I Became a Raid Boss

No matter how cold-hearted a person may be, it’s hard to act coldly towards someone who has done them a favor.

Let alone if that person isn’t even you, but someone who has helped a child that you cherish like a precious gem; a mother without even a tiny bit of maternal love would never be able to act coldly.

“That’s not all.”

According to Atysha and Justina, the demon race that crossed over to the Ardina Continent had left Raxia merely to survive.

It seemed they didn’t really have big conflicts with other demons during that process.

Leaving behind a beloved nest and making a new one must have caused some friction, but considering they don’t mention it, it must have been trivial at most.

So, it’s only natural for them to look favorably upon us who saved their kin from another land.

“So,”

Justina began in a softer voice, “what was the reason for your ruckus all the way out here? You must have had something you desired to act like that.”

“Will you listen if I tell you?”

“I will try to think positively.”

“That’s not what I asked! I asked if you would listen!”

“Well, didn’t I say I would think positively?”

“You could just say, ‘If it’s something I can help with, I’ll gladly listen.’”

“Did you just copy me? You can be quite cute, huh.”

“…Stop with the nonsense.”

You talking like that made Da-eun get all excited over there.
I tried hard to ignore Da-eun, who was sparkling with excitement, with my hand over my mouth.

“Do you know? Even with the same words, the weight changes depending on who speaks them. Words from someone standing above others carry more weight than gold, so how can one speak carelessly?”

“Ah, right.”

That is a fair point.

If an ordinary person speaks, they would solely bear the responsibility and consequences of their words.

But if someone in a leading position without deep thought just babbles out, can other people really trust and follow them?

Even during my days as a leader, I suppressed my desire to act on a whim.

If someone who knew me back then, like Aaron, had just heard my words, they would say, ‘Is that what suppressing means?’

But I’m proud.

Whether a king does something foolish, a prince flirts, or a duke brings up unsound complaints…

There were plenty of things that I didn’t like, but I didn’t just throw tantrums every time.

I acted quite rationally.

In that sense, it could be said that Justina is lucky to have someone like me understand her.

“And I didn’t cause a ruckus.”

“…Huh?”

Justina looked incredulous as if she had heard something unbelievable.

“Well, it was just a knock, okay?”

If we’re talking about right and wrong, it was your fault for not making a door.
Holding my head high, I saw a flicker of hostility in Justina’s eyes.

“It’s obvious that there’s no door because it was not intended for access in the first place. And if you were thinking of knocking, there would’ve been more decent methods…”

“But it was quick, right?”

“Just because something is efficient doesn’t mean it’s the best. If you still don’t understand, I could always throw you back into jail.”

“Um, I’ll pass. I prefer being the one locking people up.”

By the way, why was there no entrance? Was it made without considering that?
What about supplies? What if someone wants to go outside?
What about those who failed the ascension ceremony—how do they exit?

“-Enough, enough.”

Justina waved her hands dismissively.

“Once we’re done with our business, I’ll have someone guide you around the village, so can we return to the original topic? You seem so leisurely knocking on the door as if you’re not in a hurry.”

“Oh, right.”

Every time I poked her, her antique tone getting riled up was amusing, and I couldn’t help myself.

We wasted so much time, so let’s cut to the chase.

“I came to undergo the ascension ceremony.”

“…You mean the ascension ceremony?”

“Yep.”

“Now that you mention it, humans wouldn’t likely know about the ascension ceremony, but you didn’t seem surprised after hearing my story.”

That’s my blunder…
I shrugged at Justina, who was muttering like that.

“Isn’t that proof that I care about Atysha?”

“…Ahem!”

Justina cleared her throat upon hearing my words.

Despite her embarrassment being evident, she didn’t seem to dislike what I said.

“Did Atysha tell you?”

“No. I heard it from Edel and a man I met a few days ago.”

“A man? …Ah, was that what happened?”

She only referred to him as a man, but Justina seemed to have figured out who I meant.
Why wouldn’t she know?

“Right. She has me informed.”

“Oh? That was easier than I expected.”

“You’ve already come this far knowing the risks, so you wouldn’t turn back, right? If it’s something Lady Edel said herself, there’s no reason for bad intentions, so I have no reason to refuse.”

“I thought I’d have to persuade you for ages, so I’m relieved. Then let’s start right now.”

“No, that won’t do.”

“…Why?”

Didn’t it just feel like we were in a permission-giving mood a moment ago?
I glared at Justina, who seemed to throw cold water on the smoothly flowing atmosphere.
Whether I cared or not, Justina leisurely sipped her tea.

“Even if it appears that way, there are still things that cannot be done.”

“Then what exactly can’t we do? You’re not trying to ask me to catch a dragon, are you?”

“That’s not a bad idea. Could you bring me one?”

“If it’s that, I could do it right now.”

-…
I glanced at Gracis’s blessing.
He was clearly listening to the conversation yet pretending to sleep and saying nothing was incredibly annoying.
He always stays silent at times like this.

“You’re really a boastful child.”

Justina dismissed my earnest words as mere boasting.

“I feel like you’re misunderstanding something, so I’ll clarify. When I say it’s impossible, I mean it’s not possible at this moment. Do you think that the ascension ceremony can be held anytime one wants?”

“…Isn’t it?”

“No, it’s not. Would it seem like such madness was possible if it were that easy to artificially raise one’s rank and burn one’s spirit?”

“That’s a fair point.”

But I see she does realize it’s something quite mad.
“As you might know, the ascension ceremony forces an incomprehensible amount of mana inside. In other words, it means a sufficient amount of mana must gather.”

“I understand what you’re saying. You’re saying that after undergoing the ascension ceremony a few days ago, you haven’t gathered enough mana yet.”

“Your manner of speaking could use work, but it’s comforting that you grasp it quickly.”

“Thanks for the compliment. But is this amount of mana insufficient?”

Even now, the magical energy weighs heavily upon me.
Sure, it’s considerably more oppressive here than elsewhere, but I figured it was weak for a place where all the polluted mana converges.
Was the feeling I got from neutralizing it through the ascension ceremony?
Justina shook her head.

“It’s terribly insufficient.”

“So how long must we wait until the mana gathers again?”

“Hmm….”

After a moment of contemplation, Justina spread her fingers wide.

“We’ll need to wait this long.”

With one hand extended and her other hand playing with her fingers, she seemed to have made up her mind and presented her palm to me.

So, her hand was wide open with five fingers spread out.
“Five days? That sounds good.”

“What are you talking about?”

“…Huh?”

“Of course, it means five months.”

“…Huh?”

“That’s the minimum estimate. It’s an act that trades one life for another, so naturally, you’d have to wait at least that long.”

“…Huh?”

“…Are you broken?”

“Is it any surprise that I’m not broken?”

“Kana, we don’t say someone’s broken; we say they’re damaged.”

“That feels weird too…. No, that’s not important right now.”

She said I only needed to wait a bit, so I naturally thought it was five days. I never imagined I’d need to wait five months.
Even in the first place, thinking I could endure several months in Raxia was beyond imagination.
Not to mention how annoying it would be; it wouldn’t be strange to fall ill from being poisoned by mana.
I asked if there were any other options, but Justina didn’t nod her head.
After all, pressuring Justina would not yield any results…

“This is complicated now.”

…This is a dilemma.
If I think simply, I could return to Ardina and come back after five months.
However, the situation isn’t relaxed enough to leisurely wait for the mana to gather.
While it’s not an urgent situation, the sooner, the better.

Smack!

Suddenly, Justina, who’d been watching me struggle, clapped her hands.

“Since you’ve come this far, how about you rest today and we continue the discussion tomorrow?”

“I think it’s a good idea to listen to Justina. You haven’t properly slept for days. You might seem okay at the moment, but it could affect your health.”

“Ah! So can I explore the village? I’ve been curious!”

“…Sigh.”

As soon as Justina finished speaking, Selin and Da-eun jumped in agreement.
I knew Da-eun was playful, so I could accept that, but Selin going along was unexpected.
I couldn’t even say anything about my health being brought up.

“Fine. Let’s do that.”

I ended up giving in to their majority vote.

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