Hero's Coffin Chapter 9

Chapter 9

He noticed Noi, neatly wrapped in a deep green robe. Since he and the three holy knights were all wearing robes, it seemed Noi had matched them.

"It's the first time we're all going out on a covert mission together!"

"It's not like we're going on a picnic. Why are you so excited?"

Kalterik poured cold water on Noi's subtly excited tone. Noi pouted and kicked Kalterik's leg. Although Noi's kick wasn't threatening at all, given that their size difference was at least twofold, he felt secretly satisfied.

He felt he had grasped their dynamics to some extent now. As he followed the four towards the forest behind the temple, he casually tried to strike up a conversation with Noi.

"You said you were packing supplies, but isn't your bag too small?"

"This is a magic bag!"

Oh, so this was the spatial magic commonly found in fantasy worlds. Looking curiously at the light brown bag Noi was carrying, he was inwardly delighted that he got a 'response'. While everyone else had just ignored him, his first impression seemed to be correct after all.

He probed a bit more to gather information.

"You packed additional items after confirming I was here. Are you planning to attack me?"

"Huh. Me, attack you?"

He had asked thinking that Noi might have packed something to control Isaph or protect himself from Isaph. Given that Noi had even said he would watch him directly, he thought Noi might have prepared additional precautions, not feeling secure with just the leash. But Noi let out a scornful laugh.

A bewildered look shot at him fiercely.

"Are you mocking me now?"

"...?"

"You could easily take me down if you wanted to. What could I possibly do?"

The eyes looking up at him as Noi said this were strange. They went beyond simply detesting and avoiding an unpleasant person, closer to the vague gaze of someone facing something they couldn't stop.

As if looking at a disaster.

Suddenly, he recalled what Noi had said behind the main hall. When he had collapsed retching, Noi had asked if he had really become weak, saying he couldn't believe the news of Isaph's arrest...

Come to think of it, it was odd that Isaph, who was considered evil in the Holy Empire, hadn't been restrained earlier. He hadn't thought about it because his body was in such terrible condition, but could it be that the original Isaph was actually very strong?

When he met Noi's gaze in confusion, Noi hastily turned away.

"Of course, now that you have a leash on, there's nothing to worry about! Whatever you try to do, Haren will notice immediately, so take good care of your head!"

"...Okay."

Noi's shout was fierce, but it seemed like an attempt to hide his momentary flinch. It felt like he was putting up his defenses to hide his fear, so he deliberately answered compliantly, which caught Noi off guard. It seemed Noi was at a loss for words when his criticism was calmly accepted.

Soon, Noi muttered while fiddling with the strap of his bag.

"I just packed more purification filters. Since we're taking you along, we won't be just looking around one Encroachment Zone."

The explanation that Noi was a fairy and thus more vulnerable to the air in the Encroachment Zone went in one ear and out the other. There was a faint hint of embarrassment mixed in his very small voice, but he was more shocked by the content.

There's more than one Encroachment Zone? He had expected a long-term search given that it would take several months, but did that mean they had to go around to multiple locations?

He asked in a trembling voice.

"How many... Encroachment Zones are there... in the empire?"

"You don't even know that?!"

"...I'm asking because I wondered if you might be searching additional places I don't know about. After all, it's serious enough to take 'me' out and even fake the hero's death, as you said."

It was a hastily made excuse, but surprisingly, Noi hesitated. Finding it quite plausible, Noi nodded with a "Hmm" sound.

"The number of Encroachment Zones hasn't changed. One in each cardinal direction, four in total."

I see, four of them... They had to go around four places that everyone avoids, spaces so dangerous that some couldn't even breathe there... Sadly, he had a feeling that even those spaces would be very vast.

As he was inwardly sighing, Noi looked him over with a very strange expression.

"Judging by what you're saying, did you also notice something suspicious about the recent state of the Encroachment Zones?"

It seemed he had stumbled upon the right answer by backtracking. Welcoming an unexpected hint in this terrible game without any possession buffs, he listened as Noi began to pour out information.

"For the past 20 years or so, the Encroachment Zones have been quiet. It was unsettling that they remained even after those monsters were dealt with, but there was no other way to remove them. However, recently, there have been increasing reports of the Encroachment Zones' boundaries 'expanding'. Some say strange energies are flowing out. Since this information hasn't been officially confirmed through investigation, it hasn't been made public, but..."

He organized Noi's words in his mind, feeling as if he had struck gold. It seemed the Encroachment Zones were related to some monsters, perhaps spaces they had used, which was why those areas had become abandoned land. Did the expression that there was no way to eliminate them mean they were difficult to approach?

"But whenever Haren said he wanted to search the Encroachment Zones, the Order wouldn't give permission. They dismissed it as just rumors circulating among civilians and told him not to stir things up unnecessarily."

"Why? If the hero investigated, it could instantly allay people's fears."

"On the other hand, it could also be seen as proof that the changes in the Encroachment Zones are serious enough to warrant the hero's attention."

Noi shrugged as if it were obvious. There was so much attention on the empire's hero, and everyone attached meaning to his every step.

"And since they were 'perfectly' eliminated, there's no way the monsters could still be around..."

"..."

"But, no, maybe that's why Haren wants to check thoroughly. To make absolutely sure if they, if the 'Dium' might still be alive."

There was deep fear in his voice as he uttered that name. As if even just saying it gave him chills.

A sudden brake engaged in his mind. He wondered how they could be so certain that they had 'perfectly eliminated' them, and he was also bewildered at the thought that the hero had lied about dying just because of a disagreement with the Order... But an even more chilling intuition struck the back of his head.

I know this.

This is a definite flag that the monsters are still alive, damn it.

"The number of missing persons has also increased abnormally recently, so while we're looking around..."

Noi's subsequent words no longer registered in his head. He asked painfully, hoping that this flag was just an illusion. There was no sense of relief at finally understanding their purpose.

"...What if, what if the Dium are still alive?"

"I'm certain they're dead! We dealt with them perfectly!"

No, Noi. I may not have played many games, but this rule applies to all fictional works and virtual worlds, even if it's not a game. You're going to play the role of crying and shouting "How could this happen! It's impossible!" in front of the monsters later, unable to avoid the flag.

He tried to ask again about considering the possibility, but Noi's stance was firm. He shook his head resolutely.

"Still, seeing that they're bringing you along, perhaps Haren's ultimate goal isn't just to search the Encroachment Zones, but to completely eliminate them..."

Noi's voice sounded distant as he expressed concern that the hero was taking on too much burden, but right now, he was more concerned about his own situation. The more Noi denied the survival or resurrection of the monsters, the stronger the flag became, and this meant that he, being dragged along on this search, would inevitably encounter the monsters.

The 'Dium' that had plunged this land into chaos over 20 years ago.

Why was the world he had possessed like this? Huh? If he was going to be hit by a truck-kun and sent to a new world anyway, why couldn't he have entered a hunter world and become a cool awakened one? Since he didn't want to meet monsters, he could have been made into a restorer who worked outside dungeons, instantly restoring collapsed buildings with a ta-da!

Or he could have been possessed in a beast-kin world and become a popular fox-kin celebrity! Ah, but maybe that wouldn't work since he had no talent for using his body. Then what about other settings... He hastily shook his head as images of a disaster apocalypse with sudden fog and a retreat that turned out to be catastrophic despite seeming like a school trip came to mind.

Why were these things coming to mind? Next, a peaceful cafe with a sweet scent briefly appeared in his mind, but it was followed by strange content about the same day repeating dozens of times, so he discarded the imagination. It seemed like he was in a strange universe with unsatisfactory possession options.

While he was grumbling internally, the group had moved far ahead.

"You're walking too slowly. Should I carry you again?"

"I'll do it!"

When Harenir turned back and asked sarcastically about the lagging Isaph, Kalterik quickly raised his hand. His determination to prevent the commander from exerting effort for someone like him was palpable. Of course, neither of them were welcome carriers, so he had no choice but to quicken his pace with a frown.

He hoped that with the 'freedom' he would gain when the quest ended, he could go to a peaceful world.