Chapter 2131 – Death Mage Side Chapter 31 (2/2)
The girl began to screaony
“Your consciousness has returned, but your pain has returned with it Giveto treat her enough to remove the pain so he could hear her story
“W-wait! Please wait! If you heal me as I airl, atte to refuse his treat's…?!”
Even though her lirade Potion or better and soned correctly would rejoin them to her body, and it was possible that she would become able to move them normally after several months or perhaps a few years
The girl knew that
“It's no use Though it's crudely done, your wounds have already been sealed I don't even knohere your ars went Into the Minotaurs' stomachs, most likely,” Randolf told her “Give it up”
“No way…” The girl gave a frustrated scream “shi+T! Those bastards, how dare they do that tome as bait!” she shouted
Randolf sighed; it seemed that it would take some time before he could hear her story, even after he healed her wounds
Judging from her screams and shouts, she appeared to be an adventurer and had been a part of a party It see for a while, but the party had unfortunately entered the Minotaur King's territory and found the chased by several Minotaurs
But having realized that they wouldn't be able to escape, one of her partyShe had fallen onto the ground, and the people she had thought of as her companions had muttered a quick “Sorry,” and left her behind as they ran
She had continued to resist, but a Minotaur's axe had severed her arms, and that hen she lost consciousness
“And next thing I kneas in a Minotaur lair with a number of other captured women, and one of them was still able to speak She said that she was from the duke's faive up… but the Minotaurs s were still attached up until then… This is… It can't be real… This is…”
“Hey, my name is Ralph I've been requested to exter and rescue a certain wo a simple false name that he kept for situations like this
“Huh…” the Beast-kin girl said blankly
“I'm Ralph What's your name?”
“I-I'm Natania”
“Natania The duke asked me to rescue that woman Do you knohere she is?”
Natania thought for a moment “If I follow the smell, I'll probably know”
Randolf wrapped Natania in his cloak and carried her as he proceeded in the direction she indicated, through the Minotaur lair that had only bloodstains re
Before long, they reached the chah there were several skeletons on the ground; it lookedpeople
It was likely that the Minotaurs had simply eaten the women in this chamber when they died or became unusable
Juliana Alcrem was still alive
“No way…” Natania breathed
Juliana was breathing and had a pulse Like Natania, her limbs had been severed, but that had likely been the case for a while Iron shackles weren't sufficient to keep capable individuals in captivity Their lied out and their vocal cords torn
Considering that, the Minotaurs' treatment of her had been lenient, as they had only applied the first measure
But Juliana was thoroughly broken Even as Natania and Randolf caazed into space, and saliva continued to dribble out of the corner of her half-openthat could be called a response
Randolf tried casting the same life-attribute spell 'Antidote' that he had cast on Natania, but Juliana did not regain her sanity
“When I was taken away, she orn out, but she was still conscious,” said Natania “She told ive up… That she couldn't use 'Familiar Spirit Descent' anymore, but the Gods would definitely save us”
“It isn't difficult to iine what happened after that,” said Randolf
It was likely that the Minotaur King had used the Des in the bodies of the women other than Natania, who had been used for the ritual
The women other than Juliana had died, unable to withstand this, and Juliana's mind had crumbled in the process as well
In fact, I'ed to retain her sanity for this long, Randolf thought to himself
Juliana's li machine as she watched the other women around her die one by one and be eaten by the Minotaurs It was a wonder that she hadimprisoned in this situation
That hat Randolf thought, though Natania didn't seem to feel this way
“In any case, I suppose I should be quick and 'help' her,” said Randolf
“Yeah I' from the duke's family – huh?”
Randolf put Natania on the ground and drew his sword
“W-why did you take out your sword… W-wait! By 'help,' you asped
“That is correct As an adventurer, you understand, don't you?”
There were times when captured women were found by adventurers that completed requests to exterminate Orcs, Goblins or Minotaurs If the woht back to a city, but… ould be done in situations where their limbs had been severed and their minds broken?
There was no helping them, so the adventurers would pray for their happiness in their next lives and put them to rest
“No, this person is soht! She's not an adventurer!” Natania protested
“This is the request that has been made by the very sa her if she was capable of living on, even if her body was daed to some extent,” Randolf said
He had been treated well by her grandfather; he had accepted this request for its large payment and to pay back that debt
But Randolf had intended to break his contract with Duke Alcreainst all odds and insisted that she didn't want to die… or if her subordinates who knew that she had been violated by Minotaurs did the same
He considered himself to be retired as an adventurer But that didn't mean that he had taken up the profession of assassination
In this case, however, it was likely more merciful to kill Juliana
“A vegetable with no limbs wouldn't be able to live on by herself with no family, after all,” said Randolf
If this were Earth, his words would have been called inhuhts was underdeveloped, it was a decision that would be accepted as unavoidable
If Duke Alcre could likely have been done about her state with his financial assets, but…
“Rest assured I'll send you to your next life and end your suffering next,” Randolf told Natania
“Y-you're going to kill ain!” Natania screamed
“… I ahed as he looked down at her “Think about it How are you going to feed yourself as an adventurer with a body that can't fight? Do you have enough savings at the Guild to live the rest of your life? Or is your fah to take care of you?”
Natania's face grew paler and paler with each question Randolf asked Still, it see put to rest
“Then you helpenough to exterminate all of those Minotaurs on your own, and you're acquainted with the duke, then you're class, aren't you?!” she said, her face shi+ning with hope at this idea
But Randolf's response was faint “Those are good deductions, but so what?”
“If you're an class adventurer, you're earning plenty, aren't you?! Lend h for me and that person to live on for a while I'll be a prostitute if I have to and pay you back!”
“A prostitute, huh If you live like that, in a few years' ti died today”
Even as she was now, Natania could probablyat a brothel, and she would be taken care of there Prostitutes ere former adventurers had more resilient bodies than ordinary prostitutes; they often became popular
But in ic life awaited them in the future
In her current state, the e fetishes Unless she was very fortunate, the best she couldevery day until she died, or being kept as a slave by a rich person with strange tastes
Randolf knew of several true stories where a for unable to fight, and were later rescued from that lifestyle by their previous adventurer co happily ever after But he couldn't iine that Natania had companions like that
“S-still, if I can just live on, I ht…!” said Natania
“You don't knohen to give up It's true that I can't see the future, either The chance of your success is not non-existent,” said Randolf
“Then…!”
“… But I'ation”
With Randolf's abilities and wealth, al was possible He could destroy the Alcrem farant them advanced education, or even create an entire nation
It was possible for him to help Natania and Juliana
If he wanted to, he could have an exceptional alches to allow them to move normally, and he could have Juliana take a different name and take care of her in her everyday life
But Randolf knew that if he did this, there would be no end to it There were always people in need in every village, every city and every nation There were countless people ould die without a helping hand at any given time
It would be a noble thing to extend a helping hand to save someone hom one had no personal connection to Randolf had only respect for those that did this
But he had no intention of doing it hi himself unable to retire froation
“No way…” Natania whispered, her eyes beco dim
Randolf raised his sword, not looking at her “That is how it is If there is anything to resent, resent your own inability to evaluate your current situation I'll at least pray to Zuruwarn for happiness in your next life”
To tell the truth, Randolf did not worshi+p any God In the past, he would offer prayers to Gods and have their fa to the an adventurer
But in Lambda, a world where Gods were known to exist, not worshi+ping any of thee
That hy Randolf told Natania that he believed in Zuruwarn, who did not have any set religious commandments
“Then at least do this for uys who used me as bait to escape are a party called the 'Blade of Flame' I want you to report the that she doesn't want to die, so she can at least ask that of you, right?” said Natania
Randolf's hands stopped
Indeed, if he was going to kill Natania, fulfilling this request was reasonable But that would require visiting the Adventurers' Guild and explaining to them that her party had not abandoned her, but deliberately wounded her to use her as bait After explaining to them why he knew that, of course
If I tell them that I heard it fro's horde… They'd ask me who the hell I am Then should I keep the duke's request a secret and revealwho I aate my report, so I'll have no choice but to reveal it, Randolf thought No, if I revealunder a request from Duke Alcrem I only accept requests from people who I've become indebted to in the past and their descendants, after all… So in that case, there ht be some who make the connection to Juliana…
If the truth was revealed to the public, in the worst-case scenario, Duke Alcre used Randolf 'the True' to kill his own younger sister who had become a nuisance to him
Randolf would also be troubled if he were to becoht of si in from other dukes made him want to curl up and die
With that being the case, he simply needed to refuse Natania's request and kill both of them
Now that I think about it, Natania knows that Juliana is fro the case, there is no choice but to kill her in order to make the public story that Juliana was killed in battle, Randolf realized
That hy he had no choice but to kill them if he were to prioritize the duke's request That would have been true if Juliana had been captured alive by the Minotaurs along with her subordinates and then died before Randolf rescued her with only her subordinates surviving
And Natania was saying that she didn't want to die
“It can't be helped,” said Randolf, and then he swung his sword
Natania shut her eyes tight But there was no sound of blood spraying into the air, so she opened her eyes in confusion a few moments later
Randolf had cut Juliana's golden hair to less than shoulder-length He also cut the chain holding the pendant bearing her family crest around her neck, and put the pendant into his pocket
Aftersomewhere, he turned to Natania “I won't help you I won't help you, but I can take you to the nearest city from here… No, people from the duke's family are likely to be there I'll take you to the Adventurers' Guild in Morksi, the second-closest commerce city Once you're there, you can become a prostitute, sell the Minotaur children in this woman's stomach to the Tamers' Guild, become a slave or do whatever you want in order to live,” he said
As Randolf had sealed away the Des planted in Juliana's body had slowed Even then, it would grow faster than an ordinary Minotaur Although there was no telling how s were in her, it was unlikely that they would be born before they reached the city
The Tamers' Guild couldn't tame multiple Minotaurs, but they were still newly-born Rank 5 monsters They would probably buy them for ten thousand Baums each
“Y-you'll spare us?!” Natania exclai up at Randolf
“… I' you be And if you want to survive for at least a little while, tell people that this woroup fro out another cloth fro Juliana's body in it
“O-Okay!”
“We'll be teleporting outside the Devil's Nest After that, I'll take you to the city of Morksi and leave you in the care of the first adventurer I see What happens after that doesn't concernAfter that, pray hard that you will run into soood-natured, unlike me”
“Yeah, that's plenty –”
Without waiting for Natania to finish her sentence, Randolf activated a Magic Itenated location, and the three of them left the Minotaur lair