16 - Marquis Maron
Episode 16
"You idiot. How is that saving them? They won't be human anymore. This is Magical Energy. What humans have definitively defined as the power of the devil."
"They would want to live, even if it means that."
"Enough, let's stop this argument. Why are you doing this when I don't like it and it makes me uncomfortable? What are you going to do if you accidentally turn a serial killer into a demon!"
"Hayley, there are people in this forest who were unfairly dragged here and died."
"So what? They won't remember anything."
Magical Energy is the first thing to take away consciousness. Once completely contaminated, all memories as a human disappear.
Even if they were wronged, they forget everything that wronged them.
"Their memories might come back."
"Then how are you going to distinguish between who was wronged and who wasn't?"
"Just save them first..."
"How irresponsible. You'll be lucky if they don't resent you for turning them into demons."
Our argument showed no signs of ending. Reikart was confident that he could handle it even if he turned a heinous criminal into a demon, and I insisted that he shouldn't even attempt it.
"Okay. What's the point of us debating human uniqueness or dignity here? The important thing is that we have to continue living in this keep."
Doraji said.
"Hayley's growth is unconditionally good."
"Uh..."
"Let's go Purify."
Let's put aside the pointless debate and go Purify. Doraji grabbed my hand and pulled me.
From the front gate of Maron Keep to the road leading to the Dark Lake, Doraji dragged me there and pointed to the dense forest.
"We need meat."
She was absolutely right.
I had only Purified inside the keep walls, the backyard, and the stone wall path, so I took a deep breath and stood in front of the main gate, spreading my hands.
When I'm alone, I shout "Purification!" loudly, but with Reikart and Doraji staring at me, even I felt a little embarrassed.
I quietly said "Purification" with my lips.
Then the Magical Energy gathered noisily.
Dark Mana. A power that is not beneficial to humans, a natural thing, so it is distinguished as the devil's power. They cheered and seeped into my body.
A lot of it, too.
"Huh?"
Doraji shouted in surprise, and Reikart groaned in admiration.
A tremendous amount of Magical Energy poured into my body. Usually, each Purification only covered an area of about three or four pyeong, but this time, an area more than ten times that size was Purified.
"Uh-oh?"
I realized.
"I've been upgraded."
As soon as I gained a new understanding of the usefulness of Magical Energy, rapid growth occurred. My ability was indeed talent-based, development-based. I guess I hadn't developed because I had been too scared and hadn't tried anything.
Indeed, humans grow when they commit and then clean up the mess.
"Life is..."
Now, creating a hunting ground for Reikart to shine was a piece of cake.
"Good job!"
"Purification!"
"Wow, amazing!"
"Purification!"
With Doraji's support, I was Purifying in front of the Dark Lake when I encountered a plump wild duck for the first time in a year at the Contamination boundary.
"A duck!"
"Purification!"
Doraji found it first and screamed. My Tree Sprite, despite being a sprite, was crazy about meat, competing with me, who had been corrupted by flour and butter.
The duck was flying in the unpolluted sky. Before the duck landed in the Magical Energy mist and became contaminated, I frantically Purified the area around it.
"Move!"
Reikart ran and threw himself. He was holding a rope with four weights attached to one hand, and he managed to throw it with all his might, successfully wrapping it around the duck's leg just in time.
The duck squawked and fell.
I was surprised once by the hunting tool Reikart threw, twice because it was made from my torn dress, and three times when I saw him throw his whole body to catch a duck and roll around on the ground, performing a breakfall.
Duke Winter, I'm sorry. Your successor seems unable to return to the past.
"Nice."
I gave him a thumbs up.
Anyway, that's how we were able to hold a healthy duck with white feathers and a yellow beak in our arms.
Doraji asked, impressed.
"What do you call duck eggs?"
"Duck eggs."
"Let's catch a few more, let them lay eggs, and eat one as meat."
"I thought sprites only lived on dew..."
"What kind of discriminatory remarks are those!"
Afterwards, by capturing several more ducks, I solved the problem of eggs and meat at the same time. I glanced at Reikart standing with a slingshot and said to Doraji.
"He's useful, isn't he? Should we exploit him a little more?"
"I was just thinking the same thing."
"It would be nice if we could catch sheep or goats. I guess there aren't any animals like that here?"
"I think we can only get those if we create a road to the village, like that human said."
"I guess so?"
"You never know. If Hayley can Purify the Dark Lake, we can have fried fish, braised fish, dried fish and fish oil, fish roe..."
"Tsk."
My mouth watered. I prefer sea fish to freshwater fish, but it's still good to have water in front of the house.
I have to try harder.
Purification!
* * *
On the way to Selbon, Hayley's voice flowed into Reikart's ear as he slept lightly.
"I'm glad I found you before it was too late."
"You should find your own life soon, too."
She blessed him to live healthily and happily. Even in his sleep, he couldn't believe it and burst out laughing.
A wicked magician who hates humans and covets demonic things more than humans is holding the hand of her enemy while he's asleep and wishing him happiness.
No way.
Even as he felt his body becoming refreshed as the Magical Energy left, he couldn't believe it and repeated it several times.
Be clean. Be clean.
Hayley's voice, buzzing like a night bug, dug into his ear and remained as the scent of the forest.
He couldn't admit, even if he died, that he was able to fall into a short, sound sleep amidst the anxiety thanks to her holding his hand every night.
He had stubbornly refused because he felt that if he held her small hand, even the last bit of doubt would disappear, but it was all useless.
Hayley had abandoned him and left.
Not knowing how to read, the numerous conversations they had while navigating through the Magical Energy, even asking cutely if he could ride a horse or drive a carriage.
It was all a lie. A lie to abandon him and leave alone. A lie to reassure him.
Hayley didn't need Reikart.
"I heard she gave her thanks? Didn't you say you exchanged greetings well? I told her to sleep overnight and leave in the morning because it was dangerous, but she said she had a child at home and had to leave urgently. She looked young, but I guess she already has a child."
The innkeeper, knowing nothing, called Hayley a very admirable girl.
"Oh, where are you going! You have to take your luggage!"
He ran out of the inn and ran aimlessly.
Even as he chased after Hayley, he couldn't understand why. He didn't know why being abandoned by her was such an angry and heartbreaking thing.
He didn't know why it felt so sad that Hayley would live alone in that ruined keep.
Hayley.
You raised the ruined me with revenge, sent the repeatedly defeated me back to life every time, and healed me when I was dying, contaminated by Magical Energy, trying to chase you to the end.
Then you threw me away, telling me to live happily.
How can I hate you?
Revenge and a sense of duty had already been diluted and disappeared by the Magical Energy. What does it matter to Reikart if the family that abused and oppressed him disappears from history?
Reikart needed Hayley.
