WOSE Chapter 29

"Savior! Holy Knight! This way!"

Among the people, Darun was gesturing toward them with difficulty.

Odynne, who spotted him first, enveloped Iyu and Tamia and moved in the direction Darun had indicated.

Even though he blocked with his whole body, hands grabbed at her clothes hem and hair.

Frantically shaking them off, she moved her feet as if fleeing. When she came to her senses again, she was already inside the carriage Darun had prepared.

Darun bowed his head toward the three disheveled people, especially toward Iyu.

"I thought you'd be at the temple, but we crossed paths. I'm sorry for not coming faster."

"...It's my fault for moving without anticipating this."

"I regret things turned out this way, but you can't stay at the inn any longer. I was thinking of taking you to the manor—would that be all right? I'll have someone else bring your luggage."

"...Yes."

Iyu answered lifelessly and lowered her head blankly. The torn cloak and disheveled hair entered her view.

She wasn't surprised or shocked. Such things had happened often enough in the past.

Nevertheless, nausea rose abruptly. She was sick to death of the pathetic sight of them screaming to eliminate the darkness immediately as if it were an entrusted duty, asking what her existence was worth otherwise.

The next repertoire was obvious too. The bereaved would come and blame her for arriving late, for making the decision late.

Iyu clenched her hands tightly. Separate from her wretched feelings, the carriage diligently headed toward Kelgrida's manor.

Contrary to expectations that it would be a brief commotion caused by people disturbed by the disappearance news, the situation grew more serious with each passing day.

The number of people coming to the front of Kelgrida's manor shouting to hand over the Savior gradually increased.

Was it because she'd shown her face saying she'd gather clues, revealing her presence here and there? Though in her past life, no 'disappearance' incidents had occurred while she was there.

The people who'd become conscious of the Savior's existence blindly believed that only if the Savior stepped forward would all these tragic incidents come to an end.

Consequently, Iyu ended up confined to Kelgrida's manor against her will.

One unexpected thing was Kelgrida's reaction. She'd thought the woman would subtly make a suggestion when public opinion boiled over like this.

While revealing the danger of the darkness and their own difficulties, she never once brought up a direct request.

'Did she judge that we haven't built enough intimacy yet to make such a request.'

Standing tall at the window gazing down at the gathered people, Iyu suddenly spoke.

"Did Eila return safely?"

Darun, sitting on the drawing room sofa, nodded.

"Eila said thank you and wanted to see you again, but with the situation like this... Should I invite her to the manor?"

"No, it's fine. The child's sister still hasn't been found, right?"

"...Unfortunately not."

Darun shook his head with a bitter expression.

Turning her head back to the window, Iyu muttered as if to herself.

"I should probably eliminate the darkness after all."

"What? But...!"

"Thank you for what you said last time. Honestly, I am scared, but that's not more important than people's lives. And if I don't move, things probably won't quiet down."

"Are you serious?"

The one who asked was Kalix, who'd arrived at the drawing room just then. She'd heard he'd returned to the manor with knights early this morning after receiving news of the commotion. He hadn't rested since then either, judging by his still-armed appearance.

Behind him, Kelgrida appeared. Having apparently just finished another tedious argument with the people demanding to hand over the Savior, she looked noticeably haggard as she gripped Iyu's hand tightly.

"I didn't bring you here to burden you with such a heavy load, but still, thank you for making this big decision for us."

"Savior. This isn't something to decide hastily."

"Darun."

Kelgrida glared coldly at her discouraging son. However, Darun didn't easily yield.

"The situation is pressuring you too much, Savior. I understand absorption is possible when the Savior wills it—please think once more whether this is truly your own will."

Even Kelgrida couldn't refute those words, pressing her lips firmly together.

Sigh. She exhaled and roughly rubbed her face. The voice that emerged through the gaps between her fingers was terribly exhausted.

"So, do you have a solution? You definitely said, Darun, that with time people would regain their reason and things would settle. But look outside. Far from decreasing, more come every single day. If it weren't my house, they would've broken in long ago."

"...Even so, we can't force sacrifice on the Savior, who isn't even of our race."

"When the Savior has willingly come forward accepting sacrifice, you'd still call it forcing?"

"Have you properly explained to the Savior what kind of sacrifice it is?"

"..."

"If we must fatten our race with someone's blood and flesh, that's our burden, not the Savior's. I'll devise a way to handle the situation."

Darun's expression, always smooth, became resolute.

"So please wait just a little longer."

The target of that final request wasn't Kelgrida but Iyu herself.

After staring for a long moment into his unwavering eyes—the opposite of the noisy outside—Iyu finally nodded.

When the affirmation finally fell, Kelgrida opened and closed her mouth several times before pressing it shut. The woman turned sharply and spoke gloomily toward Darun.

"You. Come see me."

Darun smiled slightly toward Iyu as if to say it was fine, then followed Kelgrida out of the room.

Left behind, Iyu moved away from the window. She was thinking of returning to her room. But something large blocked her. Kalix had approached right up to her before she noticed.

He'd been wearing quite a complicated expression since earlier and suddenly opened his mouth.

"That thing you said earlier, were you serious?"

"What?"

"About eliminating the darkness."

"...Why?"

"Do you know how severe the pain is, what kind of aftereffects there are?"

In the past, explaining the aftereffects had been Kelgrida's duty as the first in sequence. So when she'd barely awakened from that terrible fever, Kalix had agonized that he was truly sorry for deceiving her, thinking Kelgrida had explained sufficiently.

She wasn't particularly curious now whether those words had been true or not. What was questionable was his currently changed attitude.

Iyu, who'd narrowed her brow without realizing, answered as if it were nothing.

"Roughly. I heard from Darun."

"And yet you still... The aftereffects might be more serious than you imagine. So think about it thoroughly and decide carefully."

Iyu gazed quietly at the advising man. Kalix, too, must inwardly hope like Kelgrida that she'd obediently absorb the darkness. Why then this warning, as if hoping she'd protect herself?

She couldn't tell whether what dimly showed beyond those wavering blue eyes was genuine concern, or remarkable acting to win favor in advance. But whichever the answer, it probably didn't matter.

It wouldn't affect her decision and plans in the slightest.

"Thank you. With what Darun told me, I'll think about it more."

She roughly acquiesced as if she'd follow their opinions for now. But Kalix still had more to say, apparently, remaining stationed before her.

He glanced down briefly at the still-noisy outside and opened his mouth again.

"And... be careful. I lost track while chasing Ragnarok, but he uses sophisticated concealment magic. Seems to be a fairly high-ranking demon."

"Ragnarok?"

Since she hadn't encountered him yet in this life or received any explanation, she pretended ignorance and asked back, and Kalix briefly contorted his eyes as if defeated before adding an explanation.

"You won't understand, but in this world there are people who want this world to break. They'll probably regard the Savior as an obstacle. So..."

Especially you should be careful.

As if about to say that, he suddenly closed his mouth and examined her complexion. The continued silence made him think she was frightened.

Carefully removing hair stuck to her cheek, he spoke in a gentle voice.

"Don't worry. We, no, I'll definitely protect you."

'We. No, you. I'll protect you. No matter what happens.'

Listening indifferently to words that had once thrilled her so much, that resolve she'd traced over and over for comfort, Iyu nodded roughly.