Chapter 239 - Even in a Life Like This (2)

[Oh dear. The sky was looking grim, and now it really is raining.]

The Mountain Lord had decided to withdraw his tail when the fourth relief force arrived. Before they could get there, however, rain began falling on the shoddy tent camp once more.

“So the rain has finally come.”

The problem was that this was no drizzle, but rain heavy enough to threaten to pierce the canvas.

“What about the mages?”

The winds were fierce, too, as though determined to prove they were on the coast.

“Well, not only has Great Sage Blue Coral been detained, but the entire Magic Tower is under suspicion of heresy. Their cooperation is probably...”

The gathered humans grew noisy again.

[Why's the wind so strong? It's not as though we're in a typhoon.]

[It probably is a typhoon.]

[Huh? Really?]

[Yes.]

To think this really was the harbinger of a typhoon.

The Mountain Lord took Yukkwi at his word. Losing most of his power had not stripped him of his standing as a primeval beast. That was reason enough to trust him.

[I wonder if they'll all get blown away.]

[Blown away or not, they'll have to manage.]

[Well, yes, but...]

The basis for that trust was not what mattered now, though. The Mountain Lord hastily and carefully wrapped himself around Yukkwi. It was only natural. Yukkwi could still read the currents of air and waves, but no longer had the strength to withstand them.

His manifested body enclosed the little turtle snugly, like a bird's nest.

“Our greatest worry is gone, yet things never seem to improve.”

Within his coils lay a soft bed of grass and plenty of fruit to eat.

[More people will die, won't they?]

Over the past few days, not a single human had died from injury. With someone who wielded God's power beside them, that was only to be expected.

That did not mean no one had died, however. Even God's power could not save those dying of cold and hunger. Those were not things a little exposure to divine power could remedy.

Tonight would likely be another ordeal. Conditions had improved considerably, but the humans' shelters remained woefully inadequate.

[Oh, a light.]

[Preventing the damage before it happens? That's going to be hard.]

Contrary to those expectations, a golden barrier covered the humans' tent camp. The red-haired human they called the Hero must have stepped in.

The golden barrier blocked the wind and protected the people.

“... The Temple will be insufferable now.”

Some humans' displeasure reached him on the wind.

[That poor child is working so hard.]

But it was too soon for them to feel relieved. How long could that possibly last? The typhoon had not even properly arrived yet.

[They don't know it's a typhoon.]

[Oh dear...]

At this rate, she would have nothing left when she truly needed her power. The Mountain Lord knew that, and pitied her. He wanted to offer advice, but the language barrier made that impossible, doubling his distress.

His tail twitched with his anxiety.

“Persuade the mages, whatever it takes. Nothing good has ever come of leaving everything to one person.”

See? Even one of the humans shared his view.

“What if the Temple brands us heretics as well?”

Of course, there was a slight... a slight problem.

“We're already finished. Just prepare to protect the people.”

But still.

[You're making me restless.]

[Don't you feel a little sorry for the child?]

[She brought this on herself. What's there to feel sorry about...?]

[Even so.]

[I thought you'd grown to dislike humans.]

[Well...]

Yukkwi was not wrong. Even his considerable patience had been worn down by the humans' disgraceful behavior. Put another way, most humans now disappointed him.

And yet, he still liked those who knew how to use their great strength for others. That was where this sympathy came from.

[I can't help being kind. And didn't you say that child was fairly decent yourself, Ancestor?]

Besides, the Hero was the only human who came to thank him every day. How could he simply ignore someone so earnest and kind?

[The humans who looked after you will be struggling alongside the Hero, too.]

Yukkwi must share some of those feelings. He was not shameless enough to forget a kindness, and the people who had cared for him when he first hatched were still there.

[... Then lend me some power. I'll turn the typhoon aside.]

Sure enough, Yukkwi finally agreed, grumbling all the while. Clearly, he had been concerned in his own way all along, and had only stayed quiet because he lacked the power to act.

The corners of the Mountain Lord's mouth curled into a broad grin.

[Gladly.]

[Honestly. I already purified someone who was about to be consumed by demonic energy, and now I have to fend off a typhoon... As if I didn't need every moment to recover. Why am I putting myself through this?]

[Hehe.]

[What are you laughing at? We're doing this with your power.]

Scolding him when he had wanted to help, too. Regardless of Yukkwi's complaints, the Mountain Lord grinned down at him. A moment later, his strength drained away.

[Uuugh.]

Unbeknownst to anyone, the typhoon that would have struck the humans' stretch of coast head-on changed course and headed south. In exchange, the Mountain Lord lost even the strength to lift his head.

His enormous head lay atop his coiled body. The noises escaping his mouth were nothing but wordless whining.

[I won't be able to give them today's food...]

[Today's? You'll have to conserve your strength for at least three days.]

As though he felt no pity for the Mountain Lord, Yukkwi continued to scold him.

Did he have any idea how dangerous it was to wield power beyond his standing? Had his standing been even slightly lower, he would have suffered agonizing pain, just as beasts did when they wielded God's power. Stop grinning like a fool and consider your own well-being before making decisions.

For all the roundabout words, it was concern in the end. Feeling as though he were back in the Great Forest, the Mountain Lord grinned again.

[How did I ever end up with a child like this...?]

[Oh, what did I do?]

[Never mind, you silly fool.]

[Aww.]

[Anyway, I knew you could handle it, but you're in better shape than I expected. That's a surprise.]

Even for a direct descendant, he was suffering fewer side effects than expected. Yukkwi pondered that point.

[Your blood never thins through the generations, so of course your standing remains unchanged... Still, it's strange.]

[Huh?]

[You haven't been eating anything strange while growing up, have you?]

[Um... I was born from altered magical energy, so I've been gobbling up magical energy, demonic energy, and all sorts of things...?]

[That's just a trait you've developed. What I mean is... have you eaten anything of a higher standing than yourself?]

[Uh... Oh!]

And that line of inquiry finally uncovered the true cause.

[Well, the honored tiger used to live here, didn't he?]

[He did.]

[But he became a little corrupted... and the humans finished him off.]

[... He was corrupted too?]

[From what I heard, he went mad over a human... Anyway, only a little of his corpse was left, and some of it happened to find its way to me.]

[Good grief. The whole world has gone mad.]

[Um... As far as I know, the one in the west met the same fate.]

[...]

Having uncovered the truth, the Mountain Lord and Yukkwi fell into a peculiar quiet.

One felt rather awkward. The other was unsettled to learn that those who had at least shared his status as a primeval beast had all succumbed to corruption.

That was the reason for the subdued mood.

[... Yes. Stagnant water naturally rots. Perhaps this was always how it would end.]

But the awkward silence did not last long. More precisely, Yukkwi forced the subject closed.

The little turtle tucked his head among his limbs and curled up.

[In that sense, your eating those remains... seems a better outcome. You did well.]

[Yes.]

Despite the praise, the Mountain Lord felt no inclination to celebrate. He tried to scratch his forehead with his tail, but lacked even the strength for that and slumped instead.

Had the knight given him the heart knowing this would happen? The thought that came to him instead offered a little breathing room.

He began turning the question over in his mind: had the knight's gift of the heart truly been a coincidence? Before long, he had forgotten his surroundings.

“Don't send out any more hunters today, either. If any have already left, have them return at once.”

“Yes.”

“Whew... Thank goodness the Mountain Lord is at least granting us food.”

Yet there was one thing the Mountain Lord had overlooked: something he had brushed aside lightly was anything but trivial to others.

* * *

“The Mountain Lord is no longer bestowing his blessings on us. We already can't go out to gather food because of the wind and rain... At this rate, morale in the temporary shelters will hit rock bottom again.”

Having overexerted himself, the Mountain Lord had fallen asleep to speed his recovery.

The humans had felt a twinge of unease when his mercy failed to arrive at the usual time. When a day passed and it continued into the next, they hastily convened a meeting to devise countermeasures. They needed a solution to their steadily dwindling food supply.

“We're short on firewood as well. With the temperature dropping, people will freeze to death at this rate.”

“The river is rising by the hour, too. The low-lying areas may flood.”

A closer look, however, revealed that food was far from the only shortage. Even with several relief forces already there, the situation remained dire.

“So what do you propose?”

“We must conserve as much as possible.”

“Is that all?”

“... My apologies.”

“Haah...”

Conserve as much as possible. Reuse as much as possible. As much as possible, as much as possible...

Had they convened this meeting because anyone failed to understand that? Yet no one offered a worthwhile idea. There was no helping it; realistically, that was all they could do.

“We cannot resolve the food and firewood shortages immediately, so we will conserve as much as we can. Address the flooding risk by moving the tents. Keep working on the drainage ditches as well.”

“Yes.”

“Then this meeting is adjourned. Ah, you stay.”

Rather than waste time trying to solve an insoluble problem, the Lord dismissed everyone else.

Looking ten years older after a meeting that had lasted barely twenty minutes, he heaved a sigh.

“What happened with the mages?”

“They promised to cooperate given the circumstances, but morale is very low. We cannot expect the enthusiasm they showed at first.”

“I see...”

Even that was something to be grateful for.

For all the Magic Tower's individualism, its members respected their pioneers, and their foremost visionary had been arrested on suspicion of heresy.

Worse, the resulting suspicion had spread to the entire Magic Tower. By now, even mages whose individualism outweighed their respect for the Great Sage would have grown resentful.

“It's fortunate Blue Coral instilled such a strong sense of responsibility in them all.”

What if Bemurhen's Magic Tower had been under White Crow's direction rather than Blue Coral's? Would even more people have died?

“And the Temple?”

“They're quiet for now.”

“Hah. They ought to be, if they have any shame.”

The Demon Knight, who had brought them into conflict with the Temple, was gone. Blue Coral, suspected of helping him, had submitted quietly to detention and was lending his strength under supervision.

The other Great Sage who had defended the Demon Knight, his companions, and even the newly awakened Hero were much the same. Leaving aside the Hero, who had been unconscious, the others had clearly gone to every length to defend the Demon Knight and treat him with the utmost care. Now they were saying nothing. They were plainly showing consideration for the situation.

If the Temple dared stir up discord under these circumstances, they could no longer call themselves followers of God.

“And the Hero? Is she feeling well?”

“She said she still has strength to spare and that you needn't worry.”

Even so, the Lord remained dissatisfied with the Temple.

He asked about the Hero separately. Unlike the Temple, which did nothing but torment people, she was his sole source of comfort. All the more reason to distinguish between them.

“Whatever else happens, see to her well-being. If she falters now, everyone will suffer.”

Without her, there would have been several times as many people suffering from hypothermia. The same was true of the citizens complaining about their reduced rations.

Had the Hero not demonstrated firsthand that a great miracle could itself be a source of hope, they would have faced yet another ordeal.

“We're doing all we can, but she keeps refusing, saying she cannot be the only one to enjoy special treatment...”

“Then find a way to persuade her. Right now, the impact of her power matters far more than the comfort people gain from knowing she eats the same food.”

Far better to reserve the best food for her and maintain her strength than watch her collapse after subsisting on thin gruel merely to foster solidarity. Yet here was someone incapable of considering even that.

The Lord's sharp look silenced the excuses.

“Lastly... ask the Archmage whether he would be willing to see if something has happened to the Mountain Lord. Select an escort in advance in case he agrees.”

“Understood.”

“Good. You may go.”

“Yes.”

He did not believe the Mountain Lord would have stopped helping without reason, but they desperately needed that mercy now.

Deciding to send someone despite the shamelessness of it, the Lord clutched his throbbing head. The headaches grew worse each day and were beginning to interfere with his daily life.

“I only hope I don't drop dead before this is over.”

“M-my lord! How can you say such a thing?”

The adjutant, who had attended him in silence all this time, could not contain his horror. But the remark had been no joke.

The Lord lowered himself into a crude chair. After nearly two weeks of surviving on snatches of sleep, his body felt impossibly heavy.

“My lord, the relief force's banners have been spotted in the distance...!”

“... No time to rest, then.”

Yet barely had he sat down before he had to rise again. As he braced his knees to stand, his vision briefly went white.

“Are you all right?”

“I'm fine.”

His adjutant steadied him before he could stagger. He blinked a few times, and his vision returned.

“Adjutant, if I die, lay all the crimes they pin on us at my feet.”

His sight had returned, but that did not change the possibility that his body had reached its limit. So the Lord decided to leave orders, just in case.

“The same goes for Blue Coral's crime. If they find him guilty... testify that he was acting on my orders. Whatever Blue Coral says, understood?”

“Have you lost your mind? If that happens, you'll...!”

“Be denied even a grave. But what does it matter? Once I'm dead, I won't be there to see whether I have a grave or not. I have no parents, no spouse, not even children. No one will suffer for it.”

“Blue Coral will hate it.”

“Then tell him it's the price he pays for being kind to me at my family's funeral.”

But this was nothing more than a precaution. The Lord drew his shabby cloak properly around himself and prepared to leave.

He was still alive, and there was work to be done.

Is It a Problem If the Protagonist Is a Roleplay Fanatic? (Serialized)

Author │ Haeinseol

Publisher │ Kim Juhyeong

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