Interlude 2: Half a League Onward, All in the Valley of Death

Sakimi's screams still echoed within Marigold's mind as she remembered the fight against Enzo.

It had ended in catastrophe, with Ares dying and Sakimi being captured.

But Marigold never imagined that Sakimi would become a demon.

It must have all been one big nightmare.

***

Back during the battle against the archdemon, Marigold had managed to activate her teleportation rune, sending her and Vortigern back to the Guild Hub in Eden. With tears in her eyes, she rode out of the city, not daring to confront Sakimi's parents.

Even though Ares would be resurrecting soon, Marigold didn't want to stay. She wasn't even sure if Ares would be willing to keep fighting.

With nowhere else to go, Marigold rode to her hometown of Festus, which was dangerously near the demon territory. Because of that, the city was constantly in conflict.

It had been years since she last visited her friends and family, and she needed some time to get away from her failure.

When Marigold finally arrived at Festus, the sounds of chaos retched in her ears. She tried to turn away, but a voice spoke in her head.

"Fight."

Marigold didn't know where it came from, but the voice kept talking.

"Fight...don't give up...there's still so much to do. It's better to live on your feet than to die on your knees."

Now, Marigold recognized the voice. It was Sakimi.

"Get out of my head!" Marigold screamed. "I've had enough, already!"

"You act calm and collected around others, but you're just a weak little girl on the inside. I thought you hated the demons. Why are you running away? Are you just going to abandon me and let me die again?"

"Stop it!"

Marigold had been an adventurer for many years. At first, she wanted to fight the demons, but that sentimentality soon shifted into a desire for wealth. Marigold didn't believe that there was any way to kill the archdemon, so she settled with living a comfortable life in the edge cities where the demons would seldom bother her.

When Ares, the Hierophant, set off to end the demons' reign, it reignited a flame within Marigold. She thought that she could finally realize her dream once again. In the end, she was only a naive and idealistic fool.

"Marigold, is that...you?"

A young elf girl limped up the hill, trying to escape the ravaging demons in Festus.

"Vivy?" Marigold said, recognizing one of her childhood friends.

"Oh, thank goodness! We need...your help!"

Vivy fell forward, clutching her stomach. Marigold rode to the girl's side and said, "Vivy! Are you alright?"

Upon closer inspection, Marigold found that the girl had a deep gash in her stomach. Vivy placed a bloodied hand on Marigold's cheek, leaving a trail of blood.

Finally, the girl dissipated into glitter without another word, leaving Marigold in speechless astonishment.

This was the very thing that Marigold sought to prevent. This was why she became an adventurer—to kill the archdemon and prevent innocent lives from death.

Everyone in Festus knew the dangers of living so close to demon territory. As such, many of the residents were trained to fight the demons. Marigold had always loved her hometown, but she didn't hold the same self-sacrificial loyalty as others.

Thus, Marigold left the city. Many of her friends begged her to stay since she was one of the strongest fighters, but she didn't want to defend. She wanted to attack.

And now, Marigold had come back in the face of defeat.

"Fight," Sakimi's voice said again. "You're a coward. Don't you dare give up. Do you want to see your city fall?"

"No," Marigold said solemnly.

She got back onto Vortigern and snapped the reins. "Let's go!"

Marigold and her mount dashed toward the northern end of the city where the fighting was the most fierce. Elven soldiers were in combat against a horde of wild demons. Behind the savage army, a squad of armored warriors protected the general.

"Out of the way!" Marigold said, drawing a glowing red arrow.

The elven warriors retreated to the side as Marigold yelled, "Leviathan Piercer!"

In an instant, Marigold blew a hole in the enemy formation. As she trampled over the rest of the wild demons, she shot three explosive arrows at the guards.

"Let's back her up!" one of the elves said.

With a chorus of battle cries, the elves stampeded against the demon army.

Marigold was too far ahead of her allies to gain support. She was riding alone against the demon general and his guards.

"What do you think you're doing?" Sakimi asked.

Marigold ignored the voice.

"Do you plan on dying? How foolish. I still need you...Ares still needs you. If you leave this world, in your suicide charge, then I'll never forgive you!"

"Shut it!" Marigold screamed. "I can't live in a place without you or Ayame. It's all pointless!"

"As long as you have a dream, it's not all pointless!"

One of the demon guards threw their spear, knocking Marigold off her mount.

She lay dazed on the ground.

"Think, Marigold, think! If everyone gave up their lives like you, then what would be left of this world? Keep fighting! There's still meaning to your struggle!"

The demon guards converged on Marigold and Vortigern, surrounding them.

"I just want to die, goddammit!"

Marigold jumped up and shot two explosive arrows on her feet, sending herself flying. It hurt like hell, but Marigold still managed to aim a Chain Lightning Arrow, shooting it at the demon guards.

The arrow split in mid-air, sending forth seven other projectiles that struck the enemies. After a half-second of delay, electricity arced between each demon, stunning them in place.

When Marigold hit the ground, she closed her eyes and muted herself to her surroundings.

She didn't want to see anything anymore.

She didn't want to hear anything anymore.

She didn't want to get on her feet anymore.

"Fight!"

No more.

"Fight!"

It hurts.

"Fight!"

It's useless.

"Fight!"

***

Ever since returning to Festus, Marigold had only been fighting. The conflicts between the demons grew more and more intense, but she always rode on the front lines.

It wasn't out of valor.

No—she only wanted to fall in battle.

But Sakimi's voice kept coming back. Whenever Marigold was on the verge of death, Sakimi would pull her from the maws of the abyss.

Treading the line between life and death was dreadful, but it would always be worth it to see the other shore.

Unfortunately, Marigold couldn't cross the line.

And so, she fought.

She kept on fighting.

What else was there to do?

Before Marigold knew it, three months had already passed. Fighting had sprung up all over the vulnerable cities, but she never saw Ares anywhere.

On a whim, one day, she visited Mechanicsville.

Sure enough, Ares was looking for a wagon to drive him somewhere.

And so, Marigold rode up to the man, and she dropped off her mount, saying, "It's been a while."