Lord of Disease (JP-GL) 115

115: A Walk in the Blizzard

A world of white.

Bullets of snow hammered against me, horizontally. In a second, the path I’d taken was gone. In a second, I wouldn’t know what was in front of me.

A world of white.

“Master, shall we end our walk?”

“…Yes. I think so.”

“There’s nothing to see in a view like this.”

“No, it’s fun. I’ve—I’ve never seen a world so white before.”

“I see.”

If it weren’t for the magic-woven clothes Liz had made for me, if it weren’t for the top-quality defensive amulet I wore, if Rebecca hadn’t cast [Enchanted Resist Cold] on me, I would have frozen to death.

We’d accepted the request to subjugate the Liverit Grizzly, but there was no reason to press on in this blizzard.

I had requested this walk, with only Liz for company.

We weren’t far from the village. …Or rather, we were in the village’s windbreak. The trees had been planted densely to reduce the force of the wind, and the path was maintained—or so I’d been told, but it was all covered in snow, and I couldn’t tell the difference between this and the forest we’d passed through on our way to the village.

With my mask on, the blizzard wasn’t too bad. But we’d walked a fair distance, and Liz was probably concerned about my stamina.

“Shall we head back?”

“Yes.”

Liz led the way, and we started back. Crunch, crunch, our boots sank into the snow.

My boots were also magic items. While ‘all-terrain’ would be an exaggeration, they allowed me to walk through this deep snow as if it were only a few inches deep. Magical snowshoes, I called them in my mind.

As we walked, the wind died down, and the snow began to fall vertically instead of horizontally. The wind and snow had weakened enough that our footprints, which had been disappearing almost instantly, were now visible behind us.

It was a blizzard today, but the village chief and the hunters had said we could probably head out to subjugate the Liverit Grizzly tomorrow, and they seemed to be right.

I’d lost my sense of direction the moment the world had turned white, but Liz walked on without hesitation through the unchanging, snow-covered forest. Our two sets of footprints, side by side in the fresh snow, were soon covered by the falling snow and disappeared.

“…Humans don’t need this kind of land.”

“No ordinary human could survive here.” To simply live in this land required an enormous amount of effort. The demons, nearly all of whom could use magic to some extent, were the only ones who could.

“I… am from around here.”

“Really?”

“The village where I grew up is gone now, but it was even colder than this. I probably got so good at making magic cloth because I wanted to play outside.”

“Bridget, too? Did you grow up together?”

“Yes. We were born into a typical family in this country.”

I tilted my head.

“Is it typical for a family to produce both an assassin in the Royal Guard and a supreme commander of the Dark Knights?”

“Well, this country is open to all. Opportunities are equal. …In theory.”

“And in reality?”

“About twenty percent is connections.” I wasn’t sure if that was a lot or a little.

“But sometimes, people are scouted because they’re expected to have a certain level of ability. Connections alone won’t get you far. And sometimes, an opportunity gained through connections can lead to the discovery of talent.”

“That’s the same everywhere.” I nodded.

“…In my country, we have a word, ‘en.’”

Only my footsteps, crunching in the snow, could be heard. Liz, for some reason, made no sound as she walked. Even with the howling of the blizzard, my enhanced hearing should have been able to pick up something. She could walk through the snow almost silently.

“…In other words, it means… an encounter.”

“An encounter?”

“Yes. Or maybe fate. And there’s a saying, ‘Life is about meeting the people you need to meet.’”

“I don’t know the word ‘en,’ but we have a similar saying.”

“Really? —So, the meeting of those people… the people you need, the people who are important to you, is called ‘having en,’ and the fateful connection that brings them together is called ‘en.’”

“So, Master and I have ‘en.’”

“That’s right.” I stopped.

“Master?”

“I like that word. It’s a beautiful word, a favorite in my country.”

“I understand. It would probably be a popular word here, too.”

“But I wonder,” I smiled, hidden behind my mask.

“What about the people you meet on the battlefield?”

A silence fell, a silence that seemed to drown out the sound of the blizzard. After a moment, Liz sighed.

“…Master, isn’t it hard for you to live like this?”

“Hmm? I think my life is going quite well.” I could sense Liz giving me a look that said, What are you talking about? even in the blizzard.

“How many times have you almost died…?”

“I’m still alive. —It must have been ‘en.’ Especially with Samarkand.”

“Well, he’s the only one who’s tried to assassinate you and lived.”

“And Rebecca and Harken, too. If I had died before, I wouldn’t have met them.”

“Their assignment was a matter of military organization, but it does sound dramatic when you put it that way.”

“Hey, Liz, have you ever been ordered to assassinate me?”

“…Do you have to ask?”

I repeated my question. “Have you?”

“…No. Not a direct order.”

“What about an indirect one?”

“…The order I was given has not yet been rescinded. —‘If he becomes an enemy of the nation, kill him on your own judgment.’”

“I won’t ask who gave the order.”

“There are only two people who can give me orders. One is you, Master.”

Meaning, she was the second in command of the Sixth Army, and at the same time, a member of the Royal Guard, under His Majesty’s direct command—

“If I ask any more, I’ll be in danger.”

“You’re already in danger.” She walked a few paces closer.

“My life is in your hands, Liz.”

“…Well, I do hold the power of life and death over you.” Liz sighed.

“You are the Lord of Disease. A supreme commander of our nation. …If you have no plans to betray us, then please continue to live.”

“And if I did?”

“…That’s not something you should ask an assassin. If I were to judge that the Lord of Disease intended to betray us, it would be over.”

“Well, I don’t.” Even if I betrayed this country, I had nowhere to go. There were no examples of traitors being treated well.

If I had a place in this world, this was it.

As long as this country did not betray me, I would fight for it. …And even if this country deemed me unnecessary… I probably wouldn’t consider it a betrayal.

I knew what kind of name I had taken.

That I was a being who could be killed by anyone, at any time.

“—But.” I took off my mask, but not completely, just enough to create a small gap. I looked directly into her golden eyes.

“I have no intention of being killed by anyone but you, Liz.”

“Then you’ll live a long life, Master.”

“Thank you, Liz.” I wrapped my left arm around Liz’s waist and pulled her closer. I pressed my cheek against hers, hiding our faces with the mask in my right hand.

“You’re a little cold, Liz.”

“You’re the one who’s warm, Master.”

We stayed like that for a little while.

“…I wish we could stay like this forever.”

“We can’t.”

“Yes. Let’s go back. Right, Rebecca?” I looked towards a single tree.

“Huh? Wait, Rebecca?!” Liz turned, startled, and Rebecca, in her usual attire, stepped out from behind the tree.

“My apologies. I came to get you, but you two were… embracing… and I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“Thank you for reading the room.”

Rebecca looked at Liz.

“Hey, Liz. That surprised reaction… you don’t mean to say you didn’t sense my approach, do you?”

“W-well, that is… Rebecca, your stealth skills are too high.”

“I’m a Material Ghost, and my presence is naturally faint, but not so faint that an assassin of your caliber couldn’t detect it.”

“But you had no hostile intent, and you’re an ally…”

“You should still be aware of your surroundings, especially if I’m within speaking distance. Master noticed. Even a novice like Master noticed, even if it was just because I was in her line of sight.”

“…You’re right.” She was absolutely right. I felt a pang of guilt, seeing Liz’s crestfallen expression, and decided to intervene.

“I’m sorry, Rebecca. It’s my fault for creating a romantic atmosphere.”

“Well, I’m sure you would have reacted if I were an enemy… But Liz, if you’re serious, you should be even more careful. You wouldn’t want your lover to die, would you? Don’t let your guard down.”

“We’re not lovers, and I’m not letting my guard down.”

“The first part is a little sad.”

“Master, please be quiet.”