Leopold Deluah had always been this kind of person. A strange, revolting man who couldn't be understood by Teron's way of thinking.
The two most dreadful things about him were his worthless hypocrisy and that bizarre curiosity of his, forever drawn to the most pointless things.
Teron wished Leopold would just go back to the Academy and prepare for the class he had the day after tomorrow.
If he so much as dropped a word to the palace, the royal knights would deal with something like a few monsters in the forest.
There was absolutely no reason for Leopold to step in.
And yet the man was pigheaded.
Ordinarily Teron would have turned back to the Academy alone without a second thought, but the reason he couldn't tear himself away from Leopold and kept up this pointless quarrel was one thing and one thing only: a single threatening remark of his.
“Come with me, and I'll never so much as set foot in the slums again. How's that?”
Honestly, Teron was uneasy. If Leopold Deluah died, everything would be over. Leopold was a righteous man who stepped forward the moment he saw wrongdoing, and the black mage was, right now, roaming the whole country, killing.
Keeping Leopold out of the slums alone might mean nothing at all, but Teron Meyer's head wasn't working properly. In the end, Teron made the mistake of standing his ground and bickering with Leopold.
“Your Highness, stop the nonsense. Go back to the Academy at once. Just send a letter to the palace and have them deal with the monsters, can't you?”
“Every second counts, and you want me sitting around writing letters? Inefficient. I don't care to let my people suffer for it.”
“Has it never occurred to you that you rampaging about in the name of hunting monsters is itself a loss to them?”
“Teron, you really are sweet. You keep worrying about me, but it's excessive worry. I'm plenty strong. Besides, this happens to benefit me too.”
“...Fine. Do as you please, Your Highness.”
Leopold smiled, mischief in it.
“Want to come along?”
“Don't act friendly with me. Get lost.”
“I told you. If something comes in, something goes out. Come with me, and I won't go anywhere near the slums from now on. How's that?”
Teron Meyer stared quietly at the ground. By now Leopold knew that this expression meant he was holding back his anger.
He'd driven Teron to the very edge of fury, yet it didn't feel bad. If anything, it was rather satisfying. Leopold was freshly surprised at his own wicked streak.
The reason Leopold had suggested they go hunt monsters together was partly a simple wish to torment Teron Meyer, but the truth was that, to his surprise, spending time with him wasn't so bad.
Teron really was strange. Even though he loathed Leopold to a horrifying degree, he worried enough about the very man he hated so much that he was still lingering at his side. He acted as though he hated everyone in the whole world, yet he snuck out to the slums on his days off to share food with the street urchins.
The child he'd found three years ago in the Luden domain had, at some point, become a truly unfamiliar person.
“The bounty on a monster is at least five gold. Twenty gold apiece for a troll.”
It seemed he hadn't imagined the way Teron's head turned slightly at the mention of the bounty, because Teron lifted his lowered head again. Lifeless ash-gray eyes fixed on Leopold.
“Follow me. I'll see to it you pocket at least a hundred gold.”
A hundred gold was about a noble house's annual budget, a very large sum.
Teron had no choice but to nod.
He'd have to confirm whether the thing slaughtering people up in the mountains was a monster or the black mage anyway, and besides...
Does black magic grow stronger when you kill monsters, too?
This was a question Teron Meyer had turned over in his mind, only ever in his mind, right up until the moment he died in his past life.
In his past life he had studied black magic for a long time.
Blindly killing people to grow stronger was a thing of the past. Later on, being the researcher type he was, he'd tried all sorts of experiments.
What he'd learned that way was truly varied, but one thing was this: the foundation of black magic was killing intent.
The sticky energy that surged up when he killed a person was also the result of an explosive spike in that killing intent. The shock of having killed a thinking, intelligent being with his own hands was beyond comparison to anything else.
In that case, if, hypothetically,
he perceived monsters as intelligent beings?
Monsters were undeniably alive too. Orcs in particular were no different from humans in intelligence.
They had lives of their own, with happiness, misfortune, and pain, with family and friends.
If he perceived monsters as no different from humans, and killed them, would some change come over his black magic?
It was an experience Teron had wanted to try at least once. The First Prince before his eyes was revolting enough to make him want to kill the man, but weighing the various conditions, following Leopold wasn't a bad choice.
Teron took a step toward him.
Leopold's eyes widened slowly, as if startled. Then he answered with a cheerful laugh.
“Good. It's decided, then.”
Leopold bought a robe so his face wouldn't be recognized and pulled it down over his head.
Dressed like a commoner and wandering the capital's streets, he looked awfully pleased.
He was far more natural at it than Teron, who had lived his whole life as a commoner. He struck up friendly conversation with people, and he was courteous. Not a trace of royal arrogance showed.
The sun was steadily setting, and thanks to a rain that had come and gone, the air was chilly. Teron trailed after Leopold, gloomy. After Leopold made a fool of himself trying to buy him a sword at the weapons shop and Teron, sick to death of it, spat venom at him for a good long while, right about when his whole body was trembling from the extreme stress, they arrived halfway up the mountain.
“Teron, all you have to do is stay quiet and follow behind me. And be careful. You could get hurt if you go sticking your neck out.”
Teron ignored what Leopold said.
“That dagger you've got will have a hard time killing a monster.”
“...”
“Don't ignore me. You've never hunted a monster before. Listen to me.”
Leopold coaxed him in that revolting tone of his. When they pushed a little further in, a dense conifer forest greeted them.
Leopold looked around as though it were familiar to him, then promptly examined the ground.
“The soil's pressed down. Troll tracks.”
He gestured to Teron.
“There's a nest nearby. From the looks of it, more than one or two. There were never monsters in this mountain before. I've no idea what's suddenly gotten into it.”
When they walked a little further, tracks began to show plainly, as if they'd been waiting for them.
The sun was truly setting now. A red sunset came into view. At this rate, they'd be left in the middle of a pitch-black forest before they ever found a troll or anything else.
Does he have a brain in there at all?
He hadn't wanted to exchange a single word with Leopold, so he'd trailed silently after him without objecting.
Teron at least had the common sense to know you don't do something as insane as marching fearlessly into a monster-infested mountain after the sun has gone down.
But in the end, he'd trusted the shrewd, valiant First Prince, if only a little.
The very thought of trusting that dreadful man was stupid and foolish to begin with.
When Teron stared quietly at him, Leopold turned to look back and tilted his head, as if asking what was wrong.
Teron Meyer gritted his teeth and drew out the end of his words.
“The sun is setting.”
Leopold smiled brightly.
“I know.”
“Have you lost your mind?”
“I can protect one person like you, so don't worry.”
That instant, Teron turned around without a shred of hesitation.
Leopold, startled, quickly gave chase. Caught by the hood at once, Teron Meyer lashed out fiercely.
“I'm starting to doubt my own intelligence for ever exchanging words with you, Your Highness. Get torn apart and killed by a monster here, or follow me. Take your pick, Leopold Deluah.”
“Teron, wait, hold on. Hear me out, just for a second.”
“Get lost.”
“The royal family has night vision. It's an ability you only get by inheriting royal blood. No matter how far the sun sets or how dark it gets around us, it means nothing to me. My sight stays clear.”
What?
It was the first he'd ever heard of it in his life. Teron was left dumbstruck, at a total loss for words.
“But... I didn't think of you. The truth is, even at night, I can protect one person like you. You might not believe it, but my swordsmanship is good enough for that. Still, if you say you'd rather not... I'll do as you say.”
“...”
“I apologize, Teron. Tell me what you think. What would you have us do?”
Teron met him with silence for a moment, then soon gave a small nod toward the path they'd been taking. It meant: keep going.
Of course nothing ever went right. He had a strong feeling his plans had gotten tangled up.
But if he made a fuss now about going back down, he'd end up with an outcome that was neither one thing nor the other. Along with a mounting headache, Teron thought: he'd see this through to the end, and no matter what, he was going back to the Academy by dawn tomorrow.
Damned Deluah!
He hated the man dreadfully.
