. The cooking squad's food at the fortress is barely fit for consumption."
The two compared the conditions of their unit and their hometown.
Facilities aside, the real problem was the monsters.
With the demon realm's monsters being more grotesque than anywhere else, countless creatures there spewed out all sorts of filth and toxins.
If even one of them spat poison into the waterway that connected to the fortress, they couldn't bathe until it was purified.
That wasn't the only threat to hygiene.
Sometimes a rainstorm mixed with acid from the demon realm would sweep through.
Naturally, the waterway would be contaminated as a matter of course.
"It was the worst. No bathwater, so we had to shower with rancid rainwater—just thinking about it is humiliating!"
"Yeah. Pram's face at that time belonged in a museum."
"How was that artistic! I nearly lost my mind back then!"
Of course, perhaps thanks to the Great Devil's power, Pram wasn't harmed by the harsh environment of the demon realm.
Even acidic rain couldn't hurt her—but dirty was still dirty.
"To make it even worse, we had to fight monsters in that state—you cried, Pram, while you were fighting."
At that moment, Silia, who had been bathing with them, joined in.
As their squad leader who'd commanded the operation, she remembered it clearly.
"And after being drenched in monster gunk on top of it all, you said you'd rather die, didn't you?"
"Don't even mention it! I never want to face a monster like that again!"
No matter how they attacked, the beast would spew toxins all over its body as it died.
For the other soldiers, that was instant death on contact with the skin, so only those with resistance could stand at the front and defend.
"Even after barely defeating it, you were half-crazed, Pram. You yelled for water as soon as we returned to the fortress."
"I remember. The instant the gates opened, you screamed for water."
Fortunately, there was water in sight: a huge puddle just inside the fortress entrance.
Thinking it was clean, Pram had stripped off and dove right in.
But...
"That was the day Pram first bathed in the soldiers' urine."
Because the fortress plumbing had failed, the soldiers had to relieve themselves elsewhere.
Pram only realized she'd thrown herself into the latrine after she was already soaked.
"Don't talk about that!! I'm finally getting to enjoy a little piece of heaven."
"But it's still hilarious, thinking back..."
"Shut up!"
It might have been mortifying for her, but to Rio and the others, it was just a funny story.
Silia, seeing Pram's anger, admonished Rio.
"Rio, quit teasing Pram. What'll you do if another fight breaks out and we lose access to the hot springs again?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
Rio answered with a half-regretful tone, while Pram stared at Silia and said,
"But, squad leader, you've gotten bigger than before."
"Hm? What has?"
Silia wondered if she meant height, but Pram's gaze wasn't on her head.
For some reason, Pram stared enviously at her.
"Both you and Rio—you're bigger than me."
Silia, unsure what exactly was 'bigger', just pulled Pram into a hug.
Pram's face was pressed into Silia's large chest, leaving her uncomfortable, when Silia spoke.
"This might be the last time for this."
"......"
For Pram, coming to this village was basically her last vacation.
By tomorrow, Pram would be discharged from the special task force and summoned to the Holy Nation.
When the bath ended and morning came, saints from the Holy Nation would arrive in the village.
"I'm sorry you had to live in such rough conditions all this time."
"Yes..."
From the perspective of the squad's administrator, Silia knew Pram wasn't suited for the legion.
Particular about cleanliness and appearance, Pram could never truly fit into military life.
"You've worked hard, Pram."
As Silia patted her on the back, Pram wore an embarrassed look.
...
...
...
As expected, believers from the Holy Nation gathered in the center of the village, right on schedule.
As soon as Pram appeared, the believers recognized her and welcomed her warmly.
Seeing the gentle expressions on their faces, Pram sensed instinctively:
these people were on a completely different level from the trash in the 7th Legion.
"It's an honor to meet you, saint. We'll escort you safely to the capital of the Holy Nation."
Pram was moved by their respectful treatment.
Even the young master had never treated her so graciously.
"This is great for you, Pram."
The young master, Louis, clapped as he watched her.
"There won't be any criminals there, not ones you hate."
Pram's heart fluttered at the thought of her wish finally coming true.
At the same time, she felt something else.
"Young master, can I ask you one last thing?"
She put her heart into the question.
"You really don't need to stop me? I was really good in the special task force."
Thanks to inheriting the Great Devil's power, Pram had no rivals in the squad aside from Rio.
Now she could even use recovery magic, so her skills were undeniable.
But...
"You said you wanted to leave, so there's no reason to stop you."
"Young master, are you sure you won't regret it?"
Pram asked again to make sure, but Louis just waved her off.
Silia and the other squad members did the same.
"Fine! I'm going!"
So Pram said her tearful farewells.
"Goodbye, everyone! And squad leader big sis! I'll be free from that hellish 7th Legion and find a peaceful life! You all have to be happy too!~"
With that, Pram climbed into the holy wagon and disappeared into the distance.
"Goodbye! You idiot young master!"
And she shed tears of regret as she glared at the young master one last time.
"She's gone."
As the wagon vanished completely, someone approached Louis's side.
"You arrived just in time."
"That child is already gone?"
In response to Kelian's question, Louis nodded.
"This is the first time big bro has joined us on our journey."
"If I'm not there, you won't be able to get in."
Kelian smiled warmly at being called big bro.
"Well then, shall we be off?"
The special task force members, having packed everything, had gathered in one place.
"To the Holy Nation."