NOVEL NEXT Chapter 40
40. Spreading Sacrifice
“Haa, haa, haa…”
It was the first attempt, but it worked! For now, I can protect Sierra-san――
“Gah!”
“Ar-kun!?”
Suddenly, I coughed up blood. Blood dripped, and intense pain shot through my abdomen.
There shouldn’t be an issue with the amount of magic power, but it seems I damaged my internal organs by using it to its full extent.
I can’t use that move anymore. If I try it one more time, my body will reach its limit.
“Ar-kun, let’s evacuate somewhere! Don’t push yourself!”
“I don’t want to be told that only by Sierra-san… Besides, I can’t rest yet. I know the possible location of the mastermind.”
“Mastermind?”
I roughly explained the situation to Sierra-san.
“I see… looking at the scale of this commotion, I felt something was off. What Ar-kun is saying might not be wrong.”
“That’s why I have to go to the graveyard. But, even while doing this――”
“Hey! You scumbag lord!! Open the gate!!”
At that moment, a man’s angry shouts echoed in the town.
Several men and women gathered in front of the mansion’s large gate. They pounded on the gate, yelling and cursing.
That place was the Orteze family’s mansion. Could it be that they locked it to keep the townspeople out!?
“Don’t mess around! It’s an emergency, and they’re just planning to stay in their safe zone!!”
“Open the gate! Don’t let the citizens die!!”
“Noisy fools!!”
As the townspeople raised their voices in anger, a window on the second floor opened, and Dan’s father showed his face.
“For you trash, there’s no reason to risk danger! What if those monsters come in!?”
“We don’t care about that! Just let us in!!”
“Hmph, you insects spouting nonsense! Let me tell you something! In this world, there are two types of people: those who should live and those who shouldn’t!! I am the former, and it’s just your fate that you couldn’t be! Don’t claim your rights when you don’t make much effort in normal times and only assert them in emergencies!!”
The lord shouted angrily at the crowd and laughed with a satisfied expression.
“Bad! Run!”
I shouted instinctively, but it was already too late.
“Who said to run just now? You should be the ones to run. Don’t cause me any trouble, at least…”
At that moment, the lord noticed something on his shoulder. The zombie with a chameleon-like long tongue sticking out of its mouth was perched on his shoulder.
“Ugh, uwaahhhhh!!!”
Fear filled his face in an instant. The zombie licked the lord’s face with its long tongue, then swung down its sharp, knife-like claws, tearing him apart.
The lord died.
“Kuh…”
What should I have done? Certainly, he was a human scum, but seeing someone being killed like that hits me in a way.
“Ar-kun, go to the graveyard.”
“Sierra-san?”
“Unless Ar-kun stops the mastermind, many people will die like this. So, Ar-kun, go to the graveyard.”
“What are you talking about!? If I go like this, Sierra-san and the others will…”
Sierra-san shook her head.
“It’s okay. Ar-kun is doing his best, and I have to do my best too. When you said you became stronger, I didn’t believe it at first. Maybe in my mind, you were always the weak Ar-kun.”
Sierra-san spoke with a smile.
“But you know, when you saved me just now, I thought. Ar-kun is no longer the weak Ar-kun from before. You’ve become strong. So, I believe in you, Ar-kun. I want to become someone who can help you too.”
In her words, I felt a different seriousness than usual in her eyes.
“It’s okay. Even now, other adventurers and people in the town are fighting. The strength of humans is in helping each other. As long as we trust each other, humans will never lose.”
I understood. Each word of her message seeped into my body, becoming a determination at the same time.
“…Got it. We will definitely meet again!”
“Yeah. Ar-kun, make sure to come back!”
I nodded and signaled all the slimes to gather.
“Everyone! We’re heading to the graveyard!”
With that command to the slimes, I ran towards the graveyard.