Tears were rolling down from the corners of Damon’s eyes as he looked at Helton.
“To think you threw away your life to save mine… Helton. What a truly foolish thing to do. Do you know how I feel right now? Even if I had to turn you into a Death Knight, all I want is to see you again…”
Kasim, who had been listening, quietly opened his mouth.
“Helton would never resent this. The face of Helton that we saw at the very end was filled with a happy smile. And that is the heart of all of us as well.”
Damon nodded in silence.
“True. Helton wouldn’t want to be made into a Death Knight either. I can’t very well make even his soul be cursed.”
Damon’s gaze turned this time to Bieri. Of course, he knew very well how Bieri had died.
“To think you gave up your noble life to destroy a single trifling Bronze Golem… There is no irony in the world like this.”
Kasim strode toward Damon, whose eyes were bloodshot as he shook his head. As if there were nothing to think about, he suddenly pulled Damon into a tight embrace.
“I am truly glad you came back alive, Damon. If you had gone on without my permission, I probably would have followed you even to the ends of hell.”
Kasim’s trembling voice was steeped through and through with sincerity. The mercenaries watching them also began to rise, one by one. Mitchell approached with an indescribable look in his eyes and wrapped an arm around Damon’s shoulders.
“Damon. I’m glad to see you again. You are the very reason for my existence. Wherever you go, you won’t be able to shake me off.”
“The same goes for me.”
Next, Gerald spread both arms and embraced them. Patterson and Heinrich were doing the same. The members of the Kasim Mercenary Corps soon became one mass, sharing the sorrow of losing their comrades. The only ones who did not join them were Cartroy and Juliana.
After a while, Damon turned his head and looked at Cartroy. A somewhat awkward smile was on his face.
“Thank you, Cartroy.”
“……”
“If not for you, this would never have ended with only this much sacrifice. I want to tell you sincerely that I’m grateful.”
Cartroy, who had been glaring at Damon’s face with a suspicious expression, spoke in a listless tone.
“That’s the face I saw at the tavern last time. In any case, it feels awkward to hear such words from you. And there’s no need for you to go out of your way to thank me. Dragons are beings that originally uphold neutrality and balance… I advise you to act as you usually do.”
At those words, Damon’s face crumpled.
“You damned bastard. Do you have to throw cold water on a perfectly warm atmosphere? Hey, this is why people call you stupid. If you want to look cool, you should at least read the room properly.”
Though he had been struck by an unexpected blow, a smile instead appeared on Cartroy’s face.
“That’s exactly how you should be. You damned bastard!”
“You rotten little dragon whelp…”
Even as Damon scowled fiercely, a smile hung at the corners of his mouth. Suddenly, the figure of Juliana standing there blankly entered his eyes. Suspicion appeared on Damon’s face all at once.
“Why is that girl here? Even after being rejected, she still hasn’t gone back to Carsel?”
At those words, the mercenaries’ faces abruptly stiffened. The fact they had forgotten for a moment had come back to them. With a rigid expression, Kasim approached Damon and whispered into his ear.
“Um, Damon. We’re in very serious trouble.”
“Serious trouble…?”
“P-Princess Juliana has g-gone and joined our mercenary corps…”
An incredulous expression was engraved across Damon’s face.
“What did you think you could use that girl for, accepting her as a member? As you know, she’s a girl with not a single useful quality.”
“Th-the truth is…”
Kasim silently explained the whole story. Even after hearing the circumstances, Damon’s face showed no change in expression whatsoever. After a moment, he shook his head as if it were nothing important.
“That turned out well enough. Gerald and Heinrich have finally escaped being the youngest members. Hey, Kasim.”
“Yes, Damon.”
“You explained to her beforehand that the Kasim Mercenary Corps gives women no special treatment whatsoever, didn’t you?”
“Yes? Ah, right. That was something I…”
Quick-witted Kasim hurriedly nodded. Damon looked at Juliana as if it were no great matter.
“From now on, all the meal duties that Gerald and Heinrich were handling will be handed over to that girl. Of course, the washing up as well. As you know, the hierarchy of the Kasim Mercenary Corps follows seniority to the letter. Therefore, if there is any insubordination, I will punish it personally. Understood?”
A flash of delight passed over Kasim’s face. As expected, there was only one person capable of dealing with Juliana. Without needing to think, he answered at once.
“Understood.”
“When we’re on the move, I will not permit anyone to lighten her load just because she is a woman, under any circumstances. And have a set of chain mail and half-plate armor made to fit that girl’s build. Since her skills are so terrible, shouldn’t we at least put sturdy armor on her for defense?”
At Damon’s unexpected reaction, Kasim gave a bitter smile. Of course, he had immediately grasped Damon’s intention. If they did as Damon said, it was obvious Juliana would collapse before even a full day had passed. He stared intently at Damon’s unfamiliar new face.
‘Judging by the way he talks, he’s definitely Damon.’
Seeing Kasim nod, Damon turned his head. A triumphant smile gleamed at the corner of his mouth.
‘No matter how much you act up, you’re still Sun Wukong in the Buddha’s palm. I wonder how many hours you’ll last. Heh heh heh.’
When he turned his head, Juliana’s eyes, blazing with fury, were right in front of him. She had drawn close without Damon noticing at all.
“Wh-what?”
The instant Damon was startled, an extreme pain surged up from his side. Unable to endure the pain, Damon let out a scream of agony.
“Urgh.”
Clutching his side, Damon collapsed on the spot. It was an unexpected blow delivered at a completely unforeseen moment. Even Damon, for all his resilience, had no way of enduring a direct hit to the Yeyuan acupoint (腋淵穴). As fate would have it, that acupoint was one Damon himself had demonstrated and taught her. Having been struck head-on by a move he had taught her himself, Damon could only suffer, unable even to breathe properly. The mercenaries watching the scene all shuddered as one.
‘As expected…’
‘Even Damon can’t escape that wicked woman’s grasp.’
After a while, Damon managed to calm the pain and rose, his eyes glittering with venom.
“You damned bitch. To think you’d dare ambush me… Mmph.”
Damon was startled. The moment he got up, Juliana kissed him without warning. As their lips overlapped, the strength slowly drained from his tightly clenched fists. Damon’s pupils had dilated to the utmost in shock. While his mind went blank, he heard Juliana whisper softly right beside his ear.
“I’m so glad you came back alive, Damon. Do you know how worried I was?”
“Y-you little…?”
Unable to bear it any longer, Damon shoved Juliana away. But when he saw the tears wetting Juliana’s face, his heart weakened once again. Damon squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head.
‘Girls really are bewitching creatures. B-but her lips really were soft.’
As he was thinking this and that, Juliana wiped away her tears and lifted her head. A moment later, her voice sounded as though she had regained her composure.
“By the way, what’s with that unlucky face? It really makes me lose my appetite. Hey, old man. How about changing your face back to how it was? Your old face was much better.”
Damon looked as though he had been struck.
“Y-you mean you don’t like this face?”
Juliana nodded without hesitation.
“Obviously. What is that supposed to be? You look like some courtesan’s pretty boy… Just looking at you makes me feel bad.”
At those words, mischief stirred in Damon’s mind.
“Then how is this face? To be honest, this is my true appearance.”
Damon’s face began to distort. He was changing the form of his mana and unfolding the Reverse Body Transformation Art. After a short while, Damon’s appearance had perfectly recreated that of Dokgo Seong, who had been the commander of the Guardian Demon King Army five hundred years ago. Cries of shock burst out from among the mercenaries lined up there.
“Gasp. What is that face?”
“Good heavens. D-Damon.”
Having returned perfectly to Dokgo Seong’s form, Damon let out a sinister laugh and looked over the mercenaries one by one. Even his voice had changed completely.
“Heh heh heh. You lot. This was my original appearance. Before I was caught in a dragon’s grasp and became a lich, that is. How does it feel to see my true form?”
“……”
The mercenaries remained silent, their eyes wide. Damon slowly looked over them.
“Now I will begin explaining why I am in the appearance of the Crown Prince of the Crosen Empire.”
Damon began explaining to the mercenaries the path he had walked.
“I lived for a full five hundred years as a lich guarding Berkis’s lair. You already heard it from Berkis, so I imagine you have some idea. Otherwise, there is no way I could have lived until now. No matter how advanced one’s magical skill may be, it is impossible for a human to survive for five hundred years.”
The mercenaries were finally able to resolve their question. Every one of them had been wondering about that very point. Damon nodded and continued speaking.
“During that time, I broke the mind magic Berkis had placed on me, then continued my research into magic. As a result, I was able to become a master of the 9th Circle. While I was a lich, I was constantly watching for a chance to escape from his grasp. Then, by chance, Crown Prince Alkaris and his personal knights approached Berkis’s lair. Of course, they were wiped out to the last man by the liches led by Gedenheid. But I somehow managed to save Crown Prince Alkaris.”
Damon looked over the mercenaries’ faces one by one and continued.
“I decided to exchange souls with Crown Prince Alkaris, who was unconscious. Because that was the only way to escape Berkis’s grasp.”
At those words, the mercenaries were startled.
“E-exchange souls?”
They too knew exchanging souls to be a realm belonging only to the gods. That was why they could not easily believe it. Damon continued his explanation without hesitation.
“I won’t give a detailed explanation. It would take too long, and it would be difficult for you to understand… In any case, what matters is that the soul exchange ultimately succeeded. As soon as I changed bodies, I left Berkis’s lair. It was after that that I obtained Increcia and created the four Death Knights. Then I crossed over to Arcadia, and finally came to meet all of you. Do you understand?”
After hearing that winding tale, shock spread across the mercenaries’ faces. To think such a tragic story could belong to one man… A lonely light settled over Damon’s face.
“It wasn’t that I especially wanted to hide it from you. But there was never any chance to tell you. And besides, I wasn’t sure whether you would believe me…”
“No. If it is your word, Damon, we believe it.”
At Kasim’s words, Damon’s expression brightened. His tone also turned gentle.
“I’m grateful that you think so. To be honest, there is still something I have not revealed to you. It is a past I do not particularly wish to reveal, but if you want, I will tell you. Do you want to hear it?”
At those words, the mercenaries shook their heads without hesitation.
“If you do not wish to reveal it, then please do not tell us. In any case, Damon is an undeniable comrade to us. That will not change, no matter what happens.”
A smile appeared at the corner of Damon’s mouth.
‘Heh heh. As expected, they were worth taking as comrades.’
Having finished that thought, Damon looked at Juliana.