Chapter 108 : Chapter 108
Chapter 108 : The Cabin Father & Son (3)
The reason the first holy object and the island in the center of the river are important is because, in the original work, Ratel fails to absorb the power hidden within it.
In the original work, the first holy object only serves as a realization that he might be able to absorb the power.
Losing that precious first opportunity, he starts absorbing Sierra's power from the second holy object onwards.
But to go through all those steps, it would be too tough to face Dito, who must be steadily building up his power in the capital by now.
It was necessary to compress the steps.
I approached the window and pointed to the island floating in isolation far away in the middle of the river.
"According to the book, that island is the very place where Sierra Abalan originally left the holy object. Later, his descendants moved the holy object. So we need to return here with the holy object."
"Is it impossible to absorb the power without the holy object?"
Jing asked with urgency in his voice.
"Yes, there are a few things needed to absorb the power. First is Sierra's holy object, and the head of the monster living on that island."
At my answer, questions arose simultaneously on Jing and Ratel's faces.
They seemed to find it hard to believe that a monster was living on such a peaceful-looking island.
Well, considering there's a cabin where people live this close by, it was indeed a hard situation to imagine.
"Orcs live in the underground of that island."
Orcs, the first monster Ratel had to subjugate.
***
Hearing that the opponent was Orcs, Jing frowned.
"If it's Orcs... I personally don't like them."
"Isn't it also strange to have a monster you personally like?"
When I teased his cautious tone, Jing slightly relaxed his furrowed brow and laughed softly.
"That is true too. So what I mean is, I especially dislike Orcs. They are too barbaric. Especially the ones during the generation change are enough to turn one's stomach."
It wasn't unreasonable for him, who rarely used strong expressions, to loathe Orcs that much.
Jing didn't particularly like Orcs in the original work either.
To be more precise, he didn't like the Orcs' cruel habits.
"How does it turn your stomach?"
Curious about his intense reaction, Ratel asked.
"The pack rushes in all at once and eats the leader."
Jing answered without being able to relax his crumpled expression.
"To be exact, they eat the head."
That was the reason why ten out of ten Orc heads sold as the leader's head were fake.
If Orcs feel the leader needs to be replaced, they rush at that individual all at once and tear off its head to eat.
The one who eats the leader's head first becomes the next boss.
It's a simple method, but also a way for the strongest one to become the boss.
Ratel, who was listening quietly to my explanation, also seemed to find it repulsive, starting to crumple his expression just like Jing.
Soon, he opened his mouth.
"What's the reason? Is the head the tastiest?"
It was a novel question that made me reflect on myself for mistakenly thinking for a moment that such a thing as 'having a stomach turn' might exist for him too.
I was speechless for a moment and chewed over the protagonist's bastard's words.
Taste, taste.......
While reading the book over a hundred times, it was a point I had never considered.
Reading the scene where the Orc pack rushes in all at once to tear and eat the head of the leader fallen by Ratel's hand, and struggling to eat for a few days, I had never once thought about the taste.
Thinking that the thought crossing his mind while standing before the defeated Orc was an evaluation of taste, I felt a hollow laugh about to come out.
If I return to the original world, I probably won't be able to read the book with the same appreciation as before.
"......No, I know it as the one who eats the leader's neck first becomes the leader. Although nothing has been clearly revealed yet, the people of Abalan believe it's a rule created when Great Emperor Sierra first defeated the monsters."
Jing explained on behalf of me who was speechless.
Judging by his slightly twitching mouth corners, Jing also seemed quite shocked by Ratel's question.
Belatedly coming to my senses, I composed my expression.
"When the boss falls, the Orcs will rush in all at once. Not having the head stolen in that chaos is the first task."
"It sounds like a battle for the Orc head."
Jing summarized my explanation in one sentence.
"Yes, stealing the holy object, returning, and cutting the Orc's neck. This is our plan."
Simply affirming his words, I laid out the overall plan.
Though I explained it leaving out one necessary ingredient.
"I like that it's simple."
Ratel showed a positive reaction for once.
Though if he finds out I slyly left out a few things again, his anger might return even bigger.
Well, at that time he'll be busy getting angry at El whose identity will be revealed.
"The precautions are simple too."
I changed the subject feigning ignorance and looked at Jing.
"First, Jing must absolutely not touch the holy object before Ratel."
"Yes, understood."
He nodded obediently even while making a bewildered face.
I paused my explanation so he could ask more if he was curious and waited for his next words, but Jing just looked at me as if finding it strange that I stopped talking.
"What's the reason?"
Ratel asked on behalf of him, who didn't have even a bit of suspicion.
Sighing, I confirmed once again that no one was around the room and opened my mouth.
"Because if it's not you, he'll be eaten."
At my simple answer, Jing's face, which had been bewildered, slowly hardened.
"......Does that mean eaten in the literal dictionary sense?"
I nodded slightly.
The fact that Sierra Abalan's holy object was a monster that eats people must have been quite shocking, as Jing couldn't continue speaking for a moment.
He closed his eyes, which were wavering with confusion, once and opened them, barely calming his emotions.
"......Why, why on earth does such a thing happen?"
"It must be the price."
At my answer, Jing looked at me as if waiting for the remaining explanation.
I recalled the content in the book and opened my mouth slowly.
"Because for everything in the world, a price is required. The power left by someone who disappeared a thousand years ago wouldn't be enough for the holy object to brainwash people."
Being eaten itself is troubling, but it left monsters as messy byproducts of that.
Jing's face, unable to escape the shock, was stained with confusion.
Even though he gave up his position, the fact that the object he pledged loyalty to his whole life was hideous—
I turned my head to Ratel, who was watching Jing just like me.
"You have something to observe too."
He took his eyes off Jing and raised his eyebrows as if telling me to speak.
"Do not use power from now until we arrive at Limis."
At my answer, he stared at me for a moment and opened his mouth.
"Okay."
"Your power is somehow the power of Sierra trapped in there...... What?"
I, whose words to persuade him diligently all misfired, asked back stupidly.
Did I hear wrong?
There's no way he would follow my words so obediently?
Or maybe he has some other scheme.
First doubting my hearing, then doubting his insides, the silence grew longer.
Eventually, annoyance appeared on the face of the guy who couldn't stand it anymore.
"What are you looking at like that?"
"Why aren't you asking anything?"
"Because there's nothing to ask. You explained it yourself. You said you don't know how the dead Emperor's power gathered there will react."
Ratel, confirming he listened to my words carefully and that I didn't hear wrong, glared at me crookedly.
"What's the dissatisfaction?"
"I'm not dissatisfied, I'm doubting. Whether you just said okay because you have no intention of keeping it anyway, or if you devised another way to screw me over."
Other than that, there was no reason for him to be listening to my words obediently.
"Don't you think I just listened to your words?"
He added a conscienceless option.
"For that, isn't there the attitude you showed in Lucha village?"
"......."
Perhaps thinking there was no room for excuses even to himself, he shut his mouth.
"I just thought it wasn't a big problem."
And the answer he gave was something hard to accept at all.
"I'm telling you there's an Orc pack in the center? Of course, we will move by boat avoiding them, but."
"It doesn't matter. It's not like I can't deal with them just because I can't use Manis."
......Right.
I knew the answer that came out casually wasn't a bluff.
Right, he could twist an Orc's neck even with bare hands.
"Still, please make sure to use a sword rather than bare hands. Since Orcs don't die unless their necks are cut."
Perhaps having calmed down a bit now, Jing advised with a voice mixed with laughter.
"You say we won't run into them anyway."
Ratel answered lightly and looked at me.
It felt like a warning that if my words were wrong, the one being choked would be me, not the Orc, so I swallowed my words.
Along with the truth that his first attempt to destroy the holy object at Limis Temple will end in failure.
***
Bound with the lake in between before the sun even rose to its highest, I didn't have much to do.
However, for the two humans programmed that spare time is immediately training time, it seemed there was no gap for free time to be boring.
"Good! You're doing well! Just a hundred more times now, and after that, it's sparring with me!"
Jing, somewhat excited, shouted to Ria who was diligently doing sit-ups with her legs hooked on a tree.
"Kuaaaack!!!"
Even in the pain of her stomach tearing, there seemed to be no particular complaint on her face as she sat up without a word.
She even looked like she was feeling a faint euphoria in the pain.
I, who was about to go out to get some fresh air, pretended not to see the sweaty two and turned around.
If caught wrongly, I might receive pressure from Jing trying to make me join the training with words like 'Lord Ran, how about trying a little for your health too?'.
Indeed, it would be better to inhale the dust accumulated in the room than to train in the refreshing breeze.
I would have done so if I hadn't run into the person who would disturb me just as I was about to close the front door and go inside.
But running into the protagonist's bastard coming down from the second floor, my plan evaporated again.
He briefly cast his gaze out the window where the noisy training sounds of Jing and Ria were coming from.
"You skip Jing's training every time."
Ratel's question caught me trying to go upstairs pretending not to know.
"My body is a bit weaker than it looks."
"With that weak body, you said you defeated Idan in Lucha."
At my insincere answer, Ratel refuted immediately.
"I was lucky then. Because you ruined his plan, he couldn't come to his senses."
"Are you saying you're confident in defeating anyone as long as the opponent is distracted?"
He caught a pod in my words again.
"What is it that you want to say?"
At my gaze asking what on earth he was doing holding onto me, he narrowed his eyes.
"Isn't it that you don't need training because you have something reliable to lean on?"
I stared at his face interrogating me.
"The one who needs training is you. The one I rely on is you."
At my obedient admission, his eyes grew wide.
"Because Jing will protect me until the holy object is destroyed. Then you also won't be able to let me die."
"What nonsense."
He denied my words reflexively.
"Didn't you follow my words in Lucha village too because I shouldn't die?"
"......."
Finding no words to reply this time either, he glared at me, but I ignored him and started climbing the stairs again.
Rather than wrestling with that protagonist bastard, it was indeed better to inhale dust upstairs.
"I'm going to rest a bit so I can train hard."
Instead, I didn't forget the last words to provoke him.