The Loner Who Conquers the Other World
chapter-237

Day 61 – Midday, Narrogi Town

The black haired boy that the god of war so fearfully respects, there are countless rumors about him and all of them are utter nonsense. It’s hard to believe that they are even about the same person.

While the Princess has doubts about the strength of this low level boy, she, for some reason, seems to be putting a lot of trust in him.

Even if he can be believed, he can’t be trusted. But he is undoubtedly strong. I learned that first hand.

I launched a sure-kill attack while hiding in the shadow with『Shadow Lurk』and completely erasing my presence. Moreover, the thrust of the poisoned sword was coming from below towards his back, from a blind spot and at the most difficult to dodge angle. There is no one who can possibly evade that. But the sword vanished, it was taken from me without me even noticing, stolen while the sure-kill skill was activated. That is unmistakably monster-level strength.

And then he saved my life. I owe it to him.

But he cannot be trusted, there is no way a monster feared by god of war Mellotosam-san can be anything but terrifying. Even commanding officers that fought through nightmarish carnage at that Evil Forest are lowering their heads and giving way to him as if it is the most natural thing in the world. We definitely shouldn’t trust him.

Because—

This boy is capricious.

Too arbitrary.

Much too irrational.

And this boy (monster) is free.

Tied by nothing, bound by no one, he lives freely following only his own whims.

The real danger of no one even considering what it means to have an unbound monster walking freely wherever he wants and doing whatever he likes at his own convenience.

Much less if it’s a boy of level 20, no one, unless in the know, would be cautious of him, no one would even notice him.

With everyone oblivious to the fact that it’s a monster, unaware that this very boy has killed a dungeon, he can freely come and go wherever he pleases.

The worst possible monster for those dedicated to protecting someone. It’s not even comparable to assassins, if merely entering the castle means that the castle has fallen, there is nothing one can do to defend.

Certainly, he is a kind boy, amiable with everyone, showing no haughtiness, he might even be called gentle. But he is not virtuous, he is as far from a safe existence as it gets.

Not a hint of a shred of malice or wickedness… Well, he has quite a bit of wickedness (lewdness), but he has no ill will. He could’ve used my body as he pleased if he only wished so back then, he could’ve even pushed the princess for a deal. But he was laughing as if it was nothing.

Because he didn’t even think that he was almost killed. For that boy, nothing happened.

But what if someone managed to seriously anger him? What then? Omui-sama said that they were doomed to perish anyway, so it will make no difference.

That if that will bring their ruin, then this was the last happy dream that the frontier saw before its death. That for the frontier that didn’t even know hope, becoming this fortunate in the end is good enough compensation.

In other words, even the king of the frontier has resigned to his fate.

That boy brings an unthinkable fortune and terror. Right now, he is granting fortune to the people and terror to monsters. And if eventually, at any given moment, it for some reason reverses, the world will come to an end.

I’m a shadow that resolved to live and die for Shariceres-sama’s sake.

Since my earliest days I trained and followed her with that in mind.

That’s why I’m terrified of that boy, that innocence is frightening.

And I’m scared of myself, who ends up laughing when talking with that boy.

Even though there is no possible way I can drive him away from the princess by waving my sword and going『shoo shoo』at him, I’m unbearably afraid of myself that keeps doing it like it’s normal.

Even though the Princess and I left to meet our deaths, when that boy is by our side I can’t help but laugh like nothing is wrong.

Even though we were prepared to face the entire army of the kingdom with only two of us, with the addition of just one person we became able to smile, feeling at ease, without even noticing how it happened.

But laugh or cry, death came as expected. And its bearer is Dajimakam the Reaper.

The very legend out of the horrifying tales told throughout the kingdom is in the flesh before our own eyes.

Dajimakam, a man from far-off land, who is carrying the name of the reaper, that is succeeded by the most wicked assassins.

From a tender age he was trained only in the way of killing men, and eventually came to bear the name succeeded by the strongest assassin.

Mastering every possible method of slaying humans, he is always pursuing the most optimal way of putting the target to the sword. A cutthroat living only to kill.

A natural-born assassin equally bringing death to those he targets and those that target him.

Capable of reading both people’s bodies and minds, all of his techniques are aimed towards killing people, the strongest anti-human swordsman.

If he found us then it’s all over. The only option left is to at least let the princess escape, even at the cost of my own life.

But the boy stepped forward. Without any thoughts, without resolving himself, he nonchalantly stepped forward.

All I can do is try to slip into Dejimakam’s shadow while he is killing the boy. Even an attempt to fight that thing isn’t possible.

But without any fight actually happening, the god of death was knocked out. With a single swing he was on the ground.

Instilling dread even in royalty, an unapproachable reaper that carefully investigated everyone around, collapsed unable to do anything.

That reaper standing at the very peak of the world of assassins. A living legend of terror. And he just casually knocked him out.

What is that boy? Is he something even more dangerous than the legendary reaper? Maybe he isn’t even human?

But the figure of him calmly erasing the reaper was that of a tender boy. Ephemeral like a powerless that’s bewildered by death.

And with a sad laugh, he then continued to walk as if nothing happened, without looking back.

Becoming a shadow, I suspect everything and everyone except for the princess. I lived viewing everyone but the princess as enemies, and even so, the boy (monster) appeared so vulnerable that it made me want to embrace him.

Frail, fleeting, as if he might disappear the next moment if I don’t catch him in my arms, like a mirage that is about to vanish.

What I’m afraid of is myself.

How many times that boy made me laugh?

Me, who suppressed all of her emotions, opening only when alone with the princess?

But before I noticed, I was following him with my gaze.

I, who devoted my life, body, and future to the princess.

And then I noticed.

Everyone is unconsciously following him with their eyes.

And merely seeing him is enough to make them smile.

A mysterious boy, a mere passing-by traveler from a faraway land, whimsical, selfish, and freewheeling, and yet adored by everyone.

The enigmatic boy, surrounded by a swirl of puzzling rumors. The one that they say like a demon brought salvation to the frontier that is too good to be true, and is massacring monsters in hordes like an angel. The incomprehensible boy.

If asked in town, they’d say he is a debauched hard worker.

Shopkeepers would claim he is a fool of infinite wisdom.

If asked in villages, they’d tell he generously took everything they had.

The townsfolk are referring to him as a fiendish messiah, the strongest and worst.

For stores he is a nice young man, that like a demon robs them to the last penny.

The kids would say that he is a suspicious person that gives candies and pats their heads.

At the guild they’d answer that he is the most stealthy and conspicuous person than anyone.

The elderly are lost for words, and just worship with fear and adoration.

Everyone is always smiling around that mysterious boy for whom not a single proper testimony could be obtained.

And that fact that nothing about him makes sense is terrifying.

Even the capital, swirling with plots and intrigue, where fiends in human clothes are prowling the streets, and any sort of villainy can be overlooked, didn’t have anyone that scary.

His ideals, aims, intentions, wishes, are also unclear. The more I look into it, the more confusing it becomes.

Everything looks meaningful and everything looks meaningless.

Everyone is complaining with a smile.

Without anyone understanding anything, the wicked something is left to freely roam.

The madness of everyone being aware of the danger, and yet smiling at each other as usual.

And yet the eyes keep following him anyway, as if attracted to him.

That’s why I’m scared of myself.

Even though he is terrifyingly scary, I can see only a crying powerless child there.