#11. Showdown ( 11 )
A hot spring bath located in the outskirts of Lothern.
Opening the door to the outdoor hot spring bath with only a towel wrapped around him, Nael exclaimed as he saw the white steam rising.
“Wow! Is there anyone?”
It was the same situation as renting out this large bath. It was a luxury that even the richest aristocrats could enjoy. Soya hesitated and followed Nael. Contrary to Jain’s misunderstanding, Soya had no such tendency. I’m just not good at dealing with people, but I’m more used to women because of the influence of my teacher who was a woman. Nael entered the steaming hot spring bath without hesitation and groaned like an old man.
“Ah, cool… ”
Then, he beckoned Soya to come in. Soya carefully stretched out her white legs and stepped into the jade-blue water. A warm feeling rushed through my body. I don’t understand why this is called cool. Still, Soya held back and entered the bath, cautiously sitting next to Nael. It was a stiff posture. It was because the tension was not relieved. Beside him, Nael scooped up some water and started washing his face. Then, with both hands scooping a little water, he sang Soya.
“Would you like to take a look at this?”
“What’s the secret to this bath?”
Soya, who brought her face closer, was hit with water all over her face and closed her eyes. It was because Nael sprinkled water. Nael, who was joking around, was laughing like a mischievous person. For some reason, Soya’s fever rose when he saw that smile, so he started pouring water on himself with a wooden bowl for bathing. For a moment, spray raged in the bathtub where only the two of them were. Soya was the winner. Nael, who could not stand her sword-forged substance, surrendered with both hands.
“surrender! Surrender, I lost! When you wash up again later, I’ll give you a back push! now stop!”
“really?”
“yes! So, stop spraying water!”
Satisfied with those words, Soya put down the gourd. The tension was completely relieved before I knew it. After a while, Soya also immersed her whole body in the water in a similar position to Nael. It was as if the hot water melted away the languid fatigue.
“good?”
“Certainly, not bad.”
Soya nodded at Nael’s words. It wouldn’t be bad to live in a city of people. I thought so. Sitting side by side like that, the two of them talked for a long time.
“So, is Soya’s work done in Lothern now?”
“Half. However, it is not over yet.”
Dan Aksu-seon’s older brother disappeared, but So-ya had no intention of neglecting his career as the successor of the Hyeongwimun. The demons were still her enemies. I didn’t intend to give up her entire life for revenge, but I did intend to keep the demons out as much as possible. If you cut down the devil like that, the village’s enemy. It was her idea that it would reach Belial as well.
“I heard a rumor that a very powerful demon will appear here. If the rumors are true, then we must try to exorcise the demon.”
“Hmm, that’s right. If I get a chance, I’ll help too!”
Nael smiled broadly and said. Soya reflexively tried to refuse. But, I persevered. I wanted to say something different this time. While fiddling with Nael’s outstretched hand, Soya gave a small reply.
“Then thank you.”
He bowed his head. Was it the air freshener, or the smell of that shaded flower tree? The water smelled of sweet flowers. His own face, reflected in the jade-blue water, was a pale red. Soya, who had always refused help from others, was ashamed to even say such a thing. And, it was the next moment.
“yes?”
Dark shadows were reflected on the jade-blue water. The black shadow was drawing a clearer shape as it grew larger and larger. It was a familiar shape.
“Imp?”
A small monster with wings, an imp, suddenly appeared in the sky above the hot spring. It was a really sudden attack. Soya hugged Nael and quickly got out of the hot spring.
“Be careful!”
“Keeeeek!”
with a plop! A column of water rose with a loud sound. An imp with a large seal of the Destruction Army on his back with a hair iron appeared in front of the two of them with red fur standing up. He was one head taller than Soya. Nael, who was unable to comprehend the situation for a moment, looked at the imp in front of him and put on a bewildered expression.
“Imp? how? This place is a place where no demons or monsters can enter… ”
However, the imp in front of his eyes was clearly real. It pounced on Soya, salivating from its sharp teeth.
“Quit!”
Soya bit his lip slightly. Even for her, it was difficult to deal with an attack in such a defenseless state without a sword. However, his skills did not go anywhere, and he blocked the imp’s onslaught several times with a gourd for bathing. The final blow came from behind. During the time he had earned, Nael had fashioned an arrow with his magical energy and inserted it into the imp’s back. The light green arrow pierced the imp’s back and killed it. Soya tossed the bath bowl that had become a rag to block the imp’s attack, and slowly approached the imp.
“what? Wasn’t the devil forbidden inside Lothern?”
“I know.”
Nael also cautiously approached the imp. Soya was analyzing the seal of the Exorcist Army stamped on the back of the imp. Having hunted demons, she knew the seals of all demon king successors. However, the door-shaped seal tied to this chain was the first time even Soya had seen it. If it was the first seal she had ever seen, there was only one answer.
“Are you under the new heir?”
“ah!”
While analyzing, Soya looked up at Nael’s sigh. And he hardened his expression. It was because dozens of Imps, identical to the one they had just defeated, were filling the sky, flapping their wings. Apparently, they were moving to attack somewhere, but Soya and Nael, who exuded particularly strong magical energy, caught their attention and gathered at this spot. It won’t be easy. Soya broke the cleaning mop, held it like a sword, and muttered to himself. And, the next moment, I opened my eyes wide.
“Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Suddenly, dozens of imps that attacked him and Nael burst into blue flames, and all of them fell like burnt barrels. A few imps crashed onto the hot springs and created a puddle, a large water column. What followed behind this unexpected phenomenon was a familiar voice.
“Are you okay?”
“Zain!”
Nael said in a pleasant voice. And, I was hugged with only one towel wrapped around me.
“You came because you were worried!”
“ok? It’s true that I came here because I was worried.”
Jain glanced at Soya with a confused expression, and then changed his face to a serious one in an instant. Nael immediately asked.
“How did this happen? How are demons entering Lothern?”
“The barrier of the holy tree protecting Lothern began to crumble from the outskirts. Right now, the demons are attacking this place with an army, aiming for that time.”
The event that was foretold long ago. The Lothern Invasion event had suddenly begun. It was Jain who left the cafe after Nael out of a completely unreasonable worry, but he quickly grasped the situation after seeing a group of imps busily flying in the sky. The imp was acting as a reconnaissance team for the Myolcheon Army. So I chased after him and arrived at this bath.
‘I think the trigger was the fact that I awakened Gramhilt today as the older brother of Dan-Aksu-Seon.’
Zain thought as he touched the handle of the Grahamhilt. This Lothern invasion event was the event that corresponds to the beginning of all scenarios. Therefore, it was natural to deduce that Grahamhilt’s awakening was not the starting condition for that event.
“First, go back to the cafe. You don’t know where the raid will come soon.”
And Jain threw a leather cut to Soya. Since he had broken her sword, and now that he had Grahamhilt, he didn’t really need to cut leather, so he didn’t have much regret. This would have been the way to make the most of leather cutting.
“come… No, you, why are you doing this to me?”
“If you want to cut the devil, cut as much as you want. However, this time to protect this city.”
Soya, who was taken aback for a moment, smiled lightly at Jain’s words. After saying that, Jain jumped up the fence. In order to respond to this sudden event, I had to be busy again from now on. Seeing Jain’s back like that, Nael exclaimed in bewilderment.
“Where are you going?”
“There is a lot of work to be done.”
“I! What am I supposed to do?”
“You are capable of finding what you need to do on your own, without my help. Do what your heart desires.”
Only among the heroines, Nael solved the quest suggested by the guild and received the highest grade without any help from Jain. It was Jain’s idea that it could be like that this time as well. Leaving those words behind, Zain soon ran over the buildings in Lothern as if doing parkour. Standing high, I could clearly see several beacons burning in the distance. It was a beacon signaling the start of a full-scale scenario, announcing a decisive battle.