Chapter 145. The Story of the Princess Escaping the Demon King’s Castle to Save the Hero (1)
The tone of voice and manner of speaking were enough to identify who it was.
Although annoyance surged within him, Yuri held back and refrained from acting rashly.
Acknowledging the other party immediately just because they acknowledged him first was nothing short of amateurish.
Yuri, who had been lying against the wall, shifted slightly and pressed himself closer to it.
It was an act so natural, like someone shifting in their sleep, that a normal person might have thought, ‘Ah, he must be deeply asleep,’ and moved on.
But the opponent was not an ordinary person with an ordinary mindset.
“Haha, what a surprise to meet the Owl here of all places. This should keep things interesting for a while!”
“……”
“Which acquaintance did you accompany, Owl? I, of course, came as our lady’s acquaintance!”
“……”
“Hmm… You must be Miss Theresia’s acquaintance, right? You two seemed pretty close last time.”
Goetz Röthen squatted down behind Yuri, chattering on and on regardless of whether Yuri was asleep or not.
The more he babbled, the more visibly the veins on Yuri’s temples bulged.
Yet he endured once more.
He thought if he ignored him, maybe Goetz would get tired and give up.
However…
“Hey, Owl, I’m a bit bored. Won’t you keep me company? We haven’t seen each other in a while; let’s have a chat.”
“……”
“Owl? I know you’re not sleeping.”
“……”
“Get up, Owl!”
As Goetz’s nagging voice continued, Yuri, unable to bear it any longer, muttered softly.
“…You’ve got the wrong person.”
“Haha, why are you acting like this? I could recognize our Owl just from the back of his head!”
…How often have you seen me to be calling me “our Owl,” you bastard.
Yuri wanted to get up and punch him in the face right away, but he restrained himself one last time.
“I don’t know anyone like that. Go away.”
“Hmm…”
At Yuri’s firm denial, Goetz wore a sly smile.
Still crouching, Goetz edged closer and closer to Yuri.
Once he was right behind Yuri, Goetz clasped his hands together and whispered.
“Are you really not planning to get up? In that case, I’ll lie down right beside you. Yuri Holland? Hehe.”
“Ah!”
Warm breath touched his ear, and Yuri sprang up, jerking his body as if having a seizure.
“Ahh!”
Hissing like a cat, he swung a sword he had drawn from who knows where.
Naturally, the tip of the sword was pointed at Goetz.
And a stream of profanities followed.
“Die, you perverted bastard!”
Whoosh-!
“Haha, you really are the Owl!”
“Shut up and die! How dare you blow your filthy breath into my sacred eardrums!”
Whoosh-!
“Hahahaha!”
Even as Yuri’s fierce attacks flew toward him, Goetz simply smiled brightly and dodged nimbly.
“Die!”
“Hahaha!”
Their scuffle caused people within a few meters to scatter like the receding tide.
The two tussled for quite a while.
In the end, it was Yuri who declared surrender first.
Realizing that no matter how much he raged, it only seemed to delight the pervert, Yuri sheathed his sword with a disgruntled expression.
“Ugh, seriously, don’t you have any sense? Couldn’t you tell I didn’t want to talk?”
“Of course, I noticed.”
“…?”
“I was just bored, so I woke you up.”
“…Are you insane?”
Oh, he is insane.
Trying to have a normal conversation with a crazy person made him just as crazy.
‘When we made that deal last time, he seemed a bit normal.’
But today, he seemed more off than usual.
Yuri let out a big sigh and headed back to his corner.
Seeing this, Goetz looked at him with eyes full of regret.
“You’re really not going to play anymore?”
“No. Moving makes me hungry.”
“Tsk.”
“I’m going to sleep. Don’t talk to me.”
Yuri spoke curtly and tried to lie down again.
Every second that passed felt like a terrible waste.
He wanted to enjoy the little free time he had left.
But Yuri couldn’t fall asleep.
This time, it was the presence that appeared as the cabin door opened that interrupted his nap.
Creak— Bang—.
Through the wide-open door, a man stepped in.
He seemed about 190 cm tall, with a burly build.
Red hair, red eyes, and a fierce, indifferent expression.
Just from his appearance alone, he exuded an intense aura.
The eyes of the princesses sprawled all around turned to him.
They all thought the same thing.
‘That’s the Demon King.’
‘It’s the Demon King.’
‘That Black Sword Corps guy is the Demon King.’
The man who stepped into the cabin perfectly fit the image of a Demon King.
Everyone remained silent, following the Demon King with their eyes.
Step by step—
Amidst the stifling silence.
The Demon King strode confidently across the cabin, and Yuri also scrutinized him closely.
One hand held a great sword.
The other hand held a lamp emitting a faint red glow as he crossed the red line into the Demon King’s domain.
Then he sat down on a throne adorned with skulls.
The great sword rested against one armrest.
The lamp hung on the other, as he leaned on his hand, striking a pose that perfectly suited a Demon King.
‘These Black Sword Corps guys… they’re really good at keeping the quest setting intact.’
Yuri clicked his tongue in amazement, his gaze drawn to the lamp emitting the red glow.
Only then did he realize that what he thought was a lamp wasn’t actually a light.
What was inside the lamp wasn’t a light.
Instead, it was a red jewel that emitted a soft, red glow.
It looked like a ruby but was a unique mineral that emitted light on its own.
Seeing this strange object for the first time, Yuri tilted his head.
‘What is that?’
Just then, an intrigued voice spoke up beside him.
“Oh, I’ve never seen such a large power crystal before.”
Yuri turned his gaze.
“That’s a power crystal?”
“Hmm? Owl, have you never seen a power crystal before?”
“Yeah. But is that considered big?”
“The crystals I’ve seen were all about the size of a thumbnail. But that one looks at least three times bigger.”
“Is that so?”
“It is.”
“So, what exactly is a power crystal?”
“……”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“…You really don’t know what a power crystal is?”
“Yeah.”
“But you just spoke like you knew.”
“Is that not allowed? So, what is that? Is it valuable?”
According to the Black Sword Corps, if you defeated the Demon King, you could obtain the Demon King’s treasure, the power crystal.
Seeing everyone’s reaction, Yuri thought it must be something good and moved on.
Since it wasn’t part of his quest, he hadn’t paid much attention.
But the appearance of the glowing red gem reignited his curiosity.
And along with it, his greed.
Unaware of this, Goetz began to share what he knew.
“Is it valuable? Of course, it is. Especially a crystal of that size—no matter how much money you have, it’s nearly impossible to get one.”
“Oh? Really? What’s it used for?”
“You eat it.”
“…That?”
At the thought of eating the shiny rock, Yuri’s eyes went wide.
A look that said, ‘Is this bastard messing with me?’
Seeing Yuri’s hand subtly move back towards his sword’s hilt, Goetz shrugged his shoulders.
“Why would I joke with you? The power crystal is definitely something you eat.”
Yuri removed his hand from the sword, somewhat reassured by the sincerity in Goetz’s tone.
“You really eat that? It looks like it would shatter your teeth.”
“You don’t need to worry about that. It melts the moment you put it in your mouth. Like candy.”
“You’re talking like you’ve eaten one before.”
“I managed to get one after much difficulty and tried it. Even though the crystal I ate was much smaller, the effects were outstanding.”
As Goetz recalled that time, licking his lips, Yuri’s curiosity grew stronger.
“So, what exactly is that thing?”
“Hmm, how should I explain it… You could call it a special elixir crafted by nature.”
“Elixir?”
At the mention of an elixir, Yuri’s eyes sparkled with interest.
“Yes. Do you know about amber?”
“The gemstone made from hardened tree resin?”
“That’s similar to what the crystal is. It’s formed when a mana-infused tree secretes resin, which then undergoes purification over a long period and solidifies into a crystal. There are various types of crystals, but the red ones like that are called power crystals.”
Although Goetz offered various explanations, Yuri was focused on one thing.
“Is it potent? How much does it increase your mana?”
His main concern was the potency.
To this question, Goetz smiled and shook his head.
“No, it doesn’t increase mana.”
Disappointment briefly flashed across Yuri’s face.
But that disappointment vanished with Goetz’s next words.
“Instead, the power crystal enhances the inherent physical capabilities a person is born with.”
“……?”
“Hmm… Let’s put it this way: someone who can lift only 100 kg even after a lifetime of training might be able to lift 110 kg or 120 kg after consuming a power crystal.”
“……?!”
“And because it enhances current abilities,
a single power crystal could yield the effects of several years of physical training. What’s more, this isn’t a temporary effect but a permanent enhancement.”
Not only does it provide the benefits of physical training, but it also increases the body’s growth limits.
The unbelievable effects left Yuri wide-eyed in surprise.
“That’s… possible?”
“Of course, the specific physical ability enhanced by the crystal varies from person to person. Some may see a significant boost in strength, others in stamina, or even vitality! Although the effects differ for each person, the efficacy of the power crystal is proven. And there are no side effects.”
“Good grief.”
Yuri was stunned.
If Goetz’s description was accurate, then this was indeed a treasure among treasures.
“…There’s something like that in the world?”
“Because it’s so rare, powerful families in various regions snatch up the supply the moment it appears, often before it even makes headlines. As a result, ordinary folks rarely see or even hear about it.”
“…Those greedy bastards.”
So, they’ve been secretly enjoying these goodies by themselves?
And that’s probably not the only thing hoarded by those in power.
There must be other special items unknown to the common people.
They’ve likely been monopolizing these for ages.
‘No wonder those from the streets can’t compete with renowned families… They keep all the good stuff to themselves and don’t share.’
The less fortunate get left behind.
The privileged grow even stronger.
What an unfair world.
…Or so Yuri would have ranted a few months ago.
But now, things had changed.
‘I’m in the Cradle now.’
A place where inequality reigned supreme.
Where any unfairness was accepted as the norm.
And for those who championed the monopoly of the strong, it was a paradise.
Thus, Yuri couldn’t afford to complain anymore.
Now, it was his turn to enjoy the perks of that inequality.
Thinking this, Yuri’s lips twitched into a smile.
And Goetz, who happened to catch that smile, flinched, his shoulders shaking.
Flinch—
“H-Hey, Owl?”
“What?”
“…What’s up with your eyes?”
“What’s wrong with my eyes?”
“They don’t look normal.”
“What do you mean? I’m perfectly fine.”
“…I don’t think so.”
Though his mouth was smiling, Yuri’s eyes weren’t.
His gaze remained fixed on the power crystal on the throne in the distance.
He didn’t blink once throughout the entire conversation.
And the glint in his eyes was far from normal.
So unsettling was Yuri’s gleaming stare that even the perverted Goetz started to edge away.
* * *
For the first time since arriving in the Cradle, the 49th cohort achieved a semblance of unity.
Their initial task was to figure out the next steps.
As usual, the Black Sword Corps provided no key details about the quest.
Though they were instructed to rescue the princess from the Demon King’s castle, the Corps hadn’t revealed the castle’s location.
It was Yulia Singh, known as the brain of the 49th cohort, who solved this problem.
[It’s simple. We just need to follow the path taken by our acquaintances, right?]
Their acquaintances, the princesses who had led them there, had been captured along that route.
So, following that path would likely lead to where the princesses were being held, or perhaps directly to the Demon King’s castle.
With Yulia’s insight, the 49th cohort retraced their steps and entered the path for acquaintances.
Step by step—
The 49th cohort quickly walked along the forest path in a tight group.
Theresia, who was among the group at the front, wore a slightly awkward expression.
‘To start a quest without fighting… feels so awkward.’
Until now, attacking each other the moment a quest started had been the norm.
Thus, moving together, and in peace, felt exceptionally strange.
And it wasn’t just Theresia.
All of the 49th cohort found the current atmosphere awkward.
‘Maybe that’s why everyone is so quiet…’
As Theresia began to smile faintly in the silence, her expression suddenly froze.
Her instincts sounded an alarm.
And simultaneously—
Rustle, rustle, rustle—
Black shadows poured in from all directions.