783 Situation in Kuzma [2]
"…Should I say, as expected?"
As I descended from the top of the tower and made my way toward the hall where the main battle was taking place, I was surprised to see that the battle had essentially come to an end on this side.
I wasn't the only one aware that the battle was over.
The demons knew it too, and…
Boom―!
"Argkh!"
Coming down, I could see that there were still some demons that were actively attempting to fight their way out of the tower; however, just as this was supposed to be a prison that was supposed to trap me and the others, it had instead become a prison for all of the demons that were present.
No one could get out, and more blood splattered all over the ground.
"Ren, you're finally here."
A voice called out for me, spotting my arrival. When I turned my head to see who had called out for me, I realized it was Edward.
"How's the situation?"
I asked, curiously looking around. At first glance, it appeared as though we had won by a landslide; however, when I looked down and saw some of the blood that had been spilled on the floor, I realized that this victory wasn't without its flaws.
…We had sustained some losses.
"Don't worry about it."
As if reading my expression and thoughts, Edward patted me on the shoulder.
"Don't beat yourself up because of the losses. Although it is a fact that some of us were killed, from the very beginning, everyone who participated was aware that death was a possibility. Nobody will blame you; on the contrary, most are quite grateful for everything you've done."
After a moment's pause, a grin broke out unexpectedly on his face.
"We… we have won."
He muttered in a low voice.
His words were filled with unmasked joy, and when I looked around and observed the facial expressions of those who were currently fighting, I realized that he wasn't the only one who was feeling pleased with the way things were going.
"You may not understand this very well since you're young, but…"
Edward continued.
"This victory means a great deal more to people my age than you probably realize at this point in time. In contrast to the world in which you were born, the one in which I and the other people of my age live was not nearly as tranquil as the world in which you were raised."
"Our land and our people were subjected to constant destruction at the hands of demons. I've seen the killings and massacres more times than you could possibly imagine… and so have the others."
Edward brought his hand forward, which caused the mana that was all around him to congregate, and a beam shot out from the tip of his finger.
"Akh!"
The beam landed directly on top of a demon that was attempting to sneak out from behind one of the humans.
"You beat me to it."
I was about to do the same thing, but Edward's response was a little bit faster than mine.
"It's fine."
He patted my shoulder once again.
"I know this may not mean much to you, but it really means a lot to us older folks, and for that, you don't have to feel guilty about their death… I'm sure the lot of them are happy knowing that they finally managed to get their revenge."
"Is that so…"
I muttered absentmindedly.
I understood what Edward was trying to say.
I really did, but at the same time, I couldn't bring myself to be happy.
'I guess being a leader has a lot more responsibility than I give it credit for…'
Despite the fact that I did not have any feelings of guilt in connection with their passing, I was not happy about it.
In a roundabout way, their deaths were my responsibility, and it wasn't exactly the most pleasant thing in the world to realize that I was the reason why they were no longer among us.
…It was kind of a bummer and just the thought of what I'd have to say to their families once all of this was over made my stomach turn.
"Haaa…"
But this was life…
Taking a deep breath, I looked up and let out another breath.
'I'd be a hypocrite if I felt guilty about all of this.'
This wasn't the first time that I had done something similar; in fact, it wasn't even the second time.
When I was in Immorra, there were times when I commanded the orcs to fight against the demons and other times when I used the dwarves to fight against Inferno.
When we were in that situation, I made a number of choices that ended up leading to the deaths of members of both the dwarven and the orcish armies.
Some were even deliberate in order to make sure that the plan was successful, and as a result, I was more aware than anyone else that I was being a hypocrite.
It didn't really matter, though.
I had long since come to the realization that I was a hypocrite, and despite this realization, I found that it did not affect my sleep very much.
There were other things that were keeping me from doing that.
'Human emotions sure are complicated.'
I let out another sigh and turned away from the battlefield.
"I'm done on my part."
Suddenly, a figure materialized in front of me. I didn't even need to look up because I immediately recognized his voice.
"It's good to know that you're already finished, Octavious."
It was none other than Octavious, who, unlike before, seemed to have a completely different demeanor.
Even after a few weeks had passed since his recuperation, I was still not accustomed to his new personality.
It wasn't just me who was experiencing these emotions; in fact, everyone else did as well.
On numerous occasions, I was left completely speechless after receiving multiple calls and messages inquiring about Octavious' well-being and asking if anything was wrong.
'Just how bad was his image before he recovered?'
The number of questions and messages I received provided a sufficient amount of information to answer my question.
"What are we going to do now?"
The question from Octavious jolted me out of my thoughts, and I found myself looking up at him.
After turning around, I looked at the others who were slaying the last of the demons, and I couldn't help but break into a grin.
"About that…"
I bent my head forward and looked down at the ground below me. I raised one foot, focused all of my mana into it, and then quickly stomped down on the ground with it.
"…We're going to hunt for treasure."
My foot came into contact with the floor of the hall.
Booom―!
The ground began to collapse.
***
The demon treasury was a grand hall with towering pillars adorned in gold and silver and vast vaulted ceilings that seemed to stretch endlessly upward.
The air was thick with the scent of incense, and the floor was made of polished black marble that reflected the flickering torchlight from the walls.
At the center of the hall stood a massive circular dais, upon which rested a colossal black iron chest that seemed to pulse with an otherworldly energy.
The chest was carved with intricate runes and symbols of power and was so large that a dozen fully grown demons could stand upon it without crowding.
On the walls of the hall were niches and alcoves, each containing a glittering hoard of wealth and treasures.
Golden chalices encrusted with rubies and sapphires, piles of silver coins stacked high as mountains, and jewel-encrusted crowns and scepters adorned with the bones of high-grade beasts.
It was a location that was only accessible to a hand full of people, and not many people were aware of its existence.
At that moment…
Rumble! Rumble!
The ceiling violently shook, and the metallic clicking sound produced by the coins striking each other resounded throughout the treasury.
Boom―!
A large hole appeared above the ceiling, and several figures jumped down from above.
Swoosh!
"Ho,ho."
Ren's eyes glistened as he looked around the treasury. He wasn't the only one, as the people who came down with him showed similar reactions.
"This… They are a lot richer than I expected."
Overhearing Liam's muttering, Ren looked at him strangely.
"You've been to the Demon Realm; you should know better about just how wealthy the demons are. Why do you look so surprised? I thought your memories had recovered."
"No, it's just that…"
Liam's face turned complicated, but he soon let out a sigh.
"...looking back, the only thing I can really remember from that time is all of the fights I got into. Because I was never interested in them or their wealth, I never gave it much thought or consideration. So I really don't know anything."
"Fair enough."
After giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder, Ren then turned his attention to the enormous chest off in the distance. At the sight, for some unexplainable reason, his heart began to race, and he found that his feet began to move on their own.
Stopping right in front of the chest, he swallowed a mouthful of saliva and placed his hand over the chest.
A majestic black hue flowed out of the chest and crashed against him.
Almost instantly, Ren's figure jolted, but he kept his hand on the chest the entire time, and he opened it very slowly.
Creak!
As he took a closer look at what was concealed within the chest, a broad grin spread across his features.
"Now this…"
