120. The Hero Party's Regret (7)
"Haah..."
Due to the unfamiliar sleeping arrangements, Hare woke up early in the morning.
Rubbing her eyes, Hare got up from her spot.
She immediately noticed the sense of déjà vu from the space beside her.
"Huh...? Where did Luna go...? She was sleeping next to me yesterday..."
She looked like she was snoring away...
What's going on...?
Suddenly, an unpleasant thought flashed through Hare's mind.
"Don't tell me... Luna was captured by the Lizardmen...?"
What if she was captured by Lizardmen and became their breakfast...!?
"H-Heroes are nutritious...!!"
This is an emergency...!
Hare quickly gathered her wits and rushed out of the tent.
Does the old man not know Luna disappeared?
He was preparing breakfast with a peaceful expression.
Hare ran toward him in a panic.
"O-Old man...!! T-This is an emergency...!! Luna's gone...! She must have been eaten by Lizardmen...!!"
"..."
"It's a Lizardman I couldn't even detect...!! A really strong one took Luna...! T-This is an emergency...!!"
"..."
Lee Jun-woo listened to Hare's words and thought quietly.
*Luna's probably sleeping in my tent right now...*
Captured by Lizardmen, she says.
How far did Hare's imagination run to reach that conclusion?
Lee Jun-woo looked at Hare, who was breathing hard from excitement.
*...Still, since she's worried about Luna, maybe I should tell her the truth.*
Hare was worried about her friend who disappeared in the night.
Since Hare didn't have bad intentions, Lee Jun-woo said while placing meat on the grill.
"Luna is safe."
"H-Huh...? But Luna's not in the tent..."
"Go check my tent. Breakfast will be ready soon, so it'd be even better if you wake Luna up."
"...What?"
Chill—
Hearing Lee Jun-woo's words, Hare's head and chest went cold.
*T-The old man's tent...? Don't tell me... Luna, you...?*
Having regained her composure, Hare walked quietly and carefully toward the old man's tent.
Looking at the tightly closed tent entrance, she gulped.
*I-It's not what I'm thinking... Luna said she likes the old man... but not in that way...*
Gulp—
Hare steeled herself and opened the tightly closed tent entrance.
There, a scene she never imagined was unfolding.
"T-This... thief... traitor..."
"Mmnya... hmm..."
She wasn't captured by Lizardmen...
She escaped to the old man's tent...?
While I was sleeping...?
*W-What did Luna do with the old man while I was sleeping...? W-What did they do... what did they talk about...?*
Hare began wildly imagining things that never happened.
The scope of her imagination was broad and deep.
When she reached the end, Hare ultimately had no choice.
"M-My world ends today... I'll make yours the same...!! Y-You traitor—!!"
I'll kill you!
And then I'll die too!
Hare gripped her dagger and swung it down at Luna.
"U-Ugh...? H-Hiiik...!! W-What is this...!!"
"...I missed. How did you notice...?"
"What are you doing with a dagger first thing in the morning, Hare!"
"S-Stay still, Luna. Since we're friends... I'll send you off without pain..."
"Old man! Hare's gone crazy! She's completely lost it! U-Uaaah—!!"
Fully awake now, Luna screamed and ran out of the tent.
Hare followed with dead eyes, determined not to let Luna escape.
A game of tag in broad daylight.
Watching them, Lee Jun-woo sighed.
"Haah..."
It was a noisy morning as usual.
The cave where the Lizardmen lived.
We arrived at the mission location faster than expected.
The Hero Party's stamina was better than anticipated, and Hare found the way ahead.
I looked at the cave entrance and whispered quietly.
"There are two Lizardmen at the entrance."
"How do we deal with them!?"
"I-I have an idea..."
Flash—
Hare raised her hand to explain her opinion.
"We throw Luna as bait for the Lizardmen... Meanwhile, we take care of the Lizardman Chief... How about it, old man...?"
"Put your emotions aside when you speak, Hare."
"Tch..."
Hare clicked her tongue regretfully.
Since that day.
Hare growled like a beast whenever she saw Luna.
It looked like she was trying not to let her prey be taken away.
"Anyway, Hare's opinion is rejected. Any other ideas?"
"Me!"
"Yes, go ahead."
"Just have the old man go kill them all!"
"Impossible. I won't be involved in this mission at all."
"What?"
I'd already made the decision myself.
I wouldn't do anything in this mission.
So Luna and Hare could think and act on their own.
I would just watch over them.
"So, whatever situation unfolds before you, think and act on your own. Not hesitating is important."
"Y-Yes! We'll handle it ourselves! Old man, just stay still! If you move, it's cheating! Got it!?"
"Right. I absolutely won't move of my own will."
When I assured her, Luna nodded vigorously.
Then she immediately approached Hare and began planning their strategy.
"Hare! What should we do? Except throwing me as bait! Think of a plan!"
"The best method would probably be assassination..."
"Assassination! Will we each assassinate one?"
"That's..."
Glance—
Hare looked at me briefly, then stood up holding her dagger.
"I'll do it alone... I can handle it quickly by myself..."
Step— Step—
Hare said this and hid in the bushes.
Confident steps.
She moved quickly and silently to the top of the cave.
"Kuek—"
"Kueek—"
And when the Lizardmen briefly looked away.
Swoosh—
She dropped from above and swiftly dealt with one.
"Kuek—!"
Startled by one disappearing, the Lizardman opened its mouth to shout that an intruder had entered.
However, the dagger Hare threw lodged in its throat, preventing it from raising the alarm.
It was a very swift and precise assassination.
Watching Hare, I muttered.
"You've grown a lot. That was a good assassination."
In the future, she'll be even faster and more accurate than that.
Hearing this, Luna shouted as if a trigger had been pressed.
"That's nothing!? I could do that too! That's super easy!"
"If you could do it, it would've been nice if you had."
"T-That's because I yielded! I yielded to Hare! Got it!?"
"..."
Let's just say that's the case.
Leaving the prideful Luna behind, I headed to the cave entrance.
"You handled that well, Hare."
"Heh, hehe... Thank you..."
"Except for one disappointing point."
"...!!"
A disappointing point.
As if understanding the meaning, Hare picked up the Lizardman's corpse and threw it into the bushes.
Disposing of the body.
If a Lizardman patrolling nearby returned to the cave.
If they saw their comrade's corpse, the alarm would sound immediately.
It was better to dispose of the body just in case.
"Next time, handle it beforehand without me saying anything."
"Yes, old man...! I'll work hard... so you won't be disappointed...!"
Hare answered and burned with determination.
Now that we'd dealt with things outside.
We should head inside the cave to complete the mission.
"Since the Lizardman population has increased, there's a high probability this cave has a Lizardman Chief. Think of your primary objective as subjugating the Lizardmen. Any questions?"
"Me! I have a question!"
The last question before entering the cave.
Luna waved her hand and shouted.
"If the primary objective is subjugating the Lizardmen! What's the secondary objective?"
"That... you'll know when you see it."
If I explained that, there'd be no reason to come here.
You'll see it with your own eyes later.
Thinking this, I entered the depths of the Lizardman cave where the Demon King resided.
"Remember this. This time, you two must solve it."
Solely for Luna and Hare's growth.
I didn't care what happened to myself.
In a one-on-one fight, Lizardmen are tricky opponents.
They have long tails and tough, impenetrable skin.
With some intelligence, they use sharp crescent blades and can even destroy opponents' weapons with their teeth.
However, such techniques only work against equal opponents.
Luna and Hare had long since surpassed their level.
"Kueek—!!"
"Shut up! You lizard! You're not a dragon!"
"Kuek—"
Slash—
Each time Luna swung her sword, a Lizardman's head rolled on the ground.
The Hero's unique strength and senses.
The Lizardmen couldn't even approach Luna.
It was an overwhelming difference in skill.
"This time it's five... Old man! Are these supposed to be strong!? They're too weak!"
"R-Right, old man... This doesn't even count as training for a mission..."
Luna and Hare massacred dozens of Lizardmen as they headed deeper into the cave.
However, since they all died in one attack.
They looked like they'd lost interest beyond boredom.
*I wonder if they'll be this relaxed after what comes next.*
In the future I saw.
I remember them having quite a hard time.
I answered Luna and Hare lightly.
"You'll know when you see it."
"Huh? What does that mean?"
"It means concentrate more."
"...!!"
Did she grasp the true meaning of my words?
Luna sharpened her gaze, then shouted loudly at Hare.
"H-Hare!! Move to the side!! It's an attack!!"
CRASH—!!
As soon as Luna's words ended.
A deep hole was pierced in the space where Hare had been standing.
*If Luna hadn't concentrated, Hare's body would've been pierced by that tail attack.*
A scene from the future.
I turned my gaze toward where the attack came from.
Red energy flowed from deep in the cave.
A massive Lizardman slowly walked toward us.
Luna looked at the Lizardman and shouted.
"D-Dragon!! That's not a Lizardman! It's a dragon!"
"..."
Maybe so.
Too massive to be a normal Lizardman.
As Luna said, anyone who didn't know that creature might call it a dragon.
But unlike Luna, I knew its true identity.
"Demon King of Greed, Greed."
"...Huh? D-Demon King...?"
"Did you abandon your injured body and choose to parasitize a Lizardman?"
A Lizardman no different from a dragon.
Greed.
Greed, who had taken over the Lizardman Chief's body, opened his massive mouth wide.
Then he shouted in an ear-splitting voice.
—Don't think you'll leave here alive—!! Give me your strong bodies—!! Not this reptilian body—!! Give me yours—!!!
Greed, unable to recover from his battle wounds.
Last time, I fought in place of the Hero Party.
But this time, it's not me.
"Luna, you remember that guy, right?"
"...Yes."
"You can do it. Try it with Hare."
The first battle against a Demon King without me.
Saten and Estia aren't here.
But I had no doubt Luna and Hare would win.
Because the emotion of revenge sometimes shows strength greater than usual.