Jake and Klad left their horses in the inn’s stable and departed the city. They had changed their hair and eye color so no one would recognize them.
Most people ran toward the opposite side where the temple was located, but some of the outside visitors and those with connections to other cities were heading toward the city gates to escape the city.
Jake and Klad mixed in with them and slipped out of the city.
Unlike the people running along the only road leading to other cities, Jake’s group headed toward the village hidden by dense forest. Everyone was frantically fleeing, so no one found their behavior suspicious.
“We wasted too much time at the lord’s castle. What if we’re already too late?”
“Don’t worry, I’m constantly checking. The village is still safe.”
“Can you tell even that with magic?”
“More or less.”
“……”
Jake didn’t stop walking even while turning to look at Klad.
“You criticized me for hiding my true feelings, but if you look closely, you’re the one hiding more.”
“I never criticized you.”
“So you admit you’re hiding a lot.”
“Even if I want to tell you, I can’t.”
“Because of the oath?”
“Well, something like that.”
At that answer containing not even a trace of sincerity, Jake finally stopped walking. However, thinking of the villagers who must be suffering, he couldn’t just stand there idly and immediately hastened his steps again.
“Klad. No matter how much I can’t distinguish between jokes and sarcasm, I understand that ‘more or less’ doesn’t mean yes, and ‘well, something like that’ doesn’t mean exactly.”
“I have circumstances that prevent me from explaining why I can’t tell you. If I reveal everything, I won’t be able to stay by your side and help you—would that be okay?”
“Not okay at all. That would be troublesome.”
He couldn’t risk losing Klad just to uncover his identity, which wasn’t even that important. Jake quickly added.
“Even if you’re a runaway slave, a dangerous dark mage, Father’s test subject, or an undead monster who received a heart transplant, I’d understand.”
“What the… I’m not any of those things?”
“I mean anything would be fine.”
Klad complained for quite a while. To summarize, it was about how dangerous dark mage was one thing, but what was this about being the Duke’s test subject.
“Besides things related to your identity, is there anything else you can’t tell me?”
“Not particularly. If you’re curious about anything, ask me. I’ll answer everything else.”
“Your oath…”
“Nothing about the oath either.”
“There’s nothing you can answer.”
“Originally, I shouldn’t even tell you that I have an oath on me or what it contains.”
“You won’t have to leave me for telling me that, will you?”
“That much is fine.”
If Klad said it was fine, then it must be fine. Jake inwardly let out a sigh of relief.
“If I happen to figure out your identity by chance—really by chance—would you still have to leave me?”
“That doesn’t matter.”
Jake resolved to himself that he would definitely figure out Klad’s identity on his own.
“Is that all you’re curious about?”
“Wait. I’m still thinking.”
Things he was curious about regarding Klad. What should he ask? Jake worked hard organizing his thoughts. He wanted to ask questions about magic, but since Jake himself had limited knowledge of magic, he couldn’t get a sense of what questions would be good to ask.
If he could get a sense of Klad’s capabilities, it would make planning ahead easier. But that seemed like too long a conversation to have while walking this short distance.
Then what should he ask? The reason he was living in the Duke’s castle basement? His hobbies? His favorite food?
“You really hate House West, what’s the reason for that?”
“Because they only do things worth hating.”
“You don’t have a personal grudge?”
“I have that too. They killed my close friend.”
“…Ah.”
“We’re here.”
Before the flustered Jake could say anything, they had already arrived at their destination. Growing urgent, Jake grabbed Klad’s arm and threw out one last question.
“Do you… dislike me for being a West?”
Klad, who had answered all questions without hesitation, didn’t answer right away this time. Instead, he turned his body to look at Jake, and after a moment’s contemplation, opened his mouth.
“I don’t dislike you.”
And then, before Jake could respond, he swiftly entered the village.
“Let’s go together, Klad.”
The village was even quieter than when they’d come before. Perhaps people sent by the ducal house to eliminate the safe zone grass had torn through the place—there were traces of things being ransacked and destroyed everywhere.
“If the sandworm senses movement, it will react. Don’t leave my side.”
Having grasped that the safest place in this village right now was next to Klad, Jake promptly stuck close to him.
“They really made a complete mess of things.”
Most of the villagers had been living in houses built on the safe zones. So the Duke’s knights, who needed to eliminate the safe zones, had forcibly driven people out and demolished their homes.
Contrary to expectations that villagers who had lost their homes would be visible everywhere, the streets were completely empty.
Just like that first visit.
It was strange that with more than a third of the village destroyed, no one was out on the streets. Jake pulled on Klad’s arm in needless urgency.
“They haven’t already been attacked by the sandworm, have they, Klad?”
“Don’t worry. I sense life energy on the opposite side of the village. Since the sandworm’s activity range has widened, the residents’ activity range has narrowed, so they must be gathered in one place.”
“How fortunate that the remaining safe zone is wide enough to accommodate all the residents.”
Well, was that really so?
The residents here weren’t gathered in that spot because there was enough remaining space. They were enduring uncomfortable living conditions because they had no choice—leaving that spot meant death.
“How about relocating all of them to another city?”
“As I said before, most of these people are slaves or fugitives. Without proper status, the likelihood they can adapt and live without problems elsewhere is slim. In the current situation, solving the problems here and improving the village’s environment is best.”
He felt sorry for these people who’d had their lives mortgaged to Duke West and been exploited for life, but Jake’s words made sense. For now, they could only be satisfied with removing the cause interfering with the village’s livelihood.
“I’m going to catch the sandworm now.”
Before, they couldn’t eliminate the sandworm since they didn’t know when the Duke would send demons. But now the situation was different. The number of demons the Duke possessed was limited, and with so many more urgent matters at hand, there would be no sending demons here.
“I deliberately walked avoiding the safe zones, but the sandworm didn’t react. It’s already gotten used to filling its belly with demons.”
As Klad said, the sandworm had judged it was better to wait for demons oozing with dense demonic energy rather than eating the skin-and-bones village humans. Unless it was starving to the point of bursting, it could still endure.
So even when the skin-and-bones humans lost their homes and ran about in confusion. Even when humans wrapped in thick chunks of metal destroyed the village as they moved around. Even when the rather delicious-looking human it had encountered a few days ago and the frightening being protecting him appeared again, it showed no interest.
When Klad openly walked outside the safe zone, it even hid deep underground, remembering the killing intent he had emitted before.
Klad accurately grasped the sandworm’s thoughts and continued speaking.
“The sandworm isn’t very interested in us right now. But if we pick a fight first, the situation changes.”
Klad looked around, found a suitable spot, and knelt on one knee. Jake stuck close behind him.
“I’m going to inject mana into the ground now.”
“Will that count as picking a fight?”
“Yes. Sandworms don’t have high intelligence and have a hot-tempered disposition, so if you gently provoke it, it’ll rush at you without realizing it’s a trap.”
“You know sandworms well.”
“I don’t have any friendship with sandworms or anything.”
“What do you… Ah.”
Before, he’d asked Klad if he was close friends with Father since he knew so much about him. He’d inadvertently treated Father and the sandworm as equals, but he didn’t particularly feel sorry toward Father.
“The sandworm might suddenly burst up, so don’t be too startled, and don’t leave my side.”
“Understood.”
Jake, who had no confidence he wouldn’t step back if startled, grabbed Klad’s shoulders with both hands. Bending down to place his hands on the seated Klad’s shoulders made it look as if he was clinging closely to Klad’s back, practically being carried.
“What are you doing?”
“I thought if I hold onto you, it might be a bit safer.”
“…From now on, tell me before grabbing.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Klad, with Jake on his back, brought his hand to the ground.
The sandworm’s presence was felt in the distance.
It might be wary now, but if he repeatedly injected mana, it would get angry thinking an enemy had invaded its territory and come charging.
“Good. I’m starting.”
“No, you can’t…!”
Just as Klad was about to inject mana into the ground, a child who appeared from behind a tree came running at Klad.
