Chapter 238: Those Who Protect, Those Who Judge
"Wait a second, I just want to talk—"
"Hey, I’m hungry~ Come on, just a little bit, okay?"
"Me too."
Another bothersome group appeared.
This group of four people, two men and two women and when they reached Qiong Xing, they demanded food as if it were obvious they deserved it.
"If you’re hungry, there’s a town a little further ahead. Please go there."
Though it was a hassle, Qiong Xing decided it was better than being interrupted further.
One of the men nodded.
"Is that so? My bad. Then we’ll wait—"
"Why? You could just give it to us!"
"Yeah! Just a little won’t hurt."
That was something the giver would say, not the taker.
Besides, how long were they planning to keep yelling about being hungry?
If they had enough energy to shout, they could have just walked to the town.
Seeing that Lian had completely lost her appetite, Qiong Xing decided it was no use to continue and packed everything back into the bag before lifting Lian up.
"Hey, wait! Give me the food—!"
"Is that the way to ask someone for something? And as an adult, it’s certainly not something you do in front of a child. Of course, it would be a different story if you were thieves."
"You bastard!"
"Who’s the thief! How rude!"
Which one, exactly?
As the men shouted at each other, Lian clung tightly to Qiong Xing who gently patted her back and reassured her that everything was fine.
"If that’s not the case, then please head to the town. I have no intention of being kind to someone who suddenly starts shouting at me."
Just as Qiong Xing turned to walk away, one of the men reached out as if to stop him, clearly challenging him.
"Stop that."
"!?!"
Before the hand could reach Qiong Xing, another man stepped in and stopped it.
He had been the one responding the most reasonably so far, though he had been overpowered by the shouting man, so Qiong Xing hadn’t thought he could be relied on.
"Our duty is to defeat the Demon Lord, not to rob ordinary citizens. If you take that role seriously, you must act accordingly."
Wait, surely he’s not someone whose called a hero just like in the novel, right?
No way... could this be it?
Qiong Xing felt crushed between ideal and reality.
The heroes of stories truly only exist within stories.
After he was crushed by reality, Qiong Xing turned his back on them.
He determined not to get involved any further and began to walk away.
Surely, the distress signal from earlier had already alerted Albe and the others, and they were on their way here.
"Rui and Yue... Are they going to be okay?"
He silently hoped they hadn’t started crying again.
"Mama."
Lian suddenly clung tightly to him.
As Qiong Xing following her gaze, he saw the man bowed his head in apology and said, "I apologize for my companions’ behavior earlier."
However, behind him, the same men who had been shouting before now glared at Qiong Xing.
The only reasonable one was the man standing right in front of him.
"We were frustrated because our food supplies ran out during the journey. I’m sorry for what happened earlier, but if possible, could you share a little food with us?"
"I refuse."
"!?!"
Did he really think that a simple apology would be enough?
First of all, it wasn’t the right person coming to apologize.
If it had been a companion, Qiong Xing might not have said they were entirely innocent, but someone who had originally shouted insults at them could only make their apology meaningful if they showed true sincerity.
"I do feel sorry that you’re hungry, but as I said earlier, I have no intention of being kind to someone who suddenly starts yelling at me. Who would lend a hand to someone who yells even in front of children and then tries to raise a hand? And even if you apologize like that, the very people you wronged are still glaring at us and not reflecting on their actions at all."
"You—you bastards!"
The man spun around, only to see the expressions of his companions who went pale.
Even so, they didn’t stop glaring, leaving no hope of reason.
"Try to make it to the town. That’s all I can say."
"Qiong Xing!"
"Albe!"
As expected, they had come.
Behind Albe, Raon was also visible while holding the twins.
Qiong Xing let out a relieved breath and was about to run toward them when a sharp shakin sound came from behind.
"A demon!?"
"Where on earth did you come from!?"
"Um, the person behind them feels... bad too!"
When he look up, Qiong Xing saw the men brandishing his weapons and glaring at Albe and the others.
A bad feeling settled in his chest and just as he tried to warn Albe, he instinctively called out his own name and found himself already holding a sword.
"Let’s go! I’ll go first. Eirik, pursue from the rear; Freyra, attack with magic; Heila, support everyone."
They were fully ready for battle.
"There’s only one target. Move quickly."
"Lian, stay back!"
He swiftly set Lian down on a nearby rock and stepped between the men who seemed ready to pounce and Albe.
"Stop it!!—!"
"Qiong Xing!"
"!?!"
The men tried to stop his sword, but it’s too late... The blade aimed at Albe grazed Qiong Xing’s abdomen.
The pain and heat shot through him, threatening to buckle his knees, but he gritted his teeth and steadied himself as he glaring at them.
"I will not allow anyone to lay a hand on my family."
"He’s a demon!"
"Shut up!!!"
What did it matter that they were demons?
To him, Albe was family.
He would not allow anyone to kill his loved ones just because of their race.
As he clenched his fists in fury, he grabbed one man by the chest and slammed a punch.
"What right do you have to hurt someone’s family just because they’re a demon!? You’re the ones trying to take a family away for that reason—who do you think you are!?"
"We are—"