I barely twisted my body to dodge the Berserker's invitation.

I could only send another round of applause to DeB's covering fire for pulling me away, claiming he remembered something important. He probably just didn't want to be there either, but anyway.

Ah, and I'm also thankful to the Temple people who faithfully carried out my request to absolutely never let anyone in, no matter who came looking. Thanks to them, I could hole up in the Temple and avoid the Berserker.

"Throwing stones at corpses... There are truly so many ways to insult death in this world."

And just like that, a day passed.

"They are the ones who sold out others to the demons. They deserve to have their deaths insulted."

"Who said otherwise?"

Before I explain the situation of throwing stones at corpses, should I explain something else first?

The people of Pa Enoch first spent a day watching for signs of an additional invasion. And the moment it was predicted that the possibility was low, they followed the manual they had established over many long years.

While remaining vigilant against an invasion, they sequentially restored the castle walls that they had clumsily patched up in a hurry, and began rebuilding the buildings in the city center, starting with the important ones.

Furthermore, the Temple formally announced the existence of the traitors who had been embedded here and there.

It was likely because they judged that, with the battle mostly over and the traitors all dealt with, revealing their existence wouldn't cause a disturbance.

Naturally, many people didn't believe it at first. Setting aside the mid-to-high-tier fighters, it was because a whopping three fighters ranked in the top ten for popularity were involved.

But where was this land? It was the frontline.

With evidence right there, there was no way they would defend those who colluded with the enemy to the bitter end—especially on the frontline of all places.

Their anger doubled in proportion to their past trust, and the result was throwing stones at the corpses. Since they couldn't kill guys who were already dead, it was out of a desire to at least not send their corpses off peacefully.

Of course, from the perspective of a modern person, it was an incredibly barbaric act... but with a different worldview and a different level of human rights development, I had no choice but to endure it.

And on top of that, getting pelted with stones like that was actually the better treatment. The treatment of the Martial King, who had reigned at the top as the number one for over five years, was even worse.

That guy had been drawn and quartered, and his remaining chunks of flesh were currently impaled on spears and displayed in public. He was also unfailingly getting pelted with stones.

"... I wonder how Kankan is doing."

DeB, who wasn't participating in the spectacle but was looking down at it from the castle, whispered quietly. I supposed he was conscious of the fact that the two had been friends.

"I saw him at the very front throwing them. Did you not see him?"

"...?"

"...?"

Even that immediately changed to a look of astonishment at the Inquisitor's words.

I wasn't sure if it was a shock that he found out later than the Inquisitor, or if it was a shock that Kankan was throwing stones.

Maybe it was both? Because I was surprised by both points as well.

"Shouldn't the Lord be hanged as well?"

"If we hang him now, what are we going to do about the handover? It won't be too late to do it after we're certain the demons won't invade."

"I'm not even sure if this is something worth hanging him over in the first place. It's not like the Lord colluded with demons."

"Even so, a portion of the residents died."

"The Martial King killed them."

Meanwhile, behind us, the high-ranking officials had gathered and were continuing their debate over the Lord's criminal acts.

It was roughly the Bishop of the local diocese, the commanders who had directed the battle in the Lord's stead, and other such high-ranking figures. The Archmage was also quietly slipping in there in her capacity as the Great Sage of the Magic Tower.

"He needs to be stripped of his position."

"Isn't that too hasty of a remark? We need to first check if there's someone capable of succeeding the Lord right away."

"So we should just leave him as is? We should at least appoint a proxy."

"Hah, and who are we going to prop up as proxy? What if the demons invade while we're deciding that?"

"Would the demons invade even after mentioning maintaining the status quo?"

Ah, as for us... we were dragged here because we had played too active a role in the battle, and because we each had reasons to be brought along.

I was here to testify about the Great Demon, DeB to verify the guys he killed, and the Inquisitor because she was a hero. Roughly those kinds of reasons.

Though right now, we were just standing in the back and listening to their chatter since we were all done.

"I don't know about anything else, but trusting the demons is absolutely out of the question."

"Ah, Great Sage."

At that moment, the Archmage, who had mostly been watching the city people handle it themselves, subtly spoke up.

"I also agree with the opinion that the demons likely won't invade in the near future. However, no one knows if that's actually true. You must absolutely not neglect your vigilance."

Along with that, the Archmage also brought up the point that they should doubt the demons' intentions.

"That entity conveyed a will to 'maintain the status quo' through the Demon Knight. However, no one offers a proposal that only benefits others. Especially not a demon."

"Then?"

"What you need to look at here is the fact that Sloth induced a human to betray his own kind despite him not being a contractor. Furthermore, that trickery even managed to evade the Temple's gaze."

"... So you're saying it would be difficult to notice even if the same thing repeated."

"That is correct. In that regard, maintaining the status quo is not necessarily a good thing for this city."

Stagnant water rots. The result of that was this recent betrayal.

Of course, the water had been replaced because of this incident... but would there really be no next time? Once the present moment passed, the water would stagnate again.

"Demons are ageless beings. For such beings to invest ten or twenty years into this city is not that long of a time. Therefore, no matter who becomes the Lord, or what they do, the crackdown on this matter must continue. Forever, so long as you share a frontline with those demons."

That was the point the Archmage was pinpointing. She urged them several times regarding the Great Demon's schemes, stating that even stricter surveillance would need to be conducted from now on to prevent the corruption of the fighters.

Fortunately, not a single person listening let her words go in one ear and out the other.

"Then doesn't that mean we need to change the Lord even more?"

"Even so, the battle just ended..."

"At the very least, stability..."

That didn't mean the severity of the Lord's punishment was settled, though.

"Pisses me off."

DeB, who had been observing the aspects of the punishments being discussed, spat out his dissatisfaction. It was something I agreed with, too.

We were relieved he was getting punished at all, but if you asked whether those were truly the right punishments, even I would have to tilt my head.

However, when one criminal has the ability to save many people, is it right to punish him severely, or is it right to suspend his punishment or reduce his sentence to save more people? That sort of topic was always a difficult problem.

"He deserves to die."

"Then kill him."

I muttered quietly while leaning against the wall. DeB looked up at me. The Inquisitor did the same.

"A-Demon Knight. That's..."

"And take responsibility."

"...!"

"For the price of what you've done."

The Thief class, Gans, started with assassinating a noble who was living perfectly well even after murdering his friend. In other words, their trigger was an unjudged evildoer.

So I figured that if DeB wanted to kill the Lord, he could. Throughout the story, the Thief character was portrayed as someone who represented the weak and acted as the agent of their revenge.

"If the city collapses because it lost its head, and the frontline is thus ruined, and whether you live or die in that process—accept that it is all your burden to bear."

But did I actually empathize with that Gans? Not really. I'm someone who doesn't advocate for private justice. I understand it, but I don't think it's right either.

"If you understand, then raise your sword. Raise your sword and prove your courage."

However, I wasn't going to stop him either. By what right could I stop him? In the end, it was a difference in values.

On top of that, my concept itself was someone who didn't care whether others got their revenge or whatever. If DeB wanted to wage a deathmatch with the Inquisitor, I'd have to let him go, even if it brought tears to my eyes.

"But if you don't have the confidence to do so, put it away."

Hmm, still, I personally hope you don't do it. Meat Dumpling.

Because if you wage a deathmatch with the Inquisitor, you'll be the one to drop out of this party one hundred percent of the time... and if that happens, who's going to cover for my concept now?

"..."

Leaving behind his complicated face, I exited the debate venue. Since the location was set up within the castle, leaving that spot didn't mean I had nowhere else to go.

My lodgings were at the Temple anyway.

RUSTLE.

Of course I wasn't going straight to my lodgings, haha!

I set foot in the training grounds. With the arena being here, it was a place originally set up because many warriors also came by as visitors to the Temple.

"Phew."

The grounds would get ruined if I used my skills too excessively, so I should only train lightly.

Seeing how things went this time, it was too hard to fire magic spears when the number of enemies increased too much. The strike points also kept missing slightly.

There was no rule saying the enemies would only ever be huge guys, so I wanted to somehow get used to that part at least.

SMACK.

I kicked a stone up with my foot.

The stone that floated into the air was shattered to pieces by a magic spear. It wasn't broken evenly; some parts were small and some were large. It was because the magic spear had pierced the edge of the stone, not the center.

Was it a problem with my kinetic vision? Were my reflexes at their limit?

I furrowed my brow slightly and kicked up another stone. It seemed better than before, but I wasn't satisfied.

"The reason you keep missing is because your control slips and the tip of the spear shakes."

How many more hours had I spent trying like that?

Someone popped out from the darkness. Though since she had approached smoothly while deliberately making some presence known, it might not be quite right to say she just popped out.

"You seem to have an overflowing amount of mana, so I have nothing to say about that, but how about paying more attention to the control aspect? If you know how to handle your mana precisely, you can reduce not only your mana consumption, but improve your accuracy as well."

"... You."

Wait, the Temple people should have prevented anyone from entering. How did she get in? Did she jump the wall?

More importantly, was that the reason it was missing slightly? Was it even possible to further control an already activated skill in the first place? Wasn't it only possible to adjust the output?

While I was surprised by this newly realized fact, I grabbed my sword and tried to set the mood as much as possible.

I was slowly starting to feel skeptical about the temper of my concept, though actually I'd felt that way from the start. This damn pride of mine didn't really like listening to advice either.

"It was just a suggestion. Don't be so on edge."

By the way, considering the tone of voice, this would be the Weapon Master, not the Berserker, right?

Since there was no difference in outward appearance, I had to base my judgment on tone and facial expressions. The only comfort was that they were uniquely different, making them easy to tell apart.

"I heard from my younger sister. That you want her to join you on your journey."

By the way, when did she finish talking with the Archmage?

"I hear the goal is demon hunting. Is that right?"

I briefly contemplated whether I should answer this or not before just scrunching my face for now.

"Yeah."

As I did, I generated a magic spear in my hand.

"And you're a member of that journey, right?"

"A temporary companion."

"Right. Companion."

So, she was saying I should pay attention to control instead of just firing this off right away. But how do I control it?

The output was fine to adjust just like pouring water from a bottle. But I didn't even have a clue what to do with a thing once it had already left my hands.

I already maxed out my mana control stat, so I couldn't get any more correction from that end. Not that I could really feel it much after maxing it out anyway.

"When projecting mana externally, it's important to condense it. Because mana has a property of dispersing into the atmosphere."

"... You."

"For your information, I'm not talking to you. I'm just reviewing it for myself."

... An angel? Was all the social aptitude that should have gone to the Berserker funneled entirely into this side?

"Mages easily manage their control through formulas and incantations, but warriors like us are different. We have to do it purely with our instincts and mental strength."

What could I say to someone claiming they were just reviewing it for themselves? It was barely covering her eyes while peeking, but it was an excuse that even my concept had no choice but to accept.

I quickly accepted her consideration. Of course, outwardly, I ground my teeth as if my pride had been wounded.

"There are no shortcuts to this. That's also the reason why there are no warriors who handle mana to a visible degree. Control refined enough to condense mana to the point of visibility is rare, and people who possess that much mana are also rare. Though you seem to meet both conditions."

I had wondered why mana users didn't stand out much, but was this the reason? Visible mana was actually the anomaly?

"However, just because there are no shortcuts doesn't mean there is no method at all. While a Mage begins accumulating mana from a single external point, warriors accumulate mana from the inside out. So if you consider that carefully..."

If I consider that?

"Do you think this journey will succeed?"

Did she know that one of the ways to annoy someone was to cut them off mid-sentence?! Gaaah!!

And she cut it off just as we moved past the theory and were finally getting to the proper method! That's just completely blatant!

"... Not my problem."

I irritably launched the spear I had generated. And then I created the next spear.

I hadn't heard everything to the end, but I had the experience of consuming numerous fantasy works. I wasn't going to desperately cling to just hints.

"It's because I'm curious. I need to know... whether or not it's okay to entrust my younger sister to you."

Earlier, she said Mages accumulate mana from the outside. Warriors accumulate mana from the inside. What was the difference between outside and inside?

... Hmm. Surface area?

"If you're pessimistic about it, I won't find any reason to join this journey either."

If you start from a single external point, you'd stack mana in all directions, but if you start from the inside, wouldn't you not pay attention to the parts touching your skin or weapons? No? Do you pay the most attention to the parts you directly touch?

Or does magic feel like inflating a sphere, while this goes with the feeling of coating it...?

Is this right?

"I told you, it's not my problem."

Ah, I don't know. Actual combat really is different from theory.

Without any lingering regrets, I threw my second magic spear. The magic spear, sent flying without a target, reached a slightly further distance than before and simply scattered away.

"Why is it not your problem?"

"Because whether you and your sister join this journey or not, whether this journey fails or succeeds, it doesn't matter to me at all as long as I can kill demons."

As if substituting that as my answer, I looked back at the Weapon Master. Unlike earlier, when she held an affectionate smile, her face was stiff and rigid.

It was probably because of my murderous expression...

For now, I was satisfied. Whether she got recruited into the party was an issue out of my hands now, so setting that aside, my concept had to be maintained well.

"So piss off. I don't need a coward who will only get in the way."

Ah, should I play it as my temper—which had somewhat subsided due to the Yabad incident—resurrecting because of the Great Demon? The one who dropped the 'did I get him' flag before bolting wasn't me, but the Great Demon.

The capable Norda warrior watched the one who was leaving the area with a distorted face. She had heard the gist of it from the Archmage, but he was far fiercer than she expected.

"A good Norda warrior doesn't divine success or failure, but believes in themselves and moves forward to achieve their goal."

However, it wasn't bad. Objectively, it wasn't a good personality, but the journey's goal was the goal, after all. For such a task, someone who lacked tact but had unwavering resolve was better than a weak person with no rough edges.

Just as the child who had clearly shown her honest steadfastness while lightly conversing and introducing herself as a hero did.

"I thought the group was at a passing grade earlier, but..."

Were their personalities merely rough? They all possessed the martial prowess to make those personalities understandable. Not only the man walking away right now, but the others as well.

Even the Thief, who belonged on the weaker side, knew how to 'hunt', so it was clear. In terms of martial prowess, the members of this group lacked nothing to be taken as companions.

"Hmm."

It wasn't just this. Considering the wisdom shown by the Archmage and the wit the Thief friend showed with just a few words, they would be able to handle the Berserker's personality as well.

They seemed accustomed to controlling someone who wouldn't listen to reason—a so-called meathead.

Furthermore, the journey's goal was somewhat to her liking. She didn't have any major grudges against demons, but it was at a time when the Berserker needed battles that could push her to her limits.

In that regard, a journey where their lives were constantly on the line would be better than years spent aimlessly wandering in search of strong opponents. And since they would be saving the world while they were at it, they could gain honor, too.

"If it's like this, then I definitely can't give up on it."

However, the thing that had stimulated her most decisively... wasn't the things she had just mentioned. Or rather, it was something slightly mixed in with what she had mentioned earlier.

"... I can't miss out on someone who can defeat the Berserker."

In truth, even if everyone in this group had been weak, or even if the journey had no meaning, as long as the Demon Knight was there, she would have seriously considered accompanying them.

After all, that man was the first person to ever hand the Berserker the humiliation of defeat.

"Hah."

She ruminated on the Demon Knight, who had immediately improved the moment she gave him a slight hint.

Since he even possessed that kind of talent on top of his overflowing mana, the Berserker would never be able to defeat that knight. That remained true even if that knight had dropped out of formal education to be self-taught and was currently facing the wall of bad habits and a lack of theory.

"She'll probably stop being so stubborn if she's beside a genius."

Yes, if the Berserker only moved based on her instincts like she did now, and if she continued to be stubborn, she would absolutely never defeat that knight.

"... Now, it really is time to put an end to it."

Acting spoiled was nothing more than an eyesore if it went on for too long. So, if she was going to knock some sense into her, she had no choice but to use an extreme remedy.

"Are you finished talking?"

Right on time, the Sage who had passed a proposal to her through the Berserker—and then in person—approached her.

Because it was a presence she had already perceived, the Norda warrior stood up perfectly on cue.

"Yes."

She had actually made her decision the moment she received the proposal. The only reason she had delayed her answer despite that was because she wanted to closely examine that man's character.

"Then your answer to the proposal?"

Now that she was certain that man wasn't the type to run away in the face of a crisis, there was no longer any need to delay her answer.

The Berserker wouldn't ever oppose this journey as long as there was blood and conflict, either.

"If it's alright with all of you, I would like to join you."

And so, she gladly decided to join this journey.