The day passed with a soul-searing tension. We harvested five cores in one day. Given the ferocity of each demon beast, it was a forced march. As proof, Kyle was drenched in the blood of demon beasts, and his black hair looked red at first glance.
"It seems to be a kind of variant. It's not just demons, Your Highness. I found something like this."
Belial asked annoyedly, brushing sticky blood from his sword.
"What is this bluish mugwort?"
"This… it's ice wormwood, a type occasionally found in the North."
Belial's entourage sneered.
"Country grass from the North is a big deal, isn't it?"
"You seem to feel nostalgic, don't you?"
Kyle, who was casually wiping blood from his face, stepped forward and issued a low warning.
"Refrain from useless disputes. Is this a situation to air your grievances?"
If it weren't for the political infighting, we would have fought to the death, and there would have been no harmony. Belial's Knights have been by his side since childhood, so they can't get along with Kyle, and they resent the Blake Knights, who trust and follow Kyle.
However, Kyle was right. To display such feelings here is to scream for a quick death. Kyle stiffened, his armor clanking with each movement, creating an imposing presence. It may not have been his intention, but it was quite threatening. The knights, who were about to speak, fell silent.
"It doesn't look like ordinary grass, right?"
Sen took the ointment from his small pocket and applied it to the knights' wounds. It was the ointment I gave him. There couldn't have been much left, but since it worked so well, they seemed to be trying to use every last drop.
"A variant that grows near the Wizard's Territory."
"Variant..."
A being that ignored the world's original flow and providence, slipping outside of it. It's true that the wizards were more deeply involved in this political conflict, making it dangerous...
'They say a crisis becomes an opportunity?'
There was a way, one that wouldn't lead to anyone's death.
[Coordination....]
The power of wizards, which violates the laws of the world, is akin to a 'miracle' – a system interference that twists my fate. Just as the system was involved with me, and just as the swamp goats emerged from the North, the mages changed the ecosystem here and strengthened the demon beasts, making it easier for the system to engage with me.
[The prices of items in the 'Nut Shop' have been temporarily reduced!] [New products will be added to 'Love Love Corner~❤'] [New metrics are being applied.] [To bring you the □□ you need the most....] [NOW LOADING....]
However, the Nut Shop, which is easy to coordinate with, was the first to open. The price display was shaking, emphasizing that the temporary reduction was no exaggeration.
I bought acorn cookies without hesitation. It's much better to be human unless your life is in danger. That's a whopping 1% of miracle value for 5 miracles. What a bargain! Without hesitation, I bought 10 sets. Thanks to defeating an out-of-spec demon beast, my miracle value had risen, so I used it all at once.
After a short wait, a new product appeared in the Love Love Corner.
NEW! [Eye of Truth (Human) | ❤ ×800 ←Recommended!] NEW! [Eye of Insight (for hamsters) | ❤ ×800]
The problem was that the explanation didn't clarify what it was.
'There must be a reason why it's recommended, right?'
Anyway, hearts accumulate even when I'm still, so it didn't seem like a bad idea to buy it. The problem is...
[Current Holdings | ❤ ×780]
It was a little insufficient. Just a little. Since entering the forest, they had almost stopped accumulating. Of course, I suppose. This isn't a place where people can be happy. However, only 20 more were needed to buy the 'Eye of Truth', and it was too difficult to give up.
If so, I had to fill the heart...
"Your Highness. I'm sorry, but... for a moment."
I just called out softly, but Kyle approached me right away.
"Is there anything wrong?"
"...Well, could you please lean your ear this way for a moment?"
Kyle leaned down slightly, pressing the side of his face close to mine. They say the person who isn't nervous dies first, yet he showed no caution. He was softly expressionless, as if he had completely forgotten how to doubt.
I thought about it for a moment, and then kissed him lightly on the cheek without anyone else looking at me.
"I didn't want to do this given the situation, but I'm sorry. There's a good reason for it."
"...Reason?"
Kyle looked at me with a puzzled, slightly embarrassed expression. No matter how much he did, he hadn't expected this. He was fighting on the front lines. Normally, I would never have done something like this to break the tension. However, the situation was the situation. If the system recommended it, it seemed like a pretty good product, so I was greedy. You know.
"I'll explain to you later."
Kyle still looked puzzled, but he didn't ask why. He didn't think it was just a joke... To be honest, I was a little grateful for that.
[Current Holdings | ❤ ×793] [Current Holdings | ❤ ×801]
Despite this situation, Kyle's feelings for me didn't waver. Soon after, enough hearts had accumulated. I didn't hesitate to buy 'The Eye of Truth'.
Plop.
"...Yes? Glasses?"
What fell into my grip were black horn-rimmed glasses, a little heavier than the ones I sometimes wore at work.
'It doesn't look like much.'
I looked at them with a puzzled expression for a moment, then I pretended to put on the glasses.
"...Huh?"
"What's wrong, Shu?"
"...I can see it."
"Do you see it?"
"Yes, I mean..."
I raised my index finger, trembling slightly, and pointed to him — to be precise, a small, blue light shining across from him.
"That... that's the Demon Beast's Core! I can see it. It's passing through His Highness!"
Until I said that, I didn't really understand the meaning of these glasses. But when Kyle looked at me with a surprised expression after observing the weakness my fellow knight had just targeted, I realized the immense value of what I had just said.
"Hey, I can see where the Demon Beast's core is!"
"No, not the forehead! Closer to the left eye. Yes, there!"
"Look at its location!"
"Right arm, upper elbow!"
"That catfish has a core that's too deep, right?"
"Wait, what's its weakness...? It was clearly written in the encyclopedia. Oh boy! Lay your sword against the gills and stab!"
We fought fiercely. To survive and become emperor. Even though they were covered in dirt, blood, dust, and filth, they constantly wielded their swords, drew their bowstrings, and exchanged information, striking at their foes. There was no victory or defeat in this battle. There was only death or survival.
Agh!
A piercing scream erupted. No one paid attention to the dark red blood that sprang up like a fountain and sprayed onto the ground. They knew it. I knew that if I was distracted by such things, my throat would hit the floor, not just the blood.
One of Belial's entourage fell to the ground. He was pierced in the shoulder by an eagle larger than a human. Half of his shoulder was ripped open and flailing. Belial saw the scene clearly before him, but he couldn't afford to be distracted. He hurriedly blocked the beak of another eagle with his sword. Sen stepped forward, dagger in hand, his back tense, on the lookout.
"I'm tired of those monsters, even the kobolds."
I clicked my tongue and opened the Nut Shop. Then I bought a madeleine and offered it to Sen.
[Mini Brazil Nut Madeleine | Miracle Consumption 1% | Makes you smaller for 30 minutes, smaller than a hamster!]
Originally, it cost 2 percent, but with the emergence of variants, it had also been halved. I could go back to being a hamster and hide, but Sen was far away, so there was a good chance he'd get hurt. It would be safer to be smaller than to be only halfway faster. Anyway, thank you for making it cheap, you wizards.
"Hurry up!"
Sen didn't even check what I handed him, quickly shoving it into his mouth. He was ready to swallow it, even if it were mud on a stone.
"Sen?"
Belial, who was covering him nearby, said a little embarrassed. Sen replied with a mumbled pronunciation.
"It's okay, I don't mind!"
I quickly explained.
"I'm going to flee to safety!"
Soon after he turned around and started running, his body began to shrink to the size of a hamster, so I quickly turned off "load" and led him to a corner while holding his hand.
Kyle's movements became sharper when he realized he didn't need to protect us. The greatsword, glowing red, flashed and struck, splitting the beast in half with a single blow, and its corpse fell to the ground. But as he withdrew his sword, an eagle with a venomous gaze rushed at Kyle from behind, its hook-like beak wide open. The way it descended with its wings folded showed its determination to bite the back of Kyle's neck, even if it died.
WHOOSH! (Oh no!)
The greatsword possessed heavy destructive power, but it was bound to be slow. No matter how fast he tried to block, he couldn't avoid injury.
'Please, is there anything I can do right now?!'
Bows were useless. Above all, the distance between the damn eagle and Kyle was too close. If I shot with poor skill, I would injure him, not the monster. Of course, this was the case when I was human. Now, I was even a hamster.
'What was I going to do? Was there anything?!'
I was helpless. It was obvious that I wasn't useful in actual combat, but as I watched him get hurt, I felt like something sharp was scratching my insides.
[Kyle Jane Meinhardt, about 162 days before the expected time of death.] [Kyle First Meinhardt, about 2 days before the estimated time of death.]
His survival was still uncertain. Just confirming that fact made my throat burn.
'I couldn't just sit back and watch like this.'
I wanted to protect him, whatever it took. It could be any kind of power, so please...
At that moment, the system window appeared.
[A new stat, 'Luck' has been added!] [Luck value is applied when acquiring the Demon Core.] [Current Holdings | ♣ ×33]
Boom!
Suddenly, a blue light erupted near Kyle's shoulder, and the eagle bounced off. The eagle lost its center and was pushed backwards, and Belial cut through it without any hesitation.
No way, this was...
[Current Holdings | ♣ ×1]
My Luck points had been reduced.
'...Could it be that the blue light was caused by me?'
Then, as if confirming my doubts, a system window popped up.
[Good luck! (ෆ`꒳´ෆ)]