I Became a Raid Boss

Death is a futile thing.

Especially on the battlefield where countless lives are lost.

Just a few hours ago, a comrade, with whom I shared a meal, lies sprawled without even closing his eyes.

The superior who nitpicked everything suddenly gasps and dies, frothing at the mouth.

Whether it’s a husband who’s been married for only a short time or a dutiful son caring for his elderly mother,

none could escape the merciless blade of war.

“If I return with all my limbs intact, it’s a miracle; if I come back with only minor injuries, it’s luck; and if I return alive, even with a part blown off, then that’s sheer fortune.”

Such words exist for a reason.

No matter what tragic story one may carry, returning alive from an unnamed battlefield is indeed a fortunate occurrence.

“Yes, it’s good luck.”

For the man, the most necessary thing to survive a battlefield is luck.

Mediocre strength holds no meaning.

Even in the very battlefield where he survived, there were many comrades stronger than him, yet only he and a few of his companions made it out alive.

They were merely a tad luckier than the others.

What if he had carelessly turned his body?

What if the sword energy that flew in had tilted just a bit to the side?

‘…Another miss.’

And if the demon, who cruelly massacred the allies, hadn’t lost interest and retreated?

That day, what the man lost wasn’t just his left arm but his life.

Just a few slashes from the demon had inflicted near-extermination-like damage, and the surviving soldiers barely managed to escape.

One wouldn’t need to speak on the morale of those fleeing soldiers.

But the man was different.

After losing an arm and barely escaping the battlefield, back home in his mother’s tearful embrace, he pondered.

Is it really possible that such power could come from someone’s body, especially from a girl who looks younger than his own daughter?

The man realized.

Mediocre strength is meaningless, but with overwhelming strength,

one can surely overcome misfortune…

Although survival relies on luck, it’s strength that determines good fortune from bad.

Thus, the man took up the sword with his one remaining arm.

Waiting for the day when his sword would finally reach the demon.

*

It’s already been several days since the long Ascension Festival ended and I left the Holy Kingdom to embark on my journey.

In the cycle of eating, riding horses, and repeating the same, there was one thing Da-eun and I never omitted.

It was swordsmanship training and language study.

“…Do you two always train like this?”

Selin asked with a bewildered face.

I’m learning Arkish but I’m still clumsy, while Selin doesn’t know Granic at all.

Hence, Selin and I could only communicate through Da-eun, who was the only one fluent in both languages.

Or, Selin would try to use only very basic words that I could understand.

Even then, it wouldn’t be a proper conversation.

And, Da-eun, who would interpret our dialogue, is currently…

“….”

“Um….”

There was no response. She seemed like a corpse.

I poked at her side, buried face-down in the dirt, but she still didn’t react.

Oh dear… what a pity at such a young age…

May she find peace in the afterlife.

Shhhh.

I sprinkled a small amount of dirt over her body.

“…Sister isn’t going to sleep yet….”

“Ah, she’s awake.”

Da-eun groaned with a bizarre sound as she staggered to rise.

‘…Undead?’

The way she looked reminded me of an undead creature creeping out of the ground.

…Should I eliminate her? I unknowingly fidgeted with my sword before locking eyes with Selin.

She too seemed to share a hesitant expression like mine.

“Selin, could you please…?”
“Um, of course.”

As Selin’s golden mana flowed and penetrated Da-eun’s body, the scratches disappeared and the pallor of her face returned.

Although her attire was still filthy and her expression looked like she might collapse, at least she didn’t look undead anymore.

Leaning on her sword like a cane, Da-eun sighed deeply.

“Really, I’m always indebted to you, Selin. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve already been dead.”
“Even so, I can’t say it’s to that extent….”
“…Honestly, you can’t be sure, can you?”
“Ah, no.”
“Come on, just be honest. It’s okay since Kana won’t understand.”
“How can a nun gossip from behind?”
“Oh! Gossip? What a serious accusation…! I certainly don’t want to badmouth Kana. I just wanted to hear Selin’s genuine opinion.”
“Genuine… opinion?”
“Yes. You don’t need to think hard; just tell me how difficult the training is.”
“Hmm… to be honest….”
“To be honest…?”
“I think it’s quite tough.”
“See?!”

After a few exchanges with Selin, Da-eun quickly regained her vigor.

It was a dramatic change that made it hard to believe she had been on the verge of death just moments ago.

“Sometimes I feel like you train harder than the holy knights… Oh, that’s just about the intensity of the training.”
“But you’re saying it’s tough, right? Sigh, Kana is killing people, seriously….”

“…”

Noticing my name being mentioned made me feel like they were talking about me.

It was infuriating.

Feeling frustrated that I couldn’t understand, I even considered buying a translation magic tool.

‘…The price.’

Once I learned the cost, I quickly dismissed the idea.

Actually, it might be more accurate to say it was retracted.

No matter how much money I had saved, spending that much would be a bit excessive.

If I had known it would turn out this way, I should have asked Edel for a good method.

Seeing how Earthlings could fluently use Arkish, Edel must have had a hand in that.

When I first spoke with Edel, I was overwhelmed with emotion, and during our second conversation, we had so much to discuss that I didn’t think of it.

Dimensional travelers, Mad Continent, and all that jazz….

Talking on such a grand scale, it’s no wonder I didn’t think about the translator.

Edel disappeared right after we finished discussing the demon race, so there wasn’t even time for that.

For now, I should study as much as I can, and if it truly doesn’t work out, I’ll consider buying a magic tool.

Money can always be earned again.

“Are you okay, or should we do a little more?”

“…Please let me live.”
“…I just let you live, didn’t I?”
“That’s not what I meant! I really want you to just preserve my life….”

Da-eun made an utterly pitiful expression.

“I… Um….”

While I was speaking to her, I hesitated as I looked into her eyes.

I had told her my real name, but I asked her to call me Joanie whenever possible.

It felt more familiar that way.

Also, I added that I’d let her know if I wanted to be called by my real name, then she could call me by it.

…It feels a bit awkward to say this.

‘Isn’t it a bit too obvious?’

Of course, Da-eun had no idea I knew that, but I still went along with her leads, even though I thought her excuse was flimsy.

“You asked Joanie to teach you.”

If this way of teaching wasn’t effective, I wouldn’t have been able to say much.

“You’ve improved a lot.”

That statement was absolutely not just a hollow compliment to make Da-eun feel better.

From basic things like the sword holding posture to combat skills, she was far better than before.

The habit of fearing her own sword while wielding it has greatly diminished, and she’s now able to respond more calmly to incoming attacks.

“E-eh, really?!”

Da-eun looked utterly shocked that Kana was giving compliments.

Though she wore an expression that looked like she was in disbelief, hearing the praise seemed to make her happy as she beamed brightly.

Looking back, it seems I’ve never particularly complimented her during our training.

Of course, that’s because there wasn’t much to praise, but seeing her so happy, I figured maybe it’s not bad to compliment her sometimes.

For the sake of effective education.

…Yes, it’s only for efficiency.

Seeing Da-eun smile brightly eased some of my discomfort.

“So, how about just a little more?”

“You think saying that will let me off? No way!”

Watching Da-eun hastily flee as if trying to escape me made me feel a bit peckish.

Ah, this isn’t working.

*

Tap tap.

I stared, half-dazed, at the flickering campfire.

I vaguely remember hearing that fire has played a huge role in the advancement of humanity.

Is that why? Sitting like this, watching the flames dance, oddly calms my heart.

‘When was the last time I felt at ease like this?’

Thinking back…

It seems I haven’t had the luxury to relax since I became the head of the Crimson Aegis.

So, since my father passed away.

The royals and nobles have constantly annoyed me, we are at war with the Empire, and monsters could strike at any moment….

Even after Granis was destroyed and I stepped down from the burdensome leadership of the Crimson Aegis, things weren’t much different.

I had to maintain a certain level of tension, never knowing when or where a threat would strike.

Thus, it’s exceptionally rare for me to be at ease like I am now.

Due to Selin’s holy magic, I didn’t need to worry about physical threats, and what troubled me mentally…

…would be a lie to say there’s nothing, but for some reason, I feel like everything will turn out fine, so I’m not too concerned.

When on earth did I start thinking so optimistically?

It’s such a silly thing, making me want to chuckle when…

“…It’s done!”

Out of nowhere, Da-eun cheered.

It seems the project she’d been working on during all those nights in front of the campfire has finally come to an end.

Curious to see what she had been working so hard on, I wanted to look.

‘It’s a surprise, so you can’t.’

– That’s what she said, which left me in the dark about her project.

I could certainly find out if I set my mind to it, but I didn’t feel like prying after she went through such effort not to share it.

But doesn’t saying it’s a surprise just make it an ordinary gift?

I cocked my head slightly.

In the meantime, Da-eun diligently tidied up and approached me.

“Ta-da! It’s a surprise!”

“U-uh, wow… I’m really surprised. I didn’t expect you would prepare this.”

“Puhuh, what kind of act is that? You don’t look surprised at all!”

“….”

After trying to play along, Da-eun puffed up her cheeks.

“Aww, so cute~”

“…Hmph.”

As she toyed with my cheeks like a toy, she finally released her grip upon seeing my triangular eyes.

I rubbed my cheeks, which still felt slightly warm, and asked.

“So, what is this?”

Da-eun tossed a bundle of paper to me.

Between the stacks of sheets, words occasionally peeked through.

“It’s a word card. With this, studying will be easier, and I think it’ll help with chatting with Selin.”

“?”

When her name was mentioned, Selin perked up from afar.

She scooted closer and saw what I was holding, letting out a small admiring gasp.

“Oh my, you finished it! You’ve worked really hard.”
“Hmm. I put in some effort!”

Each piece of paper was inscribed with Granic and Arkish.

And to aid in understanding, there were simple drawings accompanying each word.

While I was admiring the word cards Da-eun made, Selin and I watched with interest.

“Water… fish?”
“Yes, that’s the word for fish.”
“…And this?”
“That one means ‘doll.’”
“Ahh.”

…Though it was written in Granic, I mistook it for a monster because of the drawing, but it was a doll?

Da-eun’s drawing skills were objectively not great.

Yet still, her heart was conveyed.

“…Thank you.”

I also smiled brightly at her and expressed my gratitude.

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