Death Can’t Sleep - Chapter 110

That’s how the drinking party took place. The bandits who wanted to join them rushed in and filled the spacious cabin with dozens of people. A strong drink made from tree berries was circulating. And she noticed something odd.

“Victor, they…”

 

“Yes. All wounded.”

 

Victor lowered his glass and frowned slightly.

 

Bandages were visible all over the bandits who were laughing. Their sense of discomfort grew.

 

Bandits never hunted excessively. The wall was built for a reason, so Amarion didn’t have to fight for them, and she used to catch monsters just as much as she needed. So there weren’t as many people getting hurt.

 

She looked back at Kyrgyz. Bandages were visible through his white cloak.

 

Amarion asked in surprise.

“Are you hurt?”

 

Kyrgyz glanced at her and finished his glass.

“It’s all right.”

 

“But you usually don’t get hurt.”

 

Amarion looked at him anxiously.

 

Kyrgyz was the only person in the North whom she felt strong with. She couldn’t figure out what hurt him so much. At least as far as she knew, there was no one around here that could hurt Kyrgyz.

 

Kyrgyz changed the subject.

“How did you know things weren’t good here?”

 

“…People close to Morte told me. I wasn’t sure because it was news from the North, so I came here myself.”

 

“You are still reckless.”

 

He laughed bitterly.

“That’s right. The number of monsters has increased. To the extent that it pollutes the wilderness and mountains. So our warriors are hunting in all parts of the Black Mountains.”

 

‘Ah.’

 

Amarion understood the sense of incongruity she felt while looking around the village earlier. Strangely, the village was quiet and the arsenal was empty. Numerous wounded. This wasn’t a scene you would normally see in a bandits’ stronghold. At the same time, it reminded her of the situation in the wasteland, which had been strangely quiet the whole time.

 

“No way, you’re blocking the monsters from going to the wasteland?”

 

“Yes, it is us. But our limit has almost been reached.”

 

“…”

 

“The North has been in an all-out war since summer. Lord Muel summoned all the territories that could fight, and even Siland and Amari somehow managed to hold on. I’m barely balancing it all right now.”

 

He confirmed her worst fears.

“Even if they all come together, we probably won’t last.”

 

Amarion clenched her fists in disbelief.

 

No matter how many years there were monsters, there had never been anything like this. A slight increase in the number of monsters was not a big deal to the bandits who valued the ecology of the Black Mountains, so they didn’t help much during small waves. But now, even with the bandits, things were going like this. Why did it suddenly come to this point? Nothing should have changed. Nothing at all.

 

She was stronger than she thought.

 

Even though Amarion had crossed half the continent, only Victor could cross swords with her. The famous knights and mercenaries were all weak, and even the legendary mercenary King was great, but it didn’t feel like she could defeat Amarion. And Victor was the strongest knight on the continent.

 

Then maybe, maybe…

 

Amarion bit her lip and asked the question she wanted to ask.

“…Is it because of me? Without me being in the North?”

 

His purple eyes sank deeply. He nodded.

“Yes.”

 

Amarion opened her eyes wide.

 

She couldn’t believe it… she couldn’t believe it at all.

 

Really, she couldn’t believe this was happening because she was missing.

 

“It can’t be. Only one person was missing… I can barely beat you…”

 

“I am the youngest king in the history of this fortress, Marion. The only person who can beat me is you.”

 

“…”

 

“You used to slaughter thousands of monsters every spring. I told you several times that you completely messed up the monster regeneration in the Black Mountains by yourself.”

 

“But…”

 

Amarion bit her lip.

“Then why did so many Amari people die?”

 

When Amarion said it out, she was really out of breath.

 

She bowed her head.

 

She sincerely thought she was terrible. Not only did they starve for lack of money, but also suffered in swordsmanship as well.

 

No matter how hard she tried to protect them, people’s lives were fleeting like sparks on a winter’s day. The nanny, the butler who worked in the castle, the blacksmith who fed her and put her to sleep, and the healer who always treated her knee. Countless people died and disappeared just like that.

 

Burying them, she cried every time. None of them lived the full extent of their lives. They were all people who would have lived if she had killed enough monsters in advance.

 

So she always thought if only she was a little bit stronger, if she had been a genius, if she had been a great knight like ‘Walking Death’, she would have been able to save everyone.

 

So Amarion never had complete confidence in her sword.

 

Kyrgyz said as if he read her mind.

“You can’t save everyone, Marion. No matter how strong you are.”

 

“…”

 

“Ask your husband. Did the greatest knight on the continent protect all his cherished people?”

 

Amarion didn’t even have to ask. She closed her eyes tightly. Victor had lost more than anyone she had ever met. Still, he was so strong.

 

Victor was watching them without saying anything. Kyrgyz said quietly.

“I thought you knew and ran away.”

 

“What do you mean I ran away?”

 

Kyrgyz put down his drink. His purple eyes shone without emotion.

“Weren’t you married because you didn’t want to be in the North?”

 

“What?”

 

“You left without contacting me. Following a man you met once. Leaving your land, your sick and tired family, and me all alone.”

 

Amarion opened her eyes wide. It was always a face with little change in expression, but she knew what Kyrgyz was thinking. He was lonely. There was a bit of betrayal on his face.

 

But she felt betrayed. She couldn’t believe he thought of her like that. He knew exactly who she was.

 

Amarion glared at him.

“How can you say that? All my choices were for Amari.”

 

“How would you know that? One day you went to the Capital and we suddenly lost contact. Even the people of Amari didn’t know.”

 

“How could I get in touch with the North when pigeons can’t come and go?”

 

“Really? Was there really no way? Or did you just want to forget about us?”

 

With an expressionless face, her old friend poked at her weakness.

“You always wanted to put down your sword.”

 

“…”

 

“You always did. Even when fighting here. You always wanted to run away.”

 

Amarion gritted her teeth.

“Kyrgyz, you really…!”

 

“Marion.”

 

Then, someone grabbed her wrist.

 

Amarion blankly turned her head. Before she knew it, Victor, who had put down his glass, was holding her. Kyrgyz clenched his fists and looked away. The bandits grumbled beside them.

“Ah, it’s ruining the mood.”

 

“Nooo! What is this behavior, boss? To a friend you haven’t seen in a long time.”

 

“You haven’t improved since you were young.”

 

An older man came out and helped Kyrgyz stand up.

“Come on, go out and sober up. Cool down a bit.”

 

He drove them out of the dark cabin. A cold wind blew. Amarion was flustered.

“No, I… It’s cold…”

 

But the door was ruthlessly closed right in front of their noses.

 

She stood bewildered, outside with Kyrgyz. A loud laugh was heard inside.

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

Victor Morte was overcome with a strange feeling.

 

It was the first time Amarion had been so angry. It was a little annoying that there was someone she could be so honest with, but at the same time, she was extremely affectionate.

 

-Why do you have such low self-esteem?

 

At first, when Marion said she was weak, Victor agreed to give her some time.

 

-If I tell you, you won’t believe it. As you experience it, you will gradually realize it.

 

He didn’t know when she was in Morte, but he didn’t understand how strong she was until she went to the battlefield. He thought that if he waited like that and continued to tell her that she was precious, she too would be able to become a more confident knight.

 

But Amarion was strangely unable to accept that fact. Even though she received countless compliments from all over the continent, she always thought of herself as an incompetent swordsman.

 

The reason was here. Because of the things she lost in Amari. Her memories of loss made her blame herself, and she couldn’t forgive herself.

 

So she left the North. She willingly sold herself for a bag of gold coins. Then, like a river with a broken dam, monsters came out…

 

“…It’s not a very good idea to let me live.”

 

The bandits flinched at the words of the Grand Duke. However, their malevolent gaze did not disappear. They responded savagely.

“No matter how strong you are, you aren’t stronger than Lady Amarion.”

 

“Will you hurt me?”

 

“…No. Because you are our guest.”

 

The bandits sighed. They groaned, shifted around, and drank wine.

 

“Please understand what I don’t like. Are you an enemy of the northerners?”

 

“How surprised I was to hear the news of your marriage from Amari. I heard that a high-ranking aristocrat of the Empire took the hero of the North by threat, so we couldn’t help but worry. We didn’t know it was ‘Walking Death’.”

 

“Thanks to that, the number of monsters has increased beyond our control, and Amari is a mess.”

 

“Even now, I want to hit you.”

 

Victor took another sip of his drink. The incredibly strong drink burned his throat.