novelraw Chapter 157 : Chapter 157
Chapter 157 : Chapter 157
Chapter 157: Honey Badger (3)
I was on the weak side when it came to hide-and-seek.
Thinking back, it had been like that since I was young.
Even during my energetic childhood, I was easily caught.
Although my level was so wretched that I couldn't be called a Mage, the presence of the Sun was considerable even then.
It was like that back then, so it goes without saying now.
If I had my way, I intended to leave the capital as is.
Harad was caught before he even left the northern district of the capital.
“Hey.”
Absurdly, it wasn't Elaine but Ellen.
I was caught by Ellen, who had deactivated the Magical Item and changed her clothes.
As expected, the physical ability and unique sense of Innate Strength were unrivaled.
‘Wait. was my escape route obvious?’
That might have been the case.
Thinking about it, I shouldn't have run towards the city gate but wandered around the northern district confusingly.
“What is the matter?”
Harad acted nonchalant for now.
Elaine and Ellen were different people.
“Honey Badger. You said it was a curse word?”
“Who?”
“The Grand Heir said so.”
However, Ellen broke through head-on.
“When?”
“Just now.”
“……”
Harad couldn't find a proper answer.
Pointing it out here would only arouse unnecessary suspicion.
“It must have been nice, meeting a relative in this distant foreign land.”
Harad had to thoroughly distinguish Elaine and Ellen as different people.
Only then could he maintain his current position in the future. It was an optimal position for giving stimulation.
“I envy you, since I have no relatives.”
Harad sold his past history for now.
“Is that all you have to say?”
“……”
It didn't work.
It seemed she was very angry.
“Why did you run away?”
“I didn't run away.”
“I heard you suddenly ran off?”
“I suddenly felt like running.”
Ellen scoffed.
Harad didn't avoid her gaze.
I felt like I would get hit if I avoided it.
“What about the Honey Badger?”
Honey Badger.
It was Alena who taught Ellen about that animal.
“You said it was a very scary and strong animal like the North.”
But it was Harad who explained it like that.
“What about it?”
“I heard it's a fucking stupid animal that attacks anyone without knowing its place?”
“Who said that?”
“Bahav Enverque, whom you helped.”
“Did you meet him?”
“The Grand Heir met him.”
“And you heard it from the Grand Heir just now?”
“Yes.”
Shameless bitch.
“I didn't know either.”
“Liar.”
Ellen openly distrusted me.
There were too many things Harad pretended to know so far to just believe him.
“You're not saying that expecting me to believe it, are you?”
If I insisted further, she seemed likely to be disappointed.
It was a perfect checkmate.
There was no corner to escape anymore.
“Of course not.”
I had enough fun.
Now it was time to pay the price.
“Do as you wish.”
“Pardon?”
“I will take just one hit. Since I am weak and you are strong.”
Harad closed his eyes and opened his arms.
“Hit me.”
“……”
“Ah. No swords. That would kill me.”
Harad added like the Shadow Mage Jis.
But no matter how long I waited, there was no pain.
When I opened my eyes slightly, Ellen was biting her lip with a frowned brow.
“Aren't you going to hit me?”
“How can I hit a sick person. You promised the Grand Heir. That you wouldn't shed blood.”
Never shed blood.
I thought that was an order, but it was a promise.
“Hit me so I don't bleed.”
“…You really are a bad person.”
Instead of hitting, Ellen glared at Harad.
“I didn't do it with bad intentions. Alena probably didn't either.”
“I know. It was my misunderstanding.”
Ellen trusted Alena.
“But what was your intention?”
“It was a prank.”
“Was it fun?”
“It was fun, indeed.”
Ellen clenched her fist.
I told her to hit me, but honestly, I didn't want to get hit.
“Just know this. No one plays pranks on just anyone. Same for me.”
“Then?”
“Usually, you play pranks on someone you are interested in or like.”
Ellen swallowed hard.
“…What about you?”
“It's a secret.”
Harad smiled brightly.
Ellen frowned, then nodded with a peculiar expression.
“I didn't hit you.”
“I am grateful.”
“Grant me a wish instead.”
“A wish?”
“Yes.”
Harad tilted his head, then accepted.
“Tell me.”
Anyway, I had to listen to most of what Ellen said.
That was the role of the regressed Harad.
“We are returning now, right?”
“That is so.”
“Before returning, I want to go to Alfenor.”
Alfenor.
A territory located in the eastern part of the Empire.
Wimar's daughter and granddaughter live there.
Actually, it was his granddaughter and great-granddaughter.
“Can't we?”
Ellen looked up at Harad with somewhat cautious eyes.
Looking at her made me smile for no reason.
What on earth should I do with this Honey Badger.
“Why wouldn't we.”
Harad unknowingly placed his hand on Ellen's head.
“What are you doing.”
“Sorry, without realizing it.”
“I don't like having my head touched.”
“I didn't know that.”
It was a fact I didn't know in the past life.
Back then, I didn't want to know.
Because Elaine was a man.
“Not there.”
Ellen grabbed Harad's hand and removed it from her head.
She didn't let go of the hand.
“Scratch here.”
Ellen pulled Harad's hand to the back of her neck.
Harad scratched reflexively.
“Ah.”
The Honey Badger liked it.
* * *
If there was even a slight sense of incongruity, Harad was a person who would definitely dig in and notice.
It wasn't just Harad's own thought.
No matter how much I thought about it, it was a clear objective fact.
Harad was different from ordinary Northerners.
If there was anything slightly strange, Harad had to be suspicious.
That applied to Elaine and Ellen as well.
For Harad, it meant he had an obligation to block grounds for suspicion in advance.
“Where is the Grand Heir?”
“He said he would return first.”
“Is that possible?”
Sometimes looking at her, Ellen lacked sincerity in acting.
Lately, she was even more insincere.
Probably because I was gritting my teeth and pretending not to know.
Unaware of that, Ellen is drunk on her acting skills.
Harad stared intently at Ellen instead of complaining.
Adding unnecessary explanations was her job.
“Ah. Since it's a rare outing to the continent, he might have said he wanted to do some sightseeing.”
Ellen, realizing her mistake belatedly, added.
Harad played along.
“Indeed. It must be his first time outside the North. Then he will return to the North a bit late.”
“Wouldn't he?”
With this, the reason for Harad to suspect Elaine and Ellen was erased.
Harad walked the path with relief.
The territory of the Empire was long to the west and short to the east.
Because there were quite a few prominent forces in the fertile east.
If the Empire declared war, the target would be the demi-humans in the east, not the west.
‘That’s unlikely, though.’
The Empire wouldn't draw its sword.
As it was in the past life, the Church was sincere about demi-humans.
The Church's missionary work towards demi-humans is peaceful.
Even if the demi-humans draw their swords first.
“Elves?”
“There are elves in the Church.”
Elf.
That race blended into the Church very well.
“There don't seem to be any in the central church of Premont?”
“Could be. Or not. Elves are secretive by nature.”
Elves are shy.
They were a race hard to meet.
“Demi-humans of the East. Typically, hmm, in this period, it would be Orcs.”
“Have you seen one?”
Ellen's eyes shone.
Demi-humans were unfamiliar to the North.
“A few times. When I saw them was……”
“You're going to say it's a secret.”
“Correct.”
Harad grinned.
Curiosity about dreams and secrets had to be stimulated frequently.
“Their longbow skills were exquisite.”
“Not swords?”
“Why use swords when their physical strength is so great.”
For Orcs famous for their monstrous strength, the most suitable weapon was the bow.
“Bows are for Elves.”
“I don't know what book you read, but throw it away when you return.”
It must be a book written by a Northerner.
The North didn't know demi-humans well.
Because there was no point of contact. Demi-humans disliked the cold North.
“Elves are famous for being secretive.”
Ellen nodded.
She seemed to know that.
“But why shoot arrows. Just approach secretly and cut them down.”
Rarely is there a weapon as weak as an arrow shot secretly.
Even if it were strong, it was a problem.
It was a choice abandoning their innate racial traits and strengths.
“It's like Gullen throwing away his axe and swinging a sword. A foolish act.”
Ellen nodded quietly.
She looked convinced.
“Why does the Church like demi-humans? Because they are strong?”
Ellen asked like a Northerner.
“Because Mages are not born among demi-humans.”
There are no Elf Mages or Orc Mages in the world.
Origin does not dwell in demi-humans.
“Actually, there are no demi-humans in the Otherworld.”
Only pure humans are born with Origin.
“In the Church's view, there is no race as pure as demi-humans.”
So the Church couldn't help but go crazy for them.
“Why aren't they born?”
“No one knows that. However, the Church claims it's because the progenitors of demi-humans received the blood or grace of God.”
“In a Mage's view?”
“Because the progenitors of demi-humans are Magical Beasts. Ah. It's a hypothesis, not a fact.”
The Mage's hypothesis is at the opposite end of the Church.
“The Magical Beast mentioned here refers not to a simple Magical Beast, but a 6th Rank Magical Beast.”
6th Rank Magical Beast.
That great Magical Beast is indistinguishable because it is like a human, or legendary because it is so monstrous.
Mages guess that the progenitors of demi-humans are the former.
“The reason Origin is not born is because the characteristics of the Magical Beast remained. Since Magical Beasts are not born with Origin.”
For a Magical Beast, Origin is something built through life.
So newborn demi-humans naturally lack Origin.
“Then shouldn't there be demi-humans who built an Origin later?”
“That's why it's a hypothesis, because there are no such demi-humans yet.”
However, Mages consider that hypothesis to be the truth.
Because only then can demi-humans be explained.
Orc's monstrous strength, Elf's secretiveness…… such racial traits are established only when specialness is granted to their bloodline or progenitor.
‘Blood or grace.’
That was certainly special too.
More special than a 6th Rank Magical Beast.
Compared to God, life on earth would be nothing.
‘If God exists.’
If the Church's claim is correct, humans become a race abandoned by God.
Since only humans are born as devils.
“However, certainty is forbidden. It's all hypothesis.”
“Which side do you think it is?”
“The latter, since I am also a Mage.”
The Mage's hypothesis is realistic.
Because they don't believe in God.
Sun and Moon.
If those gods truly exist, Mages truly become devils.
Harad couldn't accept that.
He was just a human and a vessel unfortunately inhabited by Origin.
“What do you think?”
“I also think it's the latter.”
“Why?”
“Because you think so.”
Ellen said with a bright smile.
She didn't think deeply.
Just because Harad thought so, she followed. It was unconditional trust.
“Is it bad? Then I'll think about it for a moment.”
“No need.”
Harad liked it more because of that.
* * *
Alfenor is a land with a short history.
It was a land won by the former Emperor's Empire through war, and instead of the general who brought news of victory, an administrator from the capital was made the lord.
The war also ended around that time.
It was proof that the Empire began to be swayed by the Church.
Since the Church doesn't want the blood of pure demi-humans.
‘Good is good.’
Even dog shit has its use; the Church's policy towards demi-humans was worthy of respect.
The Church's missionary work towards demi-humans is benevolent and peaceful.
Alfenor, not far from demi-humans, was also a peaceful land.
A neighborhood where swords and bows were rare, and wheat and rice were common.
Thanks to that, passing through the city gate was easy.
Soldiers were rare, and sprouts enduring winter were blooming everywhere with spring. The aspects of the streets also resembled that warmth and were cozy.
“There are no Orcs.”
“Missionary work doesn't always succeed just by doing it. And it's not the border either.”
Demi-humans active in the Empire's territory are rare.
Originally, demi-humans had a strong tendency to be closed off.
Ellen looked disappointed. Then she realized.
“I wasn't interested. Since we didn't come to play.”
Because of the purpose of coming to Alfenor.
Ellen came to deliver Wimar's last wish.
“Wimar would also like such curiosity.”
Harad smiled and scratched the back of Ellen's neck.
She trembled once.
The church of Alfenor was on the outskirts of the territory.
It was built on a quiet field hill, and its tranquility looked like a landscape in a painting.
A petite church added to its aesthetics.
“It seems like no one is here.”
Harad nodded.
There was no particular human presence felt.
“Let's go inside and wait.”
“Is that okay?”
“Churches are benevolent even to vagrants.”
Since we came to deliver a last wish, we were somewhat related parties.
Harad placed his hand on the church door without minding.
However, it wasn't Harad who opened the door.
The door opened from the inside.
Ellen's eyes widened.
Her senses were wrong. There was a person inside the church.
Unlike Ellen, Harad wasn't that surprised.
“Who are you?”
The priest asking had pointed ears.
“Enna Tegen, is she here?”
Wimar was an old man over 100 years old.
The daughter he mentioned was actually his granddaughter. The granddaughter he said he would introduce to Harad was his great-granddaughter.
“I am Enna Tegen.”
The Elf priest in front of me was Wimar's granddaughter.
‘This is surprising.’
Priest Wimar was a cradle robber.