Absolutely Do Not Touch Eldmia Egga

After my pseudonym was revealed, Taj did exactly as she said and guided us with all caution erased.

The soldiers who could be called his party were more surprised than we were because of the change in response so obvious. As soon as they got out of the alley, they were waiting for us as if they were on purpose, and as soon as they saw Taji, who showed up a little late and was shoulder to shoulder with me, they launched countless hooks over their heads.

But what was even more surprising was what happened next. Even those who wondered what this was all about, their reactions changed as soon as Taji introduced me as the saint of retribution.

There were also those who had doubts, but they were resolved in the Carl Kansi line. It didn’t take long for the reaction and attitude of the soldiers to change to infinite favor like Taj, thanks to someone who recognized Carl Kansi accurately, not just from rumors.

Suddenly, the situation went very smoothly, but I, the person in charge, was a bit uncomfortable due to the excessive attention. I wanted to stand out as little as possible, but I couldn’t imagine that it would become noisy in this form.

“Of course, at the time, the guest did it quite flamboyantly, but… it’s already been so long that rumors like this have spread. I’ve been busy, so I didn’t notice it at all.”

It wasn’t until I heard the muttering of Carl Kansi, who was just as perplexed as I was, that I realized that a lot of time had passed since I entered the Demonic Territory. I thought I wouldn’t be able to go back soon, but it’s already been two months, and flying all the way west because of the oak gate was really rehearsal.

As I thought about that, I suddenly became curious about how the war would unfold after pushing the front line once, aiming for a time when the attention around me was moderately distracted, and asked Carl Kansi a question.

“Come to think of it, are there any new rumors about the wire?”
“It’s a bit ambiguous after the Sacred Punishment. I feel like I’m controlling information.”

The answer continued as if to prove that he hadn’t just stayed still while he was away from me.

Certainly, from the perspective of the Demon King’s army, it was a major incident that was never good, so there would be plenty of possibilities to control the spread of word of mouth. How well it works is another matter, but it’s better than doing nothing. The moment he was about to commit to the next one, thinking ‘Karl Kansi isn’t even a professional intelligence dealer, so there’s nothing we can do about it.’

“You are indeed a pioneer. I heard that few people even notice that information is blocked because they put so much effort into covering their mouths.”

After learning my true identity, Taji, who hadn’t lost his interest even for a second, intervened.

“…Taj-sama, you seem to have heard otherwise.”

It was an attitude that was becoming burdensome now, but it was hard to hear his reaction because it was from someone who knew something.

“That’s right. Whether or not it’s really a ‘divine punishment’ was a pretty important issue for us. The Count did his best by asking around and scattering money in various ways.”
“It sounds like something important, but can you just tell me?”
“Even if I don’t tell you, my count will tell you anyway?

He had not ruled out the possibility of an extreme reverse betrayal by riding a cult coin in his heart, but Count Leitor seemed to be a staunch believer in the Demonic Church with a long history to the extent that he felt sorry for such concerns.

“Rather, I bet my remaining leg on telling it like a saga.

Perhaps that is why, Taj showed no hesitation in sharing the valuable information that the Count had invested time and money into. Seeing them giggling and reminiscing, it might be that they are close friends of the count.

“Was it difficult to find information vendors? Was information expensive?”
“Both. It’s not a light event that the front line atrophy that hasn’t been pushed even though it hasn’t been pushed for years.”

Well… it was dramatic in many ways. Taji, who ordered his men to keep apart while still recalling the haunting scene, said in a distinctly quieter voice.

“I heard that Etisel is also pushing in earnest with the support of the Eshnua Empire.
“Do you mean holding out?”
“The Demon King’s army is silent, but Isthel is in the prime of his life, so there’s no way there could be such a thing, right? I stretched out and compared the information coming from there. It’s an unprecedented big offensive, but they say it’s blocking it better than before.”

If I didn’t know anything, I would have just wanted to hit Bae Jin. However, after knowing that he was committing something no different from blasphemy and doing strange things, he could roughly guess the cause.

“Then they popped out. Only then did I understand why.”

And it was the same with Leitor. Taji, who had a serious expression on his face as he lightly accepted the salute of other soldiers passing by, continued his explanation while stroking his rough-looking beard.

“According to what I learned with the help of the high-ranking priests, it has a strange aura mixed in. I don’t know if they know it, but you should avoid making random contact until you die. If you do it wrong, you can die, so it’s a big problem. Anyway, while there’s no more damage, if you come into contact with their blood or bodily fluids defenselessly, unless you’re a decent priest, you have to leave them to die without being able to properly treat them. Even if you don’t die, you can’t die.”
“…that’s a bit too lethal.”
“It did.”

Unlike Taji, who answered with a bitter smile, I had to use my strength to hide my surprise at the new information.

There were erosions in Renghi and Epagasierra as well, and engagements before my arrival, but there was never any talk of a bizarre infection like Taj’s just described. There is absolutely no possibility that they were not alerted by these serious symptoms, so there is a possibility that the corroded bodies appearing here are different types of corroded bodies from those I knew.

It was Carl Kansi who helped me to think about how to bring this up.

“There was no such talk in the Holy Land.”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“The Church also faced off against those monsters and suffered casualties, but there were no warnings about infection. The corpses of dead knights and soldiers… many were not in good condition, but they weren’t ugly in the way you said.”
“…A different species?”

While Taj is visibly flustered, a little more soldiers than before rush out in a different direction from us.

Unlike the soldiers I just saw, my gaze naturally followed them as they ran without even saluting. If the military law of this side wasn’t going backwards, such an action would only be possible in an emergency.

“Taj-sama. Did something happen? The mood of the soldiers seems to have changed a bit.”

After listening to Carl Kansi’s words and questioning while holding on to the consciousness of Taji, who was about to fall into serious trouble, he too looked around. And he clicked his tongue briefly.

“It must have appeared again. I’m sorry, but I’ll leave it to the soldiers to guide you. Usually they appear one by one, but sometimes several appear out of nowhere.”

There was no need to ask what had appeared. Because there was such an eye. Instead, he cut off his words to give instructions to the soldiers and quickly opened his mouth.

“We will be with you. It will help.”
“…Um, I’d like to decline… but I’m really sorry about us right now. Will it be okay?”

I don’t know if it’s because of the footprints left by the saint of retribution, Lavisher, but he earnestly asked for help from me, who must have looked like an ordinary human. It was clear that such a reaction was not typical, as the other soldiers noticed and hesitated.

“I fought the guys I encountered in Rengi.”
“And being alive means it’s a very valuable force for us. Thank you. I’ll tell the count later and make sure to pay him back.”

The image of Taji making quick decisions without hesitation was quite likable. He told me to come with the soldiers and ran at a speed that was unbelievable for a prosthetic limb.

“Guest. How did you feel about the presence of the soldiers earlier?”

Since the soldiers are obviously demons, they naturally slowed down and took advantage of the opportunity to stand in the back. Carl Kansi asked a question.

“Rather, I wanted to ask. You really didn’t feel anything?”
“Uh. I didn’t feel it at all. To be honest, it was hard to pay attention after hearing what the customer said. The distance was considerable.”

Could this have anything to do with hemolysis? That’s the only reason that comes to mind right now.

When I frowned and looked at the surroundings, Carl Kansi also realized what I was thinking and said, ‘Dragon blood is too variable. Take care of your body condition.’

Following his advice, I arrived at a large plaza where I could see ‘what used to be’ a fountain, focusing on changes in my senses and body.

Unless Leitor is a city of those who consider waste of water to be a virtue, the destruction of that fountain must have been recent. What came into my eyes as I looked away from the overflowing water with the momentum to wet the whole area was the appearance of a foreign land confronting several corpses, injured people, and two eroded bodies.

Taji and the other soldiers were already in the middle of a serious battle as they arrived late, but Carl Kansi and I who saw the scene tilted our heads at the same time and said reflexively without anyone saying anything first.

“Is it slow?”
“Are you weak?”

It definitely looks similar to the Unlucky Hulk I know, but their movements and the power to hit the floor were very different from what I remembered.