Chapter 69: Veteran

Still grasping Peace’s hand, Ralph said:

"You asked why I was partied with young Divers? Well, it’s because I’m a veteran."

Peace’s eye twitched.

"Huh?"

’That answered... nothing!’

Finally releasing Peace’s hand, Ralph added:

"When you’ve survived the dungeon as long as me, you learn what it takes to survive the dungeon as long as me."

Peace met Ralph’s stern glare with a strained look of his own.

"Oh..."

Tilting his head toward the other party members he’d have to reinvite, Ralph lowered his voice until only Peace could hear.

"Seems you finally understand. It’s the principle of being unprincipled. You think I’m going to trust my back to miscreants who know that truth?"

Peace’s eyebrows scrunched.

"Why tell me this?"

Turning back to Peace, Ralph shrugged.

"Whether you realized it or not, you already grasped that much. I never expect you to blindly start trusting me as I’ll never trust you. I only wanted to explain my... change. Or rather, that I haven’t changed at all. I simply found a use for you far greater than my hollow vengeance."

Peace’s hand twitched.

"Wow. You really are a scumbag."

Ralph awkwardly scratched his bloodied cheek.

"Why do I get the feeling I’ve pissed you off more?"

"Because... you have."

"How so?"

Biting his lip, Peace spat back with a question:

"Was your love for your wife really so shallow that you’d forgo your heart’s desire for retribution?!"

Prying away a piece of dented armor that had been pressing against his sternum, Ralph shot back:

"That’s the reason?!"

"Yeah... it pisses me off to no end."

’He doesn’t want to know what lengths I’d go to for Serene or Mom.’

Pausing his movements, Ralph slowly asked:

"Let me get this straight... you’d rather I try to kill you for the sake of a woman you’ve never met than be friendly?"

"At this point, yes."

"I’m starting to get real thankful I changed my mind. If I failed to... uh, you know... oh, Hope, I’d be done for."

’Hope...? Is he religious?’

Peace hadn’t been religious back on Earth, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to put any stock in Hope.

The god whose followers went around chanting "be free!" while beheading his compatriots.

"I do pray you truly changed your mind."

"Well, as long as you don’t do something to make me change it back, you shouldn’t have to worry!"

’Was that supposed to provide solace?’

Peace crouched, seized Ralph’s forearm, and began hauling him up.

"Ow! Ow! What the hell?!"

’Whatever. I’m still not going to sleep.’

Peace clicked his tongue.

"Get up and invite them back. We should get out of here before all this noise and blood attract something."

"Hey! I’m still the leader! Don’t boss me around because I gave you one word of thanks, kid."

Peace pushed Ralph toward the kneeling Maura, who’d begun tending to Yulis.

"And stop pretending to be friendly with me. Whatever lies you try to sell me, I’m not buying."

"Right, right. I’m oh-so-sorry, Pariah."

"Much better."

Clicking his tongue, Ralph extended his hand to Maura.

"Tch. You’re strange."

Rolling his eyes, Peace trudged over to where he’d dropped his sword. He picked it up, sheathed it at his hip, then took a canteen from his bag. Leaning against a tree, he kept watch over the area.

Perhaps it was the adrenaline from the fight or the shock of his evolution — his body healing, his bones clicking back into place — but Peace had barely spared a thought for the archer.

Peace hadn’t killed the man himself, but the archer had died because of him. Well, Peace had scared the absolute shit out of the guy, causing him to launch himself away without a thought for the consequences.

It wasn’t as though Peace was some coldhearted killer who felt no mercy or disgust.

But...

To Peace, that man had become an obstacle between him and his reunion with Serene.

For that reason, seeing that obstacle gone could only bring him joy... or perhaps relief was the better word.

As for the sight itself, Peace was already quite desensitized. Watching a man have his head squished paled in comparison to watching one turn into a corrupted Vanadar.

’Still... killing people isn’t something I can get used to.’

Given how lawless the dungeon was, and how freely troublemakers roamed it, Peace knew this wouldn’t be the last time he had to fight humanoids...

And, eventually, he’d have to kill one himself.

Of that, he was certain.

At last, Yulis woke up rubbing his head.

"Huh? Wha— oh, I’m alive?"

Ralph didn’t give the poor boy any time to recover. He hauled him to his feet, saying:

"Up and at ’em, kid."

"Huh? Wait, why did you...?"

"Don’t question it."

"...Okay."

With that, everyone was back in the party. Volkar had rejoined a few minutes earlier, having awakened near the end of Peace’s discussion with Ralph.

The wrecked and ravaged crew regrouped, then set off into the Bright Forest with no particular destination in mind. Naturally, not before searching the archer’s corpse and taking anything valuable.

’Poor Volkar’s going to have to explain why he killed that dude.’

Peace could really only see that going down one way: ’He’s not a friend. He attacked my friends!’

It would take a date with the Eye of Truth, but Peace fully expected to see Volkar the next time the dungeon opened...

Assuming he made it out alive this time.

’I doubt they’ll even be too forceful in their questioning. The guy didn’t even have a tag on.’

Peace sighed, shaking thoughts of the dead man from his head. It wasn’t long before something else came to mind.

Catching up to the slow-moving group he’d been lagging behind, he fell into step beside the green-haired elf.

"Hey, Yulis, question."

The banged-up boy, still unsteady on his feet, asked:

"Y-yeah? What is it...?"

"You knew, didn’t you?"

"W-what?"

Ralph and Maura suddenly stopped.

"What do you mean, Pariah?"

Peace stopped too, then said:

"Back when... hey, Volkar, we stopped—"

"Oh, sorry, friends!"

"—Ahem, back when the idiot ran off, Yulis noticed something, but didn’t say anything."

Ralph turned his bloodstained face toward Yulis.

"Yulis?"

The young Day Elf jumped and held his hands up.

"W-wait, that was... uh."

Drawing a long breath, Ralph furrowed his brow.

"Go on."

Yulis stammered.

"Ah... um... I-I saw something, yes. I kept quiet because I didn’t want to scare you! But it wasn’t them I saw, promise!"

Ralph asked:

"Then what did you see?"

Yulis gulped.

"C-corruption. I saw traces of corruption."