CHAPTER 116: WORRYING ABOUT THOSE WHO SURVIVE

“-!” (Toru)

　Esther shook my shoulder and I was back to myself.

“Uh…” (Toru)

“Are you okay Toru!?” (Esther)

“Yeah, thank you, Esther.” (Toru)

　I am now tense and in an attacking stance, but the black shadows are lying on the ground.

　If the shadows had been alive, I might have fought back. That is if the opponent still has hostile intent…

“It seems they no longer have the strength to get up.” (Toru)

“What is this? Even though you fatally slashed them, I can still feel their vitality.” (Esther)

　I cut the Shieldbearer in half from above their head, and the attacker had their neck severed. Despite this, both shadows’ body was not split, and the place where they should have been cut off remained attached to the body.

　In addition, just as Esther said, I could feel their vitality.

　The shadows were still alive.

　However, there was no sign of making a counterattack.

(Could they possibly be humans?) (Toru)

The [Magic Sword] can cut through all things, but the only thing it can’t cut through are humans.

　So, I wondered if the shadows were human, but no matter how I observed them, they did not look human.

“It seems that these people (?) were originally adventurers.” (Toru)

“Ah, they certainly looked like adventurers during battle. So, they must be wraiths, right?” (Esther)

“Wraith, are they like ghosts?” (Toru)

“Yes, [Wraith] are ghosts. When an adventurer dies, they sometimes become a wraith.” (Esther)

“I see.” (Toru)

“It is rumored that if there was a strong thought during death, or if the mana around them is dense, they are more likely to become a Wraith. The priests perform purification rituals to prevent this from happening, but as you would expect, the priests can’t travel to this place without passing through trouble.” (Esther)

　Esther shook her head, saying that there was no way to turn them into another race.

　The wraiths who fell down did not even move a twitch, as if they had lost their venom or used up most of their life force in the fight earlier.

　They may have become wraiths partly because of the thick mana of the place.

　But now that their emotions have flowed in, we can understand how strong their thoughts were.

(Adventurers… quest failed… Ah, so that’s how it is.) (Toru)

　Finally, the string of information is connected.

“Purification is something that priests do, right?” (Toru)

“Oh, that’s right… No, wait Toru, don’t be brash.” (Esther)

“Why?” (Toru)

“You’re going to purify this wraith anyway, aren’t you?” (Esther)

“Eh, how did you know!?” (Toru)

“I’ve only known you for a little over a month, but I know what you’re thinking… most of the time.” (Esther)

　Esther’s shoulders shook as if she was afraid of something.

“(Otherwise, I wouldn’t have survived.)” (Esther)

“……Uh-what?” (Toru)

　She mumbled something at the end, but I couldn’t make out what she said.

“The priests purify the wraiths, but the purification techniques used by the priests use a lot of mana. It is dangerous to use a large amount of mana when you haven’t taken the persimo fruit.” (Esther)

~3rd Person Perspective~

　Esther tried to persuade Toru, but her shoulders slumped when she saw the strong light in Toru’s eyes. He has already made up his mind to use [Magic Law]. No matter what she says to him, she won’t be able to persuade him anymore.

　In a mountain populated by B-rank monsters, using up all the mana is suicide.

　A normal party would have stopped him even by knocking him down.

　However, Esther does not try to stop Toru’s foolishness. Because he always performs beyond Esther’s imagination.

　Goblin hordes, Queen Rock Worms, Ogre hordes. She was prepared to die many times. But Esther is alive.

　In addition, she is now within reach of becoming a C-rank adventurer. All of this is possible because of Toru’s existence and his unprecedented behavior.

　Therefore, Esther respects his choice.

　Finally, in front of her eyes, Toru casts his purification technique. A particle of light appears around him, gradually enveloping the shadows.

“… oh… this… thank you.” (Shadow)

“eh?” (Esther)

　Suddenly Esther heard a human voice.

　It’s not Toru’s, much less hers.

　—It was the shadow.

　The shadow spoke for the first time.

“…please… that naive…” (Shadow)

　From Esther’s position, the words were inaudible. But Toru seemed to hear them and nodded with a serious face.

　The next moment, a strong killing swirled through him. It was not targeting Esther or the others. It was a grudge against someone who was not here.

　*Gulp*, Esther’s throat was dry.

　Her breathing became labored due to the strong resentment.

“Be careful of Amy.”

　With that warning, the two shadows dissolved into the air and vanished.

　Even after the shadows disappeared, Esther could not move.

　The negative feelings they left behind were that strong. After a while, Esther felt a terrible thirst. She took a bottle of water from the [Inventory] and moistened her lips.

“Who is Amy?” (Toru)

“Maybe it’s the same person, I think.” (Esther)

“Yes, huh. In the end, I never did find out what that shadow was, did I?” (Toru)

“Perhaps they are adventurers who challenged this quest and failed.” (Esther)

“The Guild Master mentioned something like that. Then, did they remain here for a hundred years? …I can’t help but feel sorry for them.” (Toru)

“I agree.” (Esther)

“…the way, didn’t that shadow say something to Toru?” (Esther)

“Yes. They said, ‘Take care of this naive magic idiot’.” (Toru)

“Magic idiot? What do they mean—” (Esther)

“By the way, the Persimo is near. Let’s do our best!” (Toru)

　Toru raised his fist in the air. At first glance, he looks happy, but his eyes are filled with the same color that he had shown for a moment in the capital before.

　Rage.

　He hides his anger with his cheerfulness which frightens Esther.

　But that doesn’t mean he is in any mood to talk about it. Esther could only silently follow Toru.

“So, Toru. How do you plan to tackle the Eternal Flames?” (Esther)

“That’s right, this is how we’ll do it.” (Toru)