Dark Fantasy’s Extra

“Eek…!”

I heard Hilde collapse behind me.

No matter how talented she is, a high-tier Beast’s killing intent must be terrifying.

I feel the same way.

But I also know there’s no need to be afraid right now.

“Ha, kill me if you can.”

I mocked him instead.

“What?”

“When you can’t even do it. It’s obvious without looking. It’s Blanc, isn’t it?”

“Ugh….”

Yorick could only grind his teeth, still unable to do anything.

The reason he can’t kill me is simple.

There can only be one explanation.

It’s because of Blanc’s existence.

She must have told Charmol or Yorick himself not to touch me.

That must also be why Yorick knows about me.

Even telling me to kill Hilde was probably just an excuse to cover up the suspicion of trying to kill only Hilde while leaving me alone.

Additionally, the reason he killed Kenken was probably to control it.

Though there wasn’t such a story originally.

“Ha… a mere lower-ranked hunter… How dare you mock me!?!?!?”

Another wave of violent killing intent burst out, making my mind go blank.

However, I gritted my teeth and endured.

“I’ll make that woman beside you die as painfully as possible for this! Her death will be your fault!”

As Yorick raised his arm, I immediately drew my dagger and held the blade to my throat.

“Go ahead. I’ll die at that moment too.”

Yorick stopped at my action.

“Wh-what are you doing….”

“The one making threats here is me, not you. Let us both go quietly. Otherwise, I’ll slit my throat and die right here.”

“Th…that’s a lie. Hmph, such a shallow trick and obvious bluff.”

Yorick was startled before snickering.

“Hahaha, how amusing. That was quite an interesting attempt. You should just quietly…”

Yorick raised his arm again.

I pressed the dagger harder against my throat.

The sharp blade digging into flesh created a burning sensation at my neck.

Even my spine shivered at this action directly linked to death.

“This is no trick, and no bluff.”

But I endured everything and kept glaring at Yorick.

“Could it be… you’re serious?”

Yorick stopped.

“Just what are you? Could she be your lover? Family? Or a lord you’ve sworn loyalty to?”

“She’s my junior.”

“Ju…nior?”

He was bewildered.

“Damn it, don’t spout such nonsense…! You’d throw away your life for something like that? What kind of human would do such a thing?!”

“Oh, you know humans so well?”

“I’ve lived far longer than the likes of you! I know well how worthless and foolish humans are, and how ugly they can be! No one would throw away their life for a mere junior…!”

“I’m a human who has no attachment to life.”

I pressed the blade even harder against my neck.

I could feel blood seeping out, trickling down the blade and wetting my fingers.

“Ugh…!?”

“If you know humans so well, then you must know there are humans like me too? I’m fine with dying. If I die as a hunter, I’m satisfied with that. The only reason I’m still alive is because I have things left to do.”

“You’re… insane….”

“Make your choice. Either make me die here and go to war with Blanc, or let us both go and avoid that future.”

“Damn it… damn it damn it damn it!”

Yorick struck the wall.

The stone wall caved in like clay.

“Fine…! I know there are crazy humans like you too. Indeed, you’re a fitting human for that mad woman. Birds of a feather really do flock together.”

“That’s a bit harsh.”

“Fine… go back! Get out of here quickly.”

“Ah, just one thing before that.”

“What?”

I took out a bottle of holy oil from my pocket and sprinkled it on Kenken’s corpse.

While doing so, I cut off one of its fingers and put it in my pocket, hiding the action with my body from Yorick.

“You… what are you… doing….”

Yorick said dejectedly.

“You should already know what a hunter’s finishing touch is, right?”

I took out a match and struck it against the wall.

A small light illuminated the dark cave.

“Stop… that….”

“Heh.”

And I threw that match at Kenken.

Using Kenken’s holy oil-covered body as kindling, massive flames shot up.

An enormous, hot light that seemed like it would engulf the entire cave illuminated us.

“Hilde.”

I turned to look at Hilde.

She was still sitting there looking up at me with a dazed expression.

“Get up. Let’s go back.”

I extended my hand to her.

“I… Senior….”

But she showed no signs of coming out of her dazed state.

“I said get up.”

With no choice, I directly grabbed her hand and pulled her up.

“Ah….”

Only then did light return to Hilde’s eyes.

“Let’s go back.”

“…Yes.”

We moved forward, leaving behind Kenken’s burning corpse.

“Would you move aside.”

I pushed Yorick away.

Though it was a corpse being directly controlled by a high-tier Beast, it was pushed aside disappointingly easily.

Glancing at him, I saw he was watching the burning corpse with the same dazed expression as Hilde earlier.

So his purpose in coming here must have been to kill Kenken and steal the corpse to make it an undead puppet.

But that ends here too.

The holy oil’s flames will turn the dead Beast’s corpse to ashes.

“Let’s hurry.”

Soon those flames will consume all the air in this narrow cave and leave only toxic smoke.

I held Hilde’s hand and ran out of the cave.

*    *    *

“Haah… finally outside.”

When we got out, we first saw the dark blue sky where the crescent moon was setting and dawn was breaking in the far distance.

Compared to inside the cave, even the salty smell and dampness of the sea felt like fresh air.

Taking a deep breath, the sea breeze entered deep into my lungs refreshingly.

“I’d love to go wash in that sea, but I’d end up covered in salt…. Hilde?”

I turned to Hilde who was still strangely silent.

“Hilde? What’s wrong? We’re safe now. We just need to rest a bit and head back….”

“Senior….”

“Hm?”

“Senior, how could you do that?”

“Do what?”

“What do you mean what!”

Suddenly Hilde pushed me down and got on top of me.

“Don’t you value your life at all!?”

She glared at me with eyes that seemed to be desperately holding back tears.

“How can you talk about dying so easily?! Why?!”

“Why, you ask….”

“Who would be happy if you said you’d die for them?!”

Hilde struck my chest.

“Just be grateful that we’re saved.”

I covered my face with my hat and pushed her away.

“Was my acting that convincing?”

I got up and brushed the sand off my clothes while turning my back.

“Ac…acting?”

“Yeah. It was all an act.”

“Ah….”

“I just chose a way for both of us to live.”

Then I took out bandages from my bag and wrapped them around my bleeding neck.

“Really now, I didn’t expect even you to fall for it so completely.”

“Ah, I….”

Hilde’s mood changed drastically.

“I-I mean…!?”

“Ahaha. Your crying and everything was quite amusing.”

I deliberately laughed as I spoke.

“Anyway, let’s head back now.”

Sorry, but it’s better to gloss over it this way.

Not a single word I said to Yorick was a lie.

At that time, I really could have slit my throat and died.

If I could follow the same path as my seniors who died protecting me, I would have been satisfied with that.

My life hasn’t been my own since 7 years ago.

“…Still, I’m glad.”

I heard Hilde’s relieved voice.

“Senior… really seemed like you would do it.”

“Fool.”

*    *    *

We managed to return to the Order after lunch the next day.

Though we washed once in a stream on the way back, the guard at the entrance told us to go wash, probably because some stench still remained.

After washing with soap in the shower room, Hilde immediately collapsed in exhaustion, and I went to Workshop 3 alone.

“Ah, back already? Welcome.”

Zepetia greeted me warmly.

“You’re alone today.”

“Hilde’s sleeping. We just got back to the Order.”

“Hehe, you must have brought something good?”

At her words, I took out Kenken’s finger from my pocket.

“Just one finger? Aw….”

“It wasn’t a situation where I could cut off the whole hand. Besides, isn’t your attitude too different when there’s no noble around?”

“Ahaha, cut me some slack. Nobles really are uncomfortable you know.”

“You’re a noble too.”

“Don’t say that. All nobles who join the Order are weirdos anyway.”

“Same goes for Hilde then.”

“She’s less soaked in noble manners. But you can just tell she’s noble, right? Makes me tense up without even thinking about it.”

Zepetia picked up Kenken’s finger.

“Ugh, the smell is awful too. It’s big, but what’s special about this?”

“It was probably a behemoth in the past.”

Probably wasn’t the right word since it definitely was, but still.

“A behemoth!?”

Zepetia was shocked.

“Something must have happened long ago for it to lose its power. I stole it from what seemed to be a high-tier Beast’s target.”

“Eek, you fought a high-tier Beast? Could it be that Mr. Eugene is incredibly strong?”

“No, it wasn’t the Beast itself, probably just an avatar. The details are complicated to explain. Anyway, I think it was a behemoth in the past. That’s what matters, right?”

“Ah yes, that’s true. If this really is a behemoth specimen, it’s my first time and I’m nervous. Is it really okay for me to use something like this?”

“Who else would I trust with it?”

“Hehe, you trust me that much already.”

“I haven’t properly tried the dagger yet, but it will definitely be helpful later.”

Charmol, whom Yorick serves, is an anomalous existence even among behemoths like Blanc.

Like Princess Bari, he doesn’t just rely on his own power but moves politically, and even handles undead the same way.

Even in the game, while it’s never explicitly stated, there are hints and circumstances suggesting they made some kind of deal in the late game.

Though Charmol wasn’t meant to move until much later in the original game, for some reason he’s already started doing something.

Whether this is a result of Blanc’s actions or part of Hilde’s unique story, I’m not sure, but the Raven Dagger that deals additional damage to undead will certainly be useful.

“Anyway, can you make something new from this by next week too?”

“Leave it to me. Deadlines are life, that’s what grandfather taught me.”

“Vile, huh….”

Come to think of it, wasn’t Zepetia’s grandfather also the behemoth Vile?

She came all this way searching for her grandfather’s whereabouts.

“Eh? You know about him?”

“He’s the behemoth of the Polendina family, right? Though it was 20 years ago, it’s all in the records. You come across it when studying about behemoths.”

“I-I see.”

Zepetia deflated a bit.

“Still, I don’t see you any differently. What’s strange is your grandfather, not you.”

This is an era with low education levels for civilians.

Even in modern society, having a monster in the family wouldn’t get good reactions, let alone in a world like this.

If anything, it’s fortunate that most people are illiterate so few know about her grandfather.

What’s more sad is that no one knows the reason why Vile became a behemoth.

No, I do know, but….

“Um, really?”

Zepetia asked.

“Just make me good equipment. I don’t care about anything else.”

Though I said that, it bothers me that I can’t tell her about Vile’s secret.

Of course, she wouldn’t believe me even if I told her, and if she did believe and asked how I knew, that would be troublesome.

“Hehe, trust me! I’ll prepare something really good by next week!”

I really hope she does.

Because next time we’re going to a place that’s literally becoming a warzone in the middle of a city.

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