Chapter 33

"How awful."

That quiet murmur—whose voice was it, I wondered.

Surrounded on all sides by death, I stood frozen, forgetting to scout or stay alert.

“……”

“What about the Demon Lord’s army?”

“They’ve already left, apparently. Took every last resource and bit of food from the town.”

“…This is the merchant district. Good quality weapons, magic stones, food—everything gathers here. No wonder, this town’s perfect for plundering.”

Before the devastating sight, Mei stood with tears in her eyes, quietly sobbing. Honestly, I felt like I’d throw up if I let my guard down.

This is war. This is what it means to take lives.

I’ve called myself a swordsman for over a decade, but not once have I taken a human life. I’ve slain monsters, sure—but seeing human death up close like this? Almost never.

Let alone something like this—a field of corpses as far as the eye can see, the stench of death so thick it chokes you. Everything in this scene—the smell, the sounds, the view—it’s all death.

“Urgh…”

Next to me, Mei let out a damp groan, clutching her mouth and crouching down. She was born a noble and raised under Clarisse’s protection. She’s probably never had to face death like this before.

Maybe that’s why he stepped in. Rex gently placed a hand on both our shoulders.

“…Mei, Flatche. If it’s too much, go back to the inn. I gotta scout the area.”

“I-I’m fine!! I can…!”

“No need to push yourself. Honestly, it’s more trouble if you collapse. We don’t even know where the Demon Lord’s stragglers might be. I can’t afford to protect comrades who are falling apart.”

Rex’s face was utterly blank. Even with a mountain of corpses in front of him, he stood calmly.

Meanwhile, my face was pale as a sheet. Mei was crouched and crying. At this rate, either of us could pass out any second.

The only one not shaken was Rex. His lips were a flat line as he stared straight at the heap of bodies.

That’s probably because—

“…Sorry. I was right there, and still…”

Because he’s seen this before.

Once, in his own homeland, Rex witnessed this exact same tragedy. That’s why he’s developed a tolerance to this hellish sight.

“Damn it all…”

My best friend is an idiot. He always calls others fools, but in moments like this, he’s the biggest fool of all.

“Hey.”

I grabbed Rex’s trembling hand—the one he muttered regrets with—and slammed my forehead into his with full force.

“OW!?”

“You dumbass! You’re the one hurting the most, Rex. Quit acting tough and just take my damn hand.”

“What the hell was that for!? And anyway, I can handle—”

“Look, if push comes to shove, Mei and I can puke and get it out of our systems. But you, Rex—you can’t even do that anymore, can you?”

“…No, I—”

“Don’t push yourself. I’m right here with you.”

He has this bad habit of carrying everything on his own in times like this. And this scene—it’s a direct hit to his trauma.

Rex lived through this. In his hometown. He saw it. The lifeless bodies of his family, piled up without care.

“M-May I take your left hand, too!?”

“…Mei.”

“Sir Rex, I’m coming with you! So, please…”

Right now, the ones who should really be heading back to the inn aren’t me or Mei—it’s Rex, the man carrying the deepest wound in his heart.

“…Tch.”

Under our piercing gazes, Rex blushed faintly and finally gave in, gripping both our hands.

“God, I’m pathetic. Thanks, Flatche. Mei. Sorry, but stay with me.”

“You should’ve just said that from the start.”

The hand he clasped back was trembling slightly. Geez, if he just asked for help upfront, it’d be so much easier to like him.

“…I’m glad you two are my comrades. Flatche, Mei—thanks.”

“Yeah.”

“Of course.”

Embarrassed by his honest words, he quickly turned his head away.

Then, with a slightly more composed expression, Rex began to walk. Toward the hellscape drenched in the stench of blood.

---

"Humanoid, gray-skinned demons reeking of death. That seems to be the identity of the attackers this time."

After gathering testimony from the surviving townsfolk along with Emma, that was the conclusion we reached.

“Emma, does that mean…”

“Zombies, most likely.”

Just before dawn today, zombies armed with bows and swords launched an attack on the town’s residential district. Hidden by the night, the surprise raid caught the national army off guard, and the townspeople were slaughtered without a chance to resist.

By the time the attack ended and dawn broke, word finally reached Emma.

…The Demon Lord army’s first strike was, by all accounts, a resounding success. The damage on our side was severe, and they pulled out cleanly before strong fighters like Rex or I could even arrive. They stole a massive amount of resources at minimal cost.

“Zombies… Right, if someone touches a zombie corpse…”

“Ah!”

And if the enemy really is using zombies, then the damage could still spread.

“Emma, send word to everyone. If they see a rotting human corpse—absolutely do not touch it.”

“…Understood. I’ll notify everyone at once.”

“Anyone contaminated with zombie flesh becomes a zombie. What a pain these bastards are.”

Emma immediately relayed the order to a nearby soldier. As usual, she’s a frighteningly efficient little girl.

“Pardon me, Sword Saint. I’ll excuse myself for a while. If any enemies remain, I leave it to you.”

“Got it.”

With that, she disappeared, escorted by soldiers. No doubt she’s buried in work.

And that, of course, means one thing—it’ll still be a long time before we can lay all these bodies to rest.

---

"What do you mean I can’t touch the body!? My brother...!! I just want to let him rest in peace!!"

"...Just a little longer. The coroners are working as fast as they can."

"Don’t give me that!! Give him back!! Give me my brother back!!"

Hell was far from over. The national army had begun identifying the dead one by one, and the grieving survivors had their loved ones’ bodies taken from them.

Anger, resentment, hatred. These emotions weren’t just directed at the Demon Lord’s army anymore—some had begun to lash out at the soldiers themselves.

"That boy..."

Even now, in front of me, a boy was shouting and pressing up against a soldier. I recognized that look of despair on his face.

"Stop, kid. If you touch a corpse carelessly, you could end up dead too."

"Huh!? Who the hell are you? This doesn’t concern you!!"

I gently pulled the boy away from the soldier, wrapping my arms around him. I didn’t want him interfering with the soldiers—and more than that, I just couldn’t bear to watch him suffer.

"It’s been a day, hasn’t it, kid?"

"...Ah. You’re that bumpkin from yesterday!"

"Thanks again for that ridiculously overpriced apple. ...Don’t be too hard on the soldiers. They’re hurting too."

From what I could gather, his brother had been killed by demons. The boy glanced at my face—then suddenly, as if venting all his rage, punched me hard in the gut.

A dull ache spread deep into my insides.

"Shut up!! My brother died protecting me!! And now I can’t even give him a proper burial—how the hell am I supposed to accept that!?"

"He must’ve been a brave man."

"That’s right! My brother was the strongest swordsman there was!!"

With tears in his eyes, the boy raised what must have been his brother’s sword and shouted.

"He was the best bodyguard in the whole castle town!! Just one glare from him and everyone would shut up in fear!"

"I see."

"Even today!! He was surrounded by more than five of them, but he didn’t back down! He said he’d get me out and stayed to fight! I saw him take down at least three demons!"

"That’s incredible."

"He was the strongest. He was amazing! My brother was brave, kind, and so cool..."

Eventually, the boy’s yelling faded into a tearful whimper. He fell to his knees, pressing his hands to the ground as if begging.

"Please... give my brother back..."

But his voice only echoed through the street, filled with the stench of death, among the pile of corpses in the ruined castle town.

...Then, before the boy, our leader stepped forward, sword at his side.

"Hey, kid."

"Who the hell are you? What now?"

Rex calmly stood before the devastated boy and slammed his greatsword into the ground with all his might.

With a heavy thud, the sound echoed across the town.

"I’m Rex... the strongest swordsman alive."

"You’re wrong! My brother’s the strongest! Not you! He was stronger and kinder than you’ll ever be!!"

"But your brother is dead. So now, the strongest swordsman in this world is me."

"What did you say!?"

Rex didn’t flinch, even as the boy shouted in fury.

He wasn’t the kind of man to say something cruel just to hurt someone. He must’ve had a reason—so I stayed silent and watched.

"I don’t know how strong your brother really was. Maybe he was the strongest, just like you say."

"Exactly! He was the strongest!"

"Then I’ll inherit that title—the title of the strongest."

With that, Rex handed the boy a slip of paper.

"I’m Rex. They call me the Sword Saint, the Hawk-Eye. I’m the one who inherited the title of ‘strongest’ from your brother."

"Huh? Sword Saint...?"

"If you’re truly the brother of the strongest swordsman... then shoulder that sword and come find me. Take back your brother’s title."

On the paper Rex handed him was the location of our hideout.

"If you think you’ve grown strong enough to defeat me—come. I’ll face you myself."

"..."

"Until then... until you come find me... I’ll be the one holding on to your brother’s title of ‘strongest.’"

With those words, Rex turned and walked away from the boy.

"Let’s go, Flatche."

"...Yeah."

How much meaning his words held, I couldn’t say. The boy simply stared at Rex’s back, in stunned silence.

---

"When a person loses everything and falls into despair… suicide crosses their mind."

“…Is that really true?”

“It is.”

Rex, wearing a serious expression, began to speak quietly without looking back. Mei and I simply followed after him.

“When someone has nothing left to hold them back in this world… that’s when they truly die.”

“…Rex, don’t tell me—”

“The day my hometown burned to the ground… even someone like me couldn’t help but think about dying.”

You… were that broken up when you lost your home?

Well, of course you were. You lost your whole family in one blow.

“But luckily, I still had something tying me down. A friend… Flatche. Your master, right? I had him. My one and only best friend was still alive. That’s what kept me from going over the edge.”

Wait, I meant that much to him? …I guess it makes sense. His whole hometown was wiped out. Outside of it, I was probably the only person he knew.

“But that kid… I don’t think he has anything left. Honestly, I bet if he buried his brother, he’d have died right then and there.”

“H-He’s in that bad of a state?”

“Most likely. That’s why, in situations like this, you don’t comfort someone—you push them.”

“I see. If you say so, then I’ll remember that too.”

“…Flatche, you really are an idiot.”

“Excuse me!?”

W-Why the hell is this guy insulting me? Is he picking a fight?

“You’re the one who taught me that it’s better to fire someone up when they’ve lost all their hopes and dreams.”

“Huh? I don’t remember saying anything like that. Are you sure you’re not just confused?”

“…Ah—yeah, maybe I am. Forget it.”

“Then you’re the idiot, Rex!”

Unbelievable. He calls me an idiot and then it turns out he was the one who was confused… Just how dumb is Rex? I guess I’ll have to keep an eye on him from now on too.

“Alright, let’s head back to Emma-chan.”

“…Understood.”

“Yeah.”

Rex gave a self-deprecating laugh. Just as he turned to head toward our employer, who was busily shouting orders in all directions—

"Oh my, what a coincidence, Rex-kun."

A woman walking nearby happened to meet his eyes.

"────!!"

"Hello. Lovely weather, isn’t it? Fufu, don’t make such a scary face. You’ll frighten me."

In the middle of this hellish scene, that woman stood smiling, her expression never wavering, dressed head to toe in pristine white.

"What the hell are you doing here… Mino."

"Why, official duties, of course. I am a civil officer."

The worst the national army has to offer. A devil in human form—no, something far more grotesque than a mere human.

One of the three generals of the Pedia National Army, Mino the Mastermind, stood smiling in the middle of the street.