Evan D. Sherden, a decision to make. (4)

“I’m sorry, sir.”

Shine sincerely bowed his head to Evan and apologized. Evan accepted his Scimitar with a sour face.

The countless Devil Runes were now rising above the Scimitar’s blade.

The tightly entangled runes were not budging no matter how much he tried to pull them into his boots.

Yeah, it couldn’t be moved at all.

“It’s because it already absorbed an excessive amount.”

“No… It was my fault to let you handle this blindly without knowing the nature of the Devil Rune.”

This was a search for an object whose identity was unknown, so this degree of trial and error was to be expected.

Moreover, if one were to think about it, wasn’t it possible to say that the experiment had advanced one step further? In terms of the number of runes, it was no joke that it absorbed that much to begin with. So, in the future, it was Evan’s task to study both the boots and the Scimitar.

“But one day, I have to use this as a material to make your double daggers, but I am worried that you might be affected by it.”

“Ah, it’s not going to work?! I’ve been blood-soaking this Scimitar for years, waiting to have my own double daggers.”

“The nature of the material itself has changed, so it might not be possible. Well, don’t worry too much. I’ll figure something out.”

Evan responded to Shine while looking at the Devil Rune embedded in the Scimitar. It didn’t have much meaning as it was just a cursed scimitar that had been infringed on by absurd magic!

“Don’t use it in practice. Just absorb the blood.”

“Of course.”

Evan thought about whether he should keep it or not, but in the end, he decided to give it back to Shine. Thanks to Melonia and the witches, he had once again realized the dangers of the Devil Rune Monster, and there was nothing wrong with having another person other than Evan with the same skill that could stop the erosion of the body.

“So, let’s go back now.”

“Whoo… A battle, will it happen?”

“Probably not, but be ready if ever it does.”

Shine joined Evan and the knights, and they immediately started to talk about the witches they met. Shine was very upset by the fact that he had not been present at that time.

Evan was delighted, thinking that Shine was worried about his safety. And then Shine secretly asked Evan.

“…By the way, were the witches pretty?”

“One said she is 130 years old.”

“…I have no more questions.”

[Shine, were you interested in those kinds of things? You want me to describe more to you in detail?]

“Eek!”

There was a twenty-three-year-old girl among the witches Evan met, but since Shine looked annoyed, he decided not to tell him about that. The ghost lady gave the punishment to Shine instead of Evan.

“I’m glad to have returned safely.”

“Nice to see you. Let’s go in then.”

Evan thought there was a chance that there would be no guide, but on the contrary, the guide was already waiting for them at the meeting spot.

Evan lined up the Dungeon Knights and followed the guide. There was not a single trap. He was able to enter the village in the same way as before.

“You are back, Evan.”

Ctheasil said that the Witch Forest was a village where eight witches and twenty-two men lived. Ctheasil, who was at the entrance of the village, greeted Evan first. Her smile was exceptionally bigger this time.

“You met other witches, didn’t you?”

“Ah, I never really thought about hiding it.”

“Hehe.”

Evan was outraged at himself for being so lousy. As he sighed, Ctheasil laughed as if she was having fun.

“I may not have told you about this before, but I like that part of you very much.”

“I still have no intention of being a servant of this village.”

“There are no servants in our village. And the same goes for you.”

This confirmed her position on the matter. When Evan smiled, Ctheasil looked even more satisfied.

“You seem to have heard most of the talk from that granny?”

“I’ve heard.”

“But you came back here? Is it because you are confident in your skills, or because you believe me? I would be very happy if it were the latter.”

“Actually, it’s both. There’s almost one more thing—I was curious about your intentions.”

“I like what I’m hearing.”

Unlike a week ago, Ctheasil had been showing good feelings for Evan. Perhaps it was because he did not criticize Ctheasil even after hearing Melonia’s story, so she must have perceived him as a half-ally.

Evan didn’t really like her, so the treatment he received from her felt a bit uncomfortable.

“Then go straight to the point instead of being mindless…… Please.”

It seems like she was in a hurry. She didn’t even give the Knights any time to rest, as she spoke while holding onto Evan.

“Evan, can you please give me your boots?”

It would’ve been a lie to say that Evan wasn’t surprised at that moment. It was an unexpected blow for him.

“We will pay whatever the price is. It certainly won’t be less than the value of those boots.”

“…So this is what’s going on.”

Evan initially thought that Ctheasil had asked him to defeat the Devil Rune monsters because she hadn’t recognized his boots’ abilities. He thought she wouldn’t be able to see through Redine’s magic.

But he was wrong. Ctheasil saw Evan’s boots from the very beginning and knew that the boots could contain Devil Runes, and so she had asked Evan to defeat the Devil Rune monsters.

“I’m doing important research. As you may already know, I’m trying to repair the deformed roots of the witch race.”

Evan had already heard about this. She wanted to turn men into witches, so she came up with the idea of planting runes on their bodies. That’s what led to her research about the Devil Runes. But so far, it has only been successful on monsters.

“I want to give the power, magic, and future that the partners and families of our witches living in this village deserve. I want to create a new generation of witches with them. For that, I need your help. I want to study the artifacts that can hold the Devil Rune together,” Ctheasil insisted in a passionate tone as she stepped closer to Evan.

Evan felt sorry for her. She didn’t know much about the boots. Had she known, she wouldn’t have been so hopeful like this.

“Should I say that your mother’s magic is great, or that your prudence is insufficient…?”

“I’ll show it to you myself.”

Evan sat down on a nearby stump, rolled his pants up, and took his boots off. Redine’s magic was unlocked, and the true nature of the boots was revealed.

At that moment, Ctheasil’s face turned pale.

“That’s……!”

“I’m sorry. It’s unfortunate, but it’s not possible that you don’t know what’s hidden in here. Rather, it is more natural than the monsters accepting the Devil Rune. I’m sure you know why?”

“That’s the body of a demon……!?”

Her reaction was similar to that of Melonia’s. He even felt a little pleasure seeing this. However, he also felt a little bad for her apparent frustration.

“How the hell do you do that!? Does the dungeon city have a sleeping demon or something? Oh, damn it!”

It was unlikely for Ctheasil to have expected this much. Not to mention, the boots cursed by God were the first content that one would encounter as a pro in the Yo-Ma Great War Series 3, so this was a natural response!

“I thought I barely got a new hint…!”

“I’m sorry. But I’m glad because, thanks to you, I was able to secure a large amount of Devil Runes.”

Evan didn’t use spiteful words on purpose. No, perhaps he had actually felt that way.

Ctheasil was also hiding her true intentions, so he would not be punished even if he harassed her a little.

“…It’s amazing that you have collected so much. I thought that ten was a lot, but how on earth did you clear so many dungeons in such a short time?”

“I’m not the only powerful Knight from my group. Perhaps after some time, one of them might grow to be stronger than I am…”

“That’s not true.”

“That’s not true, Master.”

When Evan was trying to show off the infinite possibilities of the Dungeon Knights, Shine and Belois had tackled him at the same time, almost as if they had planned to do so together. Other members were shaking their heads, saying, “Here we go again.”

“Why are you guys giving up without even trying? If you practice, you’ll probably be a lot more……”

“We have to do it from the beginning. Start over again…… It’s okay though. We’re used to it now.”

When Evan was pouting in response to their dreary reaction, Ctheasil began muttering in a lifeless voice. Evan, feeling sorry for her, asked her carefully.

“I succeeded in putting the Devil Runes in other objects, too. You want to see?”

“You’re talking about that Scimitar, right? If you’re going to talk about transmission through blood, I already studied that a long time ago. As a result of it, I lost my precious people. It’s just the same story. The way we’re all dependent on things…”

It seems that she had already understood the ability of Shine’s Scimitar. In many ways, it seemed to Evan that her skills were better than Melonia’s, but was she older than Melonia?

Evan was looking at Ctheasil with such disrespectful thoughts, and suddenly Ctheasil muttered something that he could not ignore.

“If this continues to happen, I’d rather use a witch for my experiment…”

“That’s not allowed. I can’t let you do that.”

Ctheasil shook her head firmly after facing Evan, who maintained a calm expression.

“It’s a witch’s job from here. I hope you don’t interfere.”

“I am one of your kind, aren’t I?”

“You are not our kind. You’re just a man who has a high possibility of being the same kind as us. All the words I told you were lies to get my hands on the artifacts you had.”

“Why can’t you realize it yet, Ctheasil?” Evan cut her off.

“The Devil Rune you are researching about can only produce these ugly things.”

“No, there is a possibility! This is how witches of our kind live. There’s no way it’s impossible for a man! They must be able to get the power of the runes, too!”

The despair that came after the hope was gone was always more bitter than vanity. Perhaps that was why she easily lost her composure.

Was it because the two made such loud noises, or was it because they were being watched from the beginning? All of a sudden, villagers were surrounding them. It almost seemed like Evan was harassing Ctheasil.

“So that’s what you think.”

“Yes, I can’t give up! Never! Even if my life depended on it!”

“Then come to the dungeon city.”

“What…?”

Evan bent down and squatted, making eye contact with Ctheasil.

“Let’s research about that together at the dungeon city. Two excellent alchemists may be able to help you with that. And there are also excellent wizards. Oh, but doing it dangerously by releasing Devil Rune monsters within the vicinity is banned.”

“But the monster experiment is necessary…”

“It’s impossible. You’ve already seen what happens, haven’t you? Devil Rune is a power that connects with demons. It cannot live in harmony with humans. That’s a failure. We have to find another way.”

Ctheasil raised her head and shouted as if she was frightened by Evan’s powerful speech.

“Do you have any idea how many years it took me to reach the Devil Rune!?”

“But it failed. Instead of clinging to a failed theory, we have to explore other possibilities. Any wise person would’ve done that.”

That was right. However, Ctheasil did not listen to Evan, which was a usual response from researchers who clung to failed theories.

“The Devil Rune did not fail. There are still endless possibilities. I’m sorry, but that’s all for this conversation. Evan, the son of a witch, and Belois, the young witch, I really enjoyed meeting you guys, but I don’t want to see you anymore. I will guide you outside the village. Please don’t come here again.”

The guide appeared again. It was the same man who first guided them into the village. Although he was trying to maintain a calm expression, Evan felt that he wanted to make a long face.

“This way.”

“…Alright. Guys, let’s head back.”

At that point, Evan decided to leave. Even if he added up the age he lived during his past and current life, there was no way a novice under the age of 40 could persuade a witch full of tenacity. It was already an obvious result.

Rather, he would’ve been surprised if Ctheasil had readily agreed with him.

“Are we going back without even taking a break?”

“I’ll let you lay on my lap later, so be patient for now.”

“Yayy!”

Evan and others quietly withdrew from the village while receiving countless glares from the villagers.

It was surprising, but it was while they were leaving the village when a small variable they did not expect had occurred.

“About my sister.”

“Hmm?

The silent man who was guiding them out of the village had opened his mouth first.

“My sister Ctheasil is by no means a bad person. She’s been working hard to make men, including me, members of the Witch Village…”

“She is your sister!?”

“Yes, although we have different fathers.”

The guide pulled his hood off as he turned to face Evan, and nodded with a sad smile.

Looking at his fully exposed face, the guide’s face was that of a young man. It was embarrassing to call him an adult. It appeared that he had easily gotten misunderstood as an adult because he was so tall.

“My sister has been working hard to get rid of the evil root of the Witch’s Forest. And she concluded that there is no other choice but to turn us into witches for us to be accepted by witches. Perhaps she was concerned about our lifespan too, so she started researching about the Devil Rune.”

“But it failed. You know that, right?”

“Everybody in the village knows. But… I can’t stop my sister who is trying so hard, even knowing that things are going wrong…!”

“So? Why are you telling me this?”

“Please stop my sister,” the young man asked desperately. “Since my sister was very excited about you, she was most shocked when her plan turned into a failure again this time. Knowing my sister… perhaps she might get herself into something that she isn’t supposed to. Please stop her before that happens. I’m begging you.”

This soon proved to be a “request” for Evan.

“Okay.”

Evan nodded without hesitation. Nobody would’ve believed the words he was speaking. “I will calm her down with the most peaceful means I have.”

At that moment, the last quest for the early termination of Yo-Ma Great War Series 5 had occurred.