《Is It Bad That the Main Character’s a Roleplayer?》 Chapter 214: Life is Cruel (9) Chapter 214 Life is Cruel (9) Bang! Theunched projectile didn¡¯t do anything special. It simply hit its target almost at the same time the device exploded, not even a minute after firing. Some soldiers didn¡¯t even raise their heads, mistaking the sound of the explosion for the sound of the device exploding. Ruuuumble. That was until they heard something heavy plunging into the water. ¡°What are you doing? They¡¯re climbing up.¡± However, after hearing that sound, someone among them fixed his gaze on the sea faster than anyone else. Meister, who hadn¡¯t lowered his head in the first ce¡ªhe only put in some earplugs temporarily to protect his ears, but he continued to stand upright and watch everything transpire, trusting in the Inquisitor¡¯s barrier¡ªshouted as he hurled another alkaline bomb. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± The next to act was the Inquisitor. She was slightly shaken for a moment by the unexpectedly strong impact but quickly got back on her feet. Boooom! The Merfolk about toe up one after another were instantly crushed by the barrier that appeared out of nowhere. If they were human, the blow would¡¯ve at least concussed them. Bang! The Merfolk that managed to avoid the barrier and climbed up were swiftly struck down by the hammer of justice. Regaining herposure, she exhaled steadily. Well, notpletely, though. The immense Arcane Power emanating from the city behind her and the continuous thunderstrikes echoing in the distance kept her constantly on edge. Her throat was so dry, it felt like it was burning. ¡°¡­Did we take it down?¡± Meanwhile, Deathbringer awkwardly picked himself up, gripping his bow. ¡°There¡¯s a breach!¡± One by one, the soldiers who¡¯d crouched down also began raising their spears again. ¡°Probably not.¡± ¡°¡­Unfortunately, it doesn¡¯t look like it.¡± Two people answered Deathbringer¡¯s query. Meister and the lord looked out at the dark sea, their faces crumpled. Both were equipped with items that could illuminate the night. Meister had borrowed the lord¡¯s item, while the lord had effectively grabbed another from a nearbymander. ¡°But if we y our cards well, it seems we might be able to kill it.¡± ¡°Thinking of aiming for the head? I disagree, Meister. The chances of missing are too high.¡± Anyway, after carefully observing the massive turtle, they discovered the aftermath of their earlier attack. The projectile they¡¯d just fired had struck the turtle¡¯s shell and torn off some of the rock attached to it. In the process, they appeared to have hit its neck as well, judging by the blood now flowing steadily from it. In short, while they couldn¡¯t cause any significant damage to the shell, they were more than capable of prating its far softer, vulnerable flesh. ¡°We don¡¯t necessarily have to aim for its head. The area around the neck is also viable.¡± ¡°There are only three devices. We just used one. Do you think we cannd that?¡± ¡°If we miss, then we miss.¡± ¡°¡­Do as you will.¡± With the turtle¡¯s neck as long as it was, there were plenty of areas to target besides just the head; for example, the spot where the neck connected to the body within the shell. Guoooooh! ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Something¡¯sing!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll strengthen our defenses!¡± But would it still be this cruel world if their enemy just sat by as they attacked it? Hearing the turtle¡¯s roar, the Inquisitor decided to prepare for the worst. She cast a blessing to reinforce the entire wall. She¡¯d pushed herself a little too much during the previous attack, but thankfully, this much was still possible. Closing her eyes, the Inquisitor reassured herself that conserving her strength earlier had been the right choice. However, a sliver of doubt crept into her mind: how were they supposed to deal with the thing behind them? No matter how much strength she¡¯d conserved, using her power like this right now would make it incredibly difficult for her to deal with the Demon behind them, so that was a natural concern. ¡°Demon Knight, I trust you.¡± But she could no longer retreat from this ce. If she faltered now, far more lives would be lost than before when conserving her strength was still possible. So, what other choice did she have? A single beat of sweat rolled down her cheek as the entire wall began to glow a brilliant gold. Craaaaack. However, in the end, the protection proved somewhat meaningless. The iing attack was not a direct strike from the turtle. > [Mom, Mom! Where are you?] > [Darling, my love. Where have you gone without me? I¡¯m scared.] > [Hey, are still you okay? We¡¯ll make it back alive, right?] > [Help me. Help me¡­ Ar¡­] ¡°It¡¯s a Siren!!¡± From the natural rock formations on the turtle¡¯s shell, half-bird, half-Middle Demons began flying around. They were Sirens, Demons that lured people by imitating the voices of their dearly loved ones. > [Dad, I don¡¯t know where to go. Where am I supposed to go?] > [F-fire! Lucas, save me! I can¡¯t get out of here!] > [How abouting with me? I can protect you that way.] > [I¡¯ll properly confess to you this time once youe back!] With mouse-gray wings attached to their Middle-like arms. Half covered beneath their blue-gray hair, their faces were featureless aside from a gaping mouth. ¡°Everyone, snap out of it! Don¡¯t be fooled by them!!¡± ¡°Damn, those insane Demons. So things like these also exist, huh?¡± They rarely appeared before people, so he¡¯d thought they wouldn¡¯t appear this time either, but s, they had¡­! The lord¡¯s eyes widened in shock as he hastily gave orders to those surrounding him. However, the Sirens¡¯ voices were so eerily clear and distinct. Some soldiers were frozen in ce, their weapons still. Those who sumbed to these calls would soon be either torn apart by the Merfolk¡¯s ws or fall into an eternal sleep through the Sirens¡¯ kiss. ¡°Snap out of it!! It¡¯s fake! All of this is fake!!¡± The lord hurriedly turned to ring the rm bell. [Wilhelm.] He clenched his eyes shut and forced himself up thedder. ¡°Everyone¡ª! Get a hold of yourselves¡ª!!¡± Boom! Suddenly, a tremendous amount of golden light erupted atop the wall, spreading out like an explosion. It was newly unleashed Divine Power she let out without even releasing the protective blessing on the wall, considering the soldiers¡¯ dyed response to the Merfolk. Cold sweat formed on the Inquisitor¡¯s face. > [Gyaaaak!] > [Kyaaaaargh!] Still, her efforts seemed worth the cost. Those bewitched by the Sirens¡¯ voices regained their senses, while the Sirens and Merfolk, properly struck by the Divine Power that was no different from poison to them, screamed in agony before retreating. Their skin and feathers were slightly scorched. > [Mom, Mom! It hurts!] > [Lucas, Lucas, please! Help me¡­!] > [Aaargh!] But in the end, Demons were still Demons. Even while retreating, they continued to raise their voices, determined to somehow curse and bewitch the people. Bam! > [Kahak!] ¡°How dare you.¡± But their attempt was thwarted by someone who stepped onto the ramparts. ¡°How dare you¡­!¡± The two-meter-tall giant swung her spear with enough force to snap a Siren¡¯s neck with the spearhead. As it plummeted down, there was no doubt the being had died instantly. ¡°How dare a damn Demon insult my sister!¡± sh! That wasn¡¯t all. Using one Siren as a stepping stone, she leaped again, driving her spear into a new Siren before sting it at yet another. Bam. Both fell helplessly into the endlessly deep sea. ¡°I¡¯ll tear everyst one of you to shreds¡ª!¡± Her voice, nearly a roar, was filled with pure fury. A faint, ice-blue glow reminiscent of a frozen tundra shimmered along the spear¡¯s de. ¡°So that¡¯s why you took so long toe down.¡± While most were stunned by her fiery presence, they scrambled to fight again. Meister, who¡¯d disappeared at some point, suddenly popped up again almost out of nowhere. He held a cart with another device in his hands. The soldiers trailing behind him were red-faced and gasping for air. Their expressions showed they were exerting every ounce of strength in them to haul that stuff into position. ¡°Move aside!¡± After much difficulty, the second device was finally installed. Following the same process as before, it was ready to fire. * * * Boom! Since they were in a different position from before¡ªthere wasn¡¯t time to clear the debris¡ªit must have been difficult to adjust the angle, but Meister still managed tond a shot close to the neck again. Ssh! The rocky formations near the injury crumbled into the sea, and the approaching turtle let out a long, resonant cry. More Sirens living on the turtle¡¯s back took flight and joined the fight. It was astonishing how such a rare Demon could appear in such great numbers. ¡°Laura¡­¡± > [Lucas! You¡¯re finally here!] The biggest problem, however, was maintaining control over the soldiers. With so many Sirens present, it was bing increasingly difficult to restore the soldiers¡¯ hold on their sanity. Even with the Inquisitor repeatedly unleashing bursts of Divine Power and Weapon Master¡­ Berserk¡­ whoever they were, rampaging like that and massacring Sirens, it wasn¡¯t enough. Someone inevitably fell for the Sirens¡¯ allure. Ssh! At the Sirens¡¯ beckoning, a few soldiers threw themselves into the sea. Many others got kissed by the Sirens, subsequently having their tongues and faces gruesomely chewed off. Headless corpses fell from the sky, crashing into the ground. There were three or four who¡¯d met this fate in this area alone. There was probably a lot more damage to sections of the battlefield where the Inquisitor and the dual-personality fighter couldn¡¯t reach. ¡°Damnit, My lord! Our forces¡­!¡± ¡°Just a little longer, hold on a little longer!¡± The hardest part was that the gaps created in their ranks by the Sirens made it much easier for the Merfolk to breach the walls. The few remaining Merfolk, sensing this was their final chance, fought even harder than ever before. For the soldiers, who were already weary from the unusually fierce fighting and demoralized by this utter chaos and countless other variables, this only exhausted them even more quickly. Thud! ¡°It¡¯s t-too close¡­¡± By now, the turtle¡¯s massive body had crossed half the embankments. That was also theirst bastion, the worst-case scenario the lord had been thinking about. Thest bastion had been decided upon based on the time required to evacuate the soldiers before the turtle finally reached the walls. Boom! ¡°This is thest one! At this range, I can¡¯t miss!¡± However, just as thest artillery device was installed, he hesitated. Evacuating the soldiers now might make all their efforts pointless if the turtle could be brought down with thisst device. No, it would even be a loss for them. There was no way the Merfolk would leave the walls alone after all the soldiers left. Either the soldiers¡¯ lives or the money to repair the walls? But after shing through a Siren¡¯s wings, the lord came to a decision, firing the signal re he¡¯d kept until this point. ¡°Retreat!¡± The answer was obvious. Cities could always be rebuilt, but people¡¯s lives couldn¡¯t be restored. ¡°Evacuate those in the center first, then the nks!¡± Soldiers weren¡¯t needed to activate the artillery device. At most, it required only a few wizards capable of channeling their energy into it and Meister. With only a small, elite team, they could easily retreat even after the turtle got closer. After making this efficient decision, the lord sent away his soldiers first. No one would be able to criticize his judgment as weak or callous. ¡°My lord, you could have started the retreat earlier.¡± On the contrary, most soldiers didn¡¯t even give it that much thought, and the Inquisitor evenmended the lord¡¯s decision. With her hair drenched in sweat and stered to her face, she mmed her mace into the ground to unfold the sanctuary. A radiance a bit darker than what they¡¯d seen from her until now began to color the walls like waves. ¡°¡­Also, under no circumstances¡­ under no circumstances, you hear, send anyone to the north gate. Even if a distress signales from there, it doesn¡¯t matter. You can monitor the area, but do not approach it directly.¡± ¡°¡­?!¡± ¡°¡­Hey, iron wall. What are you talking abo¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯ll die if you go there. Ordinary people can no longer help with that battle.¡± The Hero, seemingly on the verge of tears, dered the sanctuary. Deathbringer, who looked ready to press for more answers, tightly shut his mouth. With the sanctuary set up to support the walls, the soldiers could retreat with much greater ease. ¡°Go on ahead, my lord. What business does themander-in-chief have staying here?¡± ¡°¡­Dietra, Franz. Stay behind and help them. I wish you both the best of luck.¡± The lord, both the army¡¯smander and the city¡¯s ruler, turned to leave, his expression dripping with guilt. He followed after his soldiers. His duty now was to oversee the soldiers¡¯ retreat, receive reports on the progress of the people¡¯s evacuation, and urge them to evacuate even faster. Those left behind waited with tension as the artillery device¡¯s energy steadily charged. Craaaaaash! At the far end of the city, the area around the north gate, which continued to suffer from lightning strikes, also began to burn. Boooom! Crash! The turtle was no more than a few dozen meters away. It advanced aggressively, crushing everything in its path, seemingly unbothered by the sharp spikes beneath it. Crunch! ¡°Is that the nest where all those damn birds came from?¡± ¡°Probably.¡± At that moment, the one who¡¯d torn apart most of the remaining Sirens that lingered even after the sanctuary was established finally returned to the wall. The fact she¡¯d narrowly avoided falling into the sea multiple times didn¡¯t seem to bother her, as the blood-drenched fighter¡¯s eyes were still as fierce as ever. ¡°Will that kill it?¡± ¡°It would be great if it does, but who knows? If it doesn¡¯t, we¡¯ll have to retreat.¡± Weapon Master¡­ No, was she Berserk at the moment? Deathbringer, who knew about her dual personalities, felt a bit uneasy as he nced at her eerie golden eyes. ¡°If that thing doesn¡¯t kill it, Berserk will. Definitely.¡± ¡­Berserk¡¯s older sister, the so-called Weapon Master, wasn¡¯t just another of her personalities? ¡°Well, we¡¯d certainly be grateful if you could do that.¡± ¡°Wait, I know you¡¯re strong, but how do you n on killing that¡­?¡± ¡°Leave it, Franz. If she says she can, it¡¯s because she knows she can.¡± Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have said, ¡°Don¡¯t insult my sister,¡± while pursuing her target, right? Unconsciously analyzing Berserk¡¯s words, he shifted his gaze to the gigantic monster almost right before his nose. In fact, this thing looked more like a natural disaster than a standard enemy. It was just a natural disaster that had chosen to ravage this city. ¡°Hero, it¡¯s going to reach us first! Do something!¡± However, people sometimes just had to deal with natural disasters like these. In response to Meister¡¯s shout, the Inquisitor, who¡¯d been using the sanctuary to block the iing Merfolk and Sirens, pushed herself to her limits even more. ¡°O Lord, please grant me the strength to protect everyone.¡± A brilliant lighting from her formed a barrier that blocked the turtle¡¯s advance. While it wasn¡¯t a Demon and thus wouldn¡¯t get damaged from Divine Power, it certainly couldn¡¯t push through the barrier ording to the caster¡¯s will. The sh between the giant monster and the Inquisitor¡¯s will pushed them both to their limits. With a soft crackling, the barrier cracked before immediately reforming, pushing the turtle even further away. Drip. Blood flowed out of the Inquisitor¡¯s nose and mouth before instantly burning away. ¡°It¡¯s ready!¡± Just as her body was about to falter, the device had fully charged. Meister shouted. ¡°Release the barrier on my signal! Sooner if needed!¡± ¡°¡­You two, take the wizards and retreat now. You too, troublemaker!¡± ¡°¡­You definitely have toe follow me right after, okay?!¡± ¡°4, 3¡ª¡± ¡°Young hunter, take the Demon Knight¡¯s horse as well. It should be nearby.¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Fire!¡± Boooooooom! A deafening explosion shook the heavens and earth as the projectile tore through the colossal beast¡¯s neck, burrowing deep into where the neck connected to the body. GrooOoOOOr! The monster backed away, thrashing its neck wildly. ¡°Ah.¡± At the same time, the Inquisitor¡¯s head tilted back. The rampaging monster wasn¡¯t even of any concern to her at that moment. Her green eyes filled with the hellish, fiery scenery beyond. Whoooosh, bababang. And then¡­ in the midst of those mes, a signal re rose high into the sky. It was a call for help, a plea for salvation, and a deration that the battle was too much for him to handle alone. The Demon Knight had failed to eliminate the Demon. An overwhelming amount of Demonic Energy surged across thend, as if a Demon Lord had descended. ____ Chapter 1: I Shouldn't Have Done That (1) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 1 I Shouldn''t Have Done That (1) I''m a roleyer. Someone who establishes character settings ording to their in-game character''s ss and ys while strictly following them. Chatting? Of course I would type messages in character. Even with the market now conquered by virtual reality games, which didn''t require written messages in favor of verbalmunication, it made no difference to me. A roleyer who sumbed to shame wasn''t a real roleyer. ¡°Talk more and see if you can handle my wrath." So I was ying a new game, as over-immersive as usual, faithfully acting ording to my character setting¡ªa Demon Knight with a Demon sealed in his right arm¡ªwhen¡­ ¡°Log out." ¡¸Thismand cannot be carried out.¡¹ ¡°¡­? Log out." ¡¸Thismand cannot be carried out.¡¹ ¡°¡­???¡± I realized something. I was doomed. No, I was royally fucked. * * * No matter whether one was a casual or a hardcore gamer, everyone had at least one game they couldn''t forget. A game so memorable that it might never leave your head, or something that made you feel deep regret. For me, that was Legend of Heroes. Simply put, it was a domestic, PC-exclusive MMORPG that came out when I was still a teenager. It was incredibly popr in its early days, but it was also considered an ill-fated game due to quickly declining after many key developers quit. The main reasons for its decline were the paid loot boxes introduced during its second-anniversary patch, bnce-breaking new sses, an increasingly incoherent storyline due to the addition of weird settings, and a failure in management¡­ Although that wasn''t important. It also didn''t matter that the game that was supposed tost for twenty years regretfully ended after just five when I was in my 20s. There was only one thing to say about Legend of Heroes: the regret felt by the core developers who left thepany upon seeing the game¡¯s early demise. ¡°Dude, my heart is pounding so hard. What should I do?" ¡°Ah, good job." ¡°I can''t believe there are only 30 minutes left until theunch." How deep their regret must have been. Those developers, who established themselves in the industry by releasing all kinds of new hit games under the name of their freshly madepany, Deep Sea Pearl, dered they would remake Legend of Heroes. No one expected them to do it, yet they went ahead and bought the rights to the game and announced a remake. ¡°I''m not dreaming, am I?" ¡°Yeah, you''re actually dreaming. It''s about time you wake up." ¡°Really¡­?" ¡°¡­I''m kidding. Are you for real?" ¡°No, but this is just too¡­ too unreal." Furthermore, they didn''t just redo it. As if they had honed their skills razor-sharp just for this, they remade it from the ground up. They released it as a single-yer game, not an MMO, and they changed the genre from an action side-scroller to an open-world ARPG, as well. They even updated the tform it would run on to keep up with the times. That meant it could be yed using a virtual reality capsule instead of a PC. The game was also upgraded to VR to match. At that point, it wasn''t too farfetched to say that this was just the delusion of a regretful gamer. ¡°It would be more believable to say this is a dream¡­" That¡¯s why I was talking about it all being a dream and unreal 30 minutes before theunch. Legend of Heroes was the first game I couldn''t forget and why I fell in love with games. It even had a minor impact on my career choice. And now it wasing back into my life? But it didn''t juste back; it returned as this gorgeous, godly game. It was honestly fortunate I didn''t pass out from being so hyped. I was overjoyed beyond measure. ¡°You were alsopletely obsessed with that game 15 years ago¡­" ¡°It''s because you haven''t yed it before¡­ If you had, you''d know how I feel¡­" Sigh. I hadn''t been this nervous since the announcement of my CSAT results. I didn''t even feel this way when it was decided my work would get exported overseas. I felt like my heart was about to explode. As I watched the time tick by, it seemed to get squeezed tighter and tighter. ¡°What if the game doesn''t live up to your expectations?" ¡°Don''t you even dare say something as stupid as that. I''m dying over here." Of course, I knew that if I held such high expectations, I was more likely to be disappointed when actually ying it. There was no way I wouldn''t know that with how many games I¡¯d yed and beaten. But¡­ But¡­! ¡°If it''s even half as good as the trailer, I''ll be happy¡­!" ¡°Sigh." ¡°Uwaarg! It''s only been 2 minutes! Just when will these next 28 minutes pass?!" ¡°No clue, dude." My whining only caused my friend''s face to crumple up. This man, who didn''t even try pretending to sympathize with me, was a monster who had never even touched a single game. ¡°Are you really my friend¡­?" ¡°If I''m not your friend, then what am I? By the way, are you going to¡­ What''s it called? That thing you''re so good at, are you going to do it?" ¡°What?¡± ¡°You know, that thing. Role-something?" ¡°I''ve already set everything up." ¡°Crazy, you already nned it out?" I mean, the settings before were just me ying around. Proper character settings weren''t made in just a day. Of course, some people could churn out these concepts in no time, but I wasn''t like that. Character research was really important to me, maybe because I majored in film and theater. ¡°So what''s the setting?" ¡°Ah. First, this is what the character will look like." It was a good thing I drew it up before creating any other settings. I picked up an iPad lying on the sofa. A picture slowly appeared on the seven-year-old device''s screen. ¡°Wow. What the hell is that¡­?" The picture on the screen showed the following: Starting from his head, he had silver hair on the left and ck hair on the right. His skin was so pale that one might mistake him for a corpse, its color almost grayish-white. His left eye was gray, and his right was a mix of gray and red. However, theycked highlights or anything else, making them seem dead, a feature only further emphasized by the dark circles beneath them. ¡°This is crazy. Seriously.¡± I¡¯m an advocate of the theory that when building a setting, one should start with the character¡¯s appearance. As such, I reveled in my friend¡¯s reaction. Some people might call it ridiculous for a 30-year-old like me to do something like this at my age, but it wasn¡¯t like roleying would hurt anyone. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with his hair?¡± ¡°ording to the setting I made up, it has been stained by the power of a Demon.¡± ¡°Are you crazy? What power of a Demon?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ The ss¡¯s name is ¡®Demon Knight¡¯.¡± I pulled up the official page, as it would be much easier to understand if he saw the setting. ¡¸Demon Knight After the Demon that ughtered his family possessed his arm, this squire abandoned his path to be an official knight and started wandering. He despises the Demon residing in his right arm but, through it, possesses superhuman strength. His goal is to kill all Demons. His techniques are as fast as they are powerful. His temper, however, is quite sensitive and sharp.¡¹ ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°I actually wanted to start as a Priest, but¡­ the first time I yed this game, I chose to be a Demon Knight.¡± I preferred the Priest ss, but because this game was so nostalgic, I opted to use the same ss as I did back then. I was going to y it multiple times, anyway. ¡°Besides, ying as cold and cool characters is the best.¡± ¡°Damn, that¡¯s hrious.¡± After hearing my exnation, my friend, giggling, zoomed out of the picture to see his whole face again. The entire image of the character was once more visible on the iPad. ¡°Can you even make your character look like that?¡± ¡°I should.¡± Considering the other popr games these days, this kind of customization was just the basics of the basics. Besides, many called the original Legend of Heroes a god-tier game because of its insane freedom of customization, so there was no way the development team wouldn''t expand on that aspect if they hadn¡¯t gone crazy. * * * * * * ¡°I also chose to give him one of the outfits that came with the game''s deluxe edition.¡± ¡°Did you spend even more money on this?¡± I mean, if you could get the OST, an art book, and behind-the-scenes content just by spending a few thousand won, wouldn¡¯t you call it a blessing that they even provided outfits for every ss? They even allowed you to put them on your character as soon as you started the game, and there were so many to choose from. I smiled proudly as I looked at the character reflected on the screen. An eyepatch covered his right eye, and his right arm sported a gauntlet. He wore a long, ck, split hem coat with a red cross embroidered over the back. His legs were covered in matte ck leather pants and knee-high boots¡­ and while one couldn¡¯t see it well, he wore bandages inside his top. While I was the one who¡¯d drawn this picture, I had to say that this was the perfect setup. It couldn¡¯t get any more stylish than this. ¡°Is it an online game?¡± ¡°Well, ying with others online is possible, but it¡¯s not like how you do it in MMORPGs.¡± If one connected to the inte and used the matchmaking option, they could y with up to four people. Even then, y together was only possible during boss fights or in PVP. That just further proved that the development team almostpletely abandoned the online concept. ¡°So, others can¡¯t even see it, right? And yet you still bought that stuff?¡± ¡°Dude. Roleying has nothing to do with other people being able to see it.¡± Just what was roleying? Did one do it to show others? Well, I was doing it so I could say stuff I never in my right mind would, all thanks to anonymity. I raised my thumb and smiled, to which my friend began rolling on the floor,ughing while clutching his stomach. I had no idea why he always acted like that, despite it not being the first or even second time I¡¯d done something like this. Was that the difference between an ordinary person and a roleyer? ¡°Damn, you¡¯re really crazy.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it? I¡¯m doing it with ¡®my money¡¯, you know?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but still¡­¡± My friend switched back to the Demon Knight¡¯s official page and carefully reviewed thest line. ¡°Isn¡¯t there already an official setting for his personality? Then what¡¯s the point in creating new character settings and roleying?¡± After hearing what he said, I couldn¡¯t respond for a moment. Was there any point in making a character setting when an official one already existed? Hah, I didn¡¯t want to go into that much detail. My lips twitched like I was an enthusiast whom an ordinary person had just asked about their obsession. I should calm down. If I got too excited, a newbie like him would just get scared and run away. So I had to be as gentle as possible¡­ Gentle¡­ But what was ¡®gentle¡¯? How could I act like that? ¡°You have now entered the second stage. Just ask me anything. I¡¯ll tell you all about the second stage.¡± ¡°Ah, no need, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°The setting given by the official site is that he has a sharp and sensitive temper, and his purpose is to kill all Demons, right? But there are different types of sharpness, right? There¡¯s even this setting where the Demon that killed his family dwells in his arm, right? Think about it. Does that mean he originally had a nasty temper, or did he be like that because of the Demon¡¯s influence?! That¡¯s where these different interpretationse into y!!¡± ¡°Aah, please forgive me.¡± ¡°What if his personality became so rough due to constant anxiety over never knowing when that Demon would run rampant again? What if the reason for his rude behavior toward those around him was to push them away so they wouldn¡¯t be harmed by that Demon sealed within him? Then, at his core, isn¡¯t he actually really kind?!¡± ¡°I was wrong, so please.¡± ¡°That interpretation is what my character setting''s based on! A character who acts hard and prickly on the outside but is really soft on the inside, traumatized and really lonely because he just pushes away everyone around him! I want to tell a story about this character that highlights the scars he¡¯s been afflicted with!¡± ¡°Have mercy.¡± ¡°What do you mean, ¡®Have mercy¡¯? I haven¡¯t even started yet. There¡¯s still so much to talk about. The reason why he¡¯s wrapped in bandages like that and his two-toned hair!¡± ¡°Oh god.¡± ¡°Oh, I also prepared some lines for him. Do you want to see them?!¡± ¡°Ah, no, that¡¯s fine.¡± Why did he pull back when he was the one who asked? He couldn¡¯t just back out. He should listen to me more. He still had to listen to the settings I meticulously crafted after deliberately looking through old videos andboriously disassembling the ss trailer videos frame by frame! I grabbed the shoulder of this friend of mine who was about to run away and sat him in front of me as I started exining even more things to him. He only wore a gauntlet on his right arm because he hated that arm so much that he didn¡¯t even want to see it, and he was actually covering his changed eye with that eyepatch, not the unchanged one, to show his determination. These were details that would probably never be brought up in the game. ¡°You crazy otaku bastard¡­¡± After talking to him for 20 minutes about this and that, my dear friend ended up covering his ears and shaking his head as if he were out of his mind. ¡°Hey, but I¡¯m not even a full-blown otaku.¡± ¡°In the eyes of the general public, if you end up spending hundreds of thousands of won on some game, then you are most definitely an otaku.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± I couldn¡¯t deny it. ¡°Sigh, you disgusting bastard. Alright, I have to head out.¡± ¡°Already?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t there only five minutes until your beloved gameunches, you crazy otaku?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± He was right. There were only five minutes left because we¡¯d talked for more than twenty. ¡°Anyway, when will you be avable again?¡± ¡°I prepared to be in Full Dive for about three days.¡± ¡°I still haven''t forgotten that one time you said you¡¯d Full Dive for, like, four days but ended up doing it for ten.¡± Full Dive was a function that allowed one to continuously y a game for more than 24 hours without eating or sleeping. It wasn¡¯t easy to use due to the exclusive, incredibly expensive solutions and nutritional supplements needed, plus the disadvantage that one¡¯s real-life rtionships might suffer. However, it boasted the best performance if one wanted to really focus on a game. Also, after being locked in the capsule for an extended period, one would feel very exhausted after exiting the game, needing to stretch and exercise for a day or two. Last time, I decided to Full Dive for four days, rest a day, and dove for another four days before resting another day afterward, for a total of ten days. ¡°Anyway. If I don¡¯t contact you first, call me.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°And stop ying games so much. You¡¯ll end up hurting your body.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± My family and friends scolded me a lot back then, so I wouldn¡¯t let it happen again. How would I hurt my body¡­? I was using that expensive, exclusive solution just to prevent me from getting harmed, but I didn¡¯t bother answering him. I was grateful he was worrying about me, after all. He even came over because he knew we wouldn¡¯t be able to see each other for a few days. That¡¯s what you call friendship. Katchak. I turned my back to the closed door. This time, I absolutely had to log out of this game after three days, no matter how fun it might be. That was the promise I had made myself. ¡¸Time remaining until game start: 00:00:03¡¹ ¡¸Time remaining until game start: 00:00:02¡¹ ¡¸Time remaining until game start: 00:00:01¡¹ ¡¸Time remaining until game start: 00:00:01¡¹ ¡¸DLC items are being installed¡­¡¹ Ding! ¡¸Game start.¡¹ However, had I known I would end up breaking that promise through no fault of my own, I wouldn¡¯t have turned that game on to begin with. ¡¸Your journey to kill all Demons is about to begin.¡¹ No, even putting everything else aside, I shouldn¡¯t have roleyed as that character. [¡®It¡¯ destroyed my life in but a single moment.] The opening video started before my eyes. No, it was sent directly into my mind. Chapter 2: I Shouldn't Have Done That (2) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 2 I Shouldn''t Have Done That (2) ¡°Irina!¡± [Everything began with my younger sister, who ran out thinking our father had returned. The white dress I had bought for her birthday turned crimson. At the center of that crimson flower was a ck de that didn¡¯t reflect a single ray of light.] ¡°No!¡± [Next was my brother, a Knight captain. Seeing the de sticking out of Irina¡¯s body, my older brother leaped out, falling victim to the same before he could swing his own weapon even once. His loud voice immediately cut off, and the sight of his body slumped lifelessly against a wall spread out before me.] ¡°Arthur!¡± [Our mother¡¯s voice calling out my brother¡¯s name echoed in my ears.] ¡°You bastard!¡± [My older sister, a strong Knight just below my brother, ran out, wielding a mace that had been leaning against a wall. Tears seemed to be forming in the corners of her eyes as she passed by me, stillpletely frozen. But even she was swallowed up by blood, fresh blood, the red liquid that proved life itself.] ¡°Come on, run away!¡± [My mother shouted out to me. Was she holding Father¡¯s sword in her hand? Or was it just a kitchen knife?] ¡°I¡¯m a knight, too!¡± ¡°No, you have to run!¡± ¡°What is happening?!¡± [My father. It seems he came back as well.] ¡°Quickly, run away¡ª!¡± ¡°You take cover too!¡± [My memories after that are rather blurry. When I gripped my sword, the world turned red, then white, then ck before it was lit up again by the faint rays of moonlight.] > ¡°What a good vessel.¡± [The ck de was stuck in my right arm, squirming beneath my skin, just squirming and writhing¡­] > ¡°You¡¯ll¡­ suffice.¡± [Aah, I was praying. For a strong individual with a soul that could ovee all evil, someone who would not falter before evil, someone who could thwart these evil forces. I beg you¡­ . . . ¡­Can you hear my voice?] ¡°Urgh!¡± Upon hearing thatst line, my vision filled with light and my lungs filled with air. ¡°Get off!¡± Next, the loud mor of a busy marketce and an annoyed voice right before me entered my ears. ¡¸Tatara: Trading Post¡¹ Right then, a dull bell rang out, waking me from my stupor. That was when the curtain to the prelude of Legend of Heroes was raised. ¡°Ah¡­¡± I unconsciously clenched and unclenched my hand repeatedly. That was how overwhelming the opening had been. Were all games like that these days¡­? Was it even possible to fabricate this sensation of recalling memories I didn¡¯t even have, far beyond just showing me a movie or something? It was so vivid that I felt like even the character¡¯s emotions from then imprinted into me. I simply rubbed the back of my neck. I was trying not to let out any vulgar words, but I felt really, really bad. ¡°Hey, you.¡± Perhaps because I was a little too immersed in the afterglow of these memories and my admiration for this highly improved technology, I was surprised to hear someone¡¯s voice. Finally, I fully returned to my senses. The opening scene should have ended, and that System Window I saw just then likely showed my current location, meaning the game had started. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to get off?¡± After ying so many games, that rough speech seemed almost cute, especially since it¡¯s something heard and seen everywhere. Instead of feeling displeased, I quickly looked around to grasp the situation. I saw people unloading the wagon I was still sitting in and one person standing before me who seemed to want me gone. At that moment, an extreme nostalgia arose in me, because this was exactly like the original Demon Knight tutorial, only changed from 2D to 3D. How did even the tutorial feel so nostalgic? Could I even immerse myself in my character like this? I was already getting so emotional, you know? I forced myself to change pace. While I shouldn''t immerse myself too much in the game, I should also never just randomly start crying. Of course, I couldn¡¯t let my tears be seen! Although I knew the character¡¯s face wouldn¡¯t reflect my expressions, I still felt the need to control them. Tak. So, I just got off the wagon without saying anything. I wasn¡¯t really doing it to act out the sensitive and sharp temper described on the official site or for the setting I had based on it. It was more of an unconscious action, as there wasn¡¯t any Window telling me how I should answer the guy, and it didn¡¯t seem like a scene where I had to show any type of reaction. ¡°What a bastard.¡± However, the wagon owner watching me clicked his tongue and cussed me out, making me momentarily wonder if he was actually a real person. The beta testers had harped on about how the NPC interactions were incredible. It looked like those weren¡¯t empty words. ¡°You have to pay me more¡­¡± ¡°Then my profit will¡­¡± ¡°You hear about the rebels¡­¡± ¡°Those Demons¡­¡± Immediately after disembarking, I realized something even more important just by looking around the trading post. ¡°¡­Deep Sea Pearl, did you actually find alien technology or something?¡± The devs did everything right. ¡°They really went ham on the graphics, didn¡¯t they?¡± Those dirt roads marked with wheel treads, the texture of the buildings¡¯ outer walls, the various light sources and shadow effects¡­ What¡¯s more, the tickling I felt when the wind brushed my skin, the dust floating in the air, and all these foreign smells stinging my nose. But that wasn¡¯t all. If one paid close attention to the NPCs filling this ce, then one would see that none were duplicates. Neither their faces nor their clothes were the same. I¡¯d thought this game would be awesome when watching the trailer, but I didn¡¯t know the real thing would exceed my expectations like this. It was like an actual virtual ¡®reality¡¯! ¡°There are so many objects moving around, but there isn¡¯t anyg or drop in frame rate¡­? What the hell?¡± I had wondered why the file was so huge when I downloaded it, but it turned out to be rtively very small. How the hell did they manage to optimize the graphics to such a degree? Were they actually aliens or something? ¡°Crazy, this is actually crazy¡­¡± Deep Sea Pearl were real bastards. Were they trying to kill people by drowning them in a wave of emotions? That was clearly their intention. It was legal, too. ¡°Sigh.¡± I clenched my fists as I felt my emotions crash over me like a tide wave. That was the best I could do. I felt like I wouldn¡¯t have any regrets even if I were to die now. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand in the way!¡± Fortunately, someone rescued me from my drowning state. It was a passing NPC. I used their words as a signal to gradually ovee these feelings. The words that left my mouth and the actions I took could no longer be rescinded, but my pride as a roleyer couldn¡¯t tolerate any further character breaks. Now was the time to rx and thoroughly enjoy this game. And to do so, I had to hypnotize myself first. It was one of my habits that helped me get into character. From this moment on, I was a Demon Knight with the Demon who killed my whole family sealed in my arm. I was always on the edge, never knowing when the Demon would devour me. Because of that, I forcefully pushed everyone away, not caring what kind of anger they would harbor against me. I was the type of person who hid his vulnerable and soft inner core with a rough and hard outer shell reflected in my sharp and sensitive nature! The character setting based on the trailer videos, leaked information, and the official settings covered me like a mask. That marked the start of my roley. * * * * * * Shiing. I killed my expression, not because the game character¡¯s expression would actually change, but to better immerse myself. I then returned the sword to the sheath on my back. I wondered if it was because the sword was too long, but for some reason, it almost felt like my body was moving on its own to sheathe it. Well then, what was I supposed to do now? One would usually just look for someone with a question mark floating above their head, but strangely enough, I couldn¡¯t see anyone like that. While attempting to look at my Minimap, I discovered the gamecked that function, and upon opening the Quest Window, I found itpletely empty. In that case, would the NPC who¡¯d progress the plot find me on their own or something? ¡°Aah, Adventurer!" Someone appeared before me. It was a little kid who barely reached my stomach. ¡°Erm¡­ Mister Adventurer, are you¡­ Mister ¡®Demon Knight¡¯?¡± The name leaving the child¡¯s mouth was both my ss¡¯s name and the nickname I gave this character. I did this purposely to demonstrate that I had abandoned my name after that incident. There was no better fitting way to address me right now. Incidentally, I waited a moment for a System Window to pop up. Usually, they would give you dialog options, prompts, or keywords necessary to progress the story, even if they allowed free dialogue. ¡°A-am I wrong?¡± But nothing like that appeared. Despite feeling a bit surprised, I decided to simply answer the kid¡¯s question for now. No matter how I looked at it, this was the start of a Quest I shouldn¡¯t miss. ¡°¡­No, you¡¯re right.¡± When I answered them coldly, taking the character settings into consideration, the child¡¯s body trembled slightly. I felt like I could see what they were thinking just by looking into their eyes. The kid seemed so realistic that I almost kneeled down tofort them and tell them not to be scared. ¡°Th-then please follow me. I¡¯ll show you to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild.¡± Wow, what a well-made character. Holding such admiration in my heart, I followed the young NPC rushing forward. Trudge, trudge. I could hear the sound of my heels hitting the dry dirt road. Actually, where would they have put the Adventurers¡¯ Guild? With this in mind, I sneakily tried to check my own appearance, wanting to see if the game properly reflected the changes I made. The outfit I received as a perk from the deluxe edition and put on the character during character customization, the True Zweih?nder of Destruction from the pre-order bonus, and the bags strapped to my leg, thighs, and waist for inventory space. I wondered whether I was actually wearing the eyepatch given my seemingly unaffected sight, but when I went to touch it, I could feel it was definitely there. The hair visible at the edges of my vision was also two-colored, which appeared to reflect the appearance settings I had made precisely. It really was perfect. ¡°This is it!¡± ¡¸Tatara: Adventurers¡¯ Guild¡¹ How long did it take me to check myself out? We actually reached the Adventurers¡¯ Guild right when I finished. Considering what I had seen while passing by, it didn¡¯t seem like they made the city smaller but rather that the trading post and Adventurers¡¯ Guild were somehow connected. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t this be just right for us?¡± ¡°Did you hear the news? Panine¡¯s older brother went to escort that corps and ultimately disappeared along with them.¡± ¡°There seem to be a lot of missing people these days¡­¡± The inside of the Adventurers¡¯ Guild was extremely loud and noisy. In particr, there were many people gathered before a massive bulletin board. From the murmurs, it seemed to be the mission board. ¡°Miss Clerk! I brought the adventurer!¡± ¡°Ah, so you¡¯ve arrived?¡± Anyway, the child took me to one of the open windows. The person who had just been answering others seemed delighted to see me. ¡°Thank you. You should get to work now. And¡­ nice to meet you. I¡¯m Izren, a clerk of the Tatara Adventurers¡¯ Guild.¡± The clerk gave me a light bow after sending away the child and the other person she had been talking to. It seemed she hadn¡¯t used this skill of delegating work to the remaining personnel servicing another window just once or twice before. ¡°Sir Demon Knight, correct?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°While it¡¯s easy to recognize you given your very distinctive characteristics, could you show me your adventurer¡¯s card just in case? There are so many people impersonating adventurers these days that this verification process is a necessary procedure.¡± As she was speaking, a System Window blocked a part of my view. ¡¸Inventory ©¦ You can activate your inventory by putting your hand in your bag. Visualize what you want to take out and simply grab it.¡¹ It was a tutorial that taught one the basics of the game. I followed its instructions and ced my hand in the bag. The inventory UI then popped up and took up another part of my view. It was a Tetris-like inventory system, with each item upying a certain number of spaces within. As I could see the total weight of the objects inside, it seemed they restricted it by both volume and weight. Swish. It would have been nice if it were a slot-type system, but the game was still incredibly well-made. I found an adventurer¡¯s card among the items in my inventory and took it out. ¡°Your identity has been confirmed.¡± The clerk I handed my adventurer¡¯s card to turned around, checked it, and quickly returned it to me. ¡°Wee to Tatara, Adventurer.¡± It was the kind of hospitality that made me really feel like I was ying Legend of Heroes. ¡°I know you¡¯vee a long way, but may I assign you a request right away? The client said it¡¯s very urgent.¡± Hmm. I thought she would tell me about the board over there and how to use it, but that seemed to be something forter. Well, the system didn¡¯t seem to have changed much from the original, so I kind of had an inkling. ¡°Guide me there.¡± And I was sure that this was also part of the tutorial. I immediately agreed. The clerk stood up at once and led me to the ce. It wasn¡¯t that far from the guild. I followed the clerk into a building with a sign that read ¡°Mabel Company.¡± Several merchants were walking around, as expected from a merchantpany. It was as noisy there as in the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, but the graphics were simply too amazing for me to care about that. I followed the clerk, barely keeping myself from looking around too much. ¡°Chairman, the adventurer you requested is here.¡± ¡°Come in!¡± The room I was about to enter seemed magnificent, judging just by the entrance. Considering she had called him Chairman, he had to be thispany¡¯s owner. ¡°A cyclops?¡± But why was the guy picking a fight right as he saw me? ¡°It seems your manners are quitecking.¡± I sighed as I checked over the NPCs in the room. I wasn¡¯t looking for any particr reaction. It was just a mild line I prepared that fit my character settings. After all, no game, no matter how well-crafted, could respond to every word the yer might say. The potential options were simply too numerous and would just increase its capacity unnecessarily. As such, I obviously didn¡¯t expect this NPC to respond to my words, so I was quite surprised by what happened next. The face of the guy who cussed me out immediately distorted, as if reacting to my lines. ¡°Hmph! He¡¯s more of a wretched bastard than I¡¯ve heard.¡± ¡°Please calm down, Chairman.¡± ¡°Y-you take it easy too, Adventurer.¡± He even responded to my line instead of just changing his expression. The same went for the other NPCs my words didn¡¯t target. They were acting like real people. I felt like I was about to go slightly crazy. Deep Sea Pearl, did you guys really implement alien technology in this game? ¡°Are you that Demon Knight?¡± ¡°Who else do you think I would be?¡± Just to check, I avoided giving positive answers such as ¡®Yeah,¡¯ ¡®You¡¯re right,¡¯ or ¡®Yes.¡¯ It was simr to not inputting the needed keyword in a game. I wondered how the NPCs would react if the yer just said whatever they wanted. ¡°Yeah, I doubt anyone else has such a sinister face. There¡¯s no way that clerk would have made a mistake.¡± To my surprise, the conversation continued. I couldn''t believe it. He actually understood the connotations of my line! ¡°Chairman¡­¡± ¡°Sir, please¡­¡± Damn, what the hell?! I stared at the people in the room, wearing a bitter expression in an attempt to suppress my excitement. That old man with the rude mouth¡ªprobably the boss of this ce¡ªanother middle-aged man trying to calm him down, and the clerk who came with me. It was just a small number of NPCs, but that didn¡¯t matter. Just having these three link their responses in such an appropriate and realistic manner made this game godly. ¡°Adventurer, please try to speak a bit more politely¡­¡± Why should I? I absolutely didn¡¯t want to. If my lines gave me these kinds of reactions and I didn¡¯t act ording to my character setting, why the hell was I even ying this game? That wouldn¡¯t make me a roleyer. ¡°You¡¯re talking to the wrong person here. Why should I?¡± ¡°Adventurer¡­¡± ¡°Th-that insolent little¡­!¡± Wow, this was so crazy. Did they type all these lines? No, they probably didn¡¯t. Did an AI generate these lines on its own? But why would they give these NPCs such an advanced AI? In old-game terms, it was like giving voice lines to Viger 1. This was just too good. ¡°Hmph, if he isn''t as good as they say¡­ I''ll have to beat up the guy who rmended him¡­" ¡°Sir, they can hear you." ¡°Then let them hear! I''m only telling the truth!" Sigh¡­ If I knew things would turn out like this, I would have bought Pearl''s stocks. Their stocks were already among the top ones, but looking at the quality of this game, it wouldn''t be strange if they rose even further. What a pity. ¡°Ehem! Let''s set that aside and start talking about the request! Isn''t that why you called Sir Adventurer to this city?!" The clerk hurriedly tried to clear out the tense atmosphere in the room. I wanted to try acting more like my character setting dictated, but I was surprised enough by all this, so I just let it go. I looked at the elderly NPC. ¡°First of all, do you know the content of the request?¡± Miss Izren asked, but it was quite a meaningless question. I just found out I hade to this city for a request, so there was no way I would know. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°What? How could¡­¡± I coldly denied it. I could hear the old man swallowing the insults about to leave his mouth. If the middle-aged man hadn¡¯t covered his mouth, he would have probably finished whatever sentence he was about to say. ¡°Pardon? Didn¡¯t the Guild inform you? Did you volunteer without knowing what this was about?¡± Izren seemed surprised, but I couldn¡¯t really answer her questions. Who in their right mind would have done something like that? I had just logged into the game, but those Pearl guys already gave me so much to do. Oh, I wasn¡¯tining, of course, esteemed Pearl Gods. I was already grateful enough that they were letting me y this game. I was loyal, absolutely loyal. ¡°So? Are you saying that some worms could endanger me?¡± Anyway, a good roleyer would use any opportunity to give their character personality. I continued my mud battle with that old man by acting like an arrogant brat. ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡± Then that old NPC muttered something to himself. He may have been half cussing at me and half at whomever rmended me. From what I¡¯d heard earlier, it seemed they hired me on someone¡¯s rmendation. At that point, I seriously wanted to meet the programmer personally. I really wanted to ask him if he was some kind of god. They couldn¡¯t just make NPCs this human-like without being a god. The Pearl Gods were the only true gods! Chapter 3: I Shouldn't Have Done That (3) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 3 I Shouldn''t Have Done That (3) ¡°First¡­ The other day, we learned there was some problem with the sewer system. I sent out several workers to deal with it, but none returned. So I sent another person, and they located a Demon¡¯s den in the sewers.¡± After being flustered for a while, the other NPC opened his mouth and exined the situation to me. At a nce, this seemed like the part of the tutorial that taught you about thebat system and item acquisition. As it was following the original¡¯s progression, I felt insanely nostalgic. It had been like that before as well. It really was a great game. Until the 2nd-anniversary patch, that is. ¡°So you want me to clean up the sewers?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. And¡­ we want you to find the missing workers, if possible. Of course, we don¡¯t think the first batch of workers is still alive, but we want you to collect their bodies or belongings at the very least to give back to their families.¡± Workers, huh? Was that a Subquest? I covertly opened the Quest Window, checking in case something had popped up. However, I unfortunately couldn¡¯t see anything new. I guessed that it might appear after I epted the Quest. ¡°I¡¯ve sent in some Demon hunters before, but they all came out worse for wear. I also contacted the Temple, but they only said sending someone out would take some time. That¡¯s why I requested a skilled adventurer be sent here¡­ Hmph, can you even handle this? With that corrupted body of yours.¡± ¡°S-sir!¡± ¡°Don¡¯tpare me to those weaklings.¡± ¡°Arrogant brat¡­¡± Oh¡­ While it was true I wanted to appear like that, it sure felt strange being judged by these NPCs. Despite being really surprised, I felt kind of bad. Even if this situation was pretty fun, I wanted to apologize because of these realistic responses. ¡°Sir¡­¡± ¡°Are you some kind of bootlicker?¡± But in the end, NPCs were just NPCs, no matter how well-made they were. Having summarized these overly realistic NPCs in just a few words, the awkwardness of roleying before them practically flew away, reced with a morefortable feeling. Other yers usually caused me to break character by saying things like, ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± or ¡°Wow, are you some kind of roleyer?¡± However, I realized that wouldn¡¯t happen here. This way, I could have even more fun roleying without any hindrances. ¡°Ehem, will you ept our request, Adventurer?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then let me start drafting a proper contract.¡± The clerk, Izren, took out a piece of paper and wrote something on it. ¡°The quest¡¯s objective is to remove all the Demons infesting the sewers. They also hope you can recover the belongings or bodies of the workers who entered before you. Ah, how many were there?¡± ¡°There were 13 of them.¡± ¡°Okay. As for the deadline¡­¡± ¡°The deadline is in one month. As for when to start¡­ We¡¯ll give him two days to rest, seeing as he¡¯s had a long journey.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± As the Q&A session between the clerk and the other male NPC continued, the contents of the request were quickly summarized and organized on the paper. The whole process was pretty unique for something that could have just been put into a Quest Window. ¡°The reward is 400,000 Gals. Taking off the 5% broker fee, that¡¯ll make 380,000 Gals. Well then, Adventurer. Will you proceed with the request?¡± Why were they giving me so much money? What was with that broker fee? With my arms folded, I tapped a finger while looking at Clerk Izren¡¯s drawn-up document. It felt kind of dirty how they took 5%, but if that was the setting of this game, it couldn¡¯t be helped. I couldn¡¯t just turn down the Quest because of that. I took a pen and wrote my signature on the document. ¡°Alright, the contract has been signed. Please report thepletion of your mission through our Guild. Juste to the Guild and look for me.¡± The clerkughed before getting the old man¡¯s signature as well. After that, a Window appeared in the corner of my vision. ¡¸? Clean the Dirty Sewers ? Demons Eliminated: 0 / ?? ? Subquest - Keepsakes Found: 0 / 13¡¹ As I thought, the Quest got registered in the Quest Window only after establishing the contract. ¡°¡­We have reserved an inn room for you under the name of the merchantpany.¡± As the old man reviewed the documents the clerk had taken from me, he spoke up once more. That was quite the pleasant piece of news. ¡°We¡¯ve only paid the fee for two days, so if you want to stay there any longer, you¡¯ll have to pay for it with your own money!¡± By the way, why was that old man like this? ¡°I have no intention of dragging this out any longer.¡± As I responded reflexively, I raised my eyebrows slightly. For two days? Two days¡­ Now that I thought of it, didn¡¯t they say I should start after two days? I had noticed it when the contract was written up, but this was the first time I¡¯d seen a tutorial with a time limit. I didn¡¯t want to drag it out for two whole days, though, so it didn¡¯t really matter. It seemed they¡¯d put in a lot of weird details. ¡°Where¡¯s the location of the sewers?¡± While I was curious about what would happen if I finished the Quest faster, my real reason behind this was different. The remake had set the time difference between the game and reality to about 3:1. It had been revealed that eight hours in reality would equate to one day in the game. In other words, for two days to pass in the game, sixteen hours had to pass in real life. I''d prefer to just get the tutorial over with. I couldn¡¯t wait to enjoy the meat of this game, after all. ¡°Are you going to rush in there right away?¡± ¡°Are you telling me to waste even more time on these sewer worms?¡± I looked at them with contempt. Unlike other games, I didn¡¯t feel like I was acting alone, so these kinds of lines just naturally left my mouth. The other male NPC, whose head had been facing another direction for some time, looked forward once more. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll show you around.¡± Nice. Then we should go now. * * * * * * The inn I briefly stopped by had the same functions as in the original, Saving and Recovery being the main ones. ¡¸The Inn ©¦ If you sleep in the inn, your game will be saved and some of your HP will be recovered. The rate of HP recovery greatly increases within the inn.¡¹ There were other functions as well, but they weren¡¯t as useful. One could store things there, but there was a chance they might get stolen, and there were extra fees if you wanted to bathe or eat there. They were functions I didn¡¯t have to think about yet, as I had no items to store or money. ¡°Is that it?¡± And so, I went straight to the sewers. The sewer and connecting river gave off a weird stench, a sour odor mixed with the scent of copper. However, I had a setting to act out, and well, I wasn¡¯t that sensitive to smell. A cool character never holds his nose, no matter how smelly it is. So I remained calm without holding it. The merchant, who tightly blocked his nose while standing next to me, looked at me as though I were a monster. ¡°Will you be okay?¡± Wow, was that NPC worried about me? I raised my eyes to look at him, showing my sincere appreciation. I red at him as if to say, ¡®If you say that one more time, you¡¯ll be the one who won¡¯t be okay¡­¡¯. But of course, that expression wouldn¡¯t trante to my character¡¯s face, and the NPC wouldn¡¯t understand what I was going for, so I had to answ¡ª ¡°My apologies¡­ Just take this.¡± ¡ªI didn¡¯t have to say anything? My heart was on the verge of exploding. Although I could scarcely believe it, I was now convinced that yers could freely convey their expressions, and NPCs could even recognize them and react ordingly. This game was actually crazy, crazy, I tell you. How did they create something like this? Phew. I¡¯m so d I had made it a habit to act with even my face. I was sure I hadn¡¯t shown any weird expressions up until now. I tried to settle my trembling heart and reached out to the merchant, frowning. I quickly snatched the thing he was holding out for me from his hands. It was a folded piece of paper. ¡°It¡¯s the map of these sewers. However, some roads may have been deformed or blocked because of the Demons¡­ So it might not be entirely urate anymore.¡± I unfolded the paper. At the start of the winding roads were various ces marked with red ink. Some signified blocked roads, others ces with Demons¡¯ nests, and some were roads leading to certain ces, and so on. ¡°This is information we received from the Demon hunters who first explored this ce.¡± It seemed I would receive information about the location and topography of dungeons like this rather than through a Minimap. Those blocked roads could be quite troublesome. Well, I didn¡¯t care much since I had a pretty good sense of direction. Anyway, there was nothing wrong with this. I refolded the paper and put it in my coat¡¯s inner pocket. The game was so realistic that I didn¡¯t even think about what I was doing, but surprisingly, it let me do it. Could I keep things on me even if I didn¡¯t put them in my inventory? That was seriously amazing. ¡°Pen.¡± Ah, could I actually mark stuff on there myself, like on regr paper? If this were any other game, I wouldn¡¯t have even tried, but the Legend of Heroes remake was simply different from normal. I had a gut feeling it would be possible. And I had a vague hunch this NPC would give me a pen if I asked him for one. ¡°Here you go.¡± Woah, crazy. For real? I watched the NPC, an entity that wouldn¡¯t give you anything beyond a Quest item or reward, meekly hold out a pen. I seriously felt like I was about to cry. I didn¡¯t know how often I¡¯d already said it, but Deep Sea Pearl were actual gods. ¡°Please take it.¡± Taking the pen, I also ced it in the coat pocket before ncing at the merchant. ¡°As long as you pay me what you owe, I won¡¯t fail.¡± Leaving him with that remark, I turned around and slid down toward the entrance of the sewers¡ªto the connected river, to be exact. With no intention of cing my feet in the disgusting sewage, I took the road leading up to it. nk. I opened the already unlocked steel chute, revealing the way into the actual sewer system. Honestly, the pipes were so huge that I wondered if it was really necessary. ¡¸Tatara: Underground Sewers¡¹ I mean, I know they did it because it was a game, but weren¡¯t they way smaller in the original? I entertained such idle thoughts as I heard a cheerful bell chime in my ear. I rummaged through my bag and pulled something out. ¡¸Lantern ©¦ A light source that can illuminate dark spaces and guide the way. If you fasten it to your waist, you can use both hands.¡¹ I¡¯d seen that item earlier when looking through my inventory. As the Description Window exined, the dark sewer system was instantly lit up by thentern hanging from my waist. As with most light sources, I could feel some warmth emanating from it. It wasn¡¯t unpleasant, more like a hot pack. However, because it was hanging from my waist, the light was blocked by my coat in some ces. ¡°Should I move it up?¡± I eventually decided to ce thentern over my coat. Depending on which direction I was facing, some areas were still less visible. Well, it was better than before. Screech. Squeak. I quickly checked the map after entering and began seeing some rats. They were half the size of my forearm, but even considering they were dirty, there was something odd about them. For instance, parts of their skin had rotted off, exposing raw flesh or even bones. Some had their intestines hanging out. Even though their eyes were incredibly small, I could see they were very red. Snap! They were all Demonized. I lightly swung my sword. As desired, the Zweih?nder bisected the rat before even piercing it properly. If I had to name one problem, it would be this damn realism. After going through the rat, the sword scratched the floor and slightly dinged a wall. Kang! That clear sound made me slightly uneasy. The sword wasn¡¯t going to break, right? I checked the Zweih?nder, kicking aside the two pieces of rat carcass with my feet. The sword¡¯s de glowed red under the light of thentern. It felt like one might get cut just by looking at it. ¡¸True Zweih?nder of Destruction ©¦ A greatsword that can break and destroy anything in existence with its long, straight de. It strikes fear into anyone who opposes you.¡¹ As I reviewed the weapon¡¯s information alongside its general description, detailed stats were disyed before me, such as Attack Power, Durability, and Energy. Attack Power aside, the starting value of both Energy and Durability should have been 100. And sure enough, the Durability had fallen to 99. That¡¯s how it was. In these types of games, even hitting a wall would decrease the weapon¡¯s Durability and Energy. ¡°This space is too narrow¡­¡± If I continued using this two-handed sword in such a narrow space, its durability would probably decrease by a lot. Swallowing my regrets, I sheathed my Zweih?nder once more and rummaged through my bag. Aside from the True Zweih?nder of Destruction, I had also received another starting weapon. ¡¸Longsword The most widely used sword. The bnce between the de, handle, and pommel is average and allows its user to respond to most situations.¡¹ I fastened the Longsword¡¯s scabbard to my waist and tried swinging the sword. Since thebat correction was working rather well, the sword felt pretty good in my hand. Cut! It could cut through the rats really well, too. Like any mob enemy at the beginning of the game, they could be one shot with a starting weapon. What a good start. Squeak! I was a bit upset that they didn¡¯t drop money or items¡­ Well, maybe it was like that because they were just tutorial mobs. Theter enemies would probably drop some. I was also getting paid quite a lot for this Quest. Kuwaaaaik. As I went in further, I could hear the roars of real Demons echoing in the sewers. I could also see some sneakily poking their heads out, perhaps preparing a surprise attack. ¡¸Goblin ©¦ Wandering Demons that are always in search of food in groups. These small and weak Demons have very low intelligence, but it won¡¯t do you any good letting your guard down around them.¡¹ As soon as I saw the Goblins crawling along the sewer walls and ceiling, a System Window popped up. Even when ying the game on PC, I always thought these things were a bit creepy. In VR, they seemed even more disgusting. ¡°Dirty Demon bastards¡­¡± Anyway, even while dealing with simple mobs, it was only proper to faithfully stay in character. I immediately immersed myself and grimaced at them. Then, firmly gripping my sword, I leaped forward. When one of the many, many Goblins came into view, red target marks appeared on its body. Arms, legs, body, head. Among the given targets, I aimed for the body. ¡¸Body Parts and Strikes ©¦ All enemies have body parts, and the damage they receive from each is different. Some enemies might receive less damage in certain areas, so there may be a need to avoid targeting certain parts. If a body part umtes more damage than it can take, you can cause a ¡¶Part Destruction¡·. Find the most effective part to hit and attack it.¡¹ A brief description of thebat system appeared in my mind. I couldn¡¯t really read it because time didn¡¯t stop or anything. My experience umted from ying many games hadn¡¯t disappeared, though, so I got the gist with just a quick nce. Kakaaang! When I hit the target, my de cut right through the Goblin¡¯s torso. I¡¯d thought so when slicing through the rats, but they¡¯d set my level higher than I expected in the remake. At the same time, I also felt like the difficulty level was really low. Even though I was still in the tutorial, I was causing ¡¶Part Destruction¡· with just a single hit. It was probably because I was just facing trash mobs, but I felt a little ufortable for some reason. While I didn¡¯t really enjoy the difficulty level being too high, it just wasn¡¯t that fun to y if it was too low. ¡°Die, you lowly scum.¡± Either way, even though I was a little disappointed inside, I openly expressed my contempt with my face and words. That was just the basics of the basics as a proper roleyer. Chwank! With my second strike, I pierced through the head of a Goblin that jumped down at me from the ceiling. I knocked away its torso with my foot to free my sword so I could take down thest one. After stepping back to dodge the thing pouncing from the wall, I stabbed its body after itnded on the floor. After severing its spine, I stepped on its body and stabbed once more. I gave it one more hit just in case I hadn¡¯t fully depleted its HP, no matter how realistic it was. After trembling for a bit, the Goblin eventually fell limply to the floor. ¡¸LEVEL UP!¡¹ Alright, I survived. Considering that I¡¯d stopped ying games for a while to focus on my job, I felt like my skills were still pretty decent. I shook off the blood from my sword and ced my foot on thest enemy. The level-up notification covered my eyes for a while before disappearing as quickly as it appeared. ¡°Skill Window.¡± In both the original and remake of Legend of Heroes, your stats would automatically increase upon leveling up, so I didn¡¯t have to worry about stat point allocations. The only thing one had to keep in mind was skills. ¡°Attack, Defense, Survival¡­¡± Maybe it was because this remake was based on an online game, but there sure were a lot of skills. While I didn¡¯t know what the max level was, I suspected I wouldn¡¯t be able to get them all. ¡¸[Melee Combat] ©¦ Basic skills of a warrior. You have a certain chance of responding to enemy attacks better than usual. Effect: Combat Correction¡¹ After thinking about it some more, I decided to prioritize Defense skills. All the Attack skills were active ones and for now, I could kill all the mobs in a single blow. Furthermore, shy moves and the like weren¡¯t the thing to focus on in this game. One¡¯s basic movements were far more important. At least, that was what thepany announced. Thus, getting Defense skills that could be used from the early to thete stages of the game was much better. I modestly distributed my skill points with such thoughts in mind and continued along the way I needed to take. After encountering the Goblins, I arrived at a crossroads. I took out the map with a tter. With my left hand holding my sword, I naturally used my irond right hand to pull it out, awkwardly fumbling with the paper. Going left would bring me to a blocked road, and going right would lead me down a normal road, huh? I quickly made my decision as to which road to take. I had to go left no matter what! After all, I didn¡¯t know what kind of item would be left there, even if it would slow my progress! I had to get all the items in this dungeon, even if I ended up dead because of it! Chapter 4: I Shouldn't Have Done That (4) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 4 I Shouldn''t Have Done That (4) As the thought: ¡®Dungeons, perfect for making one lose their sense of time,¡¯ crossed my mind while wandering through the ce, I skimmed through all the previously revealed parts of the Quest. ¡¸? Clean the Dirty Sewers ? Demons Eliminated: 62 / ?? ? Subquest - Keepsakes found: 6 / 13 ? Subquest - Traces of deceased adventurers retrieved: 5 / ??¡¹ The Quest was progressing quite well. While I didn¡¯t know my overall progress, it shouldn¡¯t be that little, considering I had already found half of the keepsakes. I also got a new Subquest. ¡°Is it blocked again?¡± Rustle. I took out the map to mark the road I¡¯d just taken. I had almost cleared the entire map already, with only one road remaining. It was quite likely that additional parts would get added to the map, either due to the appearance of a boss room with missing keepsakes or paths opening up. ¡°Tsk.¡± I returned the pen to the cap held my mouth and folded the map back up. Should I wait for the ink to dry? That would be a waste of time. The map was already soaked in Goblin blood and somewhat tattered. Though blood didn¡¯t ssh on it directly, my bloodied hands dirtied the map whenever I took it out. However, it was fine as long as I could still read it. I could find almost everything. I searched through the dead end after putting the folded map back into my coat. I had learned with time that the needed items and objects were in ces like this. ¡¸? Clean the Dirty Sewers ? Demons Eliminated: 62 / ?? ? Subquest - Keepsakes found: 7 / 13 ? Subquest - Traces of deceased adventurers retrieved: 7 / ??¡¹ As expected, I found a worker¡¯s corpse and some dead adventurers¡¯ traces. I rubbed my strained eyes with the back of my bloodstained hand. ¡°Why are those things so damn hard to find¡­?¡± It would have been nice if the items I needed were highlighted or sparkled. If I hadn¡¯t looked down at the first road upon hearing bones crunching beneath my boots, I would have walked around wondering where the corpses were. Furthermore, if I hadn¡¯t tried putting those items in my inventory just in case, I wouldn¡¯t have taken anything with me because they weren¡¯t marked at all. With those minorints in my mind, I groped around the corpses. Since I had a limited carrying capacity in both volume and weight, I couldn¡¯t bring the whole body with me. The best I could do was take things that could prove their identity, such as pendants, rings, and adventurer¡¯s cards. ¡°My character couldn¡¯t get even a single keepsake.¡± Now that I thought of it, didn¡¯t this guy go on a rampage right after the Demon settled in his body, obliterating not only his family¡¯s corpses but even his house? He blew away his entire house, leaving him unable to keep even a single thing. That was how the original setting went. I thought it wouldn¡¯t have carried over to the remake, but¡­ considering the opening cutscene, it seemed it did. That was a little pitiful. Rustle! ¡°Sigh¡­.¡± Well, thanks to that, I could better immerse myself in my setting! I lifted the pendant gently, as a character unable to keep a memento of his own would never handle others¡¯ roughly. I figured this would be the right action to take. So long as the character setting wasn¡¯t tantly ignoring causality, I wanted to add as many of these details as possible because it added depth. ¡°Come on, you insects¡­¡± By the way, was there any better line I could use here? As soon as I put away the pendant, I raised my sword to the Goblins that had again appeared behind me. ¡°I¡¯ll send you right back to the hellhole you crawled out from¡­!¡± Ugh. Even though I had finallypiled these lines after months of hard work, they were stillcking. There had to be something cheesier and cooler that I could say! sh! I shed through the Goblins once more. The passages with Demon Nests were covered in strange roots that shone scarlet under the flickeringntern¡¯s light. Squeaak!! The cries of rats and Goblins echoed through the passages like a discordant melody. It wasn¡¯t particrly pleasant to my ears; in fact, it hurt them. But how could I sumb to unpleasant sounds when I had already ovee this disgusting smell? Additionally, I didn¡¯t have to put up with these irritating noises. After all, it was my job to get rid of their source! In other words, I could actually vent my full anger on these things without much trouble. ¡°I won¡¯t leave even a single trace of you bastards!¡± Die, you fuckers! Outwardly, because of my unending hatred toward your mere existence; inwardly, for my ears! Wahaha! Crunch! I smashed in the heads of Goblins that appeared before me. Before long, I reached a crossroad leading to the only passage I hadn¡¯t yet entered. I brushed off the blood that had sttered onto my body and stepped forward without hesitation. Shortly after, I reached a spacious area. Kiieeek!! The huge, empty space was covered in ck and soggy ropes with dozens of Goblins within. One among them stood out the most. Kak, Kak! A Goblin, holding a cane, walked between the others as they parted like the Red Sea. ¡¸Hobgoblin ©¦ A mutation that urs when a Goblin survives after ingesting a great amount of Demonic Energy. They have higher intelligence and special powers that normal Goblinsck.¡¹ Hobgoblins had bright red skin instead of the usual olive coloration and were twice the size of normal Goblins. Usually, they also appeared as random weak mobs, but it wasn¡¯t too strange that they¡¯d decided to use one as this area¡¯s boss in the game¡¯s early stages. ¡°Urpurp!¡± However, I could hear other strange sounds between all the Goblins¡¯ cries and shouts. I moved my eyes. Behind the Goblins, I could see a tightly bound child. ¡°It seems like you are thest ones¡­¡± Rather than sympathizing with the child, I felt something else. In the original game, one could choose whether to save the child or leave them to die. My choice? Of course I would save them. When ying the original, I didn¡¯t help or save the child because my setting then was that of a ruthless Demon hunter, but this time I had mellowed the settings a bit. Furthermore, unlike back then, I¡¯d be more invested in protecting minors as I grew older. Even the kid being an NPC didn''t make much of a difference. Kids should always be happy and safe, no matter what. ¡°Eupeup!¡± Well, saving the kid was one thing, and being immersed was another. The child seemed about the same age as the character¡¯s younger sister from the opening cutscene, which was absolutely perfect for my acting. ¡°You detestable Demons.¡± The space wasrge enough, so I decided to use my Zweih?nder, not the Longsword. It should be fine. I put away the Longsword and reached my hand to the hilt of the sword strapped to my back. The movement seemed almost ingrained in my body. I closed my hand around the firm handle. Shiiing. I pulled out the 1.6-meter-long sword. ¡°Be honored.¡± Kieeeek! I didn¡¯t know if that thing realized what my drawing this sword meant, but the Hobgoblin also raised its held staff. A few normal Goblins rushed to the walls and slowly crept toward me. They¡¯d probably jump me before I could reach the boss. ¡°You shall know death.¡± However, it was rather troublesome that they looked down on gamers like me who had already cleared dozens of games. ¡°Victory to my de, glory to the heavens¡­!¡± I raised my sword high toward the sky, attempting to imitate a knight. My ss was nicknamed ¡®Demon Knight¡¯ by those around the character to begin with. Even if I didn¡¯t give myself this nickname, some NPCs would still just call me Demon Knight. Did they arbitrarily decide to call the ss that? I didn¡¯t think so. At least, that was how it seemed to someone like me, who valued the narrative and probability. So I decided that the character should at least act minimally like a knight for people to have given him that nickname. This was the result of that train of thought. Ah, I didn¡¯t intend to act too much like a knight either, of course. Frankly, if I wanted to consider chivalry even while hunting Demons, I would have just yed as a Knight. There was no way that this character, who had abandoned the path of a knight to hunt down everyst Demon, still cared that much about chivalry. So that was it for knight-like behavior. I would fight, however, like a Demon. I immediately rushed at the enemy and swung my sword. Whoosh! The Zweih?nder I gripped with both hands cut through the air. Its size made it almost too difficult to handle, but it was still manageable thanks to the game¡¯sbat correction and my experience using simr weapons in other games. Kiek! After holding the handle and de with both hands to prevent the Goblins from attacking me, I gently released the de, sliding my fingers over it as if scanning its form. After passing over the Parrying Hooks and reaching the Ricasso, an unsharpened part of the de right above the crossguard, I grabbed it tightly once more and swung. The hand holding the handle moved to the left, and the one holding the Ricasso moved to the right to swing it properly. Crack! After cutting the falling Goblins in half, I quickly fixed my grip. My hands immediately flipped the sword downwards, lowering the Zweih?nder to the floor. Bam! I pierced through the head of a Goblin that tried to w at my legs. I stomped on it, pulling out my sword and swinging once more. With that, the fourth Goblin died. When that cowardly boss called out, all of them temporarily retreated. In that case, I should hurry up and deal some damage before the Hobgoblin sent the next wave after me. * * * * * * As I saw the Goblins hidden in the burrows of both walls pop out, I moved forward. That idiot trying to attack me with his friends began panicking and slowly retreated to the side. However, my Zweih?nder was 1.6 meters long. I swung it before the Goblins could stop me. The de, ignoring all defense, shed through the staff of the Hobgoblin, knocking the boss aside. Wow, it seemed one could actually destroy weapons in this game. I should never even attempt to use a wooden weapon. As the splinters flew around, I also got bitten. I quickly retrieved my sword as I stepped back and used it as a shield, blocking the Goblins from attacking. At that moment, a Goblin at my back drove its nails into my exposed neck. Thanks to the reduced pain level, it only felt like a tingling shock. ¡°You won¡¯t kill me¡­¡± I could see my HP getting depleted pretty quickly, so I deftly grabbed the bugger and flung it off. However, right then, another one of those fuckers clung to my thigh. Even though I could kill them in one cut, they were so small that hitting them was really annoying. ¡°With those weak attacks. Die, you worms!¡± If I dealt with the one stuck to me first, it was highly likely that those rushing at me from the sides would stick to my shoulders. As such, I just swung my sword as if I¡¯d gone berserk, wearing a deep frown. The two Goblins preparing to jump at me were instantly split into two. Then I grabbed the small Demon clinging to my thigh and tossed it to the ground. Crunch! I trampled on its head, smashing it to pieces. Close-quarter attacks sure felt rewarding. Kieeek! Even after that, the Goblins didn¡¯t stop their attack. The boss probably kept ordering them to rush at me. In that case, killing that guy should be my priority. After checking how much of my HP remained, I kicked the ground. Then, holding onto the Ricasso and handle, I swung the sword in every possible direction. I just swung this mighty de without a direct target to keep the Goblins away from me. Had I swung it four times now? I finally caught up with the boss, who fled behind the Goblins in his surroundings. The Goblins around me tore my clothes and scratched my skin, but they didn¡¯t cause any major injuries. Bam! Before I was about to attack the boss, I knocked away a Goblin rushing at me. I ended up prating two of them at the same time. Thanks to that, my sword was effectively locked. However, that was what I was hoping for. After releasing the sword, I grabbed the Longsword from my waist with my left hand. I didn¡¯t hesitate to abandon my weapon for a moment. I had identally dropped my weapon earlier, but it had stayed where it was. The sword I gently drew from its scabbard immediately cut down a Goblin even as I aimed further beyond it. Shiing! Blood sttered on my cheeks, neck, vest, and even the shirt beneath my coat. It was the blood of the Hobgoblin I could only draw by allowing several Goblins to drive their nails into my body. Kiik! Kikkikkieek!! Was it because I pierced through its head? Or was it because of my weapon? Either way, the Hobgoblin died instantly. ¡¸Fear and Confusion ©¦ If a leader is killed right before their subordinates, some enemies might run away in fear or lose their fighting spirit.¡¹ The Goblins seemed agitated by the death of their leader. ¡°Weaklings.¡± After removing my sword from the Hobgoblin¡¯s body, I kicked away the terrified worms and subsequently cut them down. I retrieved my Zweih?nder during that. Such a weapon was far superior in killing many enemies in an open space. ¡°Go to hell.¡± After defeating the boss, the remaining guys were very easy to deal with. I ughtered them one after the other, speaking in a disgusted voice. I made certain not to miss a single one among those running away, either. If I failed to kill even one and couldn¡¯tplete the Quest, I might just faint. ¡°Those insignificant worms.¡± After killing them all, I mumbled to myself while wiping the blood from my sword. Truthfully, I never actually felt they were insignificant while fighting them, but that was what bluffs were. One just had to make up or exaggerate their statements and roll with it. ¡°I can¡¯t handle these things, so I left them unattended until now¡­¡± However, it wasn¡¯t any fun just showing off, so I added a bit of personality to my statement. I pretended to be strong to hide my own weakness, but what I said in a slightly bitter voice reflected the character setting that I was actually weak. I was going for a slightly remorseful and sad feeling. ¡°Tsk¡­¡± At the end, I clicked my tongue in frustration. Great! Perfect! This year¡¯s Immersion Award would definitely go to me! ¡°Urgh¡­¡± At that moment, I could hear a groan from beside me. Only then did I remember that I had someone to save. I didn¡¯t really forget about thatpletely. It was just a lower priority at the moment. ¡°You¡¯re lucky, brat.¡± I approached the wall the little kid had been tied up at, wearing a cold expression. The child had been suspended on a rope that was more like the root of some nt. Riiip. I ripped it apart with my hands. My grip was stronger than expected, so I immediately removed the kid without embarrassing myself. ¡°Th-thank you¡­¡± The kid I had just saved seemed a little taller than the little sister I had seen in the opening cutscene. Even then, he was still small enough to onlye up to my chest. The dead sister would have been smaller. ¡°¡­You don¡¯t have to thank me.¡± While remembering that, I became even more immersed. A child even smaller than this one had been killed, my little sister, and her murderer was in my arm? It was amazing he didn¡¯t go crazy. In his shoes, I would also brandish my sword to kill every Demon out there. ¡°Protecting the weak¡­¡± Anyway, I had to do my lines now. He was speaking with a child who reminded him of his dead younger sister, and unlike before when he couldn¡¯t do anything to save her, this time he¡¯d seeded. How would he feel in that situation? ¡°is only natural for a knight.¡± My voice shook slightly at the end as I raised my hand. I wanted to pat the child¡¯s head. However, since I was essentially right-handed, I unconsciously raised my right hand. That would be a bad move. ording to my character setting, he believed his right arm was a terrible and cursed thing, so much so that he even changed his dominant hand. There was no way that he would touch others with it, much less a child. ¡°Are¡­ are you a knight?¡± I pondered for a while. Should I be rude or kind to this child? Wouldn¡¯t thetter be better? He didn¡¯t want to be seen as weak and was also anxious about his current state, so he acted prickly. However, in the past, he had wanted to be a knight who protected the weak, like the elderly and children. So I doubted he would act like that toward a child, but he might push him away again at ater point. ¡°Yes.¡± I immediately came to an answer. I made my voice sound slightly icy, but I softened my tone a bit. If he spoke in a frosty voice, most people would think he was a man with a strong personality, even if what he said was normal. Of course, the reason I chose to speak like that wasn¡¯t only because of how I interpreted the character. The main reason was that I didn¡¯t want to be so harsh to a child. The NPCs in this game were insanely well-made, after all. Children have to be protected and grow up in a happy environment¡­ ¡°¡­Why were you being held captive here?¡± ¡°My¡­ My mom didn¡¯te back the day she went to clean the sewers¡­ So I came to find my mom. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Aah, this poor kid. He got caught while looking for his mother. This uncle is about to cry, cry, I say. ¡°¡­That¡¯s not your job, kid. You should have waited and trusted the adults.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t apologize to me. I¡¯m not the one you should apologize to.¡± Even if this was a game, things weren¡¯t that easy. Parents would often die because they lived in a far too dangerous world, leaving their children behind. Urgh, after logging out, I¡¯ll talk to my mom and dad. It had been a long time. Thanks to this Quest, I decided to be more filial after a long time. What a surprising effect this game had. Chapter 5: I Shouldn't Have Done That (5) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 5 I Shouldn''t Have Done That (5) It had been a long time since Ist thought about my parents. But filial piety was one thing, and Quests were another. There were still six items left to find. ¡°Wait.¡± I had checked every other area of the sewers, so the remaining six had to be here. I searched around where the kid had been tied up, finding some bones hidden between the roots. ¡°M-mom¡­¡± As I did, the child recognized the skeleton¡¯s belongings as his mother¡¯s and started crying, but¡­ I couldn¡¯t do anything for him except properly retrieve her corpse. Anyway, I had found all thirteen various keepsakes, but I felt I would go blind from straining my eyes to look for them without a single indication of their location. Seriously, those Deep Sea Pearl guys. They had admittedly built a well-made game, but they really hadn¡¯t taken the yer¡¯s convenience into ount. Well, it wasn¡¯t that bad, though. ¡°Little brat.¡± ¡°Mom¡­ Waah.¡± It seemed the child wouldn¡¯t move by himself, so I just carried him in one arm and left the cave. Considering I could easily swing a giant sword with both hands, carrying this kid was easy as pie. ¡¸Purification ©¦ A space bes Demonized after Demons have settled in it. Once this happens, it must go through Purification. The Demonized space can be Purified by burning it with Divine Power or Pure mes. Depending on one¡¯s ss, Purification methods may vary. Demons respawn in Unpurified spaces. Do not let Demons tread thisnd again.¡¹ It said the ce needed Purification, so I pulled an oil container from my bag and sprayed its contents everywhere. This system also existed in the original and was actually pretty easy to perform. You got an oil container as a starting item, after all. Just as I was about to throw a lit torch onto the oil I had spread, the blocked roads came to mind. ¡­I had just remembered that part. I was sure I had to burn these ces to fill the gauge to 100%, right? ¡¸Purification progress: 1%¡¹ ¡¸Purification progress: 4%¡¹ ¡¸Purification progress: 7%¡¹ Achieving 100% Purification wasn¡¯t a condition to finish this Quest, so it probably didn¡¯t matter much. However, as I expected, not doing it would leave me ufortable, so I should try it on my way out. With such thoughts in mind, I made my way out once I saw that the Purification progress was slowly rising. I felt slightly suffocated, after all. It seemed they had also simted theck of oxygen caused by lighting a fire in a closed-off cave. It would have been nice if they¡¯d just inflicted a slight suffocation. Instead, I could even feel a tightness in my lungs and my heart rising into my throat. Despite the pain level being set pretty low, it felt extremely unpleasant. While Icked any asphyxiation-rted trauma, this might cause some controversy. Would others be okay? I coughed a bit and quickened my steps, covering my mouth with my gauntlet. I still had to hurry since I didn¡¯t know how the child would fare. Cough, cough. ¡°¡­Tsk.¡± When I heard the child coughing, I just ran, fortunately much faster than I¡¯d thought. ¡°You okay?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± We escaped that space in under three minutes, though I hadn¡¯t yet left the sewers. I¡¯d only rushed to a ce where the smoke couldn¡¯t reach us yet. The rest was easy. Now that I had learned starting fires would only harm me, I didn¡¯t attempt to Purify this ce any further, and finding my way out was very easy as it was a road I had already walked on. Fortunately, I had a pretty decent memory when it came to orientation. I hadn¡¯t really noticed when dealing with the Goblins, but these passages were unusually long. I felt like I had been walking for more than half an hour. Creak. Bam! Still, I eventually found the exit, kicked the iron door open, and took a deep breath. It still smelled musty, but the air was fresher than in the sewers. The rays of the setting sun stung my eyes. Had it taken me about two or three hours, then? I couldn¡¯t remember when I had entered the sewers, but I knew it was daytime, and an in-game day had eight hours. Well, it should have taken a good amount of time to find my way around the sewers and defeat all those Demons. Besides, considering the size of that sewer system I had just explored, I felt like even more time had passed, like I had been in there for four or five hours. If they had provided something like a clock function, I would have known exactly how much time had passed, so that was a bit disappointing. ¡°Little kid.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Anyway, I checked on the kid in my arms. I could see a confused expression on his dirty face. Tears still flowed from his eyes, but as long as he was alive, that was enough for me. I climbed up the riverbank and slowly made my way back to town. I had been told to report to the guild about the mission, so that was what I needed to do now. ¡°Sir Knight.¡± I stopped for a second. After calming down slightly, the kid called out to me in a whimper. ¡°Mom will be happy by God¡¯s side, right?¡± It was a question with a fixed answer. ¡°Yes.¡± I soon reached the Adventurers¡¯ Guild. * * * ¡°Oh, Adventurer? What happened¡­ What¡¯s with the child?¡± Maybe because it was now evening, the guild was even noisier than before. However, the service windows were a little emptier than before as most of those present were here to get drunk. Thanks to that, it was very easy to reach the clerk, Izren. I had to report to her and hand the child over as well. ¡°Take him.¡± I pushed the child to her as she came from behind the window. I expected members of the general public who didn¡¯t carry around giant greatswords would find it rtively difficult to hold him, but the clerk carried him pretty well. Amazing. I would have stumbled if given a child like that in real life. ¡°This child¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s the son of a worker. He said he went into the sewers to find his mother. If you want more information, listen to my detailed report.¡± I didn¡¯t really want to go into too many specifics with the child around, so I just roughly summed up what had happened. ¡°What?!¡± Naturally, the clerk looked back at the child I had handed to her like a ry baton. The kid was tightly clutching his mother¡¯s keepsake, remaining silent. ¡°I-I¡¯ll see to this matter right away. We will take care of the child for now.¡± ¡¸? Cleaning the Dirty Sewers ? Demons eliminated: 71 / ?? ? Subquest - Keepsakes found: 13 / 13 ? Subquest - Traces of deceased Adventurers retrieved: 10 / ?? ? Optional: Saved the Child¡¹ Once the clerk said that, one part of the Quest was shown as cleared. I guessed the others would also get cleared once I reported the rest. ¡°Where should I put the recovered belongings?¡± ¡°Ah, did you bring back the workers¡¯ belongings? You can just put them down over here for now.¡± The clerk handed the child to her colleague and led me to the service window. Following her hand, I saw a bench-like desk that was neither very wide nor narrow. It seemed she was asking me to put them there. tter. I poured out all the keepsakes on top of it without any hesitation. I¡¯d brought back essories and clothes as keepsakes. For traces of dead adventurers, I¡¯d retrieved things like adventurer¡¯s cards to prevent any mix-ups. ¡°Y-you brought back a lot.¡± Of course. How could I just ignore Subquests unless I was in a situation where I couldn¡¯t do them? Well, it had been me who gave them the impression I would just ignore others¡¯ circumstances, of course. I looked down at the clerk with a frown on my face. The clerk slightly gulped and quickly went through the keepsakes. ¡°By any chance, are these the belongings of all 13 deceased workers?¡± ¡°What else does it look like?¡± Regardless of what I was thinking on the inside, I saw the clerk reacting quite nervously, which made me feel somewhat guilty. ¡°M-my apologies. We will deliver the belongings to the client first to verify the identity of their owners. As for these adventurer¡¯s cards¡­¡± She choked up a bit. A bloody, bronze-colored card was at her fingertips. ¡°¡­On behalf of the guild, I would like to thank you.¡± That slightly muffled voice made me feel somewhat strange because it was an exceedingly human reaction. I had always longed for realistic NPCs, so why was I so ufortable now that I had them? I wondered if this was how Sk was actually born. Of course, it was still fun, so I obviously would keep going! ¡°Have you finished hunting for the day?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± What was she talking about? Why would a yer suddenly stop their hunt partway? ¡°Ah¡­ Are you going to go back to the sewers now? Do remember to rest a little, though¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean. Why should I go back to the sewers?¡± Hmm, was it because of the Purification? But wasn¡¯t it kind of weird that I had to do it myself? ¡°Do I have to do the Purification as well?¡± ¡°You have to catch¡­ the other Demons¡­? What? Purification?¡± I frowned as I remembered that the Purification progress had halted at about 43%. It wasn¡¯t that big of a deal if one could just use a Purification Stone to take care of things, but the Demon Knight could only Purify Demonized ces with fire. I might end up suffocating to death if I did the Purification myself. I wanted to avoid that if possible. ¡°L-let me ask you something¡­ Have you already eliminated all the Demons, by any chance?¡± That was a rather sudden question. I raised my eyebrows. ¡°Do you think I¡¯d be standing before you now if I hadn¡¯t?¡± ¡°To make me¡­ take the child back to his home?¡± If I had found him in the middle of my exploration, that might have been the case¡­ Did she think I ended my day¡¯s exploration because I found that kid? Was this NPC programmed to show such a reaction if the clear time was faster than normal? But I didn¡¯t think I cleared the dungeon that quickly, though. ¡°¡­How very unpleasant. Are you looking down on me?¡± She desperately shook her head when my expression changed into a frown. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t mean to look down on you. My apologies, Adventurer. So all Demons have been removed, leaving only the Purification? ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­I shall contact the client right away then.¡± Fortunately, I didn¡¯t have to take care of everything. It would have been difficult to fulfill that condition. How lucky. ¡¸? Clean the Dirty Sewers ? Talk to the Client¡¹ Adding to my confidence, the Quest information was updated. The sewer Quest was really over. * * * * * * ¡¸Adventurers¡¯ Guild ©¦ You can do various things in the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, such as epting Quests, reporting thepletion of Quests, and receiving rewards. In the Guild¡¯s Tavern, you can enjoy cheap meals and alcohol, but the taste will be inferior. However, if you¡¯re lucky, you might receive some useful information.¡¹ While waiting for the client, I gained more insight into the Guild¡¯s system and even got some dinner. Right around when I finished my meal, the Quest NPC¡¯s messenger arrived. ¡°This is themission fee. And¡­ we will pay the broker fee for you.¡± A high-ranking member of thatpany had called for me, so I¡¯d had no choice but toe to them. Instead, they decided to pay the broker fee for me. I wondered if anything would have changed had I not collected all the workers¡¯ belongings. Honestly, I was the only one unhappy with these kinds of Quests since NPCs had no qualms about sending yers out on such missions. ¡°Will that be alright, Miss Clerk?¡± ¡°If that is what you decided, I believe it should be fine.¡± ¡°Alright then, here you go. The promised 400,000 Gal.¡± I knew I would receive that much money, but was it really correct? I had also been surprised by the amount before, but even after I received the sum, I still couldn¡¯t believe it. Wasn¡¯t this a bit much to give out as a reward for finishing the tutorial? ¡°I have confirmed the amount.¡± The moment I pushed the gold coins into my inventory, I could barely suppress my trembling heart as I admired the insane amount of money disyed in the bottom corner. I had no other choice but to feel that way. Most games, even the original Legend of Heroes, only gave out money in units of hundreds or thousands for thepletion of a Quest. In some cases, they didn¡¯t even pay with Gal but instead offered pieces of cheap equipment or consumable items as a reward. That was because one could gain even more loot by just walking along the road or hunting some mobs than bypleting Quests. The remake was different, though. Instead of getting money by hunting mobs, it seemed they made it possible to earn money just bypleting Quests. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t give out Quest rewards in units of hundreds of thousands. ¡°About the spoils from the Demons¡­¡± No, there weren¡¯t any. Earlier, I mostly focused on Attack and Defense skills and hadn¡¯t even looked at any Survival skills, but it seemed there was a skill called [Butcher] among them. It was a skill that enabled one to get spoils from the carcasses of animals or Demons. If one selected it, they could earn money just by hunting instead of doing Quests. I really wondered if I could make more money than this through that method. ¡°I¡¯m not interested¡­¡± That said, I didn¡¯t regret choosing [Melee Combat]. Considering my character settings, it was doubtful I would ever even think of trying to get spoils from Goblins. On the other hand, the [Melee Combat] skill and the [Parry] skill I¡¯d gotten right after came in handy. Even if I knew of the existence of [Butcher], I definitely wouldn¡¯t have chosen it first. ¡°...in the pocket change I would gain from those worms.¡± I stood firm and refused all extra rewards. It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t consider it a waste, but for the sake of my roleying, I had to ovee these kinds of things. I could assure you that I didn¡¯t feel the slightest regret in my answer. ¡°Is that all?¡± With my legs and arms crossed and my head slightly lowered, I asked in a rather mocking tone. The middle-aged NPC picked up on that and replied with ¡®Yes.¡¯ Tada dada! The SFX forpleting the Quest sounded in my ears. ¡°Then there¡¯s no reason for me to stay here any longer.¡± Whoops. My expression almost broke. Why did those guys set the sound effect volume so damn high? If I didn¡¯t lower it, it might give me a heart attack one of these days. ¡°I¡¯ll go now.¡± I stood up from my seat as I calmed my pounding heart, not putting back the chair I had pushed out. ¡°In that case, I shall take my leave as well.¡± The clerk also stood up to follow behind me. Stepstepstep. It was then I could hear the unconcealed sound of running from the hallway. I could feel the urgency in their steps. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I opened the door and stepped aside. Soon, someone came rushing into the room, almost falling. The clerk stepped back in surprise. ¡°S-sir!¡± ¡°Is your buttocks on fire or something? What is it?!¡± The old man spoke up. I waited and watched the situation while trying to refrain fromughing out loud. It was a bit startling, but this had to be part of the Main Quest. Even if I didn¡¯t remember much of the original, my years of gaming experience told me this smelled like a Quest. ¡°We received a rescue signal! A re has been shot from somewhere nearby! It¡¯s a signal re belonging to ourpany!¡± ¡°What!?¡± As expected. ¡°I informed the castle guards, but they said it would be difficult to move out at the moment and would take some time¡­!" ¡°Those bastards never move their asses despite blowing through our tax money up there!" The old man yelled, his blood pressure obviously rising through the roof. Seriously, that guy seemed like he could easily live to be 200. ¡°Send out my men now!¡± At that moment, my eyes met with that old NPC. ¡°You! You also go!¡± ¡°¡­Do not order me around.¡± There was no way someone with this character¡¯s temperament would respond well to one-sided orders. He didn¡¯t even say that Demons were involved. Actually, it was pretty uncertain who attacked them. After reaching that interpretation, I crumpled my facial expression to show off my pride. ¡°So you¡¯re saying you won¡¯t do it?¡± ¡°I have no reason to listen to your orders.¡± ¡°Aargh, so are you going to do it or not?!¡± However, it would be somewhat weird to refuse outright. I didn¡¯t really have any reason to absolutely refuse. I nced at the clerk. She also happened to look at me. ¡°As this seems to be an urgent matter, we can postpone the creation of a contract.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯ll have to provide me with reasonable pay.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take care of that!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll agree then. Lead the way.¡± We should leave right away. But where did we even have to go? After gathering that information, I should hurry up and kill the threat. ¡¸? People in Danger ? Optional: Join the mercenaries ? Move to the battle site ? Raiders eliminated: 0 / ?? ? Subquest - Number of survivors: ?? / ??¡¹ I opened the Quest Window just in case and found it holding useful information. Even though the contract hadn¡¯t been written yet, a Quest was created anyway. I checked the Quest contents and tried to guess the location of the battle site. Even without a Minimap, it wasn¡¯t difficult to check for certain locations using my Area Map; it was simply ufortable having the entire Map floating before my eyes all the time. ¡°Get the horses ready right now!¡± ¡°Y-yes!¡± Fortunately, the messenger also doubled as our guide. ¡°What about mercenaries¡ª¡± ¡°Not necessary.¡± It was just a tutorial, so why should I drag those mercenaries with me? I didn¡¯t really want to put up with those nuisances. ¡¸? People in Danger ? Optional: Join the mercenaries ? Move to the battle site ? Raiders eliminated: 0 / ?? ? Subquest - Number of survivors: ?? / ??¡¹ The Subquest telling me to find survivors really bothered me. While it didn¡¯t give a definitive number, my intuition as a veteran told me this was a timed Quest. Unless bringing mercenaries with me was absolutely necessary, I thought it would be best to go to the battle site first. ¡°B-but it¡¯ll be dangerous there.¡± ¡°¡­Are you actually suggesting that I would be in danger?¡± It was just a starting Quest. How could something like that be dangerous to me? I was just worried about all those NPCs. Considering how long it would take to get there, I might not be quick enough even if I left now. ¡°Just let him go!¡± Then, the old man suddenly stepped in. ¡°If he managed to clean up the sewers on his own, he wouldn¡¯t end up croaking even if he went ahead!¡± ¡°Y-yes!¡± He unexpectedly helped me out. The messenger led me straight to the stables. ¡°You can ride that one!¡± The horse he gave me seemed big and muscr. However, horses were a popr means of transportation in games, so instead of being scared, I immediately got on its back. One of the games I yed before was a horse-racing simtor. It had even been evaluated as being really close to reality. Thanks to that, I was pretty familiar with horseback riding. ¡°Giddy up!¡± The pole-like legs of the horse began to gallop right away, crushing the earth beneath its hooves. Chapter 6: I Shouldn't Have Done That (6) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 6 I Shouldn''t Have Done That (6) The messenger didn''t slow down even after we left the city. People were extremely startled and leaped out of the way, and the guards called out to us as we passed the gate. I wondered if this was fine. Stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp. Nevertheless, we left through the city gate, crossed the bridge, and entered the forest. The sun had already set, leaving our surroundings inplete darkness. Beep. I nced at the flickering torch of the messenger before me and opened my Area Map again. Checking the destination markers on my Map, it seemed quite far off¡ªabout the distance between thepany and the city gate. No, maybe 1.5 times that distance. Ah, I felt so nervous because the Quest didn''t share the number of survivors. Would all of them already be dead as soon as I arrived? I narrowed my eyes anxiously, wondering if I could make my horse run faster. I had a light source, so I didn''t absolutely need the guy''s torch. What about the horse? Somehow, I suspected it would be fine going slightly faster. As I was pondering, I lowered my body to give the horse a signal. The bounding movement of my hips strengthened, though not to the point where I couldn¡¯t keep up with the rhythm. ¡°Huh?!¡± My horse overtook the messenger and began going even faster. It would be a bit of a struggle for the horse, but since our way back wouldn¡¯t need to be as hurried, I hoped it could hold out. The messenger tried to catch up, but our distance only widened, as though our horses¡¯ physical capabilities were themselves different. Stomp, stomp, stomp. By the time my horse began frothing at the mouth from exhaustion, I had almost reached the location indicated on the Map. I could hear the scraping of metal and the squealing of Demons even over the sound of my horse¡¯s hooves. I could even see the torchlight of those fighting. The light let me know that there were still survivors to save. ¡°Victory to my de¡­¡± As I reflexively uttered this prayer, I had a brief thought. Should I stop riding the horse before joining the fray? Could I even fight on horseback? ¡°Glory to the heavens!¡± Ah, whatever. Cavalry battle, here Ie! The horse wouldn¡¯t end up dying, anyway! ¡°It¡¯s reinforcements!¡± ¡°Reinforcements?!¡± The higher-ranking people fighting fiercely noticed me almost immediately as I rode in between them. The de of my sword cut through three Goblins simultaneously, and my horse stomped on two more, crushing their heads. ¡°Die, you scum!¡± I then realized something: fighting on horseback would be impossible for me. ¡°Wh-what!¡± ¡°Just one person?!¡± ¡°I heard reinforcements hade!¡± ¡°Are we really going to survive?!¡± It was too difficult to control the horse¡¯s speed with just my legs and even harder to swing my sword from up here and cut those tiny Goblins to pieces. Furthermore, it waste at night. While many light sources illuminated the area, distinguishing things was still much more difficult than during the day. While I was sure I would get the hang of it with some practice, now wasn¡¯t the time to experiment. ¡°Tsk.¡± After making that judgment, I threw my Zweih?nder toward one of the Goblin bastards and immediately jumped off my horse. Falling off a horse at this speed would be pretty bad, but this was a game. My bodynded on a pile of Goblin corpses. Thud! As I hit the ground, I rolled to break the fall, feeling some slight pain. My HP also decreased a little, but I wasn¡¯t suffering from any abnormal conditions. Good enough. I recovered my sword, embedded in a Goblin¡¯s skull, and swung. The two Goblins creeping closer to me were split in half. When I looked up, I saw the horse run straight through the battlefield and into the forest. ¡¸? People in Danger ? Move to the battle site ? Raiders eliminated: 8 / ?? ? Subquest - Number of Survivors: 30 / 52¡¹ Good. When I arrived, the Quest Window started disying the exact number of survivors. I quickly scanned the battlefield and tried to identify those most in danger, instinctively cutting down all approaching Goblins as I did so. I saw fifteen wagons with the roofs torn off and people fighting atop them. Horses were lying around, only barely alive. Goblins were rushing in from all sides. Were those wolves among the Goblins biting into some corpses? [Dhole ©¦ Cunning beasts that skillfully hunt in packs. Dholes tamed by Demons are even more ferocious and tenacious.] ording to the information on the floating Window, they weren¡¯t exactly wolves but Dholes, though that wasn¡¯t really too important. ¡°You¡¯ve done well¡­¡± I quickly switched gears to act out my character¡¯s hatred. It wasn¡¯t my job to protect the wagons or merchandise, so I would only protect the people. I ignored ces with a lot of people, suspecting they¡¯d be able to survive on their own without me by helping each other out. As such, I chose my first destination. Baaam! I ran to the very front while swinging my Zweih?nder. There were Goblins stabbing at me with rusty daggers in their bony limbs and Dholes trying to scratch and bite me, but none of that mattered. They were all brought down in a single swing anyway. ¡°W-watch the ground¡ª!¡± Thud! As I swept across the right side of the lined-up wagons, one of their wheels rattled a bit before the ground caved in. If there hadn¡¯t been someone with a torch nearby, I would have missed it. ¡°¡­?!¡± I was slightly taken aback as the ground I almost stepped onto did the same. However, I was fully capable of hiding these feelings. I wasn¡¯t one to nk out from just a little surprise. I calmly stepped to the side, cing my foot elsewhere, and thrust my de into the center of the rising earth. Squelch! It struck into something solid yet soft. ¡¸Olgoi-khorkhoi©¦ A Demon that burrows through the ground with a body resembling the intestines of a sheep. It hunts prey by paralyzing it with poison secreted from its teeth.¡¹ Looking at what I¡¯d stabbed, I discovered my sword had pierced the head of a creature simr to a mealworm, albeit a hundred timesrger. I had wondered why all these people chose to stay inside their wagons, but now I realized it was probably because of that thing. The reason so many had died had to be because of its paralytic poison. From that point on, I continued my massacre while watching my step. As everyone nearby had clustered inside that wagon, wielding my sword was much more effortless. I soon doubled the number of Goblin corpses these people had already umted. Squish! The Olgoi-khorkhoi crushed beneath my boots was another addition. ¡°Wh-what is that¡­¡± ¡°A monster¡­¡± Kiiek. Kieeeeek! However, as I tore through them, I spotted a Goblin with a distinctly different color. A Hobgoblin, much like the one in the sewers. I had mistaken it for a regr Goblin, hidden among all these wagons and in the dark of night. A big fish. Kiek?! The Hobgoblin lifted its cane, emitting a ck light that flowed toward the surrounding Goblins. Considering its appearance, it was likely some type of buff. In that case, I couldn¡¯t leave it alone. Supporters and Healers had to be eliminated first. ¡°I¡¯ll tear you apart¡­!¡± As soon as I located it, I charged. The Goblins tried to hinder me, but I didn¡¯t really have to care about them. ¡¸[Survival Instinct] ©¦ Experienced warriors must be able to take care of themselves on the battlefield, so their instinct tells them what path they should take to avoid attacks. Effect: Suggest one avoidance route Cooldown: 60 seconds¡¹ I activated a skill I had chosen after leveling up recently. As I did, a translucent arrow appeared before me, pointing out the path to avoid as many attacks as possible. It wasn''t a skill one would typically use in times like these, just a little trick. Anyway, I immediately stepped on the side of a wagon and ran. The vehicle carried so many things that it didn''t lurch even as I trod heavily. Step, step, step! After crossing two wagons, I reached a carriage and stepped on the railing, its narrowest part. The Hobgoblin, standing at the front, was right before me. Kiek!!! As I rushed over the wagons, Goblins jumped at me and dug in their ws. That much pain was bearable, though. I put strength into the hand holding the sword and swung at them. The Goblins, who loyally sacrificed themselves to protect the Hobgoblin, became mere chunks of meat. As I leaped, I changed my grip to hold the sword in reverse before pushing down. Stab! Were all Hobgoblins destined to be impaled on this sword or something? This time, the Zweih?nder¡¯s de pierced through its neck instead of its head. sh! As the area I hit was a bit ambiguous, I split it in half by shing my sword down. Teaaaar. The sword cut through the Hobgoblin¡¯s body, exiting at the armpit and removing its arm as it did so before scratching over the floor and piercing the bodies of other Goblins behind it. At that moment, I released its hilt and removed the Goblins and Olgoi-Khorkhoi from my body. My HP had decreased quite a bit, allowing the paralytic poison to umte in my body to some extent. I was still stable, but things would be pretty dangerous if I were bitten three or four more times. Throw. I tossed aside the Goblins I held and drew my Longsword with my left hand. I was still removing those Demon scum attached to my arms, legs, and back with my right arm. Kiek!! But those guys were still alright, even though I had killed the boss. Seeing that the Goblins weren¡¯t panicking, I narrowed my eyes, realizing what I had missed. With me on the right side of the wagons were now only Goblins and Olgoi-Khorkhoi, but on the left was one more Hobgoblin. I¡¯d failed to examine the battlefield properly. * * * * * * ¡°Urgh!¡± Then an NPC fell from a wagon, their ankle bitten by an Olgoi-Khorkhoi. ¡°Tsk.¡± I frowned and clicked my tongue emphatically as I threw my Longsword. Since Icked the [Throwing] skill, its trajectory didn¡¯t get corrected. As such, itnded a bit further away than I had aimed for, but it was enough for what I intended. The sword blocked the Goblins from approaching the fallen NPC. Pull. Meanwhile, I quickly grabbed my Zweih?nder and rushed forward. As I continued my massacre, the number of Goblins fell drastically, allowing me to charge through the battlefield more easily. ¡°Die¡­!¡± I grabbed the tip of my sword¡¯s hilt and swung it down from the top, making use of my wide reach. Bang! Two Goblins aiming for the NPC after avoiding my Longsword were split in half, right from their heads to their crotches. ¡°Hiiik!¡± ¡°Quick, pull him up!¡± ¡°Come on, hold on!¡± ¡°Hold his arm!¡± The NPC who had just narrowly escaped his death became frightened, and those still on the wagon hurriedly grabbed his arms. After being pulled back up, he immediately fell into the wagon. Kieeek, kik! That was enough for now, so Imenced my hunt for the remaining Hobgoblin. I was d the path the arrow had shown me matched up. I retrieved the Longsword I had thrown and swung it sideways. The head of a Goblin leaping at me was cut off and rolled to the side. Shik. After decapitating the Goblin, I sheathed the Longsword once more. Phew. Even I thought that was extremely cool. Scraaatch. The Zweih?nder I held with one hand scraped lightly over the ground before I grabbed it with my other hand, as well, and raised it into the air. I stepped over the corpses of the Goblins around me. Kieeeek!!!! That marked the end of my charge. Sensing its life was in danger, the Hobgoblin called out to the Goblins before me. Not that it slowed me down. I lifted my sword with the de¡¯s tip pointing forward, almost level with the ground, when I was about one meter away from it. Stab! With a couple of Goblins attached to my shoulders, I pierced the hearts of three others, along with the Hobgoblin. Kiek! Kiekik!! ¡°I-it¡¯s dead¡­¡± ¡°The Demons are¡­¡± Soon after I killed that thing, the Goblins began to run around in confusion. Slit. I pulled out my bloodied Longsword once more and shed off the Hobgoblin¡¯s head¡ªjust in case¡ªbefore chasing and killing the fleeing Demons. The Goblins clinging to my body or jumping up and down on corpses quickly fled to the other side of the forest in a panic. ¡°Where are you going¡­!¡± Would it fit my setting if I pursued those escaping and ripped them apart, or should I help these people recover? Spit. While fighting those bastards, their blood and even some of their flesh had gotten in my mouth. I picked up my Zweih?nder, which I¡¯d left unattended, before spitting it out. That was the disadvantage of a game being too realistic, I guess. The number of survivors, which I checked covertly, remained at 27. ¡°I-I¡¯m alive¡­¡± ¡°Aah, thank god¡­¡± ¡°Who the hell is that¡­?¡± Ah, right, the mercenaries. Hadn¡¯t someone said they would hire some mercenaries separately? That should have been the case if I remembered right, but I didn¡¯t know when they would arrive. The messenger, who¡¯d recovered the runaway horse, managed to meet up with me. ¡°Uwaaaarg!¡± Anyway, that seemed to be the mercenaries, so it would be fitting for me to join them first. But when I stepped forward with such thoughts, a heated scream prated my ears. ¡°The Demons have invaded!¡± ¡°I-isn¡¯t there any medicine?!¡± ¡°We have some sedatives¡­!¡± I remembered a certain game setting, albeit toote. ¡¸Demonic Erosion ©¦ A person attacked by Demons has a certain probability of being eroded by their Demonic Energy. As the erosion level increases, they will be afflicted with various status effects and, in severe cases, may turn into a Demon themselves.¡¹ Whenever I took damage from a Demon¡¯s attack in the original game, there was a set chance that I would umte erosion. If I remembered correctly, one would get afflicted with a new status effect every 10 percent. However, it wasn¡¯t too hard to manage. I¡¯d get better after taking some medicine from the Temple or getting Purified. Incidentally, I didn¡¯t really have to worry about that as a Demon Knight. Perhaps due to already harboring a Demon in my arm, my erosion level would never increase at all! ¡°Take it.¡± ¡°What?¡± I actually had some medicine on me now. Was it a starter item provided to all yers regardless of ss? They gave it to me despite beingpletely useless for Demon Knights. ¡¸Demonic Energy Neutralizer ©¦ A pill that Purifies the Demonic Energy eroding a person. It calms the panic caused by Demons and temporarily grants tranquility to the user.¡¹ In any case, I threw the pill bottle I had on me toward him. Each bottle had ten pills, so I was sure it would work. ¡°Thank¡­ Th-thank you for this!¡± "Medicine?!" It might be a bit of a waste as one bottle was quite expensive, but seeing the NPCs¡¯ faces filled with such genuine and realistic gratitude made me proud. Yeah, I don¡¯t need anything in return. Just being able to save these NPCs was good enough. Moreover, someone who had lost his family to and been eroded by Demons himself wouldn¡¯t just stand idle if someone was about to suffer the same fate. So this didn¡¯t go against my interpretation of the character at all. It was absolutely perfect. ¡°Are there any more bandages?!¡± ¡°Damn it, we¡¯re running out of sedatives¡­¡± ¡°Is that all the Demonic Energy Neutralizer we have?!¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s all he gave me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± But it seemed they needed more. I hesitantly gave up going into the dark forest and eventually turned toward the wagon. Scrape. The sword I held rubbed against my leather glove before returning to its sheath. Throw. ¡°This?!¡± ¡°Use it.¡± Estimating the amount needed by the number of people left, I tossed one more bottle of Demonic Energy Neutralizer their way and passed the starter item bandages to the person needing them. I had wondered why I was given so many starter items, but it seemed this was their intended use. ¡°Th-thank you very much!¡± It wasn¡¯t something they had to thank me for because they were things the game provided me with. Rather, if I charged that old man for these things, would he actually pay me back? The game was so well-made that I was actually incredibly confused. Stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s the reinforcement!¡± Just in time, I could see the mercenaries approaching us from a distance. More precisely, I could see the torches they carried. With that, the Quest was over. Chapter 7: I Shouldn't Have Done That (7) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 7 I Shouldn''t Have Done That (7) It wasn¡¯t actually the end of the Quest, but an update. ¡°So you¡¯re saying you got rid of them all by yourself¡­?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it quite embarrassing to admit you can¡¯t handle something of that level this quickly? Are you suicidal, perhaps?¡± I reflexively brushed off the mercenary¡¯s admiring exmation¡ªit felt so good using these lines because they responded so well to everything¡ªand then checked over the Quest. ¡¸? People in Danger ? Bodies recovered: 3 / 25 ? Items collected: 5 / ?¡¹ It was also the first time the game gave out a cleanup Quest. I didn¡¯t even do anything, so why had the numbers gone up? Was it counting what the NPCs were doing, too? In that case, it seemed I didn¡¯t actually need to step up. I wasn¡¯t shameless, but doing such chores just didn¡¯t seem like something a cool character would do. I leaned against a tree at the side of the road. The mercenaries sent by thepany muttered something, but that was none of my business. ¡°Why did Demons¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been to many ces, but this is the first time I¡¯ve seen something like this happen in the West.¡± ¡°I¡¯d have understood if those barbarians had attacked them, but¡­¡± While waiting for things to settle down, I learned that the game didn¡¯t even erase the traces of battle. Usually, if that much data is umted on a single map, it would often causeg. Despite all these corpses and battle marks¡ªthe dents in the ground and the cuts created by weapons¡ªthey hadn¡¯t removed anything. It would seem the next-generation game industry had their work cut out for them. ¡°Why did a group of Demons appear like that near the city? Something like this has never happened before!¡± ¡°We must report this to the city!¡± This information wasn¡¯t in the game, but there were some things I could infer. Given that this raid was so unusual and unprecedented, it 100% had to do with the plot. Considering the plot of Legend of Heroes was ¡®the Great Demon is breaking its seal: the story of the brave Adventurers who gathered to prevent the re-emergence of Satan,¡¯ it was easy to guess what it meant. ¡°I can¡¯t find any more corpses¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Even though the battle caused so much damage, too many people are missing.¡± Did the number of corpses not add up? That must be the doing of a Demon Follower or a Warlock¡­ In any case, this was definitely a terrorist attack by these kinds of people. That meant I would definitely get another quest to uncover the true culprit behind this incident. That much was obvious, even if it wasn¡¯t spelled out for me. With my 20 years of experience as a gamer, predicting something like that was pretty basic. ¡°Let¡¯s return to the city. We have to live first to see the end of this.¡± ¡°To think they couldn¡¯t even properly subdue these Demons despite receiving so much tax money¡­ The Lord¡¯ll have to pay for this.¡± I whistled internally as I listened to theints of those who barely managed to survive. I felt like I was experiencing a real fantasy world, making it extremely fun to y, especially because I could hear these kinds of conversations happening and watch as they proceeded with returning to the city. ¡°¡­Good work." And like that, I escorted those heading back to the city. That old NPC with a rotten look on his face was waiting for me with a cigarette in his mouth. He didn''t look like that because of me but because the damage the Demons had caused was extremely severe. ¡°Reasonable payment." However, the personality my character setting dictated wouldn''t go well with this kind of thing, so I didn''t really care. It was enough that I already saved so many of his employees'' lives, so I had no reason to be any more considerate toward him. ¡°Hmpf, I wouldn''t cheat a man backed by the Adventurers'' Guild out of his money! Just wait!" If I brought up the Demonic Energy Neutralizer right here, that would make me quite the bastard, wouldn''t it? Fine, I should trust that things will get taken care of properly for now. Soaked in blood, I heard the tune marking the end of the Quest. As I had adjusted the audio settings, my ears didn''t feel like they were bleeding anymore after hearing the sound effect. However¡­ Seeing how that tune already appeared, what about my reward? ¡°We will send someone over soon, so how about returning to the inn for now? We''ll pay you your due payment after everything has been sorted out." When I narrowed my eyes slightly after thinking of that, the middle-aged NPC approached me and spoke up. I was seriously impressed by how delicate their expressions were despite this not even being a cutscene. I immediately understood what he meant. Well, the Main Quest hadn''t appeared yet, so there was no way this was the end. I also saw a new line in the Quest Window informing me that the Quest updated. ¡°It''ll be enough to satisfy you fully." I lightly nced at him and uncrossed my arms as a sign of affirmation. I was thinking of stopping by the inn anyway, so this was actually pretty good timing. ¡°Naturally.¡± Or perhaps that was what the gamepany intended to happen. Even an extremely dull yer¡ªunlike me¡ªwould realize at this point that the dirt and blood on one''s body would not naturally disappear. ¡°Hey, you! Show me around." In that case, there should be a shower facility in here somewhere. Alright, I should take a look at this shower function and tour the inn while I''m at it. I had only seen the inn''s entrance area and hadn¡¯t even looked at the rooms. I wondered what they were like. My heart was pounding in anticipation. * * * * * * Well, that anticipation was short-lived. While there were water and sewage facilities, the rooms didn''t have their own bathrooms, so I had to use themon bathing area. There also wasn''t any hot water. Also, soap wasn''t included and had to be bought separately. That stuff was he expensive! Thanks to that, I lost some loyalty toward the gamepany. As the day dawned, the NPC from the merchantpany came to me. My reward and the Adventurers'' Guild clerk, Izren, were also present. ¡°My people are indebted to you." They gave me my reward first. 300,000 Gal, five bottles of Demonic Energy Neutralizer, five bundles of hemostatic bandages, painkillers, etc. It seemed that they paid back the things I had handed out to the people. ¡°The reward is a bit higher than one usually receives for a rescue mission. Are you satisfied, Adventurer?" ¡°It''s sufficient enough." Phew, there was no way they skimped on anything, seeing the reward and all the additions. I stuffed everything into my inventory. There was still a lot of space in there, so I could just y Tetrister. ¡°Do you have any more business for me?" When I noticed that the NPCs didn''t leave their seats, I could practically smell the emergence of another Quest. ¡°I don''t¡­" ¡°I have another request I want you to take care of." ¡°¡­What?¡± My experience as a gamer didn''t betray me. It was another Quest. Although the clerk in charge of brokering quests seemed unaware of that request. ¡°Speak." ck. I closed my inn room''s door and leaned against the wall next to it (arms crossed, of course). They came in just when I was about to leave, so I was wearing all my equipment. Acting cool was of the essence here. ¡°Rude bastard¡­" ¡°Sir¡­" His words meant I acted out the character well, so I gratefully epted the high praise. ¡°It''s eliminating Demons. The location is the Northwestern Forest." ¡°Pardon? Sir, we already assigned this request to other adventurers¡­" ¡°But I''ve yet to hear that it''s beenplete, now have I?!" The man hit his leg and shouted loudly. He was indeed a guy with a lot of energy despite his small stature. The middle-aged NPC behind him raised his head while Izren shrunk. ¡°Did you know that more than one or two guys make their living in that forest? If you Guild bastards had sent the right person to take care of this from the start, I wouldn''t have to do this!" ¡°That''s¡­" ¡°Enough! Now that I''ve seen his skills, I''ll let him do it!" His temper aside, he did seem like quite a good person, seeing that he made this request for the sake of others. ¡°So I have to eliminate the Demons in the Northwestern Forest. Is that it?" I didn''t hate characters like him. I didn''t even have to worry about being polite or anything. ¡°Yes." ¡°Sigh¡­ Since you have your mind set on this, I shall delegate the request to him right away. Instead, regarding the adventurers who set out first¡­" ¡°What d''you want me to do when they don''t have the skill to deal with something as simple as that?" ¡°You''ll have to pay a penalty fee." ¡°Hmph." While the clerk and old man were talking, the middle-aged NPC came to me, looking quite exhausted. ¡°Ehem¡­ Let me exin the situation to you." He appeared to have given up on going against that old man''s strong-willed nature. The middle-aged NPC gave me the request¡¯s details, although there wasn¡¯t much to it. A Demon had appeared in the Northwestern Forest and, due to its apparent cunning, hadn''t been caught yet. It had to be killed so people could safely traverse the forest. That was roughly it. The only unusual thing about this Quest, if anything, was that it had appeared in the original game, much like the sewer Quest. However, it had been a Sidequest. It seemed a bit long-winded for a tutorial, so I wondered if the Main Quest would appear after this. They might have reorganized the order of Quests due to the game being a remake. ¡°I won''t ask you to leave right away, but it would be good if you caught the thing as soon as possible." ¡°And the payment?" ¡°The bounty on it is 700,000 Gal." ¡°And?" ¡°¡­As this is a private employment, I''ll give you an additional 200,000 if you manage to catch it." No, I was just asking if my reward would be 700,000 Gal. How did I manage to raise my reward like that? I hadn''t even acquired the [Negotiation] skill yet, you know? I didn''t even try before because I didn''t have it. Was it possible to negotiate even without the skill? ¡°¡­300,000 Gal." I had fallen silent for some time while pondering the game''s system. I raised the price even higher. ¡°Only after you¡¯ve sessfully caught it. If you can''t, then I won''t pay you." ¡°¡­There''s nothing I can''t catch, so just be sure to prepare the money for me." Mom. I thought I was bad at negotiating, but I guess I was wrong. Or was it because of my roleying? Mom, should I just y out this kind of character in real life as well? ¡°In that case, your reward will be the 700,000 Gal bounty and a 300,000 Gal personal employment fee for a total of 1,000,000 Gal. There won''t be any advance payment and no set deadline, however. The reward will only be paid out after the requested object is brought in. As always, the broker fee is 5% of the reward." In the meantime, it seemed the clerk had concluded her talk with the old man. She quickly wrote up a contract. ¡¸? Danger in the Northwestern Forest ? Move to the Northwestern Forest¡¹ The moment I signed the contract, a new Quest was added to my list. ¡°I shall leave right away then." ¡°Wait, that early? Even if you take a break for a day or t¡ª" ¡°I have no intention of wasting any time dealing with that Demon bastard." If Ipleted that quest, my savings would double, so why should I take a rest? Unlike the smile I wore inside, I made my voice sound as cold as the arctic winds of the North Pole. The three NPCs opened their mouths in disbelief before their expressions turned serious. ¡°I will have to reimburse you for that." ¡°¡­Well, since this is a form of allowance given at your discretion, the Guild won''t touch it." The old NPC took out even more money as he spoke up. The money bag I caught out of reflex was quite heavy. There were 50,000 Gal in there. ¡°The Northwestern Forest is quite far away. You will have to get a carriage to take you there." A carriage. So travel between cities was done by carriages, huh? ¡°I''ll go by horse." ¡°If you want to borrow a horse, I will lend you one, but it''lle at a cost. Horses are precious." After saying that, the old man gave me his price after some calctions. ¡°As I know how skilled you are, I can lend you one for 500,000 Gal." I instantly felt like my eyes would pop out of my head. What now? 500,000 Gal to lend me one? My reward for clearing out the sewers was 400,000 Gal, and the reward for the Quest I just cleared was 300,000 Gal, you know? ¡°As we are requesting this of you, I will return the money after you¡¯vepleted the task and brought back the horse. However, if the horse dies or gets injured, you will have to pay a penalty fee. About two million." Ah, it couldn''t be. Was there a system that let enemies attack horses? Was the price based on their value in the past? I had ridden one and almost killed it off. I almost fell into ruin there. I felt the back of my neck tingle slightly. I mean, these kinds of penalties were rarely enacted on means of transportation in open-world games, after all. Or would they give me my own horseter on? I had a feeling that they wouldn''t. ¡°¡­The carriage it is." Even if I was the king of bluffing, I was aware of the reality of things, so I decided to give up on the horse. I felt a little defeated. ¡°You can find one at the horse carriage rental." As the clerk answered me, the middle-aged NPC shouted to the lower floors: ¡°Messenger!¡± and soon, a boy with freckles on his cheeks and nose ran up the stairs. ¡°If you n on going to the horse carriage rental, let this kid guide you. If you don''t want to go there in person, just leave it to him." ¡°I said I''d go right away." I considered whether I should really leave right away or check out the general store first, but then I decided to just go. I wanted to know what this system was all about. ¡°I pray that God will be with you, you bastard." ¡°¡­May God be with you." ¡°I wish you luck, Adventurer." I immediately left the inn with my back turned to the NPCs seeing me off. It was a good decision to gear up early. Thanks to that, I didn''t have to show them a scene of me packing my luggage first. ¡°Come this way, sir." Meanwhile, the boy walked out of the inn with cheerful steps. When I moved to follow after him, the Zweih?nder strapped to my back made clicking sounds. ¡°You, you''re an adventurer, aren''t you?" The boy walking ahead looked back toward me. His fluffy, curly hair seemed so soft I wanted to pat his head. ¡°¡­No.¡± Apart from that, I had already decided how to answer his question. Calling this character an adventurer was a bit difficult. Of course, judging by the adventurer''s card in my possession and my current situation, it seemed like I belonged to the Adventurers'' Guild¡­ It was my job, though, right? ording to the official setting, he just became an adventurer to earn money, so I didn''t think that he would really consider himself one. This guy was more of an avenger, a wanderer. That type of identity was what fit him best. ¡°I am not an adventurer." So, I decided to deny it for now. ¡°¡­S-so you''re not¡­" It looked like I answered a bit too harshly. The kid''s cheeks, which had been flushed with anticipation, paled and drooped. I keep saying this, but these NPCs were really well-made. ¡°¡­But I''m something simr. Is there something you''re curious about?" ¡°¡­!¡± At the words I added, the child''s expression brightened again. His fair skin seemed to flush easily. ¡°So, erm, have you ever seen the sea?" Ah, I usually wasn''t the type to grow overly attached to NPCs, even if I strove to immerse myself in my character as much as possible. However, it would be really hard not to fall in love with these. How could I bear to reset my game fileter? ¡°I have." It would work out somehow. I was curious how they would react to characters of other sses and different character settings. I should choose the Fighter ss next and give them a more pleasant and friendly personality. ¡°What does the sea look like?" ¡°¡­As blue as your eyes and full of waves, like your hair." ¡°The color of my eyes is simr to the sea?" ¡°Yeah." ¡°Woow." And so, I made my way to the carriage rental while answering the boy¡¯s questions. Our conversation was so smooth and lovely that I almost forgot that he was actually an NPC. ¡°Wait a sec! I know the best carriage driver going to the northwest!" One thought popped up in my head. Ah, this game. Even if they didn''t give me a personal means of transportation, it was worth it. The interactions I had with these NPCs were so lovely and colorful that something like this wouldn''t ruin my experience in the least. It was a little annoying, but I would still have a ball with this game. ¡°¡­Ah, those crazy Pearl bastards." I covered my mouth to ensure no one could hear what I just said. It was all useless. My sore eyes were finally blessed with such a wonderful game, so I couldn''t help but love it. ¡°Here, that''s him!" ¡°I heard that you''re going to the Northwestern Forest¡­ Is that right?" ¡°¡­Yes." ¡°In that case, you''re right on time. I was about to leave. If you missed my carriage, you would''ve had to wait three days for the next one." ¡­But wasn''t that a bit too much? What open-world game would design their transportation system like that? I just wanted to check out the transportation system, look around the town for a bit, and then leave¡­! ¡°The fare is 10,000 Gal." I badly wanted to wander the general stores and maybe do some maintenance on my weapons, but the three-day wait the coachman mentioned was too shocking, so I ended up paying the fare and boarded the carriage. It was then that my loyalty to the gamepany, which had already be shaky due to the bathing problem, decreased once more. Chapter 8: I Didn’t Know (1) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 8 I Didn¡¯t Know (1) It must have taken at least two to three hours in real time, considering that the sun was only setting after we arrived, but it still felt like ten. However, I managed to take these bad conditions so well that even I was surprised. Of course, I felt more annoyed than proud of my level of patience or whatever it was. If one had to travel for an hour while barely able to move, one would think that hour was a waste of their life. They would undoubtedly feel the same about sitting still for two hours. I felt simrly when getting off, too. However, even if I thought it was a waste of my time and patience, I couldn''t make it look like I felt ufortable. That earned me a few looks of awe, which feltforting, at least. However, it was just that. Damn you, Deep Sea Pearl¡­ * * * I checked my Quest Window while wearing a sullen expression. ¡¸Tikone Vige¡¹ ¡¸? Danger in the Northwestern Forest ? Move to the Northwestern Forest ? Search for the Demon in the Forest¡¹ It didn''t say anything special, but my body hurt as much as if I were beaten, so even this innocent text pissed me off for some reason. Shit. If this game¡¯s transportation system really was that garbage, I might have to revoke my im that this game would never fail. It was already problematic that the travel time took multiple hours, and now the travelfort was nonexistent, too? If they didn''t patch this, the game would definitely flop. Even I, a diehard fan, wanted to beat up this game, so most newbies would surely kick the shit out of it before throwing it away! ¡°Erm, honorable sir¡­" I ended up pretending that I was slinging my sword over my shoulder¡ªit was so long that I had to unequip it when I sat down¡ªso I could stretch my back a bit. I clenched my teeth and pretended to be calm, but I couldn''t hold on much longer. It really had been a waste of my patience. Then I heard a voice from behind me. ¡°Did you have afortable ride¡­ Hehe." After I nced back upon hearing that, my face crumpled up even more. The coachman was looking at me while rubbing his hands. It seemed he was expecting a tip. ¡°What answer do you want?" Why would he expect that? That was a rhetorical question, given I had tipped the boy who¡¯d brought me to the driver quite generously before I left. So it wasn''t too strange for the coachman who had seen it to expect the same. I didn''t n on giving him any, though. ¡°I already paid for the service you provided. Maybe even too much." Was he actually trying to get me to tip for that bumpy ride? Thieving bastard. I hadn¡¯t nned on giving him anything from the start, but I had even less intention to do so now after that exercise in patience. I hardened my expression. ¡°If you have no other business with me, leave." In case he didn''t understand, I put some force into my hand. When he heard the knuckles of my left hand cracking, the coachman jumped a little and fled. Good. I blew a little air out of my nose and turned my body. When I stepped forward, the people around me slowly backed away. Considering their timing, it didn''t seem to be a coincidence¡­ It seemed the coachman wasn''t the only one affected by my actions. Did my sincere annoyance leave that much of an impact on them? ¡°Sigh.¡± Although purely unintentional, that scene didn''t go against my character setting. I just moved on, covering my neck with my hand in a way that disyed less shame than I actually felt. My goal was to cross through this vige and enter the forest. ¡°W-we don''t have any inns here¡­!" Then, a courageous soul called out to me. It wasn''t exactly the advice I wanted, but I was truly grateful for his reaction anyway. ¡°We really don''t¡­" However,mon knowledge dictated that yable characters would be fine even if they didn''t sleep. That, however, was a different matter from the existence of a sleep function. So, I wasn¡¯t even intending to stop by an inn to sleep. If I were to get tired, I''d just turn on sleep mode, but it wasn''t like I couldn''t hold out without doing that. So why did that mode even exist? Why would one even do a Full Dive if one nned to sleep anyway? I was mentally exhausted from patiently sitting in that carriage for hours. I would have been fine had I spent that time hunting or something. My exhaustion came from feeling incredibly bored that whole time, not because I was genuinely tired. ¡°If you n on entering that forest, just give up." But these people here, aren''t they actually extremely nice? It was my first time meeting them, yet they were worried about me. ¡°The Demon will kill you." But you know? I was a cold city man¡­ No, I was just a cold asshole. I passed him without sparing even a single nce. The man was about to fly into a rage, veins protruding from his throat. ¡°Didn''t I just tell you that the Demon will kill you?! And you even want to enter the forest at night, not even during the day?!" Hearing that, I slowed down a little. ¡°What does it matter whether it''s day or night?" Monsters were usually stronger at night than during the day. Sometimes, one could close that gap by increasing their HP or Attack Power. ¡°If I were to lose to these Demonic worms just because it''s night, that would be a problem in and of itself." However, it should be different here. As it was a game mainly focused on hunting, the difference in strength between night and day shouldn''t be that substantial. However, with the Attack Power of my pre-order bonus weapon, I should be able to defeat mobs until the game¡¯s middle stages. Wouldn''t it be a piece of cake to defeat some in the early stages? Having made my decision based on experience gained through long years of gaming, I strode towards the dark forest. The forest, a seemingly dark void that wouldn''t allow even a single ray of light to prate, swallowed my body whole. * * * ¡°I thought the 700,000 Gal on that Demon¡¯s head was pretty exaggerated at first.¡± A woman smashed the Goblin blocking her way with her mace. Its color was so red that one couldn¡¯t tell whether any blood had sttered on it. ¡°That thought is understandable, considering the number of victims is small. At least, that is what¡¯s known to the outside.¡± A handsome older man followed behind the woman along the path she cleared. Beneath the white hair crowning his head was a face resembling a lion, the soft white fur giving him a rather elegant and graceful appearance. ¡°Still¡­ It seems I was too short-sighted. Even if it didn¡¯t cause any direct harm, it still stole their livelihoods. That would make those people victims as well.¡± ¡°It¡¯s enough that you already understand this much. After all, didn¡¯t you juste out of the Temple and experience the real world for the first time?¡± Hearing the older man¡¯s remark, the woman shook her head. She resented both herself and this situation, which showed no sign of ever getting resolved. ¡°For the sake of these innocent sheep, we should quickly root out this evil lurking within the forest, but we can¡¯t even get a glimpse of it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why the bounty on it was increased by so much. Don¡¯t rush. Sometimes, things will end up failing if you rush them.¡± ¡°I know, but¡­¡± She sighed, thinking about how they hadn¡¯t seen even a single hair of the Demon, even after wandering for several days. It was frustrating. She never thought things would turn out like that until leaving the Temple after receiving a revtion. The outside world she had experienced since was very difficult to understand. There were no fixed routines or answers. She had to judge, decide, and move by herself. ¡°Sigh. As Sir Archmage says, evil won¡¯t reveal itself even if I act like this. Let me gather my thoughts a little beforebing through the forest once more.¡± ¡°A wise decision.¡± After crushing another Goblin that suddenly appeared with her mace, the woman tried to concentrate her thoughts. ¡°¡­Thick Demonic Energy!¡± As if to reward her efforts, her senses caught a deep malice she had never felt before while wandering through the forest. ¡°Sir Archmage!¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve also felt it. Please go ahead, Miss Inquisitor.¡± ¡°Then please excuse me!¡± The woman left behind the older man holding a cane and headed toward the source of that Demonic Energy. ¡°I¡¯ve finally found you, Demon!¡± What she found was a man holding amp, wearing a sword both at his waist and on his back. Thick Demonic Energy was flowing out of his right arm, which seemed to be covered by a gauntlet. ¡°How dare you betray God as a living being!¡± She felt even more disgusted seeing that. It was unbelievable that a person was carrying Demonic Energy in their body. It was impossible unless they made a pact with a Demon. In other words, this person turned his back on the world and God. ¡°In the name of God, I shall punish you!¡± She would never let this traitor deserving of death get away. She firmly held onto her shield and gathered Divine Power into her carried mace. ¡°¡­?¡± Then, when his uncovered gloomy eye met with her own¡ª Kaang! A sword and a mace collided against each other. * * * * * * ¡¸[Detection] ©¦ Being able to point out one¡¯s enemies is the basics of the basics on the battlefield. Hostility can be perceived. Effect: When a target hostile toward you approaches within a radius of 10m, a mark will appear close to the person¡¯s location.¡¹ I couldn¡¯t really see anything, much less the Demon, because it was night, so I just selected [Detection] from among the Survival skills. With that, any hostile being within a 10m radius would be marked. ¡¸A hostile existence has entered a radius of 10m.¡¹ ¡°¡­?¡± However, I didn¡¯t think that it would trigger right away. ¡°How dare you betray God as a living being!¡± And the one who triggered it wasn¡¯t even the Demon I was looking for, but a person. ¡°In the name of God, I shall punish you!¡± I wielded my sword, barely holding back my shock. I knew that blocking a mace with a sword was the perfect way to ruin the de, but at the moment, I had no other choice. Kaang! Based on that sound, it seemed [Perfect Parry] had been activated. It was a Defense-type skill that triggered when one parried at the right time and mitigated 100% of the damage, unlike a normal [Parry], which only mitigated 90%. That allowed me to quickly hide my shock and prepare myself so I could respond to any attack that mighte at me. ¡°Someone from the Temple?¡± At the same time, I worked my head hard. This enemy who appeared out of nowhere¡­ Judging by her shouting out God¡¯s name and the white light flowing from the tip of her mace, it seemed like someone with a Priest ss, no matter how one looked at it. Seeing how she wasn¡¯t moving like a slug in that heavy armor and shield, she seemed to be of a fairly high level. ¡°Yes, I havee to punish you.¡± However, after confirming her identity, I became even more puzzled. Why would¡­ a prieste to punish me? It didn¡¯t seem to be a type of event or part of the plot. My Quest didn¡¯t show any signs of changing, either. Was she a Field Boss, then? However, her design didn¡¯t really go well with the map, and wasn¡¯t the setting of a priest acting as this forest¡¯s guardian a bit strange? It wasn¡¯t like this forest had that kind of backstory to it. In that case, was it actually part of the plot or an event? Nothing like this ever happened in the original game, but I couldn¡¯t be sure it wasn''t the case as this was a remake. I felt dumbfounded. ¡°The people of the Temple I know revel in performing good deeds and being merciful in the name of God, but it seems that¡¯s not the case these days, seeing how one of their people just recklessly wields violence in favor of reason.¡± Hmm. But since she appeared, I should have some fun with this. It wasn¡¯t like I would stop roleying just to avoid trouble. ¡°A Demon is talking to me about violence?!¡± When I heard these lines, it was clear that something was off about this conversation. Why did she call a normal person a Demon? Did she mistake me for a Demon? Did she have tomatoes for eyes? Just what did I have inmon with a Demon¡­? I didn¡¯t even have a cursed item on¡­ me¡­? Ah¡­ Did she say that because of my right arm? ¡°¡­!¡± The moment realization struck me, my instincts as a roleyer kicked in, leading me to harden my expression. ording to my setting, this character wore a gauntlet on his right arm because he didn¡¯t even want to look at the arm the Demon was sealed in. He was built as someone who held intense hatred for Demons, but at the same time, whenever he saw the Demon in his arm, he agonized, wondering whether he was actually still a person or not. And now this guy had been called Demon by a priest? Hey, wasn¡¯t that something that would make him flip out?! He would never let such a person out of his sight! ¡°Don¡¯t call me a Demon, you fanatic!¡± He wouldn¡¯t be able to stand it. So I just had to raise my voice and make some noise! He didn¡¯t know whether he was still a person, so he became a wanderer. How could he pass over that statement?! ¡°How dare you, a traitor who has fallen to the temptations of evil, call me a fanatic?!¡± So my enemy was a Priest of a much higher level and a bad match for me? I didn¡¯t really care. In these kinds of games, levels didn¡¯t necessarily dictate victory or defeat, and even if I died, I could just try again. To a roleyer, death was also interesting content. Either way, it would be enjoyable for me. ¡°Obediently ept judgment!¡± I avoided the Priest¡¯s mace as I struggled to keep the corner of my mouth from twitching in excitement. Then, I performed my usual ceremony by raising my sword to face the sky. ¡°Victory to my de, glory to the heavens¡­!¡± ¡°Are you impersonating a knight?!¡± Yeah, I was imitating a knight. But I wasn¡¯t actually an officially appointed knight so I wouldn¡¯t fight virtuously, okay? I killed the light of thentern hanging from my waist, melting into the darkness. After all, that woman¡¯s whole body was shining because of the buff she¡¯d cast on herself, but mine wasn¡¯t. Even though my field of vision would narrow, I would still be able to attack my opponent, unlike her. ¡°You cunning little¡­!¡± As I had expected, my opponent immediately lost sight of me. I obviously held an advantage over her. ¡°I shall cut off that tongue of yours and offer it to God¡­!¡± Well, then, I should let her feel the refreshing sensation of being ambushed. I didn¡¯t know whether my attack would go through, though. ¡°[Breaker]¡­!¡± ¡¸[Breaker] ©¦ Wraps one''s weapon in Arcane Power to perform a powerful AOE attack imbued with Demonic power. Effect: Consumes 10 MP. Causes 540% damage to enemies before you in a certain range.¡¹ The Attack skill, [Breaker], which I had selected just before [Detection], split the night air, adding a ck effect to my Zweih?nder. Chapter 9: I Didn’t Know (2) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 9 I Didn¡¯t Know (2) Kaang! The de infused with ck energy looked truly ominous and sinister. However, if one knew that this was a Demon Knight¡¯s skill, one would realize that there wasn¡¯t a more suitable effect for such a skill. ¡°Kurgh!¡± ¡°Hiding behind that shield of yours makes you seem like a little turtle¡­!¡± ¡°You little¡­!¡± The Priest gritted her teeth at my provocation and lifted her mace again. ¡°God is with me!¡± Suddenly, a glowing light scattered through the dark forest, embracing the mace as its source. I couldn¡¯t remember the skill¡¯s name, but it looked like an attack buff, perhaps? No, was it actually a defense buff? Anyway, the pain from her attacks didn¡¯t seem much different to me. However, because of our poorpatibility, the Priest¡¯s attacks did an additional 30% damage. As such, I quickly stepped back. I didn¡¯t know how big our level difference was, but I could see more than half of my HP bar disappearing in just one hit. It would have been better had I been careful from the get-go. Thump, thump. Rather than continuing to attack me, the Priest transmitted more light by tapping her shield with her mace. That was a total cheat. In the original, I could only buff one of my weapons. ¡°Haap!¡± Then my opponent, who rushed forward with herrge rectangr shield stuck to the ground, swung her mace. The attack wasn¡¯t too difficult to evade. Because Priest-type sses were usually more focused on strength than agility, they were often slower. However, just because my opponent couldn¡¯t hit me properly didn¡¯t mean I had the advantage. I couldn¡¯t get any hits on my opponent either, all because of that stupidlyrge shield she was carrying. ¡°You coward¡­!¡± What was cowardly was that she was constantly hiding behind that shield, guaranteeing a 100% guard rate. I couldn¡¯t cause any damage to her unless I somehow managed to prate that thing¡­! Even if I tried to attack her back, she would simply follow my movements and turn around with her shield. However, even without it, her metal armor provided a strong defense. Even her backside was armored. She really was an infuriating Priest. ¡®How about aiming for her head?¡¯ I pondered as I stared at her entirety, feeling aggravated. She wasn¡¯t wearing a helmet, so if I stabbed her head with one of my swords, it would be fatal. How could I pierce such a massive shield? There was no way I could do something like that. ¡®If I press down on it with a strong force or something.¡¯ A skill¡­ Would it be possible if I used a skill? Even if her guard rate was 100%, if I struck the shield strongly enough, I could knock it out of her hand. ¡°Tsk.¡± Ah, I didn¡¯t know anymore. I was exhausted because the confrontation between us was taking too long. So I just had to bet everything on this gamble. ¡°I will make sure to offer your head to your victims!¡± ¡°Phew¡­¡± I tightly gripped my sword. My aim was to jump over her shield and attack her. This movement wouldn¡¯t have been possible if this was running on a PC and not a VR game, although it should only be attempted if one was skilled enough. Still, from my point of view, I wasn¡¯t that bad a yer, nor was I scared of a small challenge like that. Even after thinking about it again, it was something worth trying. Even if I failed, I could start over again, as this was just a game. As such, I sucked in some air and kicked my Zweih?nder, which I had tilted slightly toward the ground. After bouncing up, the de spun gently before I properly grasped it. Bam! I then hit the top part of her shield. It tilted slightly as a groan flowed out of my opponent¡¯s mouth. It was nice seeing her react like that, even though my attack hadn¡¯t worked properly. ¡°Do you really think I would lose to something like that!¡± Then my opponent charged at me with her shield. It felt like a bull was rushing toward me, but it didn¡¯t seem that scary, as I was in a position where dying once would still be fine. Instead, I mechanically retrieved my weapon, raised one of the hands holding the hilt to the Ricasso, and lifted the sword over my head. Thud! I jumped up at the same time. As if climbing a wall, the soles of my feet stepped on the surface of the tilted shield. ¡°¡­!¡± My opponent noticed what was happening and tried to push me away with her shield, but I wasn¡¯t sent flying away like in those manhwas. At that moment, with my body seemingly attached to the shield, I spun the sword above my head. Using the hand holding the Ricasso as the axis, I rotated the de to point downward. With that, my position would allow me to strike her behind her shield. A white de struck down. ¡°Urgh!¡± Kadadang! I had aimed for her head, but my de instead hit her shoulder. Due to her protective gear, I couldn''t even scratch her skin. What a pity. I wanted to attack her more, but gravity slowly dragged at my feet. As I felt my body sliding down the shield, my thoughts moved through my head at lightning speed. Hmm. If I fell like that, I would most certainly get hit by the mace from the left next. Just in case, I activated [Survival Instinct]. A translucent arrow pointed to the right side of the shield. It was an area in which I could avoid being hit by that mace. So I put all my weight to the right. A very wise decision, as my fall to the side allowed me to avoid the subsequent strike by the mace. Phew. That scared the crap out of me. I rolled once and was soon back on my feet, my bodypletely out of the Priest¡¯s range. ¡°You Demon¡ª¡± Still, I got some good results out of this. I didn¡¯t do much damage, but I did get in a proper attack, didn¡¯t I? I could select at least one good scene out of this fight. I was recording all my ys, so I should check out the videoter. ¡°By the way, fanatic¡­!¡± I barely managed to stop my eyes from widening with joy as I rolled on the ground while swearing. Thanks to that, I was able to move diagonally behind the Priest. Her movements were sluggish from her shield sticking to the ground and her mace grounded right in front of it. ¡°You should pay the price for freely iling your tongue about!¡± Wasn¡¯t this a fantastic opportunity? Ah, I couldn¡¯t miss this. I had to do it right this time¡ª! ¡°Oh Fire, burn my enemies!¡± I tried to hit her with my sword right away using a skill. Well, I would have seeded if not for the spell cast from the other side of the forest. ¡°So there was another rat!¡± Wow. There was one moreing here? Right now? They were so merciless. Did they even make this event winnable? I stepped back without even trying to block, my expressionpletely crumpled. The ball of fire struck the area where I had just stood, and a temporary pir of fire rose high into the air. It was more than obvious this was a Wizard-type ss skill. What should I do? At this point, even I, a veteran gamer, was a little flustered. That didn¡¯t mean that I wasn¡¯t having fun, though. Was this some kind of plot point, or did they suddenly bring out a healer/tanker and a long-range dealer as abo enemy? They were even higher-leveled than the yer at that point, too? Could one still call this fair¡­? I didn¡¯t think so, at least. It wasn¡¯t like I just wandered into some high-level map first. I came here because of a Quest still deemed part of the tutorial. ¡°Sir Archmage!¡± ¡°Oh my. I never thought you would have so much trouble, Ms. Inquisitor.¡± I furrowed my brows before almost reflexively unfurling them again. Archmage and Inquisitor were the names of the 3rd-ss advancement of the Wizard and Priest paths, respectively. ¡°You¡¯rete, but anyway, I need your help!¡± Of course, as the game genre had changed, the ss change function might have disappeared¡ªthe trailer hadn¡¯t been very clear about that¡ªand they might just be titles now. ¡°Archmage? Hah, it seems you sages aren¡¯t much anymore either, seeing that you associate with lunatics who randomly attack passersby!¡± So I just fired off with those insults! Even if those titles still alluded to the names of the ss advancements, I still would have done it! ¡°Passersby? How could you, scum who made a contract with a Demon, pretend to be innocent!¡± Meanwhile, the Priest threw remarks at me that yed well into my character setting. I couldn¡¯t just let that go. ¡°Contract? Did you just say that I made a contract?¡± Looking at these lines alone, it might seem to this character that she¡¯d mistaken him as someone who signed a contract with the demonic bastard who killed his whole family. Because of that incident, he had dedicated his whole life to hunting Demons, so if anyone misunderstood him in such a way, it was inevitable that this would flip his switch. ¡°Hah! It seems you devoted yourself to God¡¯s light so much that it¡¯s blinded you!¡± I made my voice sound as scratchy as possible, letting out a sharpugh to express those feelings. It may be a bit arrogant, but I believe I managed to express that deep-seated resentment quite well if I do say so myself. I hoped the expression I wore was just as perfectly fitting. I didn¡¯t know how I looked, but well, it was dark anyway, so the other two wouldn¡¯t see it, either. ¡°God has no use for a senseless person like you! I''ll just tear you apart and feed the pieces to dogs!" ¡°How dare a traitor¡ª!" ¡°¡­? Wait a second¡­" It seemed like the Archmage was trying to say something, but we were much faster in drawing our weapons. ¡¸A hostile existence has entered a radius of 10m.¡¹ * * * * * * Ssssssss! A creepy sound prated my ear, not too far from the Archmage and myself. I instinctively stopped in my tracks when the System Window appeared before my eyes. The Priest also seemed to have noticed something; her sparkling light didn''t move. ¡°Disgusting bastard, he must have called his friends!" I ignored the Priest''s words and observed my surroundings. Having recognized that there was an enemy, I started to notice many other things on the trees and under the ground. There were dozens of sounds that all gathered in one ce. Even the forest''s darkness couldn''t conceal their presence. ¡°¡­I wondered what kind of Demon it was, able to conceal itself to such a degree, but it turned out to be a Medusa, huh?" The Archmage muttered. However, it was still loud enough for me to hear. Even without saying it, I already knew about that. ¡¸Medusa ©¦ A Demon created by gathering hundreds of snakes around a red one. They disperse as soon as they sense danger.¡¹ As that floating Window described, a Medusa was a gathering of hundreds of snakes. Because of that, its appearance was quite disgusting. It was also rather difficult to hunt. It tended to disperse if it was about to die, only to gather around that red snake again to reform their body. ¡°Sigh." But how was that important? As they existed to be killed, there was a method to effectively hunt them as well. So all one needed to pay attention to was the appearance of that thing and keep in mind that it was a Demon. ¡°Is that the Demon¡­?!" As I thought, this was all part of the plot! Otherwise, this enemy wouldn''t have appeared with this kind of timing! In that case, was it the sort of scenario in which we would have to cooperate using amon enemy as an excuse? ¡°Well done, you worms!" But I denied that kind of scenario! The character setting I had made for this character described him as an antisocial and uncooperative guy, of course. Furthermore, it was practically impossible for him to even consider cooperating with someone he had fought with not long ago. ¡°I shall grant you death!" Nevertheless, I turned my de toward the Demon, as my analysis told me that his hatred of Demons was still greater than how he felt toward those characters. To put the cherry on top, Ipletely immersed myself in my character and put a mad expression on my face. Of course, I turned my back to them without a shred of hesitation, as if I had forgotten about that Priest and Wizardpletely. They were only number two on my priority list! Gyahaha. ¡°Victory to my de, glory to the heavens!" I wasn''t confident I could deal with that snake in total darkness, unlike that sparkling Priest. As such, I turned on myntern as I shouted my catchphrase. A Medusa was especially sensitive to light, so that was absolutely essential. ¡°What¡­?" I thought I heard someone let out a stupid voice behind me, but that was none of my business anymore. So long as they didn''t hit me over the head from behind, that much was enough. Actually, even if they did¡­ I had already been ready to die. ''Priest, you really know how to fight me. It is indeedmon knowledge not to turn one¡¯s back on their opponent.'' That would be the end of my assessment of her if she actually did it. But was she a character to do something like that to begin with? The plot wouldn''t progress normally if she were, though. Also, even if she didn''t do it, I felt like she could smash me to bits in just a few minutes anyway. Sssssssss! Without further ado, I pierced my Zweih?nder into the Medusa''s torso. I cut through dozens of snakes whose lifeless bodies fell to the ground. However, others quickly took their ce. The snakes that didn''t actually die even sunk their teeth into me. I ignored them. I had set the pain level to low, so it didn''t really hurt. My HP didn''t really take that big a hit, either. My gauntlet-d hand dug through the cluster of snakes. SSS! Ah. I had wanted to do that so much when ying the original. Even if those snakes bit me, they would only cause two or five points of damage anyway, so it would be better to take those hits and get a hold of their main body. In the original game, one would have to cut it multiple times until it lost enough HP and then attack the red snake as they were scattering¡­ ¡°There you are¡­!¡± With snakes attached to my neck and limbs, I finally found the red snake. After I finally grabbed it with my hands, it struggled to escape my grip. But attacking it would be too easy now. I tossed the red snake I had plucked out in apletely random direction as if I¡¯d thrown it away. Then I grabbed my Zweih?nder from where I had stuck it in the tangled-up serpents. The incredibly long sword slid out of the snake pile, dripping with their blood and reflecting the radiance of thentern tied to my waist. sh! Before the red snake could escape, my de shed through its form. Its long body was split in two, shedding vermillion blood. However, I had to be sure. I cut it close to its tail in case it was still alive. Bam! I took my sword and shed it again. I severed the snake¡¯s head as it continued writhing, maybe out of a will to survive or perhaps because of the onset of rigor mortis. sh! I cut it vertically and horizontally, but my hatred for that Demon wouldn¡¯t end with just that. I also smashed it to bits with my sword. I was pretty satisfied seeing its crushed head. A true roleyer had to take care of even these trivial things. ¡¸LEVEL UP!¡¹ ¡¸? Danger in the Northwestern Forest ? Search for the Demon lurking in the Northwestern Forest ? Demon eliminated: 1 / 1 ? Proof for hunting retrieved: 0 / 1¡¹ As I did so, my Quest updated. With their core dead, the snakes forming the Medusa¡¯s body dispersed quickly in all directions. The feeling of those snakes falling off my body was refreshing and a little damp. ¡°Hah¡­¡± I looked at the dead Medusa and raised the corners of my mouth slightly. I couldn¡¯t really tell because I didn¡¯t have a mirror, but the smile I was wearing probably didn¡¯t look very pretty. It reflected madness rather than joy. Additionally, I was smiling while covered in blood from head to toe, so how could that look pretty? It would be weirder if one didn¡¯t think I was some crazy person. Now that I thought of it, he would go absolutely crazy when confronted with Demons, so it was probably better that I seemed like that. Oh well, whatever. With that, the Quest was over. So the only thing left now was to deal with that Wizard and Priest¡­ Right now, my character should be in a state of excitement after killing that Demon. Considering his grudge against those two over mistaking him for a Demon, it would only be right to react to them even more fiercely than before, right? Alright, immersion ON! Crack, crack. I turned my stiff neck slightly and ced my sword on my shoulder. Then I erased the smile from my face while keeping my thirst for Demon blood and level of madness intact as I stared at those two. ¡°Imend you for not interfering in killing those damn rats. It seems like even fanatics have that much sense left in them.¡± Honestly, I knew that this might get in the way of the plot a bit. But if the plot got ruined just because of these words, that wouldn¡¯t be very fun now, would it? If they gave the yer that much freedom to begin with, it should mean that thepany was confident the game would adapt ordingly. ¡°Now then, as promised, let me rip apart that mouth of yours.¡± So, I would just do whatever I wanted. I couldn¡¯t give up on roleying, even if I were to die. Chapter 10: I Didn’t Know (3) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 10 I Didn¡¯t Know (3) ¡°What¡­? Demons fighting each other?¡± The Inquisitor was the first to see the man running toward the Demon. She was utterly flustered. He was a traitor, after all, someone who had turned his back on God and made a contract with a Demon. ¡°Why would a traitor¡­?¡± Those who formed contracts with Demons were nothing short of the Demon¡¯s pawn. While low-level Demons of low intelligence couldn¡¯t order contractees around, they most certainly wouldn¡¯t be shown hostility. So how could that guy dare to attack these Demons without any hesitation? Even while all those snakes bit him, he persistently searched for its main body. This, this was utterly impossible. Something like that¡­ ¡°No¡­ You¡¯re wrong, Miss Inquisitor. That person isn''t a Demon Contractor.¡± This whole situation went against anything she had learned. ¡°What?¡± ¡°¡­I never thought I would ever witness something like that in my life. Demonic Energy alongside Arcane Power¡­ Hmm, just what will this mean for the future¡­?¡± The Inquisitor tightly gripped her mace at hearing the Archmage mutter with a grave expression on his face. She judged that he would know more about this situation, given his standing as an Archmage. ¡°Please exin in more detail, Sir Archmage.¡± ¡°¡­Ah, yes. It¡¯s a theoretical hypothesis that only circtes within mage society, so you probably wouldn¡¯t know, Miss Inquisitor.¡± Touching his cane with his thick fingers, the Archmage answered her question. ¡°That young man¡­ Perhaps he didn¡¯t gain power by forging a contract with a Demon, but somehow became a Demon¡¯s host and managed to tap into its power.¡± ¡°He¡­ became a host¡­? Are you saying that he turned into a Zombie?¡± She had learned about Zombies. They were those possessed by Demons and could no longer move of their own free will. They were literal living corpses, only puppeted by parasitic Demons. Death was their only salvation. They were those kinds of beings. ¡°You are right. However, while ordinary Zombies lose their egos to the parasitic Demons, this young man seems to have sessfully suppressed the Demon and taken control of it himself.¡± ¡°What?! That¡¯s impossible!¡± ¡°Impossible? There¡¯s nothing impossible in this world, Miss Inquisitor. There are only things that one might consider impossible.¡± The Archmage smiled faintly at her, watching her shouting as though throwing a fit. It was a vague smile that also seemed a little sad. ¡°Otherwise, what would you call this young man before us then?¡± At that moment, the man who had finally found the Demon¡¯s main body cut it to pieces. He used his Demonic Energy to kill the Demon. * * * ¡°Now then, as promised, let me rip apart that mouth of yours.¡± I spoke these lines with joy in my heart as I immersed myself in my character. ¡°Wait, I think there has been a misunderstanding. I apologize for attacking you, so would you please listen to us?¡± The Wizard urgently tried to stop me. I could see now that he was quite a handsome man. ¡°A misunderstanding? What a funny thing to say. So it¡¯s a misunderstanding that you randomly attacked me and then treated me like some piece of shit?¡± He really was very tall. Considering that I would look at his neckline if I were to look straight ahead, he seemed at least 2m in height. He actually might be of a different race. There were four races in Legend of Heroes: Middle, ng, Curety, and Shaggi. And the beast-like ¡®Shaggi¡¯, who were close to bipedal animals, were all that tall on average. ¡°Please, forgive us. Demonic Energy ising from your arm, so we mistook you for a Zombie parasitized by a Demon before. If you¡¯re a Demon hunter, you should know¡­ That a Zombie maintaining their ego is rather unprecedented, right?¡± Oh¡­ I didn¡¯t know how to react to that. It should be fine to stay angry for a bit longer since he seemed to be trying to gloss over what happened. After running some calctions through my head, I clenched my fists. I also wore aplicated, crumpled expression, hoping it seemed like a twisted mix of anger, understanding, and self-loathing. ¡°What¡­?¡± I didn¡¯t really remember that Zombie setting. What were they talking about? It seemed a bit different from the Zombies I knew. Going by what they said, ¡®A Zombie parasitized by a Demon,¡¯ it somewhat sounded like a Demon host¡­ Were they the same thing? Could that be it? It sure wasn¡¯t a pleasant thing to hear for someone with aplex about these kinds of things. It would make one feel as though they really weren¡¯t a person anymore. ¡°If we knew that you maintained your ego like a normal person, we wouldn¡¯t have attacked you. My apologies." nk. Lowering the sword leaning against my shoulder, I tightly gripped its hilt. I then touched the eyepatch over my right eye and the bangs hanging over my forehead. Completely immersed in this character, I felt wrath, disgust, and loathing toward these things for no particr reason. And I felt hatred for those guys who misunderstood me just as much. I didn¡¯t hate them, of course, but I felt like this character would. Actually, I could understand their position quite well. They were NPCs anyway, so I wasn¡¯t all that fazed by it. However, this character I was immersed in now wouldn¡¯t be able to do that. ¡°Hah, a Zombie¡­¡± Sometimes, when one acted, their mouth would automatically speak lines, and their body would move on its own. Should I describe it as the character guiding one¡¯s body? Anyway, I thought something like that was happening at that moment. ¡°How¡­ How dare you bugs treat me as something like that?¡± As a result, I moved more than I usually would and even raised my sword. Of course, it was a bit heavy to hold up with just one hand. My arm was even shaking a bit. I prayed that the other two would just interpret that as anger. ¡°¡­We are obviously at fault here. If there is anything you wish for, I shall do my best to grant it." Ah. While I didn''t think now would be the right time to say it, this is so much fun. It was even more fun because my partners¡ªthe NPCs¡ªwere properly reacting to and matching my lines. I felt like I was acting with my peers from my college days. ¡°Damn. Do you want to grant me my wish? If I told you to cut off your tongue, would you?" ¡°That''s¡­" ¡°If you aren''t even willing to do that, you should stop spitting out these irrelevant little apologies." What other games could I even y after this? No, how could I even think of other games now? Legend of Heroes and Deep Sea Pearl were simply that divine. Still, it would be nice if they fixed the transportation system and added some more quality-of-life features. ¡°¡­I really want to pull out your jaws and hang them outside that vige, but that would make me no different from those Demon bastards." ¡°¡­H-hmm.¡± ¡°Leave." Anyway, I pretended like I swallowed my anger and told them to leave, my heart beating in excitement. I also put away my sword. ¡®Would it really be the right call to withdraw now?'' After making my judgment, I immediately doubted my interpretation but quickly reached a conclusion. My actions were correct, even if I didn''t care about the game''s plot going awry. My character hated Demons because he didn''t want to be like them. Honestly, yeah. I firmly believed this character''s sharp and sensitive personality came from a constant fear that the Demon in his arm could run rampant again at any moment. In other words, he was driving everyone away because he didn''t know when he would lose control and hurt those around him. However, would someone with that kind of personality kill others just because he got really upset after being misunderstood once? Take a person''s life, not a Demon''s? He''d get very heated, but as long as it was an honest misunderstanding, he wouldn''t actually try to kill them. Because the thought that killing a person would be something a Demon would do stuck in his head. That was my interpretation. * * * * * * ¡°¡­" I returned my sword to its sheath on my back and turned around. The Quest included gathering proof of my hunt, so I still needed to take care of that. ¡°Wait." I bent down to retrieve the snake''s corpse. Then I heard the Priest''s¡­ no, the Inquisitor''s voice from behind me. ¡°¡­I also want to apologize." I thought she would say something about killing me or whatever, so I was a bit surprised when she apologized. ¡°I¡­ no. No matter what I say, it''ll just be an excuse for my actions. I am deeply sorry for attacking you first. I want to sincerely apologize." Ah¡­ I mean, I never actually cared about that. Just looking at my settings, wasn''t it obvious that others would misunderstand? Actually, it was good that I hadn¡¯t gotten into conflict with any Temple people so far. If people from the Temple went out into the world, they would only do so after receiving a revtion. Even if I wanted to bump into them, I probably couldn¡¯t. ¡°If what you want is to make amends¡­¡± On the other hand, this character¡¯s opinion would seriously differ from mine. ¡°There¡¯s no need for such hypocrisy.¡± So, I had to follow my setting. ¡°¡­!¡± However, it was admirable that they tried to involve the yer in the plot even when they were uncooperative. Of course, I realized that the plot¡¯s original direction was to be their Companion even after the cooperative event was over¡­ Hmm. It was honestly a touch unrealistic. We had fought pretty fiercely against each other, so I didn¡¯t think bing teammates with them would be that easy. I didn¡¯t even know if the peer system was still around in the remake. Anyway, this was just too sudden and out of the blue. I usually enjoyed these things, but normal yers wouldn¡¯t like these sudden developments. ¡°It¡¯s hypocri¡ª¡± ¡°Now, now, Inquisitor. Take it easy.¡± ¡°Sir Archmage¡­!¡± Now that I thought of it, didn¡¯t my level rise after I caught that snake? I started to think about what skill to select next. That Attack skill was pretty good, and as I confirmed during this incident, the effect of [Detection] wasn¡¯t that bad either. However, it might be better if I got something from the [Melee Combat] skill tree to bolster my battle correction and defense. ¡°Anyway, we should go back now as well. We only hadn¡¯t left because we couldn¡¯t find the Demon and weren¡¯t quite done with the Purification.¡± Urgh, right, the Purification. ¡°¡­Alright.¡± When I covertly opened the System Window, it said the Purification process was 98%. ording to the conversation I just overheard, it seemed they went around Purifying the ce. I was a little jealous of that. The Demon Knight ss had no other choice but to Purify using fire. In a way, that was a penalty of the Demon Knight ss. Thanks to that, despite being immune to Demonic Erosion, I didn¡¯t really prefer ying this ss. The Priest ss had a ss-specific Purification skill, and other sses could buy Purification Stones from Temples, but Demon Knights couldn¡¯t do any of that. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡­Anyway, could anyone tell me why those two were following me? ¡°You¡¯ve gone through a lot this week. I¡¯m really sorry.¡± ¡°¡­Not at all. This was the right thing to do as a servant of God.¡± Why were they following me? I had the Area Map turned on and was heading straight toward the vige, but there was no way these NPCs knew that. We didn¡¯t even get along that well, so wouldn¡¯t it be better for them to go the other direction? Ah¡­ Was it because of the plot, perhaps? ¡°I believe I told you to leave.¡± I decided to threaten them lightly, just in case. The NPCs should show some realistic reactions to that. ¡°I guess my words just sound like dog barks to you.¡± Grabbing the hilt of the sword hanging at my waist, I slightly turned my body. I almost turned right on reflex but remembered I wore an eyepatch on my right eye before it was toote. I almost turned into a weirdo who tried to look back with a blindfolded eye. ¡°I apologize if we made you feel unpleasant. We didn¡¯t do so intentionally.¡± Upon turning toward those two, I saw a sphere of light floating around them. I wondered why they hadn¡¯t turned it on earlier, but the same went for me, so I had nothing to say. The only thing that caught my eye was thepass-like visage floating above the sphere of light¡­ ¡°We were just following the directions given by the {Guidance} spell. We might have marked the same ce.¡± Was the navigation function implemented as a type of magic? That turned me into an overly paranoid man, huh? ¡°¡­¡± The good thing was that they weren¡¯t actually following me. If our goals being the same was the problem, I could work around that. I couldn¡¯t do anything in that vige anyway, and I had no intention of getting on that hell carriage again. There was no reason for us not to part ways. As long as the system allowed it, that is. So I just turned around, pretending to frown. I arrived at this ce only after riding in that carriage for hours on end, so it seemed I had to diligently walk back to the starting town. ¡°Wait, where are you going?¡± Then the Inquisitor asked me where I was heading. I didn¡¯t feel the need to answer that question, so I didn¡¯t bother to. ¡°Hey, the forest is dangerous at night¡­¡± But I couldn¡¯t just ignore those words that were hurting my pride. ¡°I¡¯m sure it is for you. Don¡¯t force your standards on me.¡± ¡°¡­Still, it¡¯s not a good idea to walk around here by yourself.¡± No, if I had to point out the most dangerous thing in this forest, it would be you guys, so going alone would actually be safer. Of course, telling the truth would only blow up in my face, so I shouted at her. ¡°It seems your ears do not work properly.¡± Fortunately, the Inquisitor didn¡¯t try to hold me back any longer after hearing that. I had no idea what kind of event was ahead or where the plot wanted to lead me, but in this battle between the system and my roleying, my roleying earned a decisive victory. Ahahaha. Chapter 11: I Didn’t Know (4) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 11 I Didn¡¯t Know (4) The Inquisitor grasped her shield and mace with all her strength as she watched the man get swallowed by the darkness. She was gripped with a strong feeling that she shouldn¡¯t let go of that man, his expression filled with displeasure. ¡°Sir Archmage, what¡­ what should I do now?¡± ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m not sure. This old man has never been in such a situation before.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t just let him leave like that. I know he¡¯s strong, but if he gets devoured by Demons¡­¡± ¡°Do you truly think this man will end up eaten by Demons?¡± ¡°¡­I personally hope not, but¡­¡± ¡°I know what you mean. What one hopes and what will happen are two very different things.¡± He managed to read a lot from her silence. The Archmage touched his chin for a while before snapping his fingers. ¡°I¡¯ll just put a mark on that young man for now. Let¡¯s give him some time and¡­ meet up with him againter, making it look like a coincidence. Forcefully following him now would only anger him unnecessarily.¡± ¡°¡­Alright.¡± She agreed to thatpromise. * * * ¡°¡­Am I back?¡± When I reached the city¡¯s entrance, I made up my mind. See if I ever walk down this road again. Damn those Deep Sea bastards. ¡°¡­" Walking all day was fine, but perhaps because I was traveling alone, it felt like an in-game day was equivalent to an entire real-life day, despite only being about eight hours in reality. It was still bearable, though. No. I had to say something. What were those crazy Deep Sea Pearl guys ying at? I usually forgot the time while immersing myself in a game, but not to the point where I would mistake eight hours for twenty-four¡­! Still, yeah. I could tolerate that much because it could be seen as something positive. If it feels like you yed the game for longer than you actually did, it would be incredibly advantageous for gamers with busy lives. But what kind of game implemented mental and physical fatigue to such a degree? I could understand some games adding a satiety system, but exhaustion? What? Were they trying to tell us not to hunt for 24 hours straight or something? Were they aware they had made the game far too realistic? But this was how they decided to regte it? Shouldn''t they just ban Full Dives at that point? I mean, people who¡¯d spent a lot of money to prepare for a Full Dive just to be met with this would get seriously pissed¡­! They even made insects appear everywhere. On the dirt, between the grass, on the trees, everywhere! The optimization was so good that the game didn''tg even once despite having so many moving objects, but it kind of felt like a waste of technology. Did they know the horror I felt when a bug crawled up my back while I was trying to close my eyes a little in the forest? Did they? Those Deep Sea bastards. It was fine and all that they made such a realistic, divine game, but this was just too much! ¡°Huh? You''re back already¡­?" I couldn''t avoid talking to Clerk Izren. ¡°¡­Check it." I had gone through so much to get that. It was really hard. ¡°A snake¡­ Could it be!" However, I couldn''t cry over something like that as a cool character. After throwing the snake''s corpse before the clerk, I sat on a chair in front of the service window. ¡°A Medusa¡­ So it was a Medusa. In that case¡­" Ah, I seriously wanted to log out and stop the Full Dive. This was the first time I wanted to stop a game because it was too well-made. I was tired enough that I would probably still feel exhausted after logging out. My new condition for games was that they shouldn''t affect my real life too much, but this exhaustion would certainly ruin it. ¡°We''ll have to keep an eye on the movements in the forest just in case¡­ That should do it." But it would be a waste of money to log out now; Full Dives were incredibly expensive. If one were to exit in the middle, they would have to rece both the liquid and nutrient supplements. This was so damn sad. It was such a divine game, but I was suffering because it was a divine game. Shit. ¡°After investigating the truth behind this incident, we will dere the requestplete and pay your reward. Good work, Adventurer." Tada Dada! As she said that, a cheerful sound effect echoed in my ear. It really wasn''t pleasant to my ears at the moment. I currently felt very dazed and my eyelids were extremely heavy, as if I actually walked back here throughout the night. It was so hard to enjoy anything in that state, even though I was ying a game. ¡°It¡­ It seems like you are very tired. Should I rmend you an inn?" Rmend an inn? That would be good. I originally nned on going to the one the merchantpany had booked me a room in, but staying in a different ce might be better. ¡°Con!" ¡°Yes!" At the clerk¡¯s call, the kid I encountered when just starting the game slowly jogged over to us. ¡°Could you take Sir Adventurer to the White Wind Inn?¡± ¡°Yes. Leave it to me!" The child looked even more energetic and lovely than back then, while I was utterly exhausted and worn out this time. ¡°Erm¡­ Did youe back after hunting a Demon, Mister Adventurer?" ¡°¡­Yes." ¡°What kind of Demon did you hunt? What was it like? Was it very strong?" The kid, who seemed far less timid than back then, got closer to me. It was unfortunate. Had it been any other time, I would have answered him properly as long as my character setting allowed it, but I didn''t have the mental capacity to do that now. ¡°Demons shouldn''t be discussed for no reason." I spoke in an extremely icy voice. And as I intended, the kid immediately shut his mouth at my harsh words. ¡°¡­I''m sorry." Aaah! It wasn''t something he had to apologize for! It was this useless adult who should apologize here! If he were a real child, I might have actually groveled in apology. I''m sorry for not being a mature enough adult to apologize to you properly, NPC kid¡­! As I struggled with my guilt, we reached the inn. Fortunately, the boy even told the innkeeper to take good care of me despite my being so harsh to him before. He was a really mature kid who could set his personal feelings aside. ¡°¡­! Thank you very much!" And I was just an immature adult who only knew how to praise him by giving him a tip¡­ ¡°¡­Should I just log out?¡± After giving the boy a big tip, I continued to ponder that as I entered my inn room. I should just do it. Roley was incredibly fun, thanks to the lively responses from the NPCs, but the game itself was very exhausting. To put it differently, this didn¡¯t feel like I was enjoying a fun game, but more like going through an extremely difficult movie shooting. This sentiment was hard to change, even with the fun memories and appreciation I felt. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± No¡­ I just felt this way because my fatigue was maxed out. Of course, the gamepany that made me feel this way was to be med¡­ As I fell on the bed, a window appeared before my eyes. ¡¸ ¡ø Sleep for 0 hours 00 minutes ¨‹ ¡¹ I set the counter to an appropriate six hours. After sleeping, I would decide whether to continue ying this game or log out. I knew I would regret making decisions while extremely tired, after all. Ah¡­ Now that I thought of it, I still needed to wipe the blood off my body¡­ They made the grime disappear from my equipment over time, but why didn¡¯t they do the same for the dirt on my head and skin¡­? Unfortunately, just as I thought of that, I had already pressed the confirm button, my vision already gradually fading to ck. * * * * * * ¡®I have to get up.¡¯ ¡¸A hostile existence has entered a radius of 10m.¡¹ My eyes immediately opened. Seeing how even less light wasing through the window than before I had fallen asleep, it seemed to be around midnight. Absolute silence entered my ears. Not even a single cricket let out its cry. That aside, it seemed like [Detection] had just sent me a notification, right? ¡­I also didn¡¯t leave my window open like that. I grabbed the sword I had ced beside me as I slowly blinked. As soon as I did¡ª Bam! A heavy blow hit the de I had reflexively lifted. I felt a chill go down my spine. I could feel a clear presence behind me, so clear that I wondered how I hadn¡¯t noticed it until then. ¡°Shit!¡± The first thing the stranger did was cuss. I was the one who should do that, though. That damn skill didn¡¯t wake me until the enemy was right before me. ¡°Die!¡± The heavy object that had hit my Zweih?nder pulled away, and along with the sound of the wind, a thick killing intent poured toward me. Of course, there was no reason to just take their attacks. I quickly raised my upper body. As befitting of a game character, my eyes adapted quickly to the darkness, immediately reflecting my current situation. Baam! A club hit the empty bed as I twisted my upper body to turn toward my enemy. Then I swung my Zweih?nder at them. Since I hadn¡¯t assumed the proper posture, my swingcked force, but it was enough to cut the enemy¡¯s skin. ¡°Argh!¡± The enemy grabbed his chest as they backed away. As long as they widened the distance between us, victory would lean toward me. With my Zweih?nder pointing toward the enemy, I fumbled around to find thentern I usually kept at my waist. I could still see well enough, but I wanted a closer look at the other person. ¡°S-shit!¡± In the room that had turned upside down, there was a man with a hooked nose before me. I had never seen him before. He was holding a club stuck with iron pieces in his right hand, and his left hand was holding his chest, smearing blood all over it. ¡°S-spare me.¡± He staggered back and sat down. How funny. Wasn¡¯t he the one who attacked me first? ¡°I-I just wanted to steal your money¡­¡± ¡°So moneyes out after cracking someone¡¯s head open these days?¡± Just what would have happened if I hadn¡¯t gotten [Detection]? I would have rather had the Inquisitor smash my head in. Hitting someone over the head while they were sleeping just wasn¡¯t cool. I gritted my teeth as I continued to point my sword at him. ¡°Put that down and ce your hands over your head.¡± Wow, I never thought I would say something a policeman would with this character setting. So what now? ¡°I-I¡¯ll put it down, so just spare my life¡­¡± ¡°Will you move faster if I put my sword under your chin?¡± The guy jumped at my quiet words. Thump. Something fell on the wooden floor, and both of his hands rose over his head. I went around the bed and approached, the de of my sword still pointing toward him. It really was convenient that the sword was so long. With it, I could keep him in check even from a distance. Kick. The club I kicked away with my foot rolled to the corner of the room. I then grabbed one of the man¡¯s arms. His hands were firmly attached to his head, even when I pulled him like that. Instead, he made himself heavy before taking out a dagger hidden inside his chest pocket. ¡°This is just ridiculous.¡± Did that NPC have a death wish? He really hadn¡¯t learned his lesson. I used my Zweih?nder as a shield to block his dagger before kicking one of the thief¡¯s legs and breaking his bnce. Just as my opponent was about to copse on the floor, I hit him on the back with my right elbow. ¡°Kuhuk!¡± Anyway, it wouldn¡¯t do any good to treat criminals too nicely. There were no human rights here that would protect them. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± I kicked the fallen criminal''s hand. To be precise, the weapon he was holding. While I only stepped on his hand a little, I achieved my goal. The dagger rolled over the floor, just like the club. ¡°Did you really think you could kill me with that insignificant de?¡± I slightly bent down and grabbed the back of the NPC¡¯s neck with my gauntlet-d hand. He let out a pain-stricken sound, but I just ignored it. The thief should be thankful I didn¡¯t kill him. ¡°Hey.¡± Grabbing the assant by his neck, I strode downstairs. I could see an NPC dozing off at the counter. Bang! Instead of raising my voice, I kicked a nearby chair. Bam, tter, tter! The sound of falling chairs echoed throughout the hall. ¡°Holy hell!¡± Sorry for throwing this little temper tantrum, but well, you were the ones who didn¡¯t take care of this ce¡¯s security, so I wasn¡¯t actually that sorry. ¡°Wh-what?¡± I pushed the thief I had caught to the floor. The clerk immediately jumped up in surprise, looking at the guy on the floor, then me, before finally screaming. It was a scream that horror movie directors would admire. Extremely loud. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s going on¡­?!¡± Soon, the whole inn was in an uproar. Some guests even stuck their heads out of their rooms or jumped out into the hall. ¡°A-a murder¡­!¡± No, I mean, I did have blood on me, but it was just dried blood. There was no way that blood would have already dried if I were covered in it recently. How the hell did they program these NPCs to misunderstand things like real humans would? ¡°I guess your eyes are just for decoration, screaming about murder and¡ª¡± I raised my sword and tried pointing it at the thief. Just the fact that he was trying to raise his body was proof enough that he was still alive, so that meant that the misunderstandings should get resolved. ¡¸A hostile existence has entered a radius of 10m.¡¹ ¡°Did you actually kill someone in that short time?!¡± That would have been the case, if not for that notification and interrupting voice reaching my ears. ¡°As expected, a Zombie maintaining its ego is¡ª!¡± Hey, she was the one I ran into in the forest, right? ¡°No need for words!¡± Booom! Before I could even grasp the situation, a mace hit the spot I had just been standing in. I managed to dodge by a hair¡¯s breadth, but that was a little too close forfort. The Priest, no longer wearing her full metal armor and shield, was now incredibly fast. ¡°You¡­!¡± ¡°I shall get rid of you for good this time!¡± I had no idea why she was here, but I certainly knew she misunderstood me again. She was such an annoying NPC. If she acted like this every time we ran into each other, that would be quite a pain in the ass. Or was this plot-rted as well? It seemed a bit too convoluted and coincidental to be called a part of the plot, though. Anyway, if the yer didn¡¯t wake up at the right moment, they might have died. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I said I would kill you if you followed me¡­!¡± Or was not waking up the right course of action? Like an event where we would have to cooperate once more to retrieve my stolen money. The likelihood that the yer had [Detection] this early in the game was pretty low, after all. ¡°Dirty Demon!¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll really cut off your jaw and pull out that tongue of yours this time!¡± Incidentally, every time the Priest appeared, my immersion switch got turned on, so having her around was also a lot of fun. Whenever she appeared, it seemed she could only say things that would stimte my character¡¯splex. ¡°In the name of God, die¡ª!?¡± ¡°Wait a second!¡± When the Inquisitor and I were about to sh, a bluish-white chain popped out of the floor and bound us in ce. {Binding}. It was a CC spell that would bind enemies in ce, giving the caster time to cast more spells. It would automatically release the target after a set period, but if one resisted against it, they could shorten that time. Well, I would remain bound like this for at least two more seconds, though. That was how it was in the original, at least. ¡°Just stand still for a second!¡± Still, I thought I should try to resist a little, so I activated [Breaker] and swung my Zweih?nder. That was when the Archmage¡¯s shout reached my ears¡ª ¡°S-sir Archmage, but why¡ª¡± Baaaam! My movements had destroyed the chains, and my Zweih?nder collided with the floor. Crack! A crack splitting through half of the hall formed where my sword¡¯s de had struck the wooden floor. The thief, whom I had thrown to the ground, barely dodged the crack and trembled. ¡°Uwaaaaargh!¡± ¡°A-a monster¡­!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡­W-well¡­ I mean¡­ A-about this. In the original game, people were always whining about how this skill should get nerfed and was just too much of a cheat during PVP because it was basically game-breaking¡­ A moment of silence passed between me and the Archmage. Chapter 12: I Didn’t Know (5) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 12 I Didn¡¯t Know (5) I swear, I didn¡¯t mean to break through the Archmage¡¯s {Binding} chains. No, I mean, I did, but I¡­ I didn¡¯t think they would break so easily, of course. Even if there wasn¡¯t any difference in level between us, {Binding} shouldst for about two seconds. Did they even change the Wizard¡¯s skills in the remake¡­? ¡°Ehem¡­ Calm down, you two.¡± ¡°But!¡± ¡°Inquisitor! Have your eyes been blinded by your hatred toward evil?!¡± The Archmage¡¯s shout made even my head ring. Of course, I still tried to act out my character, as it didn¡¯t seem like he was too preupied with scolding the Inquisitor. ¡°Take a good look. Do you really think this young man has killed that man?!¡± ¡°But if he didn''t kill him, the blood¡­! The blood¡­¡± The Inquisitor closed her mouth when she saw the thief shaking in the middle of the hall. It seemed like she realized that she was mistaken once again. ¡°¡­He isn¡¯t dead?¡± She repeatedly opened and closed her mouth. In a way, it was kind of cute. It reminded me of a priest character in a script I once read, so I found her kind of¡­ funny? Huh? I doubted my eyes for a moment. Why did the Inquisitor¡¯s face seem so familiar? When we first met, it was too dark to see anything, and I had been too immersed in roleying to notice how familiar she seemed. ¡°H-he¡¯s really still alive¡­?¡± I quickly scanned over the Inquisitor, who still seemed to be out of sorts. Her hair was zing red, contrasted nicely by her green eyes. Her hair was not too long, but a part had been loosely tied to one side. If my memory served me right, she looked exactly the same as the representative image for the Priest used on the settings page. I was also pretty sure I¡¯d seen her face dozens of times in the remake trailer. ¡°¡­You have seen the truth, so why must you say it over and over again?¡± And the Archmage¡¯s face¡­ It was the same as the representative image for the Wizard: the distinctive animal features of the Shaggi race, and especially the aesthetic white lionesque appearance. I would never be able to confuse his face with someone else¡¯s. But what confused me was why the characters of other sses appeared. After one selected a specific ss in the original Legend of Heroes, only that character and not those of the remaining choosable sses would appear. Since it had been an online game, one might encounter other yers¡¯ characters. However, none of the other sses appeared during the game¡¯s plot. In that case, was this one of the changes they¡¯d made to the story? I mean, they were appearing before me far too often to be just passing NPCs. In a weird way, It felt like the game was trying to bind us together. Right. Now that I thought about it, there were a lot of scenes with five people standing together in the Trailer. I had thought it was to avoid showing preference for a single ss, but was it actually alluding to the plot? However, in that case, were those people supposed to be my Companions¡­? We were always fighting, though¡­? No, I mean. If I had known that, I would have acted a bit differently. ¡°¡­Please, exin this situation.¡± As I concluded my thoughts as such, the Archmage spoke to me. It was quite fortunate I usually managed to organize my thoughts rather quickly. ¡°Are you really asking me to exin? Me?¡± Just because I¡¯d realized they were probably supposed to be my Companions didn¡¯t mean I would change my attitude. Of course, there had already been several games that broke when roleying led me to not get any party members, but there was no reason for me to stop now. The fun I felt right now was much more important than the difficulties I might eventually face. Ahaha. Roleying was just too much fun. Really fun. ¡°¡­I know that neither the Inquisitor nor I have the right to demand an exnation from you. However, there are other people here, as well. How about you relieve their anxiety first?¡± Inwardly, I truly admired the Archmage¡¯s words. As expected, a sage was a sage, after all. I truly wished to learn from him, even at my age. ¡°¡­¡± However, I saw no reason to just let this slide. I red at the Wizard and pulled my sword out of the ground. I then kicked the trembling assant still on the floor. ¡°You¡­!¡± The Inquisitor tried to say something, but the Archmage was one step faster. He quickly came down the stairs and covered her mouth. ¡°Confess what you did with your own mouth.¡± ¡°H-help¡­¡± ¡°Do I have to repeat myself?¡± Sigh, I felt like I was the viin here, even though I wasn¡¯t. How thrilling. ¡°I-I was after his money!¡± Fortunately, the thief spoke before the Inquisitor¡¯s temper red up again. ¡°When I saw you tipping that errand boy, I wondered if you were loaded or something¡­!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± The Inquisitor¡¯s face turned blue, and the Archmage sighed as if he already knew what was happening. And here I was, surprised that the reason for this event was my tipping. I thought it was just a random plot point, or I was just that unlucky, but that wasn¡¯t it. ¡°What¡¯s with that fuss¡­!¡± At that moment, someone carrying a torch came out to the front. It was the innkeeper who had checked me in earlier when I arrived. I just remembered; didn¡¯t she start treating me like a VIP after talking to the errand boy for a little? She said that one of the adventurer¡¯s cards I had brought back belonged to her friend¡¯s son, so to thank me for alleviating her friend¡¯s resentment, she only took half of the inn fee. Good. With that, this whole misunderstanding coulde to an end. ¡°No! Sir Knight, how could you do this sote at night? No, wait, what is this¡­?¡± ¡°You should pay more attention to your security from now on.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Take care of that rat on your own. And¡­¡± I gave the Archmage and Inquisitor a look. ¡°I¡¯ll spare your lives for now.¡± Ah, that was so much fun. Could a game be that much fun? I felt so great that all thoughts of logging outpletely disappeared from my mind. ¡°Pardon?¡± The innkeeper seemed flustered, but I didn¡¯t give her any time to stop me. At least I hadn¡¯t any luggage to pack; I was holding my sword in one hand and my bag in the other. I had been so tired that I just slept without taking my shoes off¡ªmy Korean spirit screamed inside of me when I realized that¡ªso there was nothing I would have to get. Thanks to that, I could just leave the inn without stopping by my room again. What followed was the innkeeper''s silent scream. ¡°Y-you¡¯re going to leave like that, Sir Adventurer?¡± She anxiously asked me as I left, but I pretended I hadn¡¯t heard her. The torches lighting in the inn gradually illuminated the street. * * * * * * ¡°Wait, you!¡± It seemed like the Inquisitor had finallye to her senses. She rushed after me. I needed to give her some sort of reaction. ¡°I guess my words sound like bullshit to you. Right, because you''re such a high and noble priest, you probably don¡¯t want to listen to the lowly words of a Demon host, huh?¡± I slightly turned toward her and raised my sword. The expression on my face reflected in the Inquisitor¡¯s eyes was probably one of anger,ughing as though I found this situation ridiculous. What? People alsough when they get too angry. Actually, I wasughing because this was just too much fun. Wahaha. ¡°I shall put an end to all of this.¡± ¡°¡­I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°Do I have any reason to indulge you any further? My patience is running thin, and it¡¯s you who burns away at it.¡± At my words, the Inquisitor closed her eyes and trembled. From my out-of-character perspective, she looked rather pitiful. Anyway, the setting of the Priest ss I knew of was that they had just been dispatched from the Temple to help people. She had lived in a ce isted from the rest of society¡ªa Temple¡ªand was sent out after her education ended, saying it was the right time. How could she follow the principles and rules she had learned in a situation like this? She had never experienced anything like it, so I didn¡¯t think I could be too harsh. That was also why I wasn¡¯t angry at her behavior. As far as I knew, an inexperienced person could be even more rigid and straightforward than someone experienced and old. ¡°As long as I pull out that tongue of yours, you¡¯ll never be able to speak such nonsense again. How about it?¡± However, even if I understood why she acted that way, the character I made wouldn¡¯t. ¡°¡­You¡¯re right.¡± I¡¯m sorry for liking these kinds of characters even though I¡¯m already that old. However, since she was an NPC, it should be alright. This wasn¡¯t reality¡­ Please be patient with me. ¡°S-sir Adventurer¡­¡± No matter how much the innkeeper tried to talk to me, I continued staring at the Inquisitor with an angry expression on my face. As if recognizing the look in my eyes, she opened hers, as though just making up her mind about something, and then bent her legs. ¡°¡­!¡± If I hadn¡¯t tried with all my might to hold my expression, my eyes would have grown to the size of saucers. No, no, what was that Priest doing? ¡°Inquisitor¡­¡± Even the Archmage, who came out a bitter, seemed surprised. I then turned to him, wanting to ask him what the hell was wrong with her. ¡°I can¡¯t repent with words anymore for the insults I have inflicted upon you. Pull it out, and if that isn¡¯t enough¡­ You may take my life.¡± ¡­Wait, there were many things I wanted to say right now but couldn¡¯t. What was that NPC saying? I felt like I was going crazy. I didn¡¯t think she would agree when I told her I would pull out her tongue. I actually really liked characters with these sorts of firm and strict personalities, so I obviously liked Priest characters the most, but I wasn¡¯t aiming for this. I said that on the assumption that she would refuse¡­! ¡°¡­¡± However, it was hard to give in with the character I was acting as right now. While I was wondering what to do, someone rushed toward me and blocked my path. It was the Archmage. ¡°Please, be merciful.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do this, Sir Archmage.¡± ¡°She is fresh out of the Temple. She is still ignorant of the world.¡± ¡°This is all my fault.¡± ¡°If someone is at fault here, it would be me, as I couldn¡¯t stop her in time. If you¡¯re to punish someone, please punish this old man.¡± Now even the Archmage was kneeling before me. I reflexively gripped the hilt of the longsword I was wearing around my waist. ¡°Sir Archmage!¡± ¡°I know, I have no right to say this, but please¡­¡± ¡°No, this is my fault! Sir Archmage has nothing to do with it!¡± My heart felt gloomy, but this situation wasn¡¯t all that bad. Thanks to that, I had found a hole to escape to. Frankly, yeah. Even if my guilt was somewhat lessened because they were NPCs, cutting someone¡¯s tongue out¡ªbecause I didn¡¯t say I would cut their throats or something¡ªwas really annoying. I was pretty sure I would have to hold their tongue to cut it off, and I suspected this game had even included the feeling of spit and the like. No, I was more than certain of that. I could feel it in my mouth, after all. Taking that into consideration¡­ I really didn¡¯t want to get other people¡¯s drool on my hands. I wouldn¡¯t even want that on my sword. That would just be disgusting and dirty. ¡°I most definitely gave you a chance. And yet it is you who chose punishment instead.¡± I spoke as coolly as I possibly could as I approached them. I could hear the innkeeper holding her breath, and I could see the shoulders of the two kneeling before me tense up. ¡°Sir Archmage is innocent. This all happened due to my own stupidity. Please don¡¯ty hands on him.¡± ¡°No, this old man¡­¡± Because they were acting like that, I felt like the ultimate Demon King. Should I give my next character apletely twisted personality? But even this was a little too difficult for me because of my intense guilt. I mean, these NPCs being just too realistic made it even harder. If they just repeated the same thing over and over, I would have been able to clearly tell that there were only programs consisting of zeroes and ones, so I could attack them without hesitation. I stopped right in front of the kneeling Inquisitor. The Archmage sighed as he lowered his head and bit his lip. The middle of his forehead was thrown into countless wrinkles, seemingly caused by him forcing his eyes shut with all his might. ¡°¡­¡± Mister, you shouldn¡¯t make a face like that¡­ No, rather than mister, at that age, he should be called Uncle. Anyway, this uncle''s heart was very weak, huh? Shiing. I pulled out my Longsword, clenched my teeth, and pulled the Inquisitor by her hair. Grabbing it was quite easy, given that it was tied into a single braid. ¡°Urgh!¡± Did I pull too much? The Inquisitor let out a pained groan from her slightly open mouth. Well, showing consideration to her now was useless. I wasn¡¯t a dental hygienist, nor was I remotely interested in looking into other people¡¯s mouths. Cut! I cut off her red braid with ease. I was worried that the system would count that as a ¡¶Part Destruction¡·, but¡­ I was lucky and seeded. Tak. I dropped the braid on the floor. Red hair spread across the ground, reminding me of fallen rose petals. I had cut while pulling it up, so the resulting haircut seemed a bit weird¡­ Well, let¡¯s say that was the price of her life, so whatever. I even gave her a more bnced haircut. I should just move on. ¡°¡­?¡± As I was pondering over that, the young woman looked up at me with round eyes, seeming very pitiful and cute. I couldn¡¯t show my thoughts on my face. ¡°Next time, it¡¯ll be your neck, so when something like this happens again, think back to this moment and keep your mouth shut.¡± Ah. Now that I thought of it, hadn¡¯t the Demon Knight¡¯s older sister been around the same age as her? The cutscene had passed by my eyes so fast that I couldn¡¯t be sure, but I remembered her wielding a mace, too. Then, let¡¯s just say that I softened after seeing my older sister in her in the end. I didn¡¯t really aim for that, but half the fun of roleying was going with the flow. It fit well enough into my original setting. Now if I just left like that, it would be the perfect ending. Great. Like a real wandering knight. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ letting me go like this¡­?¡± ¡°Ah, Heavens¡­¡± Two voices, one sounding despondent and the other filled with relief, reached my ears from behind me. I felt a little proud at that, to the point of forgetting my recent shock. ¡°You!¡± Lla, I can¡¯t hear you. I managed to keep the Priest alive. If the Wizard hadn¡¯t knelt before me at thest second, I really wouldn¡¯t have had any other choice but to cut off her tongue or head. I couldn¡¯t just ignore my character setting. My guilt toward her and my roleying were two separate things, okay? ¡°Inquisitor¡­¡± There we go, that was good. I leisurely left the street with the sounds of the Archmage stopping the Inquisitor as my background music. As I moved from the torchlit area around the inn, I was only greeted by darkness. ¡­Good. So where should I go now? While some minor problems happened, none of them were actually significant issues. They had made this city''s map so huge that there wouldn¡¯t be just one inn in the whole post. If I were in a hurry, I could just leave the city at night and hunt. And above all, I was wondering how Deep Sea Pearl would handle the next story event¡ªand how they would manage to weave these NPCs into it. Inns would definitely be the best way to aplish that. This game was just too much fun. Wahaha! Chapter 13: I Didn’t Know (6) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 13 I Didn¡¯t Know (6) Let me say again: both Deep Sea Pearl and Legend of Heroes were divine. ¡°Either my one remaining eye is hallucinating, or your two ears don''t work properly. It has to be one of the two." I just wandered around after what happened before and spent the rest of the night looking for another inn. After taking a shower, I came to one conclusion: that first inn was a lot better. This ce didn''t even have a full bathroom. That was when I ordered a full meal to raise my low satiety. Someone sat down at the table where I was eating my meal alone. Of course, it was the Archmage and the Inquisitor. Bang! ¡°Will you really only understand after I cut off your tongue?" I roughly put down the ss of water I was drinking from as the Inquisitor became flustered. The red-faced NPC seemed to know she was behaving rather shamelessly. One part of me felt deep admiration toward Deep Sea Pearl, who programmed these NPCs to have such diverse emotions, and another part of me was specting whether these two joining me really was part of the plot. They certainly wouldn''t be so clingy if not for that. ¡°Don''t be so angry. I won''t be rude toward you anymore. I won''t make any more mistakes¡­ I won''t try to hurt you any more than I already did. I swear." Even if she said that¡­ I couldn''t not get angry because of the character I was acting as. It hadn''t been once or twice that I went against the plot all for the sake of my roleying Oh, of course, this was the first time I managed to get so far while doing this. Other games I had yed before forced me to progress because the NPCs wouldn''t ept any answer but the right one. Other times, my roleyingpletely shut me out of the story, forcing me to restart the game. ¡°Are you kidding me right now?" However, this game gave me a proper response no matter what I said, allowing me to roley without worry. That was what made all of this so fun. ¡°I¡­" That was when the Inquisitor started to mumble about something. As my eyes turned to her, I saw that her face was as red as a ripe tomato. With this, her face was now the same color as her hair. She looked insanely cute. ¡°I''m here to learn about tolerance!" What did she mean by that? ¡°¡­What?¡± This wasn''t some kind of glitch, right? My ears weren''t ying tricks on me, right? Was that girl actually aiming to trigger my roleying? ¡°Show mercy and consideration toward others and never sumb to arrogance or hubris. That''s what I''ve been taught all my life, but I couldn''t follow any of that until now. However¡­ you are different. Not only did you tolerate my insults toward you multiple times, but you even forgave me at thest moment." I tightly gripped the ss that nearly slipped from my hand. I also managed to keep my lips from twitching. ¡°I-I saw something in you that I want to be¡­! That''s why I dared to stand before you right now. I know I''ve caused you so much trouble and was very disrespectful toward you, but I¡­!" There was this saying passed around the circles of enthusiasts since forever: ¡®You didn¡¯t choose whom you liked best. Instead, it was the one that suddenly appeared before you one day, grabbed you by the cor, and pped you across your face who would definitely be your favorite.¡¯ You might be wondering what I was trying to convey with that quote? That girl was the one who grabbed me and pped me across my face. ¡°¡­If you were nning to worsen my mood, you seeded." As I was barely holding onto my character setting, I was holding my head and screaming on the inside. She was cute. I thought she was acting really cute right now. I had gotten a bit nervous when she dropped to her knees and showed me that honest, straightforward attitude of hersst night because she was right up my alley. Now she hit me with that?! Aiming for a homerun with that shameless apology of hers?! Was she crazy? Was she actually crazy?! I mean, I really preferred the Priest ss and their personal setting in the original game, but wasn¡¯t this just too much?! ¡°Y-you couldn¡¯t just keep your¡­ mouth shut, huh? Ah, excuse me again¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± She also couldn¡¯t hide her feelings because she was just that straightforward. Ah, this was driving me mad. How did she know I was a sucker for these kinds of clumsy characters?! She looked like a little kimchi dumpling as she arranged her hair to look like a bob cut¡­ ¡°Now I understand. How amusing. It¡¯s my first time seeing someone trying to kill themselves like that.¡± I couldn¡¯t break character, so I barely forced myself to speak up, my lips trembling. Perhaps mistaking that reaction as the pinnacle of my anger, the Archmage seemed nervous. ¡°That¡¯s not what we intended. You have to listen to us.¡± Fortunately, I hadn¡¯t broken character. However, I wasn¡¯t all too happy about that sudden cuteness attack. ¡°No, I don¡¯t need to.¡± But she was really cute. The way she rushed straight ahead into apologizing with no rhyme or reason, exactly like someone withoutmon sense. So, it was rather obvious that things would turn out this way, right? ¡°The only thing I have to exchange with you is blows.¡± tter. I roughly stood up as I swallowed my tears. My hand was, of course, on the hilt of my Zweih?nder strapped to my back. Of course, I couldn¡¯t give up on roleying just for the plot or that kimchi dumpling. With my temper and all that nonsense they were spouting, how could I stay still? ¡°Even if I told you that we know how to kill the King of all Demons, Satan?¡± However, as soon as I tried to pull out my sword, the Archmage quickly spat out these words. The hall, filled with a moderate amount of people, wentpletely silent, and my hand froze in ce. ¡°Would you really pull out your sword now if it meant losing the chance to drive the Demon King Satan and all the other Demons out of thisnd?¡± A sage was still a sage. Although we hadn¡¯t talked much, he had effectively managed to ascertain this character¡¯s weakness. ¡°¡­That.¡± If there was one thing I was certain of as I was improvising, it was that this talk was something my character would never pass up on. ¡°What do you mean?" I drew my sword and held it before me as my eyes filled with irritation. I wanted to show the Archmage that I would immediately wield my sword if he was spouting nonsense. ¡°Before that, let me moisten my throat. It''ll be a long story." ¡°How about drinking your own blood?" It seemed he was trying to evoke a specific atmosphere, but how could I allow that when my character would love nothing better than to rip apart all Demons as fast as possible? I tightly grasped my Zweih?nder. The Archmage then cleared his throat. ¡°¡­You must have heard that the Inquisitor freshly left the Temple, right?" He was indeed a wise one. The sage immediately sensed my intentions and did what I wanted right away. ¡°There''s a reason she left the Temple even though she''s very young for an inquisitor. It''s because of a revtion." He slightly looked toward the Inquisitor, who, having been listening to the conversation, quickly opened her mouth. ¡°Even though I''m unworthy¡­ I was told that I am destined to defeat Satan." That¡­ That baffled me quite a bit. Had she already received a revtion? And a Priest was destined to defeat Satan? ¡°However, I was also told I wouldn''t be enough to defeat him, so I must gather Companions." The revtion was definitely meant to be heard by a yer character, not just those of the Priest ss. ¡°So I first went to visit Sir Archmage¡­ Next, we nned to travel around the country to gather more people and convince them to join us." Could it be Deep Sea Pearl changed the plot to bepletely Priest-centric? ¡°That was why we came back, even though we knew you would react like this." ¡°¡­? Sir Archmage, didn''t you say it''ll be fine, though¡­?" ¡°Cough, cough." The Archmage hurriedly dered something, seemingly to cover his embarrassment, which made his face look slightly red. ¡°So, would you like to join us on our journey to defeat Satan?" ¡¸¡ùOne Step Toward Defeating the Demon King¡ù¡¹ Those words seemed to be the beginning of a Quest. I could tell that this Quest surrounded by special marks was definitely the Main Quest, which made my heart beat faster. * * * * * * ¡°We found out that you''re quite the famous mercenary. Someone who doesn''t back down from killing Demons no matter how difficult it may be. If you kill Satan, all the Demons will leave thisnd." ¡­Well, I had expected that joining these two was relevant to the plot, so I should just move on. And the fact that I almost killed the plot''s main character¡­ It was a bit weird that the game didn''t give me a warning or some sort of information, but, well, even if I had killed her, I could just reload an earlier save file. Although I didn''t do that, things would have turned out fine. That just meant I could change the story however I wanted. I had just been shocked because Legend of Heroes hadn''t been advertised as a game with so much freedom of action, enabling one to form the story however they saw fit. But as it wasn''t anything unprecedented, I quickly epted it. Still, how many aliens did they have to grind to get this level of freedom and graphics? It wasn''t like I didn''t have any doubts, but¡­ didn''t they release it because it was possible? I had been shocked because they didn''t announce this setting, but it wasn''t anything unwee from a gamer¡¯s perspective. I could even roley freely. How could I be mad about that?! ¡°How ridiculous. Isn''t that something a Hero should be doing?" So Ipletely focused on roleying and thought about how to react to that offer. It would be kind of weird if I just moved on, right? My character only felt contempt toward those two, let alone trust. ¡°She certainly received this revtion. If you want proof, you can follow us to any Temple. All of them acknowledge her as a Hero." But if the Archmage argued like that, I had no reason to refuse. Why? Because this character still held more hatred for Demons than for these two. Plus, he was given a chance to defeat Satan, the origin of all Demons, you know? He couldn''t miss that opportunity to root out all Demons. In the character setting I¡¯d created, I wrote down that the mes of his hatred for Demons burned so hot that even he might end up burned. ¡°¡­As expected, I¡­" ¡°Those words.¡± So if he could eradicate all Demons in exchange for tolerating these annoying guys, he¡¯d do it without question. ¡°They had better be true.¡± I was deeply moved by these NPCs who always knew when to say the right line as I gripped my sword even tighter. ¡°Because if they aren¡¯t, I will immediately cut you limb from limb and dedicate your corpses to my hometown.¡± I acted like I was about to swing my de but ultimately didn¡¯t. ¡°You are free to do so. With this, we wee you to our expedition.¡± ¡¸???(Inquisitor) has joined you.¡¹ ¡¸???(Archmage) has joined you.¡¹ ¡¸¡ùOne Step Toward Defeating the Demon King¡ù ? Join the Subjugation Forces ? Talk to the Archmage¡¹ The Quest information updated. * * * ¡°There is no need for that. I have only allowed you to apany me because it serves my purposes. I have no intention of forgiving your arrogance and selfishness.¡± The Inquisitor listened to the man¡¯s words one by one. The way he spoke was harsh and cold, but it didn¡¯t bother her much because she was the one in the wrong here. ¡°Banish any thought of treating me as your Companion or the like from your mind. If it weren¡¯t for the sake of killing Satan, I wouldn¡¯t even dream of sharing a single space with you lot.¡± He really was amazing, suppressing his anger and keeping his cool to reach his goal. She wondered if the Bishop had this image in mind when he said one should always maintain their reason. ¡°Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She thought it a pity that he didn¡¯t want to treat her like a Companion, but she was already grateful enough that he would apany them. If she traveled with him long enough, she would definitely get a chance to properly apologize to him for her rudeness and learn his mannerisms. ¡°¡­¡± The Inquisitor¡¯s eyes lit up when she heard the Demon Knight¡¯s thunderous roar, not caring whether or not he was frowning. At first, she denied his existence and doubted him because her experience and knowledge were too shallow and because his case was rather unprecedented, but¡­ it was different now. ¡ºWhen you said he could take your life, you knew what that meant, right?! Inquisitor! Your mission is far too great to do something like that! Had he not been merciful¡­!¡» ¡ºI know my actions were rash and impulsive, Sir Archmage. You are right to scold me.¡» She didn''t hate the Demon Knight anymore. Rather, every time she touched her short hair, her respect for him grew. ¡ºBut, Sir Archmage, my narrow-mindedness has caused so much harm already. Fortunately, we could solve it with money this time, but what if someone died? Would we still have been able to resolve it? ¡» ¡ºSo you wanted to give away your life for that?¡» ¡ºJustice signifies justified violence, which makes it even heavier and requires it be wielded with care. God even said that one shouldn''t be too convinced of one''s own justice. However, did I follow this rule during either of those times?¡» ¡º¡­The 9thmandment.¡» ¡ºTell me, how can I save the world when I can¡¯t even properly follow God¡¯s word? I don''t think I''m able to do that. I don¡¯t even have the right to call myself a Hero¡­¡» She thought back on the conversation she¡¯d had with the Archmage yesterday and looked at the man standing before her. ¡ºI was forgiven. I even received an opportunity to atone for my sins.¡» ¡ºInquisitor¡­¡» ¡ºIf I had been him, I wouldn¡¯t have forgiven me. If I had been him, I would have cut out my tongue. In his shoes, I wouldn¡¯t have acted the same way at all.¡» Behind those ferocious eyes, he held the mental strength to let go of his malice and murderous intentions despite being a Demon host. Behind his vicious wordsy tolerance, and behind his shallow unpleasantness was mercy. It was his other side that she wasn¡¯t able to see before. ¡ºIsn¡¯t he actually more like a representative of God than I am?¡» She had prayed all night and thought about the Demon Knight. She had thought about why he was host to a Demon, what he must have gone through, and what he had been thinking thus far. She had been blinded by prejudice and aimed her sword at him without even knowing him properly. The more she thought about him, the greater her regret and respect toward him grew. And after investigating him a bit with the Archmage, she felt that way even more. They had learned he had been helping people by eradicating Demons. ¡ºI want to get to know him better. And I want to learn from him. Not about his ability to stay sane even after merging with a Demon, not even his mental fortitude to ovee anger, but the generosity to forgive those who criticize and insult him.¡» Although his words were harsh and his behavior vulgar¡­ The Archmage said that if one¡¯s learning was short, one¡¯s vocabry would be even smaller. Education wasn¡¯t avable to everyone. So it was understandable. On the contrary, in spite of being uneducated, he was still a better person than her. As she had thought, she really wanted to get to know that man better and be someone like him. She was barely twenty when this young woman¡¯s longing had just begun. However, it would be a very long time before she realized this all had been a delusion. Chapter 14: I Didn’t Know (7) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 14 I Didn¡¯t Know (7) ¡¸Cooperating and Companions Some NPCs can cooperate with you: They are either Apanying NPCs or Companion NPCs. Apanying NPCs only follow you until you reach a certain goal. You can either part ways with them earlier or, depending on their favorability, invite them to be your Companion. Companion NPCs won¡¯t leave you until the yer decides to part ways with them. They can gather information, scout locations, etc. Both Apanying and Companion NPCs will act at their discretion, but you may be able to give them specific orders depending on their favorability.¡¹ ¡¸Favorability NPCs will react differently ording to their favorability. It is not possible to directly check your Favorability level.¡¹ Looking through the information provided by the System Window, I came to two conclusions. First, it was very hard to romance a Companion NPC. Second, I wondered how I could check those two¡¯s levels. However, thetter wasn¡¯t actually that important, and the former wasn¡¯t anything serious. If necessary, I wouldn''t have a problem ying solo, either. ¡°Banish any thought of treating me as your Companion or the like from your mind. If it weren¡¯t for the sake of killing Satan, I wouldn¡¯t even dream of sharing a single space with you lot.¡± To reiterate, I had always been so crazy about roleying and sticking to my settings that I often broke games because I wouldn¡¯t take along any Companion characters. ¡°Do you understand?¡± I wasn''t all that regretful about favorability I never had, so I just delivered my lines in quite a ferocious manner. However, the answer I got back was unexpected. ¡°Yes!" ¡­I tried to draw a line by saying she shouldn''t treat me like a Companion, so why did she answer so brightly? Did her head really turn into a kimchi dumpling? She was still insanely cute, though. That aside, I had no idea why her eyes were sparkling like that. No matter how hard I thought about it, weren''t we supposed to have low favorability with one another? Just what did I do for her favorability to rise? I did leave her tongue attached to her mouth, which could be seen as me showing mercy in a way. But if I asked people whether that would raise one''s favorability, 100 out of 100 would vehemently shake their heads. Or what? Was our first meeting, when she was but a nk te that had just entered society, too stimting? Was it like the suspension bridge effect? Or it was just a setting to help the yer enter the plot. Something that caused whatever problems the yer created before entering the Main Quest to be erased from their minds, making it morefortable to join these two. Hmm, well. That was the most likely exnation. ¡°¡­¡± So what now? Setting the NPCs¡¯ favorability aside, I had to resolve this situation somehow. While breakfast was served, the atmosphere around us seemed rather ambiguous. Should I just talk to them like the Quest wanted? But how should I go about it without going against my setting¡ª ¡°Found you!" I gripped the sword hilt I was holding even tighter to look menacing. It was a reflexive action. ¡°Adventurer!¡± When I turned my head slightly, I saw the errand boy of the Adventurers¡¯ Guild who¡¯d led me to that inn yesterday. ¡°What is it?¡± I had to talk to those two, but that there smelled like a Sidequest. As soon as I came to a decision, I turned around. Still conscious of the two, my face looked rather grim, so much so that the boy flinched when he saw me. ¡°¡­Erm, someone is looking for you¡­" When the kid came closer and saw the two people next to me, he tilted his head. He was probably surprised by the Inquisitor, who wore knight-like armor, and the Archmage, who was of a different race. It was rare toe across races other than humans¡ªcalled ¡®Middle¡¯ here¡ªunless one entered their territories. Well, assuming that the settings I recalled had also been implemented in the remake. ¡°Erm¡­¡± The child seemed rather nervous, so the Inquisitor greeted him lightly, and the Archmage smiled kindly at him, which helped him rx immensely. ¡°Sir Adventurer, the clerk is looking for you¡­¡± ¡­The clerk he was talking about was probably Izren. I checked the info on the Sidequest right beneath the Main Quest in my Quest list. ¡¸? Danger in the Northwestern Forest ? Talk to Clerk Izren¡¹ Even though it said I just had to talk to her, it more or less meant I should im my reward. Even that rescue Quest fromst time had stayed on my list until I got my reward. ¡°I-if you can wait, I can also bring her to¡­¡± ¡°Lead the way.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I usually would have asked him to bring her here, but the situation didn¡¯t allow that right now. Even though I agreed to apany them, the rtionship between those two and my character was still a mess, and I doubted my character would want to meet Izren with them after missing the time to share a proper conversation. As such, I decided to go there myself. ¡°I said, lead the way.¡± Of course, there was a high probability that those two would follow me even if I went to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild. Usually, after characters had joined your party, they would always follow after you. However, I didn¡¯t know if it was also like that in the Legend of Heroes remake, so I wanted to try it. No matter what happened, at least it wouldn¡¯t be a loss to me. ¡°May I go with you? I have some business over there as well.¡± Well, a game was still a game in the end. I urged the boy to go ahead, not giving the other two a single nce as they stood. The puzzled child looked at the two others and me before energetically shouting. ¡°Follow after me!¡± The child took the lead, his steps seeming quite cheerful. His walk was actually closer to running, but it wasn¡¯t that hard to catch up, given the different lengths of our strides. ¡°Why are youing along?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t refuse when I asked.¡± ¡°So if I didn¡¯t refuse, does that immediately mean I agreed?¡± ¡°It¡­ It depends.¡± Rather than that, did the Inquisitor study a bit about society¡­? I felt a little proud of her. * * * * * * ¡°Miss Clerk!" When we reached the vicinity of the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, the boy suddenly rushed forward. I had already reached my destination, so I didn¡¯t bother hurrying after him. ¡°I found Sir Adventurer¡ªAh!¡± When she saw the boy, the cheerful Clerk Izren made eye contact with me next. Her face stiffened a bit when she saw me. ¡°First, allow me to apologize to you.¡± I was about to ask for my reward, but at her sudden remark, my eye twitched slightly. Don¡¯t tell me they docked my reward¡­ ¡°The thief has been handed over to the guards. Thieves don¡¯t usually appear around those parts¡­¡± Fortunately, that wasn¡¯t the case. She seemed apologetic that something like this happened to me in a ce she had rmended. ¡°P-please give the inn another chance¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± While I usually always weed additionalpensation, I believed it would only be right to refuse that offer considering my character setting. I quickly managed to shake off any regret I might have felt andpletely focused on the current situation. ¡°Is that all you have to say?¡± ¡°¡­Well, erm, are you hurt? I heard there was a fight.¡± ¡°Do you really think I would be harmed by someone as weak as that? She had scratched my pride, so, of course, I would react like that. The clerk was instantly taken aback by my fierce attitude. ¡°However, the Sage of the Magic Tower and the Inquisitor¡­?¡± The clerk¡¯s gaze, which had been on me as she spoke, shifted slightly. As this godly game perfectly simted the natural movements of a person¡¯s eye, I could immediately tell why she suddenly stopped. The NPC finally noticed the two behind me. ¡°Y-you two¡­¡± ¡°Haha, it¡¯s been a week.¡± Oh, they had met before. ¡°The request¡­¡± The clerk began to notice even more things. After thinking about her reaction a bit more, I had an inkling of what was happening. As the middleman, she had been unable to stop that cranky old man from contracting another person for this request. ¡°Yes, yes. That guy caught it." Still, they shouldn''t feel too troubled about it, considering the aforementioned penalty fee. Was it because their image had been damaged? Although, it was a bit weird discussing image and pride when speaking about NPCs. ¡°We were the ones who were too slow to catch it, so it''s alright that we don''t receive any reimbursement. We are fine with just the advance payment." ¡°No, of course, you will be reimbursed for the trouble. It''s our Guild''s duty to protect the adventurer''s rights, after all." The clerk strictly shook her head at the remark of the Archmage, who reacted rather leniently to the matter. They didn''t take a broker''s fee for no reason, after all. ¡°But, why are you three¡­?" ¡°We got into a bit of an argument yesterday due to a misunderstanding yesterday, but we managed to resolve it and even decided to be a party as of today." ¡°Ah, so it''s like that." Well, that was none of my business, though. ¡°If you have no other business, let me ask you something." ¡°What is it?" ¡°When are you going to pay me?" I thought she called me here to give me my payment, so why did she bring up something unrted? Just give me my reward already. My reward. ¡°Ah, I sent an investigator yesterday, so the investigation results will be here tomorrow. I want to ask you to wait until then, Adventurer." However, the clerk only provided this shocking news to me with a bright smile on her face. To a gamer, that answer felt like a p in the face. ¡°Tomorrow." As I fell into thoughts, I reflexively answered in a dismayed voice. Th-that was a bit surprising, a game that took more than two days¡ªsixteen hours in real-time¡ªto give out rewards for a Quest. ¡°Yes. We need to be sure that the forest is really free of any danger¡­ Is there a problem?" The clerk even acted like there was nothing wrong with that. In hindsight, her reaction wasn''t that unreasonable. Realistically speaking, it was only proper to go through these procedures and ensure it was safe. But that was only true if this was reality. For something like that to happen in a game¡­ was rather unexpected. It was good and all that it was realistic, but I felt like this was just too much. ¡°Ah, about that. We can guarantee it, so perhaps could you pay him in advance?¡± Fortunately, the Archmage spoke up before my puzzlement was reced with irritation. ¡°From what we saw, the only dangerous entity in the forest was the Medusa. As this young man has killed it, and we took care of the purification, there shouldn¡¯t be any problem.¡± ¡°I can vouch for him as well!¡± The kimchi dumpling also dered her intention to vouch for me. The clerk¡¯s face immediately filled with bafflement. ¡°Umm¡­ even if you two say that¡­¡± ¡°If there¡¯s any problem because of this, just let the Tower or the Temple know. They¡¯ll send someone to take care of this matter.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going that far, alright. I shallply with your request and hand out your payment.¡± The clerk turned toward me. It seemed I would receive my reward right away. I felt relieved, very relieved. I had been very nervous. ¡­I knew things turned out this way in an attempt to make it seem more realistic, but what could I say? It strangely felt like I only managed to shorten the time because I was with these two. I wondered how they would have reacted had I chosen a different ss. ¡°Pleasee this way.¡± However, there was no reason for me not to take the reward because I deserved that one million Gal. I followed after the clerk. ¡°Will your business in this city be over after this? Or do you have more to do here? Or do you already have your next destination in mind?" The Archmage also sneakily followed me. I was all too familiar with the intent behind that question. It was to get our schedules matched up. ¡°If you don''t have any other ns, I''d like to leave this city by today, if you don''t mind. Would that be possible?" They were nning on going to the next city straight away. I didn''t mind, so long as they gave me time to prepare. However, we were leaving Tatara already? I thought it was still too early topletely change my base, though I didn''t really mind moving to different hunting grounds like the Northwestern Forest. ¡°As long as there are Demons." Nevertheless, I decided to give him an answer. I was still hesitant to initiate a conversation with him, so I felt grateful that he always started it. ¡°Oh, in that case, would it be alright if we left at 9? The group of merchants we were escorting for part of the way is leaving then." There was a time limit? ¡°Is it too sudden? My apologies. We made that appointment before knowing you were here, let alone before you joined us. Of course, we can just cancel that request. We don''t necessarily have to escort that merchant group to leave the town." I twitched my eyebrows. It would seem I could postpone our departure, but the mere existence of that time limit felt strange to me. Moreover, they would have to cancel a request to postpone it, so how could I? If I had any other ns, I would have told them to just cancel it, but I didn''t. I didn''t set up this character to twist the truth for no reason. Honestly, he was the type to fulfill a request simply out of pride. So, I had no choice but to ept that time limit¡­ The departure time probably wasn''t 9 p.m., so it should be 9 a.m. Then, I likely hadn¡¯t much time left. What time was it now? I covertly scanned the area for a clock. Fortunately, one was at the front of the building we had just entered. It was about 7:10 am. Then, I would have to move a bit faster. Flutter. As I busily calcted the time, the hem of my clothes fluttered as I picked up the pace to indicate that I agreed to their ns. The Archmage and the kimchi dumpling followed after me. I felt like a mother hen with two chicks following behind. Chapter 15: The Price of Ignorance (1) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 15 The Price of Ignorance (1) Considering there were multiple inns in this town, it would be good to check if the same was true for general stores. There were quite a few, each with a different price for the same product. ¡°¡­¡± Bargaining for everything separately or constantlyparing prices didn''t fit my character setting. So, I decided to pick one of the stores where I wouldn''t be ripped off too much in the future. Even in real life, I never seed in these kinds of things. ¡°Hey, Sir Archmage. Sir Demon Knight doesn''t seem to be in a very good mood." ¡°As we kind of forced him to join our journey, that isn¡¯t too surprising." ¡°¡­?! W-we forced him to join? D-did I unknowingly coerce him into this¡­?!" ¡°No, that''s not what I meant¡­" However, these two NPCs constantly spected what my stiff expression might mean. It honestly felt like a scene out of Dumb and Dumber. Just watching them was funny enough. ¡°We''re departing!" During all that, the caravan leader announced our departure. The wagon the two NPCs and I were sitting in slowly started moving. They said they would let us ride on it out of consideration, as we wouldn''t receive any pay¡­ Every time my body went up and down, I would feel extremely nauseous. At this point, I couldn''t see this as an act of consideration at all. Eventually, I ended up closing my eyes. I managed to endurest time, but did I have to do so again? Roleying was supposed to be fun, not painful. I could tolerate some things in anticipation of more fun, but this wasn''t one of those times. In situations like this, it would be better to just break character. ¡°Are you going to sleep?" Instead of answering her, I was reminded of the sleep system. A Window appeared before my eyes even while they were closed. Even if I didn''t touch the arrows on the Windows, I could change the time just by thinking about it. I set the timer to three hours for now. It would be nice if I could set it to our arrival time, but I didn''t know when exactly we would reach our destination. If it wasn''t enough, I could just reset itter. ¡°May God grant you a peaceful rest¡­" Hearing the Inquisitor''s blessing, my vision faded to ck. The darkness, which consumed even the tiniest speck of light that might leak through my eyelids, seemed like thick, ck paint. * * * I was a fool for expecting the journey to take only three hours after taking ten to reach the Northwestern Forest. It took us three days to arrive at the next town. Right. A full day in real-time. Even after finishing the escort mission and riding on horses as fast as we could, it still ended up like that. We didn''t encounter any other events or Quests, though we did defeat some bandits and lesser beasts while traveling. Still, I couldn''t help but feel incredibly bored. One day of my three-day Full Dive, which cost me 300,000 won, evaporated into nothingness. I now had less than eight hours, or one in-game day, remaining. ¡°There''s something I want to ask you." Most of the time, I was just riding about on a horse with my face crumpled¡­ which seemed to have puzzled the Archmage. So when we arrived in the next town, he asked me something. ¡°You haven''t asked us a single thing. Don''t you wonder whether we really received that revtion? Or where we''re going, and why?" That was a strange question. Well, the biggest reason I rarely talked to them first was because of my character setting. Besides, I was a yer. There was no reason for me to doubt them as the appearance of the Main Quest was proof enough. Also, unless I had a deep knowledge of this game world''s geography, I wouldn''t know where we were going even if they told me. I did y the original, but my memory wasn''t good enough to remember every town''s name. I was curious about why we were traveling to a different town¡­ but not to the point that I would break character. Furthermore, the reason for their initial journey was to search for Companions, including the ''yer''. If it were an essential Quest, they would just exin it on their own. Well, it wasmon for people to be recruited and mobilized without any exnation, only to get killed off like dogs. ¡°If you lied about the Revtion, I just have to kill you, and if it¡¯s a ce I knew or have to know about, those snouts of yours would have already announced it loud and clear. That is, if those brains of yours haven¡¯t already melted to slime.¡± After tranting my feelings into words, I took a deep breath. Thest line was the most important. ¡°Lastly, whatever you two do or don¡¯t do, so long as you don¡¯t disturb me, I won¡¯t care.¡± Kuuh, that was perfect, and it conveyed how I just saw them aspanions in my hunt for Demons with no interest in them as people. There wasn¡¯t anything strange about drawing lines between us like that. ¡°Is that so?¡± Having potentially been convinced, the Archmage stroked his chin. He didn¡¯t seem offended, but I wasn¡¯t too sure. My favorability level with him might have fallen. ¡°Then, have you ever been involved with the Magic Tower or the Temple¡ª¡± ¡°I sold the horses! That¡¯s the money I got¡­ Oh, were you talking about something?¡± Then, before the Archmage even finished his sentence, the Inquisitor, whom we had sent out to sell the horses, returned from the stables. The Archmage had decided she should do it, saying she had to get more used to society. I agreed that she had to experience these things. I wasn¡¯t actually sure if NPCs learned from repeated actions, though. ¡°I interrupted you¡­¡± ¡°Haha, not at all. We only chatted for a bit. Alright, let us go. There is a Temple here, so we won¡¯t need to look for an inn.¡± I was a little curious about what he¡¯d been about to say, but the opportunity to ask further had already passed. I also couldn¡¯t exactly ask him about it with my character settings as they were. So, I just focused on our next destination. It was the first time I would visit a Temple since starting the remake, so I was rather curious how it had been designed. The Temple looked very nice in the original, but it had to look incredibly amazing here, too, right? If I had known things would turn out like this, I would have just taken a look at the Temples in the ces I had already been. However, they had been too far for me to go there alone, and I hadn''t found quite the right time to do so. The vige in the Northwestern Forest didn''t have one, though. Thinking such trivial things, I followed behind the Archmage who led the way. It felt strange to be the one following an NPC like this and not the other way around. In cases like this, the NPC''s pace would usually be slow, so the national rule was to race ahead of the NPC or run circles around it. ¡°We came to this town because the Temple notified us of Demons appearing in the area." So that was why we were here. The Archmage exined some of the situation. Only then did the kimchi dumpling open her mouth, looking rather sad. ¡°Apart from gathering Companions, we also go where the Temple requests us to or where rumors that help is needed circte. As a follower of God, I cannot ignore those in need." I didn''t want to hear that exnation, but it wasn''t a bad setup. Got it. I would probably receive all the Main Quests from those guys. ¡°There''s a Temple in this town, but I have received word that they cannot solve this problem with their own strength. So¡­" If it was rted to Demons, I could actually step in, as I was ying as a Demon (maniac) expert. Hahah. ¡°I don''t care about the situation. What kind of Demon is it? Where and when do they appear?" ¡°I don''t know yet. I have just received the news that Demons were showing up here, but they haven''t yet given me a detailed exnation. To find out, we''ll probably have to go to the Temple." In these kinds of Quests, information gathering came first. ¡°How ipetent." But my character wouldn''t know about that. I looked over the updated Quest as I let out some harsh words. I remembered the usual procedure for these types of Quests: first investigation, then search, andst but not least, the hunt. ¡¸? The Evil Lurking in the Town ? Go to the Temple ? Talk with the Bishop¡¹ But why wasn''t this treated as part of the Main Quest? Was it actually not that important of an issue? Alright, I wanted to proceed with that Quest as quickly as possible. The transportation system majorly sucked, but hunting and catching Demons was still very fun. After all, could it still be called an ARPG if it didn''t have a ton ofbat parts in it? I tightly squeezed the hilt of my longsword in anticipation of the next Quest. A medium-sized cathedral started to enter my view in the distance. * * * * * * ¡°A Demon!" I just wanted a Quest. I didn''te here to be treated like this. I should have predicted something like that would happen, as the Inquisitor had also mistaken me for one the first time we met. In that case, wasn''t it quite fortunate I hadn''t decided to visit the Main Temple? ¡°Wait, calm down!" As soon as we approached the Temple, priests rushed out and pointed their weapons at us. If the Archmage and Inquisitor hadn''t stepped in, they might have immediately attacked me, let alone allowed me to enter. The [Detection] notification covered part of my vision. I might have to change the target settingster or something. ¡°He¡¯s not an enemy!¡± ¡°However!¡± ¡°How could a servant of God defend a Demon?!¡± The Inquisitor got flustered as she looked toward them. However, their vicious reaction toward me didn¡¯t lessen even at her desperate shout; instead, it exacerbated. ¡°As I said before, he¡¯s not an enemy!¡± Seeing the situation couldn¡¯t be resolved so easily, the Inquisitor removed her gauntlet. It revealed white hands marred with calluses and cuts that could be seen even from a distance. However, no one could call these hands ugly. Even more so if one recognized the Stigma on the back of her hand that became visible the moment she channeled her Divine Power. ¡°Th-the Hero¡¯s Stigma¡­?¡± Now that I thought of it, something was bothering me that I hadn''t questioned while ying the original. In that game, the Stigma was engraved on the hand of the yer''s chosen character of any ss. ording to the setting, the pattern would only be visible if one used their Divine Power. However, characters of the Demon Knight ss took damage uponing into contact with Divine Power. In that case, how did they prove their identity? Were they unable to y the game properly? ¡°I swear on my name: He is not a Demon but one of their victims. So put down your weapons." Concluding my thoughts, I observed what these idiots were doing. Was it because the weight of her words had dramatically increased from a mere priest''s to a Hero''s? The guys who had run out of the Temple now widened their eyes to the size of saucers. ¡°Didn''t the Hero tell you to lower your weapons?" The Archmage drove in the final nail. The priests immediately lowered their weapons, their attitudespletely changed. When they looked toward me, their faces were full of wariness, but they at least showed a willingness to not treat me with too much hostility. ¡°Since it''s God''s representative who speaks, we shall obey." But they wouldn''t do the same for me, huh? I tightly gripped the hilt of my Longsword and flexed the muscles in my neck. It would be perfect if some blood vessels protruded as well. However, I was probably expecting a bit too much of this game. ¡°Be patient." When I tried to take a step forward, the Archmage blocked me. A hand half the size of mine pressed down on the hand holding the hilt of my sword. ¡°They didn''t have any bad intentions." I was just going to hold the hilt, but I did like their reaction. ¡°If they had ill intentions, I would have already cut them down." I headed inside, a dirty look on my face. The two people standing nearby nced my way. I felt rather happy as I felt their stares on me. I should leave immediately after receiving information about the Quest, though. * * * The meeting regarding their request was held in quite the bloody atmosphere. The reason for that was quite simple. While the Hero and the sage received the highest forms of hospitality, I did not. The subtle war of nerves between me and the Temple¡¯s people continued¡ªbeing able to roley so freely filled me with overflowing happiness¡ªand didn¡¯t stop even after the meeting. ¡°Your room has been prepared. Or would you prefer to eat first? If you feel ufortable in the dining room, we can also deliver it to your room.¡± Thosest words were said while looking toward me. The NPC¡¯s intentions obviously weren¡¯t pure at all. ¡°I refuse.¡± However, that much was already offensive enough. I¡¯d never agree to that! In the end, the priests, using fatigue from our journey as an excuse, asked us tomence our search for the Demon tomorrow, which would keep us stuck in the Temple. How could I ignore it when the game gave me such an obvious hint? They were giving me an excuse to head out while still staying in character, right? ¡°Sleeping on the forest floor would be closer to God¡¯s arms than sleeping in this house of hypocrites.¡± ¡°What¡­?!¡± I couldn¡¯t stand getting spoon-fed like that. I didn¡¯t have that much time left until I had to log out! I wouldn¡¯t even get to search around! I turned around with my luggage. It did kind of seem like I was getting kicked out, but that was fine. The priests seemed to notice it as well, but I had chosen to leave first. And above all, I had no intention of sleeping in the first ce! Anyway, I didn''t like ying games at too slow a pace. I even did a Full Dive, so I was ying with the mindset of getting my money¡¯s worth here. As such, this kind of development was more than wee. Of course, I had to act like I was in an incredibly bad mood. Keke. I was a pro roleyer, after all. ¡°Demon Knight!¡± Furthermore, the Quest information was updated during our previous conversation. I wouldn¡¯t have any problems finding the Demon. I was wholly confident that even if those two didn¡¯te along, I could find it by myself. ¡°Wait a moment¡­!¡± Leaving behind the Inquisitor trying to stop me, I nced at my Quest Window. ¡¸? The Evil Lurking in the Town ? Pursue the Demon hiding in the Town ? Optional: Ask the residents ? Optional: Find the Demon¡¯s Traces¡¹ The Quest hinted that I could track the Demon by asking the residents or finding its traces. However, that waspletely unnecessary for me. I had already figured out the answer to the Quest with the information received from the people of the Temple. While the type of Demon was unknown, it seemed to appear during both day and night. Its targets were usually sleeping people, and it killed its victims in various ways: crushing them, draining their blood, eating them, and so on. As someone who had done a lot of data research, I found that information quite familiar. Not to mention, I yed the original game quite fervently as well. While they might have added new mobs, I was extremely familiar with this one. I was sure of what it was. It was a ¡®Draugr.¡¯ ¡°Please, wait a second!¡± Tak. While I wasn¡¯t paying attention, my right arm was grasped. The arm containing the Demon, ording to the official setting. ¡°¡­!¡± I reflexively shook it off. Considering my character settings, he wasn¡¯t someone who liked sudden bodily contact to begin with. However, she had touched my right hand, yeah? That was where the Demon was, you know? No way. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Looking into the Inquisitor¡¯s pale face, I reacted harshly. While my expression contained contempt, the self-loathing in it was even stronger. I blended fear into the anger I showed toward the person before me. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me so carelessly.¡± Amazing. That was perfect. Shouldn¡¯t I just be an actor? Oh, right, my face didn¡¯t look that good. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± As she let go of the arm she was holding, I turned around, clenching my fists. ¡°Where are you going?¡± This time, it was the Archmage who held me back. However, that question was very easy to answer. ¡°To kill the Demon.¡± This night would be a very long one. Chapter 16: The Price of Ignorance (2) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 16 The Price of Ignorance (2) ¡°B-but it¡¯s nighttime right now¡­¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell that to the victims, huh?¡± With my back to them, I could see neither the dumpling¡¯s nor the Archmage¡¯s face. However, I could hear the sound of gulping behind me. ¡°¡­I''ll go as well." ¡°My oh my¡­ Shame on this old man." Hmm. Even if I had to do this alone, I still would have been fine. It seemed the characters in my party would keep following me. So we needed to go together anyway. ¡°Miss Hero? Sir Sage¡­?" ¡°Hoho, I''m grateful for the bishop''s consideration, however¡­ We aren''t ''irresponsible'' enough to justy down using fatigue as an excuse when there''s a Demon wreaking havoc in town." By the way, the sage¡¯s way of throwing shade wasn¡¯t ordinary. That would hurt their pride greatly, as he turned away all the priests who tried to make them stay here. ¡°That¡¯s¡­!¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t drag my feet any longer. Let us go.¡± ¡°¡­Yes!¡± At the Archmage¡¯s words, the Inquisitor also followed me with a bright expression, looking like a little kid who had been given candy. It really was ridiculous, but I let it slide because she was acting cute. ¡°Well then¡­ We¡¯ll first have to find that hidden Demon.¡± In the end, the three of us left the Temple and began searching the town. Since we had no real destination, it felt more like we were aimlessly walking around, but it wasn¡¯t a meaningless act if one thought of it as getting familiar with the map. ¡°Let¡¯s ask some witnesses for more detai¡ª¡± ¡°No need.¡± I cut off the Archmage and focused on the smell around me. As far as I could remember, one characteristic of a Drauger was its disgusting stench. Of course, when I was still ying the game on PC, such sentiments were only expressed through text bubbles reading something like ¡®It smells weird¡¯ or simr. Now that it was a VR game, I actually had to use my nose to detect it myself. ¡°Hoh, do you have a guess as to what kind of Demon it is?¡± His question was rather vague, so I just went ahead and ignored it. Should I share some information with them now that I was their partner? However, would the temper of my character allow that? Actually, wasn¡¯t it a bit weird that a sage hadn¡¯t even a clue as to what type of Demon it was? Well, I could tell just by looking at his expression that he seemed to know something, at least. Since the game couldn¡¯t just let yers run around without at least that much basic knowledge, it probably encouraged them to figure things out themselves. A game should always be yer-driven, after all. ¡°How could one call themselves an intelligent being if they don¡¯t even know that much.¡± I decided to answer him with some lines that fit my character setting. The dumpling next to me seemed dumbfounded, but I let it slide because her expression was cute. ¡°¡­Can I hear your guess?¡± Still, the Inquisitor was a priest who wasn¡¯t ashamed of her ignorance. While she hesitated a little, she still asked me in a confident voice, the will to acquire more knowledge burning brightly in her green eyes. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re a Hero when you¡¯re like that.¡± ¡°I know I¡¯m not really that dependable, but please refrain from such sphemous remarks.¡± Oh, did she mean to tell me that I should at least believe in God¡¯s decision if I couldn¡¯t believe in her? What an inflexible priest. ¡°So what kind of Demon is it?¡± Still, she was quite persistent. She turned her head nervously. ¡°¡­It¡¯s a Draugr.¡± ¡°A Draugr¡­ I see! Certainly, if it¡¯s a Draugr, that would exin everything.¡± She seemed to know what a Draugr was, at least. The Inquisitor¡¯s eyes immediately lit up. ¡°As expected, you are an expert in hunting Demons after all. You found out immediately after you heard the request¡¯s information¡­¡± No, well, judging by the Archmage¡¯s smile, it seemed like he knew as well. Even though I didn¡¯t do anything, would she have automatically be my Companion NPC? With that thought in mind, the corner of my mouth twitched a bit. It was quite difficult to hold back myughter and even harder to not make it obvious, either. I quickly contemted dark and serious thoughts to cope, and myughter immediately disappeared. ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll have to find ces that smell bad. Don¡¯t you think so too?¡± There just so happened to be quite a good topic at hand for that. ¡°We should probably examine the town¡¯s graveyard if there is one. I heard that Draugrs are born in them.¡± ¡°You are well-informed, Miss Inquisitor.¡± ¡°How could Ipare to Sir Archmage and Sir Demon Knight.¡± The Draugr Quest, which had also appeared in the original, led one to find corruption and Demon worshippers in the parish. Would it be the same in the remake? ¡°Ah, it smells strange!¡± It seemed the Priest¡¯s nose was a lot better than mine. Or rather, while my sense of smell was better, my ability to distinguish different scents was inferior. ¡°It really doesn¡¯t smell that good.¡± As I followed the Priest into an alley, the stench I had been smelling all that time before seemed to be a dozen times stronger. I had thought it wasing from the street, but it seemed I had been wrong. ¡°That¡¯s a Draugr¡¯s¡­!¡± Another thing I realized was that my night vision was far better than the Inquisitor¡¯s. I grabbed the Inquisitor by her armor and pulled her back. After forcing her behind me, her expression simr to a disgruntled cat¡¯s, I went ahead. ¡°Sir Demon Knight¡­?¡± I reached my hand to my waist, trying to block out the smell permeating the alley as much as possible. Click. Thentern at my waist lit up, brightening the alley that had been engulfed in darkness. ¡°¡­Oh my god.¡± ¡°We¡¯re toote¡­¡± Within it was a dried-up bodypletely devoid of moisture. While better than finding a crushed or half-devoured corpse, it was still a disgusting sight to those unfamiliar with these kinds of scenes. I walked up to the body, leaving the two behind. The stench filling the alley was thickest around the corpse. It was obviously the smell of a Draugr. The source of the smell, however, was absent. But even the traces it left behind were already so strong. I suspected my nose would suffer quite a bit if I encountered it. Tak. But that wasn¡¯t important. I was thinking about what action would best fit my character and came to a quick decision. As a former victim, he would move to prevent the creation of more victims after seeing someone who couldn¡¯t be saved. ¡°¡­I shall avenge you.¡± Self-me over not having been faster. Hostility toward all Demons. And the mixture of both these feelings turned into rage. ¡°So, rest in peace.¡± He would feel sadness as he projected his feelings toward his deceased family onto this victim and his desire to let them rest peacefully. You may call me the genius of interpretation, haha. ¡°¡­I shall pray for them.¡± The Inquisitor, who hade to my side, put her hands together. A prayer flowed from her lips, neither too long nor too short, a divine light apanying it. I was an atheist, but that did look pretty nice. ¡°I called the guards.¡± Just when I was wondering what the Archmage was doing, he returned after contacting the guards. That was also a good decision. To be honest, it had felt strange to leave a corpse unattended whenever events like that urred in games. In some games, a guard would get immediately summoned to the corpse¡¯s location. ¡°Judging by the strong smell, it hasn¡¯t been that long since he died. In that case, the Draugr should still be somewhere nearby. Let¡¯s find it quickly before there are any more victims.¡± ¡°Are you babbling about these basic things to show off how smart you are? It¡¯s more efficient to talk while we are tracking it down.¡± It was nice of them to let the yer know what woulde next, but my character setting didn¡¯t allow me to appreciate that. I reacted unnecessarily harshly and crossed over the corpse. I didn¡¯t mean to insult the deceased, but I couldn¡¯t do anything about it as the stench continued into the alley. ¡°Haha, yes.¡± However, the wise Wizard just pped his hands at my obvious sarcasm. Then, the stench we could only smell until now became visible, manifesting as strange fluorescent colors swirling in the air. ¡°It¡¯s {Tracking} magic. It doesn¡¯tst for long.¡± I hadn¡¯t even selected tracking skills yet, so I was wondering whether I would have to continue relying on my sense of smell to go after it. So that was how they implemented it. At that convenient spell, I made a rather puzzled face. In that case, wasn¡¯t it pretty much unnecessary for me to select tracking skills¡­? Rather, how would this pan out if one started as a Wizard? ¡°¡­¡± Anyway, it was a good thing, so I just decided to pursue it. * * * * * * I took the lead as we advanced into the alleyway. Then, I noticed a white light bursting forth behind me. ¡°I¡¯ll follow you after purifying the Demonic Energy.¡± As the Divine Power gently lit up the dark alley, I saw the fluorescent fog near the Inquisitor dying down. Was this where the path wouldter be twisted or something? I hoped there wouldn¡¯t be any misunderstandings or confusion happening. She was now in the rearmost position, so she couldn¡¯t follow us without any traces. Crunch. In that case, I should just run. With that in mind, I put strength to my feet. Rustle. My coat¡¯s cor, divided into three parts, spread out like a duck¡¯s tail. ¡°Ehem. Oh Wind, lighten our steps!¡± As I started running, the Archmage quickly chanted a spell. Considering the effect and the words spoken, it was probably something like {Haste}, a buff that raised movement speed. But why didn¡¯t he cast it on both of us? Was there some restriction? ¡°A dead end!¡± After running a little, the trail of the Draugr that led us into the alleyway stopped at a wall. Something like that was possible for Draugrs because, as immaterial Demons, they could walk through objects. ¡°¡­¡± What should I do now? Should we go back to the road we came from? But then we¡¯d lose its trail. That wouldn¡¯t be cool. Then, should I again take advantage of this being a VR game? ¡°Sir Demon Knight?!¡± Instead of slowing down, I just turned slightly to the side. Then, just in time, I saw that the densely ced buildings had several protrusions I could grab or step on. Thud! After running up a wall for a bit, I put my hands on a window frame and pulled myself up. I had wondered if something like that would work, but I could actually perform parkour in this game. It was a lot easier than I thought, given that my body was that of this game character. My performance was better than expected as well. Climbing up to the roof was but a matter of time, with my movements only limited by my imagination. The roof of tree bark crunched slightly beneath the soles of my shoes. ¡°You really are one unstoppable man¡­¡± In many games, party members were programmed to teleport next to the yer if the distance between them grew too wide, so I didn¡¯t have to worry about it. Now, where did the smell lead to? I ran over the building as I looked down onto the street. I could see the fluorescent fog appearing over roads before disappearing into buildings again and so on. Crack. Crunch. Crack. The dried-bark roof crunched under my feet as I lept up. I jumped between buildings, something I¡¯d initially thought impossible, as it was faster. But why was it so quiet behind me? Could it be that this game didn¡¯t have a party-member teleportation system? nce. I only confirmed it after I saw no one was behind me. I became a little anxious because some games would prevent me from advancing if I got too far away from my teammates, but no Warning Window or the like appeared. I mean, something like ¡®Please immediately regroup with your Companions¡¯ or simr. Did that mean individual actions were also supported? Or was it a bug? This couldn¡¯t even be called a novel idea or something, so I had to somehow deal with this now. Did they just want the yer to keep pace with his party members on his own¡­? No way in hell. As a born and raised Korean, I hated being slowed down! ¡°Found it.¡± The fluorescent light disappeared, maybe because the spell¡¯s duration had ended, but in its stead, I saw the source of this stench. It was in a vacant lot between buildings. Even though its red eyes shing through the deep, dark fog had changed from 2D to 3D, it still was the same Draugr. ¡¸Draugr ©¦ A specter that deceives people¡¯s eyes and devours them. Raising from their tomb, they move through rock like fish swimming in the sea in search of prey.¡¹ ¡¸? The Evil Lurking in the Town ? Pursue the Demon hiding in the Town ? Draugr eliminated: 0 / 1¡¹ Flutter! Seeing the updated Quest, I jumped into an area close to the lot with my back to the moon. In the process, the hem of my coat spread out, but it didn¡¯t feel too ufortable. I was holding onto my Zweih?nder, which had been making ttering sounds on my back. Wuooooooh¡ª! The Draugr made some humming noises as my Zweih?nder mmed into the ce it narrowly escaped from. As soon as I raised the de again, I firmly held it in both hands and swung but was disappointed to realize I had missed once more. However, I wouldn¡¯t have damaged it even if I¡¯d hit it properly, as its immaterial nature made physical attacks ineffective. ¡°¡­Glory to the Heavens.¡± Whatever, I did say that a true roleyer perfectly yed their character even if no one was around, right? ¡°I shall avenge the dead.¡± I violently pulled my sword from where I had stabbed it into the ground and charged at the Draugr again. A thick ck fog began to roll over the lot, apanied by that mind-numbing stench. Wooooooo. Actually, ording to my memory, attacking this thing in its immaterialized form was pretty much impossible, wasn¡¯t it? Too bad. The easiest way to time attacks in that state was by parrying¡ª Uuuuoh! ¡°Just when I was thinking of how to get rid of those heathens¡­ You¡¯re Gretchen, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡ªhowever, a variable appeared. ¡°The King is looking for you, Gretchen.¡± Someone wearing a robe rose from the Draugr¡¯s fog. They wore sparkling red jewelry on their somber, ck robe. Even if I hadn¡¯t yed the game, I would have known their true identity. ¡¸Demon Contractor ©¦ Those who have sold their soul by contracting a Demon. It is unknown whether they truly sold their souls to a Demon or to their own desires.¡¹ They were a Demon Contractor. ____ Chapter 17: The Price of Ignorance (3) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 17 The Price of Ignorance (3) I was tempted to blink rapidly, confronted with this unexpected development. I mean, I knew the Draugr case was somewhat connected to a Demon Contractor or worshipper in the original, and I didn¡¯t actually hate these types of events. Rather, I found them really interesting. Why Gretchen all of a sudden, though? I didn''t name anything Gretchen. ¡°If you''re being held hostage by those heathens, I''ll help you out. Let us both drown in the pleasures of ughter." The event itself wasn''t that surprising. Most games had simr events in their early stages, after all. But ''Gretchen'' was a bit too much. I had no idea why they had to choose the name Gretchen. It was not very cool. ¡°Gretchen?¡± Still, it wasn¡¯t me who decided on the name but the gamepany, so it would be better to put my personal opinion aside. Maybe there was some meaning behind it. Anyway, there were a few noteworthy points in what the Demon Contractor said. There was no way that an NPC mentioning the name of the Demon in my right arm would appear for no reason. In that case, this was most likely a character event exclusive to Demon Knights, right? Oh, if I epted their offer, would I be able to betray humanity and stand on the side of the Demons? ¡°Your mouth is fluttering so much that it¡¯ll soon rip apart.¡± I did wonder what would happen if I epted their offer. However, considering my character setting, that would be stretching things, wouldn¡¯t it? Anyway, it didn¡¯t really matter that I wouldn¡¯t be exploring that story branch right now, since I nned to y this game multiple times. The grip on my Zweih?nder tightened. ¡°¡­I made a mistake. My apologies. There¡¯s no way someone as great as Gretchen would get captured by some mere heathens.¡± My inner thoughts aside, the other party immediately calmed down upon seeing my blood vessels protruding and my eyes opening wide. My character was showing extreme anger toward that person, but they didn¡¯t seem to particrly notice. ¡°But¡­ Gretchen. That person isn¡¯t just a regr heathen, but an extremely dangerous existence called a Hero. Stop with your games and slit its throat. If you bring their head along, the king will be positively pleased.¡± Well, fine. I guess I¡¯d heard enough. If I were roleying as a more rational person, I would have tried to extract more information from them by pretending to be on their side, but that was practically impossible with my current character settings. I would have captured and tortured them if I could, but I couldn¡¯t act so shrewdly ording to my setting. ¡°I can help yo¡ª?¡± ¡°[Breaker].¡± So the only thing I could do as one might expect was beating the crap out of them first. Baam! ¡°Gretchen?!¡± Damn it. Words wouldn¡¯t help here. They didn¡¯t help back when the Inquisitor misunderstood and attacked me, either. However, she was a priest, the antithesis of all Demons. I had now been mistaken for a ¡®fellow Demon¡¯ by a ¡®Demon Contractor,¡¯ so why wouldn¡¯t I just talk it out? It was rather unlikely that my words would have gotten through to them even without this misunderstanding. It would be lucky if they didn¡¯t aim their sword at me as soon as they could, after all. ¡°Wh-what¡­?¡± So unlike that time with the Inquisitor, I sent that bastard flying and would continue to beat them even if they asked for forgiveness or something. They just had to stay still. ¡°Eeek!¡± Perhaps because I put too much force into it, the skill I was using failed to hit. However, the Draugr, who moved in front of the robed person to protect them, got hit properly this time. Wuooooooh. The fog split apart, revealing the specter which let out a grotesque sound simr to a cry. ¡°I-I was wrong. Please forgive me!¡± The robed person looked contemtively at the crying Draugr¡ªI noticed even through the hood covering their face¡ªbefore prostrating themself on the ground. Their reaction was a bit bizarre. ¡°Forgive?¡± Now that I thought of it, the Draugr never really attacked me, despite having had the opportunity to do so twice already. Was it because this was just an event? Considering what happened with the Inquisitor, that shouldn''t be the case. The game wasn''t so easy as to do something like that just because it was an event. ¡°Even death will not save you." It was quite the mystery, but I just glossed over it for now. I looked at the Draugr, who was the most threatening to me here. Frankly, I should probably get rid of the support first, the Demon Contractor, but it didn''t seem like I could get past that Draugr so easily. ¡°I-I didn''t mean to touch the Mabel Company! I would have never done something like that if I knew that you had your eyes on them, Gretchen!" What were they talking about? Why did they suddenly mention the Mabel Company? I furrowed my eyebrows as I used my skill to strike the Draugr. That sudden mention of the Mabel Company was interesting. Baam! ¡°P-please forgive me!" I lowered my head and tilted it. Why would they mention thatpany out of all the ones in the city? It was the name of the group I had received three Quests from. While I had already expected something like that, this was the guy behind it, huh? ¡°Draugr!" The Draugr crawled out once more and the Demon Contractor used it like a shield. The fog condensed to form limbs, swords, and shields. The Demon Contractor seemed to have reinforced the Draugr, its eyes shing even brighter than before as its body started to glow red. ¡°How insignificant¡­.!" However, that wasn''t enough to best me. I didn''t know its exact level, but there was no way I would be defeated here as long as I was of the rmended level for the Quest! Kaang! [Breaker]. The sword I had swung down diagonally was parried by one of the Draugr¡¯s shields. Thanks to that, rather than merely touching the ground, it actually scratched over it. I turned the hand holding the Ricasso of the de. My de deflected the Draugr¡¯s swords, no matter whether they stabbed or shed. Shit! I felt my feet pushing away as if I had stepped on one of its shields. ¡°¡­Huu." I slowly exhaled during the small rest I got there. I recalled the skill effect applied to my sword right now. It wasn''t that strange that it was wrapped in ck energy, as [Breaker] would activate if I shed down diagonally. What was strange was that it would still be wrapped in it when I cut upwards after the attack. That was when I got the idea to try something new. Wuuuuh. My body moved forward faithfully as I attacked. I swung my sword once more, changing my hands freely. Since it was mostly immaterial, I shed my de wrapped in ck energy at the target mark that was only floating before its head. Baam! KIAaAArg! The Draugr''s body, cut in twain, retreated backward before reforming again. That was the tricky thing about immaterial enemies. ¡°N-no. {Recovery}.¡± ¡°The pathetic writhing of a worm¡­!¡± I couldn¡¯t let them recover. I pulled back the hand holding my sword and reached toward my chest area. A dagger kept within my coat was caught between my fingers. Stab ¡°Uwarg!¡± Daggers were quite useful weapons if one knew how to aim well. After confirming it had stabbed into the robed person''s shoulder, very close to their chest, I grabbed my sword again. While my aim wasn¡¯t bad, it wasn¡¯t enough tond headshots or anything, so I was satisfied with that oue. Whuuooo! And then there was the Draugr who attacked me right away when I focused on the Demon Contractor. I raised the Zweih?nder, using it like a shield, and avoided the fog that rushed toward my ankles. Of course, as I only held its hilt, it would definitely get knocked aside, so I made sure to also grab the ded part with my gauntlet-d hand. Kaang! The Draugr¡¯s de was blocked by my own, enabling me to push it back. Even if it was an immaterial being, it would still materialize when attacking. Stab! The moment I managed to put some distance between myself and the Draugr, which I had pushed back, I wanted to test something I¡¯d thought of not too long ago. Seeing how the effect around my dested for a few seconds after I shed down, would it stillst even while I performed quick sessive movements? Would the skill effectst so long as it was wrapped in that energy? No, just how much would be considered a downward sh to begin with? Up to this point, I had only used [Breaker] by putting all of my strength in a single sh. However, I¡¯d done so because I thought of it as simply using a skill. However, when hitting the Draugr¡¯s shield caused my downward sh to fail beforepleting, the skill effectsted a long time after. Didn¡¯t that mean I didn¡¯t actually have to cut down in a single sh with all of my power behind it? Trying to confirm that theory, I lowered the amount of strength in my attack and shed down. It wasn¡¯t too difficult. With my right hand holding onto the sword¡¯s body instead of the handle, I couldn¡¯t hit the ground even if I exerted more strength than this. Baaam! As such, my de cut into the Draugr, and the skill¡¯s effect remained even after that. Kiiiek. This was despite me actually thrusting my de forward, taking back my hand, and grabbing the thing with my gauntlet to prevent it from disturbing this process. Stab! Kiaaaaaaarg!!! ¡¸? The Evil Lurking in the Town ? Draugr eliminated: 1 / 1 ? Demon Contractor captured: 0 / 1¡¹ * * * * * * After I prated the target mark in the Draugr¡¯s center, it scattered like melting snow. The fog covering this whole ce noticeably lessened. My experiment had been a great sess, as not only did the color effect of the skillst, but its damaging effects remained as well. ¡°What!¡± Just at that moment, the Demon Contractor raised their voice. Had they assisted the Draugr by shooting at me with attack magic, it wouldn¡¯t have been pushed back like that. I wonder why they didn¡¯t do that. ¡°Sigh.¡± They probably had some kind of n, or it was because this game didn¡¯t allow them to. I continued to think as I fixed my posture. Tak, tak, tak. I could hear footsteps from a distance, apanied by heavy breathing. ¡°¡­!¡± Did someonee here after hearing thismotion? I nced over at the Demon Contractor whose head was turned, clutching their bleeding chest. ¡°Sir Demon Knight!¡± ¡°¡­Damn, the heathens!¡± Ah, right, there were those two. ¡°¡­! A Demonic person who sold their body and soul to the Demons! I shall join you, Sir Demon Knight!¡± ¡°Oh my, you were already fighting.¡± The Inquisitor, whose eyes were focused on the Demon Contractor, raised her shield and mace, while the Archmage raised his cane. All of a sudden, the Demon Contractor was surrounded, with me in the back and those two in the front. ¡°Damn it, how dare you betray us, Gretchen?!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± In the end, the Demon Contractor just shouted in a resigned manner. Judging by her expression, I thought the Inquisitor would misunderstand again. ¡°Why¡ª!¡± ¡°How dare you speak of betrayal when you turned your back on the world?!¡± Fortunately, she didn¡¯t. She didn¡¯t point her weapon at me, nor did she be hostile toward me. ¡°Why?¡± Anyway, just standing around and listening to that person talk didn¡¯t fit my character setting at all, so I wrinkled my nose and swung my sword. Of course, I didn¡¯t think that they would die or anything from that. ¡°How dare you ask me for a reason, you worm!¡± Anyway, a new objective to capture that person had appeared, so there was no way the Quest¡¯s target would die. Instead, they would probably only let me capture them after first draining them of all their HP. Ah, of course, this game didn¡¯t have a single cutscene except at the beginning, so I had no idea what would happen after. Baam! However, my attack missed as a flying magic bullet hit my sword, sessfully redirecting my attack. For that reason, my de struck the ground right next to the Demon Contractor. The ground splintered as the Demon Contractor screamed. ¡°Why are you interfering¡­?!¡± I didn¡¯t know the reason for his interference, but for now, I should just get angry. Tsk, I heard all kinds of disgusting things from that damn Demon (Contractor) bastard and was even used of betrayal, so how couldn¡¯t I get angry and irritated. Even my attempt to vent my anger had been blocked. ¡°Calm down. We get more out of capturing that person than from killing them.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t just let that Demon bastard live!¡± ¡°There might be other Demon Contractors besides them in this town!¡± The Archmage struck the end of his cane against the ground, casting {Binding}. Both my arm and the Demon Contractor were tied by it. ¡°Draugrs aren¡¯t ordinary Demons. They are even harder to summon in a town like this alone. There is a high possibility that there are more of them.¡± It wasn¡¯t that hard for me to break through these {Binding} chains. However, the Archmage just wanted to buy a little bit of time to talk. ¡°So, please, calm down and be a bit patient. If you kill that person now, you may relieve your anger momentarily, but you won¡¯t be able to save the victims who might appear as a consequence. Don¡¯t get blinded by your anger.¡± ¡°¡­¡± No, I mean, I knew that. I was also trying to subdue that guy. I really didn¡¯t mean topletely kill them¡­ Was I not supposed to drain all of their HP to clear this capture Quest? ¡¸Capture ©¦ One can only attempt to capture a target after some of their stamina has been reduced. If the target dies in the process, you will fail to capture them.¡¹ ¡°¡­Damn it!¡± Kick! ¡°Urgh!¡± How about letting me know these things in advance, Mr. Game System? I kicked the Demon Contractor and sheathed my Zweih?nder. Fortunately, no one stopped me from kicking that guy, at least. ¡°¡­They mentioned the Mabel Company.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Ah, right. I had to tell them about this as well. I wasn¡¯t sure if they would react to my words or if it would affect the story, but I sure was curious. ¡°That¡­ That¡¯s very important information.¡± As I thought, this divine game was very different from anything I knew. Of course, I had no idea if my words really changed the plot somehow, but I at least got a response. ¡°I shall arrest you.¡± The Inquisitor, whose eyes had been trembling quite rapidly until now, bound the Demon Contractor once more with her Divine Magic. It was time to return to the Temple once more. Chapter 18: The Price of Ignorance (4) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 18 The Price of Ignorance (4) When we brought the Demon Contractor to the Temple, the priests took them into their innermost interrogation chamber. Me? I stayed outside. I really wanted to see how an interrogation would y out, but when I tried going deeper into the Temple, my HP started decreasing. My HP dropping wasn''t the only thing; I could also feel with all my senses that something was blocking me. It was as if the air itself was rejecting my very existence rather than like a ss wall preventing me from advancing. It felt ufortable to breathe. So I just gave up. I wondered why breathing became so difficult when I tried to enter, but I was ying this game to enjoy myself, you know? I had no intention of enduring that awkwardness. Besides, it wasn''t a forced event like that carriage ride, and I didn''t have any interrogation skills anyway. ¡°¡­¡± However, if I knew I would end up alone with the kimchi dumpling, I would have tried entering, no matter what. The rate at which I was losing HP in there was somewhat slow, so I would have been able to endure it for several hours. I was sharpening my Longsword, ignoring the Inquisitor who kept ncing at me. I badly needed to fix it as it had taken a lot more damage than my Zweih?nder. Scrape, scrape, scrape. I was sharpening its de with a whetstone I¡¯d bought from a general store. Even though I had no rted skills, my hands seemed to move on their own as if some sort of correction was applied. tter. As I did that, the Inquisitor, who seemed about to doze off, took out her shield and mace. She could just nap, so why had she decided to maintain her weapons? It seemed like she was copying me, a realization at which my hands clenched together automatically. I once read a theory that aggression increased in response to seeing something incredibly cute. I wondered if that was true. ¡°I kept you waiting." Fortunately, the Archmage returned before that cute aggression could reach its climax. Should I call it hair or a mane? The face visible through the long strands of hair growing from his head conveyed some subtle emotions. ¡°Sir Archmage!" ¡°Oh¡­ You''re maintaining your weapons. That might save your life one day. You did well. But¡­" He spoke while stealthily checking our surroundings. I felt like I knew the reason for his gaze, so I just continued to sharpen my de with my head down. Yeah. It''s kinda weird doing weapon maintenance in a Temple. I knew that as well. However, my character thought that God wouldn''t be angry as he prepared his weapons to kill more Demons for him. ¡°¡­Let''s move first. I have something to share with you." The Archmage came out after the interrogation had finished. I had alsopleted my weapon maintenance, so I left with them withoutint. Of course, the atmosphere around me wasn''t rxed at all. My character would never, ever lower his guard. ¡°First, the interrogation has yet to bear results." ¡°Is that so¡­" Then why had hee out already? Of course, he was in there for quite a long time by game standards. ¡°As expected of someone who sold their soul to the Demons. Their snake tongues are slippery." While I was trying to think of which line to use, the Inquisitor frowned and growled furiously. Usually, that kimchi dumpling was very innocent and clumsy, but when it came to Demons, she became a fierce hound. ¡°No. Results.¡± However, when it came to Demons, I was the fiercest by far! Haha! ¡°Did you really just say that?¡± I pressed my voice as hard as possible to create a bleak atmosphere. I didn¡¯t forget to emphasize each word, making it sound like I was saying each separately. That would make me seem very angry, wouldn¡¯t it? ¡°Calm down. I did say that there aren¡¯t any results, but did you miss me saying yet? They just haven¡¯t found out anything yet because they need more time. They will get something out of them soon.¡± So when would that be? Just how many hours would I have to wait to get my Quest reward? Did I have to log out to get my answer? I couldn¡¯t do that. My Full Dive was almost over, after all. ¡¸? Evil Lurking in the Town ? Talk to the Bishop¡¹ As I pretended to stare at the Archmage, I looked through my Quest Window. Still no update. ¡°You better bring me results before my patience runs out.¡± There was nothing I could do about it. As long as I was blocked from progressing the Quest, I had no choice but to do something else. Ah, was it because I knew the oue of the Draugr incident in the original game? I felt a little nervous leaving the interrogation to those guys. Wasn¡¯t there some kind of function to leave some party members behind? ¡°As I thought, I should step in¡­¡± ¡°No, Inquisitor. I do not doubt your abilities, but if the Hero decides to step in, they are even more likely to keep their mouth shut.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. Being directly tortured by the Hero is a form of honor to them¡­ It¡¯s like a trophy.¡± Whatever. I had no other choice after all. Rather than wasting any more time, I should look for some Quests. I left the Temple, leaving those two noisy guys behind. It was still too early to say it was dawn. The streets were dark and damp. ¡°Oh, where are you going, Demon Knight?¡± I tried to sneak away to do some individual activities but was discovered yet again. I saw the two NPCs rushing after me a beatter, to which I tried to quicken my steps. It didn¡¯t really do anything. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± The Archmage quietly asked as he followed after me. I felt like they would continue to look at me that way¡ªtheir eyes glittering with curiosity, which was burdensome for me¡ªuntil they found out what I was nning on doing. That was the disadvantage of too realistic NPCs. If it was any normal game, they would just follow me around and nothing more. ¡°¡­Bloody hell, don¡¯t you need information first to hunt Demons?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± For some reason, those two seemed deeply impressed by my words. ¡°What meaningful words. I have learned something yet again.¡± ¡­What did he mean by that? ¡°As expected, you¡­!¡± I was just looking for another Quest as a yer since my current one was blocked. I hated wasting time, so I wanted to look for a Sidequest or at least level up a bit. However, it seemed my diligence as a yer touched those two somehow. Two sets of sparkling eyes were stuck to the back of my head once more, for different reasons this time. How burdensome. ¡°But it¡¯s still night right now. Won¡¯t it be difficult to ask for information like this?¡± I really wanted to ask her what that had to do with getting information, but I didn¡¯t. In most RPGs, nighttime would only make things dark and strengthen monsters. However, in this game, they even closed shops and the like. That meant NPCs went home to sleep. In other words, it was pretty difficult to gather information on Demons by asking around. Another downside of this excessive realism. However, I still had one more card up my sleeve. * * * * * * ¡¸Somon: Adventurers¡¯ Guild¡¹ ¡°Wee to the Somon Adventurers¡¯ Guild¡­¡± The Adventurers¡¯ Guild was open 24/7. ¡°Ah¡­ Right. The Adventurers¡¯ Guild gathers various kinds of requests¡­ Some may be rted to Demons. My thoughts were too shallow.¡± Halfway through the Archmage¡¯s words, I wondered if there was some kind of favorability correction due to the plot or something. It would otherwise be bizarre that they admired me for even these simple things. ¡°What brings you here?¡± Meanwhile, a tired-looking NPC sitting behind one of the service windows asked after our business. I wasn¡¯t exactly sure, but he seemed to be a clerk. ¡°Requests. Rted to Demons.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ So you were an adventurer. Please let me check your Adventurer¡¯s Card first, then.¡± The NPC, whose dark circles were as deep as mine, fixed his sses and took my Adventurer¡¯s Card. He turned the iron card between his fingers for a bit. ¡°I have verified its authenticity, Sir Adventurer.¡± He groaned pathetically in quite anguid voice. ¡°We don¡¯t have that many requests rted to Demons¡­ Hmm, are requests suspected to be rted to Demons okay?¡± However, one¡¯s attitude wasn¡¯t necessarily proportional to one¡¯s ability. I attentively listened as the NPC read the requests off of a list. It would have been nice if he had shown us the actual forms. It was a bit inconvenient to judge the request just by listening to the details like this. ¡°Exclude those that would require more than a day''s travel from the town." After hearing the third exnation, I decided to put some limitations on the requests. ¡°Also exclude those that require a week¡¯s stay or more." ¡°Understood." The NPC was now looking through the requests with a much brighter expression, as though the conditions I¡¯d given were convenient for him. ¡°And you don''t have to exin them to me. Just give me the request forms." ¡°Huh¡­? You can read?" ¡­It seemed that this world''s literacy wasn''t that high. The setting wasn''t particrly weird or anything, but its impact on the yer was rather ufortable. It made the back of my head tingle somewhat. If you thought about it, I was also illiterate, but I could read everything because the game system tranted it for me¡­ As I thought, this really made me feel ufortable. ¡°This¡­ This is interesting. I thought you rmended I register as an adventurer to make our journey easier, Sage. To think the guild also provided information." ¡°Haha, quite frankly, I did rmend you register with the former intentions. So the Adventurers'' Guild can be used like that as well¡­ This old man really can''t keep up with an active adventurer. I realize once again that true learning lies outside of the Tower." While I was going through the requests, the Inquisitor and Archmage started whispering with each other behind me. They seemed slightly astonished at my use of the Adventurers'' Guild, probably because they weren''t seasoned adventurers. Actually, I wasn''t sure about what they were talking about. Rustle. Anyway, without further ado, I focused on the NPC as he rummaged through the requests. Despite having already gone through dozens of requests, he didn''t hand out any of them. ¡°I¡­" As the NPC noticed me frowning, his eyes seemed to spin. ¡°There''s only one request that fits all of your conditions. But¡­ We have already transferred it to the Temple¡­" What? Only one? And the Temple was involved as well? ¡°I¡¯ll show it to you right away. It came from the Lord. He dered that whoever settles it first will receive the reward¡­¡± I received the request without rxing my brows. A series of mysterious deaths in town in recent days. Victims with various causes of death. Themon nominator was that a certain stench could be smelled at the crime scenes¡­ After confirming the familiarity of the contents, my eyebrows rxed a little. ¡°This has already been resolved.¡± Hold on a sec. This request paid 500,000 Gals? Would the Temple pay out that amount¡­? I felt like they would take it themselves without giving us even a crumb¡­ ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Perhaps curious about what kind of conversation I was having with the clerk, the Archmage and Inquisitor stepped closer to me again. Of course, I returned the request to him without paying them any attention. I didn''t even think of exining my connection with the Temple to him. Because it just wouldn''t be cool. ¡°Is there really nothing else?" ¡°Yes. If Demons appeared, it would be the Town Guards who woulde forward to subjugate them. There also aren¡¯t many Demons here because we''re close to the border." Hmm. So there was that kind of setting. Did that mean there were no hunting grounds around here at all? Was that why there were no other Sidequests rted to Demons here? What the hell? This game was very strange indeed. There were ces without any hunting grounds nearby in this game whose main goal was to hunt Demons. How did that make sense? I tried to quickly work it out in my head, but honestly, I felt quite lost. RPGs were supposed to be all about clearing Quests and hunting, so what would happen now that both things were missing? ¡°Then how about things like people suddenly disappearing, or going berserk for no reason¡­? Things that are a bit different from the norm. It doesn''t have to be rted to a request. Have you heard about anything like that?" As I was agonizing over this situation, the Archmage quietly intervened. At first, the NPC was quite flustered before looking at me, the Archmage, and the Inquisitor. ¡°I don''t think there were any specific requests like that¡­ Rather, are you three in a party¡­?" ¡°We are with him." ¡°I see¡­ Then you two are also adventurers, right¡­?" ¡°Correct." The Archmage and Inquisitor also handed him their cards. After stammering a little, the NPC soon opened his eyes wide. ¡°Y-you are the Sage of the Magic Tower and an Inquisitor?!" ¡°It''s nothing to be so surprised about. So, have you heard any rumors?" ¡°Uuhm¡­" After grabbing his head a little, the NPC suddenly jumped up before eximing. ¡°Well, it''s nothing big, but I''ve heard some adventurers say the number of pickpockets has dropped drastically these days." ¡°Pickpockets?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Not only that, I also heard that the number of beggars wandering the streets has also decreased.¡± The NPC paddled back, however, saying it wasn¡¯t anything confirmed. He meant that he never really paid attention to these people, so he didn¡¯t know if it was true. ¡°Other than that, I didn¡¯t hear anything else¡­¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s already plenty.¡± However, the Archmage stopped him there. That was definitely a g. ¡°There must be more of these Demon pawns around.¡± It seemed like this would turn into a proper Quest eventually, considering the game¡¯s track record. I was sure there was something behind it. It seemed pretty suspicious, not only from a gamer¡¯s standpoint but my character¡¯s as well. That was why I drew that grim assumption. The Inquisitor seemed to havee to a simr conclusion, barely able to contain that zing heat within her. ¡°Are you saying there is another Demon servant who forgot the grace of God in this town?¡± While the kimchi dumpling and I were deeply distracted, the Archmage touched his forehead as if troubled about something. However, he didn¡¯t disagree with our conclusion, which meant he didn''t deny the possibility of it being the truth. ¡°¡­There¡¯s a Demon in our town?¡± And caught in the middle of all that was the clerk who hade to his own realization. He stammered with his eyes wide open. ¡°We aren¡¯t sure. However, it¡¯s worth looking into. By the way, could you inform the Temple if you get any more information about this situation?¡± Then the Archmage added something as if he had forgotten to say it earlier. ¡°Just in case, I shall send an official letter to the Temple. Please inform your superior as well.¡± ¡°I would appreciate it if you would.¡± The clerk¡¯s face, after suddenly being given more work, became stiff. However, it had nothing to do with me, so I just turned away. I had a lot more work to do than him. ¡°In that case¡­ We¡¯ll¡­ have to meet the pickpockets and beggars to get their testimony on the matter.¡± For example, the thing the kimchi dumpling just mentioned. I had to investigate and talk to many people. ¡¸? Ominous Sign ? Talk to pickpockets: 0 / ?? ? Talk to beggars: 0 / ??¡¹ That was when an opaque Window appeared before my eyes. It was a new Quest, separate from the other. My hunch was correct. ¡°¡­She¡¯s right. Meeting with those people and listening to what they say should be our top priority. They would know best about this situation.¡± ¡°But¡­ how do we find them? Should we just walk around the streets?¡± When the Inquisitor asked me rather hesitantly, I closed the Quest Window and silently denied her opinion. If it were the same as the original, that wouldn¡¯t work. ¡°We could find some like that, but aren¡¯t there more pheasants in the mountains and fish in the sea than in the meadows?¡± In the end, pickpockets and beggars were poor people, and there was a designated area where they could be found in Legend of Heroes. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the slums.¡± A shantytown where poor but ill-intentioned people lived. The so-called ¡®Slums¡¯. Chapter 19: The Price of Ignorance (5) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 19 The Price of Ignorance (5) Sometimes, when ying games, one woulde across maps where NPCs and monsters coexisted. In the original Legend of Heroes, the ¡®Slums¡¯ were one such ce where pickpocket NPCs coexisted with humanoid mobs called Pickpockets. There were too few mobs there to call it a hunting ground but too many to call it a safe zone. You might ask me why I was bringing that up. ¡°Uargh!¡± ¡°Your courage ismendable.¡± Unlike in the original, no words floated above the characters¡¯ heads, so it wasn¡¯t easy to tell whether they were mobs or NPCs. Daaamn it. I approached him thinking that he was an NPC and almost got pickpocketed. ¡°There are some things God absolutely forbids. One of them is theft.¡± On another note, the Inquisitor was in a bitter mood while we were walking through the slums¡­ I could see why. It seemed our sheltered kimchi dumpling felt rather ufortable meeting people who vited the word of God. ¡°Shit, why am I so unlucky¡­?¡± The person who¡¯d just tried slipping his hand into my waist pocket and been kicked by me in the process curled up and hurled some abusivenguage our way. As a result, the Inquisitor¡¯s expression turned cold, and she took out her mace. ¡°Those who steal should have their hands¡ª¡± ¡°Let¡¯s keep it at that, Inquisitor.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t bad to follow doctrines and rules, but one doesn¡¯t have to do that at every moment of their life.¡± ¡°But that person is a sinner.¡± ¡°It¡¯s sometimes necessary to show mercy, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°¡­show mercy?¡± ¡°Yes, mercy.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Even after listening to the Archmage¡¯s words, the Inquisitor didn¡¯t quite seem to understand what he meant. One could clearly see her straightforwardness through her ignorance. Well, not that it mattered. It wasn¡¯t anything I really cared about. ¡°We heard the number of pickpockets has decreased a lot these days. Is that true?¡± I felt he would be ssified as a mob, given that he tried to pickpocket me, but I asked him just in case. Unlike in the original, where these people were ssified as monsters, they might have been promoted to just hostile NPCs. Or this might also be part of the plot: If you managed to catch one, you could interrogate them, and if you let them slip, you had to chase them. That could be possible. If that weren¡¯t the case, I would just deal with it when the time came. ¡°Wh-what are you talking about?¡± Why was he being so uncooperative? ¡°I won¡¯t ask you twice.¡± Considering what the Inquisitor just wanted to do, it seemed those whomitted theft would have their hands cut off. Well, it would be an effective way to get information. I took out my Longsword without any hesitation. The Archmage, who had just managed to calm down the Inquisitor, balked, but I didn¡¯t care. ¡°Answer or lose your hand.¡± I gently stepped on the pickpocket¡¯s chest with my foot and moved the tip of my sword toward his wrist. The beautiful sunlight highlighted the hasty movements of his Adam''s apple. ¡°Eek! I-I don¡¯t know! It¡¯s true that our territory has be wider, but¡­!¡± ¡°In detail. Why has it be wider?¡± ¡°S-some pickpockets that used to be here just vacated the area. Th-that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Their whereabouts?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. It isn¡¯t even that strange for one or two people to suddenly go into hiding around these parts, to begin with!¡± ¡¸? Ominous Sign ? Talk to pickpockets: 1 / ?? ? Talk to beggars: 0 / ??¡¹ He didn''t know anything. As soon as I reached that conclusion, the count in my Quest Window went up. Since there was no limit to the number of people I had to talk to, it meant I should speak with as many as I could until I got the information I needed. In addition, I found out I could get information from these mobs, who may or may not be just hostile NPCs. ¡°Is there anyone who knows more about this than you?¡± Ah, but I still had to ask him one more question. ¡°K-King Hound might know. All pickpockets of this district have to give him part of their money.¡± ¡°Location.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Location.¡± Kuuuh. I could even ask him things like that? Aside from him not giving me the answer I wanted, interrogating others was quite fun. I was currently experiencing this exhrating pleasure from being able to interrogate that guy in a cold voice, roleying as my character. In other games, one could only ask questions through given options, but it was possible here to ask whatever I wanted however I wanted, so I was having a lot of fun. Of course, I wasn¡¯t confident that my questions were as precise as when I had keywords. ¡°If I tell you, I¡¯ll die!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll cut off your hand then.¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± The pickpocket NPC was wriggling about as if trying to resist, but my foot, still pressing down on his chest, was much stronger than him. And, drunk on the pleasure of freely interrogating this NPC while fully immersed in my character, my guilt was almostpletely drowned out, enabling me to turn my de toward his wrist without blinking an eye. Unlike a tongue, cutting off a hand wasn¡¯t as disgusting¡ªit wasmon during monster hunts¡ªso I had even fewer qualms with it. ¡°Aah, shit, shitshit¡­¡± I wasn¡¯t sure I could cut it off with a single stroke. However, if I scratched the sword over the floor, its durability would decrease. It would be better if I stabbed it first. I raised the arm with the sword above my head, aiming to stab into the middle of his wrist and then cut it off. ¡°I¡¯ll, I¡¯ll tell you!¡± And just when I was about to strike down with my sword, the NPC, with eyes shut tight, eventually gave up and raised his voice. Stab! I stabbed into the ground right next to his wrist. ¡°Guide me.¡± ¡°Shit, I just wanted to earn some money this morning¡­¡± It seemed he had chosen me as his first target of the day. Katchak. In any case, I would fulfill my promise. I sheathed my Longsword and raised my foot. Of course, I didn¡¯tpletely rx my body so I could punish him if he dared to run away. ¡°He¡¯s a thief.¡± The Inquisitor, who had been watching the whole thing, spoke up, unable to stand it anymore. ¡°Don¡¯t care.¡± Of course, it didn¡¯t matter much to me. It was sickening that he¡¯d tried to steal my things, but I (my character) found it much more important to get some clues on the Demon that may or may not exist. ¡°And you, if you don¡¯t want to test how quickly my sword can stab through you, don¡¯t even dare to think about doing something stupid.¡± However, that didn¡¯t mean I felt any less repulsed by him. As such, I warned the pickpocket. ¡°I¡­ I got it.¡± I just slightly poked at him, but did he actually think about bouncing? I narrowed my eyes as I looked at him as he managed to get back on his feet, to which the pickpocket flinched. Seeing how it was, I felt he wouldpletely ignore my warning and try to run away as soon as we went into some alley. Well, there was nothing I could do about that. Ah, right, {Tracking} magic. But I didn¡¯t want to ask the Archmage first. I still had to act a bit like an outsider to them, like they were strangers who just happened to be walking in the same direction as me on the street. ¡°Sir Archmage. How about casting that spell again?¡± ¡°¡­You mean {Tracking} magic?¡± ¡°Yes. He might run away, after all.¡± After catching that Demon Contractor, I was thinking about taking some tracking skills with the skill point I had yet to use. Just when I thought of that, the Inquisitor already asked in my stead. Of course, she couldn¡¯t read my mind. It seemed she just didn¡¯t like that pickpocket. Either that or it was just an arrangement to advance the plot. ¡°What?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s the right thing to do.¡± After the words ¡®{Tracking} magic¡¯ fell, the pickpocket NPC jumped up, and the Archmage let out a gentle breath. ¡°I shall cast {Tracking} on you. Even if you try to run away, we will be able to catch you again.¡± However, he didn¡¯t refuse to do it. He shook his cane once, after which the pickpocket was branded. He panicked and tried to wipe it away, but something done by magic couldn¡¯t be removed by physical means. ¡°Lead the way.¡± ¡°Right¡­ away.¡± * * * * * * ¡°Why did you crawl back here aga¡ª?¡± After being magically shackled, so to speak, the pickpocket guided us to King Hound with a resigned expression on his face. ¡°Wh-who are you?!¡± The bulky NPC, who lookedpletely unlike a thief, freaked out and leaped to his feet. He totally looked like the manager type. Both his physique and the food around him made him seem that way. ¡°What the hell did you¡ª¡± ¡°What will happen depends on what answers you can give me.¡± ¡°Krrg.¡± Well, it was none of my business how much he pocketed, so I didn¡¯t pay it any mind. However, I still kicked his bulging stomach as he grabbed the knife he had ced on the table. ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem like a good way to greet someone.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re dissatisfied with my way of doing things, then just go back and do it your way.¡± The Archmage seemed to be starting to doubt the personality of his Companion. However, I had been acting like this from the start. Haha. This character was so fun. ¡°Keep it short.¡± After kicking the knife out of the man¡¯s hand, I took out my own from inside my coat. Thanks to my experience flipping butterfly knivesbined with the game¡¯s correction, I could smoothly spin even a normal knife around my fingers. ¡°Wh-what do you want to know?¡± Howe the boss had less guts than his own subordinate? Still, it was easier to interrogate the guy if he was already that scared. I then asked him about the things I wanted to know in a calm tone of voice. The result was rather terrible, but there was something to gain from it. ¡°Wh-what is your purpose in asking me this? Wouldn¡¯t that Inquisitor know more about that? They were taken to the Temple for the sake of edification.¡± ¡°¡­What did you just say?¡± The content of his words had some terrible implications, but at least we now knew where to go next. ¡°Swear to God! Are you sure that they were taken to the Temple?¡± The Inquisitor, who had suddenly intervened, seemed positively furious. I felt a little ufortable as her tone and actions ovepped with my character¡¯s, but it was fine as she only acted that way toward criminals. ¡°Y-yeah¡­ I swear. Nothing I said just now was a lie.¡± ¡°For how long?¡± ¡°I-I believe it started about a month ago¡­ But my guess is¡­ That it has been going on for much longer than this.¡± ¡°¡­Preposterous!¡± The Inquisitor spat out some profanities. ¡°The edification of criminals is only possible during the period permitted by the Great Temple! How could they arbitrarily edify others when it hasn¡¯t been permitted yet?!¡± ¡­So she got angry for such an annoying reason. I thought there was something else that was highly suspicious or something. ¡°¡­Is it that important?¡± ¡°Then what is more important than this?!¡± Leaving the white lion¡ªthe Wizard¡ªand the Inquisitor alone, I looked down at King Hound. ¡°So, they¡¯ve dragged people with them for a month now?!¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± ¡°Did they take a lot of people at once?¡± ¡°No¡­ ording to the kids, they would only quietly drag along one or two.¡± King Hound nced at me as he said that. ¡°Right, secretly and quietly, like ve traffickers would. Oh, I¡¯m not saying this is what they were actually doing. How could the Temple do such things? It¡¯s just a metaphor¡­¡± Wow. Even if I didn¡¯t know the original plot, I would have known what was happening in an instant. I felt myself sobering up, seeing how this development was more than obvious. Oh well, it didn¡¯t matter. The game system was already fun enough. ¡°What did you¡ª¡± ¡°Does it happen regrly?¡± Before the Inquisitor could shout angrily, a stern voice sounded out first. It was the Archmage, wearing an incredibly serious expression. ¡°Yes, yes. They do it two or three times a week. Inquisitors patrol the area at a set time, so I just told the people that they shouldn¡¯t go out during then.¡± A two-meter bipedal white lion was already frightening enough even when he wasn¡¯t wearing that kind of face. The NPC trembled and gave a positive answer. The Archmage¡¯s expression immediately changed to a furious one. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Sacrifices for Demons¡­?¡± It seemed he could picture the worst-case scenario with just that testimony alone. Well, I had simr thoughts. ¡°What do you mean? What sacrifices?!¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s just a hypothesis. However¡­¡± ¡°The Temple would never do that!¡± Tak. Anyway, I put the dagger I was holding back into its sheath in my coat. ¡°There¡¯s no word as useless as ¡®never.¡¯¡± ¡°¡­!¡± By the way, that wasn¡¯t necessarily something I just said in my roley, but something I had experienced multiple times in my life. There was nothing more unreliable than iming something would never happen. Still, I had to keep up my character, so I just mumbled some words, while touching my right arm. The gasp I heard from behind me was very satisfying to hear indeed. ¡°Does anyone know where they were taken?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t¡­¡± When asking this question, using a tone so cold one might think my voice possessed by cial winds, I immediately got an answer. I wondered what he actually knew, this guy. Well, all Quests were kind of like this, anyway. ¡°I-I know!¡± Then I heard someone shouting from behind me. It was the pickpocket who had guided us all the way here. I thought he ran away right away after bringing us here, but weirdly enough, he had waited. Was this also because of the plot? ¡°It¡¯s not that I know exactly where they were taken, but I know some people who do¡­ They saw the Demone out. That¡¯s the most important thing, right?¡± He stuttered for a moment when my gaze fell on him, but he spoke firmly. My first impression of him was the worst, but I really liked this guy. Creak, creak. I turned my back to King Hound and walked toward him. Every time I stepped on the old wooden floorboards they gave off a weird sound, but that helped create this subtle atmosphere. The one who had just shouted courageously now stepped back as he swallowed his saliva. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Did I make the mood too serious? But well, that was what it meant to roley. ¡°Guide me.¡± ¡°¡­Follow me.¡± I followed after him. I was weed by those twisted alleyways once more. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Inquisitor.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Of course, the Archmage and the Inquisitor also followed after me. * * * ¡°The ce I¡¯m taking you to now is the roughest back alley in the slums.¡± After we passed a few back alleys, the pickpocket turned to speak to me. I almost flinched, because it was such an unexpected action. ¡°What I mean to say is¡­ You shouldn¡¯t take out that knife when we go in there. The people living there are quite sensitive. Especially that Inquisitor over there! They really hate people from the Temple.¡± I was thankful for the advice, but thatst part probably didn¡¯t reach the right person because he was talking to me. However, the Archmage seemed to have heard him, so it should be fine. ¡°They are thieves too, tho¡ª¡± ¡°Inquisitor.¡± He looked at me. ¡°Please don¡¯t put me in danger by doing something unnecessary! Alright? I-I¡¯m just trying to help because I feel like it¡¯s something important!¡± Now that I looked at him a bit more, that pickpocket seemed to be a little tsundere. It reminded me of my cute little cousin, who was also a little bratty. ¡°Even if things go south, I¡¯ll make sure you live, so stopining and guide me.¡± ¡°Hmm, you look pretty confident in your strength, but you would have to be at least a knight to survive in that ce, you know?¡± I see. Coincidentally, he was in the presence of a former knight. I furrowed my brows as I looked at the pickpocket, still harping on about how I should keep it in. To be honest, I wanted to keep chatting, but the character I was ying didn¡¯t like noisy people, ording to his setting. As such, I had to express my feelings like that. Rustle ¡°From this point on, you have to be careful. No matter what you do, don¡¯t take out that knife¡­¡± However, as soon as I reached the path he led us to, I reflexively put my hand on the handle of my dagger. ¡¸A hostile existence has entered a radius of 20 m.¡¹ ¡°Shit, what are you doing?! Don¡¯t pull out that knife!¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to pull it out, you should tell those guys to put down their des first.¡± I was so d I¡¯d leveled up [Detection]. Not only had the radius increased, but it even marked the targets and informed me of their location. This was only visible to me. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Come out.¡± I cast my eyes on each of them, counting the marks only I could see, and carefully listened to their sounds of breathing. ¡°¡­Are there any people?¡± It seemed neither the Archmage nor the Inquisitor could hear those breathing sounds. That semi-tank Inquisitor aside, weren¡¯t Archmages said to be good at perceiving things? Even without his ss, he was also of the Shaggi race. Weren¡¯t their ears supposed to be better than those of the other races? ¡°Do you want me toe to you?¡± Why weren¡¯t theying out even though I already told them that I knew where they were? ¡°¡­Sigh.¡± As soon as I put one of my hands into my coat, wondering if I should throw a dagger at them, someone stood up on the roof of one of those shacks. It was the hostile being closest to me. His cat-like ears popped out of his dark green robe¡¯s hood. Given he had animal ears but the body of a human, he probably was a ¡®Curety,¡¯ right? If he were of the Shaggi race, the rest of his body would also look animalistic. ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve heard of a guy like you.¡± However, he somehow seemed kind of familiar to me, or was I just seeing things? ¡°Two-toned hair. A gauntlet on your right arm. An eyepatch over your right eye.¡± Probably not. His being a Curety aside, dark green hair and messy stubble on the chin weren¡¯t exactlymon features among thieves. Not to mention that loud voice of his. ¡°You¡¯re the Demon Knight, right?¡± That guy looked exactly like the representative character of the Thief ss. Chapter 20: The Price of Ignorance (6) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 20 The Price of Ignorance (6) ¡°Want me to praise your observant eyes?¡± ¡°Sounds about right.¡± The Thief deftly deflected my sarcasm as he twirled his Kukri around. It was half the size of a normal dagger but still had quite some power behind it. ¡°Well then, Sir Knight. What brings you to these back alleys? Seeing how you came with one of God¡¯spdogs in tow, did you decide to help them drag us away?¡± ¡°That crazy¡ª!¡± Looking at him, he seemed to have quite the temper as well. Considering he belonged to the back alleys, it wasn¡¯t that surprising. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think it¡¯s like that. They said they were investigating the case of our guys getting dragged to the Temple.¡± ¡°While going around with an Inquisitor?" ¡± ¡°They said that this might be rted to Demons." At the intervening pickpocket''s words, the air seemed to shake. ¡°¡­Demons?" The Thief looked at me as he pondered those words. Thanks to his hood, I couldn''t see the upper part of his face, but I could see him tilting his head. ¡°Do you know where they took those they dragged away?" ¡°¡­Wait, are you saying that the Temple and the Demons are somehow rted?" I didn''t know for sure. However, the likelihood the two were connected was about 99%, but I couldn¡¯t be sure without looking into it. We should call it the Schr?dinger''s Temple. With such useless thoughts coursing through my brain, Ipletely ignored the Thief''s question. ¡°I asked if you know where they are." ¡°Hey, Mister. It''s presumed that those bastards dragged more than 22 of my guys into the Temple! And here you are, asking me where they are, with a damn Inquisitor in your party. If you want me to answer, shouldn''t you give me some information first?" What the Thief said was quite reasonable. Was he supposed to be such a logically thinking character? I didn''t entirely remember, because it had been a long time since Ist yed as a Thief. His personal Quest and battle mechanics were really boring, after all. ¡°If I knew the hidden truth, do you think I would havee here?" ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°And I¡¯m not in a party with those two behind me.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re not? Then why are you going around together?¡± When I drew a strict line between us, I could almost hear the kimchi dumpling¡¯s eyes popping out of her head. The Archmage also sighed, which seemed to have be a habit. ¡°¡­We¡¯re not a party, just temporarypanions. And also¡­ we don¡¯t know yet whether this has anything to do with the Demons. I¡¯m here to find out about that.¡± ¡°Then who¡¯s that Inquisitor?¡± ¡°She has been sent here by the Great Temple because of a different matter.¡± Fortunately, the Archmage wasn¡¯t one to be at a loss just because of a minor setback. ¡°¡­Please. I know you¡¯ve lost faith in the Temple because of this incident, but we really have nothing to do with it. We also felt that something was suspicious about this matter and came here, so please, won¡¯t you suppress your anger and cooperate with us to prevent any more people from getting harmed?¡± He was also quite a logical person. The Thief finally shut his mouth. For about 30 seconds, an awkward silence swallowed all sound. ¡°Hey.¡± Appearing to have finally made a decision, the Thief waved his hand. Someone crept out of the many alleys. ¡°Go and report to the others.¡± ¡°¡­Will you go alone?¡± ¡°I¡¯m confident I can take them on alone if something happens.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Another Thief NPC quickly epted his order and returned to the alleyway. At that moment, I could feel the other presences also slowly retreating, so I felt less worried that this might turn into a fight. ¡°¡­First, let me guide you. But damn, I really can¡¯t put my faith in that Inquisitor. However, if it¡¯s to prevent any more victims¡­¡± After mumbling for some time, the Thief let out a sigh. ¡°Follow me.¡± The Thief nimbly disappeared into an alley in an instant. I could have caught up with him right away had I been prepared. What an inconsiderate NPC. ¡¸? Ominous Sign ? Talk to pickpockets: 2 / ?? ? Talk to beggars: 0 / ?? ? Move to the location where the victims have been taken¡¹ Anyway, the Quest had updated. * * * ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡± The Thief guided us out of the slums and into themercial district. He skillfully and stealthily moved through the colorful buildings instead of the streets, fearing someone might recognize us. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± We finally halted at another alley¡¯s exit. The Thief pointed to the building across from it without leaving the alley. It was a vegetable store where many people stopped by. ¡°¡­A vegetable store?¡± The Inquisitor frowned, but neither the Archmage nor I doubted it. ¡°Right¡­ I can feel a barrier around it. It seems someone skilled set it up. Had I not noticed, it would have lookedpletely ordinary.¡± ¡°¡­Well, it looks like I didn¡¯t have to step up. As you said, there is a barrier around the door leading to the warehouse¡¯s basement. I repeatedly failed to peek into it using magic.¡± He wasn¡¯t an Archmage for nothing, after all. ¡¸? Ominous Sign ? Move to the location where the victims have been taken ? Find a way to infiltrate the ce where the victims have been taken ? Find Traces of those who have been taken¡¹ The Quest had updated again. However, a sudden question came to me due to the conversation just now. Why did that Thief NPC recognize me but not the Archmage? If he was chosen as the Hero¡¯s Companion, he should be fairly famous, right? Was it because wizards didn¡¯t go outside much that their faces weren¡¯t well-known? ¡°Then¡­ It¡¯s really¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s rted to the Demon King, but you can be sure they''re doing nothing honorable down there.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The Inquisitor¡¯s face scrunched up. I could hear a slight creaking sound from the hand holding her mace. ¡°Anyway, how do we get in there?¡± After gritting her teeth for a while, she opened her eyes wide. Her expression seemed simr to the one she¡¯d worn when she attacked me that night, causing a chill to run down my spine. ¡°Could you dispel the barrier with some time¡­?¡± The Archmage stroked his chin before shaking his head. ¡°I could under the right circumstances, but that wouldn¡¯t be advisable. We would get caught before I even managed to dispel it.¡± ¡°Is there no other way?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ The barrier is specialized for concealing something, so it should easily break if one applied some physical force.¡± There really was no easy way to go about this. Well, that¡¯s how most games are, anyway. ¡°Then at night, we¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it now.¡± How long had it been since dawn? And they wanted to wait until night? Yeah, that didn¡¯t sit right with me. I didn¡¯t have much time left anymore. I wanted to break through this dungeon and finish this Quest during my remaining time, at least. I probably wouldn¡¯t be able to do more than that, so at least let me do that. ¡°Are you crazy? There should be a lot of security measures in ce¡± ¡°And the problem is?¡± Despite the Thief¡¯s remark, I drew my Zweih?nder. ¡°Abduction should be a more serious crime than trespassing.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Are you saying we should use these measures and wait for the guards from the station toe over? But that only works if the town¡¯s leaders aren¡¯t in cahoots with the Temple.¡± That was also true. Looking at my Companion NPCs who disagreed with the yer, I spitefully spat out some words. ¡°If you¡¯re scared, then get out of my way.¡± What if this caused some problems? There was certainly a tendency in games that the difficulty would increase if one tried to break through certain parts with brute force. That was probably why the gamepany made the NPCs advise the payer in this way. However, allowing the yer to at least try meant it could actually work. It wasn¡¯t toote to go with the gamepany¡¯s n after I saw the result of my actions. ¡°You¡¯re so reckless!¡± ¡°You seem to be mistaken about something. Do you really think that we have that much time?¡± Furthermore, my instincts as a gamer told me that it would probably be a lot harder and not easier if we waited until nighttime. It wasn¡¯t just my instinct but also based on already released information. ¡°There are more than 20 offerings. There¡¯s a living Demon Contractor in the Temple. Even though you¡¯re a sage, can you not predict what this might lead to?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°They captured a Demon Contractor¡­?¡± ¡°¡­He¡¯s right.¡± I wondered if they would force me to wait until night. Fortunately, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case, considering that the Inquisitor agreed with me. ¡°If this parish really is corrupted, they wouldn¡¯t keep the Demon Contractor we handed over in the interrogation room for long.¡± Alright. If the opinion between the NPCs was split, I could persuade them to enter now, right? ¡°¡­I don¡¯t deserve to be called Archmage. I can¡¯t believe I couldn¡¯t even think of that. You are right. Let¡¯s go now.¡± Well, among the Archmage NPCs I had seen so far, none were actually worthy of the title, so I didn¡¯t think he was to me for anything. There were so many intelligent characters in this world who were sacrificed just for the plot. ¡°¡­How hot-tempered.¡± When even the Archmage agreed, the Thief whistled softly. It didn''t seem like he would step back either, seeing how he took out his kukri. ¡°If there is even a hint that things will go south, I''ll immediately bounce, okay?" Right. None of the people I¡¯ve heard say that actually ran away, though. ¡°So the timing when we rush in is¡ª" My character wasn''t one to consider such things! I stepped out of the alley holding my Zweih?nder. * * * * * * I even thought about running there but quickly abandoned the thought. Anyway, the Thief said that the door was in the warehouse, so boxes were probably stacked on top of it. If I ran there, I would have toboriously move those boxes while groaning, but that¡­ wasn''t really that cool. ¡°Ah, wee! What would you like to buy¡­?" I''d rather confidently walk in. ¡°Uhm, dear customer, you aren''t supposed to go in¡ªKuurgh!" Bam! I hit the store owner in the stomach, making him copse. After all, there was no way the store owner wasn''t aware of the door leading to that basement. That meant he was either a Demon Worshipper or a coborator, and my character would never tolerate such people. ¡°Kyaaark!" "Mister, you really have no chill." ¡°This is just too extreme." While the Thief was correct, I just passed him over. And I didn''t really care about the other two because they needed to get used to these kinds of things. I calmly kicked open the door in the back of the store as though I hadn''t heard them. I¡¯d expected the door would lead to some kind of backyard, but it actually led to another room. ¡°What are you doing?!" Another person working on some products in the alley next to the store¡ªit seemed to be run by a couple¡ªhurriedly rushed out and shouted at us. There was too much distance between us for me to subdue them, so I decided to just ignore them. My gaze quickly scanned the room. ¡°I''ll report you! Get out this instant¡ª" ¡°I''m from the Temple. Please cooperate." As the Inquisitor shouted, it seemed I had found the right ce. When I saw a door peeking out from under some boxes, I immediately kicked them aside. Since they were all empty, they instantly flew away at my kick, and I didn''t end up hurting my image. ¡°Why is the Temple¡­" ¡°Well, why do you think we''re here?" I raised my sword as the Inquisitor dealt with the owner. Crack! My sword, d in ck energy, split the basement door in two. As I did, a sound like breaking ss sounded out for a moment, but it wasn''t that important. It was probably the barrier shattering. ¡°¡­Demonic Energy." I faintly felt something strange and ticklish within me. However, thinking it was likely nothing, I stepped on the broken basement door. Crick, crack! The door I had cut apart copsed beneath my weight, revealing the entrance. ¡°Wh-what are you doing¡ª!" ¡°Sir Archmage, please bind them!" It was then that I could hear an angry voice shout out orders. But it wasn''t like I had to wait, no matter what they decided. I stepped into the basement as the shopkeeper was bound in bluish-white chains. ¡°From this moment on, we shallmence an execution in God''s name. Evil shall be annihted, and sinners shall be judged!" The booming voice of the Inquisitor sounded out behind me, apanied by the mming sound of her shield. ¡°I never expected to see an Inquisitor in action right in front of me¡­¡± As I continued down the stairs, treating that noise as background music, I could feel someone very close behind me. It was the Thief. He was pretty confident before, but now he seemed scared again. ¡°Will it really be fine if we just go down there like this?¡± ¡°...Do your ears not work?¡± ¡°¡­Right, I¡¯ll shut up.¡± Trudge, trudge. The stairs showed no sign of ever ending. Just how deep down was that basement? ¡°Wait a moment, please!¡± By the time the Inquisitor and Archmage rejoined us from the back, we had already been going down for three minutes. ¡¸Somon: Hidden Underground Path¡¹ After we reached a straight hallway, the location name finally updated. ¡°I¡¯ll take the lead.¡± The Inquisitor suggested as such, striking her shield to announce its presence, but well. I knew it was efficient and really wanted to agree, but¡­ ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t it you who doesn¡¯t listen to people?¡± I just ignored her and moved on. I heard the Thief muttering as I walked ahead. He had a good eye for understanding people, as expected of a Thief. However, I wouldn¡¯t cave because of that. Never! I would never yield my battle position, so the rest had no choice but to rush after me. The Inquisitor, who had offered to take the front several times, sullenly epted her position¡ªthird in line¡ªafter being ignored four more times. ¡°A door!¡± Not too long after, at the end of the hallway was a creaking wooden door. I could smell a thick, bloody scent beyond it. If it was what I thought it was, we should prepare to immediately attack or respond to an attack as soon as we enter. I put my hand on the hilt of my Zweih?nder and extended my leg. Bam! The door, which seemed to have been locked, opened wide with a single kick. ¡°Damn it, I¡¯m still in the middle of summon¡ª!¡± ¡°The Hero!¡± ¡°How the hell did she know¡­?!¡± ¡°Yes! Your executioner has arrived!¡± ¡°¡­The Hero?¡± Beyond the door, I could see Demon Contractors hiding in this underground cave. ¡¸? Ominous Sign ? Find a way to infiltrate the ce where the victims have been taken ? Find Traces of those who have been taken ? Overpower and eliminate all enemies¡¹ The Quest had updated. ¡°You worms¡­ I see you conveniently gathered in one ce for me to kill you¡­!¡± ¡°Face God¡¯s judgment, you nefarious servants of evil!¡± Hearing the Inquisitor letting out simr lines as me, I coldly checked the battlefield. The open cave was quiterge, and the Demon Contractors were currently holding a ceremony in it. There seemed to be about ten? The three assisting from the back were the first to react as we entered. ¡°Tsk, buy us some time!¡± ¡°Hurry up!¡± ¡°Prepare to summon the Draugr!¡± At the Demon Contractors¡¯ roaring shouts, the corpses lying on the floor rose up. ¡¸Skeleton ©¦ A low-level Demon born when Demonic Energy enters a corpse with only bones remaining. It has neither intelligence nor consciousness; they simply wander the world following the instincts left in their fragmented bones.¡¹ That was the first thing one might think of on hearing the word ¡®Undead.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll prepare some spells, so watch my back.¡± ¡°S-sure¡­ That¡¯s not too difficult .¡± However, it was just as weak as it wasmon, so it didn¡¯t feel like a threat. The kimchi dumpling, growling like a tiger, split their skulls left and right with her mace. ¡°Victory to my sword¡­¡± ¡°Do you think that your worthless struggling will work?!¡± ¡°Glory to the heavens¡­!¡± ¡°God is with me!¡± I did the same with my Zweih?nder. I would swing it after the Inquisitor blocked them with her shield, every blow sweeping all the skeletons away. ¡°Hear our plea, oh you who derive pleasure from ughter. Descend upon thisnd prepared for your arrival.¡± However, there were just too many skeletons, and the cave was much bigger than I¡¯d thought. ¡°Feast on the flesh and blood we prepared for you. Give birth to Darkness and bring death to this world!¡± Before we could even reach the Demon Contractors, they finished chanting their spell. Chapter 21: The Price of Ignorance (7) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 21 The Price of Ignorance (7) Wuoooh! ck fog rose from the blood the Demon Contractors spilled by cutting their forearms. There were three Demons. ¡°Draugrs! Go!¡± ¡°All you need to do is buy time!¡± Fortunately, the Demons they called out were Draugrs. While a little tricky to deal with, they were nothing to me and like a candle¡¯s me in the wind before a Priest. ¡°Be honored¡­ I shall send you back to Hell with my own hands.¡± Still, I couldn¡¯t just stand back and leave everything to the Inquisitor. Using [Survival Instinct], I ran along the path that would cause me the least damage. The Inquisitor, who was neither as agile nor as good at dodging the skeletons as me, instantly fell behind. ¡°You have to kill Gretchen as well! He¡¯s betrayed us!¡± When I was about to be isted because of the skeletons, a voice reached my ears. It was the guy who¡¯d acted overly friendly with me the other night. ¡°As I thought, the Temple¡¯s involved with this.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°I should¡¯ve cut your head off then and there¡­ Don¡¯t you think so, worm?¡± I quickly opened and closed my Skill Window, killing the skeleton reaching its arm out to me. There was only one point remaining until I could get a new power. Whuuuuooouuu. Coincidently, a Draugr was pretty close to me. What good timing. ¡°This time, I will be sure to cut off your head andfort the dead¡­!¡± ¡°Mister, in front of you¡ª!¡± ¡°Ground¡­ Crash!¡± I used the superior version of [Breaker] I had just acquired. ¡¸[Ground Crash] ©¦ Immediately after jumping up, you plunge down with your weapon wrapped in Arcane Power. Onnding, shock waves spread out in all directions. Effect: Consumes 60 MP. Causes 700% of damage to the enemy. Enemies in the shock wave¡¯s range will be pushed back and dealt 370% of damage.¡¹ As soon as I jumped into the air and hit the ground with my Zweih?nder, which I held in a reverse grip, ck energy swept over the ce, giving off an earth-shattering sound. It was like an explosion or a heavy storm. Whooooosh! ¡°Demon Knight¡­!¡± I could vaguely hear the Inquisitor shouting out to me through the scattering debris and rising dust blown up by the wind. It didn¡¯t matter, though. ¡°Th-that¡¯s Gretchen¡­!¡± ¡°K-kill him!¡± ¡°Draugrs!¡± Instead, I decided to do what I could and should do. Baaam! ¡°¡­!¡± Skills of the [Breaker] branch required veryrge movements, making it difficult to link them with other attacks, but there wasn¡¯t any kind of paralyzing penalty for it. So, if one used the skill well, it wasn¡¯t impossible to performbos. I cut down the Draugr with a single sh of my drawn sword. If one hit the center of the targets, it would at least be a critical hit. Considering that my attack just went in, it was highly likely that it died. Whoosh! However, because of the dust carried up by the wind, I couldn¡¯t see the Draugr¡¯s fog so well. I swung my de to create some wind and clear my view. That was when I could see what became of the Draugr I had cut in half. It really died, its fog disappearing as it seemed to melt away. ¡°Destroy all evil!¡± A brief moment of silence seemed to have taken over the ce, but then the Archmage, who had been chanting spells behind us, finallyunched an attack. A white golden me seemed to swallow up the remaining skeletons and Draugrs. Baam! Almost at the same time, the Inquisitor finished off thest one. With that, their preparations were over. I immediately charged in. I liked defeating tricky enemies, but I sure didn''t want to give them time to summon more. ¡°U-uwah¡ª!" ¡°Damn it, cut off the control!" ¡°What? Are you crazy¡ª!" By the time I reached the magic circle where they held the ritual, the Demon Contractors coughed up blood and reached a decision. However, it wasn''t anything wee. ¡°Do you think I''d let you?!" The three who tried to interfere couldn''t stop me even if they threw themselves on me, so I just let them be. Would the summoning stop if I killed those performing the ritual? That was usually how it worked in manhwa and novels, but I wasn''t certain that was the case in this game. Well, if this was a necessary development, it would just be summoned, and if it was something preventable, then I should be able to stop it. Easy as that. ¡°Death, descend upon this earth!" sh! ¡°Kuurrg!" I decapitated one of the Contractors performing the ritual while ignoring the three rushing at me. Demon Contractors were also ssified as Wizards, so none of them were actually able to stop me. Physically, they were simply too weak, and in terms of magic, their casting time was just too long. However, unfortunately, I seemed to have been a step toote. Or this might have been a fixed event to begin with. ¡°It''s done, the ritu¡ª!" sh! Beneath the piles of corpses, presumably the abduction victims, the white magic circle emitted a red light. Suddenly, the itching in my right arm grew stronger. Sting, sting¡ª I lost focus for a moment because of the intense itching of my arm. Babaam! The intensity of the light rose for a moment before a tremendous physical force hit my body. It actually blew me away. ¡°Demon Knight!" Bam! Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, Inded on the Inquisitor''s shield. My HP dropped. I had no time to determine whether it was because of the shock or the Divine Power enveloping the Inquisitor. Even though I had set the pain level low, I could still feel my back tingling. ¡°Those maggots¡­¡± I slid off the huge shield and stepped onto the ground. I could feel my front and back aching. However, I didn¡¯t have any major injuries, so it was tolerable. ¡°Mister, are you okay?¡± ¡°Are your eyes there for decoration?¡± My HP had fallen a bit, but I wasn¡¯t really injured. So, I focused my eyes on what was in front of me. Just as I had been blown away, I could see that the Demon Contractors were in a simr situation, screaming. That felt quite good. Kiyaaaaaaa!! Though, it was a bit disappointing that I couldn¡¯t stop the summoning ritual. ¡°¡­They sure did a good job with their summoning.¡± ¡°Wh-what is that?¡± But, well, I was still satisfied because the scene was quite breathtaking. I carefully analyzed the Demon they had summoned. * * * * * * It was a Dragon-type Demon with fins and no wings. ¡¸Knucker ©¦ A Demon that freely swims in pools of water and preys on humans through wells. It is said that there¡¯s a strong poison flowing from its teeth.¡¹ ¡°A Knucker. Its teeth are poisonous, so be careful.¡± ¡°¡­Even if it weren¡¯t poisonous, getting bitten by that thing would be he dangerous, don¡¯t you think?¡± The Thief was right. The Knucker they summoned was about 3m from its toes to the top of its head, even though it was walking on four legs. This area wasn¡¯t so spacious for no reason after all. ¡°Tsk.¡± A Knucker wasn¡¯t a mob that should appear at the beginning of the game. Of course, they should have adjusted its strength to fit the rmended level of this Quest, but still¡­ ¡°Huh¡­ with this, even the Hero¡­!¡± I could see that the guy who had pretended to be close to me was still alive. It wasn¡¯t a bad thing. That NPC''s head was mine. Kyaaaaaargh! ¡°¡­! It¡¯sing! Behind you!¡± That was when the Knucker spotted us and began charging at us with its mouth wide open. ¡°¡­I offer thee, discard your reason and gain strength¡­!¡± Kyaaagh! Now it even wentpletely berserk thanks to that guy¡¯s muttering, lying with his face on the ground. I wasn¡¯t sure it was him, but seeing his eyes suddenly opening wide and that ck energy flowing from his body, I was about 99% certain. ¡°Oh God, lend me the power to not sumb to evil¡­! Haaap!¡± Even after witnessing that, however, the Inquisitor ran ahead to confront that thing directly. She should have just dodged to the side. It seemed her straightforward personality also applied to battles. ¡°Uwaah, is that really the right thing to do?!¡± The moment the Inquisitor spoke a prayer and got embraced by an even more intense brilliance, the Thief hid behind her. The Archmage did the same. ¡°umte and rise, {Protective Wall}!¡± ¡°What are you doing, Mister?!¡± ¡°You¡ª!¡± No, well, I was going to dodge to the side¡­! The Thief grabbed me and dragged me behind the Inquisitor. I had lost my chance and couldn¡¯t get away now. Baaam! Immediately after, I heard a loud booming sound echoing all around us, making it feel like the cave was about to copse. ¡°Th-that thing, how long will it hold on¡­!¡± The shield the Archmage had set up broke instantly, while the Inquisitor¡¯s shield and the dragon¡¯s head began a fierce power struggle. She boldly confronted it without her shield being pierced or broken. ¡°Uwaargh!¡± Even while shouting, she was never pushed back. While she initially moved a bit when the attack first impacted, she now stood upright on both legs, withstanding that extreme weight and strength. I still didn¡¯t want to party up with those guys, but I had to admit she was a really good tanker. ¡°Those Demons¡­¡± If she held on, I could still maintain my position as a dealer. This opportunity couldn¡¯t be any better. Right now was the best time to go after the Knucker¡¯s weakness, its head, which was really rare. ¡°All of them deserve to die¡­!¡± Shiing. I tightly held my sword with both hands and ran out from behind the Inquisitor. In a single step, I moved right next to the Knucker¡¯s head that was ramming into the shield. I then twisted my body slightly to turn toward it. [Breaker]. An ominous energy enveloped my weapon, and my huge sword crashed down on it like a guillotine¡¯s de. Spurt! Blood shot up into the air. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°¡­Was that the Demon Knight¡­?¡± Kyaaaaargh! I couldn¡¯t really say anything when I looked at the Knucker; its snout and tongue werepletely cut off. During boss battles or elite mob hunts, few gamers aimed for ¡¶Part Destruction¡·. It was already difficult enough to hit their weak spot sessfully. Even if they wanted to try umting the damage and destroy it as fast as possible, no one expected it to happen in a single strike. I was that kind of person as well. So how did I manage to inflict a ¡¶Part Destruction¡· in just a single hit in this game? I could understand if it was a Goblin. They were a staple weak mob one could find in any game, after all, but that guy was a Dragon, even if it was just a subspecies. I was currently only level 15, so wasn¡¯t that a bit too much? ¡°What©¤!¡± ¡°In a single hit¡­?!¡± The Demon Contractor seemed to share my sentiments, but I couldn¡¯t let it show on my face. As such, I just kept my lips tightly shut and adjusted my posture. Even with its snout cut off, the Knucker was still very much alive. ¡°Fuuuh.¡± I exhaled, slowly swallowed my saliva, and tightened my grip on the Zweih?nder. I prepared to attack the next target. ¡°N-no! Stop!¡± It was impossible to hit its head again, as I had already cut off its snout, and it had raised its head high. However, that wasn¡¯t necessarily its only weakness. The Reverse Scale. An inverted scale located close to its heart. It glowed red-hot, which was quite conspicuous. Most VR games, at least where dragons appeared, implemented that weakness. ¡°S-summon more!¡± ¡°Th-there aren¡¯t any more sacrifices!¡± ¡°Then use your blood¡­¡± The other enemies behind the Dragon were talking about something after being thrown into a frenzy, but they couldn¡¯t stop what was about to happen. ¡°Bind my enemies!¡± Not to mention, the Archmage provided fire support. Completely ignoring the bound enemies, I took the next step. It was a shame I couldn¡¯t use the piercing skill, [Stinger], as I had gotten [Ground Crash]. I didn¡¯t regret my decision, but it would have been a much cooler scene had I used [Stinger] at this moment Whoosh As I stabbed out my sword while holding such regrets, I saw ck energy instantly rising from my de. ¡°¡­?¡± Kaboom! As soon as I noticed it, my de pierced through the Knucker¡¯s heart. Because of that, I couldn¡¯t properly check what had happened. ¡°Oh my, Mister. Your back is wide open!¡± However, it was just too vivid and clear in my memory to have been an illusion. As I was about to get lost in thought due to these doubts, I saw something pass by me and take my back. Thanks to that, I broke out of my thoughts in less than 0.1 seconds. Crack! Reflexively turning my head, I could see part of the Thief¡¯s hood and some bone fragments. A Skeleton summoned by one of the Demon Contractors seemed to have gotten behind me. ¡°¡­Well, I don¡¯t think someone who can take down a Dragon with two strikes would be defeated by a Skeleton, though.¡± No, that Dragon was just set to be weaker than usual. Well, this feat might seem pretty amazing to these NPCs who had no idea this was the case. Squelch I pulled out my sword as the question I had barely managed to push out of my mind started to upy it again. Pieces of its shattered spine scattered in all directions, disgusting chunks of flesh following suit. Copious amounts of blood spurted out from the piercing wound. My body and face werepletely drenched in dragon blood. Thud! ¡¸LEVEL UP!¡¹ It seemed to have counted as a direct hit when I cut off its snout, and I had even pierced its heart, leaving the Knucker lying there motionless. Knowing it to be a high-ranking mob, I felt a little ufortable. I mean, realistically speaking, it was obvious it would die after receiving such wounds, but¡­ How should I put it? Defeating this kind of enemy after attacking it twice at level 15 was a little¡­ ¡°Gretcheeeeeen!¡± Suddenly, a title that was neither my nickname nor my real name but one I knew was referring to me echoed throughout the cavern. It was the one who had pretended to be close to me before. ¡°You really, really betrayed us¡ª!¡± What was he on about now? Wiping the blood from my face using the back of my hand¡ªnot that it did anything¡ªI looked straight at the screaming NPC. I could see blood soaking the lower part of his face beneath his hood, and the Archmage¡¯s spell had bound his body tightly. It was the perfect posture for me to cut his neck. ¡°This foolish pping mouth ¡­!¡± The Inquisitor looked angry, while I wore a cold expression to contrast her. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean that I wasn¡¯t angry. ¡°How could you¡­!¡± ¡°Right, you were still here¡­¡± That expressionless face was only the first step as I coldly looked down at him, the corners of my mouth twitching! ¡°Talk more and see if you can handle my wrath.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± I shook the blood off of my Zweih?nder. Blood sshed on the floor of the cave. An eerie glow started to surround it again. ¡°What? Don¡¯t want to talk anymore?¡± One step. Two steps. I walked toward him, neither fast nor slow. The hooded guy turned his head as though trying to avoid my eyes. Still, I didn¡¯t stop getting closer to him. ¡°Demon Knight.¡± The Archmage called out to me. ¡°Are you going to interfere again?¡± When I asked him that, my mouth twisting into a fierce expression, the Archmage shook his head slightly. ¡°Kill him as cleanly as possible. There should be some evidence that the Temple is involved in this somewhere in here.¡± He said he wouldn¡¯t stop me this time. ¡°Hmpf.¡± I raised my sword into the air with an apanying scoff. Chapter 22: Irrevocable (1) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 22 Irrevocable (1) Roll! I shook off the blood from my de as the head tumbled over the floor. The others, who probably saw their fate in him, quickly averted their eyes. It was quite the natural reaction, I''d say. ¡°It''s time to pay for your sins, you Demon pawns!" However, it wasn''t just me who wanted to punish them. The Inquisitor also stepped forward. ¡°You Hero bit¡ª!" Crunch! When I took a peek, I saw people dying to the kimchi dumpling''s mace. While I somewhat expected it, I didn''t get any experience points if the Inquisitor killed something. That was a bit of a shame. ¡°Erm." Fortunately, the Archmage and the Thief decided to stand back. Well, it actually would have been fine if they had participated. There were enough experience points around for all of us. ¡°Erm, could you leave one?" However, that was when the Thief suddenly spoke up. The Inquisitor¡¯s and Archmage¡¯s heads immediately turned toward him. ¡°What do you mean?" Although he hadn''t yed as active a role as the Inquisitor, the Thief had at least protected the Archmage properly. Perhaps because of that, the Inquisitor''s voice didn''t seem as hostile as before. One could still hear disapproval mixed in with it, though. ¡°It''s not such a big deal¡­" The Thief stood before the corpses stacked on the altar,pletely destroyed after the Knucker was summoned. All the blood had been sucked out of them, and their bodies were crushed to pieces, forming a giant lump without a single body intact. ¡°One of my colleagues is rted to one of the kidnapped kids. I just want to give him a chance to get revenge." Considering the Thief''s past was set up to be that he entered the back streets to kill the noble who murdered his friend, his sentiment was quite understandable. Besides, in the original, wasn¡¯t one of the Thief¡¯s ss branches Avenger? I remembered it because I had thought its ss branches were kind of weird. ¡°If I can¡¯t bring their precious family member back, wouldn¡¯t it be nice if they could at least take revenge?¡± ¡°Personal vengeance is prohibited by thew.¡± However, our Inquisitor was a massive iron wall. As I watched the Thief¡¯s expression grow rotten, I grabbed one of the Demon Contractors by the nape of the neck. They were still alive. Toss. ¡°Urgh!¡± Good. I threw them before the Thief. ¡°Demon Knight¡­?¡± ¡°¡­Mister.¡± ¡°Keep this in mind. If you let that Demon bastard escape, I will cut off your head as well.¡± ¡°¡­Got it. Since surveince is our speciality, I won¡¯t let that happen.¡± Personally, I didn¡¯t advocate for personal revenge, but it wasn¡¯t like I couldn¡¯t sympathize. Moreover, in the Demon Knight¡¯s case, he even lost the chance to properly take revenge. He would surely grant someone this kind of trivial favor. The Quest didn''t say I had to kill them all but subdue them, so something like this should still be allowed. ¡°Demon Knight!" Though, the Inquisitor didn''t seem to like my decision. If she were a D&D character, she would definitely bewful neutral. ¡°Urgh, I will curse¡­ I offer my flesh and blood¡­!" sh. Did he think I wouldn''t hear him chant? ¡°Sir Archmage¡­!" ¡°Demon Contractors are dangerous. If one can not keep them in check with Divine Power, it would be better to just kill them. You don''t know what they might do otherwise." ¡°Couldn''t it work if you cut off their tongue and sever the ligaments in their limbs?" ¡°¡­You shouldn''t keep them alive for long. Demonic Energy is quite different from regr magic. You should never let your guard down around them." ¡°Don''t worry; he''ll die as soon as I get there.¡± I thought it kind of was a waste of experience points, but I decided to focus on cleaning up again. I killed all those who tried to cast curses. The Inquisitor only killed a few of them because she was arguing with the Thief, so more than half of my experience bar was suddenly filled. ¡°Abide by thew¡­!¡± Ah. Were they all dead now? [Detection] didn¡¯t alert me about any more presences either. The Quest had also updated. Good. We could probably leave the dungeon now. Hmm. Nevermind. Should I just log out here? The Full Dive end notification would probably pop out in about an hour if I did more than this. Could I properlyplete the Quest in that amount of time? If I had to stop in the middle of the Quest, it wouldn¡¯t be such a bad idea to stop here after everything had been neatly taken care of. In addition, if I saw a distinctive ce like this after logging back in, it would be easier to remember where I left off. Anyway, while I couldn¡¯t say anything about other games, the NPCs in this game were just too realistic. They would probably find it very strange if I was confused after logging back in. I really wanted to prevent breaking character as much as I could. ¡°Log out.¡± So, I came to a decision and immediately took action. ¡¸Thismand cannot be carried out.¡¹ But what the hell was with that message? ¡°¡­? Log out.¡± ¡¸Thismand cannot be carried out.¡¹ ¡°¡­???¡± ¡­Could this be a bug or something? No, what game bugged out when one tried to use the logout function? Did the gamepany want to go bankrupt? No matter how well-made the game was, if one couldn¡¯t log out of a VR game, the game¡¯s reputation and value would crumble to dust. ¡°Log out.¡± ¡¸Thismand cannot be carried out.¡¹ ¡°¡­Log out!¡± ¡¸Thismand cannot be carried out.¡¹ What? Why was this happening? Faced with the repeated appearance of that error message, I fell into a daze. I couldn¡¯t help it. This wasn¡¯t something I ever would have expected, a sight no gamer would ever imagine encountering. ¡°Demon Knight?¡± ¡­No, I should calm down. There was no way the gamepany wouldn¡¯t have fixed that kind of bug during testing if they hadn¡¯t gonepletely crazy. It probably had something to do with this ce. I mean, didn¡¯t some games have areas where one couldn¡¯t log out? That was probably the case. That message was just very vague, which scared me. ¡°¡­Nevermind.¡± I seemed to have been even more shocked than I thought. I said something slightly off for my character. Anyone who saw that kind of message would have been out of it, as well. ¡°Hey, where are you going?¡± Feeling impatient, I hurried out. ¡°I¡¯m going to cut down those corrupt bastards who conspired with the Demons.¡± Since I couldn¡¯t tell her I was leaving the dungeon to log out, I naturally recited what the updated Quest said. ¡¸? Ominous Sign ? Subdue/Eliminate all enemies ? Move to the Temple ? Find the traitors who conspired with the Demon Contractors¡¹ Of course, I didn''t actually mean to do that right now. I would log out of the game as soon as I left the cavern. ¡°¡­! P-please wait a moment!¡± The Inquisitor urgently called out to me before she began muttering her prayers. She probably did it to Purify the ce. For some reason, it sent a cold chill down my spine. ¡°Mister.¡± However, logging out was more important right now. I ignored the various appeals to wait and headed to the hallway we came from. Then someone rushed after me. The Inquisitor was still Purifying the area, and the Archmage was beside her, so the only one remaining was the Thief. ¡°Thank you.¡± The tone of voice he used to convey these words was firm and serious, unlike his usual loud and provocative tone. Although I could still hear some faint groans from that Demon Contractor, I could just dismiss them as background music. ¡°¡­Thieves never let go of a grudge. However, they also never forget the grace they receive. I¡¯ll definitely repay you.¡± ¡°No need.¡± Since he was the representative character of the Thief ss, it was more than obvious he would join our party as a Companion. ¡°¡­Even if you say that, I will still repay you.¡± ¡°I told you that¡¯s unnecessary.¡± Was the hallway that long? I quickened my steps a bit. My mental state was rather precarious right now. ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡± ¡°Jeez. The guards.¡± Then, I just had to encounter guards who came down the stairs. Did [Detection] not catch them because they weren¡¯t exactly hostile to me? ¡°Wh-who are you!¡± ¡°Surrender immediately!¡± Perhaps because I was currently covered in blood, the guards raised their weapons toward me while trembling. I didn¡¯t want to attack them, but I felt I would die if I didn¡¯t defend myself, so they saw me tightly gripping my sword in self-defense. ¡°Surrender?¡± I fiddled with the hilt of my de. ording to my setting, my character¡¯s personality wasn¡¯t so twisted that he would wield his sword against civilians who weren¡¯t criminals or rted to Demons. However, this much was fine. I didn¡¯t have to cover up my irritation. ¡°Demon Knight!¡± ¡°Please, wait!¡± Fortunately, 20 seconds after the guards and I ran into each other, the Inquisitor and the Archmage came running after me. Their timing really was great, although the Archmage seemed somewhat out of breath as soon as he reached us. In the end, not only did we wander around all night, but we also went into battle without a single break. A Wizard with low amounts of stamina would certainly be exhausted by now. ¡°Wh-who are you?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m an Inquisitor from the Great Temple!¡± It felt so irritating to exin all this. My character also wouldn¡¯t do this, so it should be fine to make way for now. As I was calcting that, I took a step aside. The Thief did the same as the Inquisitor quickly stood before us. She held out the Holy Relic of the Order to prove her identity. ¡°Th-the Great Temple¡­?¡± ¡°We came here after detecting some Demonic Energy in this underground way and killed all the Demon Contractors we found. And these people are my Companions. Lower your weapons.¡± ¡°D-Demons!¡± ¡°¡­Is that true?¡± The Inquisitor didn¡¯t speak any further. A Divine Power flowed from her body, enveloping the dark passageway in warm light. The guards, ncing at each other, hurriedly lowered their weapons. ¡°Forgive our rudeness, honored priest.¡± ¡°You just did your job. Don¡¯t apologize.¡± Just as I wondered if the Inquisitor was of a higher rank than I thought, I heard a small murmur from the side. It was the Thief. ¡°What¡¯s so honorable about that thug¡­?¡± ¡­Hey, could it be if one started as a Priest, this guy wouldn¡¯t be your Companion? I felt like he wouldn¡¯t be joining us yet. I thought the Demon Knight would have the dirtiest personality, but it seemed like the Thief was a close contender. I didn¡¯t read that ss¡¯s interactions properly because the Thief story was so annoying. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± While I was momentarily lost in thought, it seemed like she finished her conversation with the guards. The Inquisitor looked at me as if telling me to go out. Or that was what I was hoping for, at least. ¡°Hey, hand over that criminal.¡± ¡°What? That one¡¯s mine.¡± ¡°The Inquisitor told me to retrieve this Demon Contractor.¡± ¡°¡­Ah, that thug¡­.¡± ¡°What did you say just now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s too stuffy here, so I said I¡¯ll hand him over when we¡¯re outside, didn¡¯t you hear?¡± ¡°¡­I don''t remember it being that long.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I speak fast.¡± I went up the stairs and left the vegetable store. The midday sun was blinding my eyes. ¡°Ah, but I have to do something urgently. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± ¡°¡­! Wait, halt!¡± ¡°Catch him!¡± ¡°That maniac¡ª!¡± ¡°Goodness me.¡± ¡°Oh, Sir Archmage, are you alright?¡± ¡°Haha¡­ I¡¯m fine. However, this march seems to have taken quite the toll on this old man¡¯s body.¡± ¡°Ah, I, erm¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can still move around more. Shouldn¡¯t we find those corrupted ones in the Temple?¡± I focused on the sound of the Thief fleeing, the guards giving chase, and the Inquisitor¡¯sining, along with the Archmage catching the Inquisitor¡¯s attention that had been half-seriously fixed on the Thief. ¡¸Somon: Commercial District¡¹ We changed maps. I had to be able to log out now. ¡­I just had to. ¡°Log out.¡± I red into the air before me and repeated themand. Then, a Window showed up before my eyes once again. ¡¸Thismand cannot be carried out.¡¹ * * * * * * ¡°This crazy m¡ª!¡± Shit, this damn game system bastard¡­! ¡°Demon Knight?¡± An exmation leaked from between my teeth, to which the Inquisitor turned toward me. However, I wasn¡¯t confident I could control my expression right now. Anyone else would feel the same way. At this point, I couldn¡¯t me it on my location anymore. There was no way I couldn¡¯t log out while I still had a Quest open, and there was no reason for me to be restricted from logging out in this area. That meant there should be no reason for the logout function to be blocked. But I still couldn¡¯t log out? If I were to sue the gamepany, I was sure to win, no questions asked. Damn, this is a serious problem, you know? ¡°Settings.¡± I tried opening the Settings to try manually clicking the logout button. I usually avoided using it in fear of the NPCs looking at me strangely given their too high level of intelligence¡ªthey wouldn¡¯t be able to see the System Window, after all¡ªbut that wasn¡¯t something I should be worrying about right now. ¡¸Thismand cannot be carried out.¡¹ ¡¸Thismand cannot be carried out.¡¹ ¡¸Thismand cannot be carried out.¡¹ ¡¸Thismand cannot be carried out¡­¡¹ However, all that happened was the same Error Window showing up repeatedly. ¡°¡­What is this?.¡± I-it can¡¯t be. I felt the temperature in my face dropping rapidly as I mumbled the logoutmand like a madman. But all it did was summon that Error Window again. ¡°Demon Knight? Is something wrong?¡± ¡°You¡­?¡± How could horror gamespare to this? Damn it, I felt true horror at this moment. I chewed my lips and grabbed at my hair in fear. What should I do now? Really, what should I do? Even though I had already experienced many different bugs, I had never been unable to log out. I never even heard of something like that happening. I¡¯d never gone through something like that before¡­ ¡°¡­! Emergency protocol.¡± Then I remembered a certain function and urgently shouted out. It was a function built into the capsule itself. I had half-forgotten about it because I¡¯d never had to use it before, but now that I had fallen into a real crisis, I remembered it again. ¡°Forced Capsule Termination.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡¸Thismand cannot be carried out.¡¹ ¡°Emergency protocol, Forced Capsule Termination!¡± ¡¸Thismand cannot be carried out.¡¹ ¡°Shit!¡± However, that didn¡¯t work either. I repeatedly shouted ¡®log out¡¯ and ¡®Emergency protocol¡¯ before chanting all the swear words I knew of. Unfortunately, or obviously. None of the functions I knew of worked. ¡°Demon Knight, what¡¯s going on?!¡± ¡°Why are you acting like this?¡± What did it want me to do? If I couldn¡¯t log out, and the Capsule Emergency protocol didn¡¯t work, how was I supposed to turn off the game? How could I get out?! How the fuck did these gamepany bastards make this game while leaving in such a damn bug¡­?! ¡°Demon Knight. What, what is wrong?! By any chance, the Demon¡­!¡± The Inquisitor grabbed my arm and locked eyes with me. A terrible displeasure and gruesome uneasiness crawled all over my skin. ¡°No way¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Log out¡­¡± No, no. I had to calm down. After the nutrients injected into the user during the Full Dive ran out, the Full Dive would end automatically. Of course, the game would shut down as well. That feature was an absolute necessity because people might die of starvation if they forgot to exit the capsule after running out, so it would kick in no matter what. I was absolutely sure of it. So I needed to calm down. Calm down. I just¡­ I just had to wait a few more hours. Just a few more hours until the full dive would end¡ª ¡°Come to your senses!¡± Baam! An excruciating pain ran through my stomach. I could hear the sound of my HP draining in my ear. ¡°Cough!¡± Damn, what the hell? I already adjusted my pain level to the lowest setting, so why did this still hurt so much¡­?! ¡°You¡­!¡± I reflexively put my hand on my stomach and red at the one who hit me: the Inquisitor. ¡°Oh! Have you finallye to your senses?!¡± That kimchi dumpling, why was she so proud after hitting someone in the stomach¡­?! And why the hell was she smiling like that?! Did her head turn into an actual kimchi dumpling?! ¡°Are you fucking¡ª!¡± ¡°I apologize for hitting such a vital point! However, it looked like you needed my assistance.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± I felt positively enraged looking into her glistening eyes, showing no indication she believed she¡¯d done anything wrong. Even the serious matter of being unable to log out disappeared from my mind for a moment. ¡°I felt the Demonic Energy in your right arm moving around. Didn¡¯t the Demon you¡¯ve been suppressing start rampaging just now?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± What kind of nonsense was she talking about? ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I absolutely do not doubt you. Even if you may waver for a moment, I believe that you will be able to ovee the Demon and will never sumb to it!¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why, Demon Knight! If this ever happens again, feel free to rely on me! I can buy you some time, at least!¡± ¡°¡­??¡± ¡°I will make sure of it!¡± ¡­Kimchi Dumpling, I really liked her, but what the hell was she talking about? Chapter 23: Irrevocable (2) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 23 Irrevocable (2) I nced at the Archmage,pletely unable to understand what the Inquisitor was talking about. However, he also wore a grim expression, one that made me realize he wouldn¡¯t exin this situation to me. I gritted my teeth and covered my face with one hand. ¡°¡­I¡¯m reminded once more that you have a talent for saying useless things.¡± ¡°You¡¯re back to normal!¡± What was she on about? I patted my still-stinging stomach with the hand I had covered my face with. Because of her, my sense of crisis waspletely gone. ording to my character setting, I had to get angry at her, but I couldn¡¯t even do that. I was dumbfounded. ¡°¡­Erm, does it hurt a lot?¡± That¡­ No, that worked pretty well. It was like the stronger pain was covering the weaker one. Thanks to the aching sensation in the pit of my stomach, my anxiety had eased quite a bit. And I felt like it was much better. Log out, whatever¡­ Wouldn¡¯t it be much better for my mind to focus on something rather than being consumed by fear, unable to do anything? ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I red at the kimchi dumpling as I tried to find something to distract my mind with. I finally remembered that I still had that Quest. Of course, I wasn¡¯t sure if this was the right choice¡­ However, just sitting here wouldn¡¯t change anything. I couldn¡¯t just stay here until the nutrients ran out. I had no idea what was happening, but at least time would pass faster if I did the Quest. ¡°Are you still going?¡± ¡°Why are you uselessly pping your tongue about?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The Inquisitor followed after me with a bright smile. The Archmage still wore a grim expression. Furthermore, as I tuned back into the surrounding sounds, I finally noticed the guards were still quietly following us, wondering what kind of conversation we were having. Although it was just a standard thing, this was tantamount to the security forces sticking to our heels. ¡°Demon Knight." I quickly moved my legs while checking my slowly filling HP bar. The Archmage, who had barely managed to catch up with me, opened his mouth to call me. ¡°Are you really okay?" Why was that man acting like that again? I was just trying to log out, so what the hell kind of misunderstanding were they having? Going by that setting, did that mean they would think I would have fully sumbed to the Demon if I managed to log out? ¡°Is there really nothing wrong?" Fine, I had to give him some answer, at least¡­. I couldn''t tell them about the log-out thing, so I had to make use of that weird misunderstanding they were having. In that case, how should I react? What would a person who was extremely sensitive, anxious, and highly traumatized say in this situation? ¡°Don¡¯t concern yourself with me." I grabbed my right arm. The Archmage''s face hardened even more. The Inquisitor''s expression looked simr. However, while the kimchi dumpling''s eyes were sparkling with hope and trust, the Archmage seemed to think I would copse. The difference in personality of these two NPCs was on full disy. ¡°How could we not care? Rather¡­" ¡°I told you not to concern yourself with me¡­!" Just as when the Inquisitor tried to grab my right arm, I reacted harshly with a sharp tone to my voice. The emotions he would feel would be simr to that time. Self-loathing, fear, anger. ¡°¡­Your job is to kill Demons, and my job is to kill them as well." Uwaha. This still was fun. ¡°Does that include yourself?" However,ing at me like that was a bit¡­ I mean, I expected it, as it was an induced reaction, but it still was a bit sudden that he would throw me such a straight ball. ¡°Naturally¡ª" ¡°What are you talking about, Sir Archmage? There''s no way the Demon Knight would turn into a Demon." ¡­? ¡°I believe in you, Sir Demon Knight. I trust your clear mind and great mental strength. You will never sumb to any Demon. I''m sure of it." Erm, yeah. As a yer, there was no way I would. However, what did she know about me to say that? ¡°So you can definitely shake it off. I''ll be waiting. I''ll try to help you hold on until you return to your senses." ¡­What was wrong with her, seriously? What did I do to build up her trust in me like that? How did she build such a close friendship with me without my knowledge? Was it because of the plot? But wasn''t that a bit too much? What was this, seriously?? ¡°¡­It seems the one-eyed one was you, not me." Whatever. I just turned around. It had nothing to do with me. It was the gamepany''s doing; they forced the plot-relevant characters to act like this and made their favorability rise strangely! ¡°Huh, both my eyes are fine, though." ¡°¡­Inquisitor, he didn''t mean that literally." ¡°Oh, is that so?" ¡­And in the midst of all this was me! ¡°Oh, give me a warning before you start running!" ¡°¡­Don''t you intend to show this old man some consideration?" I couldn''t care about that kimchi dumpling anymore! I somehow had to get to the Temple to vent this cute aggression! This was all because of the damn game! * * * The Inquisitor watched the back of that person, who looked like he couldn''t bear leaving those corrupted bastards in this world any longer, as he led the way. In truth, she didn''t fully understand the meaning of the word ¡®logout¡¯ that the Demon Knight had kept saying. She could only read the obvious horror visible on his pale face, trembling lips, and quivering pupils that shook like leaves in the wind. However, what could a strong person like the Demon Knight possibly be afraid of? What could instill so much fear in him, someone who could kill a dragon in a single sh? There was only one thing she could think of, something that could consume the Demon Knight at any moment: the Demon in his right arm. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do for him there. She neither had the ability to free the Demon Knight''s arm from the Demon that encroached on it nor the power to strengthen the Knight''s soul that battled against the Demon, and she didn''t know what to say to him to support him. All she had was the strength she had umted as an inquisitor, the Stigma of the Hero she was undeserving of, some Divine Power, and her belief in the Demon Knight''s strength. So, she simply decided to believe. ¡ºWhy don¡¯t you tell that to the victims, huh?¡» Despite his strength and horrendous attitude, she decided not to doubt him, who was nobler than anyone. ¡ºDon¡¯t you need information first to hunt Demons?¡» She decided to trust him, who was more like a Hero than the chosen Hero. ¡ºThose Demons¡­ All of them deserve to die¡­!¡» She decided to put her faith in him, knowing he would never sumb to evil. Fortunately, she had the strength to endure and hold on until he returned to his senses, even if the Demon Knight were to be controlled by the Demon. ¡ºWhen something like this happens again, think back to this moment and keep your mouth shut.¡» ¡­He had given her a chance to better herself first, so she also wanted to be a person who could grant others such opportunities. Even though she still had a long way to go before she could do that. * * * * * * ¡¸Somon: Temple¡¹ Ding. Our arrival at the Temple was apanied by the ring of a bell. Was it because it was daytime? More priests were looking at us than when we first came here. Of course, some of them mistook me for a Demon again. However, those who already knew my face took care of the situation before any of them could shout at me. ¡¸? Ominous Sign ? Move to the Temple ? Find the traitors who conspired with the Demon Contractors¡¹ But how was I supposed to find those traitors? ¡°Are you there, vicar¡­" Just as I was thinking about how to go about this, the Inquisitor struck the floor with her mace. A dull sound echoed throughout the entrance of the Temple. Her face didn''t show any of the ferociousness she had on our way here. The Inquisitor became very thorough when she entered work mode. ¡°Gather all those who belong to the Temple in the chapel." ¡°Pardon?" ¡°It''s an order from an inquisitor. I won''t allow any absences for any reason. You''ll have to gather every single one of them." ¡°Wh-what¡­?" ¡°Sir Archmage, please put a barrier around the chapel." ¡°Yes, leave it to me.¡± ¡°Thank you." ¡­Looking at the situation, it seemed like the Quest would proceed without me having to do anything. I simply stood there fiddling with my Longsword''s hilt. If there was one thing I could do, it was catch those who tried to run away or rebel. Like that guy who was moving his eyes about, looking for a way to escape. ¡°It seems like youck basic listeningprehension skills." ¡°Wh-what did you say¡­?" ¡°Or is it faith youck, doubting God''s choice?" I didn¡¯t know if he actually was a traitor or if he was just going to tell others of the news. However, I had an ufortable feeling about this guy. I looked down at the priest, letting out the bleakest voice I could muster. Voice acting was nothing when I was fully immersed, and I didn¡¯t have to change that much about my expression to scare and intimidate others, as I had designed this face to be really cold already. ¡°Thank you for your assistance, Demon Knight.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t thank me. I didn¡¯t do it for you. I¡¯m just trying to get rid of all the corrupted ones.¡± That guy was just trying to escape, and I caught him in the act. ¡°How could that kind of¡­¡± ¡°That Demon host¡­¡± The priests¡¯ gazes on me became quite harsh, but I didn¡¯t care. My character setting aside, all of those guys were just corrupt bastards, right? ¡°Go in, or should I make you.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± It was a crying shame that I didn¡¯t have any surveince skills. It might be good to raise the skill level of [Detection]¡­ Ah, right. Skills. I leveled up. However, even if I invested more into the [Detection] skill tree, the only thing that would happen would be the detection range increasing from 20m to 30m. Instead, it would be better if I activated some tracking-rted skills so I could chase after those trying to run away. It would actually be best to select skills like [Lie Detection] or [Negotiation], but I didn¡¯t have enough skill points to get them all. Hmm. There were a lot of good skills in the Survival category, weren¡¯t there? As for Attack skills, [Breaker] and [Ground Crash] were enough for now¡­ Right. The [Stinger] bug. There was that as well. Sigh. This game had so many weird bugs. The most annoying one was the logout bug, though¡­ I narrowed the gap between my brows to express my irritation. I felt quite ted that I wouldn¡¯t break character, no matter how rotten and irritated my expression became. ¡°Is everyone there?¡± After some time, the chapel waspletely filled. Of course, some had tried escaping on the way here, and we also had to search for those who were out working and thus weren¡¯t informed of the gathering. It would have taken far longer if the town guards, who had followed the Inquisitor, hadn¡¯t supported us. ¡°About seven people are missing. We are still looking for them. Except those seven, this is all of them.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Standing before the statue of God in the chapel, the Inquisitor exhaled softly and immediately struck down her shield on the ground. Her gleaming green eyes seemed to contain a red madness, theplete opposite of their usual color. ¡°From this moment on, I shall start a trial as is my right as an inquisitor.¡± ¡­I could see why the Thief was so afraid of the Inquisitor. She was vicious when hunting Demons, but she really went crazy when faced with the corrupt. ¡°All of you shall undergo the trial of sin. Those of you without sin shall be set free¡­¡± Divine Power and its enemy, the Demons, existed in this world. If that wasn¡¯t the case¡­ Uwah, this game would have been scary. Well, ying games like that was also fun from time to time. ¡°Those who dared tomit wrongdoings disguised as servants of God shall be judged ordingly.¡± ¡°Wh-what¡­?!¡± ¡°Silence!¡± At the Inquisitor¡¯s deration, the chapel became noisy before abruptly falling silent again at her exmation. ¡°Inquisitors of this Temple,e up first. You had best not think of sneaking out of here!¡± At her call, the inquisitors came up one by one. Like the kimchi dumpling, they all seemed tock a bit of humanity. In other words, they didn''t look like they had much of a social life. ¡°¡­Half of them were present during the interrogation." However, the Archmage recognized some of them. He probably got to know them during the interrogation at dawn. And now it seemed they might be corrupt. ¡¸? Ominous Sign ? Find the traitors who conspired with the Demon Contractors ? Traitors subdued/eliminated: 0 / ??¡¹ I touched the hilt of my sword as I looked at the newly added line of the Quest before drawing it. The Archmage only nced at me without trying to stop me. He seemed to be preparing a spell in advance as well. ¡°Use the power of God, to prove your devotion." And the moment the Inquisitor said that¡­ ¡°Damn it!" All those whom the Archmage pointed out pounced at her simultaneously. ¡°So you¡¯ve decided to reveal your true colors! sphemers!" sh! My sword¡¯s de cut down two of them, and the other two were subdued by the Archmage¡¯s {Binding}. Crack!! Almost simultaneously, the Inquisitor caved in one¡¯s head with her mace. ¡°Uwaaaaargh!¡± ¡°Urgh!¡± ¡°Wh-what?!¡± Screams and blood circted inside the chapel. The statue overseeing it all was silent, however. In addition, the Inquisitor¡¯s Divine Power seemed to grow stronger, light continuously flowing out of her body. ¡°Get them!¡± And just half a minuteter, the inquisitors who hadn¡¯t attacked came forward. Their maces rained down on the corrupt, whose bodies were instantly beaten to a pulp. I could feel Divine Power flowing in their maces, albeit weak. ¡°Everyone, be quiet.¡± Fall. Her hair hanging over her face like a veil, the Inquisitor whispered. Despite being spoken in a quiet voice, it was strangely clear, so everyone immediately shut their mouth. ¡°The Inquisition trial will continue. Until everyone has been proven innocent.¡± At this point, how should I put it? I had no idea what the game was trying to show me with this. The daily life of a fanatic? The process of an Inquisition trial in a fantasy world? Well, it didn''t matter all that much. As long as it didn¡¯t openly promote discrimination, hatred, or distortion of history, I could enjoy anything a game showed me. What I wanted to ask, however, was why they didn¡¯t give the initiative to the yer in this situation? I was the one ying the game, so why was an NPC taking charge right now? Seeing that they included this kind of scenario, they probably would have let the yer take the lead if they had chosen the Priest ss. That would have been fun. I felt a little disappointed. Knock, knock Then knocking sounded from the closed chapel door. The nearby guard put their ear against it before opening it slightly. ¡°Hey, Mister. I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Why did the Thiefe here? ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that I would repay your favor?¡± Why was he holding a rope in his hand¡­ Huh? ¡°Those seven who ran from the Temple; I caught all of them. What do you think? Do you still think it¡¯s unnecessary?¡± ¡­Did he actually catch those seven traitors ande here because I threw him that Demon Contractor as part of my roley? ¡°¡­No. As you already brought them here.¡± ¡°Right?¡± I red at the fugitives, who were tied up like Covina. ¡¸? Ominous Sign ? Find the traitors who conspired with the Demon Contractors ? Traitors subdued/eliminated: 11 / ??¡¹ The count instantly rose. How satisfying. Chapter 24: Irrevocable (3) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 24 Irrevocable (3) The Inquisition trial went on until midnight. Not everyone belonging to the Temple could wield Divine Power, so the second half of the trial was rather slow. It couldn¡¯t be helped. If someone in a position only wielders of Divine Power could achieve was unable to use it anymore, there would be a need to investigate them; ording to this world¡¯s setting, God can take away one¡¯s Divine Power if they did something wrong. However, you couldn¡¯t just call someone a sinner because they couldn¡¯t wield Divine Power to begin with. In the end, there was no other choice but to interrogate them in detail and get to the bottom of the matter. Couldn¡¯t it have been short, easy, and fun? Moreover, Icked any relevant abilities, so I had to stand back. If it weren¡¯t for the logout issue, I would have been bored out of my mind. Right, if it weren¡¯t for the logout issue. ¡°¡­¡± It was morning in the game. Since I had no other Quests and my help wasn¡¯t needed, I had enough time to think. I came up with two theories: either I miscalcted the time, or I hadn¡¯t ounted for a time skip function the game had, like sleep. Thetter wasn¡¯t just my wishful thinking, as many games made time pass faster by sleeping. Its effect was simr to contracting time, or at least it seemed that way. Right. If that was the case, it was obvious that the end of the Full Dive had been dyed by the amount of time I had slept. Technically speaking, it wasn¡¯t really dyed. I just bought some more time by skipping. ¡°I kept you waiting.¡± I felt a little more at ease aftering to that conclusion. That was the moment the Inquisitor returned. ¡°The remainder of the trials will be held by others. Until the inquisitors of the Great Temple arrive, the town will be responsible for holding them.¡± Oh. I thought the trial would continue for a few more days. It was great that she managed to hand the case over to others. It was fun seeing the inquisitors, bishops, and great priests get interrogated, but it got pretty boring after moving to the lower-ranking members who were asked questions and nothing more. Even if I wasn¡¯t in much of a mood to enjoy all this, boring things were still boring. ¡°Everyone, thank you for your hard work.¡± Tada dada! With the Inquisitor¡¯s words, the Quest Completion BGM sounded in my ear. ¡¸LEVEL UP!¡¹ Additionally, I also leveled up. ¡°Is that really okay?¡± However, while I was busy checking my level, the Thief¡ªI didn''t know why he hadn¡¯t left¡ªasked a question. It was understandable. The perpetrators were being judged by the very organization they belonged to, so it wasn''t unusual that some might react like that. The terms favoritism and bias existed for a reason, after all. ¡°They are all ordinary people, even if they are part of the Temple. They aren¡¯t on a level that a trained soldier couldn¡¯t suppress them. The judges sent by the Great Temple will also arrive in a week. It isn¡¯t likely that there¡¯ll be any problems.¡± ¡°Do you think that was what I meant when I asked?¡± ¡°Then what did you mean?¡± The Archmage and I both understood what the Thief wanted to say, but unfortunately, that was still a bit too much for our iron wall. When he asked if it was possible to monitor the proceedings with the town guards, she seemed to understand. ¡°Well. If that¡¯s what you mean, then that probably wouldn¡¯t work. I also want to take full responsibility for this until the end, but¡­¡± The Inquisitor hesitated for a moment before saying thest sentence with conviction. ¡°I have a mission that takes priority.¡± It was only natural for the Thief to be dumbfounded by this. He looked back at me and pointed his finger at the Inquisitor. I didn¡¯t know what he was thinking, but I kind of got it. ¡°¡­Those whoe here won¡¯t be traitorous bastards again, right?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s what you¡¯re wondering about, you don¡¯t have to worry, Sir Demon Knight. This incident will lead to arge-scale investigation of the entire Temple.¡± ¡°Hah. Sure. Who knows? They might even protect those traitors because they¡¯re from the same organization or something, right?¡± ¡°¡­I will not allow any more of your shameless words, criminal!¡± It sure was funny how different the Inquisitor¡¯s attitude was toward me and the Thief. ¡°Ehem. Rather than that, there was something I wanted to ask since a while ago¡­ How did you manage to catch these fugitives?¡± The Archmage asked a question to quickly change the subject. The Thief shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve already heard that there were traitors in the Temple, so I had an inkling¡­ From my observations, it seemed your search for those guys was going too slowly, so as soon as I arrived at the back alleys, I took the guys and waited around the Temple. That¡¯s when I caught those guys one after the other.¡± I had thought this was just part of the snowball effect, but he even gave a backstory to his actions that really fit the character. If not for these bugs, it really would be a divine game. Ah, that goddamn logout bug. ¡°Ah, but I didn¡¯t do that to reconcile with you or anything, so don¡¯t get it wrong. I just wanted to repay the Knight for his favor.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t judge from his words whether the Thief was actually afraid of her. If he was, he wouldn¡¯t say things that would lead to fights. ¡°¡­I would still like to thank you for what you did, albeit btedly. I still can¡¯t tolerate criminals like you¡­ However, it is true that you¡¯ve helped us a lot this time around.¡± Still, the Inquisitor was an NPC who knew how to be grateful. ¡°Thank you. Thanks to your help, I was able to eradicate those seeds of evil that had been parasitizing the Temple.¡± ¡°¡­Stop thanking me already. It doesn¡¯t suit you. Didn¡¯t I say I didn¡¯t do it for you but to repay Mister Knight over there?¡± Thanks to that, I could see the Thief turn his head in embarrassment. His expression seemed like he had just seen a ghost, though I could only see his ears and the lower part of his face. ¡°However, feeling gratitude and condoning crime are two separate matters. If it were just stealing that Demon Contractor and¡ª¡± ¡°Damn it, of course, there''s no way you''d just thank me, Miss Hero." ¡°I already thanked you with all my sincerity!" ¡°Yeah, yeah." The Thief answered her roughly as he picked his ear. The Inquisitor''s fingers twitched in response as if she wanted to grab her mace, but she eventually let it go and simply formed a fist. How unexpected. I thought she would pull it out. I had no intention of stopping her, though. ¡°I didn''t steal them, so there''s no need to get so worked up. I brought the body with me just in case." Still, seeing the Inquisitor losing patience, he gave her a satisfactory answer. The Thief snapped his fingers. It was at that time that a certain sound reached my ear. ¡°Did you call, Deathbringer?" Wow, I didn¡¯t notice them because [Detection] didn¡¯t alert me of anything¡­ Urgh! ¡°As you may have already heard, this priest here has to collect the body.¡± The reason I could remember the Thief¡¯s advanced sses reared its head again. Deathbringer¡­ Every ss¡¯s advancements had pretty cool names, but the Thief¡¯s were so incredibly cheesy that no one could forget them. It was probably because the word ¡®Death¡¯ just didn¡¯t fit the aesthetic sense of Koreans¡­ As such, it became the ss name people remembered the most urately despite being the number one ss nobody wanted to y. For your information, the ss that got misspelled the most was the Inquisitor. When one went to the Board (Community bulletin board) one could see various alternate spellings like Inkwisitor or Inqisiter. * * * * * * ¡°¡­I¡¯m sure.¡± While I was thinking about somethingpletely different, the Thief¡­ hmm, if I kept calling him Thief, I might confuse him with others, so I should instead call him by his mentioned title. However, I wasn¡¯t confident I could keep saying Deathbringer with a straight face, so I shortened it to Deb. Anyway, Deb examined the Demon Contractor¡¯s corpse along with another thief. I noticed something sticking out of the sack they brought along. When they opened it, it revealed a brutally mutted corpse. Considering that the thief NPC¡¯s eyes were still burning with hatred, it seemed he was the perpetrator. ¡°¡­Rather, there¡¯s something I want to ask you as well?¡± ¡°What do you want to know? If it¡¯s something I can answer, then I will.¡± ¡°Well, the thing about being a Hero¡­¡± However, Deb just brought up something rather random. ¡°Is it true?¡± ¡°¡­Ah, I see. You heard.¡± The Archmage fell silent for some time as if deliberating his words. Then he blinked his tired eyes and nodded weakly. His eyes looked like iron that had frozen over. ¡°Correct. The Inquisitor is God¡¯s chosen Hero.¡± ¡­Hey, was the Archmage alright? His fatigue seemed to be at the max. Well, I¡¯d noticed that his physical strength and agility had gone down a bit, but since he could still cast spells, I thought he hadn¡¯t maxed it out yet. Was he able to hold on because he was of the Shaggi race, known for their high base strength? ¡°¡­Really?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the truth.¡± ¡°No way¡­¡± Deb¡¯s jaw dropped. He couldn¡¯t seem to believe that the Inquisitor was a Hero. The Inquisitor, who thought herself undeserving of the title, might have agreed with his opinion but red at him with resentment as though harboring a grudge. Those two NPCs would make an interestingbination if put together in a party. Raise. Well, I didn¡¯t want to watch their antics anymore than this for today, though. I straightened my body along a wall and took a step forward. I should be done with that Quest now. I learned how the traitors would be dealt with and confirmed that the person Deb took with him had been taken care of. So, considering the nature of both my character and myself as a yer, I had no reason to stay here any longer. ¡°Wh-where are you going?¡± I didn¡¯t want to spend the night in the Temple, so I was just nning on finding a random inn to get some sleep. This damn game. Why did they have to implement fatigue and sleepiness? I hadn¡¯t felt it because of the tension I was under, but now that the anxiety of being unable to log out had been relieved, I felt really tired. I just wanted to rest. ¡°Are you going back to Tatara?¡± But how did she end up misunderstanding me like that? ¡°Tatara¡­ Isn¡¯t that the town we were in before?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s also where the Mabel Merchant Company is.¡± Ah. Right. ¡°¡­! The Mabel Company¡­¡± ¡°One of the Demon Contractors mentioned them, so something probably happened over there¡­¡± I was just going to wait for the results of the interrogation and go back afterward. I actually kind of forgot about that matter. The problem with the Mabel Merchant Company was still unresolved. ¡°I was thinking about resting a little. I really can¡¯t keep up with your sense of responsibility.¡± ¡­Although I had almost forgotten about this matter, I had no intention of clearing up this misunderstanding. Without stopping my feet, I went to look for a ce where I could get a means of transportation. I would have logged out while heading to Tatara, but this wasn¡¯t too bad, either. If I could just log out, wouldn¡¯t that be the best? ¡°However, I believe leaving straight away would be a bad call. We would just run out of stamina.¡± Right¡­ That was also true. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying we should give those guys even more time to do whatever they¡¯re nning?¡± However, that kind of logic didn¡¯t work on my character when it came to Demons! ¡°It¡¯s a matter of efficiency. You¡¯re right that if we were to leave now, we would get there faster. However, if we arrive at Tatara after whipping ourselves like that, would we still have the strength to deal with them?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t judge me based on your standards.¡± ¡°I admit that, unlike me, you might still have some surplus strength. However, is that really the case? Can you truly draw the strength to travel all the way back to Tatara with that already overworked body, knowing that you would have to sleep outside a few times?¡± I should¡­ be¡­? I mean, my fatigue was pretty high, but that was just a number that would go down after some sleep. Besides, there was no difference between sleeping outside and in an inn except the rate at which fatigue would drop. Considering that the game would shut down soon enough, I didn¡¯t need to take care of that to begin with. ¡°Look. It is indolence to not help others even when one has the power to. However, if you overwork yourself to the point of abuse to help others, can you really call that sincerity?¡± But for some reason, what I got back was this wise saying I should reflect on after logging out. ¡°The world exists because I exist, so I have the responsibility to build myself up first before I can support others.¡± I mean, I would wholeheartedly agree with every word he said if it applied to real life. However, this was a game¡­ ¡°So, are you lecturing me right now?¡± I wouldn¡¯t listen to any of these words right now, either as a yer or as my character. ¡°I¡¯m not lecturing you¡­¡± ¡°If that¡¯s how you want to live, then do that, sage. Act ording to the truth of the world you found, and breathe in the way you think is right." My character was designed to put his well-being as the lowest priority when a Demon appeared before him. That was how much he hated them. In short, I had to prioritize hunting Demons before my ownfort no matter what. Would such a character ignore a Demon he¡¯d gained information on just because he was a little tired? ¡°I will do so as well." Absolutely not! If I were to sleep now, I would break character. That was simply uneptable. ¡¸? The Truth Behind the Curtain ? Move to Tatara¡¹ And with my words, a new Quest appeared. ¡°If you continue living like that, you''ll end up copsing." ¡°That''s none of your business." There was nothing he had to worry about. As I was a yer, I would never end up copsing. Anyway, where would I get a horse? Should I just buy one at the trading post? I probably couldn¡¯t afford one with my current funds, though. Hmm. Posting a request at the Adventurers'' Guild¡­ wouldn''t work, right? Wow, what should I do now? I acted all cool already. That was why cool guys absolutely needed to have a lot of money. ¡°¡­I¡­" Then Deb raised his hand. ¡°I can arrange for the fastest horse you can find in town. It''ll be way better than any of the horses raised in the Temple." ¡­Damn, I liked this bastard! But I didn''t have that much money¡­! What should I do if I didn''t have enough money for it?! Urgh. I should have gotten that 500,000 Gal for catching the Draugr! Or at least have gotten the reward for solving the request! ¡°But it''ll take at least one or two hours. Depending on the horse''s condition, it might take even longer. Erm, are you fine with that?" ¡°¡­" It would take time. However, I had no other way to find other horses by myself, and he even promised to get me the fastest one, so these conditions were eptable. ¡°The price?" What was important was the price¡­! ¡°¡­The price, well. I''ll do something about it." I almost burst into tears. Was he an angel? ¡°Instead¡­ Let me ask you something." ¡°Go on." ¡°¡­Why are you so dedicated to this even though you certainly won''t get anything out of it?" So long as I could answer it in one sentence, I would readily do that. However, after I patiently waited for his question, he ended up asking me something rather strange. ¡°You''ll get neither wealth nor fame out of it, so why¡­?" Was my use of the systembined with my roleying seen as dedication in the eyes of that NPC¡­? I wasn''t really aiming for that, though. In my mind, the motive behind my actions was self-abuse stemming from self-loathing. Not something as sublime as dedication and self-sacrifice. ¡°Do I need a reason for crushing some bugs?" Well, there was no need to give him a detailed exnation, so I just brushed the question off like that. ¡°I just cannot tolerate those pests eating away at the world." By the way, I also grabbed my right arm when I said that. Wahaha. I couldn''t resist the opportunity to act out that kind of scene! Chapter 25: Irrevocable (4) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 25 Irrevocable (4) ¡°Ah, damn it." I had been pretty proud of what I¡¯d just said, but Deb suddenly cursed after hearing it. He said he would get me a horse, so I chose to let it go, but I had no idea why he did that. ¡°¡­Hey, Mister. I really hate those guys from the Temple." I already knew that. I knew he hated them so much that he would openly discuss it with me, whom he wasn''t even close with, right in front of a member of the Temple. ¡°However¡­ I hate Demons even more. I also really hate people who are no better than Demons." Was the favorability level of all plot-relevant NPCs screwed up or something? If it wasn''t, he would never have told me, someone he just met, something like that. As I reached that conclusion, I listened to the rest of his words. ¡°So, take this with you." I reflexively caught something that just came flying toward me. ¡°¡­In any even remotely developed city, you should be able to find a tavern with this insignia out front." As I was about to check what he had thrown, Deb whispered to me. I didn''t know what he¡¯d given me for him to bring up some tavern. ¡°If you find one, give them this. You''ll be able to buy any kind of information." I nced at what was in my hand. It was a piece of wood engraved with a rat ovepping with a snake. It was something anyone who yed Legend of Heroes would be familiar with: the emblem of the Information Guild. ¡°You deserve it." Crazy. This was an Information Guild ess card. It was simr to the Adventurers'' Guild but fulfilled a slightly different role. I felt the back of my head tingle slightly. I thought Deb would join us because of this incident, but now I realized it was all just to get him to deliver this card to the yer. I very much weed this twist. However, I would probably be able to log out before I even got to use it. ¡°¡­Why did you give this to me?" ¡°I just told you. I hate those Temple guys, but I hate Demons and those associated with them even more. And wouldn''t you, Mister Knight, make better use of that than us, who just hold onto information." That was true. After NPCs provided the yer with information, the yer would investigate and solve the situation ording to the Quest. However, I didn''t think he gave me that knowing this. ¡°What do you want?" I asked as I put the card into my inventory. Deb lifted the corners of his mouth to that. ¡°It''s fine. I already got what I wanted." ¡­I would have to check if I had anything in my inventory to give him. I never gave him anything, so why was he acting like that? ¡°And the horse¡­ I''ll try to get it for you as fast as possible. In the meantime, rest a bit. I''ll be able to do it alone." Wow, what good service. What? What did I do for him to go to such lengths for me? I couldn''t even exin it as being part of the plot anymore. Was this really all because I gave him one Demon Contractor? Wasn¡¯t that a bit much? ¡°Wait.¡± While I was trying to read Deb¡¯s mind, the Inquisitor spoke up this time. Her sunken eyes glittered in the moonlight. ¡°I will join you.¡± It wasn¡¯t anything I particrly wanted to happen or couldn¡¯t predict. These plot-relevant Companion NPCs just wouldn¡¯t stop following me. Even if they did, I wouldn¡¯t mind. ¡°Sir Archmage¡­¡± ¡°¡­How could I let you go alone?¡± Although the Archmage¡¯s expression seemed rather grim, he eventually agreed toe. He pressed his thick fingers against his eyes. ¡°But, do you really not mind?" ¡°I didn''t expect to go through such ordeals already, but¡­ you don''t have to worry about me. Ever since I decided to join you, Miss Inquisitor, I decided to stay by your side." Good, it seemed they decided toe along. However, why were they talking like that? ¡°¡­You guys will have to get your own transportation, though." ¡°Hmm. I''ll pay the original price for it. Is it still not possible for you to arrange some for us?" ¡°Well, in that case." Deb shrugged and gestured to the other thief NPC¡ªthe one who had brought the sack¡ªwho instantly disappeared into another alley. ¡°You''ll have to pay the original price, so you better be prepared." As he spoke, Deb slowly walked backward in the direction the other thief had gone before turningpletely and running off. That instant disappearing skill really made him seem like the Thief ss¡¯s representative character. ¡°¡­Anyway, all we can do now is wait." ¡°Ah, then we should go to the dorms. We shouldn''t have any problem using it." The Temple¡¯s dormitory¡­ I guess not going there would fit my personality better, wouldn¡¯t it? ¡°You should alsoe with us, Demon Knight. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to rest properly, even just a little?¡± Hmm. If they put it like that, it didn¡¯t seem like a bad idea. I just had to avoid lying in a bed. No matter whether I slept standing up, sitting down, or lying down, my fatigue level would decrease all the same. ¡°This way.¡± I carefully watched the retreating Inquisitor¡¯s back and followed at thest possible moment. ¡°Are you hoping for your own destruction?¡± The Archmage then asked me in a low voice so the Inquisitor wouldn¡¯t hear. I decided not to answer the sage. Because his question perfectly described the image I had been aiming for. Wahaha. * * * Deb returned around dawn. It took longer than I anticipated, but I just let it go after saying, ¡°You¡¯rete.¡± The horses were too good for me to throw a temper tantrum. Actually, thanks to him being sote, I could rest for a good amount of time. ¡°Why five?¡± ¡°No matter how good the horse, it¡¯ll tire very quickly if carrying a warrior in full te armor like you. That¡¯s why.¡± So he meant she should roughly distribute the burden between two horses. However, there was one more left. ¡°¡­Because these are very precious horses. They told me someone has to go along with you to ensure they won¡¯t get hurt.¡± Deb, after speaking rather bluntly to the Inquisitor, immediately turned his eyes to me. Those two were so strange. Why did they act all friendly with me, who took every opportunity to show off my bad temper, but saw each other as a nuisance? ¡°And you are the one I take?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡¸???(Deathbringer) has joined you.¡¹ Right. I nced at the Status Window rising before my eyes. * * * * * * "Are you dissatisfied? If so, I can just take back those horses.¡± A voice interrupted my thoughts from the side. Though I wasn¡¯t particrly dissatisfied¡­ Rather, it was the first time I ever heard that voice. I nced in the direction it came from. ¡°¡­! Sister!¡± I could see the astonishment on the faces of the priests who came to see us off. If even they recognized her, she must be quite famous in this town. ¡°Do you know her?¡± ¡°Well, she¡¯s a great supporter of our Temple. She also does a lot of charity work in the slums.¡± ¡°¡­So she doesn¡¯t have a criminal record or something?¡± ¡°Of course not!¡± Thanks to the Inquisitor, I managed to gain a lot of information. Right. ¡°I can tell just by looking. You''re that Demon Knight our little boy has fallen for, right?" ¡°I didn¡¯t fall for him!" ¡°You came running to me at this ungodly hour to ask that I lend you horses, and you¡¯re telling me you didn¡¯t?¡± ¡°Urgh.¡± Listening to her conversation with Deb, it seemed she was these horses¡¯ owner. I turned to look at the horses, suppressing the remaining fatigue. I could properly see the other person now. She was of the ¡®nd¡¯ race, her ears pointy and her body slender. The faint scent of medicinal herbsing from her was rather rxing. ¡°Well, I was only joking about taking them back. I was just curious about who was borrowing my horses, so don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°You are?¡± ¡°I run a small pharmacy. You can call me Skyley.¡± I found it rather strange that the owner of a pharmacy possessed five horses of such quality, but I decided to let it go. She might be a coborator or a member of the Information Guild. Of course, it could also be because she had a close rtionship with Deb¡­ I wasn¡¯t all that curious. If she were an important NPC, I would see her againter, after all. ¡°Are you the owner of these horses?¡± The Inquisitor, who had sessfully removed her armor with the help of some of the priests, came forward. They had only removed the tes and left the chainmail, making her seem very daunting. ¡°First, I want to express my thanks to you. Then, the price for lending us these horses is¡­¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s fine. I heard someone from the Temple asked to borrow one, so how could I request payment? We have to help each other in times like these.¡± ¡°Still¡­¡± ¡°You need it for a good cause, don¡¯t you?¡± Skyley spoke with a smile on her lips. ¡°I raised these kids with all my love, so please ensure they don¡¯t get hurt.¡± However, she said that while looking at me, not the Inquisitor. Also, her hand was still pressing down on Deb¡¯s head as he stood beside her. ¡°Ah, why are you doing this again?!¡± ¡°If they get hurt¡­ I might get a little angry.¡± So, she was indirectly telling me to make sure to take care of Deb. The NPCs in this town were really good at speaking in a roundabout way. ¡°That won¡¯t happen.¡± Of course, the expression of the Inquisitor, who likely missed the hidden meaning, turned somewhat grim. Unlike when addressing Deb, she was polite. Despite being acquainted with a criminal, Skyley didn¡¯t seem to bother her so long as there was no criminal record, or so it seemed. ¡°In that case, I can feel relieved.¡± ¡°Erm, but¡­ about what he said about returning the horses.¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s literally just that. These kids are just so precious to me that I get rather anxious when sending them to an unknown ce.¡± ¡°¡­In that case, the Temple could¡ª¡± ¡°Of course, I know if I asked the Temple, they would ensure my horses¡¯ safe return, but that¡¯s just how the mind works. I thought I would feel a bit more relieved if someone I know goes along.¡± ¡°Th-then¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve known this kid for quite some time already, so I thought it¡¯d be good to leave it to him. Ah, is there some kind of problem with that?¡± ¡°Erm¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s a little rough around the edges but often helps me with charity work. He¡¯s very quick-witted, so I¡¯m sure that he won¡¯t cause you any trouble, Miss Inquisitor.¡± It seemed the Inquisitor wanted to send Deb away or rece him with someone else¡­ I had no idea why she insisted on us taking Deb¡ªmaybe because of the plot¡ªbut it seemed there wasn¡¯t anything we could do. Well, I didn¡¯t really care who came along. ¡°Are you going to keep bbering?¡± I felt really sorry. We¡¯d only exchanged a few words, but I couldn¡¯t waste any more time. Just when I mounted the horse, the Archmage coincidently came trudging in. ¡°I¡¯m thest one, huh?¡± He didn¡¯t even ask why there were five horses or who this new addition was. Even a normal human¡¯s ears would have picked up half the conversation between the Inquisitor and Skyley, so with his hearing, he should have already grasped the situation. ¡°Oh my, it seems I wasted too much of your time. Off you go.¡± ¡°Erm, yes. Thank you¡­ for your consideration.¡± The Inquisitor, defeated by her eloquence, eventually got on her horse with a sullen expression. Deb had already mounted his, so all we needed to do was leave. ¡°Ah, wait. Hey, listen.¡± ¡°Huh, what else is there?¡± ¡­All we needed to do was wait for the horse owner to finish speaking with her representative and then leave. ¡°I wish you luck.¡± ¡°May God be with you.¡± They didn¡¯t talk for long. I didn¡¯t feel the need to listen to these words of blessing, so I just started riding. ¡°Giddy up!¡± Neigh! The great horse immediately started moving its legs at mymand. Its speed and eleration were quite good. ¡°Th-that.¡± ¡°Hooh.¡± The priests behind me were staring quite intensely, but my character wasn¡¯t one to care about the looks of others. Wahaha. ¡°¡­! How nice!¡± ¡°¡­Looks like I¡¯ve been pampered to death here. Sigh, I deserve it.¡± I could hear the Inquisitor¡¯s exmation and Deb¡¯s mutterings enter my ears. It seemed this was the first time that Deb had ridden a horse. ¡°At this rate, we¡¯ll arrive in three days.¡± ¡°That long?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Just as I heard the Archmagementing close by, a horse approached me. ¡°¡­Erm, Mister. Please forget what you just heard.¡± It was the Deathbringer. ¡°I met her a little while back in the alleys, and she¡¯s a bit nosy, so¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± In fact, I would engrave that incident into my mind, but that was just me. My character wouldn¡¯t be that interested in it. ¡°Is that so.¡± I wondered how he took these words. After riding beside me silently for some time, Deb opened his mouth once more. ¡°¡­Mister, have you ever regretted it?¡± That question seemed a little strange in this situation. Besides, shouldn¡¯t such sensitive subjects only be broached after we¡¯d known each other for some time, or, in other words, after we¡¯d built up some rapport? Did that guy¡¯s favorability somehow rise without me doing anything, like with the Inquisitor? ¡°¡­¡± Should I ignore him, or shouldn¡¯t I? If I decided not to ignore him, how should I answer? I quickly thought about what my character would do, and an appropriate answer soon came out of my mouth. ¡°What a meaningless question.¡± Because he hadn¡¯t been strong enough, he had been unable to prevent his family¡¯s demise. Because he hadn¡¯t been strong enough, he was the only one who survived. And because he hadn¡¯t been strong enough, all he could do now was hunt those Demons. From his perspective, was there even something to regret? Regret was only possible when one realized they had done something wrong or could have made a better choice. Neither applied to the Demon Knight. In other words, he never even had the chance to feel regret. All of his despair resulted from an unstoppable disaster. However. ¡°¡­The nutrient supplements should have run out by now, so why can I still not log out?¡± Two days had passed since we began our journey to Tatara. With how much time had already passed, this couldn¡¯t have happened because of the sleep function¡¯s time skip, but I still couldn¡¯t log out. Even when we reached Tatara, the game still didn¡¯t end. ¡°Why¡­?¡± I had a lot of regrets. Connecting to this game. Getting too immersed in my roley. Putting aside all my worries, thinking I would eventually be able to log out. These were all things I could have prevented! Shit! Chapter 26: The Consequences of One’s Choices (1) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 26 The Consequences of One¡¯s Choices (1) In my life, I hade to two realizations, one big and one small. One was: there¡¯s no word as useless as ¡®never¡¯. And the subsequent realization: therefore, it would be better to focus on the present. In summary, with so many seemingly unbelievable things happening in the world, one should never assume or deny anything but simply take them as theye. That was why I had been so confident that the game would eventually shut off despite this damn logout bug. Although I knew nothing was certain, I decided to focus on the game as if it was. ¡°Log out.¡± ¡¸Thismand cannot be carried out.¡¹ Of course, some might see it ascency. ¡°¡­Log out.¡± ¡¸Thismand cannot be carried out.¡¹ I admit it. From a certain perspective, my optimism could be called negligence. ¡°¡­Damn it, I said log out!¡± ¡¸Thismand cannot be carried out.¡¹ However, had I been more pessimistic, would my immediate situation and conclusion have been any different? ¡°Please, just let me log out¡­¡± ¡¸Thismand cannot be carried out.¡¹ Neither was the correct answer here, in this situationpletely beyond my control and unsolvable by myself. It was just a question of how one approached things. * * * Before reaching Tatara, we built a small camp to eat and get some rest. I called it a camp, but we just made a bonfire and slept around it while bundled up in our cloaks. But anyway. The time had passed for the nutrient supplements injected into the capsule to run out. Weirdly enough, a notification about that matter never popped up either. Right, it could be the capsule itself had broken. I had even bought one as expensive as a car. Well, unlucky people would break their noses even if they fell backward. There was no way the Capsule Emergency protocol wouldn¡¯t work unless the whole machine had broken. ¡°Emergency protocol, forced capsule shut down.¡± ¡¸Thismand cannot be carried out.¡¹ Despite knowing it wouldn¡¯t work, I still muttered it for no particr reason. Crackle. Beyond that hateful Error Window, I could only see the bonfire burning brightly. Other than that, there was nothing. Maybe because it was night, it was really quiet. The others were all asleep, probably trusting in the barrier the Archmage had created. ¡°¡­Hah.¡± So it was time to admit it, huh? I was trapped in this game and had no idea how to get out. ¡°¡­Goddamn it." I rubbed over my right arm, which started to tingle for no reason, and let out a cuss. I was craving a cigarette right now, even though I quit more than a decade ago. I really wanted to blow out some steam. ¡°Am I really going to die like this¡­?" If I did, would I appear in the news as someone who died due to abination of a game bugging out and the capsule malfunctioning? I really wouldn''t appreciate that kind of fame. No, would they even find my corpse? My parents lived away from me, so they wouldn''t know about my condition. My friends. I told them how much I was looking forward to this game, so they would think that I just extended my Full Dive. I had too many records of doing that. It might have been different if my work was still getting serialized, but with itplete, I also didn''t have to contact the person in charge anymore. Even if I tried to tell someone using the Multiyer Function, I wasn''t even connected to the inte¡­ And about my sponsoring¡­ No. It would be better if I didn''t contact them. I already set up the automatic money transfer, after all. That kid would just be sad if they found out the person sponsoring them died. Actually, would they stop a sponsorship if the sponsor died? I had no idea because I hadn¡¯t done any research on that. Still, with the money left in my ount, I should be able to support the child until they¡¯re an adult. ¡°¡­¡± With my eyes fixed on the bonfire, I continued to think in a daze, mostly about the aftermath of my death. My grieving parents, friends who wille to my funeral, acquaintances in my line of work, and readers who will write their prayers in thements¡­ ¡°I never thought I would die like this." Strangely, I wasn''t exactly sad. Perhaps because this was all just too absurd, it didn''t seem real. I was like a frog in a pot. If one put a frog in water and slowly boiled it, the frog wouldn''t notice the gradual change in temperature and would sit still until dying. That wasn''t quite right, though. ¡°¡­If just one person notices." If even one person noticed something was off and got me out. Maybe I might still get out of this alive. Could I ce my hopes in something like that? ¡°Hah¡­ Who would even notice?" There was no way something like that would happen. And even if it did, it would take at least another two weeks. I wasn''t sure I could survive that long. Nutrients aside, humans can¡¯t live long without water, three to four days at most. I fully leaned against a tree. I judged there was no way to escape my inevitable death, so I lost all my strength. ¡°What if I actually transmigrated¡­" Then, only pointless thoughts suddenly upied my mind. Was it because I often read those kinds of novels? Or was my mind trying to escape this helpless situation? However, the scenery around me was so realistic that it was hard to believe I was inside a game. The NPCs were also overly human-like. Its structure andck of certain conveniences fueled my delusions, as well. In novels, these sudden technological jumps often led to the development of ''it actually was another world.¡¯ Of course, believing something like that was pretty hard, given the existence of the system and UI. The character also looked exactly how I set him up. I had these weapons and the inventory as well. Even the automatic cleansing and cloth restoration worked. These kinds of conveniences wouldn''t exist if this were reality, right? However, the reason I couldn''t easily let go of that random thought was because possession and transmigration were still better than death by starvation. In any case, my life motto was to keep my mind open to every possibility, and I preferred being alive over dying. ¡°¡­Wait a minute." Hadn''t I been wholly focused on roleying up to this point? ¡­Huh? I reflected on all my actions until now, so it was only natural that all the blood drained from my face. Had all that shit been real? No way. I absolutely couldn''t ept that. Setting aside that I was risking my life to defeat the Demon King, if all the NPCs I had encountered were real people and I actually insulted them with that personality of mine, what the hell was my social reputation?! It¡¯s like I answered the door with my pants down, not even feeling the need to show any respect because I was expecting a close friend toe by, only to be met with aplete stranger my friend had brought with them. I felt embarrassed and ashamed. I could still me others for the bugs and glitches, at least, but if it really was like this, there was no one else to me because I chose to do all that myself! ¡°Ah, shit.¡± That scenario was still better than starving to death but in some ways seemed even more painful, so I prayed that this wasn''t the truth either. This situation was really fucked. * * * * * * ¡°Are you awake?" Either way, ever since I realized the severity of my situation, I couldn''t sleep well. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°...Why are you looking at me like that?" However, just because things looked terrible didn''t mean I didn''t want to live. There was nothing else I could do anyway, so I decided to keep ying this game. In addition, I vowed to improve my rtionship with my Companion NPCs and tone down the roleying a bit. ¡°¡­?¡± I wasn''t certain this was actually a different world, but either way, doing that was a lot more advantageous for me. Especially toning down the roleying. If this was just a game, it wouldn''t matter if I acted as I had until now, but if this was a real world¡­ I had to do my best to cooperate with the others to take down Satan. I was just trying to be a bit more cooperative to cover all my bases. Of course, this obviously couldn''t really be a different world. But what if it was?! ¡°Demon Knight." ¡°What?" But why was the Inquisitor looking at me like that again? What? What was it now? Could it be my favorability with her lowered without my knowledge, just how it rose even when I hadn''t done anything? ¡°Do you want to eat something?" ¡°¡­Sure." ¡°¡­!¡± While wondering what was going on in that red head of hers, I gave her an answer. In the next moment, the Inquisitor widened her eyes and lifted her mace with one hand. White light enveloped it. ¡°Are you the Demon?" ¡­What? ¡°¡­What are you talking about?" Since I had to react to the word Demon, I crumpled up my face and grabbed the hilt of my sword. Then Deb, who had just killed the bonfire, and the Archmage, who had just opened his eyes a little, both seemed shocked. I understood how they felt. I also didn''t know what was going on. ¡°Wh-What is happening?" ¡°What¡­?" I also had no idea. She just suddenly picked a fight with me. I had just decided to treat her better from today on, as well. Wasn''t the problem with the Demon in my right arm already solved? ¡°Get behind me!" However, instead of exining herself, the Inquisitor simply made the other two very confused people stand behind her. This was just crazy. Why the heck was she doing that? She should at least tell me her reasons! ¡°Do you think you can fool me?!" ¡°What are you talking about this early in the morning¡ª" ¡°The Demon Knight doesn''t speak so gently!" ¡­Say what now? ¡°He wouldn''t give me an answer just like that, and if I called him a Demon, he would just pull out his sword without asking any questions!" ¡­???? ¡°Just because you got lucky and managed to possess his body for a moment, how dare you pretend to be him in front of me?!" I couldn''t wrap my head around the stuff the Inquisitor was shouting. What the hell? I mean, no, what? ¡°Such petty tricks won''t work on me!" ¡­She was joking, right? ¡°Wh-What are you doing? Why are you suddenly telling Mister¡ª!" ¡°...Just wait there." I didn¡¯t even know where to start correcting the Inquisitor¡¯s misunderstanding, so I eventually tried turning to the Archmage. I thought someone as wise as him would be able to elucidate the Inquisitor about how absurd she was acting right now. ¡°What are you waiting for?!¡± ¡°The Inquisitor is right.¡± However, the Archmage also betrayed my expectations! My lip twitched as my blood pressure rose slowly but surely. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Demon Knight! I would never fall for the abominable deceptions of a Demon! As promised, I will buy you some time to push away the Demon¡¯s consciousness!¡± No, when the hell did this misunderstanding even start? Why did she think that I was getting devoured by the Demon right now? Andst time, I had wondered why she said she would buy me time. Was it foreshadowing for this? I was about to go crazy. ¡°¡­¡± What was even sadder was that both the Archmage and the Inquisitor wore such determined expressions. They wouldn¡¯t listen to any exnations or excuses. Even if I told them the truth that I had been acting all this time, they would probably just say something like, ¡®We won¡¯t be tricked by a Demon¡¯s wretched words!¡¯ Especially that iron wall kimchi dumpling! Fine, whatever. Should I just pretend to be pissed at the favor I showed her on a whim getting refused like that? I didn¡¯t think any of them would believe that either, though. I didn¡¯t even have the confidence to convincingly express something like that to begin with. I guess I could just turn around in anger and go somewhere alone, but there was no guarantee that they would just leave me alone. ¡°If you don¡¯te at me, I wille at you!¡± ¡­Rather, I felt like she would act like this again if I broke character againter! ¡°¡­Haha.¡± I dodged the Inquisitor¡¯s attack and touched my forehead. ¡°T-To get discovered already¡­¡± A very serious reality just hit me. ¡°How about we stop here for now¡­?¡± I felt utterly ridiculous acting this out. Furthermore, this was simply too much. Did I have to go this far? No matter how much I liked roleying, did I have to y two different roles with wildly different personalities just because those NPCs interpreted my character that way? No, rather, was their interpretation of the character the actual canon one? Sure, I intentionally changed my way of acting, but how could she say I wasn¡¯t me anymore just for being nicer? This was simply¡­ simply uneptable. Something as crazy as that couldn¡¯t be real! This had to be a game! ¡°As expected! My eyes are never wrong!¡± Hearing the kimchi dumpling shout that, I felt greatly ashamed while ying this role. I couldn¡¯t help it. The only reason I could shamelessly act out my character until now was because it was something I did just for myself, and even if I involved others in my act, I only did so after getting their tacit permission. In other words, I could only roley with ease because I¡¯d thought this was a game. However, now there was a chance it wasn¡¯t. Regardless of whether that was the truth, the mere thought of it being reality overwhelmed me with shame. I desperately wanted to crawl into a hole. ¡°Next time¡­ I won¡¯t leave so easily.¡± Even as I made up my lines, I felt like I was about to die from embarrassment. I felt my face heat up, but I couldn¡¯t stop. I just wanted to bury my head in the sand and die. ¡°Demon Knight!¡± Finally, I fell, covering my face with my hands. I could sense three people running toward me, perhaps because of my fall. However, I couldn¡¯t face them right now. So I just decided to actually fall unconscious. Doing that wasn''t that difficult using the system. ¡¸ ¡ø Sleeping for 0 Hours 10 Minutes ¨‹ ¡¹ Please, when I wake up, let me have returned to reality. Let me wake up to reality! Please, before my social life really kicked the bucket! * * * ¡°Demon Knight!¡± The Inquisitor rushed forward when she saw that person falling. Was he exhausted from his internal struggle against the Demon? His face seemed a lot redder than usual. ¡°Mister?!¡± She reflexively drew on her Divine Power to heal him but quickly withdrew it when she saw him frowning. She had forgotten that the power of God was like poison to his body, as he was the host of a Demon. That exined something the Archmage had told her when he joined them. ¡°Luckily, he only fell asleep for a little while. You don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡± ¡°I-Is that so?¡± ¡°Hey, is there something wrong with him? What was all that talk about a Demon this early? Why did Mister suddenly fall down¡­?¡± She felt d that he only fell asleep, but why did that suddenly happen¡­? He was probably properly fighting the Demon for dominance now. ¡ºI never thought I would die like this.¡» She recalled hearing his voicest night. ¡º¡­If just one person notices.¡» Immediately speaking of his own death, letting out a desperate plea in his gloomy, cracking voice. Perhaps the Demon Knight had foreseen this situation. However, the reason he didn¡¯t tell them about it was probably because he still didn¡¯t trust them. ¡°Are you ignoring me?¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Her thoughts were interrupted. She sharply red at the Thief. However, she couldn¡¯t put her mind at ease, so she lifted the Demon Knight. Since she couldn¡¯t just leave him on the cold floor, she wanted toy him on a nket they hadn¡¯t put away yet. ¡°He¡¯ll wake up.¡± She easily ced the Demon Knight on a nket andid her cloak over him. Considering his personality, the Demon Knight probably wouldn¡¯t be happy with her actions, but she couldn¡¯t not do it. She could feel his body was ice cold despite only touching him for a moment. ¡°¡­He¡¯s definitely going to wake up. I just don¡¯t know which side will.¡± The Archmage¡¯s doubts were valid. She had simr thoughts after first encountering the Demon Knight. ¡°Hmm. I think I know which one it¡¯ll be.¡± However, she no longer doubted him. ¡°He can¡¯t be defeated by the Demon.¡± The Demon Knight would never be defeated by that Demon. ¡°Ah, so what the hell is going on here?¡± ¡°Shut up! Don¡¯t you dare interrupt his rest, you criminal!¡± ¡°What did you say, you fanatic thug?!¡± ¡°You despicable thief!¡± ¡­So, she believed he would be his normal self again after waking up. She just had to get rid of that criminal before then! Chapter 27: The Consequences of One’s Choices (2) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 27 The Consequences of One¡¯s Choices (2) ¡°You¡ªAh! Demon Knight! Have youe to your senses?!¡± Naturally, I didn¡¯t miraculously wake up in reality after sleeping for a bit. What greeted me instead were the Inquisitor and Deb, who were fighting again, and the Archmage, who looked down at me as he bound me with magic, his eyes showing wariness. ¡°¡­Do you want to die?¡± Even if I wanted to destroy these bindings, I couldn¡¯t because I had no weapon on me. I nced at the magical chains wrapped around my body before ring at the Archmage with contempt. He studied my face for a moment before grinning. ¡°I just wanted to prepare for the worst-case scenario, so don¡¯t be too angry with me.¡± The chains broke to pieces and dissipated into nothingness. Just like my social reputation. ¡°¡­¡± I grabbed my sword, scrunched up my face, and tried swallowing my tears. As I couldn¡¯t log out anyway, I figured I should continue ying the game while toning down my roleying a bit. I had no idea it would be such an ordeal, flipping all my ns on their heads. A pain. This was all such a pain. However, I couldn¡¯t stop now¡­ Flutter. After taking a deep breath, Ipletely threw off the nket covering me. The clothes ced over my body fell to the ground as I straightened up. At a nce, they seemed to be the Inquisitor¡¯s¡ªthe color was different from my own clothing. But, so what? She practically brought this on herself. Shit, I actually wanted to change, but those guys were the ones forcing me to keep this shitty personality¡­! ¡°¡­Do I have to cut out those impertinent eyes first before you turn your heads?¡± I was just trying to survive this time. I swore that I would never roley again after this. I never thought I would receive such karma for a character setting I¡¯d tried for fun. ¡°Ah, no!¡± However, why did she answer so brightly? Just what did she like about these harsh words¡­?! I was pissed and angry in many ways. Especially at that kimchi dumpling! She seemed so proud of herself. I climbed onto my horse without even hiding my seething feelings. That was only possible because the bonfire was already doused and my luggage packed into my inventory. I didn¡¯t have a cloak or nket. I didn¡¯t really have to worry about my body temperature thanks to the system¡ªif it mattered, it would have given me a warning, too¡ªso I just slept as is. If I used the system to fall asleep, I wouldn''t feel the cold or anything else. That was one of the reasons I found it hard to believe this ce was real. Of course, my biggest issue right now was with my roleying! ¡°Giddy up!" "Hey, please wait a second!"¡± Ah, whatever! I don''t want to go through that again!! ¡°Demon Knight!!" ¡°Mister!!" Uwaaargh!! * * * After rushing ahead, just focusing on the horses as if in a trance, I almost reached Tatara. Was it because I was dealing with some serious issues in my head? Somehow, I didn''t feel that tired, but the others looked like they were about to die. ¡°Where should we go first after we enter the city?" I couldn''t listen to what the kimchi dumpling said, definitely, absolutely! My actions¡ªignoring her, that is¡ªwere perfectly calcted to avoid making her think the Demon had taken me over again. Right, I was in danger of getting temporarily possessed by the Demon at any moment¡­ Or that was supposedly the case. So I had to think along the lines of: ''If the Inquisitor hadn''t noticed my change''¡ªGod, how great would that have been!¡ª''the Demon could have harmed other people using my body.'' However, what about the Demon Knight''s past? His family was killed by that Demon. Simply put, this incident should have perfectly stimted his past trauma. Naturally, he couldn''t help feeling anxious and nervous, which he would express by pushing away those around him even more. For example, by ignoring them, turning away from them, or pushing them away for his own sake and theirs. However, even if I interpreted my character that way, another reason was that I felt too ashamed to face them. If I didn''t maintain some distance, I would likely end up in a simr situation as before. How did things end up like this? I wanted to stop roleying immediately but couldn''t. I was so embarrassed I felt like I was about to die. ¡°Are we immediately heading to the Mabel Company¡­?" After I finally managed to cool down my burning face, the Archmage, covered in stark white hair as if he¡¯d bleached it, asked me a question. He was correct. As expected, not reacting to them was the right move. ¡°Let''s go¡­" ¡°Are you okay, Sir Archmage?" ¡°¡­I can endure for a little bit more." As I raced ahead, I checked on Tatara''s current condition. What caught my eye were the very noticeable barricades on the bridge leading to the city. Those weren''t there when we left. ¡°¡­! It''s people!" Even the guards positioned in posts became hectic when they saw us approaching. They didn¡¯t seem hostile toward us, given how no attacks came flying our way despite us having clearly entered their range. ¡°Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Deb seemed to have noticed as well, leading him to say that. What followed was the stiff voice of the Inquisitor. ¡°¡­I can feel Demonic Energying from the City." In other words, the city was ruined. ¡°Are you sure?" ¡°Notpletely. However, this feeling¡­ I only get it when facing Demons." Well, it wasn''t anything surprising. Since the Quest said we should go to Tatara, something would obviously happen there. ¡¸? The Truth Behind the Curtain ? Go to Tatara ? Investigate what happened in the city¡¹ My job was just to find out what happened and what would happen. ¡°You there, halt!" A guard ran out of his post to stop us. Of course, I would have to stop even if he hadn''t said anything: the barricade, made from multiple logs tied together in an X shape, didn''t have a single gap. ¡°Identify yourselves!¡± I was thinking of leaving this to the Inquisitor like I had until now, but I changed my mind. If I didn¡¯t want her smashing my head in, I had to carefully interpret my character and act ordingly from now on. I took out my adventurer¡¯s card from my inventory. Swish. ¡°Woah!¡± When I threw it over the barricade, a guard caught it in a panic. The one who caught it seemed extremely frightened, and those near him quickly stepped away as though I had thrown a grenade. ¡°Y-you are an adventurer¡­?¡± However, I still managed to prove my identity. ¡°Are the others adventurers as well?¡± ¡°N-no. Wait, I mean yes, I have an adventurer¡¯s card.¡± Momentarily confused about her profession, the Inquisitor handed over both her adventurer¡¯s card and her sacred relic. The guard¡¯s eyes became as round as saucers. ¡°You are a priest?!¡± Although priests seem to be treated quite well in this world, the guard¡¯s reaction seemed pretty excessive. It seemed as if¡­ as if someone drowning was looking at their savior. ¡°W-why are there only so few people?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± A momentter, the guard asked us with trembling pupils. ¡°Didn¡¯t youe because of the messenger we sent¡­?¡± The picture was bing clearer. ¡°¡­Both we and the priest are just here on some business. Is there a problem?¡± The Archmage, gesturing for the Inquisitor to stop, approached and asked him a question. The moment he realized the urgency of the situation, his eyes no longer showed any signs of fatigue. They only contained a cool glint. ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± The guards first looked at each other before speaking in a calm voice. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside first.¡± * * * * * * After several guards cooperated to move the barricade, they created a small gap. ¡°A messenger, huh¡­? It seems something very bad happened.¡± While our precious horses were ushered into the city first, the Archmage spoke as he stroked his chin. Then, a hand crept up beside it. It was Deb¡¯s. ¡°¡­It might be a littlete, but could I say something?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°On our way here, I saw quite a few traces of battle and blood. At first, I thought they were left by bandit attacks or wild animals¡­ But, after hearing the guard¡¯s words and how they¡¯re acting, isn¡¯t this a bit too suspicious?¡± ¡°How many did you see?¡± ¡°So many that one might think the Lord neglected the roads for several years?¡± So, it seemed there were more than usual, huh? Moreover, I had one more piece of information that those three didn¡¯t: the second Quest I solved here, the Emergency Rescue Quest. Unfortunately, my memories of the original game were useless here. Nothing like that ever happened during the game. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have seen wrong? If security on the roads was that bad, wouldn¡¯t we have been attacked at least once?¡± ¡°Oh, who wouldn¡¯t know that? Those helm watchers mentioned a messenger, right? Stupid Inquisitor.¡± ¡°Wh-what did you say just call me? Stupid?¡± ¡°Yes! Stupid!!¡± The Inquisitor and Deb were fighting again, but I had already seen that several times, so I easily ignored their squabbling. I had gotten quite ustomed to it. It was around then that the guard who asked us toe inside opened his mouth once more. His helmet, which seemed of a better quality than the other guards¡¯, gave off a weird glow. ¡°Those whoe to the city don¡¯t get attacked.¡± ¡°Right now, your wrist¡ªwhat did you say just now?¡± ¡°Those whoe to enter the city aren¡¯t attacked, Miss Priest.¡± As soon as I heard those words, I immediately realized what kind of situation we got ourselves into. It seemed those Demon Contractor bastards left thoseing to the city alone and only kept them from leaving. Considering what I¡¯d heard and seen during the rescue mission not too long ago¡­ Were they nning to use the people of this town as sacrifices? Ah, was that why that guy was babbling about the Mabel Company? Because they would obviously end up messing with the merchant group I had gotten involved with? Anyway, if they were trying to use the entire city for a ritual, they were bound to get swept away, as well. I had thought it was something else entirely because he only mentioned the merchant group. ¡°What? So I was right, huh?¡± ¡°Sh-shut up.¡± ¡°In that case, what about those who try to leave?¡± The Archmage asked another question. He questioned that guy in my stead, for which I felt rather grateful. ¡°Thanks to the few people who managed to return alive, we learned that everyone who left was attacked without exception. Even still, we had to ask for help somehow¡­" ¡°So you kept sending out messengers." ¡°We thought at least one person should be able to survive to get help." Well, if those guys were trying to use this city for their ritual, it would be safest topletely iste it. Receiving outside help couldpromise their n, so it¡¯s obvious they would desperately keep anyone from escaping. I stepped away from my Companions for a moment as I pieced together the big picture. The closer I got to the city, the more my right arm tingled. ¡°Is there anything else? What about the barricades?" ¡°The Lord ordered us to erect them. He was worried our city might get attacked. As for other things¡­ There has been a surge in missing people as ofte.¡± ¡°Wh-what has the Temple done so far?¡± ¡°¡­The Temple can''t make a move right now." ¡°What?" ¡°The priests were the first to notice something was strange and moved out, but¡­ " The guard practically spat out his next words as he ordered the gate on the other side of the bridge to be opened. ¡°Most of them died while dealing with the Demons in the sewers." What kind of coincidence was that? My tutorial Quest happened to be cleaning the sewers, as well. However, the only things that appeared were Goblins. Now, something more dangerous had appeared and caused severe damage to the people of the Temple. ¡°Those bastards¡­ How foolish can they be¡­?¡± It seemed I had to go back into the sewers. Just thinking about it made my nose sting. ¡°It seems you noticed as well.¡± ¡°Do you two have any guesses?¡± ¡°It looks like the Demon Worshippers are the cause behind this, but¡­¡± The Archmage¡¯s eyes turned to the Inquisitor. She naturally lowered her voice so that the guard wouldn¡¯t be able to hear her words. ¡°In the worst case, we might need to abandon this city.¡± ¡°What¡­?!¡± ¡°¡­Hey, Mister. Is the situation really that serious?¡± ¡°It¡¯s somewhat simr to what happened in Somon. Demon Contractors are hiding somewhere, collecting sacrifices, and plotting something, but¡­ unlike in Somon, where they were limited to only about 30 victims, the ones they n to sacrifice right now¡­¡± They were uncountable. Considering what they did to those who tried to leave, there should be more than 100. In other words, they would be able to summon at least five Knuckers. ¡°Please enter, Miss Priest.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. Thank you for your help.¡± ¡°¡­Of course. It¡¯s something I ought to do, after all.¡± ¡­However, phasing it like that made it seem like a pretty big deal, didn¡¯t it? Who the hell was in charge of bncing the difficulty? ¡°Erm, Miss Priest.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Will we¡­ be able to get through this?¡± Remembering the Knucker I had defeated in just two hits, I stepped through the gate. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Yes. We¡¯ll get through this! We will definitely get through this!¡± Our Hero,pletely cutting off the Archmage from the back, started talking about hope. ¡°If God had given up on you, I wouldn¡¯t have ended up here. So don¡¯t worry! There is still hope!¡± Apanying her enthusiastic words. Duung! ¡¸Tatara¡¹ The dull sound of a bell rang out. The city, barely changed since we left except for its lost vitality, unfolded before us. Chapter 28: The Consequences of One’s Choices (3) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 28 The Consequences of One¡¯s Choices (3) We first stopped by the Adventurers¡¯ Guild and the Temple. What I heard there wasn¡¯t all that surprising. I hadn¡¯t been sure before due to my failed attempts to act separately, but this game did allow the party to split up. As such, we formed two groups: the Inquisitor and the Archmage, and me and Deb. Naturally, my group was in charge of investigating the Adventurers¡¯ Guild. ¡°Hey¡­ Did we identally go to a hospital instead of the Adventurers¡¯ Guild?¡± Deb spoke up upon entering the guild hall. It was undeniable that the situation was abysmal. Instead of the usual lively sounds, the guild was filled with the groans and moans of the injured. ¡°All I can see are corpses." ¡°¡­!¡± Someone struggled to stand up at my scathing remark but couldn''t, seemingly prevented by their injuries. ¡°Ah, Sir Demon Knight?!" I then heard a familiar voice. It was Clerk Izren. ¡°I-I thought you went to a different city¡­?" ¡°Do you have any information on those wretched parasites hiding in this city?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± When she saw me, she immediately came over, her face a mixture of joy and confusion. However, after I spoke up, her expression swiftly changed. Her eyes had the seriousness of someone used to dealing with public affairs. ¡°¡­This request is of an urgent nature, so nopensation has been set for it. Writing up a formal contract and receiving a fitting remunerationter also isn''t possible. Furthermore, we cannot guarantee your safety, Sir Adventurer. Even so, will you still cooperate with us?" Oh, if you put it like that, I kind of feel the need to act cool. Well, that wasn''t even a question for me, though. ¡°I don''t care about the reward." I simply put my hand on my sword and showed fury in my eyes. ¡°I just came here to rip them apart." ¡°¡­!¡± The clerk seemed fearful, perhaps because of my harsh words, despite sharing the same purpose. She then nodded her head. ¡°I''ll get you the information right away!" A very satisfying answer. ¡°¡­Hey.¡± However, while I waited for the clerk to return, someone spoke to me. I didn''t know the person''s face. Judging by his equipment, he seemed to be an adventurer. ¡°You''ll die." There were a lot of nosy people in this world. Oh, not that I disliked it. How many people were actually brave enough to advise some strangers? ¡°If you even try, all of you will die!¡± But wasn¡¯t he a bit too pessimistic? He wasn¡¯t actually trying to scratch my pride, right? ¡°Just go away and wallow in your own weakness elsewhere. Don¡¯t pollute my ears.¡± It was unclear how the Quest would go, but one would likely get hurt attempting it. However, that meant only the yer could solve it. Even if we failed, we would at least survive. Anyway, that NPC¡¯s statement didn¡¯t apply to me. ¡°The sewers are filled to the brim with Demons! There¡¯s no way in hell someone could survive that!¡± ¡°Hah.¡± I frowned as I watched that person wail, his hand on his chest. A dense sensation of fear grabbed my ankles, making me ufortable for no particr reason. The difort was simr to what I felt when faced with Divine Power. ¡°So, what do you want to tell me?¡± ¡°¡ªWhat?¡± However, I didn¡¯t like that feeling, so I shook it off with a sneer. Instead, I grabbed my right arm and quietly spoke as though muttering to myself. ¡°I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s life-threatening, so long as I can kill those Demons.¡± If I had to immerse myself, I¡¯d prefer to do so in that hatred of Demons. Getting annoyed and angry at people just made me feel more stressed. ¡°Mister¡­¡± ¡°I brought it over!¡± I held out my hand and coolly lowered my eyes. The clerk reflexively handed me the documents, but her eyes soon opened wide in surprise. ¡°I don¡¯t have to read it to you?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± That damn low literacy rate setting. Making use of my speed-reading skills, I first leafed through the documents. The content was quite difficult for me to grasp as it wasn¡¯t organized into tables, and, given the nature of my job, I didn¡¯t often need to read through these types of documents. Deb peeked at the papers from beside me. ¡°The damage caused¡­ is big.¡± What? He also knew how to read? ¡°Yes. There are the people who tried to leave the city, but¡­ The Demonsing out of the sewers every night also cause extreme damage." I made sure to memorize the information gained from Deb''s and the clerk''s conversation as I searched for a document detailing the case¡¯s progress. Initially, they only noticed the increased number of kidnapped or missing people, not knowing that Demons wereing out of the sewers. After finding that out, they locked down the city. Next, the Temple''s priests and some adventurers formed a party to investigate what was happening down there. However, contact was lost. Not long after, they sent a second investigation team, of which only one member returned alive. ording to their testimony, Demon Contractors were hiding among the Demons that attacked them¡­ And now, the people were forced to defend against those Demons every night. ¡°Currently, the city guards, the Temple¡¯s people, and the adventurers are cooperating to survive, but¡­ as the city bes increasingly isted, our supplies are running low. Furthermore, as the number of injured steadily grows with each passing battle, we no longer have enough manpower to go on¡­¡± I had no idea how they ended up in that state, but I didn''t want to dig any further. The issues which urgently needed to be addressed were the Demons in the sewers and the city''s istion. However, with only one body, I could only choose one of the two¡­ Was this actually a branching point or something? If I chose wrong, would the city be ruined? Damn it. ¡°Sir Demon Knight, as expected¡­" Still, I didn''t agonize over it for long. I definitely had to take care of the sewers. My character would never leave Demons alone, and the Hero, the Inquisitor, would also want to stay. Moreover, this game¡¯s travel time was just too long. Even if we broke through the siege and requested support from other cities, it would take the troops at least a week to arrive. The city would have already copsed by then. Before doing that, we had to go right to the heart of this matter and bring this incident to a quick resolution. ¡°Information on the sewers.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°You said the Demons appeared in the sewers. Do you have any information on the sewers¡¯yout?¡± There were just too many documents! Also, why wasn¡¯t the information sorted into tables or charts? There were no titles or highlighted sections either. Finding the information I wanted to read was far too difficult as it was all written in in text. She should ask someone to properly organize this information. ¡°Ah, i-it¡¯s here at the end¡­ Th-there¡¯s also a separate map of the sewers¡­¡± The clerk panicked at my question, so another clerk, noticing her predicament, hurried inside and brought me a piece of paper. It was a fairlyrge sheet. ¡°This is the map of the sewers¡­ Survivors said that many of the roads are blocked or distorted. We also blocked off some of the entrances for defense.¡± So, she was saying I had to explore and memorize the proper roads on my own. ¡°Which ones remain?¡± ¡°Here, there, and over there¡­ Ah, I think you probably know that ce. The mission you undertookst time started from there, after all.¡± It was good to know that the entrance I knew of was still open. I took note of its location and checked my inventory at the same time. If I had known this would happen, I would have packed more bandages. I didn¡¯t buy any more because I¡¯d managed to cut down all enemies in one swing until now. I didn¡¯t think they would throw a huge dungeon at me all of a sudden. The one silver lining was that I hadn''t used many of the items from my pre-order gift. If I gave up onpletion and treated this like a speedrun, I should be able to get through this. ¡¸? The Truth Behind the Curtain ? Investigate what has happened in the city ? Search the sewers ? Optional - Demons eliminated: 0 / ??¡¹ The moment I epted the request, the Quest updated, showing me that my judgment hadn''t been wrong. ¡°I''ll take it." Even if the paths had changed, it was better to have a map rather than not. I folded the map and put it in my coat. I don''t have to ask for a pen because I still had the one from back then¡ªI¡¯d forgotten to give it back. ¡°Erm, you aren''t going in there alone, right? It''s too dangerous to enter the sewers alone!" However, as soon as I turned to leave, Izren shouted in shock. ¡°Sir Knight, are you sure you want to go there right away?" Deb reacted simrly. He had sneakily taken the documents from my hand and begun looking through them not too long ago. Their voices were so strong and healthy that they managed to hurt my ears slightly. ¡°You''ve been rushing here for three days and nights without a break. You should at least sleep a few hours¡­" ¡°What?! Then you can''t go! Just resting is nigh impossible in the sewers! And supplies¡­!" Hmm, was that really necessary? There was one thing I¡¯d discovered while managing my fatigue thest few days. It was something I hadpletely missed due to feeling a little dazed whenever my fatigue level got too high¡­ Even if my fatigue exceeded 100, this game gave no penalty. I would feel sleepy and exhausted, but it didn''t inflict any debuffs or decrease my stats. So what if I felt a little sleepy? This time-limited Quest should be my top priority. I didn''t want to see the city being destroyed while I took a leisurely break. Luckily, I was rather used to moving around in that state. Given the nature of my job, sacrificing sleep for work was a daily routine for me. Of course, it wasn''t my body that was actually moving¡­ However, wasn''t it still simr to that? ¡°Don''t concern yourself with me." ¡°Then what should I care about?! At least let that priest and sage go along, Mister!" No! I mean, I didn''t hate the idea, but because of you people, I couldn''t just let them join me! If I waited here for the other two, the Inquisitor would just say, ''There''s no way the real Demon Knight would wait for us!'' and bash my head in with her mace. Aaaargh!! I gritted my teeth as I reminisced over my love-hate rtionship with that kimchi dumpling. It wasn''t like I wanted to do it¡­ Right! It was you people who drove a wedge into any harmonious group activity our party might have had! This was all their fault! * * * * * * ¡°Are you really going alone?!" Deb followed after me. Looking at the guy following me everywhere, I wondered if this was what it was like to have a younger brother. I was pretty sure he was younger than me, considering how he fought with the kimchi dumpling. Ah, but I certainly couldn''t see the Inquisitor like a sibling. She was closer to a niece or a much younger cousin than a sibling. Especially since I couldn''t seem to hate her no matter how much she messed with me. ¡°You''ll have to leave now, as well." ¡°What?" ¡°I don''t n on dragging a weakling around with me. You''d just be a hindrance." Anyway, I gave up on trying to improve my rtionship with my party members. I didn''t like the idea of dying, so I¡¯d theorized this might be a real world, but so what? If this world were real, I''d be screwed in a different sense! Only by thinking that could I ovee my shame and immerse myself in my character again. Ah, but I really didn''t want to roley as the Demon in my right arm. That setting was so excessive that even I couldn''t ept it. ¡°B-but." ¡°Isn''t it your job to watch the horses?" Furthermore, Deb wasn''t even officially apanion NPC yet. I didn''t receive any rted system messages, at least. His job was to watch the horses, right? There was no mention of him joining us, right? The Inquisitor and the Archmage had brought the horses to the Temple to guard them, by the way. Ah, not that we had given them away. It was just safest to keep them there. ¡°¡­¡± He had no reason toe along with me. That was a clear fact. ¡°¡­Right, my job was to watch the horses." Perhaps realizing it as well, he muttered softly, only revealing the lower part of his face beneath his hood. He parted his lips slightly again as if in a trance. ¡°But Mister¡­" Ah, I can''t hear you, I can''t hear you. I sped up my steps. Fortunately, Deb said nothing more and stopped following me. Soon, I could see the drain near the river bank that I remembered. ¡°Are you the reinforcement?" As one might expect from a defense zone, quite a few people were in front of the sewers. All of them were covered in bloodied bandages, so it seemed to have been quite difficult for them to keep defending. ¡°Who are you?" I took out my adventurer¡¯s card and showed it to them, putting it back once they had confirmed my identity. ¡°Wait a second, where are you going? If you''re here to support us, then you have to follow our instructions!" There were barricades around the riverbanks, but a narrow path was left open at one point, probably to remove the corpses. I walked through it without any hesitation. ¡°Hey!" When someone came to stop me, I caught a glimpse of the veins protruding from his skin. They were ck, a clear sign of Demonic Erosion. Well, a side effect, so to speak. ¡°Are you actually trying to get in there?! Have you gone crazy?!" I listened to what he had to say before turning my gaze elsewhere. In addition to that NPC, I could see many others with ck veins and bloodshot eyes. It was quite difficult for me to ignore them. If they turned into Demons like that, they would be a huge pain in my ass. And¡­ ¡°Take it." ¡°Are you deaf¡ªHuh?" Well, I just so happened to be carrying some medicine for that condition. I would never have to use it, too. ¡°It''s an antidote! I heard there aren''t many left anymore¡­!" Moreover, I''d be really thankful if I could open up some space in that damn inventory! While the people''s eyes were on the antidote, I went down the riverbank. Some became quite upset when they noticed, but I had already reached the bottom. ¡¸A hostile existence has entered a radius of 20m.¡¹ At that moment, I saw a red light shining from the dark sewers. Pitch-ck feet stepped through the sewer entrance, the iron bars before itpletely ripped off. ¡°¡­! It''s a Demon!" ¡°Hey you,e back up here!" What good timing. I pulled out my Zweih?nder while trampling over the corpses of various Demons. ¡°You''ll die!!" Okay, let me see what came out. ¡¸Sammokgu ©¦ A Demon resembling a dog, but with three eyes instead of two. It can see through walls with its third eye.¡¹ ¡¸Ghoul ©¦ A Demon that feasts on rotten flesh. To kill it, one must split its belly open. However, it will resurrect if cut one more time.¡¹ There were Skeletons, Goblins, and two kinds of Demons I saw today for the first time. As I watched these things crawling out of the sewers, I took a stance. ¡°Damn it, you madman, just give up! Juste back up¡ª!" ¡°Victory to my de, glory to the heavens¡­!¡± I left out the part where I pointed my de to the sky this time. Instead, I widened my stance and swung my Zweih?nder down horizontally, gripping it tightly. Crack! As I crushed the skull of the Demon corpse I was currently standing on, ck energy came out of the sword and flew in a crescent shape toward my enemies. sh! It was a little nted and not perfectly horizontal. The bodies of the Demons before me were cut in half. The attack that flew out just now was the [sh] skill. ¡¸[sh]©¦Swing your sword and send out a strong sh filled with Arcane Power. Effect: Consumes 40 MP. A ranged attack that causes 300% damage to enemies.¡¹ That was the skill description. However, I hadn''t selected that skill yet. Even so, for some reason, I could use unselected skills. So, that Stinger bug wasn''t just in my head. Ah, the activation trigger was just willing that ck energy to surround my de. I had wondered if I had to use Breaker and pretend it was something else, but that didn''t seem to be necessary. I still didn''t really know how this actually worked. However, yers weren''t people who fixed bugs but those who made use of them. Thanks to that, I could save my skill points. ¡°Wh-what in the¡­" All the people around me let out dumbfounded sounds, seeing all those enemies drop dead in a single attack. It was quite the sight. It seemed I could now enter without anyone holding me back. I quickly checked whether the monsters around me were all dead. They were. In other words, there was nothing in my way to stop me. Crack. I put away my Zweih?nder and ced my hand on the hilt of my Longsword, just in case. Of course, I didn''t run then. While I was in a hurry, there was no reason to run like a sinner. That wouldn''t look cool. Jump! However, a Sammokgu I thought to be dead suddenly opened its eyes and jumped out of the corpse pile. It was still moving despite its whole body being cut in half, making it seem like an actual Demon. sh! Wow, it was a good thing I noticed. I took out my Longsword without even looking. The de, flowing through the air as smooth as water, immediately split that thing''s head. No one should be willing to interfere with me anymore after seeing this. I entered the sewer system without much trouble, greeted by a strange twisting passage covered with weird ck vines. Chapter 29: The Consequences of One’s Choices (4) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 29 The Consequences of One¡¯s Choices (4) ¡°This is very serious. We haven''t gone to the Adventurers'' Guild yet, but I don''t think their situation differs much from the Temple''s." The Inquisitor spoke while walking at a quick pace. ¡°That might be the case." The Archmage agreed with her. ¡°We should first talk with the Demon Knight once we meet with him. He might want to go to the sewers as well¡­ Hmm? You?" At that moment, she stumbled upon the ugly mug of that guy. ¡°Why are you alone here¡ª" ¡°You''d better follow after me as fast as you can." ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°Mister Knight went to the sewers alone." She couldn''t overlook that statement. ¡°That''s¡­" ¡°You let him go alone?!" ¡°So what? Are youing or not? This isn''t part of my job to begin with, yeah?" ¡°Sigh, fine. What did I even expect from a criminal?!" "You''ve never seen memit a single crime, but you always call me criminal this, criminal that¡­!" ¡°Then what are you if not a crimi¡ª!" ¡°Stop!! Is that important right now?!" ¡°¡­!¡± Only after the Archmage shouted did she stop. Her main priority shouldn''t be arguing with this thief but to catch up with the Demon Knight who had gone ahead. ¡°Knowing his personality, he probably didn''t get any supplies, let alone rest. We need to find him as quickly as possible." She hit the nail on the head. He went into the sewer system with as little preparation as possible. In that case, it was even more urgent for them to reach him. ¡°¡­After this matter is resolved, I will hold you ountable for your crimes." ¡°Sigh, what crimes are you even talking about?" She couldn''t deny that, either. She¡¯d initially met him in a den filled with thieves and robbers, and when he first appeared before them, he seemed to be preparing an attack. She had just called him a thief all this time without even knowing whether he had actuallymitted a crime. The only time she witnessed himmitting any criminal activity was that act of personal revenge. However, even that couldn''t really be called a grave crime as the other party involved was a Demon Contractor. But still, she didn''t want to admit it. This waspletely different from the matter with the Demon Knight. The Demon Knight only held a Demon in his body but was himself extremely honest and upright. Despite being in a position where he could easily fall into temptation, he persevered. On the other hand, what about this guy? What side of the line did that guy walk on? Even without being hosts to a Demon or contracted to one, people could stillmit grave sins. In a way, such people were even worse; despite having the choice to live righteously, they chose sin for their pleasure or convenience. That was why she couldn''t tolerate him and was extremely confused because she had no idea what she should do. Although she knew how to judge clearly proven crimes, she had yet to learn how to deal with those who only might havemitted one ¡°¡­I''ll remember that." So that was all she could say. The world outside the Temple was much more difficult to navigate than she thought. * * * ¡°They''re weaker than I thought¡­" I had honestly been a bit worried because everyone around me spoke of how dangerous it was here. With all these people so scared, I had also gotten nervous. However, they just acted that way for meta reasons, as always. Unless they applied a serious bnce patch, wasn''t it actually pretty rare for the difficulty of enemies to suddenly jump? Even if I had leveled up quite a bit, up until now, I could deal with most Demons in one or two hits. And even if I didn''t, it had never reached the point of endangering my life. Still, it wouldn''t be wise to just rush into this headfirst. ¡°Finding my way around is a lot more difficult now¡­" I fortunately didn''t have much issue with hunting. However, just finding the right direction was proving to be quite troublesome. ¡°Sigh¡­" How many hours had already passed? Three? Four? Or maybe five? My fatigue level had been around 100 for a while, and I had no other items or system functions that helped me tell the time. I could only determine that it had been some time since I first entered this ce. The same went for the map. Unlike before, when I only had to search one area, I now had to go through the entire city''s sewer system, so I was struggling to narrow down the search area even by leaving marks on the map. These damn Demons had even dug new tunnels¡­ Even so, I couldn''t stop. It would be too much of a waste to just give up at this point. I was still confused as to whether I was still ying a game or just asking for trouble here, but it would be a waste either way. For that reason, I erased all of these misceneous thoughts from my mind and wiped away the few drops of blood on my cheek. One might think cleaning myself wouldn''t really matter, as my clothes would clean themselves automatically with time, but that didn''t extend to things that got on my skin, which left me feeling pretty ufortable. Even more so because I had to endure being covered in that stuff for hours. Even my groin was drenched in it. ¡¸A hostile existence has entered a radius of 20m.¡¹ However, once [Detection] red out, I had to discard any difort I might be feeling. I reflexively swung my weapon. sh! My ckened sword cut into the ghoul¡¯s neck, and my foot kicked its stomach. That way, I could increase my distance from the enemy and extract my de from its neck. Rush! What followed next, of course, was splitting that thing''s stomach. Afterward, the ghoul diedpletely, turning into a pile of ashes. ¡¸A hostile existence has entered a radius of 20m.¡¹ No sooner had I discovered and disposed of the closest enemy was another target marked. Around the corner, three steps ahead of me. It would try to jump me soon. Judging by the sound of its running, it probably was a Sammokgu. So what? I moved my shoulder back and held my sword horizontally as though I were pulling a bowstring. Instantly, ck energy engulfed the blood-stained de. ¡¸Stinger ©¦ One''s weapon will be imbued with Arcane Power, enabling one to perform a rapid forward stab. Effect: Consumes 6 MP. Strikes enemies within range before you, dealing 279% damage.¡¹ Since I¡¯d realized it was possible to use unacquired skills, this was the first one I used, even before sh. That was probably because its motion was the easiest. Stab¡ª! Crack! The Sammokgu that jumped out couldn¡¯t even let out a bark before I smashed its head in. As such, I didn¡¯t need to confirm if it was dead. ¡°Ptoey." Well, I had to endure getting pieces of meat in my mouth all the time, though. Urgh, I felt so ufortable. * * * * * * I continued to move my tongue around my mouth while I shook the fat, sticky fluids and flesh off my sword. Then, a ringing suddenly sounded in my ears. ¡®It''sing.¡¯ ¡¸A hostile existence has entered a radius of 20m.¡¹ Sometimes, [Detection] activated a littlete, or maybe my instincts and intuition were reacting faster than the skill. I hurriedly did as my body wanted and lifted my sword in front of me. It slightly tilted a little as if something had hit it. ng! ws¡ªan iron weapon¡ªthat seemed too smooth to be a Demon¡¯s bounced off of my sword. ¡°Hah!" ¡°Tsk." A person? Was that a person just now? I saw a person hiding in ck smoke. He seemed humanoid, but his appearance wasn''t normal at all. Arms covered in ckened blood vessels, bloodshot eyes, and a milky tint over his pupils. He honestly seemed more like a corpse than a living person. Or maybe that was what one would look like after one reached the end stages of Demonic Erosion. ¡¸Vampire ©¦ Those who have voluntarily epted Demonic Erosion to be Demons. To maintain their reason, they must extract others¡¯ life force.¡¹ As if to answer my questions, the System Window appeared and provided me with information. Those who had given up on being human, the type of people my character would absolutely despise. ¡°A bastard who sumbed to demonic temptations¡­!¡± So I happily snapped at him. After retreating to the other side of the pathway, the enemy stepped on the sewage as he rushed toward me. That flowing ck fog seemed both familiar and extremely annoying to me. ¡°Die, you traitor!¡± Who was a traitor? I didn¡¯t even get anything from these guys, so wasn¡¯t it rather strange to talk about betrayal and the like? If you¡¯re going to say stuff like that, you should have at least given me some good items! I didn¡¯t remember ever getting any equipment in this game, even though it was an RPG! Of course, even if he gave me something, I wouldn¡¯t change my opinion and instead maintain my set image! ng! aang! ng! The enemy, armed with weapons resembling ws, persistently and urately aimed for my arms. He was the most agile enemy I had encountered up to this point. However, no matter how fast he was, it wasn¡¯t enough that I couldn¡¯t see or react to his attacks. That was more than sufficient. I subtly moved my sword, blocking his w attacks, and put one of my hands into my sleeve, quickly withdrawing a dagger and throwing it toward him. ¡°¡­!¡± The enemy¡¯s eyes instantly widened, and the hands that had been aiming for me all this time moved quickly to cover his vital points. Ting! The dagger bounced off the metal tes covering his hands. However, I managed to break his pace. I stretched out my right hand, which wasn¡¯t holding the Longsword. Whack! I cleverly slipped past his raised guard and grabbed my enemy¡¯s neck. ¡°Kurg!¡± Just as I heard choking sounds escaping his mouth, I pinned him down with my hand and stabbed my sword into him. Stab! Apanied by the sound of metal cutting through flesh, the Longsword urately pierced his heart. Even if I hadn¡¯t hit it, he couldn¡¯t survive the severe damage I had caused to multiple vital organs due to the angle at which I struck. ¡°You traitor¡ª!¡± However, the Vampire continued fighting me to the very end. He grabbed my arm and tried to dig his ws into my skin as if he wanted to cause even the slightest bit of damage to me. Cruuunch! ¡°Kuwaaaargh!¡± But was there any reason for me to just sit there and watch him do it? I put some force into the hand holding the sword and cut sideways. The sounds of bones breaking and muscles rupturing mixed together until my sword¡¯s de emerged from his side. Throw. I immediately tossed the enemy to the side. I checked my right arm, but there fortunately weren¡¯t any injuries, just some marks left on the gauntlet. I didn¡¯t give my character the gauntlet for something like that, but it was still very fortunate. I already had to put bandages around my leg, so it would be quite wasteful if I had to use any more. ¡°Alright, so the right path is¡­¡± As I retrieved my versatile dagger, I pondered over that matter. I got here after only going to ces where mobs gathered, concluding that only the right path would hold so many enemies. And just now, I came across an elite monster for the first time. There was no way a high-level mob would appear in some useless area, so my intuition seemed to have been correct. ¡°That way, probably.¡± Furthermore, that Vampire just jumped out from the path to the right. There was a good chance that was the correct way. Scrrrrratch. Still, I marked one of the walls with my Longsword, just in case. It would have been impossible if the walls were solid stone, but they were currently covered in those ck root-like things, so I could leave as many marks as needed. Sting. ¡°Gotcha.¡± At that moment, I felt something sting the back of my neck. Considering the small radius of the sting, it didn''t seem like arge weapon. ¡¸A hostile existence has entered a radius of 20m.¡¹ Rather, why the hell did [Detection] activate so arbitrarily? It would sometimes ring out immediately when something entered the 20m radius, and sometimes would only ring after I had already been attacked. Were there enemies here that could counter my skill? Or was my skill level too low? Either way, I wanted some rification. ¡°Gretchen, I don¡¯t know why you betrayed us¡­¡± I checked my rapidly rising poison counter and gently rolled the dagger I hadn¡¯t yet put back into my gauntlet-d hand. The unknown enemy behind me wouldn¡¯t see what I did because my torso blocked his view of my arms. ¡°Now you can return to his arms¡ª¡± And the moment my poison counter reached 90, I turned around and swung my dagger. ¡°Kurgh!¡± I vaguely guessed the height and position of the enemy based on where I heard the voiceing from. Bullseye. I precisely stabbed his throat. Ting! I quickly pulled out whatever was stuck in the back of my neck with the hand holding the Longsword. The poison needle fell to the floor and bounced into the sewage water. ¡°Ku-kuhup!¡± Now, all I had to do was deal with the guy who¡¯d stabbed me with that poison needle, right? When I saw that guy clutching his throat in an attempt to stop the bleeding, I straightened my sword. My enemy''s eyes, reflecting the light, filled with horror, and his outstretched hand indicated that he wanted me to stop, but I didn''t care. ¡°Go to hell." I took his supplies. Well, it was a bit too gross to keep them as spoils, so I just tossed them. ¡¸A hostile existence has entered a radius of 20m.¡¹ ¡°¡­Fuck, did they really only send out a Vampire and an Assassin to deal with that monster?" ¡°They''re enough to buy us some time, at least¡­!" Then, I saw more enemiesing my way. They didn''t wear those ck robes, so they probably weren''t Demon Contractors. Were they just some mobs wielding melee weapons? How annoying. ¡°Have youe here to present your neck to me?" Seeing that they came out after I walked this way, I was certain I had found the right path! ¡°Good. I shall cut off your heads then, you worms!" Thanks for giving me such a warm wee, you bastards! * * * ¡°Miss Priest, you are safe!" ¡°Hey, lower your weapons!" ¡°Clear the way immediately!" ¡°Yes¡­¡± The Inquisitor climbed out from one of the sewer entrances as several people weed her. The Archmage had alreadye out and gotten behind the barricade, supported by several others. ¡°Are you hurt anywhere?" ¡°I''m fine. But you, Sir Archmage¡­" ¡°It isn''t a serious injury, so don''t worry, Miss Priest." It wasn''t. However, he had already been in a bad condition when he¡¯d gotten injured. ¡°I''m sorry, Inquisitor. If I had just reacted faster¡­" ¡°It''s not your fault, Sir Archmage. It was rather unreasonable to make you rush about like that to begin with." The Archmage wasn''t someone who moved his body a lot in the first ce. Besides, what had they done thest few days? She didn''t recall getting any proper rest for the past week. They rarely slept properly at night, skipped meals, and were constantly on the move. The average mage would have already copsed by now. The Archmage could endure this long because he was of the Shaggi race, born with superior physical strength and reflexes. ¡°It''s me who should be sorry. If only I had moved a little faster¡­" Then what about her? Her Divine Power, through some pain, gave her almost infinite stamina and power that wouldn''t yield against the Demons. In other words, as long as her will wasn''t broken, she could continue fighting even if the rest of the world was crumbling apart. However, despite her best efforts, she couldn¡¯t ovee her mental fatigue and allowed an attack against the Archmage to slip past. She was disqualified as both a Hero and an inquisitor. ¡°¡­And, the Knight¡­" Furthermore, she hadn¡¯t achieved her purpose behind unreasonably entering the sewers. The Inquisitor gritted her teeth and shook her head. ¡°I couldn''t find him." She had found traces of his progress. It was strange how the corpses of the ughtered Demons were ced around like signs, so they didn''t even need to cast {Tracking}. ¡°H-He went in far too deep." However, that was all. His progression speed had been too overwhelmingly fast. Even though he moved while clearing the area, new Demons had already refilled the ce. ¡°This old man should have just stayed out here. I''m just a burden to you, Inquisitor." ¡°No, you''re not. Even if I went in alone¡­ He''ll probablye out on his own in the end." Their purpose behind entering the sewers was to reach the Demon Knight, persuade him to leave, and escort him outside. They did this because they were all far too tired to explore the sewer system. She nned on suggesting they take some time to maintain their weapons and get supplies before properly exploring¡­ However, she didn''t even get the chance to persuade him. Now, she only had one choice left. ¡°Let''s rest, Sir Archmage. We''ll go back in, in about five hours." Rather than going too far in and risking severe injury, they should take a break and recover their stamina. Chapter 30: The Consequences of One’s Choices (5) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 30 The Consequences of One¡¯s Choices (5) ¡°Shit¡­" After watching over the horses for about five hours, Deathbringer started swearing, suddenly irritated with his situation. ¡°I should have followed him." Was it because his job of looking over the horses was simply too mundane? Or was it because the Archmage had said they might have to give up on this city? He just kept looking at a certain someone''s back. Someone who continued to move forward without ever looking back. ¡°No, even if I followed him, he wouldn''t need my help." Didn''t the Demon Knight say so? That he was weak and would just be a burden! ¡°¡­Tsk." Even so, the tightness in his chest simply wouldn''t go away. Deathbringer simply wiped over his face but couldn¡¯t wipe away his frustration. ¡°What the hell am I doing?" He was told the city was a very dangerous ce right now, so what was he doing here just watching over some horses? If they failed, wouldn''t he die here, as well? The situation was just that precarious. But he knew his ce too well to just ask to join them. His specialty was picking people''s pockets, not Demons'' lives. ¡°This is all because of Skyley." He had just asked her to lend him some horses, and she made him follow these guys. If not for that, he would be sleeping like a baby in Somon right about now. His safety would be guaranteed, and he wouldn''t need to endure any verbal abuse demanding he go away or constantly being called a criminal! ¡°Help me, my ass¡­ " He gritted his teeth as he recalled his conversation with Skyley before leaving Somon. ¡ºKeep an eye on him, kid.¡» ¡ºWhat?¡» ¡ºAnd think carefully about what you want to do from now on.¡» ¡ºWhat are you talking about¡­?¡» ¡ºJudge with your own eyes whether you really won¡¯t regret it, even if the rest of your life ends up resembling his. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll help you in the future.¡» How¡­ how would that help him in the future? He did what she¡¯d asked, followed them, slept with them, and then he would die, so what was the good in that?! And he had no idea why she thought his life would eventually resemble the Demon Knight¡¯s. He had no intention of bing a Demon hunter. ¡°Sigh, damn it. Should I just bounce now¡­?¡± He really wanted to, but he wasn¡¯t confident he could break through this siege alone. Damn it. He wasn¡¯t even equal to them, either. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I even think of refusing her? Really pisses me off¡­ Huh?¡± He paused momentarily, then quickly came down from the Temple wall. He didn¡¯t quite remember how he ended up on the Temple walls. That would require a lot of thinking, but since it wasn¡¯t immediately important, he just stopped thinking about it. ¡°¡­Who are those bastards?¡± What he needed to focus on now was that suspicious group hiding away in an alley. * * * Just how many Demon Contractors were hiding in this city? Whenever I tried to catch my breath, more enemies woulde rushing in, and the specific frustration brought on by enclosed spaces like these made me feel even more tired. The uncertainties of not knowing the time or where this dungeon would end were equally overwhelming for me. Should I just leave now ande backter? I even had these kinds of thoughts¡­ Of course, putting my character setting aside, a gamer¡¯s unique stubbornness of wanting to see who gives in first eventually won, though. Going back was actually a lot more bothersome, after all. ¡°Sigh.¡± Fortunately, it seemed I had almost reached the end. Not only did I already explore half of the map, but I also seeded in finding a path leading down. The new [Tracking] skill I had gotten also showed me that the traces were leading underground, so I was certain. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s rest for a bit.¡± After reaching the destination, I was sure a boss battle would ensue. As such, I decided to do some maintenance and preparation for now. Well, all I did was cover my wounds with bandages and sharpen my des. ¡°Cuts, wounds from that mob¡¯s needle.¡± Since I could only vaguely feel pain, it was rather difficult for me to find the injured areas. I tried temporarily raising my pain level. Was it because I only raised it by 10%? I didn¡¯t really feel any different than before. The wounds were probably minor, then. However, I thought it would be too painful if I raised it further, so I just fumbled around to find the injured areas. I happened to stumble over a few. ¡¸Hemostatic Bandages ©¦ Cloth used to cover wounds. It doesn¡¯t have much of a healing effect, but it may prevent bleeding.¡¹ For your information, in the Legend of Heroes remake, there weren¡¯t any items like potions that instantly restored one¡¯s HP. Well, they might exist and I just couldn¡¯t find them, or they might appearter in the game, but what I was trying to say was that I had to rely on natural recovery for now. That didn¡¯t make the bandages useless. Bleeding was a condition that lowered one¡¯s natural recovery rate or reduced HP at a certain rate, and bandages solved that problem. Although their effect might not be immediate, they weren¡¯t pointless. Wrap. After I wrapped some bandages around my left forearm and right thigh, my HP, which had been hovering around the same spot for some time, finally started slowly recovering. Now, it was time to take out my des. I wiped down my sword with the hem of my coat. Since I had nothing else to wipe away the blood, I had to use it that way temporarily. Clothes were cleaned automatically in this game, anyway. Scrape, scrape. Completely relying on the game¡¯s correction, as I had no idea how to do something like this, my hands mechanically sharpened the de. Since it wasn¡¯t a task that required thinking, I felt a bit dazed for a moment. ¡¸A hostile existence has entered a radius of 20m.¡¹ However, this dungeon simply didn¡¯t leave me alone. Taking my two almostpletely sharpened des, I looked around. There were no visible signs of enemies. Then why did that notification appear? Tak. Hearing the sound of falling stones, I lowered my gaze. I could see a target move inside the hole leading down. I wondered how many woulde up this time to stop me. ¡°Shit, why aren¡¯t those who went aheading back?¡± Gee, I wonder why. I quietly ced myntern on the floor and carefully stepped out of its light. As bright as it was, the area outside its radius was eerily dark. So dark that I could easily hide in it. ¡°There¡¯s no one left now¡­¡± ¡°Stopining. Just hold on for a bit longer.¡± Soon, one of them came out from the hole. ¡°But who put thatntern here? What if we get caught because of it¡­?!¡± ¡°No idea. We¡¯ll just have to clean the area. It¡¯s almost time, anyway.¡± And then another one came. My hands, buried in darkness, held onto my Zweih?nder like ance. ¡°All of them went up, right? Why should we¡ª?¡± Ah, they noticed. It didn¡¯t really matter, though. ¡°Huh?¡± This wasn¡¯t an official skill, but if I had to give it a name, it would be something like [Charging Thrust]. Useless thoughts ran through my mind as I put some strength into my feet. Thud. Barely giving off a sound, my body bounced forward. ¡°What are you do¡ª?¡± Staaab!! This was what one usually meant by killing two birds with one stone, right? I swung my sword to the right, looking at the people simultaneously pierced by my Zweih?nder. sh! Although the sight was a bit gruesome, I had definitely mortally wounded these two enemies. ¡°Kuuurgh!¡± However, when I saw one about to fall into the hole, I quickly grabbed him by the cor and pulled him up. If this corpse fell down there, those waiting below would be alerted, after all. Well, considering that Sammokgu walked around here, I guessed it would take a while. ¡¸? The Truth Behind the Curtain ? Search the Sewers ? Optional- Demons eliminated: 200 / ??¡¹ At that moment, my kill counter hit 200. As I wondered whether I actually killed that many things, I realized the number was overblown because of all the Goblins and Skeletons. The total number of Demon Contractors and stronger Demons I killed here was less than 40. Still, it was true that the total amount was quiterge. ¡°¡­Urgh, my eyes are straining.¡± I pressed the area around my eyes as I grabbed the rope leading down the hole. Those two said it was almost time when they came up here, so I needed to hurry. If I failed to get to the proper ce just because I was a littlezy, I would get so pissed, I wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep. ¡°Once this is over, I¡¯ll just make an excuse that fits my character setting and get some proper rest.¡± No matter the cost, I would absolutely sleep in some high-end, VIP inn. I would sleep for 12 hours tops in a soft, fluffy bed covered with a thick nket, and after waking up, I would buy something delicious for breakfast. Just imagining it made me feel better. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go.¡± I began my descent, dreaming of afortable bed and delicious food. * * * * * * Since I turned off thentern after retrieving it, total, imprable darkness was pressing at me from all directions. ¡°Die!¡± Then suddenly, as my feet touched the ground, I was attacked. Judging by the close proximity, it seemed to be a Vampire. ¡°Useless resistance.¡± Ah, I was expecting it a bit, but I still got caught by surprise. I couldn¡¯t help but feel some regret as I swung my knife, making my voice sound as calm as possible. It wasn¡¯t too hard to fight it, as I could determine the enemy''s location using [Detection] and by sound. And if it got a bit dicey, all I had to do was use [Survival Instinct] to get myself out of danger. Ruuuuumble! Uwaaargh. ¡°Die, you bastards.¡± Judging by the multiple presences I felt around me, the space seemed quiterge. With that in mind, I immediately used Ground Crash before grabbing my Zweih?nder and swinging it. Crush! The sounds of crashing and screams echoed in the endless darkness. It was a sound born through the screams of various Demons and people melding together. ¡°Damn it, we can¡¯t attack him!¡± ¡°Vampires, take the lead! Take some Demons with you! We just need to hold on for a few more minutes!¡± I see. So there were only a few more minutes left. I should move faster, then. ¡°Did you think I¡¯d let you do that¡­!¡± I sent a [sh] barrage in all directions. The MP needed for the skill steadily drained from my MP bar, but it was better than giving these guys more time to summon a powerful mob. Of course, their n might be different from the summoning in Somon, but that was something I could think aboutter. Furthermore, my MP recovery was pretty fast, so the skill was worth giving a few shots. And I really didn¡¯t want to think too deeply about certain things right now. I was simply too tired. ¡°Uwaaargh!!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t see it!¡± ¡°Kaaargh!¡± Alright, so was there a separate boss room or something? Where is it? It was hard to tell because I couldn¡¯t really see anything. They had killed all the lights in fear of someone noticing the Demons and their Contractors, so the area seemed especially gloomy. ¡°Is it there?!¡± I couldn¡¯t find any hints at all. However, after some time, I finally discovered a faint light flowing in. It was creeping toward me from the other side of the hall. Its shape resembled that of a magic circle. Additionally, a strong smell of blood and rotten meat prated my nose, even though my sense of smell had already grown numb from the sewer¡¯s stench. They were clearly performing a sacrificial ritual. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you all¡­!¡± As such, I ran straight toward the light. Trying to avoid making the mistake made in Somon, I shed out as I ran this time. I wanted to kill at least three people performing the ritual to stop it. ¡°Now!¡± It was then I realized I had misunderstood something. ¡°Bind him!¡± That magic circle wasn¡¯t for summoning a boss mob. Glooow! Even though I had killed two of the Contractors powering the magic circle with a sh and a third by stabbing them, the magic circle still activated. The light of the lines making up the circle began glowing stronger, enough to brighten up the whole area. A pile of corpses became vaguely visible in the darkness. Some magic was invoked. and something came out of the circle. tter! It wasn¡¯t some high-ranking Demon, but white and red chains. ¡°¡­!¡± Because of my curiosity about what that might be and the anxiety brought on by my gamer¡¯s instinct, I urgently tried to get away from the magic circle. However, that was when I realized my second mistake. ¡°I can¡¯t move¡­!¡± One of the Vampires I stabbed had miraculously survived and grabbed me by the ankles. nk! That thing was so weak that I could have shaken it off just by applying some strength to my leg, but I had lost too much time because of it. The chainsing toward me wrapped around my arm as I tried to resist. My right arm, which wasn¡¯t holding anything, had been tied up by those chains. ¡°To be beaten by something like this¡ª¡± Well, whatever. Shouldn¡¯t it be fine since I could easily break through the Archmage¡¯s bindings? With that in mind, I tried using my skills. aank. At that moment, my left arm had also been tied up by more chains. ¡°What¡­!¡± As much as I wanted to shake it off, an iprehensible strength was binding both my arms. Even if I used one of my skills, this was simply too much. After my arms, the chains tied around my neck, choking me. It wasn¡¯t to the point of actually strangling me, but it still felt like a choker or something. ¡°Was he bound?!¡± ¡°We seeded¡­!¡± Next, my waist, thighs, and ankles werepletely wrapped in chains. It was around then that the hall began to brighten up. A magic circle was in the middle of the room, withnterns sparsely ced around it. It looked like a makeshift altar. However, could I really call those thingsnterns? They were made from hollowed-out cube-shaped marble filled with oil and lit on fire, or so it seemed. I tried remembering what those things were called for a moment before returning to my senses. I didn¡¯t have the time to think about useless things like that. I was about to die here. I had to get out of these chains as quickly as possible. I had no idea where myst save point was, but I really didn¡¯t want to do this again. ¡°How dare you, you bastards¡­!¡± ¡°We finally got you!¡± ¡°This was originally intended to be used on the Hero, but¡­¡± I felt like I was about to go crazy. From what was said, they were acting like I was the final boss here. Well, to be fair, the strongest and most vicious person in a game was the yer, so that perception wasn¡¯t entirely wrong. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t really matter. The Hero has also entered the underground cave, after all.¡± ¡°Sigh, we finally get to kill that monster¡­!¡± ¡°You think these flimsy chains can hold me?!¡± I intermittently shook my body, attempting to free myself from the chains. Did it matter since the Hero had also entered the underground cave already? Also, this wasn¡¯t a summoning circle but one made to bind a specific target. Moreover, going by what I heard, this magic circle seemed to have been initially intended to be used on the Hero¡­ So, was their original intention to bind the Hero here? If so, why did they say it would be fine, even though the Hero has also entered the underground cave¡­? Ah, my head was so muddled that I couldn¡¯t even think properly. How irritating. Grooowl. At that moment, the two Sammokgu and five Skeletons I couldn''t kill before slowly approached me. However, I still couldn¡¯t break through these chains. Even if I wanted to use skills, there was no point in even trying as I couldn¡¯t swing a weapon properly with my body tied up like this. I was sure I could break the chains with the ck energy surrounding my sword if I struck with it, but that wouldn¡¯t work now. This situation was truly annoying. Wait, was I going to die here? Wow, that¡¯s too much. No, I didn¡¯t really mind dying because it wouldn¡¯t be in vain, but I wouldn¡¯t have to do all this again, right? Where was myst save point, seriously? Or would that actually happen¡­? I let out a sigh through my tied-up throat. There was a certain matter I had been thinking about ever since I realized I was trapped in this game. If my yer character died, the city got destroyed, or anything else went wrong, and I was sent to the GAME OVER screen¡­ Would I be able to log out, or did I have to retry, or would something else entirely happen¡­? Growl. I let out a shaky breath as I looked at the Sammokgu before me. Ah, being forced to retry was the most likely scenario, right? While being able to log out would be best, honestly, that was very unlikely to happen. So, in the end, the former would probably ur. I would have to retry after getting killed by a stupid dog or a pile of bones, huh? Wow. That was just too much. Even after catching all those elite mobs, I would die to these trash mobs before I even got to see the boss. This was just, just¡­ At that point, I just stopped thinking. My struggling, which had stopped for a moment, resumed. It would have been nice if I could apply my skills to just my body. If I could, an opportunity to apply more strength to my fists and swing them out would certainlye. Those thoughts were running through my mind. Even to me, those thoughts were utterly shameless. I was asking them to increase the skill application range when the game already suffered from so many bugs. I really had no conscience. Rumble. And yet, the game actually listened to me. I could see the ck energy effect that only appeared when activating a skill emerging from the gauntlet on my right arm. ¡°No! Hurry up and kill him!¡± ¡°But that binding took 40 sacrifices to form¡­!¡± ¡°Hah¡ª!¡± What? What? Seriously? However, not one to miss an opportunity, I immediately put some strength into my arm. The acted-outughter fitting my character was a bonus. ¡°I should have told you¡­!¡± The chains, which hadn¡¯t even budged up until this point, began giving off clinking sounds. Thoughts of calling it ¡®a buggy game¡¯ and ¡®a divine game I just couldn¡¯t log out of¡¯ were mixing in my head. ¡°Don¡¯t ever think you can stop me with something as flimsy as that!¡± Snap! The chains around my right arm shattered with incongruously clear sound. Chapter 31: The Consequences of One’s Choices (6) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 31 The Consequences of One¡¯s Choices (6) I pulled out my Longsword with my freed right arm. I wanted to break the other chains binding me, but those Demons were too close to me. I first pierced the neck of the Sammokgu about to bite my throat and quickly threw it to the side. A Skeleton hit by the corpse fell backward. However, I had missed the other Sammokgu. I gritted my teeth as I felt pain in my calf¡ªan act, of course, as I had lowered my pain level again so these things wouldn¡¯t hurt so much¡ªbefore stabbing the mutt right between its eyes. sh! Stab! At that moment, I felt a foreign object strike my back. The Skeleton, its teeth ttering, cut me from behind. Stab! Then, an ax lodged into my shoulder. It gave a powerful tingling sensation. Beeeeeeep. Ringing caused by tinnitus, something I only heard when seriously stressed, filled my ear. However, I would never give up because of something like that¡­ I was a die-hard gamer, after all. ng! I perfectly deflected the rusty sword approaching me from the front and gathered Arcane Power to use a skill. I couldn¡¯t avoid getting hit because of it, so I just let it go. It was also a strategy to prevent the next attack. Energy gathered in my legs, and I managed to break the chains winding around them. ¡°Die¡­!¡± My neck and waist were still bound, but removing those chains wasn¡¯t as immediately urgent right so long as I could turn around. I had only allowed something to hit me in the back because I couldn¡¯t turn my body. I twisted backward while checking my HP bar, which had dropped to less than half. The sword I had dragged along as I spun delivered a horizontal sh to my enemy. Crack! The vertebrae of two Skeletons behind me werepletely broken, separating their upper and lower bodies. Stab! At that moment, I was stabbed in the stomach by the smallest Skeleton. I wondered whether I would be fine getting wounded by rusty swords but then decided it wouldn¡¯t really matter. No matter how realistic a game was, I had never seen a game implementing something like tetanus. Crack! Anyway, I didn¡¯t want to get stabbed more than once, so I smashed the skeleton''s skull. Furthermore, I smoothly deflected thest Skeleton¡¯s attack after breaking the smaller one¡¯s head. ¡°¡­Do it!¡± However, those damn Demon Contractor bastards with ck veins covering their faces used magic on me. Dark red energy seeped into my wounds, from which I could feel a strange sensation. It didn¡¯t hurt¡­ But it felt like my flesh was being gnawed at, especially around my abdomen. Something seemed to be kicking within the stab wound left behind by the dagger, eating away my internal organs. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Although I didn¡¯t want it to happen, blood flowed from my mouth. It was a very strange sensation. How could a game recreate fatigue, drowsiness, even tinnitus and coughing up blood? This really was far too realistic. It would be nice if they just removed those useless things, though. ¡°Please die, you monster¡­!¡± That¡­ Was it because I kept moving even though my fatigue level had reached 100? Or was it because my HP was very low? The edges of my vision became blurred. I couldn''t see clearly in front of me. My head, already muddled from fatigue, became even heavier due to the amount of blood loss. ¡°Demon Knight!!¡± However, just when I thought I might have to do all of this again, I regained some strength I thought I didn¡¯t have. I swung my sword as I heard a loud shout. Thest Skeleton¡¯s head fell off, and I was forced to fall to my knees. ¡¸Activating [Indomitable Spirit]!¡¹ ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s actually rather good! Our sacrifice¡ª!¡± ¡°Face judgment, you vile traitors!!¡± I stared at the Window that indicated a previously selected skill had been triggered. What kind of skill was it? ¡¸[Indomitable Spirit] ©¦ A strong warrior doesn¡¯t give up, even in a fatal crisis. Escape death once. Effect: When one dies, instantly recover 5% of your HP once. Cooldown: 1 hour (00: 59: 56)¡¹ Aah, I remembered upon looking at the Window. It was the final skill of the skill tree branch increasing Defense and Strength. I had rushed to select it because of its effect of annulling death. I never thought it would show its uses right here. I nced at my slightly refilled HP bar and lowered my eyelids for a second. My vision momentarily went ck. ¡°¡ª!¡± Not too long after, I heard something buzzing in my ear. ¡°¡ªKnight!¡± It was a familiar voice. As we had traveled together, I had be quite used to it¡­ ¡°Demon Knight!¡± Was it an auditory hallucination? ¡°Come to your senses!¡± Ah, ah. Was it real? ¡°Demon Knight!¡± A loud call finally woke me up. Only then did my head seem to clear a bit. It was as if my head had been forced underwater and taken back out right when I could no longer breathe. However, that irritating scratching around my throat fromck of oxygen was rather annoying. ¡°Demon Knight!¡± That familiar voice prated my dull ears. A few momentster, I realized who the voice¡¯s owner was. ¡°You.¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to stop the bleeding! Even if it¡¯s hard, you must return to your senses.¡± I had thought it was just a second, but it seemed more than a minute had passed after closing my eyes. Suddenly, the Inquisitor appeared before me. ¡°Please hold on.¡± Ah, yeah. Okay. That should be¡­ That was how it should be¡­ Iy on the floor and gasped. Cough, cough. Blood kept pouring from my mouth. As my pain sensitivity settings were set very low, I couldn¡¯t feel any pain, but the blood was quite a hindrance when trying to speak. I coughed and spat it out. ¡°Please, just hold on a little more. You just need to be patient for a bit longer.¡± Was the Archmage also there? Those two almost always appeared as a set, after all. With such idle thoughts going through my mind, I briefly checked my HP bar. Clear numbers were much easier to understand than the Archmage¡¯s words, after all. I noticed my HP fluctuating constantly as Iy on the floor. It seemed I had narrowly avoided death. In that case, the moment my bleeding stopped, my recovery rate would increase, so I at least didn¡¯t have to worry about dying. ¡°Not¡­ here.¡± ¡°What?¡± Good. As long as I survived, that would be fine. So, I decided to say what I had to say. ¡¸? The Truth Behind the Curtain ? Search the Sewers ? Thwart the Demon Worshippers¡¯ ns ? Optional - Demons eliminated: 221 / ??¡¹ ¡°Outside.¡± Even the Quest updated, so that had to be the case. ¡°Not¡­ here. Outside¡­ Cough.¡± Urgh. Talking was so hard because of the blood pooling in my mouth. My head was still a mess, so it was also hard to string together the words I wanted to say. Still, I felt like if I didn¡¯t say anything, I would have to start over again. I just moved my tongue without even knowing if I was talking properly. ¡°Their n.. was to¡­ draw us here.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°What do you¡­¡± ¡°The real thing is¡­ outside.¡± Urgh, this couldn¡¯t go on. I wondered why this game couldn¡¯t just restore someone¡¯s HP out ofbat with a few seconds of treatment, but I had simrints every time I yed a game, so I let it slide. I opened my Skill Window before my blurred vision. ¡¸[Treatment] ©¦ The basics ofbat start with being able to treat one¡¯s injuries. Effects: Enables one to use healing items.¡¹ ¡¸[Formal Treatment] ©¦ Being able to treat more severe injuries makes survival easier. One bes more skilled in treating wounds. Effect: The effect of healing items increases by 10%¡¹ [Treatment] was a skill I had acquired long ago, and I got [Formal Treatment] immediately with the points I had earned through leveling up in the previous battle. Since I urgently had to stop the bleeding, that was the best way to increase the effects of bandages. ¡°The real thing is outside¡­?¡± ¡°¡­Inquisitor, get out of this underground cave immediately!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°There aren¡¯t enough corpses! The number of victims has to be at least in the hundreds, but there are too few corpses here!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± However, what was even the point of getting that skill? My arms didn¡¯t seem like they wanted to move. I clenched my teeth and put my hand into my inventory, pulling out the few remaining bandages. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the Demon Knight, so go ahead!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± * * * * * * Well, I was d those two were pretty smart. However, considering what those guys said, it was probably already toote. However, since that matter was entirely out of my control, I just tried to put those bandages around me. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± No, if he did it, the skill effect wouldn¡¯t apply. Grab. I was helplessly robbed of the bandages. I couldn''t get them back, not with my body unable to move. It was just so frustrating. ¡°I¡ªCough.¡± ¡°Say no more.¡± Even if I wanted to talk, I couldn¡¯t because of the blood that kepting up. Shit, if that kept up, I might die from choking on my own blood. Why did that game even implement these types of things? My eyelids fluttered as I watched herbs and ointment be applied¡ªor poured on, rather¡ªto my wounds. To be honest, I just wanted to sleep. ¡®I guess I''d die, then, though.'' Right. So, even though it was hard, I had to stay awake. Though, if I could log out upon dying, I''d do so a hundred times over¡­. However, since when did the world just go as I wished? ¡°Life, fill our wounds and connect our energy." As I pondered, the Archmage chanted another spell. The light flowing from his hand became brighter, and the area around my wounds started to itch. ¡°I won''t ask why you went in here without consulting us first." At that moment, my HP bar started slowly filling up. It had reached a stable area. ¡°Just know that if we had arrived just a bitter, if we had been just a second slower, you most likely would have died." Well, he was right. If the Inquisitor and Archmage arrived even a bitter, I would have died. However, was that really because the dungeon''s difficulty was too high? I just went through a serious crisis because I didn''t know its pattern or the existence of that trap. Objectively speaking, this dungeon wasn¡¯t too difficult for me to clear it on my own. If I had to do it again, I most certainly wouldn''t get hurt even once. I could just kill them from outside the magic circle, after all. However, while it was weird to consider that, if this were actually real, I wouldn''t have had any choice but to act like I did. No, if this was real, I should have done even more. I wouldn''t stop just to save myself, after all. ¡°¡­Or was your goal to die here?" No way. I did this because I wanted to live, you know? However, I couldn''t just tell him that. Maintaining my character was essential for my survival, after all, which was extremely frustrating. Grind. How much time had passed? When my HP bar filled to about half, I could hear the sound of teeth grinding against each other. It was almost a pleasant sound. ¡°Did theye here because they smelled blood¡­?" My body was a mess, but that didn''t mean I could just neglect the long-ranged dealer¡¯s safety. While it was true that melee dealers needed the protection of a tank, they weren''t as squishy as long-ranged dealers. ¡°You shouldn''t move around already!" ¡°¡­I don''t need more rest." I forced my heavy body to rise. The wounds all over my body felt a bit tight, but I was somehow able to stand. That was a bit weird. Fatigue was one thing, but shouldn''t my wounds at least recover when my HP rose? Would I only get better after a full treatment or something? Or did this game have some setting where wounds recovered separately from HP? Huff, huff. Also, that heavy breathing sound. I had been wondering about it for a while now, but it seemed it wasing from me. I had been startled by the sound of my own breathing. Anyone would react like that if they were breathing like a terminally ill patient despite not feeling the slightest pain. Still, I couldn¡¯t afford to just focus on changing my breathing. I picked up my sword. The sword, which had felt extremely light to me up to this point, now seemed incredibly heavy. Even though I had already put away my Zweih?nder and only drew my Longsword, it still felt that way. Urgh, my HP was steadily recovering, so it probably wasn¡¯t because of that. Could it be due to my fatigue? I couldn¡¯t move properly since my fatigue had hit 100. ¡°You¡¯ll die!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t die.¡± It was true that I felt a bit dizzy, but I wouldn¡¯t die unless my HP hit 0. However, I went even one step further beyond the meta reason. Suddenly, a Sammokgu came running out of the darkness. ¡°Never.¡± Did I seriously just lose my bnce by taking a single step? ¡°Demon Knight!¡± Thud! I somehow managed to regain it before the Archmage could grab me. I managed to keep myself from falling by forcefully putting strength into the legs that had been about to give out. Crush! I managed to swing down at the Demon dog rushing toward me at the same time, cutting it into exactly two halves. ¡°If you got that¡­ just follow me.¡± Sigh. If that Demon Dog hadn¡¯t appeared, I would have been able to rest for a while longer. So what if I was in extremely bad shape right now? My character settings wouldn¡¯t allow me to just sit around after noticing I could move around. Well, I didn¡¯t necessarily move just because of the character setting. Even if not for that, we needed to reach the surface as fast as possible. Even if we sent the Inquisitor ahead, I still had an incredibly bad feeling. I went through all that trouble toe this far, so what if the city still ended up copsing without me even seeing it, leading to a GAME OVER and me having to retry the game? I would seriously cry. I wouldn¡¯t even know what caused the copse if I stayed here. I would feel even more pissed off and wronged! ¡°If you fall behind, I won¡¯t wait for you¡­!¡± So, even if I decided to rest, I would do so on the surface! I had to go up to get a grasp on the situation! * * * There was no power in the world that didn¡¯t demand a price. The Divine Power given by God was no exception. ¡°Oh, almighty God.¡± Some dilettantes imed it was a power gotten just from catching God¡¯s eye without having to put in any effort. They weren¡¯tpletely wrong. As long as one managed to draw God¡¯s attention, one could gain Divine Power just by saying one¡¯s morning prayers, and by showing sincerity, one would gain even more. It was a power that went against any fairness, solely relying on God¡¯s standards. ¡°Please make me your tool.¡± However, anyone who had ever wielded Divine Power was aware of certain facts. ¡°Make me your weapon.¡± There was no power as fair as Divine Power in the world, and there was a reason why God only ever granted it to a limited number of people. ¡°As such.¡± They had no other choice but to be aware of those facts. ¡°Please let your will be known here.¡± As if to show that the price a mortal must pay for wielding God¡¯s power was a heavy one, pain would constantly gnaw at their body, and their insides would feel as if they were burning up, and they could never show it. Baaam! The Inquisitor endured the familiar pain while gritting her teeth and raising her mace. The Demons, whose number had significantly decreased from when they had first entered, screeched and scurried into the darkness. She would have liked to track down and kill everyst one of them, but she didn¡¯t have time for that now. She followed the trail of corpses they had left behind. However, without using a {Tracking} spell, finding the exit wasn''t that easy. This ce was simply too big. ¡°Huu.¡± However, no matter how massive the ce was, it was only a matter of how fast she could run. Someone had cleared out this whole ce on their own. It was impossible for her to even begin fathoming the hardships he had gone through to achieve that. There was someone who had fought until his body was inplete shambles, and even then, he didn¡¯t forget to provide her with information in that state. Baaam! The Inquisitor, slightly dazed, kicked a Demon that was in her way into a wall. The real purpose of those evil people. Outside. Those fragmentary clues were floating around her head, urging her to move forward. ¡°Please, I hope I¡¯m not toote.¡± However, would it be the case if she just prayed like that? She had already fallen for their deceit and wasted too much time. Was there any way for her to turn the situation around? ¡°Miss Priest!¡± Even if she had the means, would she be able to figure out those vile people¡¯s true purpose all on her own? ¡°Y-yourpanions¡­¡± The Inquisitor held her breath as she looked at all those people standing outside the sewers. It was impossible. There was little she could do on her own. Even if she had the Hero¡¯s Stigma engraved on her, she could only wield some Divine Power. She was still just an ignorant and foolish servant of God. She couldn¡¯t even help the Demon Knight in the slightest. ¡°They are still inside. They wille up in a little bit. They are fine.¡± ¡°Ah, is that so?¡± ¡°Rather, is there anyone among you who can help me?¡± So, she decided not to becent. Moreover, didn¡¯t God say so as well? She alone wasn¡¯t enough. If she couldn¡¯t do something on her own, she just had to borrow the help of others. ¡°How can we help you?¡± ¡°All those who were hiding in the sewers have been eliminated. However, we have yet to determine what their true purpose on the surface is¡­?¡± The Inquisitor stopped climbing up the river bank and turned her head. ¡°That¡¯s¡­?¡± Very thick smoke was rising from one side of the city: a fog mixed with red and green. Chapter 32: The Consequences of One’s Choices (7) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 32 The Consequences of One¡¯s Choices (7) It was quite the godsend that I had a map and even marked directions on it. With the assistance of the Archmage¡¯s {Haste}¡ªit was my first time receiving a buff!¡ªI managed to get out of the underground cave while limping but still rather quickly. It would have been seriously annoying if more Demons had appeared, but it appeared that the dungeon hadn¡¯t reset yet, so I couldn¡¯t see any more mobs. Unlike before, when I had to search around and somehow find my destination, all I had to do now was rush toward an already designated goal. That meant as long as I had this map, I could take the shortest route avable. As such, I got outside faster than I had expected. No sooner than I set foot outside could I see smoke rising into the sky from one side of the city. I only ever saw smoke that thick when a building was burning. Still, it was rather strange for a fire to suddenly break out at this time. Moreover, if it were just smoke from a normal fire, red and green wouldn¡¯t have been mixed into it. That definitely had something to do with the Quest. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Sir Wizard!¡± ¡°And next to him is¡­¡± If I wanted to go there, I would first have to get over these riverbanks. While limping a little, I made my way toward the slope. It was around then that those who had formed a barricade around the riverbanks noticed us and came down. ¡°Thank you. Please help him before me.¡± ¡°Not necessary.¡± My HP was almost full. For some reason, my recovery rate significantly slowed after reaching 70%¡­ Well, 70% was enough. The problem was the penalties I received due to fatigue and my injuries. ¡°Those wounds¡­!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll help you immediately!¡± ¡°I should have said that I don¡¯t require any.¡± In fact, I required it, and very badly at that, but I had to maintain my character. I mean, if anyone here thought the Demon had devoured me, I wouldn¡¯t even be able to resist right now. For that reason, I stubbornly marched ahead, tears in my eyes. The blood that hadn¡¯t even dried yet left marks on the ground. ¡°Don¡¯t be stubborn. You surely overexerted yourself justing here with that body of yours. Even your internal organs have been gnawed at.¡± ¡°Whaaat?!¡± However, the Archmage¡ªfortunately¡ªcalled out to me. An ursine Shaggi adventurer lifted me with his giant hands. ¡°¡­! Don¡¯t touch my body¡­!¡± ¡°Look, I know that you¡¯re strong, but please let us save your life.¡± Usually, I could have easily shaken him off, but with my body in that state, I found it rather difficult to resist. The Archmage probably made the others do this precisely because he knew what state I was in. ¡°I don¡¯t care ab¡ª!¡± ¡°There¡¯s still a battle left for you to fight.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Was I hallucinating, or did I see the Archmage grab the back of his neck? Of course, I couldn¡¯t actually have seen it, as I had no eyes on the back of my head. Didn¡¯t he know that if he put it like that, I would have to give up on any rest I might have been able to get and rush ahead? Thanks to him, I really couldn¡¯t rest now. Aaargh. I red at the Shaggi, who had one eye covered with a bandage, and let out a sigh. Still, I felt ratherfortable. I was draped over his wide shoulder like a sack of potatoes, so I didn¡¯t look all that cool here. ¡°Cough.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± It was a bit problematic that I continued coughing up blood as if my wounds had opened up again. My HP started to drop again, as well. ¡°Are you really an adventurer?! How could you act so ignorantly?!¡± Someone¡ªprobably a healer, as they were wearing a red cross badge¡ªrushed toward us from behind the barricade and nagged the adventurer holding me. That had been rather unnecessary as I already received all the help I could beforeing up the riverbank. ¡°I¡¯ll treat you right awa¡ª¡± ¡°That smoke.¡± I barely managed to lift myself without falling to the ground. Actually, it probably wasn¡¯t due to my own merit but the Shaggi adventurer who held me changing his way of support. Anyway. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know, either.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t see the Inquisitor with you. Did she perhaps head to that ce?¡± ¡°Ah, yes, Sir Wizard. She called it suspicious and immediately headed there. She probably took some people with her, though. We stayed behind just in case.¡± I spat out thest blood clot stuck in my throat. Blood, along with various pieces of organs, scattered over the ground. ¡°Wait, there¡¯s so much blood¡­! Let¡¯s transport him to a hospital first¡ª¡± What?! The hospital? I stood up using the sword I had been holding onto so stubbornly as a walking stick. I no longer knew whether I was still ying a game or actually performing. I was worn out and exhausted, but I couldn¡¯t stop here. Roleying was one thing, but if I thought about this matter a bit further, there was no way a Quest could proceedpletely without the involvement of the yer¡­! Of course, there were some games where certain tasks could bepleted through just the NPCs, but¡­ there was this general rule applicable to all games: when NPCs worked on the yer¡¯s behalf, the results were almost always subpar. ¡°I¡¯ll go. You rest here.¡± ¡°Even sages know how to speak nonsense, huh?¡± ¡°What are you even going to do with that body?!¡± No. My HP was still around 70%. If I wanted to fight, I could. I was pretty much used to that dizzying feeling now. Probably? ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can do there.¡± ¡¸? The Truth Behind the Curtain ? Thwart the Demon Worshipers¡¯ ns ? Optional: Demons eliminated 221 / ??¡¹ They probably wrote that into the Quest because it had to be me who did it. As such, I had to go. ¡°Hey.¡± However, I suddenly heard a voice call out from behind me, followed by a dull pain around my neck. ¡°That man, serious¡­ly¡­?¡± It didn¡¯t exactly hurt, but it wasn¡¯t a pleasant feeling either. I slowly lifted my head, which was hanging forward a little, and slowly turned my head. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Did that guy just hit me? ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± I red at that adventurer of the same race as Deb, a Curety. I didn¡¯t even have to roley for that; I felt veins protruding from my neck. The guy who met my gaze seemed shocked and immediately tried averting his eyes to the side. ¡°He¡¯s right.¡± The Archmage didn¡¯t even try to take my side and only sat there saying things like that. His next actions were actually simr to those of the Curety adventurer just now. aatter! ¡°Get some rest.¡± ¡­Didn¡¯t he know I had been bound by chains not too long ago, which led me to be in this situation?! How could he tie me up with magic chains again!! ¡°How dare you hinder me¡­!¡± ¡°This is for your own good.¡± If you were going to do something like that, make me faint properly, you damn NPC¡­! ¡°That¡¯s not up to you!¡± I had already learned the trick to use skills with just my body. Crack! I destroyed the bindings around my itching right arm, which somehow made it feel morefortable. ¡°¡­! You, just now¡ª!¡± At that moment, I got angry again. Did he think I was doing this because I wanted to? Did he think I went in there because I wanted to?! No, it wasn¡¯t just because of my character settings. It had always been that kind of game, I guess, but I couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore¡­! tter! Was it because of his AI or something? He really didn¡¯t seem to learn. I immediately split the chain that rose from the ground with my right arm. Suddenly, ck traces appeared in the air before disappearing again. ¡®Should I kill him?¡¯ This was really annoying. Baaam! I mmed the Longsword I was holding to the ground. If I kept holding it up, I felt like I would end up throwing it, even if I didn¡¯t swing it. He would definitely get bruised if hit by a 2kg rebar. ¡°Wizard! Don¡¯t test me any further¡­! I¡¯m not sure I can control myself any more than this¡­! My character setting aside, I waspletely sincere here. These people were seriously too much. The kimchi dumpling, who randomly punched me in the stomach, and now this guy, who put chains on someone who had just beenpletely chained up to their neck. It was a bit much to ask NPCs for delicacy, but still! ¡°¡­!¡± Damn it. I felt like shit. Of course, the source of my severe irritation wasn¡¯t the binding but my extreme fatigue, but that didn¡¯t change how I currently felt about anything. This was aplete mess. If I had been less tired, I would havee up with a different way, but I wasn¡¯t in a position to do that right now. ¡°¡­Out of the way.¡± There was no other way to solve this. I had to finish this Quest quickly and get some sleep. I looked at those terrified faces around me as they slowly moved away and headed toward where the smoke seemed to originate. When would I reach that ce? It seemed there was a long way ahead of me. * * * * * * Deathbringer kneeled before the pile of corpses. In front of him was a person with a knife stuck in his neck. ¡°¡­Those Demon Worshipers aren¡¯t a big deal.¡± Who would have guessed that the suspicious people he had been following were Demon Worshipers? Moreover, through abination of happenstance and luck, he even managed to follow them to their hideout disguised as a merchantpany. That included watching them set up the ritual, setting fire to everything around because he couldn¡¯t bear to watch it anymore, and evenpletely ruining their ritual by touching the magic circle and sacrifices. They didn¡¯t summon any Demons separately, either! Thanks to that, he could kill them all one by one by slitting their throats and thrusting his knife into their hearts. Killing people was his specialty, so as long as there weren¡¯t any Demons, he had nothing to worry about. ¡°I never thought those guys had anything to do with this.¡± He scratched his head as he stood over the person he had just killed. He never had such a direct confrontation with those guys before¡ªback in Somon, he only protected the wizard in the rear, which didn¡¯t count¡ªso he¡¯d vaguely believed he wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with them. However, he was quite surprised that wasn¡¯t the case. ¡°They might have made contracts with Demons, but they are still people, after all¡­¡± Of course, things didn¡¯t necessarily turn out this way because he was insanely skilled. He was more than sure of that. All of this involved a lot of luck and happenstance. However, were his achievements any less just because he had been a little lucky? At least he had learned from this incident that he could kill those Demon Contractors in the right circumstances. That meant his vague fear of being unable to do it turned to concrete evidence that he could. And there was a huge difference between those two things, after all. He could do it, as well. He wasn¡¯t merely a hindrance. With just a bit of effort and attention, he could do it just like he did now. ¡°Rather, what should I do about all this?¡± The only problem left was dealing with the aftermath. He scratched his cheek while looking at the burning pile of corpses, the broken magic circle, and all those people who had lost their lives to him. ¡°They¡¯lle on their own as long as I give them a signal, I guess.¡± All he had to do was grab the people¡¯s attention. One of them would definitely be involved with the city lord or a member of some religious organization who¡¯lle to investigate this ce. If that were the case, those guys would deal with the aftermath automatically. So Deathbringer just left the building and jumped up, squatting on the rooftop right behind the sign saying ¡°Paint Store.¡± In his hand was some dye powder he had been carrying in small quantities for a long time now. It was an item that would change the color of smoke when thrown into a fire. Hisssssss. As expensive as it was, its effects were outstanding. The smoke rising from the massive bonfire quickly changed its hue. Just in case, he mixed two colors and threw them in the mes to make sure people would notice. ¡°Good." Now, all he had to do was hide. Even though he didn''t do anything wrong, he still decided to do that. There was no guarantee that the first person to see the signal was an ally. ¡°¡­Wow, it''s as if they''ve been waiting for it." He saw some suspicious people running straight for this ce. ¡°Who are they?" On the surface, they didn''t seem any different from typical civilians. However, with the trained eyes of an experienced thief, he could see various ws: the shoes were far too clean, their worn-out clothes looked to have been borrowed from several other people, and their skin was as white as if it had never been scorched by the sun before. He could already glean so much information from their appearance while hiding in a far-off ce. He could tell even more than that from them. No matter how he looked at them, they were suspicious. ¡°Did they catch on?" ¡°Damn it, there was only a little bit left¡­" Even more so, after hearing those remarks without any tension in their voice. Deathbringer threw away all the excitement and confidence he had just felt about his sess and tried to think as calmly as possible. It would be easier to follow them than kill them, but would he gain anything from that? That massacre just now was only possible because numerous variables happened to ovep. He needed a more reliable force than himself. An unstoppable force that couldpletely ignore and wipe out anything those Demon Contractors threw at them, like that damn priest or the Demon Knight. ¡°Shit, that was our golden opportunity to be rid of that Hero." ¡°What''s done is done. It seems like the underground cave has already beenpletely destroyed." The problem was that, because he was alone, he couldn''t both give chase and inform the others. ¡°Let''s retreat. We have to get out of this city for now." ¡°Right." Ah, he really didn''t want to use that method. He swallowed his slight displeasure and held his breath. Rip. Then, the sound of something tearing sounded out. ¡°Let''s flee before others arrive!" A new shadow joined the ones of those fleeing men. ¡°Please guide me." [Shadow Mark]. It was a skill only a few Information Guild members could learn. It was also the most formidable tracking skill out there. One could locate their enemies by tearing off one¡¯s shadow and attaching it to theirs. ¡°Now, to the Temple¡­" Ah, he had forgotten something. ¡°There''s no way those damn bastards would listen to me." Even when he told the priests he was there to watch the horses, they told him to leave as they couldn¡¯t confirm whether he truly was there on behalf of the owner. So he had to sit on the wall and watch them in secret. So would those priests believe him now? Nope, never! Not in a trillion years! ¡°I guess the Adventurers¡¯ Guild would work." Of course, the only ones there seemed seriously injured, so would they even be enough? Still, it would be better than him pursuing them on his own. Since they already knew him, he could at leastmunicate with them. ¡°Uuugh." How did he even get caught up in all this? Deathbringer groaned in frustration as he started moving his feet. Since the situation was urgent, he had to rush. ¡°You!" ¡°Hey, if it isn''t Miss Self-Righteous." Then he came across someone he hadn''t expected. Maybe it was fate. "You came at just the right time. Hey, Iron Wall, I came across some people who seem to be Demon Contractors. Come with me, will you?" ¡°¡­Are youpletely sure?" ¡°Ah, whatever, then don''te." ¡°No, I''lle along! Guide me!" It probably wasn''t just him who noticed they¡¯d kind of gotten closer. * * * ¡°Hey, what happened here?" ¡°Huh? Who''re you¡ª" ¡°Ah, aren''t you the wizard who came along with the priest?! And¡­ you''re also alive? You actually came out of the sewers alive?" ¡°He''s very tired, so it''s best if you don''t talk to him. Rather, could you please step aside for a moment?" ¡°Ah. Yes, of course. Feel free to pass." ¡°¡­¡± ¡°The priest said there were some traces to be found here¡­ Does this ce look any different in your eyes, Sir Wizard?" ¡°¡­This." ¡°Is there any problem?" ¡°It definitely looks like the Inquisitor has been here. Do you know where she went?" ¡°Pardon? The priest? She took some people with her to investigate West Street. We stayed here to guard the evidence." ¡°West Street. Understood. Demon Knight! Let us go!" ¡°Wh-what is going on?" ¡°We must catch the Demon Worshipers before they can escape the city or begin another ritual!" Chapter 33: The Consequences of One’s Choices (8) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer? Chapter 33 The Consequences of One¡¯s Choices (8) ¡°I clearly understand what their purpose was. They were nning on cing a curse on this ce." The wizard, whose attitude became entirely business-like after I drew the line between us again, exined these things to me. ¡°The ritual itself isn''t used that much. Considering the effort one must put into it, the likelihood of getting discovered before itspletion, and the possibility of death as the curse doesn''t differentiate between friend or foe, it¡¯s not all that attractive. It would be faster to release diseased rats into a popted area than prepare the ritual for a curse." That seemed less dangerous than I expected. I was by no means belittling the dangers of the gue, but I had been imagining it as an instant mass death spell. If they could also fall ill from it, they certainly wouldn''t use diseases like the bubonic gue or smallpox. ¡°The reason for using gue rituals is because those who die from it meet the criteria of sacrifices." Oh¡­ That sounded a bit creepy. That was when I realized these actions probably were just an intermediate step in their n. When would I be able to rest? ¡°It''s highly likely that the ritual¡¯s true purpose can be found outside the city. Either way, what they did in the sewers was certainly just a distraction." Well, I didn''t think that it was just a distraction. Those chains; they said they¡¯d prepared them for the Hero. They may have wanted to waste our time with it, but they might also have been aiming for the Hero herself. ¡°The problem is¡­ the gue ritual doesn''t just end by destroying the ritual''s center axis. Its effects will only be stoppedpletely after removing all five of the ritual¡¯s axes." Urgh, I mean, if you could only stop a gue ritual like that after it waspleted, we would have been pretty much screwed, right¡­? My head was spinning, so I couldn''t say for certain it would have been like that. As I shook my head, I wondered if this difficulty was really fitting for the early stages of the Main Quest. The problem wasn''t the level of the monsters but that the scale was far too big for an initial Quest. If that was just the beginning, what would happenter on? ¡°Still, just thempleting the ritual isn''t the only problem. They might use the remaining sacrifices for arge-scale summoning as well." Anyway, what I gleaned from this was that we had to destroy the five axes. Right. The yer was and always would be an errand boy, after all. ¡¸? The Truth Behind the Curtain ? Thwart the Demon Worshipers¡¯ ns ? Ritual axes found: 1 / 5¡¹ As I saw the Quest updating, a thought passed through my head. My feet stopped. ¡°Let''s go in the opposite direction." ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°If there''s an axis on West Street, the guys who went there will take care of it." While this would only work if the axes were arranged in a pentagon, all the magic circles used thus far had a circr setup, so I should be correct. ¡°¡­You''re right. Will you be fine?" ¡± ¡°As long as you don''t do anything stupid." Ah, did that mean I would have to go all the way back? Uwargh. Please let the injury penalty end quickly. * * * ¡°You were right." After forcing the Demon Worshipers disguised as civilians to their knees, the Inquisitor mmed her mace against the ground. As a scorching heat filled the area, a dazzling radiance quickly melted the remaining Demonic Energy corrupting the earth. The corpses, defiled by unclean energies, were Purified andid to rest. ¡°If I didn''t notice this, my eyes may as well be decorations." It was truly disgusting how he showed off, but she had no choice but to praise him this time. While she fell for the enemy''s trick like a fool and cleared the sewers, that guy managed to disrupt the Demon Worshipers¡¯ ritual held in the city. He even ced a mark on those who came to check on the ritual and, after catching them, found yet another ritual site. Considering the one clue he got was that they were performing a gue ritual¡ªmeaning five sites were serving as the ritual¡¯s axes¡ªthis was an incredible feat. ¡°Or maybe you''re just ipetent." ¡°¡­!¡± However, she just couldn''t ept these words. He didn''t even know this was a gue ritual before the Inquisitor joined. It was true that she couldn¡¯t do anything while that guy uncovered the hidden truth with just his keen eyes¡­! But still! ¡°Anyway, let''s quickly find the other axes, alright? I¡¯m guessing they are somewhere around there." Even at this site they had just discovered, only traces remained, and no person could be seen. After searching the area, they fortunately managed to find three sites¡­ They couldn''t urately predict their locations until after finding the third. ¡°¡­Yes." However, now it was more than possible. She swallowed her anger and estimated the location of the next site. The axes were positioned to form a pentagon, so once you found three of them, it wasn''t difficult to estimate the others¡¯ locations. She just wanted to make a rough estimate, not calcte its exact position, so she could keep rushing ahead. ¡°Let''s go." She motivated the ones around her and quickly moved her feet. Her thoughts wandered to the Demon Knight. No, she had to hurry to keep up with that nimble thief. Baaam! ¡°¡­?!¡± However, as they reached the area, the Inquisitor felt a familiar energy. That explosion was just a bonus. ¡°That''s¡­" Was that the Demon Knight? His energy looked darker than usual¡­ No, it couldn''t be him. He should still be in the sewers. Or did he actuallye up here with his body in that state? Perhaps there was just someone among their enemies with a strengthparable to his. Either way, it was nothing she would wee. She braced herself as she moved her legs forward, an ominous feeling rising in her chest. The perceptive thief definitely noticed themotion and quickly changed course as he bounced up a nearby building. ¡°It''s Mister Knight!" ¡°Demon Knight!" That conclusion revealed neither of her premonitions was wrong. The origin of that loud explosion was the Demon Knight. Since he was the only one she knew with that contrasting gray and ck hair, it couldn''t be anyone other than him. ¡°Inquisitor¡­?" ¡°What good timing." Boom!! It was also urate that someone extremely strong, someone they couldn''t ignore, was on the enemy''s side. ¡°We have to Purify it." Boooooom!!! The Demon Knight was driven to such methods by a Demon that even she, who had memorized half of the Demon types in existence, couldn''t identify. * * * Turning back the clock a bit before the Inquisitor arrived. I was looking at the sequence of events unfolding before me and their oue, eyes wide open. ¡°Hah, hahahaha! Even if our n fails, I''ll at least take you down with me!" They managed to carry out the gue ritual but were discovered soon after, so their sess¡¯s meaning was immediately lost. One of the Contractors present shouted as though he had something nned but then just died. And with that Contractor''s life as a sacrifice, something happened. ¡°You traitor, you will never¡­" As if there had been a reason why the Contractors were standing inside a magic circle, thest one copsed after saying those few words. The blood spewing from his every hole turned into sludge and engulfed him. He appeared like the Stink God from a certain famous anime. Maybe with a bit of cosmic horror added in. ¡¸??? ©¦ ???¡¹ Was that really the mob''s description? If that was how they were doing it, they didn''t have to show me anything in the first ce. ¡°Were we toote¡­?" In any case, the Archmagemented over us being toote to prevent this by a small margin. Me? I actually didn''t react much. It wasn''t like I didn''t have any regrets, but I somewhat figured it would end up like this. I mean, all the Quests up until now had directly or indirectly alluded to this incident. That just showed howrge-scale this Quest was. The fate of a whole city depended on it. But for no boss to exist in such a long-running Quest? Given the game''s nature as an RPG, that was basically impossible. In the end, this situation wasn''t anything new. Considering these people always managed to summon the bosses just barely before we could stop them, it seemed they were unstoppable events, meaning I shouldn''t feel too remorseful. ¡°Evacuate the people.¡± On another note, I did well suppressing my fatigue and forcing myself to join him. I didn¡¯t really want to do a boss fight right now, but certain games would give you a GAME OVER if you didn¡¯t properly protect the civilian NPCs. Simply warning the people would usually suffice¡­ The distance between us and them should be prettyrge, so if they just run away immediately, that would do the trick. However, unlike other areas in this city, the buildings stood especially close to create narrow paths and didn¡¯t seem that durable. It couldn¡¯t be helped, as this ce was more or less the slums. However, if nothing was done, these would be the perfect circumstances for civilians to get seriously hurt. Furthermore, that guy was more or less a cosmic horror version of the Stink God, its body constantly boiling and expanding. No matter how one looked at it, this boss definitely had a lot of AOE attacks. ¡°Are you going to fight that thing alone?!¡± Normally, I would ask whoever said that to me if they were crazy, but it might actually be possible in this game. Considering the level of the mobs up until this point, this boss fight might turn out unexpectedly nd. I doubted it, however, since I was still suffering from that injury penalty. ¡°Must I repeat myself?¡± I fixed my grip on my Longsword, which I had been using almost like a cane up to this point. My throat felt so incredibly sore. I really wanted to drink some water but had no time for that. I had to inflict some damage to that thing while that Stink God was still iplete. [Breaker]. I used the attack I was most familiar with first. The wooden house covered in that sludge almost cracked in half. ¡°Damn it, you¡­!¡± I felt like I just heard the Archmage curse. Did he actually do that? I never heard him let out any cuss words before. Wuoooh. Meanwhile, that giant blob of sludge split in half and reached its arms out to me. I wasn¡¯t sure if I caused it any damage, though. Despite looking like that, it was still liquid in the end. The sludge I had cut in two converged and became one again. That thing. It seemed like I wasn¡¯t a good match. There was no HP bar over its head, so I had to guess just by how injured it looked. Because of that, I couldn¡¯t determine exactly how much damage I did. Bam! But I had to fight. I struck down the arms approaching me with my sword. Lumps of dirt were thrown around andnded on a nearby wall, slowly dripping down like mud. It wasn¡¯t very effective. That guy was very boss-like in various ways. ¡°Cough!¡± Then, blood gushed out of my mouth. It didn¡¯t hurt, but my body felt weak, and I almost fell forward. That damn penalty. ¡°Hold on for just a little longer!¡± The Archmage, doing something behind me, called out to me. At any other time, I would have thought I wouldn¡¯t need his help, but right now, I was very d to hear those words. ¡°¡­Let the word be spread!¡± I could soon hear something ringing in my ear. Something like, ¡®Demons have appeared, so get out of your houses and run away from the noise.¡¯ It was phrased a little differently, but that was essentially it. ¡°[Breaker]¡­!¡± Now that people had been warned, I had to get some damage in. Ah, please, just a single critical hit. Silently praying, I swung down my sword with great difficulty. Booooom! As expected, that didn¡¯t really cause any damage, either. ¡°This Demon¡­¡± * * * * * * Cough, cough. I coughed up blood again and took some steps back. There were signs the sludge monster was about to attack, and bits of its body filled the whole building, so we had to escape. ¡°Get out." ¡°Urgh.¡± I grabbed the Archmage, while chanting a spell, by the back of his neck and threw him. I managed to fling him right out of the entrance. Bang! At that moment, a bulging arm made of sludge¡ªso thick it could have smashed my head in¡ªstruck the ce where I had been standing. I barely managed to throw myself against the wall near the entrance. It was clear this ce was about to explode. ¡°Kuhuk." Still, I had some time to catch my breath. I retreated to the street and let out the blood that had pooled in my mouth. The recoil knocked me to my knees, and I spilled even more blood across the ground. It didn''t hurt, but it did feel really bad. ¡°Are you okay?" Did it look like I was okay? I forced myself to stand and vowed I would never move around after my fatigue hit 100, ever again. The same went for the injury penalty. I would never get injured like that again. Bang! The front wall of the building broke, and the sludge monster was released onto the streets. ¡°Uwaaargh!" ¡°What is that monster?!" ¡°A Demon!!" People affected by the Archmage¡¯s spell came out of the house screaming and quickly fled. The urge to ask why they¡¯d only left now and the relief that they managed to escape mixed inside me. ¡°You¡­ do your job properly." Now that I thought about it more, I got angry. My fatigue had exceeded 100 already. I also had substantial injuries on my back, shoulder, and abdomen. Wasn''t it a bit too harsh to make it this difficult? If this were real life, it would be a miracle I could still fight¡­! Swish! I swung my sword around in a fit of anger. I guessed nothing good would happen if I let that thing touch us, so I cut at it with my sword. However, no matter how much I shed, it just kept regenerating, which only served to drain my strength. Its HP didn''t appear to have taken a hit, either. ¡°Oh Fire, burn my enemies!" Then, the Archmage finally let out an attack. He threw a {Fireball} that reminded me of our first meeting. Baaang! Uwooooh! The Stink God, hit by the {Fireball}, shriveled and began burning in a pir of fire after being struck by subsequent attacks. I wondered if, like most monsters of this type, its weakness was fire. Even if not, it was still inflicting more damage than me. Alright. So, my role was to kite it and continue pulling its aggro. It was a little weird to y the role of a Tank while being a Damage Dealer. However, it wasn¡¯t anything I couldn¡¯t do. I already had a lot of experience doing things like that as well! Kuooh! If everything went smoothly, that boss would turn into a total punching bag. The burning lump of sludge extinguished the me by welling up the wet sludge from its insides. In other words, it pulled out stuff from deep within itself and let it crash over the mes like waves. ¡°Uwaaargh!¡± Because of that, it seemed to melt like ice cream dropped on hot asphalt, spreading its sludge over a wider area. The people who were slower to flee¡ªit seemed they wanted to take at least some of their belongings with them¡ªbecame even more scared. ¡°Dodge¡­!¡± ¡°What¡ª?¡± It would be fine if the Tank were hit, but not the Dealer. I pushed the Archmage, who was in the middle of casting a spell, back once again. Not only the Archmage but a few people who had been slow to escape would be affected by that attack, but saving them was beyond my ability. The moment I tried to run toward them, my body lost its strength. How could I save them all like this? I mean, even I was determined to lose my legs. ¡°Tsk.¡± Fortunately, just touching that Stink God¡¯s sludge didn¡¯t shave off any HP. ¡°Uwaaah!¡± ¡°Kuhuk!¡± Well, it didn¡¯t harm me. That wasn¡¯t the case for the others, though. Body parts touched by that sludge turned pitch ck. After falling into that state, the area would expand and quickly erode them. ¡°¡­! A gue, it¡¯s a gue!¡± The Archmage, who had managed to save his life at the expense of his back¡¯s health, quickly shouted out. ¡°You can¡¯t let your skin touch that liquid!¡± ¡°Uwargh!¡± No matter how much advice one gave, there were still those who wouldn¡¯t follow it. Gritting my teeth, I swung out my sword. The [sh] stretched out in a straight line, cleaving the ground and blocking the sludge. As it only spread quickly and shallowly, it was easily pushed away by the wind apanying my attack. ¡°Urgh, aaargh!¡± Fortunately, the man, who had almost been covered in the sludge, quickly ran away without falling. However, I couldn¡¯t go on like this. As someone who primarily used swords, I couldn¡¯t deal with this boss. If I had any oil on me, I would have spread it around and set it on fire, but I didn¡¯t have any. It was also extremely hard to move around. ¡°Kuargh!¡± Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t even have the time to think of something calmly. Those caught in the sludge earlier had their eyes roll into their heads before a lump of liquid swallowed them whole. Having almost left the house, it measured 2m in height, although it had stained the area in a 6m radius around it with its bodily fluids. ¡°And God spoke, let the foulness be Purified and all evil destroyed!¡± The Archmage, who hadn¡¯t remained idle, attempted to attack it again. A yellow-white me, much bigger than a {Fireball} and giving off a divine feeling, burned away all the sludge. As its body started to burn, it temporarily gathered its fluids in one ce. ¡°D¡­ie!" Just because my attacks weren''t as effective didn¡¯t mean I could just stand by and watch. I attacked to keep its aggro on me. I knew if my sword touched the sludge, it would erode, so I just sent out ranged attacks with my de. Its body split open, and sewage poured out like a fountain. If it spread everywhere, we would have been ruined, but fortunately, it only covered my body. Uwoooooh No, that wasn''t all. The surface of the sludge monster was bubbling as if boiling slightly. I had an ominous feeling as it turned toward the Archmage. Pew! One should always listen to their gut. The thing shot out its filth like a water gun. ¡°Where, are you looking¡­?!" ¡°Demon Knight!" If the Wizard died, the Raid would fail! With that in mind, I let myself get hit by the unrelenting stream of gunk. I wanted to hit it with my de somehow but couldn''t because my legs felt weak. Some of the sludge sttered on my coat, the clothing beneath it, and my cheek. The first thing that hit me was the prant smell and a tingling sensation running over my skin. ¡¸Curse!¡¹ My HP started to decline. ¡°Just do your job, you bastard!" What was a Damage Dealer supposed to do? Deal more damage! Only by dealing more damage could he save me! I barely managed to maintain my bnce andunch another sword strike. That was the best way to attract its aggro. Fortunately, I was its next target, as if it had gotten annoyed with this ant biting it. Parts of its bulging body were pouring down on me. ¡°Mister Knight!¡± ¡°Demon Knight!¡± Ah, but just as I was about to dodge its attack, my legs gave out. I was screwed. I wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid that one, huh? ¡°Inquisitor¡­?¡± ¡°You did well.¡± Kuoooh!! I was lucky, or rather, their timing was just right. Half-submerged in that sludge, I shouted to the person running toward me. ¡°Purify it.¡± Kuoooooh!!! Uwargh, please save me!! ¡°What, do you¡ª¡± It seemed the Inquisitor¡¯s mind was a bit overloaded, causing her to hesitate. I shouldn¡¯t have said anything. ¡°It¡¯s a gue curse!¡± The Archmage informed her about the nature of that thing before I could, to which the Inquisitor¡¯s expression changed as if realizing something. ¡°But the Demon Knight¡ª¡± No, she shouldn''t care about me. Well, if she understood, she should just kill that thing already. While I didn¡¯t have a shield or anything, I could negate death once! [Indomitable Spirit]¡¯s cooldown was over! Of course, I knew I would die immediately afterward because of the curse! ¡°What you have to do is¡­¡± I somehow managed to move my sword while my HP was about to bottom out. ¡°to kill that Demon.¡± [Ground Crash]. I half-forcibly activated the skill, thinking its name in my mind, which made the ground shake. The spherical force managed to shake off all the sludge that surrounded me. ¡°Do it now!¡± Fortunately, the Inquisitor didn¡¯t hesitate any longer. Her green eyes, which had been shaking, became firm as she came to a decision. ¡°Oh God, please be with me.¡± A brilliant light fell over the kimchi dumpling. ¡°Burn all the evil beings wandering this earth.¡± And then, white light rushed in like a tide wave,pletely covering my view. My HP, which had struggled to stay afloat for a little while, finally hit rock bottom. Chapter 34: The Consequences of One’s Choices (9) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 34 The Consequences of One¡¯s Choices (9) "How should I start? First, since I always record my gamey, I always leave behind somements like this in case someone might see it. "The background might be a bit scary, but¡­ please watch this part. I didn¡¯t have many moments where I could be alone. I want to leave this for the future¡­ I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll ever be able to do this again." . . . "The reason I¡¯m leaving this video now¡­ Well, it¡¯s nothing big. As I said before, there weren¡¯t many opportunities to do this¡­ I also thought I would actually die if I left these types ofments, and I was kind of scared of that. "However¡­ Looking at it differently, these might be myst chances to say something. "So, whenever I get the chance, I want to record these kinds of videos asionally. It¡¯s not over yet¡­ I still have time. Come to think of it, I actually have quite a lot to say¡­ "Ah, right. If you see this video, could you show it to my parents? I have a lot of things I want to say to them. I¡¯m sorry for not visiting you more often, and please forgive your unfilial son for leaving first¡­" . . . "¡­Lastly, I might look quite ridiculous right now. It¡¯s strange that I¡¯m acting like I¡¯m about to die, right? You might think I went crazy. "But, Mom, Dad, I¡¯m not insane. I just¡­ just¡­ I just want to live. "I also don¡¯t know why this happened, but this kind of thing happens a lot in manhwa and novels¡­ Even though Mom and Dad don¡¯t really read those, right? At first, I thought I was trapped in a game, but it turned out to be another world¡­ So I want to keep living. "That¡¯s why. I know, this might sound a little stupid, but¡­ I¡¯m worried that I might not be able to survive. If I could really continue to live in this different world¡­" . . . "Hey, if I die, will it be painful? "Or will my thoughts just stop all of a sudden before I can feel any pain? "I really hope it¡¯s thetter. I hate pain¡­" . . . "I don¡¯t want to die. "Why do I have to go through this? "I don¡¯t want to die yet. "I don¡¯t wanna die. I don¡¯t want to die. I want to live just a bit longer. "Just a little more¡­" * * * I opened my eyes in a daze. The video log I¡¯d recorded while resting for a bit when going through the sewer came to me as a dream. How useless. I wasn¡¯t the one who needed to see it, after all. ¡°Demon Knight!¡± This ce wasn¡¯t where I was supposed to be, either¡­ ¡°Have youe to your senses?¡± I blinked as I moved my gaze to the source of the sound. I saw a face that seemed rather familiar to me. Because of my blurry vision, the facial features were somewhat indistinct, but that red hair was unmistakable. ¡°Are you awake, Mister?¡± It seemed Deb was here as well. I slowly blinked before opening my eyes. I wanted to ask what was going on. However, I failed to do so as my throat was ovee with an intense thirst. A dry cough and some heaving left my mouth instead of words. ¡°How could you not even give him any water?!¡± ¡°I-I was about to!¡± Could they just put off their quarrel forter and give me some water first¡­ ¡°Here you go.¡± Still, it seemed like they weren¡¯t so absorbed in their fight that theypletely forgot about me. I got up with Deb¡¯s help. The kimchi dumpling handed me a ss filled with water. ¡°I¡¯ll tilt it now.¡± No, there wasn¡¯t any need to treat me so kindly. Merely drinking water with that kind of support also didn¡¯t fit my character setting. However, my body was much too weak to drink on my own, so I couldn¡¯t ignore her help. Quite frankly, my vision was still very blurred as well. The hand supporting my back and shoulder felt kind of cool. ¡°It looks like you¡¯re having a really hard time, Mister Knight.¡± Didn¡¯t he know it was a universal rule to pretend not to notice these things? I gulped down the water while grumbling like that. It had been a while since water tasted that sweet to me. ¡°¡­The¡­ situation.¡± After emptying two sses, my thirst was somewhat relieved. My voice still cracked, but it was much better than being unable to talk like before. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Mister, you really¡­¡± But why were they looking at me with those tearful faces? Was it so strange for me to ask what had happened? ¡°Hey, Mister. It has been two weeks, you know?¡± ¡­Was he joking? ¡°You almost died. Your injuries were so severe that it wouldn¡¯t have been strange had you died on the spot, and the curse made it even worse. Every time they tried to lift it, you would throw up blood because of the Divine Power¡­!¡± As Deb continued to exin, I became even more confused. It felt so absurd that I couldn¡¯t believe it. Two weeks? Just like that? Was I unconscious for more than five real-time days?? No, wait, I was alive even after five real-time days had passed? Then, this ce really was¡­ No, that didn¡¯t prove it. There was a slight possibility that only in-game time had passed. I suppressed both my desire to believe in one or the other. I had to keep my mind open to all possibilities. I couldn¡¯t get discouraged, at least. I had to endure. ¡°Are you listening?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± Of course, even ounting for all that, it seemed ridiculous that two in-game weeks had passed. Wasn¡¯t there some rule about game characters getting better once their HP was full? Even if I was under a penalty because of my injuries, two weeks was just too long. I took a quick look at my HP bar just to make sure. It was full. My fatigue hadn¡¯t gone down, though. ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± Wow, now that I looked at it, there really was a penalty for too much fatigue: the rate at which it went down was affected. Considering it hadn¡¯t fallen at all yet, was there some system in ce slowing fatigue recovery speed depending on how long I continued moving at full fatigue? How crazy. I should never do that again. ¡°¡­¡± Thinking about the system, I could see Deb and the kimchi dumpling clenching their fists. What was actually going on? I was the most nervous right now. Well, there was no point obsessing over it, so I just let it go. ¡°Do I¡­ have to ask you a third time?¡± And this was the type of character they wanted me to y, to begin with! If I put my safety first, then what would they do?! ¡°¡­First, the city is safe.¡± Fortunately, those two didn¡¯t make me lose my temper. I doubted I could do that with barely any energy left, but things somehow worked out. ¡°The Demon the Demon Knight fought was named a gue Demon. It waspletely defeated. Furthermore, the priests stepped up to purify the whole area, so no further infections urred.¡± The Inquisitor clearly and concisely exined the aftermath of the incident. That kimchi dumpling sure was good at reporting things like that, even though I couldn¡¯t really do anything. ¡°Afterwards, I led a group of adventurers to break through the barricades and confirmed the siege on the city was over. I also requested support. As of yesterday, reinforcements arrived and have started their relief work.¡± It seemed quite a lot had happened while I was passed out. Looking at it like that, maybe it wasn¡¯t such a bad thing I had lost consciousness for two weeks. Were I awake, I would have had to help them. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean I didn¡¯t want to, but I needed my body to be in good shape again first. I felt I shouldn¡¯t have added that setting ofpletely ignoring my own well-being in the pursuit of hunting Demons. However, I had to include it due to the character¡¯s condition. Well, there was no more turning back now, anyway. ¡°Is there anything else you want to know?¡± Okay, it seemed I had gotten the general gist of things. Work, brain! Quickly, think of something my character might ask! ¡°What about the Demon Contractors? Did you get all of them?¡± ¡°Those who were inside the city¡­¡± ¡°I caught them all.¡± ¡°¡­Yes, we could get them all through his aid. Additionally, the adventurers found their remnants outside the city¡­ after he led them there. However, there were some we unfortunately couldn¡¯t catch.¡± Oh. Deb seemed to have yed a bigger role than I initially thought. I nced at him. What was reflected in my eyes, which could see more clearly now, was a young man still wearing a hood. ¡°Well, it was worth doing after all, so¡­¡± The young man spoke while scratching his exposed chin as if embarrassed. Then he suddenly wrinkled his nose as if remembering something unpleasant. ¡°What? Are you surprised this weak guy helped out without being a burden to you?¡± I didn¡¯t say anything, though¡­ Ah, was it because of the thing I said to shake him off as I headed for the sewers? Had he been thinking about that all this time? ¡°No.¡± I didn¡¯t know whether Deb held grudges for a long time or he was just saying things to cover his embarrassment. However, my thoughts were clear. ¡°I take it back. You aren¡¯t a burden.¡± tter¡­ The wooden cup in the kimchi dumpling¡¯s hand fell to the ground, and Deb¡¯s mouth was wide open. Just looking at them making a fuss like that made me think I was doomed. ¡°¡­O-o-of, of course." Worried that a dagger or a mace woulde flying at me, I tried locating my weapons as Deb answered me, albeit in a broken voice. The kimchi dumpling picked up the cup once more. Her hands were shaking, however, which didn''t seem normal to me. ¡°¡­The sewers?" Looking at her, it didn''t seem she would bash my head in. Still, seeing her act like that was quite scary, so I quickly changed the subject. The kimchi dumpling raised her head at that, her eyes shining. ¡°Due to ack of manpower, we could only lock it down and monitor it. However, now that we have reinforcements, we canmence the cleanup work in a few days. Oh, I''m also included in the cleanup corps." A-ah, I see. We would only leave after a few days, so it seemed I would have to stay in this city until then. What should I do in the meantime? ¡°I-I also¡­ will do the Purification." I mean¡­ Since she was a Priest, of course, she would, right¡­? While I wondered why the Inquisitor stated the obvious and why her eyes shined while she spoke, a thought entered my mind. No way, did she want me to tell her the same thing I had told Deb¡­? Did she want my recognition? As soon as that thought came to me, I tightly shut my eyes and clenched my fist. I know it made me seem as if I had a crappy personality, but I couldn''t help it. That was how my character was designed. If Iughed right now, I would most certainly be doomed. ¡°My¡­ weapon." Could someone actually be that cute? This guy who started stuttering just because I recognized him, or this girl who started stuttering because she wanted recognition from me. How, how could that be real? ¡°Where is it?" My aggression had increased quite a bit because of the kimchi dumpling. I had to beat up some Demons right away. ¡°Wait, are you trying to get up?" ¡°D-don''t! You still have to rest more!" What were they saying?! They were the ones tormenting me right now!! I felt like I wouldn''t survive if I didn''t swing around my sword right now! They were like a kimchi dumpling and a meat dumpling, respectively¡­! How could they act so cute when they were already grown up?! ¡°Urgh, what are you doing, not holding onto him properly, Miss Hypocrite?!" ¡°H-he might get hurt if I do!" ¡°Let go¡­!" ¡°Do you actually think this guy will get hurt by that?!" ¡°Urgh, you can''t move yet!" Unfortunately, however, the two of thembined were too much for me right now. Although I had only exerted myself for a moment, my fatigue soared so high that I was forced to close my eyes once more. * * * * * * ¡°Are you feeling better?¡± After sleeping for an entire day, my physical condition returned to almost what it was before. My fatigue level had also reduced to 0, and the injury penalty was lifted. Except for some stiffness from not moving around for some time, I felt no other difort. ¡°You can rest a little longer, you know?¡± ¡°Not needed.¡± So, I decided to participate in the sewer cleanup mission. I couldn¡¯t help with the Purification, but wasn¡¯t dealing with the Demons whose poption had again increased during the lockdown period also part of cleaning up? Of course, I was a little shaken when I heard there would be no pay. But because of my character setting, I couldn¡¯t just back out. ¡°Demon Knight.¡± Now that I thought of it, I didn¡¯t even get paid for stopping that gue ritual or my efforts in killing the gue Demon. I remembered being warned that there wouldn¡¯t be anypensation, but I didn¡¯t expect to really not receive anything. I thought the boss might at least drop some rare items or equipment. Or was it because I didn¡¯tnd thest hit on the gue Demon? Or because I didn¡¯t have [Butcher]? I was so disappointed that I couldn¡¯t evenin about it. Well, not much, at least. Just something like, ¡®This shitty game.¡¯ ¡°Thank you.¡± Anyway, as I swung around my Longsword, various thoughts running through my mind, the Archmage expressed his gratitude to me. That was very unexpected. ¡°I know you said you don¡¯t need any thanks, but if not for you, something terrible would have happened.¡± Guuuh¡­ It was true that I prevented it by rushing, but I probably suffered this much precisely because I came too quickly. If the incident progressed as soon as the yer reached Tatara, even if I had arrived a bitter, preventing it just like this would still have been possible. Of course, that theory might be wrong. If so, I guess I did a good job. ¡°Do you understand the gravity of this matter?¡± However, the Archmage continued talking right away, not minding my silent reaction. Of course, this might have been a rhetorical question to begin with. ¡°Do you even know how difficult it is for something of this scale to ur in the border area?¡± If I did, I would be this game¡¯s scenario writer and not a yer¡­ If given a clue, I might have been able to deduce it, but without knowing anything about a setting, I would just be left confused. ¡°The sacrifices required to iste a whole city in such a short time, summon enough Demons to fill the entire sewer system, and even prepare a gue ritual are beyond one¡¯s wildest imagination. They also needed many people to put this n in motion. Moreover, even Vampires, whose creation probability is below 5%, were mobilized here¡­¡± That¡­ was right. Usually, it wasn¡¯t necessary to think about where the mobs and other forces came from in games since it was assumed they just reset or something. If viewed from a realistic standpoint, however, this certainly was strange. When carrying outrge projects, the time and manpower consumed were always inversely proportional to one another. ¡°In other words, the effort put into this incident is beyond our imagination. Far too much to simply destroy a mere border town.¡± It was around then that I realized what the Archmage was trying to say. ¡°Moreover, they even set up a ritual outside to bombard the entire city. It wasn¡¯t carried out due to ack of sacrifices. However, that seemed to have been their ultimate goal.¡± Although this seemed like a huge waste of manpower to use against this little city, it would have been all worth it if their n had seeded. What would have made all of this worth it for them was¡­ ¡°Be clear with your words.¡± ¡°There is a high chance that their target was the Hero.¡± that they were targeting the Hero herself. The binding ritual in the sewers and the bombardment magic circle he mentioned made it seem that way. ¡°Before the Inquisitor¡¯s real talent blooms, before she gains experience and bes a seasoned Demon hunter. There are rumors that they did all this to kill her before she could ever challenge their King.¡± I felt a little surprised as it was unexpected, but thinking about it, it was only natural. In games, novels, and manhwa, enemies were, for some reason, sent out ording to the main character¡¯s level, but in reality, there was no reason for the final boss to do that. The cleanest and easiest way to handle all this was to nip the problem in the bud. ¡°Simply put: thanks to you, we have avoided that oue.¡± Well, looking at it from a meta-perspective, they actually were sending out mobs fit for my level. The game system was geared toward the yers, after all, not the Hero. ¡°Again, thank you very much. You have my deepest gratitude. If not for you, our world might have lost its Hero.¡± Nevertheless, I gave him the most fitting response I could to those serious and sincere words. ¡°So it wasn¡¯t anything worth listening to.¡± I had listened to him, thinking he might give me some important information. Since his words contained nothing useful, I could just ignore what he said. ¡°Good to see that you are consistent in your words and actions.¡± Was he being sarcastic¡­? Of course, it might not have been intentional. Urgh. I didn¡¯t want to be like this. ¡°Right. When this is all over, we should get together and talk. Shouldn¡¯t we decide on where we¡¯ll go next?¡± As the biggest incident had concluded, it seemed they wanted to move to the next one sooner orter. I swallowed the words stuck in my throat and put away the sword I had been swinging until now. I could tell it was time to enter when I saw the puppy-like dumplings gently making some hand gestures. ¡°Ah, looks like it¡¯s time. Let¡¯s go.¡± The Archmage also noticed them and gestured toward me. It was time to go clean up. Chapter 35: The Consequences of One’s Choices (10) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 35 The Consequences of One¡¯s Choices (10) I had passed through these sewers without much difficulty even whilepletely exhausted. Now, my fatigue was relieved, and I wasn¡¯t suffering from any injury penalties. Plus, my level had increased, so my capabilities had also increased to a certain extent. Maybe. Although I couldn¡¯t expect a sharp increase in mybat power through skills¡ªI didn¡¯t want to suffer likest time, so I focused on treatment skills¡ªthis was good enough. I easily advanced through the sewers. ¡°Is he even real¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the Demon Knight¡­¡± ¡°Are all Iron que adventurers like this?¡± That aside, wasn¡¯t this a bit too easy? I heard they had been dragging their feet because theycked manpower, but just how little did they have? At one point, I wondered whether they left this ce untouched for the yer to sweep through. Just what kind of game was this? ¡°Urgh, the smell.¡± At that moment, Deb, who had been following me while we were in the sewers, blocked his nose. He hadn¡¯tined even once until now. He only did so after we¡¯d finished our work, which was quite professional of him. On another note, I wasn¡¯t entirely sure why he followed me despite knowing it would be like this. ¡°How are you fine, Mister?" How could I be okay? Deb was just in the rear all this time, but I had been fighting in the front, so all kinds of muck had sttered on my clothes. If they didn''t have this automatic cleaning function, I would be shuddering in disgust right now. ¡°You''ve done nothing, and yet youin about the smell? How ridiculous." ¡°Then what did you do to say that?" ¡°What was that?" They could just continue fighting while I went ahead. I turned around right away, as I had reached my endurance limit and certainly didn''t want to stay here. After confirming through every means avable that there were no more Demons present, I returned without any hesitation. My clothes, which had bepletely clean again, fluttered as I walked. ¡°Right. I''ve always wanted to ask, where did you get those clothes? Ah, you don''t have to answer if you don''t want to. I''m just curious because they seem enchanted with the high-level spell {Automatic Restoration}, which is quite amazing.¡± I gave the Archmage a look as he asked that question. They were just items I had received as a reward for buying the game''s deluxe edition, but was that kind of high-level magic ced on them? On these clothes? ¡°Now that I think about it, you certainly have a lot of strange things. Like that space expansion bag¡­" My starting equipment was better than I thought, and I also maintained it quite well to uphold my character''s image. I nned to change my gear once high-level armor and weapons became avable. However, from his reaction, it seemed only the starting gear had automatic restoration/cleaning functions. Well, store-bought items wouldn''t have these kinds of options, at least. ¡°¡­How many times must I tell you to stop caring about me?" While I let out a fierce growl externally, I was internally holding my head in despair. If this ce was real, I could never rece these items. Automatic cleaning was the most convenient option ever, after all. ¡°It seems I asked something useless. Let''s go." After dropping that bomb on me, the Archmage just turned around. Well, it was better knowing it now than getting scoldedter, but even still, I felt like I had been hit over the back of my head. That was apparently the price I had to pay for listening to Mr. Too-Much-Information. ¡°¡­But I''m with him. Not you." ¡°That''s¡­!¡± While that was happening, these two were still fighting. Couldn''t she see that the respect the priests held for her as the Hero was steadily diminishing? ¡°There''s also something I can''t understand. Why did you even follow us into the sewers to begin with?" However, that didn''t mean their quarrel wasn''t worth paying attention to. The Inquisitor asked him something I was also interested in. ¡°¡­" Deb pursed his lips. The sewers suddenly fell intoplete silence. ¡°Oh, right, now that I think of it, Miss Inquisitor. I haven''t told you yet, have I?" Damn it. The Archmage was the first to break the silence. His silver mane, gently reflecting thentern¡¯s light, gave off a slight shine. ¡°How about we make this young man our next Companion?" ¡°What?!¡± No matter how I looked at it, it would be rather difficult for Deb to join us. I had wondered how they would solve it, but they just did it like this? ¡°Why-wha-what?" ¡°Y-you mean me?" However, both the Inquisitor and Deb fell into confusion at the Archmage''s words. I couldn''t see their expressions as they were both behind me, but I could tell from their tone of voice that they couldn¡¯t believe their ears. ¡°That¡¯s right. As long as you agree to it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m against it! What good would he even do¡ª!¡± ¡°I¡¯d be more useful than you, though.¡± ¡°You!¡± ¡°What? Did I say anything wrong?¡± ¡°A-argh¡­!¡± At that point, I had a premonition: he would end up joining us as though caught in a fierce storm. I often saw such scenarios not only in works of fiction but also in real life. ¡°Inquisitor, please think about this while setting your prejudices aside. How many things were we able to solve thanks to him? Consider how well he performed." ¡°Th-that''s¡­" It wasn''t something I cared that much about, so I just increased my pace a bit. I was not involved in deciding whether Deb joined our party, and I couldn¡¯t treat him well even if he did due to my character setting. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m suggesting it. Our goal is to drive out the Demons from ournds once and for all, but to do that, we will have to go through many trials and tribtions. Your eyes, which can reveal the truth and find things hidden from view, will certainly be more than helpful." ¡°E-even if you put it like that, it¡¯s still a difficult decision for me to make.¡± ¡°Of course, since we can¡¯t guarantee your safety during this journey, I won¡¯t force you to join. However, I believe we won¡¯t meet anyone as talented as you again, so won¡¯t you at least consider it for this old man¡¯s sake?¡± I continued to walk through the sewers while listening to the sagelike Archmage gently enticing Deb to join us. Unlike before, when I explored this ce alone, we reached the exit quickly. ¡°¡­Demon Knight, do you also think we¡¯ll need him?¡± However, by the time we arrived at the end of the sewer system, the Inquisitor approached me with a sullen face. That was quite an awkward question for me. My character wouldn¡¯t care whether he joined. Of course, it was also time I showed my annoyance at those two acting all close to me. Well, technically speaking, it was time for me to be anxious and try pushing them away. ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± I picked some lines that fit my character setting, knowing full well that Deb was listening, too. ¡°If he gets in my way when hunting for Demons, I can just leave him behind." Shit. That impromptu line sucked. How boring. * * * * * * After finishing the Purification, we returned to the Temple for a short rest. While I called it a rest, it was more like washing away the dirt from our bodies, but whatever. ¡°By the way, Inquisitor, you said before that we should go to the Fioster region. However, I think Porsen would be better." After cleaning up, we had a slightlyte lunch. I stuffed my face with sd while listening to the Archmage¡¯s remarks. ¡°Porsen¡­ You mean to the southwest?" ¡°Yes." The Archmage, who was the first among us to finish his meal¡ªalthough of the Shaggi race, he didn''t actually eat that much¡ªslowly exined his reasoning to us. ¡°I heard some unusual rumors going around about that ce¡­ So, shouldn''t we go there to get more Companions? Even if this young man joins us, four people aren''t enough." ¡°I haven''t decided to join yet." ¡°If he doesn''t join, we will need even more." The Inquisitor red at Deb, who didn''t even spare her a single nce. ¡°Moreover, I judged the Foister region to be too dangerous for us in our current state." ¡°Why?" ¡°It''s because of this incident. Inquisitor, do you really think those vicious Demon Worshipers did all this just to destroy a single city?" ¡°¡­!¡± I didn''t need to listen to his teasing any further as he¡¯d told me all this before. Rather, where was Foister, and why was it so dangerous there? Even after reflecting on the game¡¯s vague background settings, I came up with nothing. I wasn''t really smart enough to remember some maps from a game Ist yed a decade ago. ¡°Wasn''t your reason for wanting to go to Foister ultimately to aid the Northern Front, Inquisitor? However, the Northern Front is the closest to the Demon King''s Castle where Satan resides. Should we go there now, we would surely get targeted right away." What was the Northern Front, and how close did he say it was to the Demon King''s Castle? I took a quick look at the map he had spread out. Unlike my fog-covered World Map, this one showed a rough approximation of ces around the world. The overall round shape of the Continent and the ck mark signifying the Demon King''s Castle at its center were particrly eye-catching. A border was drawn around the Castle with the words ''Front Line'' attached. Fioster was located right above the Demon King''s Castle, and Porsen was just to the west. ¡°But if you put it that way, would it really be any different from the other regions? None of the ces near the front line are safe." ¡°There''s a significant difference in distance. One is close enough to Satan that he would send out his troops, and the other isn''t. Moreover, I''m sure that because of this incident, there was a sharp decrease in Demon Worshipers across the continent. Unless we go to a ce where the Demon King can take direct action, he won''t have the power to target us." ¡°That''s¡­" ¡°Assuming they have the resources to send troops, we can just retreat further into the west. If such a situation urs, we can also request support from the Great Temple." ¡°¡­" The Archmage''s arguments were well structured and quite reasonable. Although the Inquisitor was quite disappointed, I learned a lot from this discussion. So, wasn¡¯t this basically a setup where we would travel the whole continent in the order of West-South-East-North before finally entering the Demon King''s Castle? ¡°I know that you are quite reluctant to get any help from the Great Temple because of the previous incident, but haven''t you realized it during all this? You need much more experience and wisdom." ¡°¡­You''re right. Yes, I''m¡­ stillcking in various aspects. If we head to the Northern Front like this, we won''t be able to support them at all." However, there was one very big problem. Now that I knew the setup, I also recognized a massive error in my character setting. ¡¸¡ùThe Second Step Toward Defeating the Demon King¡ù¡¹ Ignoring that the Main Quest had updated after the Inquisitor acknowledged her shorings, I became serious. It was rather strange for a man who held intense hatred for Demons and hunted them with disregard for his own life to just sit idle after learning where the Demon King was! No, just the mere fact I hadn''t tried going there before would lead me to doom! ¡°And about you." H-how should I cover for this? What setting could I use to somehow make up for this error?! As I was lost in these kinds of thoughts, the Archmage looked at me as he spoke. ¡°I know this might touch a rather sensitive spot for you. But it would be better for all of us if we made something clear." Those words seemed like they might save me from my predicament but also toss me into the deepest pits of hell. I reflexively clenched my fists. ¡°While thinking about our next destination, a question suddenly came to my mind. If you hate the Demons so much, why didn''t you go to the Northern Front? No, not just the Northern Front. Any of the fronts. Aren''t you the type who wouldn''t hesitate to stand on the front lines?" Right now? Just like this? He actually pointed out my setting error. Well, it was inevitable, seeing as my personal setting and the game''s setting shed¡­!" ¡°And yet, you are wandering around the border¡­" I was rather sure he wouldn''t suspect me of being the Demon just because of that slight character break¡ª ¡°It''s probably because you''re Gretchen." Huh? ¡°There''s no need to be surprised. Didn''t the Demon Contractor in Somon call you Gretchen?" At the mention of that word, my face became even more distorted. My brain was running rampant toe up with something. I had no idea about this, but I suspected I would discover some information that might help me cover for my error if I continued listening¡­! ¡°During the two weeks you were unconscious, I contacted the Magic Tower and received information rted to this matter. As a result, I was able to learn that that very name also appeared in some ancient texts." I grabbed my weapon with my right arm, my hand grasping hold of it. My fate depended on his following words. ¡°Gretchen is a tribute dedicated to one of the Seven Great Demons, ¡®Wrath,¡¯ or someone possessed by them.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Wh-what¡­?¡± As I focused on his next words, I wondered why the two dumplings looked even more surprised than me, even though this had nothing to do with them. The Archmage, while seeming desperate, didn''t show any hostility toward me. In that case, the next thing he was going to say would probably be in my favor. ¡°The Great Demons are no different from Satan¡¯s direct subordinates. Ah, don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t consider you a servant of the Demon King. But¡­ isn¡¯t that why you were so wary of those ces? When you enter Satan¡¯s realm, the influence that his presence has on you increases, and the power of the Demon suppressed within you may be stronger than it is now. The possibility that it would run amok would increase exponentially.¡± What a perfect excuse to cover for my character-setting error. I was almost moved to tears when I looked at that man who could be seen as both my enemy and benefactor. Although, if those guys hadn¡¯t forced that setting upon me to begin with, I wouldn¡¯t be in so much trouble¡­! ¡°¡­What is your reason for saying all this?¡± Still, I had to continue acting. I didn¡¯t want to get teamkilled. Sob, sob. ¡°Have you decided that I need to be killed?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand. How could that be right?¡± Still, judging by the Archmage¡¯s words, things seemed to be going pretty well. ¡°It¡¯s about this: since we can¡¯t immediately enter the frontlines anyway, we could use that time to find a way topletely seal that Demon in your right arm. What do you think?¡± ¡ªThat wasn''t really a matter of level, but job advancement, going by the original, at least. Whether or not the Demon got sealed would decide the Demon Knight¡¯s job advancement. I heard that theypletely changed the old advancement system. Did they actually incorporate it into the story? ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I have offended you. But Demon Knight, you can¡¯t go on like this forever.¡± However, I didn¡¯t have the leisure to focus on that in this situation. I quickly analyzed what would be the most appropriate response to that. ¡°How dare you run your mouth like that¡­!¡± Ah, my character setting was that I hated myself so much that I wouldn¡¯t be happy even if presented with a chance to be cured. Baaang! I pulled out my sword and hit the table with it. ck energy scratched the seat beside the Archmage. The noise faded, with only the faint sound of breathing left behind. ¡°I¡­¡± But when I opened my mouth, I couldn¡¯t think of any fitting line. I was about to reuse that one I just said. However, whether I needed to say something depended on my interpretation anyway. Bam! So, I just decided to leave the canteen. In the end, wasn¡¯t my setting that I had run away from my past to the point of even discarding my own name? So, it should be fine if I just ran away like this, right? ording to the setting, the most uneptable thing for this character was his own happiness. * * * Bam! After that shocking conversation, Deathbringer nkly stared at the empty seat the Demon Knight, who had rushed out of the canteen, had been sitting in. ¡°I had been wondering why he was like that¡­¡± In the early morning before reaching Tatara, he¡¯d made some remarks that made him seem like some kind of Demon. The reason the energy emitted by his sword was such an ominous ck color. And the reason he only coughed up blood when Divine Power, which was supposed to be benevolent to all, was used on him. And also, why the sage was in charge of caring for and wrapping his right arm. It felt like he understood all of that now. No, hepletely understood. ¡°So, he was holding a Demon in his right arm¡­¡± If that was the cause, it all made sense. ¡°He is, indeed, a strong man.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°Even though he holds a Demon in his arm, don¡¯t treat him as one.¡± ¡°What nonsense are you¡­¡± Deathbringer reflexively tried to retort but slurred his words at the end. When he realized that the Demon Knight held a Demon in his arm, why didn¡¯t he feel repulsed? ¡°¡­¡± At that moment, he remembered the moment the Demon Knight had been overtaken by the Demon two weeks prior. He still prioritized defeating Demons over his own life. ¡ºI just cannot tolerate those pests eating away at the world.¡» He¡¯d felt impressed when first hearing that, but looking back at it now, the line seemed to possess an even deeper meaning. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Deathbringer couldn¡¯t even fathom what emotions he was going through or what meaning those words carried for him. However, after fully knowing what was going on, instead of contempt and rejection, the only things he felt were admiration andmentation. If he were in the Demon Knight¡¯s position, he would never have been able to act like he did. ¡°¡­Hey.¡± As such, Deathbringer opened his mouth almost impulsively. Even though he knew he would regret this choice, he couldn¡¯t help himself. ¡°Erm, do you really think that I would be of help to you?¡± Making rash decisions was the privilege of the young. Chapter 36: Better Next Time (1) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 36 Better Next Time (1) After leaving the canteen, I exited the Templepletely. That seemed like the correct response, and even if it wasn¡¯t, I still needed to get some more food. I wasn¡¯t full yet. ¡°Wee!¡± Furthermore, I hadn¡¯t yet replenished the supplies I¡¯d consumed in the sewers two weeks ago. This time, I had plenty of time to do some shopping. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you!¡± However, was it after wandering about for an hour or so? Deb approached me quietly. I already bought everything I needed, so I didn''t really care that much. I wondered if the next Quest had already arrived. ¡°Our next destination will be Gr¨¹ Teltz.¡± ¡­I thought he just came to deliver a message from the Archmage or Inquisitor. However, I didn''t expect he would include himself in the message. ¡¸? To the Porsen region ? Move to Gr¨¹ Teltz¡¹ ¡°¡­You''re going toe, right?" It was my Quest, after all. It seemed the Archmage somehow managed to persuade Deb while I was away. * * * ¡°You''re here!" Those were the first words I heard after following Deb to the meeting point, trying to keep my face as emotionless as possible. It appeared that the kimchi dumpling didn''t think I woulde. But her worries were pretty useless. My perspective as a yer aside, this made sense from even a roleying perspective. The Demon already seeded in temporarilymandeering my body once¡­ So, it might happen again in the future, right? There was no guarantee the Demon, once in possession of his body, wouldn¡¯t cause harm to others. On the other hand, the Archmage and Inquisitor could handle themselves quite well. They wouldn¡¯t be overpowered so easily. That said, they would be perfect insurance for me in emergencies. Even if anger clouded my mind, they wouldn''t just let me go. That was how my character would think. ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t co¡ª¡± Of course, the psychological distance between us was now greater than ever. So don¡¯t even try to talk to me, Inquisitor! I passed her, giving her my coldest shoulder. Hmm. The Inquisitor seemed to shout something from behind me. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± I even ignored Deb, who didn¡¯t really do anything wrong, making him sigh. He had tried talking to me several times on our way here, but I kept ignoring him. Wahaha. ¡°Is this really okay, Mister Sage?¡± ¡°Your throat hasn¡¯t been cut, right?¡± Was it just me, or had the Archmage somewhat figured out how to treat me? If so, that would be very good. I might be upset from a roleying standpoint, but I was still worried about the Archmage. To me, he seemed like the leader of a party of nothing but trolls. ¡°Then, let us depart.¡± With that, the slightly sullen kimchi dumpling announced our departure. The horses advanced while snorting. Those we¡¯d ridden on our way back to Tatara were already returning to their original owner, so our current horses had been prepared by the Temple. There was no one to see us off. We didn¡¯t leave with a merchantpany this time, nor did the Temple send anyone out. ¡°Hey, wait!¡± That was how it was supposed to be until a voice sounded out behind us. ¡°They are¡­¡± ¡°What are those adventurers doing here?¡± Unlike me, who didn¡¯t even consider turning around, the red and green dumplings, both very interested in their surroundings, immediately stopped talking and turned to look behind them. Like that, I could also learn who was yelling behind us without looking. ¡°Wait!¡± ¡°Hold on!¡± It seemed the adventurers were calling out to us. That had nothing to do with me. Unlike the other three who stopped, I continued toward the road. The sound of horse hooves clicking against the ground was like music to my ears. ¡°Did something happen?¡± ¡°Hello, Miss Priest, Mr. Sage.¡± ¡°We came rushing because we had something to give to Mr. Demon Knight. If we had been a littleter, we probably would have wasted our time, huh?" ¡°Ahaha." ¡°Rather, hey. Could you wait a minute?!" However, they mentioned my name. ¡°We''re here for you." For some reason, the ursine Shaggi from before blocked my path. I silently frowned at his actions. It was a look saying that if he didn¡¯t have a good reason to do this, I would have to blow him away. Then the Shaggi adventurer and the one wearing that red cross emblem burst outughing. ¡°We won''t hold you up for long. Please, just ept this from us." The one with the red cross held something out to me. At a closer look, I could see it was a medal smaller than the palm of my hand. A blue gem was embedded in the piece of ck metal, with the emblem of the Adventurers'' Guild engraved in its center. ¡°I, Agathe, the exclusive healer of the Tatara Adventurers'' Guild, would like to express our infinite gratitude on behalf of the Tatara Adventurers'' Guild." Oh, that looked kind of cool, but wasn''t this rather sudden? Was it the Quest reward? They said they wouldn''t give me any, but they still gave me this medal? ¡°That''s from the Adventurers'' Guild, and this is from those whose lives were saved thanks to the medicine you handed out." As my thoughts moved between ''They still gave me a reward'' and ''Is it really alright to take this?'', the Shaggi also handed me something. It was a bundle even bigger than my head. Because the opening was closed tightly, I couldn''t see what was inside. ¡°Unnecessary.¡± ¡°Haha¡­" ¡°There is no adventurer who can simply ignore a life debt. There were some soldiers among them, too." ¡°It may be insignificantpared to the incident you resolved, but¡­ just see it as a token of our deepest gratitude. I mean, it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate to not give at least a bit of honor to the adventurer who fought so valiantly without expecting anything in return.¡± Personally, I thought this Quest reward was more than enough, but it was a bit hard to ept due to my character setting. As I thought about somehow refusing them, the adventurers quickly retreated. I was actually rather astounded at their actions. ¡°So, we¡¯ll decline your refusal.¡± The Shaggi adventurer even threw that bundle toward me. Only after I reflexively caught it did I begin to regret it. ¡°I wish you good fortune on your adventures.¡± In the end, I put it in my inventory while clicking my tongue. I didn¡¯t know what was inside the bundle, so I just stuffed it into my inventory, but what of the medal? I wasn¡¯t the type to carry something like that on me, so I just put it in my inventory, as well. I really didn¡¯t like cluttering my inventory. I didn¡¯t feel that bad about it since these items were given with good intentions, but still. ¡°When did Mister hand out medicine?¡± ¡°Probably when he went into the sewers on his own. And, as expected, they repaid him with goodwill.¡± ¡°And what was that thing he received first?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not all too sure about this, either. It seemed to be some kind of medal¡­ Do you know?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s probably the Adventurers¡¯ Guild Medal of Honor, given to adventurers who have achieved great, meritorious feats. It¡¯s usually only given to those who havepleted requests seen as impossible, enough to make them famous across a whole region¡­¡± While the adventurersughed as they retreated, Deb gave some exnations from behind. Since the item¡¯s information didn¡¯t appear, I was d he exined it. ¡°Mister Knight definitely deserved it, then. Didn¡¯t he kill dozens of Demon Contractors, break through the sewers alone, and kill countless Demons?¡± I wasn¡¯t so sure one could say that I deserved it. Was breaking through the sewers on my own such an explosive achievement¡­? Shouldn¡¯t the Inquisitor who defeated that gue Demon receive this medal? If not for my character setting, I would have asked about it. What a shame. ¡°As expected¡­!" At that moment, the Inquisitor, who probably defeated that boss, spoke as though it was just a matter of course that I received this award without even a hint of jealousy. I then made the horse speed up. My conscience was pricked a little because I felt I¡¯d received an award that should have been handed to someone else instead. * * * * * * The distance to our destination, Gr¨¹ Teltz, was twice that of Somon to Tatara. Well, we had to cross over a mountain range, so it certainly wouldn''t be closer, at least. The good news was we could pass right over them instead of climbing along their ridges. Also, thanks to the Wizard, we didn''t have to worry about losing our way or establishing a night watch whenever we set up camp. We had even less to worry about after being joined by Deb, an expert at concealing and setting traps using nearby topological features to his advantage. That meant even without a barrier, we didn''t have to worry about getting attacked. However, I would still wake up early. Just like how a swan only looked as elegant as it did by paddling under the water with all its might, I built my character''s reputation by working hard in ces no one knew. Well, another reason was that after sleeping six hours, the amount of fatigue reduced wouldn''t change much, even if one slept seven or even twelve hours. Crackle, crackle. For those reasons, I always woke before dawn and sharpened my de, the campfire my onlypanion. Unlike the True Zweih?nder of Destruction, whose durability didn¡¯t tend to decrease much, the Longsword¡¯s durability dropped a lot, so I had to maintain it like this every day. Even so, its durability was already below 70, so it was about time I got it repaired or reced. I flicked the scratched sword with my finger and sheathed it again. The next thing was to check that bundle of gifts I still couldn¡¯t really understand, even after rummaging through it for several days. ¡°What else is in there¡­¡± essories like amulets would have been easier to understand. Spices, such as salt and sugar, would have also been fine. They were ridiculously expensive but could be used in various ways. But what was with those Japanese pepper-looking ck grains, dried grasses, and shiny rocks? Some had item descriptions, but many didn¡¯t, making it quite difficult to determine what they were. Also, my inventory was almostpletely filled. After we reached the next city, I would definitely sell all these things. Since we had already crossed the mountain, it shouldn¡¯t be much longer. Crackle. As soon as I put away the bundle, the bonfire in the shallow hole we dug out started to crackle. Now that I looked at it, it seemed the me had weakened. Toss. As such, I threw in some more firewood to strengthen the me once again. If I had nothing to do, maintaining the fire like that was the best way to kill some time. The crackling mes and the quiet night made for quite a uniquely sentimental scene. ¡°Log out.¡± ¡¸Thismand cannot be carried out.¡¹ As expected, the wish I unconsciously uttered remained unfulfilled. I waved that floating Window away. Since I didn¡¯t expect anything, I also didn¡¯t feel all that disappointed. Hooooowl! However, I suddenly heard a howl unique to a certain canine. I blinked slowly. It sounded like a wolf, but why was it howling so close to this ce? This was my first time getting attacked by a wolf at night in this game. Neeeigh. I didn¡¯t think there was much to worry about as it was just amon mob, but I still shouldn¡¯t let my guard downpletely. I eventually stood from where I was sitting andforted the horses, which had awoken from the wolves¡¯ loud howling. Even then, the howling persisted. ¡°¡­¡± Hearing those sounds, whether they were giving signals or receiving them, didn¡¯t feel too good. I nced at my sleepingpanions. With {rm} magic and Deb¡¯s traps set up around the camp, they would probably awaken before those things got the chance to bite their necks. Abandoning my party with these thoughts, I took out mymp. I didn¡¯t take it for my own use but instead hung it from the tree the horses were tied to. Even if it was dark, I could detect their presence, so I could actually see better like this. Rustle. ¡¸A hostile existence has entered a radius of 30m.¡¹ And then our unexpected nightly guests finally arrived. Riiiing. The rm rang out. ¡°Enemies!" ¡°That''s¡­" ¡°Wh-What!" ¡°Shit, I told you not to touch the knight¡­!" A stranger''s voice mixed with those of my just-awoken party members, showing this wasn''t just a simple attack. I threw myself into the darkness and pulled out my dagger. After leveling up, I could finally see one of the two target marks provided by the system moving toward me. I didn''t have to worry about the distance between them as they were basically rushing toward each other from both sides. What I did have to worry about, however, was whether I could hit a moving target with a dagger. Stab! Fortunately, I could. ¡°Shoot your arrows¡­!" It seemed the night raiders weren''t prepared for this kind of development. I could feel panic spread through them even without seeing them. I didn''t hold much sympathy for them, though. Jump! Then, another wolf pounced on me from behind in an instant. However, although it wasn''t marked with a target, there was no way I would miss it if it made its presence that clear. I tossed away the wolf I had prated through the back of its head to its chest, spreading blood everywhere. ¡°Protect us!" At about the same time, a golden membrane in the shape of a hemisphere spread over parts of the area. Analyzing the situation just by sound, it seemed the Inquisitor used one of her skills immediately after I killed the pouncing wolf. Swoosh! In any case, the golden membrane expanded its radius, epassing not only the Archmage and Thief but even me and the horses. ¡°Wh-What is this?!" ¡°M-Magic?" ¡°Th-The knight is awake! Let''s run¡­" ¡°O merciful Lord Sea Dragon, please protect us¡­" However, those attacking us were pushed away by the golden membrane and fell backward. Tok, Tok, Tok! The same went for their arrows. I spotted some crudely-made arrows fall to the ground after hitting the golden curtain. ¡°Shit, why isn¡¯t anything happening?!" ¡°O Lord Sea Dragon, have mercy on us¡­" Wait, wasn''t that supposed to be a defensive spell? Why was I losing HP? I was slightly displeased at seeing my HP dropping like that, so I left the barrier. At that moment, a target mark came rushing toward me. ¡°Do you think I''d let you go¡­?!" Some huddled together, stayingpletely still. However, it wouldn''t be toote for me to pursue themter. I shouted,pletely immersed in my roleying. I heard some screams as an answer. However, unfortunately for them, I was a lot faster. I cut down the two running away and also chased after the first to try fleeing. The blood flowing down my sword seemed unnecessarily creepy. ¡®This was necessary.'' Yes, this was absolutely necessary. I knew it was, but still¡­ ¡°Jeez. Not only do we have some bandits here, but they even managed to tame some wild dogs. How, though? How unlucky." I could see Deb ughtering out attackers with his daggers and kukri on the other side. He was moving very stealthily. Even though I could hear him talking, his presence seemed very faint at best. The Archmage was thest to awaken but quickly understood the situation, immediately chanting a spell. The Inquisitor stayed motionless, as her most important job was maintaining the barrier. aaatter. Soon, I saw something vaguely resembling white chains emerging from the darkness. Chapter 37: Better Next Time (2) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 37 Better Next Time (2) I sighed after seeing those guyspletely bound. To better identify our bold attackers, the mage created a light orb to illuminate the area. ¡°W-we were wrong. Please, please have mercy on us just this once.¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t know you were such esteemed people. I beg of you, please spare our lives¡­¡± ¡°Oh Lord Sea Dragon¡­¡± ¡°Please have mercy¡­¡± However, the view that unfolded before me was rather strange. ¡¸Bandits ©¦ Those who steal from others for their own benefit. Many are even proud that they make their living from looting.¡¹ ¡¸Hounds ©¦ A domesticated beast. Brave and loyal.¡¹ They were all ssified as Thief mobs. However, those pathetically begging for mercy had rather muscr bodies and were fully equipped, whereas those calling out for Lord Sea Dragon or whatever looked so shabby that even ¡®shabby¡¯ was too good a word to describe them. They didn¡¯t even have proper swords, instead holding things like kitchen knives and harpoons, so I got the rough idea. ¡°You¡­¡± Furthermore, there were leather belts tied around thetter type¡¯s necks. There were multiple clues that left me unable to see them as part of the same group. ¡°Hah! You¡¯re begging for mercy after trying to kill us!¡± At that moment, the Inquisitor showed her anger by mming her mace against the ground. It wasn¡¯t weird for her to react like that, as she also tried to cut off another¡¯s hands for simply stealing something. ¡°I¡¯m not arguing that their sins are forgivable, but some appear to have some circumstances, Inquisitor.¡± ¡°They tried to kill us. If those spending the night here had been ordinary people instead of us, they would have died. And yet you still want to ount for their circumstances?¡± ¡°Hey, are you blind? Can¡¯t you see that those guys and these guys lookpletely different?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t both groups the same in that they attacked us?¡± ¡°Ah, I really can¡¯t talk with you¡­¡± That was a bit harsh. After confirming the Inquisitor¡¯s iron wall-like temperament once more, I saw the prisoners shifting around. The shabbier people kept praying while the proper thieves shifted their eyes. Those guys really couldn¡¯t be redeemed, huh? ¡°Inquisitor, do you consider a crimemitted due to oppression and coercion a sin, as well?¡± ¡°But¡­ they almost harmed others.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, of course. A victim needn¡¯t always be understanding of the perpetrator. However, were we harmed? Did we suffer irreparable loss? We didn''t, right?¡± Just before Deb died of extreme frustration, the Archmage stepped in and scolded her gently. ¡°Forgiving them and moving on is no different than turning a blind eye to what might happen in the future.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t wrong. However, there is a high chance that some of these people took up arms after being pressured by something or someone. In other words, unless forced to, they won¡¯t do something like that again.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m not so sure about that.¡± ¡°Are you really unsure whether they¡¯ll take up arms again, Inquisitor? That¡¯s not true, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Understanding this difference is what we call mercy.¡± A sage was a sage, after all. The Archmage immediately convinced the Inquisitor, who turned her head away from him. ¡°We made you wait a long time. It seems you guys have some circumstances. Could you tell me what happened?¡± At that question, the heads of those bowing in prayer raised up a little. ¡°Are you¡­ Are you letting us live?¡± ¡°If I¡¯m able to empathize with your situation.¡± The praying ones gained hope from these words. However, they were ncing toward the real bandits. Furthermore, by pure chance, I sessfully read the lips of one who looked like a bandit: ¡®Say the right thing.¡¯ I wondered if he knew I was looking at him. ¡°You bastard.¡± However, before I could step forward to punish him, Deb kicked him in the head. I thought I saw some teeth flying around, but I didn¡¯t really care because he had iting. ¡°Just talk to us without looking at those guys.¡± The Archmage added some words. One of those praying rushed to tell us his life story. ¡°We originally lived by the sea. However, the sea has be so tumultuous that it has be impossible to catch any fish¡­¡± ¡°So, we tried to find food within the mountains, but these bandits who settled here¡­¡± ¡°They told us to rob travelers, or they would kill us!¡± In short, they had been captured by the bandits, with some kept as prisoners in their stronghold and the rest mobilized for these kinds of raids. If that was true, these people were truly a pitiful bunch. ¡°Th-this is our first time being part of a raid. We have never killed anyone before.¡± ¡°J-just give us one more chance. We won¡¯t ever do something like this again.¡± Given their situation, I saw no need to kill them even if the system also ssified them as bandits. The real bandits over there were the ones to lead this attack, but they didn¡¯t even participate in the raid properly. Moreover, this situation had nothing to do with Demons. They were also among the people my character would havepassion for. I¡¯d even overlooked the misdeeds of the Inquisitor and Archmage, who had fiercely fought with me over misunderstandings, after all. ¡°Do you really believe that?¡± However, the Inquisitor didn¡¯t budge even after that. I could distinctly hear Deb¡¯s blood rising to his head. ¡°Are you actually blind?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you see the huge difference in their clothes? Or perhaps the traces of leashes around their necks or rope burns around their wrists? Even if there¡¯s no camaraderie between thieves, they certainly would never do that.¡± He even brought up the dragon statues held by those praying and the salt stains on their clothes¡ªdue to the salty breeze around the sea¡ªas further proof. He really had an amazing eye for these kinds of things. ¡°Hmm?¡± Now what? Everything had been proven, so why was no one moving? ¡°What are you trying to¡ª¡± ¡°Demon Knight?¡± Crack! I struck my sword through the chains, cutting them apart. I wasn¡¯t confident I could cut the chain wound around the prisoners without harming them, so I struck the parting out of the ground. Luckily, the whole chain shattered after destroying just that. ¡°Th-thank you. Thank you¡­¡± ¡°May Lord Sea Dragon bless you¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me.¡± Gratitude and the like weren¡¯t important now. What of the people held captive by the bandits? ¡°Tell me the location of the bandits¡¯ hideout.¡± This wasn¡¯t rted to Demons, but as a former knight, there was no way I would turn a blind eye to this. We didn¡¯t have anything urgent to do, and this wasn¡¯t such a big matter. ¡°¡­!¡± The people we released widened their eyes, and the Inquisitor, who seemed like she wanted to ask something, closed her mouth again. ¡°¡­He¡¯s a knight after all.¡± For some reason, Deb wasughing as he said that. ¡°A-are you going to save us?¡± ¡°I have no hobby of leaving these types of worms alone.¡± However, the Archmage¡¯s smile was a little¡­ The sin of my roleying was far too grave. I was just d the Archmage didn¡¯t view this as a character break. * * * * * * ¡°Is it here?¡± ¡°Y-yes. It¡¯s over there.¡± Under the people¡¯s guidance¡ªin truth, they also didn¡¯t really know the way, so Deb had to do most of the pathfinding¡ªwe climbed the mountain. We soon came across a wooden barrier and a single guard post constructed before a cave entrance. As it was at a fairly high position and all the trees around it had been cut down, it seemed rather difficult to approach without being detected. Even climbing up to it looked to be difficult, given the rocky terrain. ¡°They chose a pretty tricky ce as their den.¡± ¡°People are being held captive inside, so we can¡¯t smoke them out¡­¡± While the Archmage and Deb, the most intelligent of the party, pondered this matter, I took a step forward. ¡°Oh goodness, not again¡­!¡± Those two noticed and let out a whispered shout, but they couldn¡¯t stop me. I touched the ground overgrown with weeds. The bandit¡¯s guard post trembled before arrows started shooting out. ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°No, Inquisitor, please stand back.¡± The Inquisitor, who was about to rush out of the bushes they were hiding in, was stopped by the others. As such, I was the only one who would get hit, but well, that was the path I chose, after all. I had no choice but to endure all the evil poured over me. Baaang! However, I didn¡¯t see the need to simply endure. Whoosh. I pulled out my Zweih?nder and sent out a [sh]. The guard post was immediately cut in two diagonally and copsed, and the arrows flying toward me were blown away by the wind pressure my sword created. ¡°Uwaaaargh!¡± Falling wooden logs and a person came tumbling down at the same time. However, I didn¡¯t really care as long as they didn¡¯t touch me. I put my Zweih?nder back into its sheath again. There wasn¡¯t much reason behind my actions. I just wanted to test my fighting capabilities when covered in this ck energy. I wouldn¡¯t get many chances to userge weapons like the Zweih?nder inside the cave, after all. ¡°What¡¯s thatmotion?!¡± ¡°What is it now?!¡± As I climbed up the slope, it seemed some had heard themotion and rushed out of the cave. At that moment, I covered my feet in that ck energy. The section was rather steep, so I could only move forward by walking on my toes. However, I still managed to reach the cave entrance in no time. ¡°What¡ª¡± This couldn¡¯t be defined as a skill per se, though if it were, you might describe it as one that increases jumping power and walking speed. With these thoughts in mind, I grabbed the guy who poked his head out of the cave by his cor. Toss. Then I pulled him back and let him fall down the hill. ¡°You bastar¡ªgag!¡± The guy who came after the first had his head grabbed by my right arm. I didn¡¯t really like touching people with my right arm, but my targets right now weren¡¯t people but criminals. Bang! I mmed him against a wall, turning him into modern art before slowly entering the cave. Although I didn¡¯t even put much energy into that, it should have been enough to make him faint, as my arm strength was quite something. Cruuunch. ¡­It wasn¡¯t just enough but actually too much. I sometimes couldn¡¯t properly control my strength or know how much force to use, to the point of unintentionally breaking my enemies¡¯ cervical vertebrae like this. I didn¡¯t do it on purpose, and those people were criminals. I tried to convince myself that there were extenuating circumstances. ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± ¡°An intruder?!¡± Bark, bark! Actually, that cave looked a lot like a dungeon. Bam! I beat the guysing out with my bare hands and let my thoughts wander. Coming here was actually worth it. At the end of the long, ordinary rock cave were carved stairs and partially cracked and copsed pirs. On the walls, naturally-formed rocks stuck out. ¡°¡­Is this a historical site?¡± This cave didn¡¯t appear artificially created. Rather, it looked like they had refined the cave into this form. It was then that another bandit took the ce of the other one. ¡°You bastar¡ª!¡± Bam! ¡°Urgh!¡± I thrust my fist into the face of the bandit who stuck his head out from behind a corner, kicked the hound, and turned on my light. There were some torches that the bandits left behind, but my own light was much brighter. ¡°Kill him!¡± However, there were just too many flies here. I swatted away the arrows flying toward me with my gauntlet-d arm. After I swung my hand around at the beat of one, two, and a half, all the arrows broke or bounced in different directions. However, was that the end of it? I rushed forward andnded a flying knee in the face of one of the guys shooting arrows at me. I also took my dagger out of my pocket and threw it at the person behind him. My aim wasn¡¯t great, but the distance between us was short. The dagger pierced into the back of his sword-wielding hand. I fell to the floor, dragged down by gravity alongside the bandit¡¯s copsing body. Stomp. I didn¡¯t forget to step on the chest of the guy¡ªthe one I hit with my knee kick¡ªwhonded before me. Bam! At that moment, I twisted my body to perform a spinning kick. My enemy, who lost his timing to attack because of a dagger being stuck in the back of his hand, was struck in the temple and immediately fell to the floor. My hand brushed away my fluttering coat to keep it out of my way, and then I entered the cave behind the guys I had just cleared. Although it was heavily damaged and cracks could be seen in the walls, I still recognized some murals. Rock fragments, which seemed like great ces to take cover, jutted out of the ground in the cavity¡¯s center. I attacked the nearest target while using the rocks as cover and checked for hidden objects. Following the instructions of [Survival Instinct], I stepped on a rock to avoid flying arrows and spun my body. Tap. My body rotated 180 degrees, passing 3m in height to reach the cave¡¯s ceiling. I ced my feet on it. I could see two enemies hiding behind rocks after tilting backward a little. Bam. I put some strength into my feet to bounce off the ceiling. Of course, I had no intention of letting my head meet the floor, so I immediately spun around andnded on one of the guys I had just seen. As I hit the guy in a critical spot right between his neck and shoulders, he fell to the floor with an apanying crunching sound. ¡°Hiiik!¡± The other guy seemed to have pretty good reflexes as he swung his sword at me. My back bent slightly to avoid the de before my left arm punched him in the side. Bang! My target flew far away. However, at that moment, an arrow flew toward me. It was aiming for my head, but I dodged it by jumping as far to the side as possible. My lips curved up. ¡°You bastards.¡± Behind the rocks, the bandits were looking at me with creeped-out faces. ¡°How dare you?¡± My legs kicked the ground,unching my body forward like a bullet. My energy-covered fist hit precisely where the person who had fired that arrow was. Baaam! The rocks on that wall shattered. If that guy¡¯s legs hadn¡¯t given in, making him fall to the floor, his body might have ended up like that instead. Of course, even if that hadn¡¯t happened, I would have avoided him and hit the wall instead. ¡°A-a monster¡­¡± Incidentally, my Attack Power was higher than I had imagined. I tried to lightly jump and run around a lot early in the morning to get a feel for my strength, but I couldn¡¯t really practice hitting something because there wasn¡¯t any target around and it would have created too much noise. As such, I had no idea my punch held such destructive power. If I had known, I wouldn''t have hit so hard. ¡°Uuurgh¡­¡± However, it didn¡¯t copse, at least. Let¡¯s be satisfied with that. I should just ignore it. Thinking these things to myself, I pulled out my arm from the rock wall. The person sprawled out before me looked up, his crotch turning dark and wet. tter. tter, ting. Clink. The sound of weapons being dropped began flowing out like a symphony. Chapter 38: Better Next Time (3) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 38 Better Next Time (3) ¡°You didn''t kill them all." I crushed the legs of those who surrendered just in case and thoroughly searched the rest of this area. After capturing everyone I didn''t kill, the others joined me after a short while. They took longer than I expected. ¡°Can''t you walk faster?" No, seeing Deb bring people bound by rope along with him, they might not be thatte. Behind the Inquisitor were people embracing each other. They seemed to have also managed to rescue the prisoners. I just nced at them from the rock I was sitting on. By the way, the pose I was doing was the so-called ¡®mood-setting pose,¡¯ my waist bent with my legs slightly apart and my forearms entirely on my thighs. ¡°But this¡­¡± Wait, the Archmage, did he really notice the people I spared before seeing those murals? Weren¡¯t the murals much more obvious than them? I guess not. Did the groaning sounds make them more noticeable? ¡°These murals are strange.¡± It seemed that was the impression of those with more worldly knowledge than me. I listened to what they had to say while sneakily checking over the murals. Although they had been greatly damaged over time, the majority were still recognizable. ¡°Is that a dragon on that mural?¡± ¡°A dragon¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably the Sea Dragon, the Divine Beast of the Porsen region.¡± ¡°That earthworm-like thing?¡± ¡°Yes, that earthworm-like thing is the Sea Dragon. These horns and long body are characteristics of these types of dragons.¡± Incidentally, beings such as dragons, fairies, and spirits, called ¡®Ancient Beasts¡¯ or ¡®Divine Beasts¡¯ often appeared in the original. They were somewhat different from Demons¡­ One could think of them as beings who had lived on the continent long before the current races appeared. They were transcendent beings who could at times vaguely be seen as enemies or allies. In reality, their creation was just a capitalistic move by thepany to add more Raid Bosses to the game. ¡°This picture shows it floating over the sea, bringing rain and wind. This is the basic exnation of what the Sea Dragon is. So that should be the start¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s that next to it?¡± ¡°They seem to be people attempting to soothe its anger, seeing how they are offering something to the dragon. And the results of these actions are seen in the next mural.¡± I focused on where the Wizard was pointing. It was an image of people catching fish withs in a calm sea. Even without the Archmage¡¯s exnation, I could tell that the people¡¯s offerings were very effective. ¡°The next one is destroyed, so I can¡¯t tell what happened next¡­ The one after that seems to show the dragon and its cub, I believe¡­?¡± There was a mural of two dragons after the destroyed one. However, one was smaller, so it could be assumed to still be young. ¡°This one is also destroyed, but thest shows a single dragon again.¡± We couldn¡¯t tell what happened to the young dragon. With the penultimate mural destroyed, our only option was to hypothesize. Did the adult dragon die and the young one became an adult, or did the young dragon die and only the adult remained? ¡°I really would like to restore them and investigate further, but¡­ Right now, it¡¯s impossible.¡± These ruins couldn¡¯t have been created for nothing, so if I were to dig a bit more, there was a high possibility I¡¯d find a Quest. However, as the Archmage said, the Main Quest was more important. If my character was overflowing with curiosity and enthusiasm, I might have done something, but a bastard obsessed with killing Demons should ignore it even more. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to settle with simply contacting the Magic Tower.¡± At that moment, I lifted myself off the rock I had been sitting on. With those two concentrating on the murals and Deb focused on tying up the bandits, the people left behind¡ªthose who had been taken prisoner by the bandits¡ªflinched in surprise. Looking at them closely, some weren¡¯t just supporting others but straight up carrying them. Considering they werepletely limp and pale as snow, it seemed they had already died. ¡°What about these guys?¡± After tying up all the bandits, Deb tapped them as he asked. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re gonna spare them¡­¡± ¡°They kidnapped people, drove them tomit crimes, and even harassed and killed some of them. Of course, their punishment will be death.¡± The bandits began screaming at the Inquisitor¡¯s strict voice and begged us to spare them just this once. However, the Inquisitor was extremely stubborn¡­ ¡°Looks like you said something worth listening to for the first time, huh?¡± Deb also didn¡¯t have any intention to raise objections this time. ¡°Die.¡± The perpetrators were decapitated right in front of their victims. By modern ethics, even this could be seen as violence toward the victims, but fortunately, the people didn¡¯t look too bad. Rather, they even looked like they wanted to rip apart the bandits themselves. ¡°These aren¡¯t all of them.¡± One even said such things after all the bandits were dead. ¡°There are more in the valley beyond here who are like brothers to these guys.¡± He had red eyes as if a vein had burst. He seemed unusual, to say the least, hugging the body of his dead sibling¡ªwho had simr features and seemed about the same age¡ªand practically spat out these words as if expelling something disgusting. Who wouldn¡¯t be like that if their blood rtives ended up dead like this? ¡°We¡¯ll take care of this first before we leave.¡± The Inquisitor, who had just crushed another person¡¯s head with her mace, spoke as she wiped away the blood that sttered on her face. ¡°The road we took is used often by travelers. We can¡¯t just let this go.¡± The Archmage added his neutral opinion. He seemed to be hinting that he would follow whatever we decided on. ¡°It¡¯s good to clean up these kinds of trash. Please leave the pathfinding to me.¡± Fortunately, even the person who usually liked to argue with the Inquisitor was entirely for it. I had no reason to object, either. Instead, I would be taking the initiative here. ¡°We have no use for this cave, so you people should use it. The same goes for the food and goods. However, don¡¯t destroy the ruins. Rest and return to your town.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°We don¡¯t really need any of these things. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± While I was already moving to leave the cave first, the Archmage behind me made some suggestions to the people before turning to us. Of course, it didn¡¯t matter to me, so I didn¡¯t even turn my head toward him. ¡°I don¡¯t know if we should leave them alone like this.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t afford to worry about that now, so there¡¯s nothing we can do.¡± ¡°Will they be able to climb down the mountain on their own? We did give them food, but¡­¡± The conversation I heard as we headed out of the cave was quite surprising. Despite being quite merciless to them not too long ago, the Inquisitor was the most concerned about those people¡¯s well-being, whereas Deb, who was quite adamant about saving them, reacted quite coolly. ¡°You¡¯re quite cold, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Clearing someone¡¯s name is one thing, but we can¡¯t be responsible for their lives, right? It¡¯s easiest to help others by clearly defining what they can and can¡¯t expect from us.¡± What I could determine from their conversation was that Deb was someone with clearly set boundaries, though I was still pretty unsure why someone like him was following us on this journey. We were soon able to see the end of the ruins. * * * * * * ¡°We finally reached the end of this mountain range.¡± Did we actually get rid of all the mountain bandits? Anyway, we finally managed to descend these mountains. We could see the coastline in the distance. ¡°Based on that smoke rising into the air, it seems there¡¯s a vige over there.¡± There wouldn¡¯t be any problems if Gr¨¹ Teltz were right beyond the mountain range, but this world wasn¡¯t such a convenient ce. ¡°Considering the way we must go, it seems we have to spend our night there.¡± ¡°Sigh, I can finally sleep under a roof.¡± To reach Gr¨¹ Teltz, we first needed to stop at another vige to replenish our supplies. It wasn¡¯t that urgent yet because we got some food from the bandits, but the fatigue umted from camping outside was quite something. I had finally realized that after sleeping outside for an extended period, one¡¯s fatigue gradually umted. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± We hurriedly headed toward the shore. ¡°That rotten smell¡­¡± ¡°This stench¡­¡± However, a stenchparable to a Draugr¡¯s prated our noses. I could feel something ominousing not from the vige but the coast. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± The Inquisitor was the only one who didn¡¯t notice anything, perhaps because this was her first time near the sea. Although she apparently thought the smell around here was a bit strange, she¡¯d assumed the sea normally smelled like this. However, this wasn¡¯t the smell of the sea the three of us knew. The faces of Deb, the Archmage, and I hardened. ¡°Could it be they managed to catch a whale and dumped its intestines on the beach? Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t stink like that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Whaling is supposed to be done in the East Sea, though.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t see any fish around to im it could be because of a mass fish death¡­¡± There was a high probability I would encounter a Quest around here. No matter whether it was part of the Main Quest or just a Sidequest, it would most definitely involve investigating the cause of that stench! ¡°Sir Archmage?¡± ¡°Ah, Inquisitor. We were simply puzzled by this odor because it isn¡¯t the usual smell of the sea.¡± ¡°Oh, so the sea doesn¡¯t usually smell like this?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then why is it like this now¡­?¡± ¡°Well, if we ask the vigers, we might be able to find something out. Maybe it¡¯s the reason why those people went up the mountains.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± ¡°Rather, Inquisitor, can you feel any Demonic Energy around here?¡± The kimchi dumpling shook her head slightly at the Archmage¡¯s question. ¡°I¡¯m not sensing anything yet.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± If she couldn¡¯t feel any Demonic Energy, that might mean it wasn¡¯t rted to Demons. However, it was also possible that someone who could conceal their Demonic Energy was behind this, like in Somon. We could only rify this matter by looking into it more. And the mere possibility of a Demon being behind this would definitely drive my character crazy. ¡°We¡¯ll know if we go there.¡± ¡°What?¡± I gave a signal to my horse. The beast, who had been leisurely walking on the sandy ground, started to run while frothing at the mouth. ¡°Mister Knight, are you trying to leave us behind again?!¡± If I ran forward, could those three sit still? Our positions immediately changed as we began moving forward. As if they had just noticed us, the people standing around the edge of the vige started to tremble. ¡°The people are probably scared. Shouldn¡¯t we get off our horses and approach them more slowly?¡± ¡°They won¡¯t even dare to say that they¡¯re scared.¡± ¡°However, won¡¯t they not speak to us at all, then?¡± As this was a matter of efficiency, I had no reason to argue. If I were just looking out for my bodily safety, I would refuse, but this would make finding clues a lot easier. I clicked my tongue and gradually lowered my speed. ¡°It looks like they are already scared, though.¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t this still better than rushing all the way to the vige?¡± ¡°True.¡± Thirty meters from the vige, I started approaching them slowly. I could see some people in the middle of it. Most of them were hiding in the various buildings, only their eyes visible. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°If we get stabbed, it¡¯ll be all your fault.¡± In this ominous atmosphere, the Inquisitor¡¯s face stiffened as Deb joked around. The Inquisitor widened her eyes as if trying to ask him whether he really had to make these kinds of jokes now. Well, anyway. [Detection] didn¡¯t alert me, even though they were already within a 30-meter radius. They weren¡¯t particrly hostile toward us for now, but depending on the oue of our conversation, that might change rapidly. They all looked scared, but they seemed more concerned that we would hurt them rather than them wanting to hurt us. ¡°Wait, those people¡­.?¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Had we actually entered their vige? By chance¡ªor maybe not¡ªwe came across some familiar faces. ¡°Th-those people¡­!¡± ¡°Our benefactors¡­!¡± They were the people we parted ways with yesterday. They appeared to have safely descended the mountain and returned to their vige. ¡°You¡¯re safe, thank goodness. But¡­ what brings you to this vige¡­?¡± I saw some people behind them attached to them like tails. Most were kids, siblings probably. They didn''t just go up the mountains because they couldn¡¯t fish; they couldn¡¯t help but do so because there were so many mouths to feed here. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± At that moment, I saw someone running over from the beach. Their hair and clothes werepletely drenched as if they had juste out of the sea. ¡°Chief!¡± ¡°The people who helped us came here.¡± ¡°Those are the people who saved us. They were also the ones who gave us the food.¡± ¡°They treated us, as well.¡± After listening to the vigers, her eyes grew wide. ¡°Let me thank you as the representative of this vige.¡± The vige chief immediately bowed and said she had heard a lot about us but asked why we hade here. She seemed rather young, so she likely rose to her position thanks to her quick wit and flexible actions. Her words were neither too long nor too short but spoken with an incredibly polite and pleasant voice. ¡°We came here to see if we could stay for a day beforemencing our journey.¡± ¡°Is that so? Then you came to the right ce! We felt rather unpleasant already that we had no way of repaying you appropriately.¡± Well, it wasn¡¯t me who had to deal with that. While the Archmage negotiated, I looked around. Perhaps because of the cold atmosphere I was giving off, most people avoided looking at me. Among them were some dressed in all ck as if they were in mourning. ¡°I heard the sea had be rather tumultuous. However, it seems the reason for that isn¡¯t a normal one.¡± As I looked around the vige, Deb, who did the same, suddenly fell into thought. All I could tell was that the people here were extremely skinny and the fishy smell covering this ce was really intense, but he seemed to have figured something out. ¡°We were told that some unusual rumors were circting this area. Could it be rted to that?¡± I had no idea, either. However, my gamer¡¯s intuition told me it was 100% like that. ¡°See, we¡¯d only heard that the sea had be strange and that it became impossible to fish, and when we came here, the smell of the sea waspletely different from what we knew.¡± Coincidentally, the conversation between the Archmage and the vige chief had also reached that point. Deb, who had asked me a rted question I couldn¡¯t answer, also shut his mouth. ¡°Can you tell me the details about this incident?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not difficult to do, but why do you ask¡­?¡± ¡°I was wondering whether this was rted to the cases we are looking into.¡± ¡°In that case¡­ Sure. I can tell you. This will take some time, so would you minding to my house?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind at all.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind, either.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also fine with that.¡± Deb and the Inquisitor agreed, so the group¡¯s gaze finally fell on me. What kind of reaction would be good this time? After thinking for a moment, I wrinkled the area between my brows like a piece of paper. ¡°Do you want me to gouge your eyes out?¡± The three people immediately looked away at my extremely fierce response. ¡°He¡¯s alsoing.¡± ¡°Since when did threatening to gouge our eyes out be an affirmation¡­?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t say he wasn¡¯ting.¡± ¡°He also didn¡¯t say he wasing along, though?¡± Though Deb and the Inquisitor were slightly confused about my reaction, the Archmage waspletely calm. I was certain now: that guy actually figured out how to handle me. Chapter 39: Better Next Time (4) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 39 Better Next Time (4) All the houses looked mostly the same, but the vige chief¡¯s was slightly bigger. The first thing I noticed upon entering was the dragon statues everywhere. ¡°Those statues¡­¡± ¡°This is the Lord Sea Dragon, the Ruler of the Western Sea.¡± ¡°I heard the Sea Dragon is revered in Porsen. It seems to be true.¡± ¡°The conditions of the sea change ording to its mood, after all. Though¡­ my faith in it is a bit shaky as ofte, however¡­.¡± They worshiped the Sea Dragon. Was that why people wore carved dragon pendants around their necks and prayed to the Sea Dragon? In that case, wouldn¡¯t the Inquisitor, who is from the Temple, dislike this belief? ¡°What''s the matter?" The Inquisitor still looked disapproving but showed no extreme repulsion for the Sea Dragon. It seemed she didn''t particrly care about it. Well, if she were going to get angry about idol worship and the like, she would have been offended by the murals earlier. They boasted their object of worship, after all. ¡°My apologies, but I have nothing but water to offer you." ¡°That''s fine. It¡¯s not as though we came here to get treated to avish meal." As the table was extremely narrow and there were only a few chairs, I opted to lean against the wall instead of sitting down. I didn''t feel too bad about it, as it gave off the impression that I wasn''t really part of the group and made me seem cooler. Wahaha. ¡°The sea started to be strange about a month ago. It looked calm on the surface, but waves thrashed about continuously, and the fish gradually started to disappear." The vige chief calmly exined that if they forced themselves to pull something from the water with theirs, all they would catch were ck inedible things, and if they tried other methods, they would juste up with dead ms. Just listening to her for a bit made it clear that their situation was extremely bad. ¡°At first, we thought this was happening because Lord Sea Dragon was angry, but rainstorms or tsunamis would usually ur if that were the case. This isn¡¯t anything like that." ¡°I see. Is there any chance a red tide may have caused this? Your situation seems somewhat simr to the consequences of one." ¡°I have never heard of a red tidesting longer than a month. Moreover, if that were the cause, the sea would have turned red, but we haven''t witnessed such a phenomenon." ¡°Huh." ¡°Then what are those ck things that emerge when you throw out yours?" ¡°We don''t know, either. I''ve lived by the sea my whole life, but this is my first time seeing anything like this¡­" The vige chief stood up, saying she wanted to show us something. What she brought back was a wooden bowl containing something. ¡°¡­!¡± The first to react was the Inquisitor. Her face, which held an ufortable expression ever since we entered the vige, immediately changed as she epted the bowl. ¡°Miss Inquisitor?" ¡°It''s subtle, but I can feel Negative Energying from it." As I thought, my gamer''s instinct hadn¡¯t betrayed me. Whatever the cause, unless it were natural, it would lead to the creation of a Quest. Thinking back¡­ Considering the Sea Dragon¡¯s existence had been highlighted so much in this region, it probably had something to do with this. They wouldn''t have made that ruin for nothing, after all. While only a guess, it was pretty much certain. ''Primordial beasts'' like the Sea Dragon, meta-wise, were newly added Raid Bosses with settings such as being corrupted or rampaging. Urgh. I could still vividly remember spending tons of money to create those endgame items. Corrupted beasts dropped expensive recipes, which were like bait for the yers; they were exchanged for a ton of cash. ¡°You feel Negative Energy?" ¡°Yes." However, no matter how I put it, it was just a mere opinion. Until I had proper physical evidence, I should just treat it as a hypothesis. ¡°Is it Demons?" As such, I feigned ignorance and simply mentioned the Demons. The Inquisitor''s eyes widened. I knew it had been a while, but seeing her so shaken kind of surprised me. ¡°I¡­ I don''t know. It is certainly negative in nature, but it seems different from Demonic Energy." ¡°Tsk." Since her experience as an Inquisitor was quite shallow, it was natural that there were things she didn''t know about. She also acknowledged that matter, yet she still mistook me for a Demon back then. I let go of the sword hilt I had been fiddling with, contempt for her ipetence filling my eyes. The kimchi dumpling became sullen and lowered her head at that sight. ¡°Hmmm." The Archmage, on the other hand, carefully examined the contents of the bowl. He picked it up with his hand so I could see it, too. The thing''s shape was far too strange. I couldn''t even describe it. Hmm. If I had to, I¡¯d say it looked a bit like a piece of junk. If one burned a piece of meat until it looked like charcoal, it would probably look like that. ¡°Have you seen something like that before?" ¡°I don''t know what it is, either." ¡°Could there¡­ Could there be a problem with the Sea Dragon?" ¡°Wh-what¡­?!" ¡°I''m not entirely sure about this, but isn''t it the Ruler of the Western Sea? If something strange is happening in the sea and not getting resolved, wouldn''t its ruler be the origin?" The vige chief looked almost broken at the Archmage¡¯s cold remark. Anyone would make that kind of face if they heard there might be a problem with their object of faith. ¡°However, if there really is a problem with the Sea Dragon, wouldn¡¯t the whole Porsen region have been thrown into chaos¡­ There''s no way the Temple wouldn''t be aware of that. Uhm, have you heard of any other towns or viges having problems?" Despite seeming to be on the verge of despair, the vige chief still responded to our questions. She quietly shook her head, distress apparent on her face. ¡°As far as I know, no. I did hear their catches have decreased slightly¡­ but not every year can be a good one, right?" ¡°Is this recent news?" ¡°It''s from fifteen days ago when we collected everything we could sell and headed to the city, Gr¨¹ Teltz, so we could at least buy some food. It takes about six days to get there, so this news shouldn''t be that old." It took about six days to reach Gr¨¹ Teltz, so if they had left fifteen days ago, they would have actually arrived about seven days ago. It was unlikely the city changed much over the past few days. However, someone might be performing a demonic ritual or something. ¡°Right. Thank you for telling us." ¡°How couldn''t I tell you that much when you are our benefactors." She spoke quietly, bending forward so that her face almost touched her knees. ¡°In any case¡­ If this continues, the only thing awaiting us will be death¡­" ¡°¡­" None of us could offer her any words offort. ¡°¡­Don''t think too negatively. If the city isn''t affected, the cause might not lie with the Sea Dragon." ¡°¡­Whatever the cause, it doesn¡¯t matter anymore. Whether from starvation or something else, it still inevitably leads to death, right? I just hope that this situation will get resolved.¡± I really disliked this heavy atmosphere. I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes. The desire to evade them and the shallow sympathy from facing those thrown into despair tickled my insides. Anyway, this world was just too cruel. ¡°It seems necessary to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause first. Perhaps it has to do not with the Sea Dragon but with these coastal waters. Don¡¯t you think so as well, Miss Inquisitor?¡± ¡°Yes, Sir Archmage, your words are correct.¡± The Inquisitor was still looking at the pitch-ck dredges before adding a few more words. ¡°As a servant of God, I can¡¯t back down after detecting even a hint of Negative Energy.¡± ¡¸? Corruption Washed Up from the Sea ? Investigate what is happening in the sea¡¹ A new Quest besides the one telling me to go to Gr¨¹ Teltz appeared. It was a Sidequest. ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­ Do you know how to resolve this problem¡­?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t give you a definite answer to that.¡± ¡°Just you trying to help us is enough¡­ Thank you, truly¡­¡± However, something felt a little strange. Why were these guys just epting this Sidequest on their own? I mean, I was going to ept it anyway, but wasn¡¯t this a little absurd? I clenched my hands a little at that. Around that time, the Archmage also asked hisst question. ¡°We might have to stay here for a few days to investigate. Are you fine with that?¡± ¡°Of course. How could we treat our benefactors poorly¡­ I will cooperate with everything you ask of me as long as you can resolve this matter.¡± Suddenly, those people in dark clothes who¡¯d looked at us with bloodshot eyes came to mind. They didn¡¯t seem very pleased with our arrival. ¡°It would be better if we divided up our roles for efficiency¡¯s sake.¡± Did he notice that I tapped my fingers and clicked my tongue? The Archmage quickly decided the roles to give us. The Inquisitor and Archmage, who were excellent at detecting various types of energies, would head to the sea and search for the source of this anomaly. Deb, who had very keen eyes for people, would ask the residents for more detailed information about this situation and check for any strange presences nearby. Although no one explicitly told me what to do, my role would also fall into thetter category. While they imed not to feel any Demonic Energy, one could never know. If Demon Contractors were nearby, Deb¡¯s abilities were a bit too circumstantial to reliably handle them alone. ¡°Well, now that everything is decided. I shall take my leave first.¡± However, even if I did something simr, I would still do it on my terms, so it didn¡¯t actually feel like I was listening to him! Haha! ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡± Ipletely ignored them, kicked the front door open, and went out. Should I first investigate the vige or the beach? Of course, I chose thetter. My character wasn¡¯t really the conversational type. * * * * * * Whooosh! As I walked along the sandy beach, the sound of ocean waves greeted me. However, the foam washing up on the beach seemed somewhat grayish. The water looked very clean and clear, which was a strange contrast. ¡°Look. All the ms are dead.¡± Following behind me, Deb picked up a conch or something and immediately clicked his tongue. Dead ms and conches were strewn about the beach. ¡°What do you think caused this, Mister?¡± Both the Inquisitor and Deb seemed very tenacious. I was pretty sure I hadn¡¯t responded to anything they¡¯d asked for the past few days, but they never appeared to get frustrated and kept talking to me. Ah, of course, I did like these kinds of people. Continuously waiting for an answer that would nevere showed they had a very strong mentality. ¡°No matter what it is, as long as we get rid of it, this situation should get resolved.¡± However, I only gave him a vague answer. How would I know? ¡°Couldn¡¯t it be a problem resolvable without force? Well, most things in this world can get resolved in that way, though.¡± Crunch. While Deb was chattering away, I seemed to have stepped on something. As I gently lowered my head and removed my foot, I came across a slightly unusual m. Its insides were slightly exposed as it broke after I stepped on it. ¡°What is that?¡± Wait a second. There was something other than the m meat inside. While thinking about it a bit more, I pushed the cracked shell away with the tip of my shoe. Deb came to my side and stuck his head out before immediately perking up his ears and screaming. ¡°A pearl!!¡± Something like that? Appearing in this ce? Just like that?? ¡°It¡¯s a real pearl!¡± I blinked, then realized: gems and the like weren¡¯t as valuable as one might think in the game. No, they were still precious, but how should I put it? Since they were mostly used as materials for crafting items or strengthening weapons, they could be found asionally. Depending on the game, there were many cases where one could find some just by rolling over a random rock on the side of the road. ¡°It¡¯s even so big and shiny¡­¡± While I was pondering, Deb made quite a fuss and picked up the pearl. As expected from someone of the Thief ss, he knew how to handle jewels and the like really well. He didn¡¯t forget to pick it up with a piece of cloth. ¡°At worst, we could sell this for about 1.5 million Gal.¡± Deb carefully wrapped the pearl in a cloth and held it out to me. I thought he would take it for himself, but he seemed tock the courage to pocket something right in front of me. ¡°Mister, you can make a fortune with this.¡± I didn¡¯t really have any desire for wealth. I simply disliked moving without properpensation, so I wouldn¡¯t have said anything even if Deb had taken it¡­ However, if he offered it to me, I wouldn¡¯t refuse. I took the piece of cloth out of his hand. ¡°But aside from that, isn¡¯t this kind of regrettable for the residents of this vige? If they had found this pearl, they wouldn¡¯t have needed to worry about food for those fifteen days. They couldn¡¯t even recognize the treasure sitting right under their noses.¡± ¡­But was 1.5 million Gal that much money? There seemed to be about fifty people in the vige, so it might not be enough for everyone. I looked at the pearl peeking from the fabric and put it into my inventory. Since time was basically stopped inside of it, the gem wouldn¡¯t get damaged like this. I would have even less space in my inventory, but whatever. It was unexpected, unearned ie, after all. ¡­It could be that the game threw it at me because I obviously wouldn¡¯t be getting anything out of this, even if I managed toplete this quest. * * * The pearl was the only unusual thing we could find. We also searched the surrounding forests and beaches until sunset, but we couldn¡¯t find anything out of the norm. At most, we managed toe across two deer. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°You¡¯re finally here¡­ Oh? Are those deer?¡± Ah, I couldn¡¯t juste back empty-handed, so I caught the two deer I found. ¡°If you got that,e and help me¡­¡± By the way, it was Deb who carried the deer. It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t want to help him, but he just took them both, apparently thinking I had no intention of bringing them with me. It was Deb who misunderstood on his own, but I didn¡¯t bother correcting him. Wahaha. ¡°Please put them over there.¡± ¡°Oh my goodness, two deer¡­¡± The vige chief and her son hurriedly took the deer, and Deb immediately sprawled over the floor. While rather small, they were still pretty heavy. It was obvious that he would be exhausted. ¡°I bet I¡¯ll have muscle pain tomorrow. I definitely will¡­.¡± Deb sprawled out on a chair like wetundry. Since he¡¯d used his cloak like a bag to drag the deer along, his face was visible in the room¡¯s light. His face, hidden by his hood until now, was younger than I had thought. Really young. ¡°What are you looking at? Is this your first time seeing a person¡¯s face or something?¡± ¡°No¡­ I was just surprised that you seem younger than I expected.¡± ¡°Hmph. You¡¯re exhausted from just carrying two deer? How weak.¡± ¡°Hey, so you think everyone¡¯s a superhuman like you?¡± Because of his facial hair, I thought he had to be in histe twenties, but looking at his soft, unblemished face, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he was the same age as the Inquisitor. Of course, it also wasn¡¯t impossible that Deb was just baby-faced¡­ However, watching him fight with the Inquisitor, they were at the same age mentally. ¡°Your results.¡± However, my character wouldn¡¯t care how old Deb was! I was trying to get our conversation, which had gone slightly off course, back on track. Only then did the Archmage and Inquisitor react. ¡°The sea was so rough that we couldn¡¯t investigate properly. What about you guys?¡± ¡°Have you discovered anything?¡± If we had found something, we would have already brought it up. I simply frowned. I stopped myself from calling him ipetent as we also hadn¡¯t found anything right away. ¡°It seems you got simr results.¡± The Archmage interpreted our silence. He hit the nail on the head. ¡°Then what should we do now? Are we just going to waste our time like this?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯ll go out again. We were told the waves are much calmer at dawn. That¡¯s when we¡¯ll go.¡± ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°However, if we still haven¡¯t found anything by then, we should just go to the city.¡± At that moment, she turned to me. ¡°You should save your stamina.¡± Her eyes fell on the people butchering the deer outside of the building. ¡°The Inquisitor said she saw a sea dragon through the waves.¡± ¡°What?¡± To these people, the Sea Dragon was an object of faith, so she made sure that none of them heard him. He was quite considerate. So why didn¡¯t he act that way toward me? Stimting my chain PTSD just wasn¡¯t cool, okay? ¡°I may have been mistaken because of the waves, but¡­ it definitely looked like a dragon in my eyes. I could clearly see fins on a long, thin body even though it was already dark¡­ It could only have been a dragon.¡± At that moment, the Inquisitor, who made eye contact with the Archmage, calmly exined it to us. ¡°However¡­ it somehow seemed to be fighting something or going on a rampage. It didn¡¯t look normal at all.¡± At her words, Deb jumped right up. It seemed he was so shocked that he even forgot his fatigue. ¡°It¡¯s very rare for the Sea Dragon toe so close to the coast. Furthermore, if something really did happen to it, as the Inquisitor saw¡­¡± ¡°¡­No way.¡± ¡°We might have to take care of whatever is harming the Sea Dragon, or in the worst-case scenario, we might have to deal with the Sea Dragon itself.¡± Deb held his head. ¡°There¡¯s no way we can do that!¡± His remarks were from the perspective of a normal person. ¡°So, we have to hunt a dragon?¡± However, something like shock and surprise didn¡¯t fit me. ¡°Why are you acting so calm, Mister Knight?!¡± I couldn¡¯t help but take note of Deb¡¯s astonishment. Unlike him, I even held some expectations in my heart. If it¡¯s a dragon, I could surely get some expensive material, equipment, or something else like that! Chapter 40: Better Next Time (5) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 40 Better Next Time (5) I decided to join the early morning excursion. We had already searched this area more than enough, and honestly, the cause of this situation was much more likely to be found in the sea than on thend. Furthermore, we also had to go to where the Inquisitor had seen the Sea Dragon. It was unclear whether the sea was calm enough forbat, but since we didn¡¯t know what would happen once we reached that ce, it was only reasonable to bring more people capable of fighting. Well, Deb, who said he wasn¡¯t that strong in a head-on fight and hated water, ended up staying in the vige. ¡°Is it not ready yet¡­?¡± However, it seemed I had woken up too early. When I left the house the vigers provided me¡ªthe original owner graciously left me the entire building so I could sleepfortably¡ªand went to the beach, I ran into some residents. They were currently preparing the boat for us. ¡°Well, there¡¯s still some time left before your departure.¡± One bold resident came forward as their representative and spoke to me, his face colored with shock and fear. Seeing how the other three looked slightly more at ease while still showing their fear of me left me feeling rather bittersweet. Still, I was d that my roleying worked well. ¡°Even if we were to hurry, the waves would cause problems¡­¡± I wasn¡¯t trying to rush them or anything. It seemed I had to show some tact here. ¡°You don¡¯t have to care about that.¡± It would be ufortable for everyone if I were to stay here. Since I had initially gone out for a walk, I may as well just wander around the beach. I left where they were preparing the boat and walked away, trampling on the sand. I secretly hoped to find another pearl. That dirty desire ran through me. Whoosh. While I could hear the waves, I couldn''t really see anything because of the darkness. Even when turning toward the sea, I couldn''t distinguish where the ocean ended and the sky began since even the moon was hidden behind thick clouds. I pondered whether I should turn on myntern but just gave up. I quite enjoyed this silence. My eyes worked well at night, so I could at least see the area before me. ¡°Urgh, sob, sob¡­¡± However, as I continued walking on the beach, I heard someone crying. As [Detection] didn¡¯t react, it didn¡¯t seem to be a Demon or some monster. I quickly shifted my eyes to where the sound came from, my vision already ustomed to the darkness. Soon enough, at a ce between seashore rocks where some weak sunlight hit, I could make out a head. It seemed rather small, more like a child¡¯s than an adult¡¯s. That the crying voice sounded unusually young also added credibility to my spection. ¡°Mom¡­¡± However, the sorrow it contained was wholly unlike a child¡¯s. I held my breath and tried to sneak away without alerting the child to my presence. Crunch. As it happened, I stepped on a m I¡¯d mistaken for a rock. ¡°¡­?!¡± I had hoped the sound was drowned out by the crashing waves or the child''s wailing sounds, but he¡¯d clearly heard it. The child was obviously holding his breath, trying to hold back his tears while I tantly walked around, openly showing that I didn''t see anything. I wanted him to know I was there but hadn¡¯t yet found him. Good. I should just pass where the child was and go to the area beyond. If he really didn''t want to get caught crying, he could just rush back to the vige during that time. However, it seemed I was cursed with bad luck. Just as I reached where the child was¡ªthere was still some distance between us¡ªthe clouds that had been blocking the moon cleared up. A silver path appeared on the sea. Faint highlights appeared along my head, cheeks, arms, and legs. Flutter. My hair and the tail of my coat fluttered about more than usual in the sea breeze. ¡°¡­" The child was staring directly at me. His gaze was so focused on me that my cheeks started to itch, but I never turned to look at him. It would be even more awkward now if I said anything. ¡°I heard." However, the child was the first to speak. I never expected that. ¡°The uncles and aunties say that you saved them." I couldn''t act like I didn''t see anything anymore. I turned my head toward the child. The moonlight was so bright that it illuminated not only me but also the kid. His ck clothes, reminiscent of mourning attire, especially caught my eye. ¡°But why couldn''t you save my mom?" I could also see the tears running down the child''s dry cheeks. ¡°Why did my mom have to be among the dead?" I kept my mouth tightly shut and looked at the curving rocks at the seashore. ¡°Why, why did my mom¡­" It wasn''t my fault, but the guilt I felt as an adult and a human being stabbed deeply into my conscience. Why? The guilt wasn''t enough to plunge me into despair, but wouldn''t anyone be reluctant to turn a blind eye to that? Imagine you just bought thest chicken skewer at a snack stall and were half-finished eating it when an elementary school kid came in, only to be met with empty racks, walking around in vain to find the chicken skewers. It was that kind of feeling. ¡°Why¡­" However, if it were just something like that, I could relieve my guilt by buying the kid something else, but this situation didn''t have a solution. I almost reached out to the child in reflex but stopped myself. No matter what I said or did, it wouldn''t reach this kid or make him feel better. He wasn''t ming me because he didn''t know he was wrong. He probably knew this wasn''t my fault. He justshed out at me because he didn''t know who to me for this. However, was that really so bad? When ovee with despair, even adults couldn''t resist doing such things. There were many times when we would turn our anger toward an innocent person. Furthermore, he was still just a child. If one couldn''t even show some understanding to someone like him, then one couldn''t call themself an adult. And, although I couldn''t call myself mature at all, I could at least ept that much. The character setting I had decided for this character also gave him a soft spot for the weak, such as children or the elderly. So, for that reason, I remainedpletely still, watching as the moon fell into the sea. I waited until the sun rose and warmed us up. * * * * * * ¡°There you are, Demon Knight." ¡°Where have you been? You''re a bitte." I came here just after noticing it was dawn, but I was still a littlete. I decided tosh out at those who had been wondering why. ¡°And I wonder when your poor excuses for ears will do their job." At that, the Archmage simply shrugged. ¡°You aren''t one to bete for no reason, are you?" How could he be so sure of that even though we hadn¡¯t known each other for that long? Of course, if I ever came across someone simr to my character, I would also think they would never bete simply out of pride¡­ However, one might also believe I was an extremely arrogant individual who never kept track of time. So how could he be so sure?! ¡°If you don''t want to talk about it, then don''t. It''s not something we really need to know." As I continued to keep my mouth shut, the Archmage simply gestured with his chin. ¡°Let''s hurry. We''re ready to set sail." I could see a boat prepared especially for us. ¡°You can get on from there." Wow. I had yed a few boat simtors before, but this was my first time seeing a boat of that size. It was just asrge as one would imagine a fishing boat to be. I found it even more interesting as it was made of wood, not iron. You would oftene across wooden ships in RPGs, but never ones of that size. ¡°Demon Knight, have you ever been on a ship before?" The Inquisitor, who boarded the ship first and sat right in the center, asked me a question. She was dressed more simply than usual, only wearing her chainmail covered by a blue robe. She also only took her mace with her, leaving her shield behind. While the weight of her chainmail wasn''t anything to scoff at either, if she also wore her te armor, it would be rather difficult to get back on the boat if she fell into the sea. That was probably why she was dressed like this. ¡°I heard that those who ride one for the first time may experience extreme motion sickness. I also had a rather hard time yesterday." Was it because Deb had been left behind in the vige? She even talked enough to cover his part as well, now. Although my character wouldn''t respond to suchments at all, I was still d that she did so. That way, I would have something to do on the boat. It would be nice if I could just chat. ¡°Well, I''m sure you won''t have any problems, though, Demon Knight!" I didn''t pay much attention to the Inquisitor''s words, distracted by idle thoughts. That I had never experienced motion sickness, either in real life or in-game, made me feel rather confident. It was something I would deeply regret thinking about ten minutester. ¡°A-are you okay?" I was fine riding a horse-drawn carriage, as shitty as it was, but why was riding on a boat like this? Of course, I knew the boat would bounce around more. It was almost like an amusement park ride. I thought my stomach was quite strong, so this level of seasickness was just insane. No, what kind of game even implemented something like seasickness, to begin with¡­ Fatigue, sleepiness, and now even motion sickness. I couldn''t believe it. I felt like I was dying. Feeling nausea rising in me, I tightly bit my lip. I barely managed to keep my expression from breaking, but myplexion surely showed how I felt. In the end, I couldn''t bear the seasickness and leaned over the railing to empty my stomach''s content. ¡°Do you want some medicine for motion sickness?" Even as the waves crashed strongly against the boat, the Inquisitor standing beside me stamped her foot loudly, and at the captain''s gesture, a sailor hurriedly descended from the mast and offered me some medicine. Going by my character setting, I would rather die than take him up on the offer, but honestly, I really wanted it. I didn''t know that I¨Cor rather my character¡ªwas prone to such intense motion sickness. I really felt like I was going to die. ¡°I know it may hurt your pride, but please take it just to be safe. You know what your role is, right?" I decided to ept the Archmage''s analysis of my actions graciously. I red at him¡ªit was rather doubtful whether there was any strength in my eyes¡ªbut forcefully reached out my hand. One of the vigers hurriedly entered and exited the deckhouse. He held an unidentified herb in his hand. ¡°You''ll feel better if you chew on this." I didn¡¯t bother wondering how chewing on that stuff would make me feel better; my desire to relieve this cursed nausea was far greater. I put the withered, dried grass in my mouth and thoroughly crushed it with my teeth. Perhaps thanks to the cebo effect, I actually started to feel slightly better than before. I still felt like vomiting, though. ¡°I never thought you¡¯d suffer from motion sickness.¡± Disregarding the Archmage¡¯s pitying looks, I simply leaned over the railing with my arms and lowered my head. My character settings aside, I much preferred fighting while spilling blood and enduring the injury penalties than suffering through motion sickness. I believed that this was what Hell felt like. ¡°If my Divine Power worked on you, I could have helped¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± I didn¡¯t really care that the kimchi dumpling was apologizing to me for something that wasn¡¯t even her fault, but I would much prefer to lose some HP if it meant getting rid of this motion sickness. I beg of you, anyone, please send me some modern motion sickness medicine before I get my hands on the person responsible for this. ¡°Can you fight?¡± I really wanted to ask him if I looked like I could, but I couldn¡¯t break character any further than I already had. I squeezed out all the spirit and strength I had left in me. ¡°Get that thing before me, then I''ll give your answer.¡± ¡°Yes. Understood.¡± ¡­He took that as a sign that I could fight, right? If he didn¡¯t, I¡¯d be a little sad here. Still, it seemed my neck was still safe. I managed to deceive him. ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it.¡± I ignored the Inquisitor¡¯s words and leaned my head against the railing. The sloshing of the waves sounded more like a source of irritating difort to me than white noise. My patience was tested once more. ¡°This is where we came to yesterday.¡± However, as time passed, we were somehow able to cover the area that those two had already explored. The two turned to the captain. ¡°We took quite a lot longer yesterday. We were a lot faster today.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because the sea is less stormy in the early morning.¡± As I said earlier, it wasn¡¯t like the waves were all that small, but I had no choice but to believe the captain¡¯s words. I witnessed the ship¡¯s height changing several times because of the rough sea, after all. My arms I¡¯d been holding the railing with had beenpletely drenched for some time now. My head, leaning against the railing, was also quite wet from the falling water droplets. ¡°I can¡¯t see the dragon today.¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because the sun is up.¡± While the sky was cloudy, the sun had already risen. It would seem it was different from yesterday when they came here. The other difference would be the time¡­ The time¡­ Hmm, I couldn¡¯t think of anything. I felt so dizzy that I couldn¡¯t think properly. For some reason, it felt even more difficult than when my fatigue had reached 100. ¡°Captain, the waves are getting rougher. Would it be fine if we go a bit further before returning?¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. The reason I said that we shouldn¡¯t yesterday was because it was clear that the sun was already setting.¡± The captain gave some instructions to his crew, saying that although it might be dangerous around the time the sun was setting, they could ovee any storm as long as the sun was shining brightly in the sky. The sailors manipted the sail in a coordinated manner and somehow managed to make the ship ride the flow of the waves. ¡°Well then, Captain, let¡¯s go over there. Inquisitor, is that where you saw the dragon?¡± ¡°Yes. It was over there. That rock formation poking out of the water is the same one I saw yesterday.¡± ¡°Pardon¡­ Do you mean that one?¡± Seeing the Archmage point at the rocks and the Inquisitor confirming with a nod, the captain¡¯s expression turned subtle. ¡°That¡¯s the Dragon¡¯s Gate.¡± ¡°The Dragon¡¯s Gate?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the gate where the Dragones to roar. It¡¯s where the reef area begins. Because of that, the currents are rather strange around there.¡± The rapids were one thing, but approaching where the waves struck the rocks sounded like the roar of a dragon, hence the name ¡®Dragon Gate.¡¯ The captain added that to his exnation. ¡°Is it dangerous?¡± ¡°Yes. No sailor in their right mind would ever think of trying to enter that area. That¡¯s how dangerous it is.¡± ¡°In that case, please try going as far as you can.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± The captain¡¯s face darkened slightly, but he didn¡¯t refuse. I didn¡¯t know if he didn¡¯t refuse because of his pride as a captain or because it was their benefactor asking this of him. As if my luck hadn¡¯t been bad enough. ¡°This is the best I can do. If we go any further, the ship will turn over.¡± ¡°Good work. Thank you very much.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t see anything out of the norm either¡­¡± Was it because we were getting closer to the rapids? It felt like the ship was swaying a lot more now. I managed to endure the nausea by using the railing as my lifeline. Normally, I would have found this ce more than suspicious and wondered whether anything was hidden there, but I just wasn¡¯t in the best condition for spection right now. ¡°¡­?¡± At that moment, something suddenly caught my eye. At one ce¡­ I could seend. A piece ofnd one could only view when the waves were shallow. It seemed like there was a fish scale pattern engraved on it. ¡°Urgh.¡± I tried opening my mouth but instead lifted my hand to cover a corner of it. The Inquisitor, who was looking in my direction, urgently examined myplexion. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°¡­Over there.¡± I was d that she came closer. I pointed to the ce, talking in a cracked voice. ¡°Over there?¡± The Inquisitor followed where I was pointing at with her eyes. ¡°¡­I¡¯m not sure what you mean.¡± However, it seemed like she couldn¡¯t see that piece ofnd. I only saw it by coincidence, so it was natural that she couldn¡¯t see it. However, I still felt irritated and annoyed for no particr reason. We didn¡¯t have much time to spare. ¡°You can¡¯t see that¡­?¡± I forced myself to raise my head to give clearer instructions. ¡°¡­?¡± However, the piece ofnd I had seen so clearly before was no longer in view, only the roaring sea. ¡°Demon Knight?¡± ¡­Did I hallucinate because of my motion sickness? I¡¯d really broken character a lot today. ¡°It¡¯s over there¡­?¡± ¡°Urgh, over there!¡± Instead of saying that I had been mistaken, I just slurred my words. However, even if I didn¡¯t point anymore, someone else pointed in the direction¡ªalbeit a little off. My gaze naturally shifted slightly at that. I saw something swimming beneath the seawater. There were three of them, and the things didn¡¯t seem small. ¡¸A hostile existence has entered a radius of 30m.¡¹ The system rang loudly in my ears. ¡°Could they be Demons¡­?¡± ¡°I can feel Negative Energy, but it isn¡¯t Demonic Energy!¡± Although they might not be Demons, I couldn¡¯t just sit back and watch when she said she could feel some Negative Energy close by, and even worse, the things giving off that energy were approaching us. I wasn¡¯tpletely sure whether they were actually hostile toward us, but if they were to punch holes into the ship, it would be us who¡¯d die either way. ¡°They¡¯reing for the ship!¡± ¡°Prepare!¡± ¡°You guys, stay in the deckhouse!¡± The Inquisitor grabbed her weapon as the Archmage evacuated the regr people inside. So, I had to get up, even though it was pretty hard. I started feeling nauseous right away, but it wasn¡¯t entirely impossible for me to stand. ¡°Phew.¡± The boat was swaying like crazy. I swallowed the cusses about to leave my mouth and raised my sword as though trying to lean on it. Maintaining my bnce was rather difficult, but it somehow worked out as I clenched my teeth and held my head slightly. ¡°Oh My Lord, please save your pitifulmbs!¡± The Inquisitor created the spherical barrier she had shown us once. Bang, bang! Those things were barely prevented from reaching the ship, crashing into the barrier as though angered by our actions. We couldn¡¯t see them clearly because they were submerged in the water, but they seemed like some type of water lizard. They had four legs and a long tail. They swam around in the water as if aiming for the ship, asionally passing by each other. The system showed no signs of trying to tell me what kind of monsters they were. ¡°Strike down my enemies¡­¡± The Archmage was chanting a spell. No matter how one looked at it, they needed to be eliminated as they seemed to be trying to attack us. The Inquisitor was very powerful, but as a close-quarters fighter, she wouldn¡¯t be able to attack them like this. Me? I tried to fire a [sh] toward them with my sword but was soon ovee with dizziness. I ced my sword on the deck and went down on one knee for a moment. I felt like throwing up. ¡°With thunder¡­!¡± While I was slowly recovering from my dizzy state, a rather wide-range lightning-type magic rained down from above. As it gave the illusion that part of the blue sea shone brightly, things began floating around the ship. However, they showed some movement as if they were about toe out of it. It seemed they just fainted for a moment after getting electrocuted but didn¡¯t die. The Archmage needed time before he could strike again. ¡°Huuh¡­¡± So, it was my turn now. I rose from my kneeling state, bit my lip, and slowly swung my sword. The [sh] filled with all my resentment flew forward, apanied by a metallic sound. Its force was quite a bit stronger than usual. aaaash! Part of the sea split apart. Chapter 41: Better Next Time (6) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 41 Better Next Time (6) ¡°Why do you look like that, Mister?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not injured, so don¡¯t worry.¡± After part of it was cleaved, the sea ckened. I seriously did my best not to throw up, but while I didn¡¯t vomit, I went down like a wet rag. ¡°Then that is¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the only clue we could get.¡± Still, the [sh] I fired did its job. Although the Inquisitor¡¯s barrier was consequently blown away, the attackers targeting our ship were also cut apart. Furthermore, we managed to catch a glimpse of what was beneath the water¡­ ¡°What¡­ is that? A beast? A Demon?¡± ¡°That is something we will be trying to find out gradually from this point on.¡± I still wasn¡¯t sure. Did I really see something around the reef area, or did the water¡¯s reflection just y a trick on my eyes? However, there was one thing I could say for certain: from this moment on, if I was ever asked to board a ship, I would rather stay behind for a few days. ¡°Then will we remain here for longer?¡± ¡°I believe that should be the case, at least for now.¡± I tried pretending not to notice the Archmage checking myplexion. The moment I became aware of it, I would have to act all vicious to fit my character, so I would be better off just continuing to feign ignorance. Especially now that I had no energy left. I really hated feeling seasick. How was it that even after I returned tond, my motion sickness didn¡¯t go away?! ¡°Demon Knight, are you okay?¡± I looked down at the kimchi dumpling, tightly pursing my cracked lips together¡ªI bit on them too much. Maybe it was because I hadn¡¯t much time to consider my words due to my nausea. On the one hand, I wanted to reassure her and say that I was fine. On the other hand, I wanted to stay in character and tell her that she was annoying and should piss off. ¡°What difference would it make whether I¡¯m okay or not?¡± ¡°¡­I-I mean, that¡¯s also true, but¡­¡± ¡°Go away.¡± In the end, my desire to stay in character won. I thought telling her to piss off was a bit too much, so I tried to smooth it over a bit¡­ However, after some consideration, the character I was ying should be moderately vulgar. It probably would have been fine if I told her to piss off, although it wasn¡¯t anything decent from my perspective. I suppressed the dizziness that overcame me and walked toward the forest. I honestly just wanted to lie down and curl up in a warm bed, but I feared that if I did after what happened on the ship, my image wouldpletely shatter and evaporate into thin air without a single trace remaining. And if that happened, I would be at risk of getting bludgeoned with a mace again. Sob, sob. ¡°Be back around evening!¡± Whatever. This Demon Knight would just sleep in the forest, then. * * * ¡°Let¡¯s go to Gr¨¹ Teltz right away.¡± I was just about to go to sleep in the forest¡­ I had just found a good spot and lit some insect-repelling incense¡ªthey were part of the gift bundle I had received¡ªbut before my back could even touch my chosen rock, the Archmage, apanied by Deb, spoke to me as they came to visit. ¡°I would normally ask you to rest for a bit, but this situation isn¡¯t normal.¡± ¡°This might be on the same level as Tatara¡­ No, it might be even worse.¡± Was it fortunate I wasn''t asleep yet? Or was I unfortunate, seeing how I wouldn¡¯t get any rest? Well, I was just d that the motion sickness had let up. ¡°Is it Demons?¡± ¡°It might be something simr.¡± Pull. After hearing the Archmage¡¯s answer, I extracted the Zweih?nder I had stabbed into the ground and tied it to my back. ¡°Guide me.¡± Giving out some coercive andmandingments like that was only a bonus. It had been so long since I could act like this, to the point that my eyes were bing a bit wet. Phew, I shouldn¡¯t cry like this, though¡­ I was¡­ Before being the Demon Knight, I was also an adult, after all¡­! I left the forest with that nonsense swirling around in my head. Just when I thought I preferred being up all night to riding a boat, it turned out I would actually end up doing both of those things in a single day. ¡°Now talk. I led you to the Demon Knight first because you said it was urgent, so why are we doing this?¡± It sounded like Deb also hadn¡¯t heard what all this was about, either. As we exited the forest, Deb poked the Archmage. ¡°Did I forget to exin? My apologies.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t apologize, just spit it out.¡± ¡°Hmm. We should include the Inquisitor in this as well, so let¡¯s have a proper talk after going back.¡± Unfortunately, he dyed exining the situation once more. I doubted he did so to tease us, but I still didn¡¯t feel good about it. There were two ways to infuriate people. The first was to just stop in the middle of talking, and the second was¡­ Well, whatever. ¡°Sir Archmage!¡± Anyway, since I didn¡¯t go too deep into the forest, we soon reached the beach. The Inquisitor was pacing in circles outside the vige with five horses. ¡°I prepared as you told me to, but¡­¡± ¡°You did well. Let¡¯s leave right away.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Perhaps knowing I didn¡¯t have to make any preparations, the Archmage immediately pushed us to leave quickly. The situation seemed to really be quite urgent. Even during the events in Tatara¡ªof course, he didn¡¯t yet know what was happening then¡ªhe didn¡¯t move so urgently. ¡°Just what the hell is going on?¡± ¡°Something happened to the Sea Dragon.¡± First, we all mounted our steeds and signaled them to move. The five horses started running along the road, shaking their heads. ¡°Didn¡¯t you already specte that was the case?¡± ¡°Spection and certainty are rather different. Furthermore, it¡¯s a lot more serious if the Sea Dragon itself bes corrupted, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Are you saying¡­ that the Sea Dragon got corrupted?¡± The other two seemed awfully surprised by his words. I, on the other hand, felt somewhat relieved. What could I say? I had been wondering whether Gr¨¹ Teltz would end up getting attacked like the prior city, so I was relieved to hear that this was connected to the dragon. After all, I had been preparing for that for quite some time. Oh, of course, I didn''t predict it would turn out like this because this scenario urred in the original or something. Not to say that there wasn''t anything simr in the game. Honestly, this was like the backstory for those Raids¡­ Was it something huge? However, the target was neither friend nor foe? Then, they would usually say it got corrupted or something that would lead to a Raid. I was far more worried about my seasickness, though¡­ However, could one prevent a Raid from happening once it began in a game? I had no other choice but to ept my fate. ¡°Look at that.¡± As I was lost in thought, the Archmage freed one of his hands and took something out. It was an item with a bone-like texture and sharp edges at some sides as if it had been split apart. ¡°What is this?¡± Since we were riding horses, the other two took the item and checked it one at a time. I didn¡¯t really have to look at it since my conclusion probably wouldn¡¯t change even if I did. ¡°It¡¯s a dragon¡¯s tooth.¡± ¡°A dragon¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°And they were the things the Demon Knight killed earlier.¡± I almost fell off my horse. Those teeth were those water lizards I had killed. ¡°The ones we saw earlier?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. They are moremonly referred to as Spartoi.¡± Those teeth had turned into water lizards, or did the water lizards turn into teeth instead? I could somewhat understand that. I hade across a lot of simr settings, after all. However, what I focused on was that those things would more than likely appear as mobs during our battle against the Sea Dragon. They might show up in tight clusters around us during the boss battle or right before it. The prospect of receiving dragon teeth by killing them was rather tempting, but it would just be annoying if they showed up like that. ¡°How did you find that out?¡± ¡°The moment I injected my Arcane Power into the corpses, they returned to their original form. That is a characteristic of Spartoi. I contacted the Magic Tower to verify it, so I¡¯m sure.¡± At that moment, the Archmage¡¯s attitude changedpletely as if the Spartoi themselves weren¡¯t that important. ¡°However, Inquisitor, didn¡¯t you im to feel Negative Energy from them even though they weren¡¯t Demons?¡± ¡°Yeah. I can feel it even now¡­ Ah!¡±¡± ¡°It looks like you realized¡­ It could be that the Sea Dragon was consumed by Negative Energy.¡± ¡°Wait a second, does that mean¡­ Are you saying that the Sea Dragon is the cause for all of this, Sir Archmage?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Furthermore, if we don¡¯t do anything, the entire West Sea may eventually bepletely contaminated. That¡¯s what it means for the Sea Dragon to be corrupted. However, the question is why it happened¡­¡± Either the Demon Worshipers did something, or it just happened by chance through some mutation. I didn¡¯t think it was that important, though. How profound could a Raid possibly be, even if its setting seemed that way? There weren¡¯t many people who even paid attention to these things to begin with. Well, I dug into these settings sometimes when working on a new character. ¡°Both the cause and its effect will disappear if we just kill them all.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m usually rather wary of your extreme methods, but this time, I think you are right.¡± The mage shook his head, his face calm. ¡°It would be best if we could Purify the Sea Dragon and return it to its senses, but depending on the degree of corruption, we may have to kill it.¡± When he said that, the system window popped up, covering my view. ¡¸? Corruption Washed Up from the Sea ? Find a way to approach the Sea Dragon ? Find and Purify the Source of Corruption¡¹ Like that, I was able to verify it. Good. Whatever the cause, fighting the dragon would be the right call. ¡°Then we should speed up.¡± However, let alone fighting, how could I endure my extreme seasickness? Sigh, it seemed like my future self would have to go through many hardships. * * * * * * The vige chief said it took her son six days to reach the city. For us, half a day was enough as we were riding horses. However, that didn¡¯t stop the night from falling. ¡°As the situation is extremely urgent, I believe it would be best if we split up and moved out right away. Although I contacted the Tower beforehand, I will need to hear more from them personally for more details.¡± As I listened to the Archmage, a thought came to my mind. Thinking back on it, there wasn¡¯t only a Temple but also a Magic Tower in The Legend of Heroes, right? But howe I couldn¡¯t see one anywhere? ¡°So, I was thinking of going to the Magic Tower to ask for some reinforcement¡­¡± ¡°I will go to the Temple. Could you please give me a piece of the tooth?¡± ¡°Of course. Here you go, Inquisitor.¡± I had no clue, and I also wasn¡¯t in any position to ask right now. As I shoved my questions away, I uncrossed my arms. Only Deb and I had nothing to do. If I followed the Inquisitor to the Temple, I would obviously be mistaken for a Demon once again, and there was no way that Deb would voluntarily follow her. Apanying the Archmage to the Magic Tower would be meaningless. Honestly, what would I even do there? He would go there to request reinforcements, so what use would my apanying him have? I could just sit by and watch. It wasn¡¯t like I was against observing and the like, but¡­ Ah, right. I should consider that the Archmage was also looking for sealing methods. If he wanted to find a way, would he really want to use the Temple? Of course not. He would use the Magic Tower¡¯s research facility. That was another reason why I shouldn''t follow him: if I did, would he misunderstand my actions? Phew. I almost got into some serious trouble. ¡°You¡­¡± Just because I had nothing in particr to do didn¡¯t mean I wanted to listen to any of their instructions! I desperately worked my brain. It would have been so much easier if the system just gave me some instructions, but it didn¡¯t even make a single sound at the moment. So, what should I do? Well, what could I do¡­?! ¡°If you¡¯re going to ask me to check the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, don¡¯t even bother to open your mouth. I¡¯m the only one familiar with it.¡± I was the only pure adventurer among us. Where else was I supposed to go other than the Adventurers¡¯ Guild? ¡°Yes. Then please check that ce.¡± The problem was that I didn¡¯t know what I should even do there. Was I just supposed to find out the trends? That couldn¡¯t be it. Was I supposed to report this incident to the clerks there? That way, they could gather up some adventurers right away, right? ¡°Then I¡¯ll follow Mister; this isn¡¯t something the back alley guys can help with, anyway.¡± ¡°Get lost.¡± ¡°Are you confident you¡¯ll be able to exin everything on your own, Mister Knight?¡± Facts sure do hurt. I¡¯d sure be thankful if he exined everything for me. ¡°Then let us split up and take care of our respective tasks. Ah, let¡¯s gather at the Adventurers¡¯ Guild after finishing our errands.¡± ¡°Yes! See youter!¡± I red daggers at Deb with the moonlight shining on my back as the Archmage spoke. Of course, Deb just whistled and casually looked away. Anyway, I couldn¡¯t win against the shamelessness of a thief. ¡°¡­¡± Flutter. Still, I couldn¡¯t give up on acting cool. I was the first to leave before any of the others even took a step. ¡°Wait, let¡¯s go together.¡± However, after taking a few steps, I realized something: this was my first time in this city, so I had no idea where the Adventurers¡¯ Guild was located. ¡°But, Mister, have you ever been to this city?¡± ¡­I should have left Deb with the Archmage somehow! I stopped my eyes from shaking incessantly and quickly thought of how I should act now. First, I could ask him why he was following me, and if he didn¡¯t hear me tell him to get lost again. I hadn¡¯t missed the timing yet. However, was he the type to actually go away just because I told him to? Second, I could admit I didn¡¯t know where we were going. That would be out of character, so I didn¡¯t even consider it. Third, I could say that I was lost in thought and went the wrong way. Was that the only path left for me¡­? Still, it would be better if I started with the first option and then tried the third. ¡°Hey, is that you?¡± However, before I could even turn around and open my mouth, someone else kicked up a racket. Since it was already nighttime and only a few people were walking around, I couldn¡¯t even consider ignoring that person, thinking we weren¡¯t their target. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the Demon Knight?! I never thought I¡¯d see you here!¡± ¡°Someone you know?¡± No, I didn¡¯t know that guy. I furrowed my brows and looked at the person approaching us. I might have seen him somewhere before, but maybe not. Still, I felt more like I didn¡¯t know the guy. Who was he? ¡°Who are you?¡± Why would my character act politely in this situation? Anyway, I asked him with a not-so-friendly attitude. Rather than being surprised, the other person just smiled andughed out loud. The mouth sandwiched between two long sideburns opened, revealing some yellowed teeth and a tongue covered in a white coating. Sometimes¡­ No, quite often, I was rather disgusted by the details of this game. Now was one of those times. Didn¡¯t that old man know how to brush his teeth? I even bought expensive salt and some willow leaves to take care of my own every day. Deb wasn¡¯t really doing anything, but since I was the one taking care of this, he followed behind me. ¡°Can¡¯t you remember? Well, it¡¯s quite understandable on your part, but still, I¡¯m a bit disappointed.¡± It seemed we actually knew each other. I didn¡¯t have any acquaintances here, though. I narrowed my eyes. ¡°What? Didn¡¯t you give us some medicine when we were trying to stop you from entering the sewer system in Tatara? I saw you there. And weren¡¯t you also present when I exined things to the Archmage?¡± Hmm, ah, aah. Aaah! I finally remembered. Well, notpletely, but I had some vague idea of who he was. So, he was the one who got the antidote from me before beingpletely corrupted? ¡°Do you really know him?¡± Deb asked me in a rather subtle way. Since he was of the Thief ss, he was probably rather sensitive about these kinds of things. Thieves knew about camouge and disguises and the like better than anyone in this world, after all. ¡°So, what¡¯s your business?¡± Instead of iming to remember him, I continued to speak rudely. Deb should have roughly understood. ¡°I don¡¯t really have any business with you. I just called out because I was happy to see you. Aren¡¯t you my life¡¯s savior? Oh yeah, did you get the gift? Some of us you helped out decided to gather some things for you. I just put in my part and left, so I didn¡¯t hear about your next destination.¡± Rather, this guy. Wasn''t he a bit too talkative? ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I saw him take it with him.¡± ¡°Oh, is that so? That¡¯s good to hear. And you are¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been traveling around with Mister Knight here for a while now.¡± ¡°I see. So, I¡¯m guessing you aren¡¯t going around with the Archmage and Inquisitor anymore.¡± Deb should have seen my twitching lips and corners of my eyes¡ªall acting, of course¡ªas he reacted ordingly. Of course, there was no need to tell this guy every detail, so Deb didn¡¯t bother exining our party¡¯s current situation. ¡°Ah, my apologies. I¡¯ve been holding you up. If you only arrived just now, you should be in quite the hurry to find an inn, right? Or are you looking for a bar?¡± One second. Didn¡¯t that guy know the location of the Adventurers¡¯ Guild? How should I ask him about it without breaking character? ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I can rmend some ces.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s fine. We¡¯re going to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild.¡± Deeeeb! Couldn¡¯t you just ask him for directions now?! ¡°Thiste at night? Did something happen?¡± ¡°Well, something like that.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± So, in the end, there was no way to ask him for directions. I just turned around, swallowing my tears. ¡°Ah, wait. The guild moved buildings recently, so if you head to its old location, you won¡¯t be able to find it. Can I guide you there?¡± How could there be such a coincidence? While I was thinking about how to get myself lost because I didn¡¯t know the guild¡¯s location, this guy I had helped before showed up and casually guided us. I didn¡¯t even have to worry about my character settings. ¡°¡­Take the lead.¡± The butterfly effect was the best! ____ Chapter 42: Better Next Time (7) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 42 Better Next Time (7) The guy who volunteered to guide us was quite the chatterbox. He told us that Gr¨¹ Teltz was his hometown, and he had been a pirate before but quit his job and became an adventurer. However, he also quit being an adventurer after what happened in Tatara, which led him to return to his hometown. He was currently helping his younger brother run a tavern. He kept talking without a single break. ¡°Be patient.¡± The problem was Deb. If it were just me, I could pass it off as something good that made the time pass faster, but Deb misunderstood, which meant I couldn¡¯t just ignore this. In other words, I had to act angry to meet Deb¡¯s expectations. ¡°¡­Mind your own business.¡± No, I mean, it was true that my character didn¡¯t like such meaningless chatter, but for him to go so far. Did he think I was going to pull out my sword or something? I didn¡¯t set up my character to go that far, though. Just how did Deb see me for him to jump to such conclusions? ¡°Here we are.¡± ¡¸Gr¨¹ Teltz: Adventurers¡¯ Guild¡¹ Anyway, we safely arrived at the Adventurers¡¯ Guild. I opened the door, which was unusuallyrgepared to the other cities I had been to. Although it waste at night, I could still see several lights inside. ¡°Yes, this is the Gr¨¹ Teltz Adventurers¡¯ Guild.¡± The clerk weed us with a somewhat arrogant attitude, his feet propped up on another chair. It seemed like he had been inspecting his nails, only lifting his head half a beatter. ¡°What? I heard you retired, though?¡± ¡°Those guys have business here, not me.¡± He had the tanned skin of someone who lived near the sea and brown eyes that looked toward me. His eyes, which I couldn¡¯t tell whether they seemedzy or tired, paired with his blond hair, gave him a delinquent-like impression. ¡°Woah, a new face. What brought you here sote at night?¡± However, it seemed he hadn''t yetpletely given up on his job. As soon as he saw us, he lowered his legs and straightened his upper body. ¡°A request, something regarding the Sea Dragon.¡± I threw my Adventurers¡¯ card towards the window before the clerk could even ask for more details. Perhaps because he would have to check my identity anyway, the clerk grabbed it lightly. ¡°I''ve verified it, but¡­ the Sea Dragon?¡± ¡°If you phrase it like that, no one will understand what you mean.¡± Fortunately, I had someone who could supplement the words I¡¯d omitted to act out my character. Deb stepped forward and exined the situation. ¡°Wh-What?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe something huge like that happened!¡± The former adventurer, who had decided against leaving, was indignant, and the clerk looked rather sad. He didn¡¯t seem all too surprised by what he heard, but he also didn¡¯t fully believe us. ¡°It¡¯s true that the weather has be kind of unpredictable these days, and our catches have decreased a lot, but¡­ We haven¡¯t discovered anything unusual. We have a Magic Tower, as well as a Temple in this city, so if there were any Demon Worshipers, they would have noticed it long ago.¡± ¡°That remains to be seen. And whatever the cause, it¡¯s clear the Sea Dragon has been consumed by Negative Energy.¡± ¡°Still, I can¡¯t just believe you that easily¡­¡± ¡°No. It has to be true.¡± ¡°Hey, you.¡± ¡°Why would a man who received a Medal of Honor from Tatara tell lies?¡± ¡°Wait, what? The Medal of Honor?¡± The clerk suddenly widened his eyes and stared at me. What he did next was request something in a trembling voice. ¡°Erm, could you please show it to me¡­.¡± ¡°What does this have to do with that?¡± ¡°Even the Guild cannot ignore the request of an adventurer who has received the medal. Even if you have evidence to support your ims, it will take some time to check all the facts¡­ If the adventurer owned such a medal, it would greatly shorten the time taken.¡± In the end, the world only showed you any respect if you had money, fame, or something equivalent. I searched through my inventory, realizing the truth of the world once more. I threw the medal toward the clerk. It arched through the air andnded in his palm, although he was making quite a fuss while trying to catch it, causing it to bounce a few times. ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t that kind of a waste, Mister?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a meaningless trinket.¡± Was there any reason for me to cherish it? The Demon Knight was someone who refused fame and wealth and only obsessed over revenge. I feigned an ill-tempered expression on my face. ¡°Seriously¡­¡± At that moment, the clerk, who had checked the medal¡¯s authenticity, spoke up. His tongue ran over his dry lower lip. ¡°Is there really something wrong with the Sea Dragon?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say there was something wrong with it?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t confirm something I haven¡¯t seen in person. I only pointed out the possibility.¡± The clerk licked his lips again after hearing my words. Then, as he returned the medal to me, he spoke up once more. ¡°I¡¯ll bring up this matter to the top brass immediately. Please wait for some time. And, hey, let the adventurers know that there might be an emergency questing up soon.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± I somehow felt I managed to achieve as much as I could in the Adventurers¡¯ Guild for now. * * * * * * ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯mte.¡± The Archmage was thest to join us. No matter the cause, since it had something to do with corruption and Negative Energy, the Temple immediately stepped up and said it was something they had to deal with. However, the Magic Tower was different. ording to the Archmage, unlike the Temple, the Magic Tower only moved for their own benefit. Although they made some moves when it regarded moral issues¡ªmostly involving Demons¡ªthese kinds of critical issues needed rigorous review, as they usually involved huge losses. As such, he waste because they needed to review the evidence over and over again. ¡°Aren¡¯t you some high-ranking figure in the Magic Tower, being an archmage and all? Why are they so picky about this?¡± Deb asked, sitting cross-legged on a stack of boxes. The Archmage shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Not all archmages possess that kind of power.¡± He was practically admitting that he had no real influence. He didn¡¯t seem ashamed, quite the opposite; his voice seemed rather in, as if he had already acknowledged that truth. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Right. From what I¡¯ve heard, we will receive more support than expected. Thanks to your actions, we can save some time.¡± ¡°By saving time, you mean¡­?¡± ¡°Literally that. Thanks to the Inquisitor, the news should have reached the Lord much sooner, and if the Adventurers¡¯ Guild also steps forward now¡­ Even if it¡¯s impossible for us, I¡¯m sure they will form an investigation team the day after tomorrow.¡± I felt rather mncholy when I heard those words. Well, that meant I would have to ride on a boat again tomorrow or the day after. I certainly understood that. The fact that I would have to walk through Hell again. ¡°Then, can I assume we will be deployed in two days as well?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it. The main team will be sent out only after the investigation team has confirmed the facts. We will probably be part of that team.¡± In other words, the investigation team was the vanguard, and we were part of the main force. That meant the date for the Sea Dragon Raid itself couldn¡¯t be guaranteed just yet. Although relieved that the day I would again set foot on a boat was further off than expected, I was somewhat worried about what I should do in the meantime, so my mind became rather restless. ¡°Furthermore, since there is a high chance we will have to fight the Sea Dragon, not only must we determine its location, but we¡¯ll also need to devise a strategy to fight it and find a ship able to withstand its attacks¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s going to take a while. So, what are we going to do in the meantime?¡± ¡°There aren¡¯t any fixed ns. But we can just find something we can do like we usually do.¡± Meaning we should just kill some time by doing misceneous things until then. That was amon event seen in most games. Of course, in these games, if a yer talked to the relevant NPC immediately after, they would say something like, ¡®Oh! Are you ready? Then let¡¯s go!¡¯ Most people simply skipped these preliminary preparations, but whatever. Anyway, how should I kill time? Should I just ask around after any requests I could do here? It was problematic that I was only spending money without any proper ie. ¡°Well then¡­¡± Sigh. If the right conditions have been met and we weremitted to it, we should be able to move out immediately. I moved away from where I had been leaning before the Inquisitor even finished speaking. As I straightened my back, I felt the dull sensation of the Zweih?nder on my back touching me. ¡°Where are you going?¡± I hated wasting time. Completing requests would take some time, so I had to ept them all as soon as I could. Above all, if I just sat around and didn¡¯t do anything, I wouldn¡¯t be the Demon Knight! There were three people here who would bash in my head if I seemed just slightly off, after all. Even if I wanted to rest, I couldn¡¯t and had to move. However, was there a limit to the number of Quests I could take here? If that were the case, I¡¯d be in trouble¡­ Well, it didn¡¯t matter. There didn¡¯t seem to be all that many requests for me to do, anyway. As for how long I would need, it seemed it would take quite some time to prepare for the Raid, so if I finished them within a week, I should be safe, right? ¡°Erm¡­ Sir Adventurer?¡± ¡°Requests.¡± As the day dawned, the Guild became busier, but the number of clerks also increased. I proudly asked one of them for a rmendation. By the way, neither the adventurer who guided us here nor that frivolous-looking clerk who dealt with us yesterday were present. Everyone went off to do their own thing. ¡°You¡¯re not actually a descendant of a Dragon or an iron golem, right, Mister?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll join you as well!¡± What the hell was Deb saying? The Inquisitor was as cheerful as ever, so that was that. I nced at the dumplings before turning back to the clerk to receive my request. I didn¡¯t even need a request involving Demons. All I wanted was something I could kill time with that was still eptable within the scope of my character setting. ¡°The only thing worth doing here right now is¡­¡± But likest time, I still had various conditions, so I wasn¡¯t given that many options. ¡°This one, I guess. Would you like to take a look?¡± To be precise, there was only one. ¡°The pirates who until now were running rampant on the southern coast are slowly moving closer to us. We n tounch arge-scale subjugation, so this request involves that matter. Recruitment ends in the next two hours. The rest are just bounty-hunting requests: all you have to do is decapitate the pirate requested. However, there is a high possibility these will be obsolete due to today¡¯s subjugation.¡± And all the rest had to do with the same thing. ¡°What would you like to do?¡± In other words, the fact that I had to board a ship eventually didn¡¯t change, no matter what I did. It was fate at this point. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Are you okay? You¡¯ll get seasick again¡­¡± ¡°What? You get seasick, Mister?¡± As I remained silent, the Archmage needlessly opened his mouth. I was already thinking about that, but just hearing thatment made mee to a decision. The corners of my mouth trembled, and the muscles around my left eye twitched slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ do it.¡± Uuurgh. Why was he asking when he already knew what would happen if he hurt my pride? Was he actually trying to bully me here?! Was it like that?! ¡°Will you really be fine?¡± Ugh. I gritted my teeth, trying to control my expression, barely suppressing the urge to whine. I would like to say it was all an act, but how could that be possible? I really had to hold my tears back at this moment. If I became emotional now, I would seriously break character. ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­ you guys¡­ have to concern¡­ yourselves with.¡± I broke my sentence into pieces while speaking and strained my eyes. It wasn¡¯t that hard to do. All I had to do was look as if my anger was about to burst out from within me. Fortunately, I didn¡¯t seem to have exaggerated it in the eyes of the others. ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it.¡± I had been overdoing it for some time, so wasn¡¯t that statement a bitte? I red at the mage as I signed the request form. With that, the observant clerk quietly announced the contract established. ¡°As you may have noticed, you must go to the indicated location and join up with the city forces. The deadline is 8 o¡¯clock today.¡± Since it was arge-scale subjugation, as he¡¯d said, it would involve a moderatelyrge fleet going around the sites where the pirates were active. I felt this request was quite a good way to kill time. We were told they would pay us 10,000 Gal per head, but I had no idea how many pirates there were. Wouldn¡¯t it be good if we managed to at least make some money with this request? ¡°We¡¯ll go with you, as well.¡± ¡°I-In that case, would you please present me with your adventurer¡¯s card¡­?¡± The others in the party also tried following me, arbitrarily signing the contract, as well. I wasn¡¯t very happy about that. If it wasn¡¯t for those guys to begin with¡­ Ah, wait. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. ¡°Ah, this old man should stay behind. There needs to be at least one of us who can monitor the situation.¡± ¡°Ah, I understand.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have an adventurer¡¯s card.¡± ¡°How about getting one, then?¡± I turned around, suppressing the resentment bubbling up in me. My three-pronged coat tail fluttered as I did so, like the tail feathers of a bird. ¡°Ah, please wait a bit!¡± ¡°Urgh, do I really have to take some test to be an adventurer?!¡± ¡°We don¡¯t just ept anyone as an adventurer.¡± ¡°Uuurgh.¡± Be patient, patient. There was a saying that goes, "If you can¡¯t avoid it, enjoy it.¡± This might also be an opportunity, after all. An opportunity to get rid of my seasickness. I wasn¡¯t actually sure whether seasickness was something one could eliminate through experience, though.¡± ¡°Demon Knight!¡± ¡°I hate acting withoutpensation¡­¡± ¡°Will you stay behind, then?¡± ¡°It¡¯s already done. I need to increase my experience with ships¡­¡± I tilted my head back slightly, remembering the location written on the request. It seemed the Archmage would be sitting this one out, so would it be possible for me to lead those two dumplings while also enduring my seasickness? I suddenly felt anxiety welling up in me. Chapter 43: Pray and Pray Again (1) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 43 Pray and Pray Again (1) ¨C If that¡¯s true, doesn¡¯t that mean we must kill the dragon? ¨C After the Hero, the Demon Knight, and the young Thief left to take down the pirates, the Archmage did what he had to. His task was to urge into action the people of the Magic Tower, who were reluctant to take any losses even in the face of clear evidence. ¨C Is there even someone skilled enough to y a dragon? ¨C He closed his eyes momentarily as he heard sentence after sentence spoken through hismunicator. ¨C Shouldn¡¯t we first discuss how to even approach the dragon before talking about the power required to y it? Sea dragons live in the sea, after all. ¨C ¨C Leave me out of this. I¡¯m already having enough trouble with the mermen and my grandkid. ¨C ¨C Do you think you¡¯re the only one? We barely found time to meet up like this, you know? ¨C He had exined to his party that the Tower only moved for its own benefit, but in fact, it was far worse. In some cases, its mages even went beyond practicality, and the only way to move them was to attract the attention of their decision-maker, the Great Archmage. ¨C Ah, right. What about the Hero? You have the Hero with you, right? Can¡¯t she just do it? ¨C ¨C Gr¨¹ Teltz is also close to the Great Temple. Let¡¯s just leave it to them. ¨C And that was also why he was the only archmage supporting the Hero. ¡°Of course, the Hero will be stepping forward. Her Companions won¡¯t neglect their duty, either. The Great Temple also won¡¯t ignore this situation.¡± The Archmage sometimes thought the world had been confronting Satan for far too long. The lines of defense, usually only formed during fierce wars, were now taken for granted. He especially felt that way upon seeing those no longer grateful to the Heroes who sacrificed their lives to stop the Demons. ¨C What? Then isn¡¯t everything taken care of? ¨C And¡­ instead of using their Arcane Power to reduce the number of Heroes losing their lives like that, he was only confronted with mages too busy satisfying their selfish interests. That was how he came to think the way he did now. ¡°How could that be? As White Wind has mentioned, the Hero needs a means to get near the dragon to make use of her power.¡± That matter aside, it didn¡¯t mean he would give in to despair. ¡°So, let¡¯s set aside our differences and cooperate.¡± Young people could simply work hard without stopping, but he had no time to y around. ¨C Ah, wait a second. Is it true that one of the Hero¡¯s recently joined Companions holds a Demon in his body, and he also knows how to use Demonic Energy instead of Arcane Power? ¨C ¨C What?? I never heard anything about that! ¨C ¨C Is that really okay? Shouldn¡¯t we kill him? ¨C ¨C If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like one of his body parts as a research sample. ¨C ¡°That¡¯s none of your business, so just shut up and cooperate. Please.¡± ¡­Taking care of the safety of those traveling with him was also one of his essential tasks. * * * ¡°Mister, are you sure it¡¯ll be fine?¡± Shut up¡­ I already know it wouldn¡¯t¡­ ¡°Oh my.¡± I leaned against the deckhouse and covered my eyes with my hands. Nevertheless, the lower part of my face seemed quite pale, so Deb and the Inquisitor couldn¡¯t just leave me alone. That was even more annoying to me. Because of them, I had to maintain awareness of my surroundings with an energy I alreadycked. ¡°If you feel bad, should I bring you some medicine?¡± These kids were the ones who made me feel bad. Don¡¯t make me act¡­! ¡°¡­ost.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I told you to stop being so noisy and get lost¡­!¡± I had to act truly vicious to make them listen to me! I lowered my hands, growled, and crumpled my face as if to warn them. It seemed to have worked as those two stepped back and stopped hovering around me like puppies needing to poop. ¡°I think he¡¯s doing a little better than before.¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because the boat we¡¯re on now is bigger than the one we rode yesterday.¡± ¡°Do you think one gets seasick more easily on smaller boats than on bigger boats?¡± ¡°¡­No?" ¡°Of course, one would get seasick more easily because the waves would shake the boat more. Look at you, going back on your answer because you didn't actually know." ¡°¡­You!" The two of them started fighting again after moving away a little. My friend used to act like that with his sister. Hazy memories briefly surfaced in my mind before disappearing again as I watched them. It was just that guy who treated his sister like that. Real siblings wouldn¡¯t do that. Yup. Absolutely. ¡°Hey, can¡¯t you shut up?¡± As I was trying to ovee my motion sickness with the fantasies of an only child circling my brain, someone shouted at them in a stern voice. He had a knife scar on his cheek, and if not for his uniform, I would have mistaken him for a pirate. ¡°Ah, my apologies.¡± ¡°So sensitive.¡± We hadn¡¯t caught sight of our enemy yet, so I thought they could be a little loud. Even I thought the guy was unusually sensitive. Those two noisy kids definitely didn¡¯t think the same, as they seemed rather discouraged. ¡°I see two ships engaging!¡± However, it wasn¡¯t long before one of our enemies reared their ugly head. As I narrowed my shaky field of vision, I could see two ships on the horizon. However, rather than engaging, it looked more like a chase as the smaller ship tried to escape from the bigger one. ¡°After them!¡± Three fast ships headed in that direction, quickly adjusting their sails. I did worry that those guys might run off before we could get them, but it seemed the sailors had their own methods. ¡°Are they pirates?¡± ¡°That carrack is definitely of the Vipurit Pirates, and that caravel¡­ that¡¯s a civilian ship!¡± However, the tailwind didn¡¯t help relieve my motion sickness. I tried to swallow my nausea. I wondered if my brain turning to mush and being wildly shaken would feel like how I felt now. I had already choked down simrints and curses more than five times. ¡°Mister, you can fight, right?¡± I wasn¡¯t so sure of that anymore, either. I was wondering how I could fight a dragon like this. I took a deep breath, slowly thinking over this matter. I felt slightly better when the salty air ran through my nose and into my lungs, but the shaking and sloshing of the boat immediately made me feel worse again. I just wanted to be seaweed rooted to the seafloor. ¡°¡­You, just take care of your own matters.¡± Still, it wasn¡¯t like yesterday when I couldn¡¯t stand at all. I didn¡¯t know whether it was because the vessel wasrger or because it was less stormy here than around the north coast. Still, if my condition improved just a bit more, I felt I could move around. So, saying some lines that would fit my character¡ªthough I wasn¡¯t sure if I said the right things, I didn¡¯t have the mental capacity to think about it anymore¡ªI straightened up my body from where it leaned against the deckhouse. Thud. At one point, my legs almost gave out. If I hadn¡¯t quickly leaned against the wall again, I probably would have fallen to my knees. ¡°¡­¡± Although they were covered by his hood, I could tell that Deb was looking at me with pitying eyes. ¡°¡­Turn¡­ around.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡­I really wanted to tweak my character setting, but I didn¡¯t want to break character like this, though¡­ ¡¸A hostile existence has entered a radius of 30m.¡¹ ¡°Get ready for battle!¡± While I struggled, the distance between the engaging ships and our warships became closer. The carrack seemed to have given up on the caravel, staying behind and moving to the right to avoid us. The caravel was heading left and away from us. ¡°Seeing that they¡¯re also fleeing, they might also be pirates.¡± ¡°Looking at the speed and shape of the ship, it seems like it¡¯s Windhand¡¯s.¡± ¡°Privateers are also pirates. Tsk. If only we were closer to them.¡± ¡°Shall I signal the boats behind us to give chase?¡± ¡°Just send one boat after them. If that really is Windhand, you won¡¯t be able to catch up.¡± The person inmand of our warship spat out one insult after the other, as the ship we¡¯d thought to be civilian turned out to be an infamous one. Of course, he also didn¡¯t ignore the pirate ship right in front of his nose either. ¡°Catch that carrack!¡± Of the three warships, only one left its position, and the remaining two began properly attacking the carrack. ¡°Throw them!¡± Our ship, which was in the lead, was the first to throw out hooks. The hooks, attached to a rope thrown by the experienced sailors, flew through the air and caught the railing of the pirate ship. ¡¸Pirates ©¦ Marauders drifting across the sea. Freedom and romance were all lost to their greed.¡¹ The system that had kept silent when we dealt with the Spartoi piped up again. ¡°It¡¯s the troops!¡± ¡°Kill them!¡± ¡°If we hold on a bit longer, we¡¯ll win!¡± ¡°If we get caught, we¡¯ll get hanged anyway!¡± ¡°Fight back!¡± The pirates didn¡¯t just sit back. They tried to prevent us from boarding their ship by cutting the ropes attached to the railing with their blunt des. I had been told that pirates would be executed immediately without a trial¡ªeither by hanging or beheading¡ªso even that meaningless struggle was them fighting for their lives. However, the ships were already perfectly connected, at least by rope. The pirate ship could no longer escape. ¡°Phew. It¡¯s finally time to fight.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll definitely punish you lot.¡± After these words fell, it was now our turn. I came here to fight, after all. To do that, I would have to go over there¡­ I covered my mouth and ced my hand on the deckhouse wall. Deb cursed and tried to support me as my legs became slightly unsteady. ¡°What the? You clearly aren¡¯t okay!¡± Fine. Fighting while looking and feeling that way might not be a wise choice after all. However, stepping back now wasn¡¯t a great idea, either. It just didn¡¯t sit right with me that I was losing to seasickness more than anything. Furthermore, if the Main Quest involved sea travel, how should I proceed? I wasn¡¯t really sure if effort would change anything, but as my only current option, I had to try. I pushed away the hand trying to support me and somehow managed to stand firmly on my own two legs. Then, I took a deep breath, cleared my lungs, and stretched out my feet. Thud, one step. Bam, two steps. Followed by a third step. The sound of me stepping onto the railing boomed out. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Demon Knight!¡± The railing, which couldn¡¯t support my weight, let out a ¡®crack¡¯ before crumbling apart. In return, my body floated through the air as if I were flying. Step. After jumping across the gap halfway, Inded on the rope. I shouldn¡¯t lean too excessively to one side so as to not lose my bnce. After increasing my speed a little, I could surprisingly maintain my center of gravity. Creak. Because of the sudden weight added to the rope, the hook supporting it twisted slightly but didn¡¯te loose. I ran across the rope and quickly reached the pirate ship. ¡°Kill them¡ª?!¡± I suspected it would be better if I made bigger movements. At least this body that didn¡¯t feel like mine right now moved ording to my will. After dismissing these idle thoughts, I jumped up lightly. Bang! The pirate¡¯s de stuck into the railing I had been standing on, and after leaping up, I trampled on said pirate¡¯s face. Then, I jumped up even higher and mmed down on the ground. I didn¡¯t use my sword this time. I could imitate my skills just by surrounding my body with energy. [Breaker]. I performed the skill with my leg after mming the center of the pirate ship's deck with it. Craaaack! Large, prominent cracks were carved into the wooden deck. They gradually spread from where I hit. The ship rocked to and fro a couple of times because of it. * * * * * * ¡°Urg.¡± Ah, that shaking made me nauseous again. I stood up with the back of my hand over my mouth and my feet spread as wide as possible. The sawdust rising from the deck¡¯s broken wooden boards formed clouds near my ankles before quickly settling down. ¡°I-Is that a knight?!¡± ¡°Heeey! What are you doing?! Kill him!¡± Since no allies had yet to cross over, was the ship still only filled with pirates? Good. Honestly, I wasn¡¯t that confident I could distinguish between ally and enemy right now, so this worked just fine for me. I focused on my task at hand, ignoring the overwhelming feeling of nausea. The most important thing right now was to avoid the des approaching me. Even my dizziness seemed to dull in the face of my survival instinct, so I easily evaded the first de. As I avoided it by turning my body, the hem of my clothes brushed past a pirate before my forearm struck my target¡¯s back. Thud! When that one fell over, the next enemy approached, his deing from above to cut me apart. I quickly pulled out my sword with my right arm¡ªeven if I held it in reverse¡ªand blocked the de by tilting it diagonally. ng! A sharp, metallic sound rang out, and a stabbing attack came at me from the side. ¡°Hap!¡± If there was no way to avoid it, I just needed to create one. I stepped forward and pushed my enemy back. If I poured some Arcane Power into my legs and strengthened them a bit, pushing away guys like these didn¡¯t pose a problem. I also swung my de upwards to send my enemy¡¯s weapon flying before I hit his wide-open body with my left fist. Pow! After being struck in the sr plexus, he folded like a flip phone and flew off. ng! One after the other, they retrieved their swords again. I quickly lowered my arm to prevent another iing attack. As the ship suddenly started to sway, I lost my bnce, but that was a good thing for me right now. I took one more step forward with my leg as though preparing to rush forward and punched the pirate¡¯s head. It was a devastating blow. ¡°Urgh.¡± I felt motion sick again right away. It would have been better if I hadn¡¯t. Uuurgh. I quickly covered my mouth and tried to maintain my posture. It was only natural that the remaining pirates would take advantage of that brief gap. So I nned on jumping up andnding again to activate [Ground Crash]¡­ Bam. ¡°Seems you leave your back wide open every time, huh, Mister?¡± I didn¡¯t think that was necessary, though. Deb, who hade over here at some point, cut off the pirate¡¯s head with his kukri. Ching! ¡°Or was it unnecessary?¡± I didn¡¯t mean to say that, but it wasn¡¯t anything praiseworthy either. Instead of answering, I leaped toward an approaching enemy. It was again time to sheathe that cumbersome longsword for a moment. Swish. I jumped lightly and stepped on the enemy¡¯s arm. His hand, which was swinging his sword forward, was crushed by my military boot before he fell, my knee crashing into his face. Tilt. The enemy fell right past me. I bent my back to avoid the iing horizontal de shes one after the other and hit that guy¡¯s side with my fist. With that, if the guy just bent his waist slightly, I would be at the perfect angle to punch in his head by lifting my upper body. Pow! The pirate was instantly knocked out with a single punch. ¡°You bastard!¡± After killing a few more of those bastards like that, the pirate ship and warship were almostpletely connected. It was then that the Inquisitor, who couldn¡¯t cross over sooner due to her armor¡¯s weight that also slowed her body, attempted to board this ship. ¡°ept¡­ judgment!¡± With the Inquisitor¡¯s arrival, the tide of the battle turned entirely in our favor. The brilliance of God fell upon the pirates. The city guard and other adventurers who joined the fight never even got their turn. * * * ¡°You¡¯re stupidly strong, aren¡¯t you?¡± The deck, already half-destroyed by my kicks, had a huge hole blown into it by the Inquisitor¡¯s glowing mace. I was rather concerned that it might cause the ship to might, but that luckily didn¡¯t happen. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°I said that you¡¯re strong.¡± It seemed Deb¡¯s purpose in life was to make fun of the Inquisitor. Just as that justified suspicion rose within me, a pirate about to be beheaded cried out bitterly. ¡°One day, the Vipurit will cut off your arms and throw you into the sea as bait!¡± The reactions to these words were as follows: ¡°The Vipurit? Cut off our arms and use us as bait?¡± ¡°If you are so skilled, why don¡¯t you try reiming that ind you lost to your brethren?!¡± ¡°Uwahahaha!¡± Wahaha. The navy¡¯s taunts immediately followed. ¡°Vipurit? What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°What? You don¡¯t even know that?¡± ¡°¡­No, I don¡¯t. Do you know more?¡± ¡°Hah, of course I do. Aren¡¯t you just stupidly ignorant for not even knowing that?¡± The Inquisitor seemed quite enraged by Deb¡¯sment. The problem was¡­ I also didn¡¯t know. What was that? ¡°It¡¯s a former province of the Yabad region, a huge ind separated from the maind.¡± ¡­And where was the Yabad region? Thest time I looked at the Archmage¡¯s map, I saw a huge ind at about seven or eight o¡¯clock. Was it that one, by any chance? ¡°The lords of that ce secretly allowed privateering. However, they did it too openly, which aroused public opposition. That¡¯s why they lost rule over thend to their brothers.¡± While I was wondering where Yabad was, Deb continued his exnation. It was stuff I could figure out from the navy officers¡¯ taunts, as well. ¡°So, they were kicked out?¡± ¡°And ever since, they¡¯ve gone around robbing merchant ships while calling themselves the pirate kings.¡± ¡°Yabad is a good distance south of here. There¡¯s no reason for them toe all the way here, though.¡± ¡°How would I know what goes on in the minds of pirates? I can only guess that they came here due to food shortage because of the thing with the Sea Dragon.¡± Well, unlike the northern coast, Gr¨¹ Teltz didn¡¯t seem to have suffered any major impacts. With that in mind, the regions further south, including Yabad, should be in a better shape as well¡ªmaybe. ¡°Or maybe they were targeting that ship from earlier. Windhand is a very famous privateer captain.¡± ¡°Hah, how can trash be famous?¡± ¡°He¡¯s very famous for his excellent navigation skills, so much so that people im he holds the sea in the palm of his hand. Among sailors, he¡¯s considered a descendant of Soldini, the first explorer of the sea.¡± Deb pointed to one side as he spoke. It was the warship that had broken away from our formation earlier after receiving the order to chase the caravel. It seemed they lost it, as I couldn¡¯t see any damage inflicted on the boat. ¡°He¡¯s good enough to at least win against a warship. Assuming that caravel actually belonged to Windhand.¡± ¡°Right, trash is still trash, though.¡± In response to the Inquisitor¡¯s harsh words, Deb only shrugged his shoulders as if expecting that would happen. However, I was rather interested in one part of Deb¡¯s spiel. A captain whose navigation skills were so excellent that people said he could control the sea. I didn¡¯t really know who Soldini was, but Windhand was considered a descendant of the first explorer of the sea. I mean, just hearing about him made it seem like we would definitely need him for the Sea Dragon Raid, right? ____ Chapter 44: Pray and Pray Again (2) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 44 Pray and Pray Again (2) The ship returned to Gr¨¹ Teltz after sailing around for just three days due to storms andck of food. The port we returned to wasn¡¯t much different from before we left. ¡°It takes a while to count all the heads, so please wait a moment.¡± We captured eight pirate ships over those three days. Each vessel held approximately 20 to 40 pirates, and I was the one to initiate the battles on all eight. Later, I eliminated about half of them before the warships could even attach to the pirate ships, so I would probably be paid a decent amount. The soldiers and adventurers even begged me to take it easy,ining that they had nothing to do. ¡°Looking at it this way, won¡¯t you get almost all the reward, Mister Knight?¡± Deb, standing next to me, spoke about how jealous he was. There was also a lot of talk about how I only picked out the famous ones, like the captains, vice-captains, and first mates, to receive their separate bounties. ¡°They said I¡¯m not an official adventurer, so they took half of my money.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it: even though you aren¡¯t an adventurer, they still gave you half?¡± ¡°Hah, what¡¯s thest ce loser saying now?¡± ¡°¡­! I¡¯m just not that greedy for money¡­!¡± Ignoring their argument, I sat at a table in the tavern run by the Guild. It was time for dinner. ¡°So what? Does that change the fact that you are inst ce?¡± ¡°Hah, but I actually caught a lot more.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t all of them just small fish, though? I only went after high-ranking guys, you know?¡± ¡°Are you bragging right now? All you did was hide and wait for an opportunity to attack them from behind!¡± I dipped some bread into the tomato stew. The squishy consistency and red color reminded me of the sack I had handed over to the Guild clerk earlier ¨C it contained the severed heads of the pirates ¡ª but that thought was soon overpowered by hunger. I was really hungry, having not eaten much over the past three days because of my motion sickness. ¡°So what if I¡¯m proud of it?! Do you think it¡¯s easy to wait for such opportunities in chaotic situations like that and kill the target you have your eyes on?¡± ¡°Hah, you¡¯re just a thief who doesn¡¯t even know the meaning of fair and square!¡± ¡°Then what, pray tell, is fair and square in a damn fight?!¡± ¡°Here¡¯s your sd.¡± tter. I finally lifted my fork toward the sd and saw the utensil¡¯s tip tremble slightly. Bang. At that moment, the Inquisitor struck the table. ¡°As expected from some despicable¡ª¡± ¡°You two, either shut up or get out of my face before I pull out your tongues.¡± What were these kids doing, arguing at the dining table like that? Even if they argued, they should never hit the table. What if the food spilled? ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t really do anything, though.¡± ¡°You!¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t it you who got angry for no reason?¡± I sighed inwardly as they started the second round of their match. I had to feed those kids somehow. An extremely Korean thought filled my brain for a moment, but my roleying took precedence. Bang. ¡°Uwark!¡± ¡°Aah!¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a joke or something?¡± I kicked their chairs under the table. Deb was first, and the Inquisitor, who was slow to grasp the situation, was second. Their chairs fell backward, dropping their owners to the floor. ¡°That¡¯s too much, Mister!¡± ¡°Yes, because of you, even I¡­!¡± Why were they doing that when they knew my character¡¯s personality? I sighed inwardly once more but quietly made my face look vicious and put my hand on the hilt of my sword without saying a word. Finally, those two calmed down while grumbling quietly. ¡°Let¡¯s strike a truce during mealtimes.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± ¡­Aren¡¯t those two actually getting along quite well? ¡°Didn¡¯t I already tell you to piss off?¡± However, that ceasefire came toote. Just go to a different table, you bastards. ¡°You were eating¡­ but why are you eating separately?¡± ¡°Ah, Sir Archmage.¡± Did he just spend his mealtime somewhere quiet? The Archmage came over and asked with a somewhat shocked expression. It was clearly because we were eating separately at three different tables and were seated far away from each other. ¡°Why, you ask? It¡¯s because of that stubborn mule over there.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t act any better, either!¡± The Inquisitor started the arguments more frequently, but it wasrgely Deb¡¯s fault that those fightssted longer than they should have, so they both were to me. Either way, it was quite headache-inducing for the Archmage. ¡°¡­Well, it looks like you¡¯re almost finished eating, so please gather at one table when you¡¯re done.¡± The Archmage sat down at my table as he said that. I wouldn¡¯t have moved if he had sat anywhere else. It seemed he saw through that. As expected, this mage sure understood my character well. Well, except for where he overinterpreted my actions and misunderstood things on his own! ¡°While you were away, we were able to make quite some progress.¡± Regardless, he calmly exined what had happened. The Lord, who deeply believed in the Sea Dragon, was only half-convinced and hesitant. The Magic Tower announced that they would step forward, albeit reluctantly. He also heard that only the Temple was doing its job properly. The way things were going seemed extremely realistic, to the point where it reminded me of the nightmare that is university group projects. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, though. Once the Dragon subjugation n is more clearly established, they will no longer be able to back out.¡± Was it because my expression looked somewhat annoyed? The Archmage quickly added to his words. ¡°I see. Is the nning going well?¡± At the Inquisitor¡¯s innocent question, he was lost for words momentarily. Rather than being caught off guard, it was more like he didn¡¯t know what to say. I was hit by reality at that moment. Thanks to her question, I managed to grasp the situation in an instant. Just from looking at the Archmage, I realized he had taken on the role of the group project leader. ¡°¡­Aren¡¯t the conditions rather poor? Everyone is still looking at ways to make this n as safe and effective as possible.¡± Which meant nothing had been decided yet. ¡°That being said¡­ I would like to hear your opinions on this matter. We are the ones who will have to fight the Dragon on the front lines, after all.¡± That meant they either didn¡¯t really contribute much, or they just said whatever they wanted to. Hence, the Archmage was more or less asking us for help. Maybe if our opinions were good, he would take them to those guys and shove them down the throats of those who didn¡¯t do their job. ¡°For now, I only have two things in mind.¡± ¡°¡­Wow, Sir Archmage, are you the only one working?¡± ¡°Hmm. I have been given quite a few things to consider.¡± ¡°You took on quite the load, didn¡¯t you?¡± Deb, who immediately understood the Archmage¡¯s situation like me, looked at him with pitying eyes, and the Inquisitor, the only one to take his words at face value, only tilted her head. She probably didn¡¯t even know what the word ¡®load¡¯ meant in this context. ¡°What ns have you considered?¡± ¡°Ah, one involves fighting at sea, and the other would have us lure it tond.¡± Still, thanks to her, the conversation didn¡¯t change direction. The Archmage took out a scroll from his chest and unfurled it. It was a map only depicting this region. ¡°If we want to lure it tond, this ce, the Gamak Bay, is the only ce that would qualify. It has coastal cliffs on both sides and a sandy beach in the middle.¡± ¡°Certainly¡­ It would be quite effective if we attacked it from both sides.¡± ¡°But how will we lure it?¡± ¡°That''s what I was worried about, as well. Although there are many eyewitness ounts, there are no records of anyone actually encountering the Sea Dragon. There¡¯s no guarantee we¡¯ll be able to bait it.¡± In other words, the only information we had about the Sea Dragon was its appearance. We know nothing about its attacks, patterns, or characteristics, right? Wow, this was a total shot in the dark. On top of that, we would have to split our team, which was a certain road to doom. ¡°Moreover, luring it would mostly involve incurring its anger¡­ There isn¡¯t any ship faster than a sea dragon at sea, right?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°But if you put it that way, wouldn¡¯t that also apply to fighting it at sea? If the Sea Dragon just turns the sea upside down, we¡¯ll just end up buried in all the water.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the problem.¡± He shrugged his shoulders and said that if we were to fight at sea, then we would have to attack it continuously. Dozens of ships would have to surround it and engage. That was a reasonable concern, as a single flick of a dragon¡¯s tail could sink a sip. The city and the Magic Tower supplying the manpower would certainly dislike that idea. ¡°Either way, getting a ship that can withstand the Dragon is of utmost importance.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ which is why I emphasized that part a lot, and fortunately, the Magic Tower arranged for a fitting ship. It¡¯s a warship designed by the Magic Tower on the order of the Lord of Canaves. Although it wasn¡¯t built to fight dragons, I have been told that its functions are simr.¡± And where was Canaves again? My head was pounding as new location names seemed to pop up more frequently these days. I couldn¡¯t even remember all of Korea¡¯s cities. ¡°¡­Do you want to do it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s notmon for ships like that to be built.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± ¡°But still, it¡¯s better than nothing. I don¡¯t know how and why such a warship was constructed when it wasn¡¯t meant to y dragons.¡± ¡°Canaves is the most troubled by the Yabad pirates. It was probably built to capture pirates and privateers.¡± While I knew nothing else about it, I learned it was a coastal city troubled by pirates. That was enough. They¡¯d mention it again if it was necessary. Seeing how pirates kept popping up, it seemed we might get involved with them again soon. ¡°Is Canaves willing to give it to us? They probably paid for its production themselves, right?¡± ¡°They must, as this issue involves the entire West Sea¡­ is what I¡¯d like to say, but that¡¯s not the truth. Either the Lord or the Magic Tower might have to give them something. I mean, why should they care about our problem without anything in return?¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± As Deb said, it was understandable. Why should one help without any proper reward? Yes, yes. * * * * * * ¡°Is Sir Archmage here?!¡± At that moment, someone forcefully opened the door to the Guild¡¯s tavern and came in. As he was wearing something simr to the Archmage, he probably was a mage. ¡°Are you looking for me?¡± ¡°Ah! There you are!¡± The young wizard hurriedly approached us and held something out. They were a bunch of papers. I didn¡¯t have to look at them to know it was about an urgent and important issue. ¡°This¡­¡± And as if to confirm my spections, the Archmage frowned deeply. His white lion¡¯s mane moved softly. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°It looks like the Dragon is inside the Dragon¡¯s Gate.¡± I didn¡¯t even have to ask the Archmage further as the young wizard¡¯s voice reached my ears. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Considering it wasst seen there, I told them to prioritize searching that area¡­ It appears it really was there. Although they couldn¡¯t enter the Dragon¡¯s Gate, the corruption was clearlying from within that ce.¡± ¡°Wait a second, weren¡¯t we told that no sailor in their right mind would try to enter that ce?¡± ¡°...Yes, you¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Then¡­?¡± ¡°We need to find a skilled captain.¡± At that moment, I realized one of my premonitions seemed to be correct. ¡°A captain able to lead a ship in and out of the Dragon¡¯s Gate.¡± Just the name ¡®Dragon¡¯s Gate¡¯ alone showed that it was a very special ce. No matter how I thought about it, it looked like we really had to get that descendant of the first explorer of the sea or whatever. ¡°Fighting a Sea Dragon is already considered suicide, so how do we find someone who can enter a ce not even sailors who have spent their whole life at sea want to go to¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not certain yet, so don¡¯t worry too much.¡± ¡°It¡¯s highly likely, though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Hah, are you scared?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you? I don¡¯t have any special powers like you, you know?¡± ¡°¡­Coward.¡± There was no way the game would create a character for no reason. As I held my head high, reveling in my victory, Deb held his head, his face pale. It seemed this wasn¡¯t just a matter of staying onnd or not. It looked like he was struggling, as well. ¡°You can stay onnd. I don¡¯t mean to belittle you, but your specialty lies in dealing with people, not fighting beings like sea dragons.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re¡­ right.¡± ¡°Instead, there is something I would like to entrust you with.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a step above us all when ites to tracking and trailing people, right? I¡¯m already doing my best, but if you help me find a certain someone, it will work out a lot better.¡± The corners of Deb¡¯s mouth raised a little at the Archmage¡¯s words. ¡°That¡¯s my specialty, but is that really fine?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, really. If we don¡¯t find a proper captain, we won¡¯t even be able to start our battle.¡± ¡°¡­Alright. It¡¯s something I should have done to begin with.¡± ¡°Make sure to tell them that we¡¯ll pay them whatever they want and that our ship will be able to endure the reef thanks to thee protection spells cast on it.¡± ¡°That makes things a bit easier. Don¡¯t worry.¡± With these words, Deb stood up. His green coat fluttered a bit as he did. ¡°Is there anything else they need to know?¡± ¡°Ah, you should also add that we have the means to deal with the Sea Dragon.¡± ¡°Naturally. Is there anything else besides that?¡± ¡°For now, that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll leave first.¡± It was already almost night, though. Well, I wasn¡¯t one to talk. How often did I move about regardless of the time of day? From his perspective, it might be morefortable to move at night. Deb soon disappeared from the Guild tavern. ¡°What should we do, then?¡± ¡°Miss Inquisitor, you¡­ should just wait a little. The Temple is supporting us sufficiently. You could help me find a captain, or you can do something else if you want.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± The Inquisitor looked disappointed that she couldn¡¯t really help with the preparations. I, on the other hand, was pretty happy about that. Honestly, my character wasn¡¯t suitable for diplomatic matters such as transactions or tasks like looking for people. My character setting aside, I wasn¡¯t confident I would be of help. ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°Ah, there¡¯s one more thing.¡± Oh? There was more? ¡°If the Magic Tower contacts you regarding anything but this matter, never listen to or ept anything they say. If they try to use force on you, you can just attack them. This applies to any future encounters with them on our journey. Never enter any of the Magic Towers unless I have suggested it first.¡± ¡­I didn¡¯t know why he thought they would use force on me, but I would listen to him for now. But seriously, why, though? Have I be the enemy of the Magic Tower without knowing? ¡°That¡¯s all.¡± I had no idea why the Archmage was talking like that about the faction he himself belonged to. However, it didn¡¯t seem like he would provide further details on this matter. Well, what could I do? All I could do was keep his words in mind and just move on, I guess. Anyway, I should start considering how to spend my remaining free time¡­ Deb said he would find us a captain, the ship had already been prepared, and the Lord, Magic Tower, and Temple were also cooperating for now. Then it seemed I would have to do some grinding and hunting. There was nothing else to do except maybe receive the payment I hadn¡¯t gotten yet due to having dinner first. I took my legs off the table and stood up. Tak. I grabbed my Zweih?nder, which had been leaning against the table since I couldn¡¯t sit down while it was strapped to me. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Ah, I had to shake off the Inquisitor first, though. Now that Deb and the Archmage would be gone to deal with their own matters, this was a golden opportunity to have some alone time. It wasn¡¯t like taking individual actions waspletely impossible, and I had no reason to give up on that, knowing it was very much possible. ¡°I¡¯lle along¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯d better start using that brain of yours and stop relying on people to spoon-feed you the answers.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Was I a bit too harsh? However, that was an appropriate reaction based on my character settings. Sometimes, I also had some difficulty interpreting my character properly. I¡¯d prefer to prepare my lines at my pace when inspiration struck, but my day-to-day interactions changed drastically depending on how I interpreted the situation and my character¡¯s role. Anyway, I didn¡¯t see a mace flying toward me, nor did the Inquisitor follow me, so all was well. I left the Guild tavern with light steps. This was the first time in a while I could spend some time alone, meaning I was safe, so I had to make the most of this opportunity. * * * ¡°Captain, is this really okay?¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be?¡± The man straightened his back as he spoke. It was a dark night, with even the moon obscured by clouds, and the sea didn¡¯t seem too friendly. However, his superb navigation skills had cleverly led the ship into the bay of a coastal cliff. Gamak Bay. Everyone around knew of its existence, but they didn¡¯t really make use of it. ¡°Don¡¯t you trust me?¡± ¡°I would never doubt the captain¡¯s navigational skills. I was asking after a different matter.¡± ¡°Kid, drop the anchor.¡± He chuckled and took off his tricorn hat and bandana for a moment. He wanted to let some fresh air on his head, which was pounding from the long journey. Meanwhile, they managed to perfectly anchor the ship in ce. ¡°Alright. Everyone worked hard, so let¡¯s cheer up a little. Aren¡¯t your brothers waiting for you?¡± Darkness liked to whisper, so he lowered his voice to support his crew a little. While he didn¡¯t get a response, the sailors definitely reacted. ¡°You guys, guard the ship as we nned. Youe with me.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He lowered a small boat into the water and secretly moved tond. Was it because he was almost at his goal, which had cost him so much loss and sacrifice? Or maybe it was because he¡¯d worked through the night to escape the Vipurit¡¯s pursuit not too long ago. The hand he used to row became slippery with sweat. ¡°I really hope that mercenary stays in that city¡­¡± ¡°Hm? Are you talking about that guy?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± The man recalled the warship they encountered that started battling the Vipurit a few days ago. To be exact, the warrior who moved from the warship to the pirate ship and went on a rampage. ¡°One person won¡¯t change anything.¡± ¡°I know, but I¡¯m sure he¡¯d be quite a bit of help, though. I¡¯d rather have someone like that on our side than a bunch of little squirts. Most of all, I think we can hire him with some money, as well!¡± He wasn¡¯t too sure because he¡¯d only caught a glimpse of him while escaping. However, since he was on a navy ship but not wearing a military uniform, he was probably an adventurer or mercenary. The warship¡¯s crest belonged to the city of Gr¨¹ Teltz, so if they returned to the port, he would likely be staying there. If he didn¡¯t go elsewhere after returning to port, that is. ¡°We have enough money, so I just have to meet him¡­ I wonder if the Sea Dragon will grant us his protection.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it will.¡± ¡°Yeah, I hope so¡­¡± The man stood up, feeling his boat meet the sand. ¡°Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have the courage to face our brothers.¡± It was time to go to Gr¨¹ Teltz. * * * ¡°¡­? Vice-Captain!¡± Meanwhile, on the ship the man had left, a sailor in the crow¡¯s nest above the mast called out to the person left in charge in their captain¡¯s absence. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Over there on the water¡­ there¡¯s something like a shark¡­?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°No, is it a saltwater crocodile¡­? Wait a second, it¡¯s approaching us!¡± For some reason, the vice-captain felt deeply uneasy at that report. He wasn¡¯t frightened by the mention of a saltwater crocodile or something. It was simply experience from a long life of sailing and struggling for survival that sent rm bells ringing in his head. ¡°¡­Everyone, get the harpoons!¡± Bang! The unidentified beast began mming against the ship¡¯s lower deck. Chapter 45: Pray and Pray Again (3) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 45 Pray and Pray Again (3) I spent a day and a half enjoying my newfound freedom alone. The ship that was to be used to catch the Sea Dragon had arrived. I had heard it had a lot of defense devices and artillery¡­ By then, I realized close-quarterbat probably wouldn¡¯t happen this time. I¡¯d expected it after hearing the n¡¯s details, but that narrow deck made it even more evident. A typical Raid involved fighting a boss while avoiding its attacks, but this thing wasn¡¯t big enough for that. Even if I tried to with my sizable gaming experience, the ship¡¯s mast or outer boards would get destroyed, or the Sea Dragon might split it in half with its tail. Either way, that was wholly uneptable. We couldn¡¯t risk the ship sinking just because we wanted to get close enough to engage it in melee. However, that wasn¡¯t really the problem. ¡°It¡¯ll take a miracle to find a crew that can operate it, much less a captain¡­¡± Whether it was finding people to lure it to the coast or to carry out a maritime battle, they would first have to enter the Dragon¡¯s Gate¡­ We couldn¡¯t find anyone who would venture into that ce. ¡°Is it that hard to find someone even in this big city?¡± ¡°Everyone whoes to us says they don¡¯t really have the required skills, and if they do, what can we do if they don¡¯t budge even after being offered hundreds of millions of Gal? I¡¯m sick of it, too.¡± Even Deb, who probably sought the help of the Information Guild, raised both his hands and feet into the air. That meant there wasn¡¯t anyone who met our requirements in this city, at least. ¡°Howe?¡± ¡°There are plenty of opinions about battling the Sea Dragon. Although we¡¯ve been telling everyone that the ocean is slowly but surely getting destroyed, they don¡¯t seem to believe us because nothing has happened here yet.¡± The reason those with poor skills responded to our call was, ironically, because their skills were poor. They weren¡¯t good enough at their job to make much money, so they volunteered to confront the Sea Dragon to earn some. However, we didn¡¯t need such people. What we needed was a first-rate captain. ¡°I¡¯m currently in the process of searching for more and persuading them, but I¡¯ll definitely get something in a few days. You got that?¡± ¡°No, you already went through so much. What can you do in this situation? It¡¯s not like the talented people we need will suddenly fall out of the sky. Still, please keep it up a bit longer.¡± ¡°Okaaay¡­¡± At that moment, I wondered whether that Windhand or whoever was on that list. ¡°Windhand.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say with your own mouth that he is famous?¡± After leaving some pretty lengthy video messages yesterday and today, I was worried that my tone of voice had softened a bit. I frowned at the thought. ¡°¡­ording to the rumors, it should be possible for him. People consider him a descendant of Soldini, so his navigational skills must be exceptional.¡± ¡°But he¡¯s a privateer¡­¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a criminal! Although they are only implicitly recognized as pirates, ording to thew, they are still criminals.¡± The Inquisitor shouted, seemingly unable to make any sense of this situation. Honestly, I would have been disappointed if she stopped pointing out this sort of thing. ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± However, when had I ever cared about criminal records and the like? I didn¡¯t think that the ends justified the means, but that was just my own opinion. My character would use any means or method to reach his goal. But given our position, I wasn¡¯t against this choice. If we didn¡¯t solve this problem quickly, the entire region might disappear soon. If they weren¡¯t that bad, wouldn¡¯t it be worth trying to be a bit flexible? Like, try working with them first and, if they are too evil, send them to jail after? Usually, characters meant to be supporters weren¡¯t that terrible. Hmph, what was the point in ruining the yer¡¯s mood, right? ¡°B-But¡­¡± The Inquisitor seemed to break down again, while the Archmage and Deb looked quite pleased. ¡°This might be a better move than you think. How should we go about negotiating with privateers? But¡­ um, what about his notoriety?¡± ¡°As a privateer, he has some basic notoriety. However, I don¡¯t think I have ever heard anything about him or his crew being particrly vicious. I¡¯ve even heard that if one were to get robbed at sea, it¡¯s better to get robbed by Windhand¡­¡± ¡°What? People hold that kind of opinion?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the lesser evil. It¡¯s better to be robbed by a privateer who is only after your wealth and guarantees humane treatment than by one who takes not only your wealth but also your life.¡± There was no denying he was a criminal, as he robbed others, but he was far better than those types of people. If there were lines he wouldn¡¯t cross, he was more morally eptable, and this transaction would be much easier. ¡°Then it seems this option is quite feasible.¡± ¡°Even you, Sir Archmage!¡± ¡°Our situation is quite urgent, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯m not asking you to forgive him, but I want you to consider what takes precedence. If we don¡¯t deal with the Sea Dragon problem, tens of thousands of people will die.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Should I find a way to contact him, then?¡± ¡°Please do. I¡¯ll also tell the others, as well.¡± ¡°Sigh, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll work, though.¡± Deb spoke weakly, asking how he could find people across the sea. But from the raised corners of his mouth, it didn¡¯t look like it wouldn¡¯t work out. Rattle. At that moment, the door to the guild hall opened. The conversation, which had been gradually wrapping up, was thuspletely cut off. ¡°Yes, this is the Gr¨¹ Teltz Adventurers¡¯ Guild.¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m trying to find someone.¡± ¡°Do you want to make a request?¡± I was drinking some water at that moment, despite not being particrly thirsty, so I could nce at the person who hade in. My character wouldn¡¯t watch his surroundings like that, but it was inevitable that I would catch a glimpse of them even while staring ahead. What I saw were two people wearing robes. One was approximately 170 cm tall and appeared to have a somewhat strong physique. The other had decorations dangling down from under his hood to about his neckline. ¡°It¡¯s not supposed to be a request. I just wanted to ask if you know whether that person is among the adventurers.¡± ¡°It would seem you are looking for designated employment, then.¡± ¡°Only if the person we are seeking is an adventurer.¡± ¡°Please describe what he looks like.¡± Not only could I somehow perceive their appearance, but I could also hear their conversation. Perhaps because it was evening, the guild hall was surprisingly quiet. Although we were sitting in the connected tavern, we were the only ones present. ¡°First, uhm, he carries a huge sword on his back and has an eyepatch¡­ Yeah, that¡¯s what they wrote down.¡± That¡¯s how I managed to catch what they were talking about from the other side. ¡°He wears ck¡­ Oh, right. Most importantly, the left and right sides of his hair arepletely different colors! Do you know anyone like that?¡± No matter how I looked at it, they were searching for me. ¡°¡­Like him?¡± ¡°Huh? Where¡­ Ah, yeah! Just like¡­ like¡­¡± I saw one of the suspiciously dressed people mention me, just as he happened to catch sight of me, as well. His voice slowed near the end before stoppingpletely, but then he suddenly raised his voice. ¡°Found him!¡± What was going on? ¡°Demon Knight, do you know these people?¡± ¡°There sure are a lot of people in this city who know you, Mister.¡± ¡°Have you worked here before?¡± Everyone in the party had something to say, but I had no idea. Even if I knew them, it would be extremely difficult to recognize them while they were covered in robes like that. ¡°Shut up.¡± After stopping those three from chattering further with two simple words, I made eye contact with the person approaching me. Only a grinning mouth was visible beneath the hood. ¡°Hey, I had no idea that I would be able to find you right away.¡± ¡°And you are?¡± I tried to guess my opponent¡¯s identity through my usual rude manner of speech. Honestly, there wasn¡¯t a single person who came to my mind when looking at him. There were only a few I was involved with whom I could recall clearly, but none of them had a voice like that, and I didn¡¯t necessarily remember others who might know me¡­ ¡°Someone who wants to ask for your help?¡± Even if he tried to speak cutely in that deep voice, I didn¡¯t feel anything, so I just put that aside. ¡°Not interested.¡± I had no idea when I would have to y that dragon, so what¡¯s with this random request now? I didn¡¯t know whether it was a short-term mission, but I wasn¡¯t the sort to wait for others to exin the situation in greater detail or let them list their conditions. So, all I could say was no. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. Just listen to my story.¡± ¡°Get lost.¡± The robed one who¡¯d stepped forward scratched the back of his head at my stubborn attitude. The person behind him seemed moderately annoyed and took a step forward, but the first one promptly blocked him, making his efforts useless. It was a wise choice I was grateful for. My character would never avoid a fight, after all. I didn¡¯t want to fight civilians if possible. ¡°Then I¡¯ll just¡­¡± ¡°Please. People¡¯s lives are at stake.¡± Deb, who was about to sneak away, stopped at those words. People¡¯s lives. I had no choice but to narrow my eyes at that. Depending on the type of life in danger, I might not be able to ignore it and just move on. ¡°Quite a few, at that.¡± It became even more challenging to refuse with so many at stake. My brows furrowed, and the Inquisitor made a face reminiscent of a puppy needing to poop. ¡°Let¡¯s at least hear them out.¡± So, when the Archmage gave me the right prompt, I could finally give a positive answer. ¡°I¡¯ll only listen.¡± ¡°Good, good. But because this issue is quite intimate, I¡¯d like to go somewhere else¡­. This ce is a bit too open.¡± The client muttered and left for the moment, saying he would borrow the reception room provided by the guild. Knock, knock. Deb, who was tapping on the table, opened his mouth. ¡°They must be from the Yabad region. Long earrings, braided hair, and bronze skin. Those aremon traits in that area.¡± ¡­Why did that guy know so much? Were all thieves like that? ¡°And¡­ the salt stains on their boots, the stiffness of their pants, and the smell of alcohol permeating their bodies makes me think they might be sailors. Considering one carries the slight scent of blood, they don¡¯t appear to be ordinary sailors, either.¡± Was he actually a descendant of Sherlock Holmes? ¡°That¡¯s what I could read from them, roughly. Does any of that ring a bell, Mister Knight?¡± However, even after he said all that, I couldn¡¯t think of anyone, let alone sailors from Yabad; I had only recently learned about that region''s existence. ¡°I think they just came here after hearing about your reputation.¡± That might be true, as well¡­ However, I doubted it was normal for a client toe to an adventurer in person. It would take me a while to properly express that concern. ¡°Well, let¡¯s take the opportunity to ask them about Windhand. Since he¡¯s also active in that area, they might know more than the people here.¡± I had decided to hear them out anyway. I went to the reception room and slowly approached the guy calling me. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m asking just in case: are these three also part of your group?¡± ¡°It¡¯s temporary, but we are moving together for now.¡± Before I could say anything, the Archmage butted in. If I said I wasn¡¯t part of this group, the situation would be much moreplicated, so he probably thought it would be better just to handle it himself. It was actually a lot better for me, as well. ¡°If it¡¯s secrecy you¡¯re worried about, you don¡¯t have to be.¡± ¡°¡­Hmm. Fine. I¡¯ll take your word for it. It¡¯s not like we have any choice, though.¡± Hispanion seemed to be trying to intervene by urgently grabbing his arm, but the client was rather adamant. The door to the reception room was closed behind us. ¡°Good. Then let us start our conversation.¡± The client sitting across from me sighed slightly and immediately removed his robe. Then, I saw the nd tribe¡¯s unique long-pointed ears, a faded hood, and some essories hiding beneath it. The only thing draped over his upper body was a coat, leaving the chest and stomach exposed. ¡°Urgh, I thought I would die of frustration.¡± ¡°¡­! L-Leader!¡± ¡°¡­Wait, that guy¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. Trust is the lifeblood of business, right?¡± Behind me, Deb opened his mouth slightly, and the client smiled while trying to calm hispanion. The next thing he did was grin and point at himself with his thumb as he looked at me. ¡°I¡¯m Suriya from Jacrati. People usually call me Windhand, though. I¡¯m in your care.¡± ¡­What? * * * * * * ¡°By the way, let me tell you in advance: I didn¡¯te here as a privateer captain but under the Lord of Jacrati¡¯s order. Please don¡¯t even think about reporting me. We have some circumstances which prevent us from attracting any attention, but we do have a temporary acquittal. I can show you if you want.¡± Was he seriously Windhand? ¡°Your business?¡± Frankly, I wanted to open my eyes wide and ask him if he was for real, but¡­ my character wasn¡¯t one to be surprised by such things. I tried to calm my heart and let out a cold voice, ignoring the sound of Deb desperately covering the Inquisitor¡¯s mouth from behind. ¡°You¡¯re believing me just like that?¡± ¡°If what you said is a lie, I can just cut off your head. Do I need to know more than that?¡± ¡°How hotheaded. Anyone with the ambition to be a swordsman should be like that. Then, Mister Hotheaded Adventurer, can I hear your name?¡± ¡°If you called me here to make friends, I¡¯ll leave.¡± ¡°You¡¯re short-tempered, as well! Okay, I got it.¡± Was it because of my attitude that destroyed whatever goodwill anyone held toward me? The Archmage, who had been just as utterly confused as me not too long ago, suddenly came to his senses and desperately jabbed me in the back. Click. However, my character wasn¡¯t the type to allow such behavior¡­ ¡°¡­?¡± I looked back with my hand on the hilt of my sword. ¡°Do you want to die?¡± The mage was a wise one; he immediately withdrew his hand. ¡°Then, let¡¯s cut to the chase, shall we?¡± Windhand also took notice of what happened and got to the point. ¡°Do you know Jacrati¡¯s situation?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Then I guess I should start at the beginning.¡± Windhand wound his drop earring around his finger and calmly constructed his next sentence. ¡°Jacrati is currently in a civil war. It¡¯s actually been in a civil war for quite some time.¡± As he said that, he mentioned names and incidents I had heard of before. ¡°It¡¯s a fight that has been ongoing ever since the former lord of the castle, Vipurit, overstepped his bounds after his sister, Pion, rebelled against him and took his leadership.¡± It was something Deb had told me while we were hunting pirates. ¡°While we call it a civil war, in reality, it¡¯s closer to being harassed nonstop by pirates. Vipurit, who was driven out, started pirating openly, and all regions dered him a public enemy. ¡°The gist.¡± ¡°Vipurit¡¯s forces have be very strong these days, though not enough to upy a city or even advance all the way to Jacrati¡¯s Castle.¡± I had a rough idea now: the driven-out tyrant had returned with more power, and this guy came here to find forces to oppose them. It seemed they had chosen me as a target. ¡°I¡¯ve tried contacting other cities, but their situations are just as bad. Everyone is so busy protecting their ownnd and sea routes that it¡¯s very difficult for us to get any help.¡± ¡°¡­I heard there is a lot of pirate activity around the southern coast, but was it to that extent?¡± ¡°Yes. I came here because I couldn¡¯t find help anywhere else.¡± After speaking to this point, Windhand looked straight at me. His ck eyes reflected me perfectly. ¡°I saw you fighting. You have the strength of over a hundred men. I¡¯ll give you as much money as you want, so could you please lend me some of your strength?¡± What should I say to him? It was true that their situation was pretty urgent, but this was a very delicate matter that affected an entire region. ¡°¡­Rather, I have one thing I¡¯m curious about. If it¡¯s that urgent, wouldn¡¯t it be better to ask the Lord for help?¡± ¡°Who doesn¡¯t know that? But¡­ the Yabad region has many port cities due to the operations of privateers. But I didn¡¯t want to hire those kinds of people.¡± He really didn¡¯t n on acting as the Privateer Captain Windhand. ¡°It¡¯s much faster to hire adventurers than to expect those people to help. They move so long as they get paid.¡± ¡°Is it truly possible to turn the tide of that war with just adventurers?¡± ¡°I have a n. I also intend to find and recruit more talented people besides you.¡± Immediately after saying that, he added a ¡®But¡¯. ¡°The reason I sought you out first was just because I can¡¯t take many people. My boat isn¡¯t that big.¡± If the number he could take was limited, it was understandable for him to value quality over quantity. Why he¡¯d locked onto me specifically¡­ It probably was because, in his opinion, I was strong. I wondered just what he had seen to reach that conclusion. ¡°So, how about it? Have you changed your mind?¡± The problem was our current situation. We urgently needed to do something about the Sea Dragon, so we needed a skilled captain. Until we¡¯d resolved that matter, it would be rather difficult for me to go anywhere else. ¡°Do you know of the Dragon¡¯s Gate?¡± So, what was I supposed to do? I needed to negotiate. My character wasn¡¯t so stubborn that he couldn¡¯t evenpromise, okay? ¡°The Dragon¡¯s Gate? Yeah, I know the ce.¡± ¡°Can you enter it?¡± ¡°Hmm. That question¡¯s a bit random¡­ To answer you, probably. I haven¡¯t tried it yet, but I¡¯m rather confident.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s do this: pay me my down payment first. I will then ept your request.¡± ¡°Huh? Down payment? That¡¯s a bit¡­ No, we can do it like that, huh? How much do you need?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not in need of wealth or the like.¡± ¡°Then?¡± ¡°Your navigational skills.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Ah, of course, it wasn¡¯t impossible, but I never said that I would be kind about it. ¡°Guide us through the Dragon¡¯s Gate.¡± Windhand¡¯s expression became kind of strange. ¡°¡­I¡¯m a bit surprised. Why do you want to get there?¡± ¡°We must hunt the Sea Dragon.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± The guy behind him had the face of someone who doubted his ears. ¡°Wait a second? What? The Sea Dragon?¡± ¡°Do youck the ability toprehend speech?¡± ¡°Wait, really? Why??¡± I think that was actually a very normal reaction, but I tried to maintain a look of irritation in my eyes. Windhand struggled for words. ¡°Noisy. I¡¯ll exin in detail.¡± ¡°Woah. You¡¯re even serious enough about this to exin? Why are you hunting the Sea Dragon?!¡± ¡°Because it was corrupted.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± From that point on, it was the Archmage¡¯s turn. The wizard took advantage of the opportunity I gave him to quickly and concisely exin the current situation. Windhand and hispanion inevitably sat there, mouths gaping open, throughout the exnation. ¡°No, no, what?¡± Right. Of course, it would be rather shocking to learn that the ce they came to in order to resolve their civil war actually had a much bigger time bomb to resolve. That was just the kind of world we were living in. ¡°¡­Okay, I understand the situation. You aren¡¯t in a position to easily move right now.¡± Fortunately, Windhand was quick to grasp the situation. ¡°I will withdraw my request.¡± And he was also quick to cut us loose. ¡°I came here to find people to save ournd, not risk my life.¡± ¡°Wait, please reconsider. This doesn¡¯t just involve this city. The entire West Sea will be doomed.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either, okay? The West Sea won¡¯t be destroyed immediately, right? Unlike Jacrati! Jacrati is nothing more than a candle in the wind right now.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t we say we would ept your request? All you have to do is get us into the Dragon¡¯s Gate.¡± Windhand let out a sharpugh at the Archmage¡¯s request. He expressed that we should stop talking nonsense without even having to say it. ¡°I just need to get you into the Dragon¡¯s Gate? How shameless! Unless you have the ability to walk on water, it¡¯s obvious I would also have to steer the boat while you hunt the dragon!¡± He blurted out the next few sentences without even giving the Archmage time to continue. ¡°My life isn''t mine alone. The people of Jacrati sent me out because they believe in me, so I can¡¯t die in vain here.¡± It was a very sound rejection. Although, the Archmage wasn¡¯t one to retreat lightly, either. ¡°If you say you will help, I will do my best to send aid directly to Jacrati from the Mage Tower and the Temple.¡± ¡°Hey, how can you guarantee they¡¯ll move? Do you think I don¡¯t know how heavy those bastards¡¯ asses are? Or do you have some connections, maybe?¡± ¡°I have no connections, but as an archmage, I oversee part of the Magic Tower. I¡¯m not lying, so please believe me.¡± Did he not expect this? Windhand¡¯s expression softened a little. ¡°¡­Fine, I can¡¯t verify whether what you said is true or false, but I¡¯ll just believe you for now. Even so, my opinion remains unchanged. I don¡¯t think those selfish Magic Tower bastards would help Jacrati if they didn¡¯t have something to gain from it.¡± Of course, believing didn¡¯t mean epting. ¡°And the Temple¡­ You all know the Yabad region doesn¡¯t favor the Temple, right? You should have just mentioned the Magic Tower, you know? How stupid.¡± What did he mean? I frowned at hearing that the Yabad region very much hated the Temple. ¡°¡­¡± When I nced back, I saw that the Inquisitor wore aplicated expression. It was a bit strange that Deb had beenpletely silent for some time now. I wondered if that was the reason why. ¡°Whatever. Talking more would just be a waste of time. I¡¯m leaving now. There are probably many more adventurers and mercenaries of the same level around here.¡± ¡°¡­Until this matter is resolved, it¡¯ll be rather difficult for you to achieve your goal in this city. Those who im to be skilled will likely mobilize to y the Dragon.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure the Lord is in a simr position. The closest city to the Dragon¡¯s Gate is Gr¨¹ Teltz, after all¡­. If this matter is left unattended, this city will be the first to suffer damage.¡± ¡°¡­Are you threatening me now?¡± ¡°How could I? I only gave you some advice because I didn¡¯t want to see you waste any more of your time.¡± Such things were usually called threats, but¡­ I kept my mouth shut. No matter how I looked at it, I would only benefit if the Archmage won this argument. ¡°Shit¡­¡± Windhand chewed on his lips, his expression baring the intent to punch the Archmage in the face. For a person representing a group, he didn¡¯t seem very good at managing his facial expressions. Or maybe he was just that anxious. ¡°¡­How about this instead. If you help us deal with the problem in Jacrati first, I will also help you.¡± A minuteter, Windhand gave us another suggestion. There was also the option of going to another city, but it seemed like he wanted to find his solution here. ¡°Then the West Sea will suffer further damage. Are you saying Jacrati¡¯s problem can be resolved in a day or two?¡± However, as the Archmage said, the problem was that this matter wouldn¡¯t be settled anytime soon. Maybe in a few days at the earliest, but it would most likely take longer. And during that time¡­ ¡ºIn any case¡­ If this continues, the only thing awaiting us will be death¡­¡» ¡ºBut why couldn''t you save my mom?¡» Small towns might be unable to endure it any longer and disappear into oblivion. No, it had taken far too long already. ¡°Then what about the Dragon? Can you catch it in just one or two days, then?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Was it now my turn to step forward? The order didn¡¯t really matter, but taking turns helping each other seemed to be good for both sides. Thus, I just needed to reassure them that it would be fine if their turn got pushed back a little. If they were worried we would take too long, I just had to assure them that we wouldn¡¯t. ¡°No, is it even possible to hunt it to begin with? Do you actually think it¡¯s possible to kill a dragon?!¡± And I was better suited for that than the Archmage. That was my character¡¯s specialty. ¡°Why do you think it¡¯s so absurd?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Let me ask you. How long does it take to get to the Dragon¡¯s Gate.¡± ¡°Hah, I should have already told you. Unless you help us first, there¡¯ll be no deal¡­¡± ¡°I asked you how long it would take.¡± I lowered my voice but spoke very clearly and with plenty of emphasis. Windhand seemed to feel something and stopped there, staring straight at me. ¡°If we leave from this ce, it won''t take more than a day.¡± ¡°You sure?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that far away, right? I memorized the entire West Sea, so yeah, I¡¯m sure. No more than a day. If you just want to go there, half a day¡¯s enough.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯ll take half a day for me as well.¡± ¡°What?¡± Now came the most important part. I dered it as if trying to brainwash myself. ¡°Taking off from this city, ying the dragon, and returning to this city.¡± Due to the Raid environment, close-quarter dealers wouldn¡¯t y an active role. Also, the abilities of the party we would be raiding with were unknown. In fact, we hadn¡¯t even discussed the proper strategy to attack the Dragon yet, either. I simply ignored all these problems. ¡°Half a day, no, one day would be enough since it¡¯ll be a round trip. Assuming the time you just gave us isn¡¯t incorrect. Because roleyers didn¡¯t really care about that! So please do a good job, my future self! Chapter 46: Pray and Pray Again (4) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 46 Pray and Pray Again (4) The corners of Windhand¡¯s lips were quivering. The silence, apanied by a salty smell, was soon interrupted by augh. ¡°¡­Hey, hey. Do you really think you can y a dragon?¡± That was a meaningless question. If I couldn¡¯t kill that dragon, we were doomed. So why should I ever think I would fail? Moreover, strictly speaking, we were a Party aiming to kill Satan. Could a mere dragon be more powerful than Satan? If we couldn¡¯t even do that, we should just disband. One wouldn¡¯t dare challenge the Final Boss if their specs weren¡¯t even enough to kill the first Raid Boss. But could I give up like in normal games because ¡®it just doesn¡¯t work¡¯? No, I couldn¡¯t. I had no choice but to continue both as a yer and roleyer. I couldn¡¯t quit the Quest as the former, and there was no way I would back down as thetter. ¡°If you guide us.¡± In other words, there was only one answer. I had to push ahead no matter what. Wahaha. ¡°¡­I see. Maybe. But you see, I¡¯m the only one who¡¯d suffer losses in this deal.¡± Of course, who wouldn¡¯t know that? Windhand wasn''t an idiot. Why should he listen? It was only then that logic and appeals in the name of people¡¯s lives being at stake no longer worked. "How could I gamble my life and take losses on top of that?" Rather, I was amazed at how calmly Windhand reacted. If one just looked at what I had said, wasn''t my statement highly unreasonable? It was hard to stay rational in the face of such nonsense. However, Windhand was a surprisingly level-headed person. ¡°You''re wrong about something." But I didn''t stop. ¡°If you can hire a dragonyer in exchange for a day of your time, isn''t that already quite profitable?" I repeat, my character wasn''t one to back off that easily¡­ ¡°¡­You''re driving me crazy." ¡°There won''t be any furtherpromises. I have wasted enough time on you." However, he wasn''t too pushy, either. As such, I decided to stop there. ¡°¡­Captain.¡± ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Windhand was whispering to hispanion, but I didn¡¯t pay them any more attention. The Raid? It would turn out well somehow. I hadn¡¯t lied about the deal, but I was pretty sure how he would answer. Even if this failed, the Archmage wouldn¡¯t be able to scold me in any way. ¡°Phew, you¡¯re quite confident. Any other time, I would believe you, but¡­ I would also be gambling with my brothers¡¯ lives¡ª¡± Ring, ring. However, just as Windhand was about to reject my offer as I¡¯d expected, the bell inside the reception room started to ring. Three secondster, the door opened with a squeak. Windhand quickly donned his robe. ¡°Erm, someone¡¯s looking for the client.¡± ¡°Captain!¡± ¡°We¡¯re in big trouble!¡± A guild clerk stuck his head through the gap. A series of voices behind him continued calling out to Windhand. ¡°You guys!?¡± It seemed Windhand knew them. Both he and hispanion looked startled. The area outside the reception room had grown noisy for a moment, but it soon quieted down as one of them entered the room as their representative. It didn¡¯t seem he could afford a proper robe, simply wearing a tattered cloth strung up with rope over his upper body. Beneath it, I could see bandages soaked in blood. ¡°Captain, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Ikam?¡± Was it because the clerk had left as soon as the representative entered? The man named Ikam removed his robe without a hint of hesitation and knelt. He had short ck hair weaved into dozens of braids, and his body was covered in a multitude of injuries¡­ ¡°We lost the ship.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Windhand, who hurriedly moved to care for Ikam, was shocked by his following words. ¡°Beasts we have never seen before appeared in the sea. They looked exactly like saltwater crocodiles, and they broke through the bottom of our ship¡­¡± ¡°Saltwater crocodiles?¡± ¡°Wait, could you tell us about that in more detail?¡± Saltwater crocodiles¡­? Wait, could they have been Spartoi? ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Could it be¡­ that those beasts had a bone-like texture?¡± ¡°H-how did you¡­?¡± Ikam¡¯s eyes grew wide at the Archmage¡¯s question. It seemed the Spartoi really had sunk their ship. The only question was just where it had happened. ¡°Did you go near the Dragon¡¯s Gate? Did something happen there?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Ikam looked toward Windhand as if asking for permission to speak, and Windhand was also watching him with a fiery look in his eyes. ¡°Hey, I guess you lot know what those things are.¡± He had be very pale. His face almost seemed to be made of paper. ¡°Didn¡¯t we tell you? The Sea Dragon has been corrupted.¡± ¡°What? Th-the Sea Dragon has be corrupted?¡± ¡°What does that have to do with the beasts that sank my ship?¡± ¡°They are the transformed teeth and scales of the Sea Dragon. Usually, the Sea Dragon creates these things to protect itself¡­ However, as it has be corrupted, their purpose has also changed. We, too, were attacked while searching for clues.¡± At that moment, I briefly thought about a different matter. If the Inquisitor hadn¡¯t made a shield in time, the ship we were on would have had a hole in it. Although it had happened some time ago, I still felt relieved. ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°Now, answer me. Where did youe across them? I¡¯m asking because if they¡¯ve widened their range of activity, that would mean the situation has gotten much more serious.¡± ¡°¡­Just around the Gamak Bay.¡± Windhand barely managed to answer Archmage¡¯s stubborn question as he ced his hand on his forehead, his face crumpled. He spoke in a calm tone. ¡°We docked our ship at Gamak Bay in case Vipurit¡¯s men were waiting for us in the city.¡± Gamak Bay was where we nned to lure the dragon. It was also around the halfway point between the Dragon¡¯s Gate and Gr¨¹ Teltz. * * * * * * ¡°¡­It seems things have be far more dire.¡± The Inquisitor, quiet all this time, opened her mouth and practically spat out these words before closing it again. I had been a little concerned about her attitude, but I agreed with her words, at least. If this continued, the Spartoi would soon appear in the waters right outside the port. ¡°¡­Captain.¡± ¡°¡­Get up first. This isn¡¯t your fault. I would have never expected something like this to happen, either. Even if I had been there, it wouldn¡¯t have made much difference.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize. Were any of the kids hurt?¡± ¡°Wayan died¡­ Teman and Ketut are injured. The rest are fine, thankfully.¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± After hearing news of someone¡¯s death, I prayed for his soul to rest in peace inside my heart. At the same time, I also calcted how that would change things. Although you might call me cold-hearted, there was nothing I could do about it. There were many more lives at stake here. ¡°Are they seriously injured? If you¡¯re fine with it, I can help with the treatment.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You won¡¯t be in our debt or anything. I¡¯m just trying to do my duty as a fellow person.¡± ¡°¡­Then please.¡± This meant their most urgent problem was now getting back rather than saving others. Even if they tried to buy another boat, how much would that cost? They couldn¡¯t get one so easily. And if they did manage to get their hands on a boat, they wouldn¡¯t have enough money to hire someone to help them. From their perspective, this was the worst thing that could have happened. ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± ¡°Please wait a moment.¡± Around that time, the injured were moved into the reception room, and the Archmage stopped the Inquisitor from following. I wasn¡¯t sure whether it was because of their previous disy of hostility toward the Temple, though. ¡°I will do it.¡± ¡°Please do.¡± Instead, Deb stepped forward. I wondered whether he could treat them despite not being a doctor, but surprisingly, Deb¡¯s treatment skills were very good. Alongside the Archmage¡¯s magic, he treated the two people¡¯s wounds quickly. It was slower than healing performed through Divine Power, but they at least didn¡¯t seem any worse off. ¡°¡­¡± Windhand¡¯s face darkened as he looked at his subordinates getting treatment. ¡°I really didn¡¯t want to gamble with my brothers¡¯ lives, but¡­¡± And when the treatment was over, he stood before me. ¡°Hey. I¡¯ll ask you one more time. In all honesty¡­ can you really y that dragon?¡± That was rather sudden. Was this also a plot correction done to advance the story? ¡°If I cooperate, will you be able to kill the Sea Dragon ande help Jacrati?¡± If that were truly the case, it would be rather cruel. It was ying with a person¡¯s weaknesses to force a situation in which they had to act a certain way. ¡°I should have told you as much.¡± However, I couldn¡¯t not answer. ¡°One day is enough.¡± I calmly spat out these words. ¡°Yes, you did say that. Haha.¡± Windhand held his forehead and let out augh. It was an empty sound, tinged with a sorrow that would make anyone who heard it feel sorry for him. The Archmage, after healing everyone, just stood there and looked at us. ¡°You won¡¯t just go back on our deal after this is over, right¡­?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t insult me.¡± ¡°Did you take that as an insult? Fine. Then¡­ could you please show me one more thing so I can be sure? I want you to prove that you can y that dragon.¡± That was quite a reasonable request. When you ask someone to invest, you usually show some usible graphs and forecasts, at least. It was just that I didn¡¯t have any means to prove it right now. Would he believe me if I split a building in half or something? ¡°If I told you that he single-handedly killed hundreds of demons and ughtered dozens of Demon contractors, would that make it somewhat believable?¡± Suddenly, Deb piped up. Windhand narrowed his eyes at that. ¡°That¡­ certainly is amazing. Still, it¡¯s a bit vague.¡± ¡°By the way, that isn¡¯t his whole track record; it¡¯s something he did in one day.¡± ¡°What? Who in the world can do something like that?¡± ¡°He¡¯s right here in front of you.¡± I felt a little shaken. That was a bit¡­ Wasn¡¯t that a little different? ¡°He even killed a dragon the size of a house with just two hits.¡± When did I ever¡­ Oh, the Knucker. I killed it so easily that it didn¡¯t even feel like a dragon to me, though. ¡°He even received the Guild¡¯s Medal of Honor for that. Just take it out of the bag and show him.¡± I looked through my inventory with a bitter face, simr to when the clerk asked me to do the same before. The Medal of Honor, which I¡¯d considered a waste of inventory space, seemed to be surprisingly useful in a lot of ways. ¡°It¡¯s true¡­¡± Windhand rolled the medal in his hand for a moment before immediately giving it back to me. He seemed to half-believe me now; that was the sort of vague expression he wore. ¡°If you still doubt us, you can ask someone else. If you ask after what happened in Tatara, there will be one or two people who will tell you about it.¡± ¡°Hah, so you¡¯re that confident¡­ Good. Then I¡¯ll try believing you here.¡± However, he didn¡¯t have much of a choice. It seemed he hade to a decision. ¡°Captain¡­¡± Even hispanion, who had been with him from the start and was fully aware of the situation, didn¡¯t try to stop him. He just watched on with sad eyes. ¡°Hah, I never thought I would have to put my and my men¡¯s lives at stake for such a ridiculous gamble. Even the safety of Jacrati¡­¡± Windhand seemed to be ring at me as he said that. I didn¡¯t bother avoiding it. There was no shame or reason to be nervous about overspending nk checks. ¡°You definitely have to keep your word.¡± Well, it wasn¡¯t like I actually felt nothing, but we had no other choice but to use each other. If I made it obvious, though, wouldn¡¯t their morale only decline further? The future me will have it really hard, considering he has so many things to take care of¡­ However, it had already been decided that I would endure many hardships ever since I was forced to continue my roleying. So, I had to walk ahead! Always straight ahead! Never behind! Because there wasn¡¯t any other way! ¡°Hey, sage!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You mentioned earlier that you would pay us in advance, right? I want to add a condition to that! You said it yourself, after all, that you would do your best to send support to Jacrati right away. Even if you can¡¯t get a lot, you must send at least one archmage there. That¡¯s my first condition.¡± ¡°Of course, that¡¯s reasonable.¡± ¡°And leave the Temple out of this. We don¡¯t need any help from them.¡± ¡°¡­I figured as much.¡± ¡°Secondly, our protection. I¡¯m not telling you not to report us. I¡¯m asking you to protect us from Vipurit. I¡¯ve managed to break through the siege ande here, but if I participate in such a big matter, don¡¯t you think they will figure out where I am?¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Thirdly, supply us with a boat and food until we return to Jacrati.¡± ¡°Anything more?¡± ¡°Lastly¡­ if I die, you must take my men to Jacrati.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I shall definitely keep this promise. If you want, we can have it written down in a contract by the Adventurers¡¯ Guild.¡± It was different from before; they were in a more disadvantageous position¡­ Except for the first condition, the others weren¡¯t that hard to fulfill. Plus, the first part was up to the Archmage. We wouldn¡¯t suffer any losses. Ah, it wasn¡¯t like there wasn¡¯t anything at all. I would be forced to go to the Yabad region after this was over. ¡­Would they follow me? Hm. No, wouldn¡¯t it be better if they didn¡¯t? Then, I could stop thinking so hard about my character setting. Well, there was no way in hell that they wouldn¡¯te along, though. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s decided. Tell me how you n on hunting the Sea Dragon. Ah, but before that, I¡¯d like to exin the situation to my group.¡± ¡°Take as long as you need. Let¡¯s move for now. Don¡¯t they need to rest, as well?¡± ¡°Thank you for that.¡± Anyway, I managed to secure a captain. It was the end of this fierce recruitment war. ¡¸? Fangs Aimed at Jacrati ? Go to Jacrati¡¹ Well, I also received a new quest in return. ¡°Then, to save time, please exin the situation while we walk. Don¡¯t you have a n in mind?¡± ¡­However, what was the point of receiving a new one? The crisis wasn¡¯t over yet. We had yet to make any proper ns, so we might be ruined. Hehe. Chapter 47: Pray and Pray Again (5) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 47 Pray and Pray Again (5) ¡°Wait, that¡¯s different from what you told me!¡± Naturally, Windhand ended up shouting in anger. His subordinates, listening to our exnation from behind him, also seemed rather shocked. ¡°What sort of dragon do you n to y with that kind of n?!¡± He mmed his fist on the bar table of the inn we¡¯d rented out. It wasn¡¯t like I couldn¡¯t understand his fury. I might not have believed I could deal with a dragon in half a day, but he probably thought we at least carefully nned out the attack if we were that confident. However, our forces werepletely disorganized. We managed to get a ship quickly, but the cooperation between the three forces was still rather sluggish. At least the Temple should have contacted other cities to gather some support, right? ording to the Archmage, the Magic Tower was stillining. Meanwhile, the Lord still imed that the Sea Dragon would never do something like this, essentially hiding from reality. ¡°This is a breach of our contract!¡± ¡°Hmm, it really isn¡¯t.¡± ¡°A scam, that¡¯s what it is!¡± As the Archmage kindly exined and interpreted the details of our contract to him, Windhand grabbed his head and shouted. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have signed a contract with one of those sneaky wizards!¡± Looking over it again, I could see this contract truly was written such that his side was disadvantaged, but¡­ what could he do? He already signed it. Since it has been notarized by the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, even if he unterally wanted to cancel it, the only thing awaiting him would be massive cancetion fees. If he chose to skip out on that bill, the Adventurers¡¯ Guild would go after them with raised swords, like loan sharks, to collect on their debt. Windhand had no way out of this now. ¡°Don¡¯t be too upset. Now that Spartoi have been seen around Gamak Bay, they can¡¯t procrastinate any longer.¡± ¡°I¡¯m in a hurry here¡­¡± I felt like patting his back andforting him, but my character would never do something like that. I leaned back against the wall and simply observed as the conversation continued. ¡°No, but if you had even a shred of conscience, you shouldn¡¯t act like this, right? You should have at least prepared some ships and troops!¡± ¡°Hmm. But we already prepared one ship, didn¡¯t we?¡± ¡°One? Ooone?!¡± ¡°Calm yourself. As you have already witnessed the Spartoi, you should agree that there is no need to prepare more than one.¡± To appease Windhand, the Archmage quickly exined the basis for his words. ¡°Now that we have confirmed the presence of Spartoi in the area, mobilizing additional ships will only increase the number of victims. No matter how skilled the people on board a ship are, if there''s a hole in it, then it will sink.¡± ¡°So, you want to kill the Sea Dragon with a single boat?¡± ¡°There is no rule saying we must y the dragon while at sea. We n to lure it ontond. But to do that, we must enter the Dragon¡¯s Gate at least once. That¡¯s why we recruited you.¡± For a hastily prepared statement, it sure sounded usible. Strictly speaking, the Archmage was just repeating one of the alternatives he¡¯d previously mentioned, tailored to this situation. Well, it didn¡¯t matter either way for the listener. It still was a headache-inducing n. ¡°That¡¯s just absurd. You want us toe ontond with a sea dragon on our heels? With a ship? Do you actually think that¡¯ll work?¡± ¡°And the danger isn¡¯t much different from dealing with it at sea?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right¡­! No, well. It¡¯s still better than facing a sea dragon at sea, but is there any guarantee the Spartoi won¡¯t sink the ship on our way there?¡± ¡°The Magic Tower informed me that it could withstand that much.¡± ¡°What kind of ship is it?¡± Perhaps perplexed by his confident answer, Windhand calmly asked a question that the Archmage answered, reciting the information about the ship we had prepared. As I had already heard about the ship beforehand, I knew it was quite good. The only question remaining was whether it could withstand a dragon¡¯s attack. ¡°Damn, we won¡¯t get sunk by those Spartoi or crocodiles or whatever, at least. I can definitely sail to the Dragon¡¯s Gate with it.¡± ¡°With your skills, I believe you¡¯ll be able to return safely, as well.¡± ¡°Hah, no need to tter me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just mere ttery.¡± ¡°Enough of that¡­ If we use the magic embedded in it¡­ Tsk. Even if it¡¯s this ship, I can¡¯t guarantee we can outpace the Sea Dragon. It¡¯s not an easy opponent, after all.¡± ¡°Do you know this ship?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been chased by it before. It was quite thrilling seeing such a huge vessel reach such speeds.¡± The Inquisitor started trembling slightly at those words. Luckily, Deb, who was beside her, managed to stop her. He seemed to get hit in the sr plexus for his trouble, but the two didn¡¯t appear to care much, so I guess all was good. ¡°Is it very fast?¡± ¡°The best ship I¡¯ve seen so far. However, it¡¯s so fast that changing direction on the spot might be difficult. However, that can be solved by simply turning off its magic devices, so it shouldn¡¯t be much of a problem.¡± Windhand looked far more rxed than before. He was still angry but seemed more reassured now, knowing the ship he would be using was the best around. ¡°We¡¯ll probably provoke it with the artillery devices installed on board.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It would be nice if we could hurt the dragon with them, but if we just manage to annoy it enough, it¡¯ll probably follow us.¡± ¡°Hah, I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a good thing, though.¡± If it were possible, the former would be better. However, they don¡¯t usually make it that easy in games. I mean, the damage dealers wouldn¡¯t have anything to do otherwise. I wasn¡¯t the one who would actually operate the artillery devices, but still. ¡°Then, will the crew members who originally operated the ship also being?¡± ¡°Probably not. They never offered to provide us with a crew.¡± ¡°What? Then we can¡¯t operate the ship!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be able to use the devices, though. I have been taught how to operate them, and the other mage supporting me will be provided by the Magic Tower, as well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good and all, but who will be manning the ship itself?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± The Archmage¡¯s words trailed off. That was answer enough. Windhand mmed his hand against the table. ¡°Do you have any idea how big that ship is? It¡¯s almost three times the length of a small vessel!¡± ¡°Is that a problem?¡± ¡°That¡¯s whyndlubbers are just¡­!¡± Windhand grabbed his head and exined it to us as calmly as possible. ¡°On average, about twenty to thirty sailors are needed to operate a small ship. So how many sailors do you think are necessary for one that¡¯s three times as big?¡± ¡°¡­I see. So, it¡¯s a manpower issue?¡± ¡°Even if we exclude those in charge ofbat, we need at least thirty sailors who know how to operate the ship. Under the circumstances, that¡¯s the minimum. ¡°First, how many sailors volunteered?" The Archmage gave Deb a signal, to which he opened his mouth. ¡°Seven ordinary ones." ¡°Only seven¡­ Don''t tell me they¡¯re all neers, as well." ¡°Don''t worry. I didn''t pick just anyone just because it''s urgent." ¡°That''s something for me to judge. We''re still short a few." ¡°Did you include your men?" ¡°Looks like you guys included my men in your calctions as if it''s a matter of course, huh?" Deb shrugged his shoulders as if he couldn¡¯t say anything about that. Windhand didn''t ask him any more questions, either. ¡°Even after adding my kids, we only have twenty-three. We need at least ten more people. Fortunately, we have important positions like navigator and helmsman covered." However, just because he stopped grilling us didn''t mean everything was good. One thing still remained unanswered. ¡°Isn''t twenty-three enough?" ¡°Twenty would be enough for just a day trip, but¡­ our destination is the Dragon''s Gate. Even if the weather is decent, what about the center of it where the Sea Dragon is rampaging? We don''t know what will happen, so we need a good crew to deal with whatever is thrown at us." Is that so? I didn''t know much about boats, so even if he said these things, it didn''t really resonate with me. ording to Windhand, it seemed his subordinates, who were sailors, would have to go through some hardship. ¡°Well, we can''t really hire any more sailors because they believe the Dragon''s Gate should never be ventured into, but if we ask the Temple¡­" ¡°Did you seriously just bring up the Temple in front of people from Yabad? ¡°¡­I know your people hate the Temple. I also suffered quite a bit because of them, so I don''t particrly like them, either. However, we have no other choice right now, do we?" Hearing Windhand raising his voice again, Deb spoke soothingly to him. This was rather frustrating for those of us who didn''t know what happened between the people of the Yabad region and the Temple. Just why did they hate it so much? At this point, wouldn''t it be better if the Inquisitor wasn''t present right now? ¡°The Temple was also the first to step forward to support us. I understand how you feel, but please endure it a little until this matter is over." ¡°Damn it¡­" Perhaps annoyed by this situation where he had no choice but to receive from the ones he hated, Windhand gritted his teeth and touched his forehead. Jingle. The drop earrings hanging from his ears made a clear sound. ¡°Right, shit. It can''t be helped. It''s not like those guys will set foot on Jacrati, and we have to help our brothers¡­" He eventually voiced his eptance and willingness topromise. Rattle. Soon after, the Inquisitor turned her head and crossed her arms, apanied by a metallic sound. ¡°Since securing a proper crew is the most important thing right now, I''d like to ask you to do as you said¡­" Creak. The moment the pub¡¯s door opened, our conversation cut off. * * * * * * Although the innkeeper had vacated the ce in exchange for some jewels and hung a g bearing an X by the entrance, it seemed some clueless person still came in. ¡°I-Is anyone there?¡± Fortunately, the visitor only poked his head in, showing no intent to enterpletely. ¡°We¡¯re not open right now.¡± Deb quickly came forward and responded. ¡°We even ced some cloth over the window, so what made that guy think ofing in here?¡± One of the privateers grumbled. It was understandable. Considering their position, we had draped sheets over all the windows so no one could see inside. Still, here we had someone with enough guts to think of entering the store. Perhaps he was just desperate. ¡°What?¡± However, Deb¡¯s reaction was a bit strange. ¡°Hey, Mister.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°If we y our cards right, I think we might be able to get some sailors without the Temple¡¯s help.¡± ¡­It seemed that guy wasn¡¯t just a typical guest. ¡°What? A recruit?¡± Of course, Windhand, the navigator, was the first to show interest. Deb shrugged his shoulders. ¡°He asked if we were still looking for people to man the ship heading to the Dragon¡¯s Gate and if we would ept him.¡± ¡°What¡¯s his skill level?¡± ¡°¡­He isn¡¯t from this city. I''m not all that sure about this, but if you ask me, he looks to be a former pirate.¡± ¡°A pirate?¡± Windhand¡¯s eyes started to sparkle. ¡°We¡¯ll put our robes on first¡­ Then bring him in.¡± At Windhand¡¯s instructions, all the pirates covered themselves with robes. Then, once all their faces were concealed, Deb brought in our visitor. It happened to be a face I was quite familiar with. ¡°Hey, we meet again.¡± It was the talkative former adventurer who guided Deb and me to the Guildst time. ¡°You don¡¯t mind whether I¡¯m a former adventurer or a former pirate, right?¡± ¡°Well, guess I shouldn¡¯t have listened to that little brat. Life¡¯s more important than money.¡± ¡°I¡¯m out if you say you have no captain.¡± ¡°Even if I¡¯m a former pirate, that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t volunteer, right?¡± Soon after, the area near the inn¡¯s entrance filled with sturdy sailors. Regardless of age or gender, young or old, they were all packed with muscle. Just going off their appearance, none seemed especially skilled. ¡°What? Why is Windhand here?¡± ¡°What?! Windhand?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± However, one of them recognized Windhand right away. Although he hadn¡¯t properly closed the front of his robe, his face was fully covered. That went far beyond being observant. ¡°What? How did you find out?¡± ¡°No shit, how can I not recognize the person who made me quit piracy.¡± ¡°What? What did I do?¡± ¡°I remember those who beat me up quite well. I can¡¯t be wrong.¡± The sailor grumbled but easily told us how he recognized him so quickly. ¡°Do you remember Captain wesi, the guy you pummeled for blocking the road?¡± ¡°wesi¡­? A-aah! Thornbeard!¡± ¡°Ooh, he remembered your nickname.¡± ¡°How could I ever forget you when that fellow sailor over there hurt my pride so much!?¡± Windhand chuckled, saying it wasn¡¯t that strange that he managed to recognize him so quickly. He then continued after tapping his knee. ¡°The Thornbeard crew is quite trustworthy! They were reputed for their sailing skills. Is that all of you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Ah, I never thought I¡¯d ever see you again after that, but here we are. Is the world really that small?¡± ¡°But if Windhand is here, does that mean he¡¯s joining the Dragon subjugation?¡± ¡°What?! Windhand is joining? It¡¯s kinda annoying, but if Windhand¡¯s the captain, it¡¯s worth trying!¡± ¡°At least we won¡¯t die from the torrents.¡± As if fearing no one noticed he was a sailor, he rushed in like an ebbing tide and poured out words like tidal waves. Also, despite their once poor rtionship, the crew members seemed very satisfied now that they recognized each other¡¯s skills and the prospects of working together. ¡°Good. If that¡¯s how it¡¯ll be, then it¡¯s actually worth a shot.¡± Windhand reacted simrly. ¡°Vice-Captain, what do you think?¡± ¡°Other than thinking that even dreaming of ying a dragon is insane¡­ Yes, if it¡¯s just going to and from the Dragon¡¯s Gate, it should be worth an attempt.¡± The vice-captain also seemed to approve of those sailor recruits. He immediately gave his okay. Now that the crew shortage problem had been solved once and for all¡­ ¡¸? Corruption Washed Up from the Sea ? Find a way to approach the Sea Dragon ? Go to the Dragon¡¯s Gate ? Find the source of the Negative Energy and Purify it¡¹ ¡­the quest finally updated. ¡°Wahaha, I heard you couldn¡¯t find anyone to help you, so I tried convincing my old colleagues to join. I¡¯m d I was of help. We could say I paid the price for saving my life with this, right?¡± And the number one contributor to this fortuitous turn of events was that chatty former adventurer. Wow, I never thought this guy¡¯s eventful career change that he talked about nonstop woulde in clutch like this. At that moment, I had no idea the snowball that had started rolling when I handed out medicine in Tatara would roll this far. Life really was unpredictable. ¡°¡­You¡¯re not so simple a person to get involved with ying a dragon just to repay me for somewhat saving you, are you?¡± ¡°Wahaha! If you put it that way, you make it sound like you didn¡¯t fight that huge Demon in Tatara!¡± The former adventurerughed heartily. ¡°Rather, if no one stepped up, we would all meet our doom, so how can we just stay silent? Running away to just save our lives for now is nothing but procrastination. That¡¯s he stupid. Just because there¡¯s no immediate damage to our city right now doesn¡¯t mean the problem will go away.¡± That was a pretty good statement. It was something everyone could agree with, and if not for my character setting, I would haveughed, agreed, and showed some admiration. ¡°Tatara, you say.¡± However, Windhand seemed more focused on something else instead. ¡°Anyway, while you¡¯re here, have a little chat with my kids. You should at least get to know those whose orders you¡¯ll follow.¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°You have to follow what the captain says.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to call the other crew members I managed to hire, but¡­ if I bring them now, it will only attract attention.¡± Still, Windhand was more focused on his own matters than asking after that incident. A big reason for his decision was probably that it was meaningless to hear of my exploits when he had already joined us. ¡°Let¡¯s stop talking about that. The minimum conditions for a proper crew have been met. Sea routes, manpower that will wait for us at Gamak Bay until we get there, ways to prevent the dragon from leaving Gamak Bay! There¡¯s so much else we need to discuss.¡± At that point, a question was circting in my mind: couldn¡¯t I just stay onnd? ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Now that you¡¯ve all joined us, we have a basis to move forward. Oh, yes. If it¡¯s alright, would you like to speak for us during the meeting? I might be able to do something, but as I¡¯m not a sailor, I might miss certain things.¡± No, really. If we were just luring the dragon to Gamak Bay and ying it there, couldn¡¯t I just wait at the bay? Even if I got on that boat, there wouldn¡¯t be anything for me to do. ¡°That¡¯s great! I¡¯ll make sure to rip them off properly! Ah, but only the Lord can know of our identities, so you can do the exining for now. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± However, that probably wouldn¡¯t work, either. I might break character. Sigh, I usually didn¡¯t get so absorbed in roleying that I ended up undergoing this kind of suffering. ¡°The ships in the harbor are sinking!!¡± At that moment, a scream rang out from the port. As the person neared this ce, his words became clearer. ¡°The ships in the harbor are sinking!!¡± We could never overlook those words. Rustle. I pulled my body away from the wall. Rattle. The Inquisitor picked up the mace ced beside her. ¡°Are you leaving?¡± I didn¡¯t know who was behind this¡ªI did have a guess, actually¡ªbut now was the time to hunt. Chapter 48: Pray and Pray Again (6) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 48 Pray and Pray Again (6) ¡°Seventeen ships were sunk overnight! Seventeen ships!¡± ¡°There was nothing we could do. Holes just appeared in the bottom of the boats.¡± ¡°Just tell me what''s going on?!¡± ¡°Didn''t we warn you, Lord? We said that if we let this continue, something bad would happen. It¡¯s your Lordship who didn''t listen.¡± Windhand chuckled and admired how the Archmage pushed the Lord. The Lord red at him, but that didn''t matter. He was granted temporary immunity after the Lord received a message from the Lord of Jacrati. For as long as they were there, the Lord of Gr¨¹ Teltz couldn''t treat them carelessly. If he were more shameless, he might have been able to do it. However, considering he also enjoyed the protection of an archmage of the Magic Tower, he had to be even more careful. ¡°Please give us your troops now.¡± ¡°Tr-Troops?¡± ¡°The troops we will use to hunt the dragon. Oh, we will also need your support¡­¡± Despite really wanting to kill the Archmage yesterday, he still wanted to live. There truly was no better negotiator than him, at least when he was on your side. That¡¯s why Windhand couldfortably watch this situation from the side. The Lord had obediently given the Archmage everything he asked for. ¡°He actually managed to turn this situation around, even though it was the worst. It went smoother than I thought. Honestly, I thought this would be the end for us.¡± His vice-captain standing next to him whispered. He agreed. After hearing the details yesterday, he really thought that Jacrati would be doomed. He had even considered just running away while pretending to cooperate. Wouldn''t just stealing one of the ships docked at port be safer than going on a dragon hunt? Of course, doing so would get him into a lot of trouble with the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, but even that would probably have been better. If the Adventurers¡¯ Guild sent people after them, he might be able to bait them into fighting the Vipurit. Of course, there was a possibility they might capture the adventurers. ¡°Right. It would be nice if we could settle this matter within three days.¡± He abandoned the idea because of the Spartoi that appeared yesterday. If he encountered those things that sank his ship, he would just end up buried. He absolutely couldn¡¯t allow himself to die without having achieved anything. Furthermore, he had another, slightly more calcted reason. Since those things appeared near the city and sank many ships, there was no way the Lord wouldn¡¯t move. In that case, even if they didn¡¯t y the dragon in half a day, it wouldn¡¯t take more than three at most. As time passed, more ships would be sunk, and the Lord would suffer even more damage. ¡°Three days? No way. Two days should be enough. We might be able to finish up here before the promised reinforcements arrive in Jacrati.¡± So, when the Archmage interrupted their talk to assure them, he smiled, momentarily forgetting how unpleasant the situation had been. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind such a breach of contract.¡± Anyway, he would be d just to survive this. And if, by any chance, they seeded¡­. He might return to Jacrati with more help than he had hoped for. It was a literal gamble, after all. His life, thepanions he¡¯d been with for half his life, and the fate of his city¡­ A gamble risking the lives of his family. In return, he was offered salvation for his hometown. Windhand lightly rubbed his face, feeling the weight of the burden on his shoulders. Was it really for the best? A question he didn¡¯t dare nor could he bear to say out loud tormented him constantly. He almost missed the days of weathering storms alone on his tiny boat. At that time, he only had to care about his own life. ¡°Rather, where did that Demon Knight go?¡± ¡°Demon Knight?¡± ¡°Now that I think of it, he didn¡¯t introduce himself properly. It¡¯s the nickname of the man you were trying to hire.¡± ¡°Aah. I see. He yed so hard to reach this point that I¡¯m only now hearing who he is.¡± Demon Knight. As someone from Yabad who feared the Demons, it wasn¡¯t a very pleasant nickname. However, for a nickname like that to stick, he had probably killed countless Demons, so it was all good. ¡°¡­I must admit that he is rather difficult to get close with, so don¡¯t mind it too much. He has his circumstances, as well.¡± ¡°Huh? Puhaha. Did you think I cared about that? You have nothing to worry about. For a seafarer, being like that isn¡¯t really a w.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, then.¡± ¡°Of course, if hecks the skills to back it up, he¡¯ll regret it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As far as his skills are concerned, you won¡¯t be disappointed.¡± How strong was he for even an archmage of the Magic Tower to vouch for him? Windhand left the castle and looked around. Then, as if by coincidence, he saw part of the sea near the harbor split apart. It seemed to be the result of some horrifying, pitch-ck Arcane Power. ¡°Oh, he¡¯s over there.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s the Demon Knight¡¯s doing?¡± ¡°You mean this?¡± Damn. If this really was that man¡¯s doing, it wouldn¡¯t be so unreasonable for him to be that arrogant. No one he had ever seen, not even a knight, could have done something like that. * * * Although we were dyed by a day from what we had promised Windhand, at least our progress, which had been rather sluggish, sped up a bit. Wow, I never thought it possible to build a military camp in just a single day. I followed them to Gamak Bay to fight off the Spartoi and was surprised to see barracks being steadily raised from the ground. Since I had no part in building the camp, I simply rested after dealing with the Spartoi. There was still enough time for the people on board to get to know each other. Of course, since they had to cooperate to lure the dragon here, it might be natural for them to try learning more about each other¡¯s strengths and weaknesses. It was just that I¡¯d never done anything like that before. ¡°There are a lot of mages.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, given that only a few fighters can perform long-distance [sh] attacks.¡± The wizard dispatched by the Magic Tower looked at me with passionate eyes as he said that. That look felt even more annoying because of the Archmage¡¯s advice about dealing with those of the Magic Tower. I had no idea why they were looking at me like that. Or was he pissed about me firing that [sh] at the port the day before yesterday? Since I couldn¡¯t stand doing nothing just because I was a close-range attacker, I figured I could just use my ranged attack at its maximum. I didn¡¯t even damage the port. ¡°Ehem.¡± However, the Archmage, who had just approached us, cleared his throat loudly, and the gaze on me disappeared immediately. I felt much better. ¡°Didn¡¯t the mages tell you to wait inside?¡± ¡°But Mr. Archmage.¡± ¡°Your division¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going.¡± I felt even morefortable after the Archmage sent him to a lower deck. I had been feeling so pissed that I wondered if I should just let my temper loose. ¡°However, it¡¯s not like we can¡¯t do anything. We can assist by throwing harpoons at it.¡± ¡°I see. I¡¯m not sure harpoons will work on a dragon, though.¡± ¡°Each of them has been strengthened with magic, so they should at least be a little effective.¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± ¡­No, wait a second. Weren¡¯t they just regr harpoons? I threw about three of them around for practice not too long ago. Was that why the wizards looked at me with such fiery gazes?? ¡°Everyone¡¯s on board, right? Then let us leave.¡± Anyway, the time hade. We had about twenty wizards from the Magic Tower, five adventurers, sixteen people from the Temple, and thirty-three sailors. And then there were the four of us. After checking that everyone was there, we left for the sea. ¡°Urgh.¡± Of course, I started feeling motion sick again within just a few minutes. It was thergest ship I had been on yet, so size didn¡¯t seem to matter in that regard. ¡°Wait, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Still, there were quite a few people here, so I did my best to hide it¡­ However, Windhand, as astute as ever, noticed. The others didn¡¯t seem to notice anything; he was the only one who did, for whatever reason. ¡°Y-You?¡± As such, Windhand looked betrayed for some reason. I could understand his feelings, but wasn¡¯t that a bit unfair? Did I want to get seasick? My character¡¯s body is just like this, so what did he want me to do about it?! ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he can fight just fine.¡± After much deliberation on whether he should just stay onnd, Deb decided toe along and answered on my behalf. I had no idea why he chose to follow us, but I was rather grateful he did the talking for me. ¡°Damn, are you really okay?¡± Actually, no. So long as I was on a ship, my motion sickness would never improve. However, the ship had already sailed. There was no more turning back. ¡°I brought some tea.¡± Suddenly, the Inquisitor burst in. After learning of the Inquisitor¡¯s identity yesterday, Windhand¡¯s face instantly hardened whenever he saw her. He stepped back from her. She just handed me the tea, regardless. The unique smell of oriental medical herbs wafted up, more fragrant than bitter. ¡°If you drink this, you¡¯ll feel better.¡± Would it actually work? I took it from her without any hesitation. As I drank it with closed eyes, I felt like I was getting both sicker and better simultaneously. ¡°The mainsail¡¯s direction is changing!¡± At that moment, a sailor shouted loudly. Windhand¡¯s head turned toward him and took a deep breath. ¡°What are you doing? Lower the mainsail!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a storm!¡± However, in that brief moment, other reports poured in. The sound of the wind, which was unusual even to the ears of an ordinary person who knew little about the sea, filled our ears, and the sailors were moving around even more busily. ¡°Don¡¯t panic. Just prepare as you usually do. We haven¡¯t even reached the Dragon¡¯s Gate yet!¡± Windhand shouted and nced at me. ¡°Hey, if you don¡¯t manage to kill that dragon, I will kill you. Keep that in mind.¡± If I failed to kill the dragon, we might drown first before he could kill me¡­ Well, what could I say? ¡°I¡¯ll only fail if this ship can¡¯t even withstand this storm.¡± However, I couldn¡¯t say just anything, right? Windhand scoffed at that and left to do his job. ¡°¡­¡± The Inquisitor, who usually got upset by the words of criminals, was quiet. Her gauntlets made creaking noises as they rubbed together. ¡°Ehem.¡± At that moment, Deb cleared his throat. Our eyes moved toward him. Since Windhand joined us, the fighting between those two had almostpletely disappeared. Well, it was only the second day, though. ¡°Mister Knight, do you really think you can kill the dragon?¡± Having a n meant it could fall apart, especially because the future was always unpredictable. That was why I felt weird whenever someone asked this type of question. ¡°If you¡¯re just here to spout such weak words, get lost.¡± There were only a few phrases as belligerent as ¡®get lost¡¯, and there were only a few I used as often. Regardless of whether it was possible, we had to do it. * * * * * * ¡°It¡¯s a tsunami!¡± ¡°Idiot! The ship won¡¯t turn over because of that kind of tidal wave! Don¡¯t make a fuss and stay still!¡± ¡°Hey, if you have that much energy left,e here and help me with this!¡± As we were talking, the storm became stronger and the clouds already forming in the sky became even more numerous. We couldn¡¯t even see the sun anymore. Slosh, slosh. The big ship began leaning to one side. It was a good thing we sent the wizards below deck beforehand. If those weak sticks were up here, they would have just flown away. ¡°All of you up here, get down!¡± The crew threw the people on deck¡ªmostly adventurers¡ªto the lower levels as rain began to fall since they would be in the way. To note, we were no exception to that. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me what to do.¡± But I didn¡¯t have to follow their order, right? I had to stay up here because I felt like I would really vomit. Also, the stench inside the ship was no joke, either. If I went in there now, I would 100% puke. Guaranteed. ¡°Not my problem if you fall into the sea!¡± Well, weren¡¯t you, someone constantly climbing up and down those-like ropes hanging around the masts, in a more precarious situation than me? I tightly held onto the railing and braced my legs. ¡°Uwaah, the wind is no joke!¡± ¡°You¡¯re weak!¡± ¡°As I¡¯ve said, I¡¯m not a superhuman like you!¡± ¡°Then go in!¡± ¡°I feel like the safest ce is around you, though!¡± Since I didn¡¯t go in, the Inquisitor and Deb also stayed behind. The Inquisitor managed to hold on without much trouble thanks to her heavy armor, while Deb wrapped his arms and legs around the mast behind me. Whoosh, rumble. To make matters worse, it began to rain. The anxious cries of sailors and the words of Windhand melted into the sound of the storm, mixing together. m! As I gripped the railing and tried to hold on with my eyes closed, something cold struck me. The waves that hit the side of the ship sttered water all over the ting. Since the railing wasn¡¯t very high where we were, I got covered in seawater. It wasn¡¯t a big deal since I was already wet from the rain. Rather, the cold water made mee back to my senses. ¡°¡­!¡± So, considering what happened right after, this might be considered a benefit. Because of it, my eyes turned to look at the sea. ¡¸A hostile existence has entered a radius of 30m.¡¹ That damn system didn¡¯t seem to work until I discovered the danger myself these days, didn¡¯t it? How ridiculous. ¡°It¡¯sing.¡± ¡°What?¡± Either way, I had to prepare myself. I drew my sword. The Inquisitor, who had also been struck by the water a short distance from me, flicked her hair away, wearing a puzzled expression. There was no need to exin any further. She would figure it out after I prated the sea with a [sh]. ¡°That¡¯s!¡± After sending out a [sh], the Inquisitor found our target quite quickly. She urgently released her Divine Power to form a temporary shield. Bam! The Spartoi rammed into her shield. ¡°A battle already?¡± ¡°Th-There¡¯s something like a shark in the sea!¡± ¡°Idiot, I heard they¡¯re called Spartoi!¡± ¡°Captain! The protective devices!¡± A sailor urgently turned to Windhand. The Spartoi had a long track record of sinking ships, and this ship¡¯s hull wasn¡¯t any more durable than others before the onboard protective devices were activated. The only minor problem was that these devices had a limited duration. Therefore, despite having full authority over its use, Windhand wouldn''t order its deployment that easily. He still had to consider the battle against the dragonter on. He was the captain, after all. ¡°¡­Is it necessary?!¡± Instead, he asked whether its operation was truly essential right now. ¡°Don''t turn it on.¡± So, I gave him the answer he wanted to hear. ¡°It isn''t necessary yet.¡± I aimed for those things hiding within the sea. They temporarily became much easier to target while blocked by the Inquisitor''s shield. Boom! My second sword strike, apanied by a metallic sound, broke through the protective film and cut through one of the Spartoi, scattering something ck and clumpy into the sea. ¡°You slowpoke! Get the harpoons!¡± ¡°Don''t order me around!¡± Although Deb expressed dissatisfaction with the Inquisitor''s instructions, he didn''t actually refuse to do as she said. The thief jumped to the middle of the deck and delivered the harpoons with precise and efficient movements. ¡°Demon Knight!¡± I took the harpoon that the Inquisitor handed me and held it tightly. Could I do it? However, the situation wasn''t really favorable for me to insist on sending out [sh] attacks. Their underwater movements were so vicious and distant. The deck was also in the way, making it a lot more inconvenient to send out a [sh]. So, I threw the harpoon at them, using the trick I had figured out earlier while practicing. There was no need to calcte the curve of my throw to hit the target or consider the water resistance. If I applied some Arcane Power, it would simply fly in a straight line. ¡°Hup.¡± I took a deep breath and held it, suppressing my nausea. I could see one of those things quickly making its way toward us. Whoosh! The harpoon, engulfed in my ck energy, flew forward like a cannonball. It only took a split second to enter the murky water and pierce through the Spartoi''s head. Ssh! The Inquisitor''s harpoon also managed to hit one. Although she didn''tnd a headshot like me, she pierced its body. The monster with the harpoon stuck in its body struggled a bit before letting something that seemed like blood flow into the water. ¡°Herees another one!¡± At that moment, a sailor hanging in the-like mesh of rope pointed in a different direction. ¡°Mister!¡± Deb handed me a harpoon at exactly the right time. As soon as it reached my hands, I immediately threw it. It sessfully pierced through the Spartoi''s head by a narrow margin, killing it. sh! I then released a [sh] barrage to finish off the two remaining, barely alive bastards. The heavy rain drenched my hairpletely, water running down the bridge of my nose, cheeks, and jawline. ¡°L-Looks like everything''s been taken care of!¡± ¡°Great!¡± As soon as the battle ended, I briefly lowered my head as I started feeling nauseous again. I felt like dying. It was alright when I kept my eyes closed, but when I opened my eyes forbat, it was like I was in hell. ¡°A few more Spartoi are heading here from up ahead!¡± ¡­I stood corrected. Hell was just about to begin. The curtain to the Sea Dragon Raid had been raised. Chapter 49: Pray and Pray Again (7) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 49 Pray and Pray Again (7) Honestly, I didn¡¯t think it possible to steer this huge ship around that tricky reef, even if one had excellent navigational skills. However, there were people with all kinds of abilities in this world, and people with such ridiculous skills were especiallymon in the world of games. ¡°The Dragon¡¯s Gate is ahead!¡± As the adventurer, whose primary weapon was a whip, skillfully cut through the Spartoi, he called out as such. ¡¸West Sea: Dragon¡¯s Gate¡¹ ¡¸? Corruption Washed Up from the Sea ? Go to the Dragon¡¯s Gate ? Find the source of the Negative Energy and Purify it¡¹ Bam! As the quest updated, an experience simr to river rafting, which I had done once, followed. ¡°Are you kidding me?!¡± With this, I realized how trivial the storms and tsunamis we had gone through were. The current was so fast that I thought I would just die. I never thought this big boat would sway this much. ¡°Damn it, it¡¯s so tricky and hard to navigate! This crazy ce!¡± No, it was even crazier that he somehow managed to drive through this ce. I held up my sword with these thoughts in mind. Due to the strong current, the Spartoi were practically jumping out of the water. Whoosh! I sent out a [sh] or two through the shield and cut them down. Because of that, I almost fell off the deck. However, Deb managed to grab the hem of my coat, letting out a roar, and the Archmage grabbed me by the ankles. Like that, I managed to somehow get back on my feet. While the boat showed no sign of sinking, it was shaking tremendously in a manner reminiscent of a roller coaster. I almost threw up. It was rather fortunate we had turned on the protective devices, so we at least didn¡¯t need to deal with the Spartoi as urgently as before. ¡°The mages seem ready to faint. Will the protective devices work fine?!¡± As Deb said, if the wizards fainted, it would be difficult to keep the devices in operation. The ship¡¯s functions were powered by Arcane Power, after all. That was why the device''s usage time was limited and why twenty wizards came along. They were essentially living spare batteries and activation keys for the devices. ¡°They¡¯re currently operating on pre-charged Arcane Power, so you don¡¯t have to worry.¡± Of course, we weren''t deploying the shield the whole time. The protective devices could also function using previously supplied Arcane Power. It was just¡­ We didn''t know what would happen when the Arcane Power ran out. It reminded me somewhat of a racing game where you had to reach your destination before your gas gaugepletely depleted. I wasn''t the one controlling this ship, though. ¡°Not only the mages but the priests also look like they''ll drop. Waah!¡± At that moment, Deb lost his bnce after the ship shook more intensely. His body slid across the deck and was about to fall into the ocean. ¡°You idiot!¡± The protective shield only blocked attacks from the outside. It did nothing to stop anything from going out. In other words, if someone went overboard, they would fall straight into the ocean. Both the Inquisitor and I urgently reached out to him. ¡°Got you!¡± ¡°Urgh!¡± The Inquisitor, who was his good friend despite fighting with him a lot, was the first to catch Deb, followed by me. We managed to pull him back on deck. ¡°I-I''m alive.¡± His pulled-back ears seemed to indicate how he felt at the moment. My heart would have dropped as well had I been in his position. ¡°Aaargh!¡± However, now wasn''t the time to feel relieved. One of the sailors fell from the mast and toward the sea. Fortunately, he didn''t fall too far from me. I could still catch him. Thud! ¡°Urgh!¡± I quickly ran over and grabbed his arm. Almost half my body went over the railing, but I somehow caught the sailor. ¡°S-Save me!¡± ¡°¡­Stop struggling!¡± Uwaaah. My body was about to fall with him! Thud! Just as I was about to go overboard or my wet hand slipped off his arm, the boat tilted to the other side again. The impact caused the sailor''s body to rise. I didn''t pass on the opportunity. I threw the sailor onto the deck. He might end up bruised or with a broken bone or two, but that would still be far better than being consumed by the violent waves. ¡°Grab something!¡± Even physical pain couldn''t dampen his will to live. The sailor quickly grabbed onto something before he could slip further. ¡°Is he fine?!¡± ¡°He''s fine as long as he¡¯s not dead!¡± Other than that guy, I didn''t see anyone else fall. My insides were doing somersaults, and my vision seemed to be turning upside down, as well. Windhand managed to keep ahold of the rudder. He was truly amazing for remaining upright and holding onto it in this situation. Did he put weights into his shoes or something? Even if he had, his core strength was no joke. ¡°Up ahead!¡± At that moment, someone who was just barely hanging on shouted out. ¡°There''s a reef sticking out of the water!¡± Even without that person''s urgent shout, Windhand was already struggling to turn the rudder¡­ As a matter of fact, ships couldn''t instantly turn like cars or motorcycles. ¡°Shit, I think we''re gonna hit that thing!¡± Although the protective device would shield us from most of the damage caused by colliding with the reef, the consumption of Arcane Power would be enormous. In addition to the cost of simply having it deployed, it would consume even more to relieve the shock caused by the collision. That was why we needed a captain like Windhand. It was meaningless to consume all the device¡¯s charged Arcane Power meant to block the dragon''s attacks on something like this. ¡°Brace yourselves, everyone!¡± That was why I couldn''t just stand still. I started running, holding onto a loose rope attached to the ship, and took a harpoon in hand. With too many obstacles on deck preventing me from moving forward, the next best option was the railing. It might seem crazy to jump onto the narrow railing of a rocking ship, but it was surprisingly easy to maintain my bnce on it. [Survival Instinct] didn¡¯t rmend this way for nothing, after all. Although it was a bit of a shame that my nausea was rising like crazy. ¡°You bastard! Hold onto the rope!¡± ¡°What?! A-Aah! You''re crazy!¡± However, I was already in this predicament, so I couldn''t just stop. I stepped on the bow as I reached it before literally jumping overboard. Bam! The thunderous, murky sea was thrashing about beneath me, spraying masses of gray foam. ¡°¡­?!¡± ¡°Mister Knight, are you crazy?!¡± ¡°Th-The sea!¡± I opened my eyes and tried to focus my vision. Fortunately, I could vaguely discern the reef, which was somewhat darker than the sea. ¡°You!¡± I felt like Windhand was calling out to me. Well, no matter what he said, he probably thought I was about to die, right? I knew it, too: my actions were very close to suicide. But how could we be sure using all that Arcane Power to survive the reef wouldn¡¯t lead to something worseter on?! Maybe it was because I¡¯d already experienced so many other snowballing events, but I couldn¡¯t stand back when I knew I could do something about this. Brzzzt! Arcane Power quickly gathered inside my held harpoon. It looked like it had been struck by pitch-ck lightning. m! And then I immediately mmed it into the reef. Boom! First, the sea parted in a circr manner, the water getting pushed to all sides. Then, the reef shattered into pieces from where the harpoon hit it. ¡°That idiot¡­!¡± My body began to fall, dragged down by gravity, and the water I had just pushed away rushed to refill the space. The boat was slightly swept away by the resulting current. Ssh! Anyway, I fell straight into the sea. Bubble, bubble, bubble. The air leaving my mouth filled part of my previously dark vision with hazy bubbles. The surrounding sound became muffled as vague memories and past regrets went through my mind. ¡ºThe sun is so high up in the sky! And you¡¯re still not up yet?!¡» ¡ºSon, do you want to go hiking with me?¡» I missed my parents. Ssh! My muffled ears suddenly sharpened again as I heard the sshing of water. The rope I had been tightly clutching was being pulled up, and with it, my body. The scattering foam seemed so distant already. Thud! My body struck the deck, causing a tingling pain to run through it. My pain level was heavily reduced, which meant this would definitely leave a bruise. ¡°Mister, are you still alive?!¡± ¡°Demon Knight! Are you okay!¡± At that moment, the two people who had most likely fished me out of the water with the rope came into view. The sky was blocked out by their two young faces. ¡°Cough.¡± I was grateful they saved me, but I had to get rid of this seawater first. I coughed out the water that had entered my mouth. A salty, sour taste was left behind. It seemed some gastric acid had alsoe up. ¡°You monster bastard! Are you alive?!¡± Why was Windhand picking a fight with me again? No, was that meant as apliment, not an insult? Anyway, I hoped my near-suicidal act was helpful. My eyes began moving to the right. I got up with those two¡¯s help to avoid getting thrown off the boat again and closed my eyes for a moment. My inner ears were itching and popping. ¡°¡­Is there anything else that needs to be broken?¡± ¡°Damn, so that¡¯s why you were so confident you could y the dragon! Because you have multiple lives!¡± Well, I hoped I did. If possible, it would be even better if that extra life took the form of getting to log out after Game Over. * * * * * * ¡°It¡¯s the Sea Dragon!¡± At that moment, one of the sailors shouted loudly. I slowly opened my eyes to check what was ahead of us. Beyond the bow, I could see something long swaying from left and right in the middle of the stormy sea. Honestly, I thought it was a waterspout. Crash! As if the rain wasn''t enough, thunder began to roll loudly over the sea. ¡°You can kill that thing, right?!¡± ¡°Stop asking the obvious!¡± As if possessed, Windhand started shouting. Even though I reflexively responded like that, I feltpletely different internally. Wow, that thing sure was big. If that hit the ship even once, wouldn''t the shield disappear immediately? Could we really lure that thing to Gamak Bay? Really? The Raid seemed so realistic that tears came to my eyes. ¡°Tell the mages to ready the Arcane cannons!¡± ¡°Aaaarg, you crazy priest!¡± The Inquisitor threw Deb through the door leading below deck. Although quite the radical method, there was nothing faster nor safer. I still stood on the rocking deck. The distant dragon roared and soon fixed its gaze on us. ¡°¡­¡± The distance between us was great, but I could still see its head and body in great detail. It was so woefully beautiful that one would never think it was the source of all this. To give an example, its scales shone brightly even against this cloudy sky and murky water, two horns the color of coral extended from its forehead, and its thin, wing-like fins emitting a soft glow were almost decorative in appearance. And its pearl-like eyes focused on me. That was how it looked. The beard extending from the dragon''s maw gently shook. ¡¸Sea Dragon ©¦ Ruler of the Western Sea. Ancient Beast. Divine Beast. It has many names, but only a few have witnessed it directly.¡¹ ¡°Th-That''s a dragon¡­¡± ¡°Lord Sea Dragon¡­¡± It seemed too mysterious and sublime to kill. Some sailors who seemingly worshiped it sobbed and lost their will to fight. Even the adventurers and mages who didn''t revere it were overwhelmed by its presence and had to swallow hard. ¡°Shit,e to your senses!¡± Smack! But before the people''s heartspletely broke, Windhand rained abuse on them and urged them forward. Immediately after, the water near the dragon rose, and something else appeared beside it. Bite! Its neck was bitten by the thinging out of the water. Its beautiful scales broke, and blood poured out. ¡°Another dragon!¡± Ironically, the creature that bit the Sea Dragon was another dragon. Although smaller, it had dark, ominous scales and ck horns that curved strangely, and its fins were torn and cut, making them look rather unsightly. Even so, it was clearly a dragon as well. I suddenly remembered the mural from the mountain cave, which depicted an adult and a child dragon together. ¡°¡­I can feel Negative Energy.¡± ¡°Has that dragon be¡­ corrupted?¡± Anyway, I had thought the bigger one far too elegant and noble to be the culprit behind all these incidents, so it seemed the true source was the smaller one. ¡¸??? ©¦ ???¡¹ Like with the gue Demon, a window filled with question marks appeared before me. It was clear: we had to y that one. Kyaaaah! At that moment, the Sea Dragon that had its nape bitten let out a scream and struggled to shake off the ck one before diving into the sea. The ck dragon did the same, as if trying to chase the Sea Dragon. We were suddenly left alone on the stormy sea. ¡°¡­Go over there.¡± I narrowed my eyes and quickly spoke to Windhand. He, too, had been overwhelmed by the dragon¡¯s majesty, but he still managed to steer the ship by strictly guiding the sailors who had barely regained their senses. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Go to where the dragon came from.¡± Thanks to being veryrge, the dragon was easy to spot. However, the distance between us was too great. To attack, we needed to approach its location. Moreover, this also benefited Windhand and the sailors in another way. For a being of such magnitude to fully dive into the sea meant no reefs were around that ce. Even if there were before, if those dragons had been fighting so fiercely for some time now, they had likely destroyed everything in their way. If we had to wait for the dragon to emerge again anyway, it would be better to wait there rather than in this area filled with nothing but reefs. ¡°¡­!¡± Windhand¡¯s eyes widened slightly, seemingly sensing something from my words. He then grabbed onto the rudder tightly. ¡°Everyone,e to your senses!¡± The boat began moving along the rapids once more. The tumultuous water made a lot of noise, but the boat never stopped. ¡°¡­! The current has weakened!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t there any reefs within the Dragon¡¯s Gate¡­?¡± It seemed my prediction was correct: there were almost no rocks and reefs where the dragons had been rampaging. At least, that looked to be the case, considering the reactions from Windhand and the sailors. I also suspected the current hadn¡¯t weakened for no reason, either. However, that didn¡¯t mean the situation waspletely resolved. The dragon was still submerged, and even after it came to the surface, there was a lot of work to do before we could attack and lure it away. ¡°¡­! Below us!¡± Suddenly, I heard something simr to a scream and reflexively looked down over the side of the ship. In the dark water, an even darker shadow passed us by. ¡°U-Uuuuurgh!¡± ¡°Hold onto the railing!¡± Soon, the water level rose on one side of us, and the ck dragon stuck its head out of the sea. Of course, the cost of that was the boat nearly capsizing. Tak. With that in mind, I couldn¡¯t simply miss this opportunity. ¡°Harpoon!¡± I quickly ran to someone in the center of the deck. A stupefied adventurer reflexively handed me a harpoon. ¡°Quickly, turn the main sail and activate the tailwind devices!¡± Windhand sensed what I was nning and swiftly prepared to turn the boat around. A very wise choice indeed. ¡°Throw it now!¡± At Windhand¡¯s signal, the harpoon wrapped in ck lightning flew off into the distance. Staaab! It pierced through the ck dragon¡¯s scales and into its flesh. It was then that my anxiety, wondering whether this would work, waspletely relieved. Kieeeeeeh! However, it seemed my attack worked too well. A booming, horrifying roar, much louder than the Sea Dragon¡¯s, echoed through the sky, and a pair of bright red eyes looked toward us. It may not have just been a feeling that its eyes were filled with burning anger. ¡°¡­Harpoon.¡± ¡°Mister, is this really the right thing to do now?¡± ¡°Give it.¡± I mean, our n was to pull its aggro and lure it away. Originally, we wanted to attack it with the ship¡¯s cannons, but all we had to do now was go further and further away. Actually, this might be better. The Arcane cannons also required the mages¡¯ Arcane Power. It went without saying that using said power to maintain the shield and the windshield devices contributed far more to our survival. Kieeee! Pierce! Anyway, I got two hits in. It flew through the air and pierced the ck dragon¡¯s body again. I tried my best to aim for its head, but because of the waves and sudden winds, I missed my mark and hit the nape of its neck. Kyaaaaaaagh!! Still, I sessfully managed to pull its aggro. The ck dragon began lunging at us, roaring in what seemed like anger. ¡°Uwaah!¡± ¡°It¡¯sing!¡± It came toward us with its long neck as if trying to swallow the ship whole. Of course, since its mouth wasn¡¯t big enough, it probably intended to just sweep over the deck or something. However, that alone would have already killed the dozens of people gathered here. However, my target had just be a lot bigger, so why should I waste that opportunity? I put my trust in the shield and threw another harpoon at the dragon. Some also imitated me; a barrage of harpoons flew through the air as both sailors and adventurers attacked. ¡°Kiaaaaaargh!¡± Bang! The harpoons thrown by the Inquisitor, me, and another unknown person pieced soft flesh¡ªthe inside of its mouth¡ªslightly redirecting the dragon¡¯s charge. The protective membrane encasing the ship shone brighter than ever, deflecting the dragon. ¡°Uwaargh! The boat is rocking!¡± It was fortunate that the shield formed at a slight distance from the ship. Even if something hit the shield, it wouldn''t affect the vessel. The waves were a different story, though, so it would still shake. A small tsunami caused by the dragon went over the outer shell ting and drenched the deck in more water. The men continued throwing harpoons while forcibly trying to maintain their bnce. However, most of their attacks merely bounced off the scales, though the Inquisitor still managed to break through. ¡°¡­! Arcane Power!¡± ¡°The Arcane Power maintaining the protective device has just decreased by a fourth!¡± However, we were presented with such depressing news just then from inside. Although we had minimized the Arcane Power consumption thanks to our awesome captain, the saved power was almostpletely lost in one go. ¡°Try to hold on somehow! We have to make it back!¡± But what could I do? If we wanted to survive, the mages had no choice but to squeeze out even the tiniest bit of Arcane Power to fuel the protective and tailwind devices that made the ship move faster. ¡°¡­! In the sea!¡± However, that wasn¡¯t the only bad news. Spartoi were born from the pieces of scales that fell into the water. Those things could be handled with a single throw of a harpoon, but if things continued like that, they would be extremely annoying. They were even more troublesome now that we needed to conserve the Arcane Power powering the shields. ¡°Stop them! You must!¡± ¡°Keep them away!¡± I had wondered whether the Raid Boss would be weak, given how extremely weak the Knucker I had fought was, but it turned out not to be the case. The environment was so incredibly harsh that the difficulty level rose exorbitantly. Considering how easily I could piece its scales, I could kill it right away if it weren¡¯t for this damn rocking! ¡°Uuuuurgh!!¡±¡± However, the sea shook the boat even more now. Ssh! There was no need to look around to know why water poured onto the deck again, almost capsizing the ship. Kyaaaaargh! As if to retaliate for what had happened earlier, the Sea Dragon bit the ck dragon¡¯s neck. A war between monsters was about tomence once again. Raid and all that aside, certain wordsid on the tip of my tongue: ¡®Please leave our boat and us shrimp-like beings alone if you two whales want to fight.¡¯ Chapter 50: Pray and Pray Again (8) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 50 Pray and Pray Again (8) ¡°Damn it, let¡¯s get out of here first!¡± The people aboard the shipcked the courage to move as two dragons nked the ship. They had to keep the vessel intact somehow to survive. m! However, wasn¡¯t there a bit too much water on this ship? The water on the deck reached my ankles. I wondered whether that was okay. ¡°Throw out the water!¡± Well, apparently, it wasn¡¯t. At the captain¡¯smand, some sailors began scooping water with buckets. The rain was now almost blocking our view and seemed to be breaking apart rocks. ¡°Stop throwing harpoons and just help get rid of the water!¡± Perhaps because there was too much water to take care of, the sailors grabbed the adventurers and made them haul it out, as well. Deb was also hit with a bucket, but fortunately, despite being right next to him, I wasn¡¯t thrown one. They probably wanted to let me deal with the Spartoi, especially since I¡¯d killed the most out of everyone on this ship. ¡°The Spartoi areing!¡± But to be frank, it seemed I had missed a few because of my seasickness. I still had the highest number of kills, though, so I didn¡¯t know what to think. Was it because the Inquisitor and the whip-wielding adventurer were helping me? Was it a mental thing? I didn¡¯t really know if this could be affected by something like that, though. Pierce! I grabbed another harpoon, a weapon I was bing increasingly familiar with the more I threw, and sneakily watched the progress of the battle between the massive monsters. The Sea Dragon and ck dragon were rampaging, trying to bite each other. It would be perfect if the Sea Dragon ended up killing the ck dragon like this, but realistically speaking, that seemed rather unlikely. We would lose its aggro if I didn¡¯tnd a critical hit. Even if I threw more harpoons, there was no way it would care about a little toothpick getting stuck in its body when sharp teeth were piercing its neck. Perhaps we should just turn the ship around¡­ ¡°It¡¯s a tsunami!¡± ¡°Damn it, why doesn¡¯t the protective shield have an option to block out waves?!¡± Meanwhile, the ck dragon¡¯s tail came down near us, creating a huge wave. Just like when the Sea Dragon breached the water, no, this time it was definitely big enough to capsize the whole ship. The Spartoi were also swept up and tossed against the shield before sliding down. ¡°Oh God, please protect us!¡± At that moment, the priests, whom I wasn¡¯t sure were actually doing anything, came forward. Either sping their hands in prayer or raising their weapons, each person demonstrated their Divine Power in their own way. A golden film solidified around the outside of the shield. The divine-looking membrane cked the tsunami, splitting it in two. I had been wondering why the priests came along with us. It seemed this was the reason. I also had no idea that the first thing that would sessfully reduce my HP during this Raid would be one of my allies. ¡°Damn, those crazy bastards sure are a sight for sore eyes this time around.¡± Of course, those weren¡¯t Windhand¡¯s words but from someone he had brought along. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s that dragon?!¡± Windhand asked me. I didn¡¯t actually have an answer for him. The war between those two monsters was still ongoing. And we were too far away now for me to throw more harpoons. I wondered whether I could regain its attention by attacking from up close, but if I threw the weapons from here, they would probably just get stuck in its scales¡­ ¡°We¡¯re going to fire the cannons.¡± Oh, that surprised me. Right, the Archmage was also on this ship, wasn¡¯t he? I hadn¡¯t seen him for a while, so I had somewhat forgotten about his existence. ¡°When?¡± ¡°Now.¡± I suddenly heard a sound from the central mast, and some type of machine started activating. I had thought the central mast was simply reinforced with metal tes, but looking at it again, it seemed a device was inside it. ¡°W-Wooow.¡± One of the more immature sailors kept his eyes fixed on the mast while continuously throwing out water. I also took a peek and was a little surprised. Arcane Power gathered into a sizzling sphere, and soon, something simr to a beam fired from it. The moment the ck dragon dropped the Sea Dragon, the Arcane cannon collided with its huge body. Baaam! A massive explosion ensued. Kiyaaaaa! I checked on the ck dragon¡¯s condition while holding onto the railing. I could see it thrashing around as though it were dancing. Looking closely at where the cannon hit, I could see its scales had broken slightly¡­ Did we manage to break through them? I couldn¡¯t really make out much as everything around us was pitch ck. I wasn¡¯t sure whether this was enough to pull its aggro, either. ¡°Uwahaha!¡± Aah, I see. I could tell the kimchi dumpling was doing her best, considering how much noise she was making. Anyway, the ck dragon¡­ Was it looking at us? Did we pull its aggro? Kiaaah!! We did. ¡°The dragon ising!¡± We pulled it very well. It was heading straight for us now! Apanied by a tsunami! I was screaming on the inside. Was that really okay? Will it really be fine? Could we really lure it back like this? However, no matter how much of a fuss I made internally, it didn¡¯t change the position I was in. I ran up to the stern. I had been at the center of the deck to better deal with the Spartoi, but now the dragon took priority. ¡°H-Here ites!¡± ¡°Focus on the shield!¡± Although we were only grazed not too long ago, it still took ? of the power to block it. How much would it take to stop a head-on attack? Brzzzzt. Regardless of how much damage would be prevented, it wouldn¡¯t be anything good. So, I infused as much Arcane Power as possible into a harpoon and threw it. I hoped it would work likest time¡ªdistracting the dragon with my attack so it would only graze past us. Kiyaaaaa!!! However, the dragon only increased the size of the wave facing us, causing it to rise further into the sky. That was just cheap! ¡°Oh God!!¡± Fortunately, we could reinforce the shield with faith. ¡°This humble servant of yours offers herself to you.¡± Golden light began pouring out from the Inquisitor. ¡°Save the sea and save your poor sheep.¡± The blue waves rushing toward us tried to devour our ship, but they werepletely blocked by the golden film, creating a scenery simr to what one might witness in an aquarium. ¡°Let your glory fall on the sea.¡± My HP went down, as well. ¡°Uwaargh!¡± ¡°The Sea Dragon!¡± ¡°Uwah, uwaaargh!!¡± No, hey, wait a second. Instead of dying from drowning at sea, I might actually end up dying from drowning in Divine Power. No matter how much I stood on the opposite end of Divine Power, getting killed by my teammate was just too much! Uwaaargh!! Ssh! However, before my HPpletely bottomed out, the ship soared up and rose to the surface again. We survived. The Divine Power scattered away along with a spray of water. ¡¸A hostile existence has entered a radius of 30m.¡¹ Whoosh! However, the ck dragon gave us no time to catch our breaths. It towered right before us. It seemed to have expected us to get washed away by the water, and when we didn¡¯t, it clearly became enraged. The boat was shaking like crazy. I really wanted to retaliate by driving a harpoon into its body. However, whether because of my HP suddenly decreasing or the boat¡¯s recent, rapid ascension, the edges of my vision had turned ck and white, and I couldn¡¯t move. I also couldn¡¯t properly grasp the distance between the stern and bow anymore, which was a problem. I slowly lowered my head and tried to shake off the dizziness. ¡°Everyone, brace yourselves!¡± To my great annoyance, the dragon stuck its head over the bow and dove back into the sea with its body shaped like a ¡°U¡±, causing the ship to rock again. I felt my gastric juicesing up. Kiyaaa! At that moment, the Sea Dragon came rushing toward us as though trying to save us. Ah, of course, it wasn¡¯t much help; as it rushed toward us, the already tumultuous surface of the water began swelling again. Shake! My body violently shook, like falling forward when a car suddenly stopped. That was the moment I couldn¡¯t hold on any longer. ¡°Bleargh.¡± Something lumpy spilled out from my throat through my lips. It was kind of dark in color. I was pretty sure gastric juices were supposed to be brighter, though. Drip. Some of it also dropped down, mixing with the rainwater. I hoped it was just tears or drool, but the color of what dripped onto the deck was nothing like that. Part of my vision had turned red, as well. Still, it didn¡¯t matter so long as I didn¡¯t suffer from the injury penalty. Even if parts of my vision turned red and I bled a little, it wouldn¡¯t kill me. Kiyaaargh! Bang! ¡°¡­!¡± As I was trying to reassure myself, something hit the protective shield. Crack! It was followed by something breaking, a sound that rang in my ear. ¡°That¡¯s!¡± ¡°Oh God!¡± I quickly raised my head, an ominous feeling oveing me. The ck dragon¡¯s tail had shattered the shield and broken part of the rear mast. The Inquisitor was gritting her teeth and spreading her protective film back out, which is why it only caused that much damage. The Archmage headed down again. However, the tail attack didn¡¯t end with that. Whether by coincidence or intention, the ck dragon fiercely swung its tail toward us even while roaring at that Sea Dragon. It was persistently targeting the central mast. * * * * * * Rumble. Blood streamed from the lips of the priests who were gritting their teeth. The Inquisitor was in a simr condition. The stronger the radiance around them became, the stronger the film surrounding the ship to withstand those tail attacks became, and the more heat their bodies emitted, evaporating the rain before it even fell on them. That didn¡¯t look very healthy. My HP was also plummeting into the abyss here. ¡®I can¡¯t just stand here and suffer like this.¡¯ Grip. I held tightly onto the railing and grabbed the Zweih?nder still strapped to my back. Either way, I was thankful the main mast wasn¡¯t damaged, but that happiness was rather limited, considering another mast had brokenpletely. There was no way my character¡¯s temperament would allow me to overlook this. ¡°¡­? You?¡± Besides, if that thing kept hitting the film, I was destined to die either way. I didn¡¯t want to be killed by my allies like that! Absolutely not! Whatever our original n might have been, I needed to live! Tak. I climbed onto the railing once more. ¡°Whip!¡± ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Attacking from the railing was futile; my sword wouldn¡¯t effectively hit the target. As such, I rushed along the railing toward the tail that was readying to crash down on the ship once more. As I got near it, I jumped offboard as if attempting to plunge into the ocean. Ssshing! I pulled out my Zweih?nder, gripping it tightly with both hands and encasing it in a pitch-ck aura. Whoosh! Then, a jet-ck crescent extended from my sword, growing in size and cutting off the dragon¡¯s tail. Spew! ck blood spurted from the beast as several meters of the ck dragon¡¯s tail fell into the water. Kiyaaaaagh! I had never felt so exhrated by the dragon¡¯s scream. ¡°A-Aah!¡± However, in exchange for that blow, I had no choice but to surrender my body to gravity. Sling! Just as I was about to fall into the seawater, a whip quickly wrapped around my torso. I could feel a painful tingling and tightening sensation from where the leather strap wound around my body, but at least I had avoided falling into the sea. With the aid of several other adventurers, he pulled my body back onto the deck using the whip as a safety line. Thud. I tried tond on my feet but still ended up falling. Hmm. Still, I wasn¡¯t embarrassed by my failednding as I rolled one more time. I could only praise myself for the awesome posture¡ªdown on one knee with a hand ced on the ground¡ªI ended up in. Although my stomach felt like it was turning somersaults, and I had to puke out more of that thick, lumpy stuff in my mouth. ¡°Demon Knight!¡± I hurriedly covered my mouth and coughed. When I looked at what was smeared on my gauntlet, I felt relief, even though it was nothing to be relieved about. Wow, I was so d it was blood. If it had been puke, the atmosphere would have beenpletely ruined. No, of course, no one would me me for puking. It was just¡­ If I had to roley as my character anyway, I wanted to at least look cool and stylish. I would lookpletely different if I were to puke instead of spilling some blood after putting so much effort into this performance. ¡°Uwargh! Are you okay?!¡± Deb, who had stuck his head out from inside the ship, got scared and came running. While my head was spinning, Deb pulled my body to help me up, making me even dizzier. ¡°The¡­ dragon.¡± I closed my eyes tightly before opening them again. ¡°I don¡¯t really know what happened to them. They both dived back under the sea¡­¡± My vision was even redder than before, but my dizziness was lessening. Could it be? No, I wasn¡¯t sure if I was over my seasickness. My stomach still felt like it was tossing around inside of me. ¡°We¡¯re in the Dragon¡¯s Gate again! Everyone, get ready!¡± As I had cut off so much of its tail, there was no way we lost its aggro. If we entered the Dragon¡¯s Gate again, the water would be shallower due to the reefs, making it difficult to attack us from below¡ª ¡¸A hostile existence has entered a radius of 30m.¡¹ ¡°What?¡± I felt some slight vibrations from the water and saw a target mark approaching us from beneath the ship. Soon, the water level rose, and something soared from the left side of the ship. ¡°Uwaaaargh!¡± The shield, which I didn¡¯t know had recharged, broke once more. The ship rocked tremendously, throwing people onto the deck. Crack! The ck dragon bit into the mast. Bang! Baaang! Bang! I could feel more ominous vibrationsing from under the ship. Crack! ¡°There¡¯s a hole in the ship!!¡± ¡°Th-There are Spartoi!¡± They were sounds that heralded catastrophe. ¡°Oh, almighty God, please hear our prayers. Hear my plea.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t panic! Come down now and stop the water from getting in! Adventurers! Take care of the Spartoi!¡± Oh, did I uselessly cut its tail off? Should I have just waited for the ship to escape its radius? Even if my HP hit rock bottom, I would have been the only one to die¡­ Kiyaaargh! On the ship that had barely regained its bnce, I faced the dragon still some distance away, waves whipping between us. Ssh. It bit through the mast it had just torn off, the two pieces falling into the sea. Those red eyes stared directly at me. ¡°Hurry, throw out the water! If this ship sinks, we¡¯re all dead! We still have the front mast!¡± At that moment, I came to a realization: even if I hadn¡¯t sliced off its tail, it would have tried to kill us. We hit it with the Arcane cannon before I even touched its tail. We also threw a multitude of harpoons at it. Or maybe it was just because we had trespassed into its territory. Or simply because we were still alive. Or maybe it just was because it was ¡®corrupted¡¯. ¡°Now¡ª!¡± Bang! At that moment, something else struck the ship in the gap while the shield was still down and the priests couldn¡¯t recite their prayers. It was a Spartoi,rger than all those I had seen before. However, it was still in the process of forming. Its legs and face weren¡¯t entirely there yet. From what I could glean from how its unfinished body vaguely resembled the ck dragon, it most definitely formed from the cut-off tail. However, there was something even more important than that: I was really lucky. I wasn¡¯t just talking about taking an opportunity when it presented itself. I was genuinely, extremely lucky. It could have dealt so much damage to us with just a single attack, so it was assuredly strong. ¡°Captain!¡± ¡°Urgh!¡± Unable to move from where he held on to the rudder, Windhand was drenched in the water that the Spartoi sshed on board and thrown into the sea. ¡°Captain!¡± The sailors screamed. In the next moment, Arcane Power flowed into my legs without me noticing. ¡°All of you!¡± ¡°Hold on for just a moment!¡± Sigh, really. The mast was shattered, and there was a hole in the bottom. This raid seemed to be an utter failure. Did he try sacrificing himself or something? However, did I have toply with that n? ¡°Get back on the ship.¡± ¡°Argh?!¡± I caught up to Windhand as he flew through the air. I grabbed him by the cor and immediately tossed him back. ¡°Mister Knight¡ª!¡± It would hurt a lot if he hit the deck like that, but that wasn¡¯t something I should care about. Still, it was better than falling into the sea, right? Moreover, the ck dragon was right in front of me. Kiyaaaaargh! The dragon opened its mouth and lowered its head. With how massive its body was, it was a bit slower as well. No matter how skillfully one could swim after falling in there, it would be difficult to escape the radius of that huge mouth. ¡°Victory to my de.¡± However, I hadn¡¯t given up yet. I was going to try and fight it. Our n had fallen to pieces anyway and was now just a pie in the sky. ¡°Glory to the Heavens¡­!¡± [Survival Instinct] pointed to arge fragment of the mast that thing had just torn off and spat carelessly into the sea. I was very lucky. It was extremely rare for such debris to remain intact and floating on the surface when the sea was like this. I seized the opportunity and gained a foothold. Ssh! The impact of me jumping onto the piece of debris caused some ripples and sshes to form around the area. My body lifted into the sky. Bam! The ck dragon¡¯s head was right underneath my feet. Chapter 51: Pray and Pray Again (9) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 51 Pray and Pray Again (9) Instead of the expected chill of seawater, Windhand felt himself colliding with something terribly hard and exhaled. Damn, what happened just now? I was holding onto the rudder, and then something suddenly hit me. It was cold and hard, but it was definitely wet¡­ ¡°Oh, almighty God.¡± Windhand returned to his senses as he felt a brilliant light driving away the wind and rain and enveloping him in warmth. The pain, like every bone in his body was broken, gradually lessened, and his head cleared. ¡°The ground I stand on shall be yournd.¡± After quickly opening his eyes, he could see a pir of light right before the Inquisitor who had apanied the Demon Knight. The bright light emitted from the pir flooded in all directions, forcing the ship to stay afloat and burning everything that didn¡¯t belong in the sea. ¡°Please be with me.¡± There were even tears of blood falling from the Inquisitor¡¯s eyes. ¡°¡­Is he even real?¡± ¡°¡­The dragon.¡± Ah, there was no time for this now. With his mind bing clearer, he finally managed to recall what he hadst seen. ¡ºGet back on the ship.¡» Their reversed positions, his breath colder than one would expect from a living person, a hand violently grabbing him by the cor, and those few whispered words. That person threw him back onto the boat and was swallowed by the sea instead¡­ His uncovered gray eyes showed no hesitation to the very end. He felt saddened, as the man seemed to resemble his father, who gave his own life to save him. ¡°Demon Knight, Demon Kniiight?!¡± He somehow shook off the arm of the silent vice-captain and lifted his upper body. At that moment, he was stunned,pletely speechless. ¡°¡­Hey, hey.¡± It wasn¡¯t that the vice-captain wasn¡¯t worried for him, nor was he unwilling to help. Instead, something so intense was happening that he justpletely forgot. ¡°If he¡¯s going to do that, we¡¯d better get out of here before our ship breaks!¡± Would he never again witness a single person going against a dragon alone? Would anyone believe him that a warrior fought a corrupted dragon on even footing within tsunamis, storms, thunder, and lightning? ¡°Shit, the sun is about to set! You¡¯d better keep your promise, you Demon Knight bastard!¡± Despite how hopeless the situation looked, Windhand became cheerful for no apparent reason. He couldn¡¯t help it. ¡°¡­Pion, if I return alive to our homnd, you will have to listen to my stories about this day a dozen times over.¡± No one in this world, not even the Gods of Heaven, would have ever witnessed such a scene. * * * I should have just stuck my sword in the middle of its forehead. I quickly moved my feet, thinking of the opportunity I had barely missed earlier. I ran along the dragon¡¯s body, trampling its scales with my military boots. Thanks to the rain and seawater, it was incredibly slippery, so I had to be careful with each and every step. Kiyaaargh! At that moment, the ck dragon began targeting me, trying to strike my body with its head. I quickly stood and dodged its attack. The dragon, twisted into the form of the proportional sign (¡Ø), swiftly plunged its head into the sea. It was a tactic it had learned after doing something simr and almost getting its forehead pierced through. ¡°Tsk!¡± I never thought missing a single opportunity could hurt this much. Instead ofing down near the head that just passed me by, Inded where I had been originally standing. With its head underwater, the only way I could stay out of the sea was by leaping to the dragon¡¯s other end. It was an inevitable choice. Since my defeat would be inevitable if I fell into the water, I had to somehow remain in the sky while using its body as a springboard. I ran up the dragon¡¯s form all the way to its severed tail. When I finally reached the end of its body, I focused my Arcane Power into my legs and jumped as high as I could. Blood poured over my body. Paaang! Before Ipletely fell, the sea parted and the ck dragon, mouth gaping, rose up. However, it was up to me where I would fall. I narrowly avoided its maw, sinking my sword into its cheek. My Longsword, filled with my ck energy, tore through the creature¡¯s skin, widening its mouth in the process. In human terms, it was as if I had torn the corner of its mouth right up to the bottom of its ear. Grrrrrind! However, due to the friction and density of its scales and skin, I couldn''t rip a horizontal line across half of its body. I just managed to cut the corner of its mouth to the length of its head and then stopped. I felt like I was the main character in a movie. Why? Because I was like the protagonist who had slipped while rock climbing and came to a precarious halt by mming his equipment, such as an icepick or ax, into the stone wall. Kiyaaargh!! However, the difference between them and me was just a tiny thing. Since the stone walls weren¡¯t alive, they could just climb back up, step by step. In my case, the dragon struggled fiercely to throw me off somehow. My body eventually began slipping along with my sword. ¡°Mister Knight!¡± However, I wasn¡¯t alone. From the ship that hadn¡¯t sunk yet¡ªwhat was that insane light?¡ªa wooden nk came hurtling forward. Ssh! The nk fell near where I would fall. I had gained a foothold. Bang! Immediately after I collided with it, the nk was not only pushed down into the sea due to the tremendous impact but also split apart. However, before it lost its use as a springboard, I flew back up into the sky. My next stepping stone would be the dragon¡¯s body, which had just breached the water with its head exposed. It was raised almost vertically, leaving it pretty hard to step on. Fortunately, I had a sword with me. I injected some Arcane Power into its de. Screech. I heard a strange metallic sounding from my Longsword. Staaab! Still, the Longsword infused with my Arcane Power managed to pierce through its scales and firmly embed itself into the creature¡¯s body. I now had something to hold onto. Kiyaaaargh! However, the dragon twisted its flexible neck, turning its head to try to devour me. Jumping right now was rather difficult, but I wasn¡¯t too concerned. The ck dragon wasn¡¯t the only thing moving in the sea. * * * * * * Kyaaaaah! Apanied by a clear roar, the Sea Dragon, who had kept hidden for some time, appeared again. It bit the ck dragon¡¯s neck, and the dragon¡¯s mouth, which had been aiming for me, switched targets. Next, its almost vertical body started to tilt. I climbed its body, holding onto its bumpy scales as if I were actually rock climbing. It was quite slippery, but just when I thought I might have to start again from the bottom if this went on, I gained some strength I didn¡¯t know I had. Creak. I waited a little, then walked, before finally running. Naturally, my sword also came with me. My legs, wrapped in my Arcane Power, ascended the ck dragon¡¯s body without much trouble. However, upon reaching a section too steep to scale, I increased my altitude by leaping to the Sea Dragon. At first, the sea looked so far away that I felt like I was standing on a bungee jumping tform. I wasn¡¯t afraid of heights, though. This wasn¡¯t all that scary. I vaulted over the Sea Dragon¡¯s head and faced the ck dragon, freshly released from the Sea Dragon¡¯s teeth. Due to that timing, I couldn¡¯tnd on the ck dragon and remained airborne for a brief moment. What could I do now that this has already happened? I should start by dealing some damage. Screeeeech! I fired the Arcane Power within my sword, followed by a terrible metallic sound. A crescent [sh] left a diagonal cut near the ck dragon¡¯s neck. The wound looked simr to how one usually filleted a fish. Kiyaaaargh! The ck dragon seemed to tremble in pain a bit before dropping into the sea. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was dead yet, but my current situation was a bit more urgent. Anyway, what would happen now after floating in the air like this? I would just fall into the sea. That could never happen. I hurriedly tried to strengthen my body and searched for a way to somehownd on the ck dragon¡¯s body. I thought using the ck dragon might at least soften my fall a little. Fortunately, its body was massive. For some unknown reason, perhaps because of the wind resistance or something, it fell slower than I did. With that, I managed tond on its belly and descended like that. Baaam! As I expected, the ck dragon¡¯s bodypletely absorbed the impact. Twitch. Unfortunately, it seemed to still be alive and immediately flipped over as it tried to dive into the sea. I hurriedly jumped up and, luckily, stomped on a Spartoi that stuck out its head out of the sea¡ªactually, it seemed it was trying to attack me. The Spartoi I had used as a foothold sank to the bottom of the sea, and I clung onto the Sea Dragon. Perhaps because I was just clinging to its scales without sinking my sword into it, the Sea Dragon didn¡¯t attack me. However, it also didn¡¯t show me any consideration, such as putting me on its stomach or head. The Sea Dragon stuck its head underwater and began to move, seemingly trying to dive. The part I held went straight up into the sky, making me feel like I had just boarded a roller coaster. ¡°Haah, hah.¡± It was around then that I noticed I was having some trouble breathing. I guessed I was a little, no, very tired. It wasn¡¯t iprehensible. My HP, which had decreased a lot due to the Divine Power, had now reached its halfway point, and my Arcane Power was almostpletely exhausted from my fight against the dragon. Even if I wasn¡¯t afraid of heights, fighting that high in the air with the looming risk of plunging into the sea was something I couldn¡¯t help but feel nervous about. Also, my body hadn¡¯t started out in good condition, either. The seasickness I had been suffering from because of the few hours spent sailing hadn¡¯t gone away yet. I was merely suppressing it through sheer willpower. Now that I could finally take a breather, it wasn¡¯t surprising that it all came rushing back in. Uwaargh. Still, I didn¡¯t want to do this again. Just thinking about having to do this twice if I failed naturally boosted my strength. It felt simr to what had happened in the underground passages in Tatara. I wasn¡¯t very confident that I could do that again. I didn¡¯t even want to do it again, to begin with. No matter whether it was going through sewers and fighting a huge boss battle with maxed-out fatigue or sailing around for several hours while enduring extreme seasickness, both were horrifically terrible! I forced myself to keep it together and tried to think of ways to handle this. I had made a n before the dragon I was now standing onpletely submerged itself under the water. ¡°¡­?¡± However, I saw a pitch-ck shadow beneath the water¡¯s surface. It wasn¡¯t anything unfamiliar. Since both dragons were in the process of diving, it was only natural that there was movement in the sea. However, the location was off. That thing shouldn¡¯t appear there. It looked like it was aiming for the ship and not me. ¡°That fucking dragon!¡± Hey! Was that guy actually targeting the main base that couldn¡¯t avoid its attack just because it couldn¡¯t hit me? Was it actually trying to rob an empty house here? This game was really fucking great, yeah! I urgently looked for something I could use as a springboard. Of course, there was nothing suitable around. The remaining mast fragments were too few to cross over on, and the strong waves had already swallowed almost everything else. The Dragon? It didn¡¯t care about me. That I could jump on it from time to time until now was probably just a lucky coincidence. I couldn¡¯t really do anything unless the dragon decided to reemerge. Even now, I was in tremendous danger of falling into the sea again. Wh-What should I do now? How could I stop it from attacking the boat? How could I attack that shitty dragon¡­? ¡¸[Life Force Conversion] ©¦ Consumes life force to recover Arcane Power. Effect: Recovers Arcane Power in proportion to the HP consumed.¡¹ A Window suddenly appeared before me, blocking part of my view. Inside, a skill I had never seen or particrly imagined or desired was described. ¡°¡­This is ridiculous.¡± All of a sudden? Right now? A new skill? They were giving it to me for free? Wow. If that was how it was going to be, they should have lowered the difficulty level or at least made it more reasonable. They only ever threw me these kinds of things as if saying, ¡®Hey, just use this,¡¯ when this sort of shit happened. ¡°What the hell¡­¡± Or had they given up on hiding this bug now? ¡°This isn¡¯t even a beta test!¡± However, my dissatisfaction was one thing, and my current situation was another. They hadn¡¯t even fixed this damn log-out bug yet, so why should a bnce patch take priority? Well, I should just use what I had been given when I already knew these kinds of things were impossible. I quickly read over the skill¡¯s exnation again and racked my brain on how to use it. It consumed HP to recover Arcane Power. Yes, Arcane Power recovery. ¡°¡­Are they telling me to pour all my Arcane Power into this attack?¡± [sh] was the only long-distance skill I could use, and from what I noticed, its range was proportional to the Arcane Power consumed. Although, I hadn¡¯t confirmed yet how far it could maximally go¡­ Since I had no other choice, I could only do that, though. The Sea Dragon only had its tail above the sea, so I had no more room to retreat, either. I raised my sword, believing the system wouldn¡¯t just give me skills for no reason. Since using my Zweih?nder was more advantageous when attempting to create a long, massive [sh] than my Longsword, I changed weapons quickly. And when the foothold I was standing on reached its limit, I sprung forward as much as possible and swung my Zweih?nder sideways. Energy far beyond anything I had let out before split apart the ocean and reached the dragon, which was readying to capsize the ship. ¡®Got it.¡¯ With absolute certainty in my heart, my vision filled with the ckness of the sea. Chapter 52: Pray and Pray Again (10) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 53 Pray and Pray Again (10) ¡¸LEVEL UP!¡¹ My thoughts quieted as the Window blocked part of my view. I finally understood why people say it is safer to dive deep when the waves are strong. Compared to the chaos on the surface, down here was surprisingly calm and cozy. Blublublub. I exhaled some of my breath. My soul, which seemed to have left me for a while getting tossed around by waves, eventually reentered my body. Bubbles rose from my mouth. ¡®I have to move.¡¯ With the Zweih?nder I was barely holding on to, the Longsword on the verge of slipping out of its scabbard, and the weight of a full-grown, muscr adult man carrying all other kinds of objects, it was impossible for me to float up naturally. If I didn¡¯t want to sink any further, I had to move my limbs somehow. ¡®Move already.¡¯ However, my body didn¡¯tply with my intentions so easily. A ray of light prated the gray sea and scattered, forming a kind of aurora. It was calm, but I could hear noises unique to the sea. All the roars and unpleasant noises were tuned out¡­ It was unexpectedly nice. So much so that I almost wanted to sink like this forever. ¡¸A hostile existence has entered a radius of 30m.¡¹ ¡­Still, how did this happen? I could vaguely see the ck dragon I had cut down in the distance. Did I really almost die because I got distracted by this unexpected moment of peace? I opened my eyes wide, grabbed my sword, and turned around. In this world almost entirely tinged in ck or white, I could see some distinctly white things all around me: they were all Spartoi. This situation wasn¡¯t good at all. I would usually just disregard them since they only took one hit to deal with, but right now, I was underwater, short of breath, and low on both HP and Arcane Power. I couldn¡¯t even use [Survival Instinct] because it was still on cooldown. I had to get out of the water first. I hurriedly kicked my legs. The Zweih?nder was too heavy, but I could solve that simply by stuffing it into my inventory. I kept out my Longsword because I needed something to deal with the Spartoi. Whoosh, whoosh. Apanied by various sounds, my arms and legs finally managed to bring me toward the surface. The higher I went, the stronger the waves were, making it difficult for me to move. ¡°Puhah!¡± And the moment my face left the water, the damn waves dragged me back under. No. It was one of the Spartoi. I felt a burning sensation from my ankles. ¡¸Activating [Indomitable Spirit]!¡¹ ¡°¡­!¡± That damn lizard thing even made me spend my extra life. I swung around my Longsword, praying the HP restored by Indomitable Spirit wouldn¡¯t get depleted. My de struck the Spartoi, meeting some resistance. Baaam! Was it because I didn¡¯t have enough strength left or because I didn¡¯t coat it in Arcane Power? My attack only went halfway through the Spartoi. I forced myself to swing it one more time. Only then did I fully pierce the Spartoi¡¯s head, forcing it to release my ankle. Kyak! However, the Spartoi¡¯s attacks had just begun. I hurriedly swam up, striking at the heads of the new assants. Hurgh. Air and water entered my mouth, prompting me to lower my gaze back down below the surface. I saw countless Spartoi attacking me without a single gap. sh! One of them bit my right arm. Of course, I immediately swung my sword to decapitate it. Screech. That metallic sound, which I hadn¡¯t been paying attention to until now, seemed particrly annoying to me. aash! After barely managing to kill the thing that bit my arm, I tried cutting down the next one preparing to attack me. Crack! A clear sound reached my ears: the Longsword breaking in two. Shit. It was then that this straight sword became a broken straight sword. Bubble, bubble. A string of curses apanied by bubbles left my mouth. Of course, its durability had decreased a lot, but it was still around 70%. Not 50%, but 70%! So, why did it break all of a sudden? Why did it have to break right now? This was just uneptable! Although I couldn¡¯t help but feel offended, I had to think of something quickly. Surprisingly, the Spartoi snapped at the water instead of my body. I was very lucky, but a sense of helplessness and uncertainty dominated my mind. Use the Zweih?nder? That wasn¡¯t an alternative. I might not feel it much when I was onnd, but in the water, it was much too heavy and long, making it difficult to handle. Then, should I fight with that broken thing? Was I crazy?! While a sword was more unwieldy the longer it was, less than 10cm was all that remained of the de, and it wasn¡¯t even that sharp! Blublub! I gritted my teeth when I saw the Spartoi approaching me, letting out air bubbles. Baaam! The hilt of my broken sword flew through the water and struck one of those things right between the eyes. The Spartoi reflexively twisted its body. Good, this was the right time to attack! I quickly felt around inside my clothes, took out a dagger, and gripped it tightly. It didn¡¯t matter to me what I armed myself with, even just a throwing weapon. I was desperate. I snatched the broken de in my right hand. I wondered if I could even fight with it, but I had no other choice here. Two Spartoi rushed at me with their mouths wide open. I swung my dagger at the oneing from the left, chasing it away, and hastily pointed the sword fragment at the one close to the front. Crack! Thanks to my swift movements, it bit into the de instead of my body. Screech! It fiercely chewed on the sword and tried to bite off my head somehow. I wanted to stab my dagger into that thing¡¯s neck, but there were too many of these monsters attacking from all sides. I twitched my arm and swung my dagger. Uuugh. To make matters worse, I was just barely holding my breath. I needed air. This situation was really crazy and desperate. My vision began blurring at the edges. ¡°Mister!¡± Ssh! However, even if the sky falls, there will always be a way to rise again. Something jumped into the water near me, creating a massive air bubble, and urgently approached me. A harpoon pierced the head of the Spartoi chasing after me with my de in its mouth from the top. Following the arm holding the harpoon, I saw a very familiar and wee face. It was Deb, with whitish-blue chains wrapped around his upper body. Bubble, blulubb. Deb moved his mouth as if trying to say something. I couldn¡¯t really hear him, and with my vision leaving me, I couldn¡¯t read his lips, either. However, one thing was very clear. ¡°¡­!¡± I threw my dagger and quickly took Deb¡¯s empty hand. Bite! My right arm was bitten by one of the Spartoi. The next thing that happened was that Deb, his eyes shut tight, pulled at the chains wrapped around his body. aaaaaatter! With the sound of ttering chains, Deb and I, who was holding onto his body, began to cut through the water. We were a little faster than the Spartoi. Unless something unexpected happened, we would definitely reach the ship¡­ I had no idea how they figured out where I was, but thanks to them, I would survive. As long as I didn¡¯t run out of breath. Swoosh. If I fell unconscious from theck of air, they would probably struggle quite a bit to get me out of the water. I suddenly felt something enter my mouth. Something exuding air. ¡°¡­!¡± Deb, you rascal! I was moved to tears. I felt so touched that he rushed to save me despite iming to hate water, and he even brought along a device to help me breathe. How thoughtful. Kiyaaaargh!! However, something inadvertently had to interfere. With my lungs refilled with air, I looked down, my vision clear once more. Naturally, I saw a target mark directly below us while hearing various other sounds. And then, something incredibly crazy entered my view. The dragon, its entire lower half (in human terms) cut off, swam toward me using just its upper body. That disgusting bastard wasn''t a zombie, right?! Actually, looking closer, I saw legs that weren''t there before sticking out of its t stomach and a new tail beginning to sprout from the shed part. It seemed simr to a Spartoi. I didn¡¯t know it was possible for them to be born from shorn-off body parts and not just scales and the like. Wait a second. Then, did the tail I severed really turn into the Spartoi that hit Windhand earlier? Its persistence reminded me of that wizard who shall not be named, who tried to split his soul to live forever. Blublub. In any case, if I stayed like this, we would only get hurt. While cursing and letting out some air bubbles, I made a decision. Deb, noticing what I nned on doing, grabbed the hem of my clothes tightly. However, it wasn¡¯t difficult to shake him off. Deb was dragged away by the chains, instantly leaving me alone in the sea. Fortunately, the remnants of the ck dragon were only rushing toward me, not Deb. The distance between it and me rapidly shrank. Rumble, rumble. Now,e at me. I managed to take my Zweih?nder out of my inventory. While it was pretty difficult to swing, after regaining some Arcane Power through [Life Force Conversion], that became manageable. On the other hand, I only had exactly one HP left. It was risky, but what else should I have done? There was no other way for me. Blub. Die. So, this truly was my final, final struggle. My sword, which met some resistance as I swung it, bisected the already cut-apart dragon from where I struck to the tip of its snout, spreading blood everywhere. As its blood was ck, an almost blind battle took ce. * * * * * * The Archmage gazed anxiously at the sky and the sea, where the storm seemed to be slowly clearing up. The young man who said he¡¯d spotted the Demon Knight sticking his head out of the water and volunteered to bring him back had nearly finished crossing the sea. He hurried along the footholds created by the wizards using all their Arcane Power. And soon, he entered the water. All the adventurers were on high alert. ¡°As soon as we get the signal, we pull.¡± ¡°Shit, this is¡­¡± They had prepared these chains, knowing it would be extremely difficult to get through all these Spartoi. Even if they were just something spontaneously made using Arcane power, if sessful, it would be more than enough to save those two people. ¡°Here it is!¡± ¡°Pull!¡± And then the agreed-upon signal arrived. The adventurers and sailors who still had some strength left pulled the chains together. With some Arcane Power added in, their speed was quite fast. ¡°Cough, cough.¡± However, when he saw that only one person had returned, the Archmage fell to his knees without realizing. ¡°H-Hey!¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s not toote yet, cough.¡± Someone tried to support the young man. However, it was the young man himself who shook them off. His clear green eyes were shining through his wet, dark green hair. Just like the Inquisitor, who didn¡¯t give up and continued praying despite their dire situation, he also had hope. ¡°It¡¯s not toote!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°We can still save him!¡± ¡°Wait, no. The Spartoi are nearby!¡± ¡°God damn it, Mister Knight is still alive!¡± ¡°The Spartoi are approaching us!¡± So, how could he just give up? The Hero spilled her own blood to save the ship and maintain a sanctuary their enemies couldn¡¯t approach. This thief, whose physicality was mostly that of an ordinary person, even volunteered to do something this dangerous without any regard for his own life. And the Demon Knight was fighting a dragon on the ocean floor despite his body being mere flesh and blood. How could he just sit by? ¡°Give me ten seconds.¡± He had suffered internal injuries earlier when his shield was broken through. He had just recovered a little. However, his body¡¯s safety only mattered if they all survived. Drip. ¡°S-Sir Archmage!¡± He forcibly gathered his Arcane Power, condensing it. Chanting a spell would have made it more urate, but as his mouth was full of blood, he had to skip that part. Still, it didn¡¯t matter. Arcane arrows, nearly as strong as cannon strikes, pierced through all the Spartoi that came out of the sea. His stomach lurched, and blood stained his white fur, but that was a small price to pay. ¡°Sir Archmage!¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ fine¡­¡± The lives of those young kids were a lot more precious than his. He sat down, his vision blurring. His old, aging body didn¡¯t allow him to do anything more. Still, it was fine. Suddenly, a part of the sea swelled up. A beam of light pierced through the clouds, coloring the world in gold. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I-I can¡¯t believe it¡­¡± A dragon raised its head from the sea. An uncorrupted divine beast with blue scales instead of ck. Kiiiiii. The dragon opened its mouth, unleashing a clear cry. In it, one could see its red tongue and something ck grasping onto another thing tightly. His multi-colored hair and eye patch were particrly noticeable. ¡°Mister Knight!¡± ¡°Demon Knight!¡± The divine beast effortlessly stuck its head through the sanctuary. The young man and Windhand fearlessly reached their upper torsos into the beast¡¯s mouth and caught the man inside. Tok. A dragon¡¯s head, cut in half, fell onto the deck. ¡°Hey, are you still alive?¡± ¡°Mister, are you still alive?¡± The Archmage forced his eyes open. He wanted to check whether the person who took on the most dangerous task of them all was safe before falling unconscious, at least. ¡°Mister, please answer me.¡± ¡°Cough.¡± ¡°Mister!¡± Ah, he knew it. ¡°Don¡¯t make such a fuss¡­¡± ¡°What are you saying, Mister?! I thought I would lose my mind, you know?!¡± There was no way he would die so easily, judging by his temper. Only then were his worries relieved enough for him to close his eyes. It seemed like¡­ this might be a long rest. * * * Ah, damn it. After confirming that the body I had split apart didn¡¯t revive again for Phase Three¡ªmeaning, more Spartoi¡ªI went up to the surface. While Deb¡¯s report should be sufficient, I should at least show some signs of my survival. Of course, as I watched the sinking dragon carcass, I thought it was quite a shame: one could only obtain its by-products by butchering its body. I grabbed the split head as I went up. The item name ¡®Dragon By-Products¡¯ was just too tempting for me to let it sink to the ocean floor. It was also surprisingly light rtive to its size, which further contributed to my decision. Furthermore, my Longsword waspletely broken. It would be perfect if I could make a sword out of this dragon¡¯s head. Unless I was sure there was a Quest Reward for this, I absolutely had to take it with me. However, as I started to swim up, arrows of some kind began raining down on me. I got scared and dived beneath the water to avoid them, only to witness the Sea Dragon tearing one of the ck dragon¡¯s fragments to pieces. I was quietly swimming to the boat, but when I saw the overflowing Divine Power, I cursed and tried leaving myself to the waves. Then the sea dragon forced me into its mouth¡ªI was so surprised that I almost attacked it, but it misfired due to myck of Arcane Power and HP¡ªand tried delivering me directly to the boat. I had no other choice. I really appreciated the favor, but my HP was very low at the moment. ¡°Cough.¡± Urgh, hey. Look at all that blooding out as soon as I entered that sanctuary of Divine Power. Wasn¡¯t the penalty for this far too harsh? Why was it that most of my HP was lost to my allies instead of my enemies? ¡°Mister!¡± Really? Would I really die like this? Right after I managed to survive through all this? I even killed that dragon! Hah, look at that¡­ I was left speechless as my HP slowly fell to nothing. The thought that I would die so meaninglessly left me weak. However, every cloud has a silver lining: the moment my HP reached one again, it didn¡¯t drop any further. This was the second time now. Was it like giving someone an antidote right after poisoning them? Was this theirst conscience? Even if my HP was reduced because of Divine Power, would it not go below one? I really had a lot to say about this, but I couldn¡¯t because of my character setting. ¡°Don¡¯t make such a fuss¡­¡± ¡°What are you saying, Mister?! I thought I would lose my mind, you know?!¡± Still, I was relieved I wouldn¡¯t die right away from that. I slowly immersed myself in my roleying again. ¡°Sigh.¡± One of the people who helped me up was Windhand. ¡°You didn¡¯t lose by any chance, did you?¡± Did he think I didn¡¯t hear him? I kept my promise, okay? Although it was a meaningless promise that had already been dyed by one day. Anyway, I managed to kill the dragon itself in half a day. ¡°¡­Yeah, shit. I didn¡¯t. I kept the promise¡­¡± Windhand burst intoughter. That felt somewhat rewarding. ¡°Shit, man, aren¡¯t you happy that you basically just wrote history?¡± It was worth it¡­ Hey, why was the Archmage getting carried away like that? And what was the Inquisitor doing under that pir of light? Why were all the other priests passed out? Could we just take a step back here?? ¡°Th-The dragon!¡± At that moment, I heard other people shout. Rattle. The ship¡¯s sounds apanied them. ¡°Fish and turtles are carrying the boat¡­¡± ¡°¡­Are they nning to take us tond?¡± ¡°Oh my, Lord Sea Dragon is dragging our ship¡­¡± ¡­I wasn¡¯t sure what was happening, but it seemed like the Dragon was doing something. ¡¸? Corruption Washed Up from the Sea ? Find and Purify the source of the Negative Energy ? Return to Gr¨¹ Teltz¡¹ So, we could really return now? Phew, what a relief. Had it told me that we couldn¡¯t go back yet, I would have seriously cried. ¡°Miss Priest!¡± ¡°Miss Inquisitor!¡± At that moment, the Inquisitor copsed. The brilliance enveloping the shippletely disappeared. ¡°Ouch!¡± ¡°You mustn¡¯t touch her carelessly!¡± ¡°Oh, almighty God¡­¡± This person, breathing heavily as extreme heat rose from her body, seemed to have gone through many hardships I wasn¡¯t aware of, as well. She probably protected the whole ship all this time. ¡°¡­As annoying as it is to admit, the Temple people are useful in their own way.¡± Otherwise, there¡¯s no way Windhand would say something like that. ¡°Well, she is a Hero, after all.¡± ¡°¡­What? Hero?¡± ¡°This should be enough, Mister. You should get some rest now. Please.¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t stop right there!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you need to go to your rudder? Aren¡¯t you the one steering this thing?¡± ¡°The wheel is broken, or do you not have eyes in your head?!¡± Anyway, it seemed like the Raid was finally over. Although our n hadpletely fallen apart, we had achieved everything we wanted. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Of course, I could guess that there were plenty of things we would need to take care of in the city. I also had to go help out Windhand as soon as possible. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ rest.¡± Still¡­ I could just take a little break for today. ¡°¡­Mister, I won¡¯t fall for that. There¡¯s no way you¡¯d ever rest obediently like that, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Sigh, if you are in such high spirits, why don¡¯t you just leave instead of giving people a hard time? Seriously, you don¡¯t know when to call it quits, do you?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to know.¡± ¡­Sigh, life sucks. ____ Chapter 53: I’m Angry, but… (1) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 53 I¡¯m Angry, but¡­ (1) As the Dragon pulled our ship, we counted our casualties. What we found was that the damage, while realistically less than it should have been, was more than we had expected. ¡°Hey, did you bring any alcohol?¡± ¡°Why would I have brought something like that along?¡± ¡°So, you really don¡¯t have any?¡± ¡°Of course, I have some.¡± Two of Windhand¡¯s subordinates. Four of the friends recruited by that former adventurer who said he was in my debt. Three of the skilled sailors Deb had found and hired. Half of the priests who had followed us from the Temple also died due to excessive use of Divine Power, and two wizards of the Magic tower died from having their heads caved in while being thrown around on the ship. One of the adventurers also went missing. These were painful deaths. Most died from being swept away by the tsunamis rather than from their injuries, so there was nothing we could have done. ¡°Sprinkle it.¡± The sailors scattered some water¡ªalcohol¡ªthey had brought with them just in case. The adventurers and priests who¡¯d regained their senses gathered together. ¡°I guess that¡¯s the sailors¡¯ memorial rite.¡± At that moment, Deb, who had been away for some time, sat right next to me. He seemed to look at the wizards around me before turning slightly toward me. ¡°¡­Mister Archmage has deep internal injuries, so he needs a few days to recuperate. I heard that Miss Inquisitor simply copsed from exhaustion and is sleeping, so there is a high probability that she¡¯ll wake up today or tomorrow. At least we don¡¯t have to worry about their lives.¡± That¡­ was good news. I felt even sorrier for Windhand, who lost his men for no reason after getting caught up in this. ¡°Hey, could you pour them a drink, too?¡± Speak of the devil. Just as I was thinking about him, Windhand came to me and asked me to scatter some alcohol, as well. ¡°They¡¯d be happy if the Dragon yer also mourned their death.¡± I stared at the bottle of alcohol he held out to me, then roughly grabbed it. Most everyone had already done it; no one was scattering alcohol on the ship anymore. I was thest. However, that didn¡¯t mean I could just simply pour out some alcohol. I tossed the bottle into the air. sh! I quickly drew my Zweih?nder and cut the liquor bottle in half, spilling out all its contents. The alcohol spread far in all directions. ¡°Mister¡­¡± ¡°Wahaha, how hot-tempered!¡± ¡°Wooow, that should have taken care of all those bastards at once!¡± ¡°You bastards, you should feel honored to get a drink from the Dragon yer himself!¡± ¡°How about showing that dragon¡¯s head¡­¡± ¡°Ah, you guys, enough, get out of here!¡± Fortunately, no one was offended by my actions. That was the end of the sailors¡¯ memorial service, apanied by a lot of noise. * * * By the way, the ce where the Dragon led this half-wrecked ship was the same vige we had visited before. Perhaps because of the low water level, the Dragon stopped at a certain point, but the creatures carrying the boat apanied us all the way to the shore. The tattered ship waspletely beached on the sand. ¡°Wh-What is going on¡­?¡± Led by the vige chief I had seen before, the vigers came rushing out with weapons and torches in hand. Although, since they were all skinny, they didn¡¯t look very threatening. ¡°We''re not dangerous! We aren¡¯t pirates!¡± However, we were also incredibly exhausted. If a fight were to break out now, it would only cause unnecessary harm. Windhand, who got off first, took the lead, and Deb, after looking at me for some time, joined him. Since they were familiar with Deb, the atmosphere quickly calmed down. Kiiiii. Meanwhile, the Dragon slowly began to retreat. I could see it because I stayed on the boat until the very end. ¡°¡­?¡± That wasn¡¯t the only thing: I also received something from it. An orb left the Dragon¡¯s mouth, flew through the air, andnded in my hand. Vrrm, vrrm. The bead I now held gave off some slight vibrations. > [Now that the child intended to devour me and be the next master has died, the cycle of the sea has been broken. There will no longer be an owner of this ocean.] ¡­Hey, wait a second. Was it talking to me? > [It¡¯s thest of my power and what my child was originally meant to absorb. I shall give it to you as a gift now that the cycle hase to an end and I am returning to nature.] I felt a strange sense of betrayal. Of course, it could speak whenever it wanted, but no, no. > [Keep it. It will be beneficial for you.] ¡­Everything was already over. I wondered how much easier it would have been if it had just talked to me during the fight, but we still managed somehow. It even gave us a ride back. I didn¡¯t really know what this was, but the important thing was that it rewarded me. The problem was that this item didn¡¯t have a description, so I had absolutely no clue what to do with it, but whatever. > [Thank you for saving my child.] The Dragon dove back into the water. Soon, the nightly sea took on its original shape. ¡°What did it mean about this ocean no longer had an owner?¡± ¡°So, eating that would make you the next master?! What did it mean by ¡®cycle¡¯?! What a great discovery!¡± ¡°Uwaaah, the Dragon has already left. I didn¡¯t get to fully examine it yet!¡± At that moment, the wizards near me began shouting loudly. They didn¡¯t dare interrupt the conversation between me and the Dragon, but as soon as it was over, they kicked up a racket. ¡°The power gifted by a Dragon, aah¡­ Just what is it? A condensed form of Arcane Power? God, I want to research it so badly!¡± Some even looked at the pearl I held and that dragon head with covetous eyes. It wasn¡¯t anything new, as those guys had kept staring at me on the ship, but that didn¡¯t mean it had be any less burdensome. ¡°E-erm, Sir Demon Knight¡­¡± However, I could only act as my character setting dictated. Ignoring the stares and words of those mages, I looked at the vibrating bead. There still wasn¡¯t any item description for it. Followingmon cliches, it might be a dragon egg. However, it said that this was its power, not its egg. It never even mentioned that I should care for its child or something, either. Moreover, although it was vibrating, it strangely didn¡¯t feel ¡®alive¡¯, exactly. At the very least, it didn¡¯t seem to be a living being. ¡°Please, can¡¯t you show it to us for a little while? Even just a bit is fine!¡± ¡°Please, Sir Knight!¡± ¡°We will graciously return it to you right away!¡± Yeah, nah. I quickly put the bead in my inventory. It felt like the number of useless items in my inventory had increased yet again, but it was better to leave it there than dangle it before those wizards¡¯ eyes. I had gotten a little more familiar with the wizards of the Magic Tower on our way back¡­ To put it nicely, they were pure schrs and truth seekers, but more bluntly, they were obsessed with research. They were like those entric schr characters you¡¯d frequentlye across in various media or the type of people who go batshit crazy whenever something piques their interest. Well, that was the type of personality they seemed to have, at least. Apparently, that was also why those wizards had been staring at me before we set sail. I¡¯d thought they were pissed off because of the three harpoons I wasted, but it turned out they just¡­ really wanted to examine me. I only discovered that because they told me themselves, as well. Well, more precisely¡­ ¡ºCan I study you?! Please, I want to at least examine you before setting sail!¡» ¡ºIf Sir Archmage hadn¡¯t stopped us, I would have asked you much earlier! Please, just one drop of blood, no, no, just 5ml, no, no, no, just 500ml!¡» ¡ºCould you please sign this permission slip to perform experiments on you, just this once?... Ah, this is a secret from Sir Archmage, okay?¡» I found out because they asked me things like this. To be honest, I didn¡¯t especially want to know. I could also understand now why the Archmage told me not to get involved with them. ¡°Please, please just a little¡ª!¡± Sir Archmage, just how hard were you fighting in ces I couldn¡¯t see? Just what did you do to get these crazy schrs under your control? I jumped out of the boat, hoping theatose Archmage would wake up just a minute earlier. ¡°Sir Demon Kniiiight¡ª!¡± The desperate cries of the wizards, too weak to follow me, went on. * * * * * * ¡°Wow, looks like you have quite the fan club there.¡± I nervously reached the beach and settled down. A sailor approached me, giggling: it was the former adventurer who had recruited his friends to help, saying he felt indebted to me. ¡°Shut up.¡± ¡°Haha. I didn¡¯t know wizards were such a nerdy bunch. They¡¯repletely different from the wizard adventurers.¡± He sat on a rock near where I was sitting and started chatting away. I thought only the wizards had thrown their reservations overboard, but this one wasn¡¯t so simple, either. ¡°¡­Is that it? The dragon that attacked our ship?¡± Then, the former adventurer looked at the dragon head I had taken. Although split in half, a head as tall as mey on the sand, making its presence known. Honestly, if it hadn¡¯t been so light, I would have just cut off its horns or pulled out its teeth. ¡°How miserable.¡± It certainly was a miserable sight: cut in half, its brain and eyeballs already swept away by the sea, its blood all drained, and the muscles bby around where it had been severed. However, that wasn¡¯t what this former adventurer meant. ¡°So very¡­ miserable.¡± He had lost friends today. ¡°Can I smoke?¡± Those words served more to inform me than to ask permission. He lit a cigarette gotten from who knows where. As someone who had previously smoked, I was really craving one as well right now. ¡°Young man, please!¡± ¡°Leave it to me!¡± I then saw a man running through the vige all of a sudden. He probably rushed off to contact the people waiting at Gamak Bay. ¡°If you go back¡­ you¡¯ll probably be awarded the Medal of Honor again.¡± The former adventurer, watching me intently, suddenly spoke up again. I wasn¡¯t so sure about that. After all, this wasn''t an official request from the Adventurers¡¯ Guild. Would they really give me a medal for this? ¡°The Lord might call you, too.¡± Urgh¡­ That would be a bit annoying. I didn¡¯t know much about ceremonies around here, and my character certainly wasn¡¯t exactly a fan of these types of things, either. What if I was forced to lose my temper and consequently got chased out as a result? ¡°Phew. How do you manage to resolve such huge cases one after the other? Wouldn¡¯t people like you guys be called Heroes?¡± Those words made me feel somewhat odd. It sounded like he didn¡¯t know the Inquisitor was an actual Hero, but he still almost guessed it. ¡°If you were actual Heroes¡­ Then those who died would be the Heroes¡¯panions, right?¡± The cigarette, which had nearly burned out, fell to the floor. He took out another and lit it. I could smell its acrid smell again. There should be no mercy for chain smokers. I turned away my head. ¡°¡­Heroes or whatever aside. Instead, if possible, please continue making your name known. That way, the families of the deceased can be proud.¡± The cigarette caught embers before white smoke began billowing out. It almost seemed like an incense stick. ¡°¡­What am I saying? Just forget about it. You¡¯ve already done enough. Just take it easy.¡± That person who practically cursed me to be involved in many more incidents suddenly spoke to me kindly. I didn¡¯t answer him even once, only crossing my legs. As if expecting such an answer, the former adventurer smiled and left. All that remained here now were the moon, the stars, and the sound of the waves. Whooooosh. I enjoyed the noisy silence of this lively vige a bit longer. I could faintly hear Deb running to and fro, but that didn¡¯t matter. My character would never help with these things! ¡°Ah, there you¡ª¡± ¡°I told you to go away! Do you want to be cut down?!!¡± ¡­I couldn¡¯t help, but what about those wizards?! ¡°Hey, get the wizards out of the way.¡± ¡°The wizards of the Magic Tower are acting all arrogant now that their leader is gone¡­¡± ¡°Are you done, priest?!¡± Fortunately, others went to stop the wizards instead. Some people wanting to help out also told me to just let those guys be. If Windhand had ordered them to do this, I would call it an amazing decision. Thanks to that, I felt like I couldfortably think about my physical condition, my future, and all the other questions that came to me during the Raid. Whoosh, whoosh. I checked my HP and my fatigue level while watching the waves. Everything seemed fine. My HP was full and my fatigue level had fallen to its 20s, probably because I had slept for about three hours on our way back. The wounds on my arms and ankles from the Spartoi bites weren¡¯t severe enough to inflict injury penalties. It hurt worse than it was, so I doubted I would even need bandages. Well, the only problem was that I still felt kind of unwell¡­ Largely due to my motion sickness. That would be resolved over time, though. Compared to when I was inplete tatters in Tatara, this was all still quitefortable. Unlike me, the Archmage and Inquisitor werepletely out of order, but that was fine as long as their lives weren¡¯t in danger. ¡°¡­¡± Then, the next thing I had to worry about was the entirety of this incident and how it would be handled after. Honestly, though¡­ Did I even have anything to worry about? Of course, it wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t have any questions. However, thanks to the Dragon¡¯sst words, I had learned quite a bit. So, by working my fantasy novel-infested brain, Itched onto its words about the cycle, absorbing power, and its child. If I had to roughly guess the whole story, the Sea Dragon and the ck dragon were parent and child, and the position of ¡®master of the sea¡¯ was passed down by the parent letting the child devour it in a constant cycle. However, this incident had broken that cycle. I still didn¡¯t know the reason for its corruption. I also had no hints to help me find out. I didn¡¯t particrly want to know, either. Hmm. If it was plot-rted, I would figure it out sooner orter. If it wasn¡¯t, finding out would only serve to satisfy my curiosity, but did I need to do that? I wasn¡¯t the type of person who needed to know every single detail about past events to feel satisfied. Instead, I was far more curious about what awaited me in the future than what caused this incident. For example, when would the Negative Energy spread by the ck dragon disappear? Would we have to locate the Spartoi that dragon might have spread around and eliminate them all? I wondered if something simr would happen againter. My gamer mindset spected on whether there would be any additional Quests rted to this. Even if they popped up, I couldn¡¯tplete them now because I had anotherpulsory Quest¡ªWindhand¡¯s¡ªto take care of. Ah, receiving mypensation was also important. I got a strange bead from the Sea Dragon, but that was only the Dragon¡¯s reward. I was rather nervous about whatpensation I would receive and how they would distribute the dragon parts. Had it been caught in the bay, the majority would have gone to the Magic Tower and the Lord¡­ Now, my contribution to the mission was more or less the highest. I didn¡¯t really need everything, so I only wanted enough to make another sword out of the items. It was questionable whether a sword could be crafted with these materials, to begin with, but anyway. ¡°System.¡± Now, I finally had time¡­ time to check out that new skill, at longst. And to think more about this game. I couldn¡¯t put it off any longer. ¡°Let¡¯s have a conversation, shall we?¡± In other words, let¡¯s stop deceiving each other. Chapter 54: I’m Angry, but… (2) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 54 I¡¯m Angry, but¡­ (2) In truth, I had long banished the thought that I was merely trapped in a game capsule. The reason was simple: there¡¯s no denying I would have long starved by now if that were the case, no matter what excuse I came up with at this point. It was also strange that I hadn''t been prompted to log out yet or that someone hadn¡¯t tried to cut the power from outside. ¡°Hey, Mr. System?¡± It had also been some time since I first suspected something was behind this so-called ¡°system¡±. No. I had harbored this doubt for even longer, almost since the beginning. ¡°Hey?¡± The reason¡­ Well, it wasn''t really anything special. It was because this was a prettymon cliche, is all. There were a lot of novels where the main character was provided with a system, though some didn¡¯t have that, so it was something I had thought about frequently. ¡°Hmm. Log out.¡± ¡¸Thismand cannot be carried out.¡¹ ¡°Emergency Protocol, forced capsule shutdown.¡± ¡¸Thismand cannot be carried out.¡¹ However, right when my suspicions peaked, I noticed the system''s message, which popped up whenever I tried to log out or run the emergency protocol, was subtly different than what usually should have appeared. Usually, even if a bug urred, the error message would never state amand couldn¡¯t be carried out. Instead, it would say that it failed. That meant¡­ ¡°Options, settings. Graphics. Change resolution from 24K to 18K.¡± ¡¸Thismand cannot be carried out.¡¹ ¡°Frame rate. Change it from 240 fps to 120 fps.¡± ¡¸Thismand cannot be carried out.¡¹ ¡°Adjust the brightness. The lowest setting.¡± ¡¸Thismand cannot be carried out.¡¹ ¡°Restart from thest save point.¡± ¡¸Thismand cannot be carried out.¡¹ If the same message popped up whenever one tried to change any setting, most people would inevitably feel unsettled! ¡°Sigh.¡± That wasn''t the only thing suspicious about it. What about those skills whose effectiveness randomly varied? Especially that [Detection] skill. How often had it notified me toote, after the enemies were already too close? Wasn¡¯t this a serious error for a system that should work consistently? Sure, this whole game seemed full of other bugs, too, but whatever! Furthermore, the criteria for disying item descriptions were too weird. The same went for drops in HP. After running some calctions, there were many instances where my HP should have bottomed out, but I somehow managed to survive¡­ I couldn¡¯t just dismiss those instances as mere luck. When these sorts of incidents umted, one couldn¡¯t help but feel somewhat unnerved. ¡°Hey, let¡¯s just talk a little.¡± What was even more decisive than anything else was that skill I was provided with this time. It was so damn tant that I almost wanted tough, and it was just too bizarre to just turn a blind eye to it any longer. ¡°Let¡¯s talk¡­¡± I sighed as I released the tension from my body after not receiving a response. My back and head made contact with the rock I was leaning against. My hair, sticky and full of salt, loosely fell over my face as it touched the rock. Additionally, I also felt something sticking to and pulling at my skin. Salt and sand, probably. ¡°¡­¡± However, my clothes were actually soft and dry thanks to the {Restoration} function. It felt marginally ufortable, like I only changed my clothes without properly washing up. Sometimes, these kinds of sensations made it feel like all of this was real. It wasn¡¯t even that important. A faint sense of resignation overcame me, strangling my throat. ¡°What on earth are you nning?¡± As for the system not giving me a single answer, well. I didn¡¯t know if I was angry or if reality was just finally hitting me properly. I wondered whether I even had to separate the two. ¡°You¡¯re making it so obvious¡­¡± That was it. All that remained floating in my head were those unanswered questions. Was this a game or a different world? Why was I called here? Who the hell brought me here? Just what did they want me to do here? Could I go back to Earth? Those types of things. ¡®I¡¯m angry.¡¯ If the system were acting more consistently, I wouldn¡¯t have wondered if someone might be behind it. I would have just continued living as I did. After all, searching for a reason behind something happening was meaningless when there was nothing to find. Moreover, shouldn¡¯t I be more worried about starving since my body was locked in that capsule? In that case, I would have just viewed this as an extra life. There was no way I would haveined about it. ¡®I resent everything.¡¯ However, if there were a cause, a reason, that would be different. If someone intentionally made me possess this character and do these things. If there was a way tomunicate with that someone¡­ I couldn¡¯t just take it, then. I couldn¡¯t just do what they wanted me to do. I¡­ I wanted to get back. ¡®This whole world¡­¡¯ My life, where I didn¡¯t have to act constantly, filled with my loved ones who knew me, where everything was familiar. ¡®Everything?¡¯ I blinked. Those feelings that were not my own disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving only a faint sadness behind. My heart was pounding. It was as though I could hear the bead ced in my inventory vibrate. ¡°What¡­ What if.¡± Welp. Honestly, I wasn¡¯t even sure if it really mattered whether this was a game or reality. It didn¡¯t matter as long as there was a way for me to survive. In this world, if I epted it, illusions could be reality. And if I rejected it, even the truth could be lies. ¡°If I kill Satan and clear the main plot.¡± However, it would be better if this was a game. That would hold many benefits for me, including being able to retry after Game Over, which made me feel more at ease. And above all else¡­ ¡°Can I go home?¡± A game would just switch off after clearing it. Right? In that case¡­ In that case¡­ ¡°Please, I beg you.¡± Please, just tell me I could keep hoping to return home after the game ended. I wouldn''t be disappointed or discouraged. Because that would mean the system didn¡¯t give me these Quests for no reason. ¡°I won''t resent you, even if you were the one who dragged me here.¡± So, could you please just say yes? I would be satisfied with just that. ¡°¡­¡± I gritted my teeth, seeing that the system still didn''t respond. I raised my right hand, still holding my sword, and touched my eyes and forehead. I couldn''t tell if the cold temperature of the metal soothed or saddened me. The seething anger building inside me simply formed into all manner of cusses and abusivenguage before getting crushed by myst remaining shred of reason, calming me down. The area around my eyes first turned hot, then cold, before settling at lukewarm. ¡°¡­System.¡± In my sorrow, I called out once more to the unresponsive system. Resentment. No, not quite. I felt frustrated, helpless, betrayed, and a little angry. Still, I felt no resentment. Not yet. Not only was I still uncertain whether someone was behind this system, but there was also no guarantee I could be sent back. Moreover, the system was my ally and support. Considering it gave me skills whenever I found myself in danger, it clearly held at least some favor toward me. Did I have to offend such an existence just because I couldn''t ovee a moment''s emotion? That would actually be really stupid. It certainly was. That''s why. ¡°Damn it, I guess there''s a reason you aren''t talking to me directly.¡± I swallowed down all my doubts and misery, rxing my body. Drip. Something flowed from the corners of my eye, below my ears, and finally over my neck. ¡°I¡¯ll just think of it as you being under certain restrictions, like being unable to talk to me.¡± I then moved my hand away and opened my eyes, which I had momentarily closed. I could see the sky. A sky overflowing with a myriad of stars. A sky of a world unknown to me. ¡°So, please let me return after I beat this game.¡± I miss home. Those unspoken words caught in my throat, and I started to cry. I never thought that these three words would make me so choked up. * * * * * * I suppressed my overwhelming woe and closed my eyes again so I wouldn¡¯t copse under all this despair and feel light again. If I be pessimistic in these circumstances I couldn¡¯t control or change, then I would be the only one to suffer. Also, this situation wasn¡¯t necessarily bad, either. I was half-forced to follow the plot because I was somewhat swayed by my character setting. Beyond that, there was nothing else worth doing, anyway. So, this suspicion I held in my heart was just one more possibility added to those I had alreadye up with. The possibility of something being behind the system that could send me back to my world after the ending. Hope. ¡°¡­I should also remember that this might not be the case.¡± However, I didn¡¯t like feeling disappointed, so I prepared myself to be wrong. I didn¡¯t know how the system worked, but that meant its existence was also closer to what I hoped for. ¡°Mister, are you going to keep resting over there?¡± I finished organizing my thoughts like that. Deb arrived at just the right moment. The vige had already quieted down. ¡°After getting some resources delivered, we also received a house in return for distributing the supplies among the people. Would you like to continue resting there?¡± I fixed my expression. The night¡¯s dark veil might make it harder for others to see clearly, but one could never know, right? ¡°No¡­ need.¡± But why was my voice like that? I answered him without thinking. I was surprised by the emotions tightly sealed in my voice as if it were a new bottle of soda. I was relieved it didn¡¯t sound like I had been crying. ¡°They said it might rain soon¡­¡± Urgh. That would be a bit troublesome. I was rather happy that Deb didn¡¯t notice anything and moved on. Should I sleep outside in the rain or under a roof? I thought hard about it. However, no matter how I viewed it, the former would be the correct action here. Right. There weren¡¯t many houses in the vige, nor was our group small. Even though about twenty had died, there were still more than fifty of us. Could these people actually properly divide the space given to us and share some rooms? Could the vigers have provided multiple houses? That probably wasn¡¯t the case. I was pretty sure they would sleep huddled together. My character would never tolerate something like that! ¡°Get lost.¡± Sigh. Even if Deb hadn¡¯t piled even more misunderstandings on the stack just now, I still would have red at him intensely like this. How sad. ¡°Then, at least a nket¡­¡± ¡°Do you want me to make you another ear hole?¡± Deb, please just go. This Demon Knight here would prefer to sleep apanied by the soft sound of the waves, the sea breeze, and raindrops than fight and argue. Sniff. ¡°¡­At leaste and have a meal. The people who went out to hunt just returned one team at a time.¡± I wouldn''t go just because you told me. Hmph. ¡°Are you still talking?¡± ¡°I¡¯m done now.¡± ¡°Is heing?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Iid back down on the stone and continued looking at the night sky. There were quite a few clouds, but the moon and stars were clearly visible. ¡°I heard you wouldn¡¯t sleep in the vige.¡± He should have heard me, as well. So Windhand, you should also go away. ¡°Wow, this ce is aplete mess, ain¡¯t it? Damn, this stench is no joke.¡± Did it smell that bad? While busy thinking about all these different things, I somewhat limated to the smell around me and eventually forgot about it. The part of the sea around this ce hadn¡¯t yet recovered from the ck dragon¡¯s actions. ¡°The wizards said it will take at least a month for things to return to normal¡­ It¡¯ll be pretty difficult.¡± Windhand didn¡¯t mention anyone in particr, but I knew the implied subject of his sentence. One month. That was a long time for these vigers. ¡°Rather, aren¡¯t you going to go see yourpanions?¡± ¡°And why should I do that?¡± ¡°Because they are yourpanions¡­?¡± ¡°Who is?¡± ¡°Or not. Well, they are the people you¡¯re temporarily moving together with, right?¡± He remembered those words. ¡°Then we can just leave straight away tomorrow, right? After all, if those guys aren¡¯t yourpanions, there¡¯s no need to wait until they are better.¡± He couldn¡¯t just use them like that after barely remembering my statement. ¡°By any chance¡­ You didn¡¯t forget our agreement, did you?¡± I finally realized why Windhand was standing before me like this. At first, I thought he came over to persuade me to eat or something like Deb, but it turned out it was to say that. He did say he was in a hurry. ¡°Did you want me to forget about it?¡± ¡°No way. You¡¯re really fine leaving like that, right?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me.¡± I answered without hesitation. I didn¡¯t know entirely about the other conditions for us to depart¡ªa ship and food¡ªbut character-wise, rejection was never an option. Furthermore, I wasn¡¯t injured or fatigued. Even if I were, I could solve that by just sleeping on the ship, so there wouldn¡¯t be any problems even if we left immediately. Of course, it would be quite difficult for the others, especially the Inquisitor and Archmage, who still hadn¡¯t awoken from theiras. ¡°Good. Keep your word.¡± But I couldn¡¯t just go back on my promise. My character was one thing, but this involved the safety of a whole city. There was also that Quest. Windhand also lost two of hispanions because of this matter. If I broke my word, I would be less than trash. Well, my character was kind of a piece of trash already, but whatever. So, I decided this on my own without those two. There was nothing I could do about it, anyway. What about thepensation?¡­ Well, if it wasn¡¯t there in time, I would just have to give up and leave. Although, I wasn¡¯t in much need of money. I only wanted some to make equipment using the dragon parts, but that wasn¡¯t more important than my life: if I broke character, a mace woulde flying at me. The plot, as well¡­ To be honest, I said I had decided to follow it, but I wondered when the Main Quest would continue. Going by the usual pattern, wasn¡¯t now when one had to pass the time by clearing random Quests? The plot¡¯s direction seemedpletely different from the original game¡¯s, so I couldn¡¯t really make any more predictions. ¡°We¡¯re back.¡± ¡°Ah, thest hunting team is back.¡± At that moment, all the crew members who had gone hunting returned. Listening closely to their chatter, it seemed they had hunted a total of two deer, three rabbits, and one fox. Windhand went over to them. ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°We tried our best.¡± ¡°Will that fill our stomachs?¡± The amount of meat one could get from one deer was quiterge. However, with so many mouths to feed and so few personnel who could hunt, there was bound to not be enough. ¡°We¡¯re men of the sea.¡± Well, most of them were sailors. They had to be very unfamiliar with hunting wild animals besides fish. It seemed the deer caught weren¡¯t hunted by the crew but by the adventurers who followed us. ¡°Let¡¯s just try to make the most out of what we have.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± At that moment, I was thinking about the food items in my inventory¡ªbiscuits and vegetable powder. Even if I handed it all over, it would only serve ten people at most, I¡¯d wager. But it was better than not giving it at all, right? But how should I deliver it? Rustle, rustle. Should I just go and throw it to them, or should I call Deb and hand it to him? I should have gotten it out before Windhand left. As I was agonizing over this matter, I felt many presences nearby. ¡°It¡¯s meat¡­¡± I turned my head slightly, seeing several children. They seemed to be watching the sailors dismantle the deer. The group consisted of those in their early tote teens. ¡°¡­I¡¯m hungry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we got up early to get some tree bark.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like that stuff.¡± I had wondered why they were awake despite it being veryte at night and almost dawn, before realizing it was because the youngest among them were hungry and came out to get something to eat. ¡°I wanna eat meat, too¡­¡± ¡°No, they were the ones who hunted it.¡± That was the moment all my reservations broke down. I hated seeing kids go hungry! Last time, they ate plenty because we handed over the prey we caught, but now, we couldn¡¯t give them any because we didn¡¯t even have enough for ourselves! I hurriedly jumped up. At that moment, I walked away, face crumpled, in the direction of where those kids were hiding. What about the dragon¡¯s head? Well, it wasn¡¯t like it had feet to walk away, so it probably wouldn¡¯t be much of a problem to leave it alone for a bit. Even the most problematic wizard was currently touring Dreand. It should be fine. ¡°Still, let¡¯s be patient, everyone. They said someone woulde from the castle in the morning. They¡¯ll also share their food with us.¡± ¡°Then, can I eat every day starting tomorrow?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m hungry¡­¡± The conversation I heard in the meantime was just too pitiful. I heard we had made a deal where they would let us stay for a day in exchange for supplies, but that wouldn''tst. Forget about a whole month, it wouldn¡¯t even suffice for a few days. ¡°B-Brother.¡± At that moment, one of the children spotted me. He tugged at the hem of one of the older boy¡¯s clothes. ¡°W-We were caught.¡± ¡°H-He isn¡¯t angry, right¡­?¡± The children seemed to tremble in fear as they spoke with frightened voices. However, to my surprise, none of them ran away. It wasn¡¯t that they were confident but rather that they were too scared to move, frozen to the spot. ¡°Hic!¡± I looked at the oldest among them. When our eyes met, the child trembled and asked, ¡°What?¡± in a soft voice. I tossed a bag I had just taken from my inventory at her. I hadn¡¯t broken it up into sections as I didn¡¯t want that stuff taking up even more space in my inventory, but looking back, it was a rather wise decision. If I had made small portions out of it, those things probably would have broken. ¡°¡­? What are you doing over there, Mister?¡± ¡°H-Huh?¡± The girl I tossed the bag to was so surprised that she only managed to let out some strange noises when Deb saw me. Of course, I didn¡¯t exin the situation to him, either. ¡°Why are those kids with you?¡± Deb came over in a hurry. At that moment, the girl¡¯s eyes widened when she saw what was in the bag. ¡°Th-Th-This is.¡± ¡°What did you give for them to act like that?... What?¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s food¡­¡± Good. I managed to give them some food. I could just walk past the vige and into the forest like this. If I searched throughout the night, I would absolutely catch something. Windhand wouldn¡¯t leave at night, anyway. ¡°Can we really eat this?!¡± ¡°Are you really giving all of that to us?¡± ¡°Really? Can we eat all this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡± ¡°Ah, no. Guys! If you eat this carelessly¡­ Hey, stop pulling on my clothes.!¡± ¡°Mister, no.¡± While the girl was getting teased by the kids around her, Deb looked at me as though wondering if I had eaten something off. But at least I didn¡¯t have to worry about my head getting smashed in. How many times had I already handed out items I didn¡¯t need to other people? This wasn¡¯t that different. In other words, I didn¡¯t break character! ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go together. Seriously, wouldn¡¯t it be better if we went together?¡± ¡°Get lost.¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be like that¡­¡± I gracefully pulled out my Zweih?nder, turned around, and mmed it into the ground. Its de was stuck right before Deb¡¯s toes. ¡°I¡¯ll get lost.¡± To be clear, I did this to stop Deb from following me so he wouldn¡¯t have to carry two deer likest time. I definitely didn¡¯t do it because I was still pissed about what had happened on the ship earlier. A-Anyway. I headed deeper into the forest. Chapter 55: I’m Angry, but… (3) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 55 I¡¯m Angry, but¡­ (3) Windhand frowned at a certain someone¡¯s absence all morning. There was no way he just ran off to avoid fulfilling his end of the deal, even though he got help catching that dragon, right¡­? ¡°Is he still out hunting?¡± In any case, that guy had a lot of stamina. As if spending days on the stormy sea hadn¡¯t been enough, he spent his night in the forest. ¡°Could he be lost?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way.¡± Rather, it was much more likely that he was just wandering around searching for prey because he couldn¡¯t find any straight away. It was a more reasonable guess, considering his pride. ¡°Oh well. You guys got a good rest, right?¡± ¡°Sure did.¡± ¡°The adventurers?¡± ¡°They¡¯re also in great condition.¡± Although they couldn¡¯t provide them with a lot of food, they were able to get a good night¡¯s sleep. Some people¡ªthe wizards¡ªexpressed great dissatisfaction, iming he had prioritized his subordinates, but that was none of his business. If they thought they could do a better job, they should just be captains instead. Those with the fewest casualtiesined the most, those weak wizards. ¡°Captain, are you alright?¡± ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I be? I might be a bit tired still, but don¡¯t worry. I can just sleep a little on the ship.¡± Today, the people stationed in Gamak Bay would return to Gr¨¹ Teltz as soon as possible. Afterward, they would immediately set sail for Jacrati with the promised ship and reinforcement. These subordinates were highlypetent. Outside of special areas like the Dragon¡¯s Gate, there wasn¡¯t much for him to do. The reward for hunting the Sea Dragon, or thepensation for his men¡¯s deaths? That didn¡¯t matter. Their contract was a bitplicated, but he only wanted to hire the Demon Knight; those other bastards were people contracted by the city, the Magic Tower, or elsewhere. They would just return to the city on their own and receive their reward separately. ¡°I sure hope Gr¨¹ Teltz and the Magic Tower keep their promise.¡± ¡°They had better keep it. Or else¡­¡± Damn, the Archmage supposed to guarantee their reward had fainted. Windhand frowned slightly at that realization. Gr¨¹ Teltz and the Magic Tower might y dumb because of it. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. If they don¡¯t give us a ship, we can just steal one, and I didn¡¯t expect the Tower to support us, anyway.¡± However, he didn¡¯t lose hope. Not only had he already managed to recruit some adventurers, but there was also someone he could put hisplete trust in. ¡°Moreover, we gained a swordsman who can split the sea with just a single swing of his de and also cut down a dragon. What more do we need?¡± His gamble had paid off far more than he¡¯d expected. He mourned his dead subordinates, but he didn¡¯t have any regrets. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s true. What¡¯s the use of weak troops with him around?¡± ¡°Right, that guy is far beyond a normal living being, isn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°What? Aren¡¯t all our ns meaningless so long as we have that guy? I think just getting a small boat and someone to row it would be enough. He could cut down a whole ship with a single sh.¡± ¡°Wahaha! You¡¯re right! He can sink a ship in just one swing!¡± Windhand burst intoughter as he listened to his subordinates. Was it because he¡¯d witnessed that man¡¯s prowess himself? Those words felt fairly realistic to him. A dragon¡¯s head was sitting in the middle of the vige¡ªthe wizards had found it left behind on the beach by the Demon Knight and dragged it all the way here. It was more than obvious the guy only saw this as some rotten fish head. Looking at it made him think like that even more. ¡°Hah, should we really try doing that? It seems usible.¡± ¡°Are you sure? I think it¡¯ll be somewhat difficult to pull Vipurit from a sinking ship.¡± ¡°How about we just ask him to sink every ship except the one Vipurit¡¯s on and make him drag the guy to us?¡± ¡°Kahaha. That sounds great. I¡¯ll have to ask him when hees back.¡± Of course, he wouldn¡¯t refuse, right? Actually, wouldn¡¯t he just ask if that was all? Just imagining it made him feelfortable. So much so that all the anxiety and worries he¡¯d had on the way to Gr¨¹ Teltz seemed very distant. ¡°That should be enough. Kippur, Tuna¡­ and Wayan would also like that, right?" ¡°Of course. You know what they were like, right? If they could bring down Vipurit and all his men in exchange for their own lives, they would justugh and agree without hesitation!¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Yes, truly. All the hardships he¡¯d endured beforeing to this port melted away like snow. He could now stand proudly before his deceased men, his brothers, and Pion. ¡°But¡­ Captain. Erm, you aren¡¯t nning on taking that Inquisitor with us, right?¡± ¡°Are you crazy? Do you want me to get beaten to death?¡± ¡°Right? Phew.¡± Even if they failed to hire a dragon yer and suffered from a severeck of manpower, they couldn¡¯t take people from the Temple. Never. The same was true for the Inquisitor, even though she had left a strong impression on them. Jacrati and all the cities of the Yabad region hadn¡¯t forgotten the atrocitiesmitted by the Temple forty years ago. ¡°It felt really shitty being on the same boat as those guys, to be honest. I never want to do that again.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± ¡°We should be relieved we don¡¯t have to take them along¡­¡± Windhand stopped talking as he felt the ground rumbling. ¡°Reinforcements!¡± It seemed those guys at Gamak Bay finally sent some people over. ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s make somest preparations¡­ Deck Captain, talk to the adventurers. Tell them we¡¯re leaving soon. Ikam, go to their leader and request a meeting. If they refuse, show them the dragon¡¯s severed head.¡± He looked at theughing wizards who finally managed to examine the dragon head, but work was work. Windhand ordered it to be brought to him, even if that meant taking it by force. ¡°Yes.¡± The vice-captain stroked his sword¡¯s scabbard and gave a satisfactory answer. ¡°Why isn¡¯t the Demon Knight back yet?¡± After giving the crew his orders, he looked for someone who might know the Demon Knight¡¯s whereabouts. Soon, he came across a young man wearing a salt-encrusted hood. ¡°Hey, when¡¯s the Demon Knighting back?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, either. Mister likes to go around alone.¡± ¡°I heard he was just going around with you temporarily, but it seems you guys really aren¡¯t that close.¡± ¡°Even if it¡¯s temporary, it¡¯s temporary without any time limit.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t just get together to kill the dragon? I thought that was why he called your party temporary.¡± ¡°Our goal is to y Satan, not just some dragon.¡± ¡°¡­Then it¡¯s not temporary, right?¡± ¡°Mister¡¯s just a bit particr is all.¡± So, were theypanions or not? Windhand opened his eyes wide, feeling puzzled. ¡°Ah, over there!¡± At that moment, some people who were busy receiving relief supplies pointed in one direction. ¡°There he is!¡± ¡°Looks like it¡­ But what on earth is he carrying?¡± They saw the Demon Knight carrying a lot of something in the distance. * * * * * * Thud! I put down everything I had gotten from the mountain. Phew, that was no joke. My whole body ached. I thought I would pass out from how heavy it all was. ¡°A bear¡­?¡± ¡°There¡¯s also a wild boar¡­?¡± Right. I caught a bear and a wild boar. Since both had a lot of meat, they also weighed a lot. Thanks to that, it was really difficult to drag them here. I had heavily contemted whether I should just abandon one or the other. However, even both wouldn¡¯t be enough, so I forced myself to work even harder because bringing only one would be more meaningless. ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll need more meat.¡± Windhand spoke up hesitantly. Since I also had eyes in my head, I understood what he meant. The reinforcements had arrived, so it was time for us to go. I was rather d I didn¡¯t appear to be toote, considering they were still moving supplies. ¡°Amusing. You think that this is for you.¡± Seeing that, I let some words fall out of my mouth so as not to break character and roughly walked past him. Windhandughed loudly and came over to check the meat. Deb was also here. ¡°Then why did you bring all this?¡± ¡°I merely killed some animals that stood in my way.¡± ¡°How tough.¡± ¡°Mister, can I just give these to the people then?¡± I nced at Deb, who did exactly what I wanted him to, and turned away my head. ¡°Just throw them away.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll share it with them.¡± Seeing Debugh and smile made me think he might consider me a tsundere. Well, it was fine as long as he brought that meat to the vigers. As I watched Deb talk to them, I moved away to make it easier for them to approach. Windhand got closer to me with a smiling face. Of course, I blocked Windhand¡¯s attempt to strike my shoulder. ¡°We will just have a little talk with the guysing from Gamak Bay, and then we¡¯ll head straight to Gr¨¹ Teltz. Do you need any more time?¡± What I had to say was, of course, more than obvious. ¡°Lead the way.¡± Ah, but had the Archmage and the Inquisitor already woken up? If they were still asleep, would it really be okay for us to just leave them behind? Hmmm. I couldn¡¯t help it, but still, this was quite a big deal. ¡°Huh, are you leaving right away?!¡± However, Deb overheard us and reacted to these words. Since he didn¡¯t say anything like ¡®I¡¯ll go wake them up¡¯ or ¡®I¡¯ll bring the others¡¯, it seemed they were still unconscious. ¡°Wh-What about Mister Wizard and the Ironwall?¡± ¡°Ironwall?¡± ¡°The priest.¡± ¡°Even if she wakes up right now, I won¡¯t take her with me.¡± ¡­Windhand really hated the Temple. In that case, the Inquisitor wouldn¡¯t havee with us even if she were fine. ¡°And we¡¯re in a hurry. I heard it¡¯ll take at least two days for the Archmage to awaken.¡± While the Archmage looked fine, he still needed time to recover. He might allow Deb toe with us, but I wasn¡¯t sure whether he would follow me. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Deb groaned and, after some time, finally came to a decision. It was to follow me. ¡°I have to follow you. I mean, I joined the group because of Sir Knight in the first ce.¡± ¡­Is that how it was?? The Archmage hadn¡¯t persuaded him to join us??? What did I do for him to do this? ¡°Besides, we¡¯ll need someone to contact the others. If you went alone, you probably wouldn¡¯t answer any of our attempts to contact you, Mister Knight.¡± He hit the nail on the head. ¡°Wahaha! Seems like it, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Windhand startedughing, to which I reflexively ced my hand on my sword¡¯s sheath hanging from my waist. In the next moment, I remembered that my Longsword had broken. I only held an empty scabbard in my hand. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll just talk to the wizards and priests first. Could you please wait that long?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s still fine.¡± While I was upied by the empty sheath in my hand, looking at it with a crumpled face, Deb hurriedly got away. It seemed like Deb and Windhand might get along surprisingly well. Honestly, unless one had an antisocial personality like my character, this much should be normal. ¡°¡­¡± Still, there was no way I would feel good if my temper was getting mocked like this. I twisted my face, creating a rather ugly expression. ¡°Captain, I borrowed a horse!¡± Things would have continued like that if the vice-captain, who seemed more likely to have stolen the horse instead of borrowing it, hadn¡¯t intervened. Behind him was the leader of the Gamak Bay forces, looking down at the dragon head with distraught eyes. Had everything gone as nned, he would have be a dragon yer instead. ¡°Oh, great! Anyints?¡± ¡°He took one look at that head and said he¡¯d prepare everything right away. Oh, of course, I must go with him to report. The remaining personnel will withdraw gradually.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, as long as we can leave right away. What about the adventurers?¡± ¡°Words were enough for them. They¡¯re almostpletely prepared. Ah, one person from the Temple and Magic Tower insisted on apanying us. What should we do?¡± ¡°As long as they don¡¯t interfere with us, I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Windhand snapped his fingers. It seemed the raised hands here and there were to confirm the relevant people¡¯s locations. ¡°Well then, everyone, gather up! We¡¯ll go as soon as my buddy, Sir Demon Knight, is ready.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me buddy.¡± ¡°Then, acquaintance.¡± I held my sword sheath tightly as Windhand shrewdly turned toward the horse. He should count himself lucky that my Longsword broke. ¡°We canst more than three days with this much.¡± ¡°Oh my, how can we thank you?¡± However, while waiting for Deb, I paused my conversation with him. I could hear the vigers talking. ¡°¡­So, what are we going to do? It¡¯ll be a long time until the sea returns to normal.¡± ¡°You!¡± ¡°Damn it, how can west a whole month like this¡­¡± There was always that one person who couldn¡¯t be happy even when something good happened. Not that they said anything bad. There was nothing wrong with having just one such person in a group, especially when the group was a whole vige. Someone who could look at reality. It was necessary to view the situation realistically, even when the morale was already somewhat low. ¡°¡­You¡¯ve done enough. The rest is now the city¡¯s responsibility.¡± At that moment, Windhand spoke to me again. He seemed to think I cared greatly for these people. Well, my character wasn¡¯t very sympathetic, though. ¡°I don¡¯t really care.¡± I turned around. As Windhand said, I did enough. As a fellow person, I couldn¡¯t help but feel concern for them, but there was no need to do any more than this. ¡°Erm.¡± There was no need. ¡°Uncle.¡± I faced the child I had seen once at night. He wasn¡¯t part of the group of kids from yesterday. Even before I went to Gr¨¹ Teltz, let alone fought the dragon, this was the child I encountered that night when we happened to stop by this vige. The child had worn ck clothes then and was still wearing them now. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry for saying all those bad things back then.¡± The child bowed his head toward me. His small head looked unusually round. ¡°What did you do to this child that he insulted you?¡± Seriously, this guy had been acting close and friendly with me for a while now, hadn¡¯t he? Was he Deb? Or did everyone whose jobs involved stealing (thief, pirate) act like this? When Windhand tried to jab me in the side with his elbow, I struck him in the sr plexus with the back of my hand. Windhand¡¯s waist bent forward as if he¡¯d been hit by a hammer. ¡°Puhup.¡± His subordinates were right there, but none of them said anything. On the contrary, they were casuallyughing and talking about how well we got along. ¡°Little one.¡± Setting them aside, I snapped my fingers. The child trembled as he approached. I could now see he was a bit taller than I¡¯d thought. The problem was he was so thin that he looked really small. ¡°¡­?¡± I put my hand into my inventory. There were some things I could take out for this situation. They were just things I didn¡¯t particrly need and were taking up space in my inventory, but they made perfect gifts for this child. ¡°This¡­¡± Dear adventurers of Tatara. I will now dispose of all the useless items you gave me here. I took out a small pouch ne and slipped a few additional things into it before giving it to the child. ¡°Can I really take this?¡± ¡°Take it.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even do anything for you.¡± ¡°I told you to take it.¡± I wondered whether I was speaking too harshly to the child, but I couldn¡¯t help it. That was what my character was supposed to be like. Still, it seemed fine. ¡¸Lucky Pouch Ne ©¦ Amon essory found in the Derma region. It is said that if one wears it well, good luck wille to you.¡¹ The child blinked as he held the Lucky Pouch Ne in his hands. The pouch made from five-colored thread may look like trashpared to its contents, but it was very pretty from the outside. ¡°I¡¯m done talking!¡± ¡°Oh, so we can leave, then.¡± That was the moment Deb decided to return. It was now time to depart. ¡°Are we going right away?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± The leader of the Gamak Bay forces, who had been waiting, joined us. We were now truly ready to depart. I didn¡¯t know when they were recruited, but two adventurers rode horses alongside us as well. The wagon where they¡¯d ced the dragon head¡ªwhen did they put that there?¡ªseemed especially sturdy. ¡°What did you give that child again?¡± ¡°Again?¡± ¡°You also gave those kids something to eat yesterday.¡± ¡°Looks like you like kids, huh?¡± Was there an adult who didn¡¯t like children? No, even if one didn¡¯t like them, it was only a matter of course to treat them kindly, at least. Anyway, I took out my Zweih?nder and swung it lightly. sh! The [sh] cut through the ground, avoiding the crowd, and served to calm down the racket. ¡°¡­Shall we go?¡± I could hear the slight and careful movements of the others, too. ¡°Ah!¡± I got on the horse and signaled it to move. Amotion was starting among the children and adults in the background. ¡°A-A pearl!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Although scared by my actions, Deb, who clung to my side, looked back. I didn¡¯t bother looking at him. ¡°Wait a second, you left that pearl behind?!¡± ¡°Eh? Pearl? Wait a second, Mister Knight¡­¡± Alright. Looking at the formation, it seemed I could go to the very front. My horse ran ahead. Chapter 56: I’m Angry, but… (4) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 56 I¡¯m Angry, but¡­ (4) Windhand¡¯s and Deb¡¯s mouths twitched the entire time we rode horseback. Just from looking at them, I could tell they probably wanted to say something about the pearl I had given away. Of course, they stopped after watching me split a tree that had fallen on the road with my bare hands. Hmm. Not only that, after seeing me throw the pieces with ease, a task which would have taken three fully grown adults otherwise, they didn¡¯t darein to me anymore. As a side effect, the leader of the Gamak Bay forces and his guards kept their mouths shut like ms. The adventurers and pirates also kept ¡®even more¡¯ distance between us. I already felt like people avoided me after I killed that dragon, but this only solidified the feeling further. But considering my character setting, that was the right thing to do. I felt a little lonely, but it wasn¡¯t all bad. Putting that aside, the moment we arrived in Gr¨¹ Teltz, we visited the Lord to receive what he¡¯d promised. Even after being shown the head of the dragon, the Lord expressed a deep disbelief, repeatedly asking whether it was truly a dragon¡¯s head¡­ ¡°If you continue belittling our sacrifices, the Temple won¡¯t stand by, Lord.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t think this is a dragon¡¯s head, that¡¯s fine, right? Can we just take it, then?!¡± After hearing the remarks of the stubborn priest who followed us and seeing the shining eyes of the wizard trying to steal from me right there, he had no choice but to believe it. Windhand had appeared rather displeased by the Temple¡¯s and Magic Tower¡¯s meddling, but now he seemed slightly grateful for their actions. ¡°Ah, right. One mustn¡¯t forget to pay fairpensation to those who contributed to this matter¡¯s solution.¡± Ah, the Temple¡¯s priest, in my stead, brought up the topic ofpensation I had been concerned about. As the Temple had suffered significant damage, it seemed they were just using us to get their share. However, I wasn¡¯t opposed to their approach since they also requested my share be paid. ¡°It¡¯s only right that half of the dragon¡¯s parts go to the one who contributed the most to ying it, yes? We should guarantee the one who faced the dragon nearly alone should be properlypensated.¡± Especially because they were taking care of it so thoroughly. ¡°What?! Half? The ones who maintained the ship¡¯s shield were the Magic Tower!¡± ¡°Hmm, but we were the ones who protected the ship in the end¡­¡± However, as the discussion moved to contribution, things became quiteplicated. As long as either side was driven by greed and unwilling to take any losses, they would never reach a simple conclusion. Even though I wasn¡¯t participating, it was obvious that they would continue arguing for a few days beforeing to an agreement. ¡°I don¡¯t think this will be easy.¡± Was that the reason? Windhand looked at me while slightly biting his lip. It was especially frustrating for him due to the value of what was at stake. However, if I just left, it would look like I had given up on the reward. ¡°Let¡¯s leave.¡± ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t want a reward?¡± ¡°Do you really have enough spare time to concern yourself with me?¡± But what could I do? A contract was a contract. Plus, I didn¡¯t even care all that much because I was prepared since yesterday for something like this to happen¡­ No, it was still a shame, but I had to give up on it. While I was quite greedy for some unique equipment, the store-bought stuff was sufficient. Although the things stores had to offer were rathercking, the Longsword I had was just a beginner item, so the options shouldn¡¯t be too bad. ¡°¡­If that¡¯s how you¡¯re going to act, I won¡¯t be able to ept any reward either, Mister. Sigh, damn it.¡± I felt a bit sorry for Deb, but¡­ if he wanted a reward, he should just stay here. I couldn¡¯t wait for him. ¡°¡­That¡¯s.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t apologize. I know it can¡¯t be helped. And I never expected to get anything here to begin with. You have something important to do, right? I didn¡¯t say this because I wanted to get something.¡± ¡°¡­In return, I¡¯ll be sure to take care of your share, as well.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t say no to that.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°You should thank Mister Knight instead of me.¡± Windhand managed to reach apromise with Deb, too. Fortunately, Deb didn¡¯t seem as obsessed with riches as he looked. He had also taken many losses behind the scenes, to be honest. ¡­I predicted I wouldn¡¯t receive anything except what I took as my reward, so I pocketed some of the dragon¡¯s scales and teeth. Should I just give those to himter as a gift? There wouldn¡¯t be many opportunities to give them to him, though, considering my character. ¡°Hey, deal with the dragon corpse distribution or whateverter. I need to get what you promised me.¡± Seeing that I had apparently given up on the dragon¡¯s corpse, and with Windhand saying he¡¯d be leaving the city with me in tow, the guy from the Magic Tower and the Lord nodded, promising they would provide what he¡¯d asked for. It was clear they thought that if they obtained part of the dragon, giving out a boat would be more than profitable. ¡°Then let¡¯s postpone this a little. I want to see them off.¡± Thanks to our decision, what seemed like it would take a while was resolved quickly. The priest stepped out with us for a moment to see us off. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t thank you.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to.¡± The priest, with a wound on his head, answered him dryly. ¡°I already know I¡¯m not worthy of it.¡± At thatment, I seriously began to wonder what had happened between the Temple and the Yabad region. Because of some incident, they one-sidedly despised the Temple, and the Temple simply epted that silently. Seriously, it was worse than with those guys in Somon. Even though it had been revealed that corrupt priests had used citizens as sacrifices, they didn¡¯t criticize those uninvolved in the matter. Could something even worse have happened over there? ¡°Please, persevere.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Windhand and the pirates didn¡¯t even pretend to be listening to him. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s leave!¡± I just boarded the ship the Lord provided us. Since I didn¡¯t know much about boats, I couldn¡¯t really tell whether it was good or bad. However, I understood he also provided us with plenty of supplies. ¡°Everyone, this truly will be thest time. I know we have all gone through a lot up until now¡­ Let¡¯s hold on for a bit longer.¡± ¡°The one who suffered the most is you, Captain.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind us!¡± ¡°Hahaha. I¡¯m already fine, you guys. I rested plenty yesterday.¡± Windhand and his men shared their thoughts once more. The adventurers from our dragon hunt, Deb, and I all watched the scene, as well. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been doing this for over twenty years now, but I gotta say, I¡¯ve never taken on requests in a row before.¡± ¡°Is that such a big deal? No one will ever get these kinds of requests ever again, I bet. The adventurer sipping on some alcohol next to the other¡ªthe whip user¡ªughed out loud. ¡°First, hunting a dragon, followed by hunting the Pirate King. This¡¯ll definitely earn us a Medal of Honor.¡± As someone who¡¯d already received a Medal of Honor, I couldn¡¯t really empathize. Deb moved his eyes around. ¡°So why did you guys take on this request? If you¡¯re just after a Medal of Honor, you should have done enough for that already.¡± I was also curious about that. While I was initially told they would join us, I¡¯d never heard their reasons. Under these circumstances, I couldn¡¯t even ask them directly. I didn¡¯t absolutely need to find out, but there was no reason to turn down an opportunity to sate my curiosity. ¡°If you leave with us now, you won¡¯t be able to get your reward for the dragon hunt.¡± ¡°Wahaha. The guild will handle ourpensation, so there¡¯s no rush! Getting it when wee back should be enough!¡± ¡°Moreover, regarding the hunt¡­ We didn¡¯t even do that much, honestly.¡± One of the adventurers nced at me as he spoke. My cheek started to sting. ¡°Of course, just having been present should be my life¡¯s greatest achievement. No matter what requests I might take in the future, nothing will top this, right?¡± ¡°That would be impossible, right? I¡¯m 100% sure I¡¯ll be talking about that request for the rest of my life, even after I quit being an adventurer. I helped create a legend, after all.¡± ¡°Same goes for me. Just because I didn¡¯t do much doesn¡¯t mean I wasn¡¯t part of the legend.¡± After saying his piece, the adventurer shrugged his shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ You know. Now that I fought together with a living legend, I kind of want to see this to the end, you know? I can make money any time, but this is my only chance to apany an adventurer who actually hunted a dragon.¡± Their eyes were still on me. My cheeks started to burn. Even if they weren¡¯t looking at me so fervently, I would still feel hot. It was normal for main characters in games and the like to gather such achievements for which they get praised and admired, but not to this extent, right? Usually, they wouldn¡¯t treat the main character so well to the point of embarrassment. ¡°¡­That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°I¡¯m honestly a lot more curious about you. How did you end up going around with him? I don¡¯t think the story behind it is anything simple.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a bit difficult to answer. How did we end up like this¡­?¡± Ah, that! I absolutely had to hear that! I pretended not to listen and focused. Then, ¡®Raise the sails!¡¯, the announcement of our departure, echoed in my ears. ¡°I think it¡¯s simr to what you guys said.¡± However, the given answer was vague. I clicked my tongue in frustration. The boat started to move along with the waves. * * * * * * ¡°Hey, I need to talk to you about what we must do before we reach Jacrati.¡± With all the supplies loaded on the ship, we got to have a full dinner. Windhand quietly called out to me at the time when I would usually go to sleep. ¡°Although I told you the general situation, I left out some details due to time constraints. Mainly about the n.¡± I didn¡¯t know why he chose to tell me these things now, but¡­ We had almost reached Jacrati already, so it was impossible to say anything about that anymore. It was actually far toote for me toin. I left the private room Windhand had provided me. The motion sickness I could ignore by sleeping hit me again immediately. ¡°Now that thest person has arrived, let me clue you in.¡± However, now I could see I wasn''t the only one he had called for. That should have been obvious; I wasn¡¯t the only one participating in this request, after all. ¡°Everyone, gather up.¡± Windhand called out to those scattered throughout the captain¡¯s cabin. There was a round table in the center that the people gathered around. p. Windhand ced a map and amp on the table. I stepped back, leaned against a wall, and watched the scene unfold before me. The cabin wasn¡¯t very spacious, and everyone had a good enough view of the table, so I had no trouble seeing what was going on. ¡°This map shows the entire Yabad region.¡± As Windhand began his exnation, I carefully looked at the map. Topare it to a ce on Earth, the map filled with various inds of many different sizes seemed reminiscent of a map of the Philippines. Overall, its shape resembled the letter Z. ¡°This here is Jacrati.¡± He pointed at a single spot. If one drew a line from the middle of the diagonal to the lower line of the Z, the ce they met was where Windhand was currently pointing. ¡°And the territory upied by Vipurit is the Montata Inds, which almostpletely surround Jacrati.¡± Windhand then moved his finger to the cluster of inds around Jacrati. If all that was Vipurit¡¯s territory, it would mean he had Jacrati nearly encircled. I now understood how difficult it was to get help from other cities. ¡°Originally, I nned to burn down Vipurit¡¯s base here with some skilled people. If we opened this path, people from other cities could enter and support us.¡± ¡°Originally? So, it¡¯s different now?¡± In response to one of the adventurer¡¯s questions, Windhand shrugged. ¡°That will depend on you.¡± ¡°First, tell us what you have in mind.¡± ¡°The second n isn¡¯t much different. It¡¯s just a change in the region we would target.¡± Windhand pointed to a different spot with his finger. It was somewhere in the middle of the Montata Inds, the bottom vertex of the Z. ¡°What¡¯ll change if we hit that ce?¡± ¡°We can stop Vipurit¡¯s reign.¡± ¡­So basically, he wanted to attack the main base right away? ¡°Of course, this depends on all your opinions. Whichever we choose, it''ll open a path to Jacrati.¡± I thought briefly while leaning against one of the cabin¡¯s walls. At least, I would have if everyone else in the room wasn¡¯t staring at me. I had no idea why even the adventurers looked at me like that. They did confess wanting to act together with me, but shouldn¡¯t they still worry a little about their own lives? If I told them to jump, would they jump? ¡°Make yourself clear.¡± Damn it. I didn¡¯t know anymore. The others weren¡¯t saying anything. ¡°Do you wish for the salvation of Jacrati or the death of Vipurit and his men?¡± ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t that question meaningless? To save Jacrati, we must kill Vipurit.¡± ¡°Wrong.¡± Ah, I heard that Vikings had a high degree of literary knowledge¡ªthey even wrote poems¡ªbut Windhand was a pirate, so maybe that was why he couldn¡¯t understand the difference in nuance. Grumbling to myself, I rxed my posture and approached the table. Of course, my expression remained icy, as usual. Stab! And I stabbed the map with a dagger, lodging it into the table. The ce it pierced through was where Windhand first suggested we attack. ¡°If you wish for Jacrati¡¯s salvation¡­¡± I gently moved the dagger. After charging it with some Arcane Power, it became much easier to cut through the table. I smoothly sliced through the map as if it were a radish. The dagger¡¯s eventual destination was, of course, Vipurit¡¯s headquarters. ¡°...then you will move like this.¡± Pull. I pulled out the dagger. ¡°If you just wish for Vipurit¡¯s death, you will have to move in the opposite direction.¡± That was it. We would still kill them all, but the difference was whether we first cleared the path for the reinforcements to get through to Jacrati or we first killed Vipurit. Although they both seemed the same, they differed slightly. In the former, there was a good chance that Vipurit would flee while we advanced toward him. We wouldn¡¯t be able to catch him if he decided to do so. However, if we chose thetter¡­ Jacrati would have to endure a little longer while we dealt with Vipurit and advanced from there. Either way, the choice was up to Windhand. ¡°¡­Wait a second.¡± As if finally understanding what I meant, Windhand answered, his lips quivering. It wasn¡¯t like he expected me to handle everything, but he didn¡¯t seem to think I would give him such an answer. ¡°There are hundreds of pirates.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°I even made this map.¡± ¡°Amusing.¡± ¡°Is it really fine?¡± I showed my displeasure at being asked again. My character would perceive this as an insult, like, ¡®How could you ask me again?¡¯ My twitching eyebrows furrowed fiercely. ¡°Do worms stop being worms when they crowd together? It''s not me who won¡¯t be fine.¡± I threw my dagger as I said that. It bounced off the table slightly, letting out a tingling sound, and spun before resting right before Windhand¡¯s hand. ¡°Choose.¡± At my urging, Windhand slowly reached for the dagger. His five fingers closed around the hilt. And he soon shut his eyes tight. Stab! The dagger pierced the map. ¡°I really want to skin that bastard Vipurit and use it as a g, but¡­¡± The point the de stabbed was the area that had to be opened for reinforcements to arrive. ¡°I think I can achieve that another day without any help.¡± He hade to a decision. ¡¸? Fangs Aimed at Jacrati ? Go to Jacrati ? Destroy the base of Vipurit¡¯s gang¡¹ ¡°I have received your request.¡± I took back my dagger from where it was stuck in the table. I noticed the map had be a little tattered¡­ Well, I should just move on. If I ended up saving a city because of that, they would surely forgive me for damaging a map a little. ¡°Is that all you have to say?¡± ¡°Yes, for now¡­¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave.¡± Truthfully, the motion sickness I had been enduring throughout this whole map-tattering spiel had returned with a vengeance. I didn¡¯t know how much longer I couldst just to save face, but I was pretty sure it wasn¡¯t long. I had to get back to bed. * * * Windhand was somewhat dumbfounded, still staring at where the Demon Knight had vacated. He had thought the man would have suggested attacking both ces out of pride, but this was far beyond what he¡¯d imagined. Thanks to that, he even forgot what he intended to talk about today. While there wasn¡¯t much time left, they still had a few days, so he could just talk moreter¡­ Even so, he couldn¡¯t help feelingpletely dazed right now. ¡°By the way, why did you call all of us?¡± At that moment, the young man wearing a hood over his head slowly opened his mouth. It didn¡¯t sound like aint, but probably just a joke to alleviate the awkward atmosphere. Windhand could feel the yfulness in his voice, after all. ¡°Then how about youe up with a different approach? If your way is better than the Demon Knight¡¯s, I might consider it.¡± He was grateful for it. Although he had been overwhelmed by the Demon Knight and agreed with his logic, what he¡¯d said to the adventurers earlier wasn¡¯t a lie. Since they would be carrying out this operation, he wanted to hear their opinions and intentions as much as possible. Of course, if any of them said they¡¯d prefer to give up or bide their time, he would kick them out. ¡°We don¡¯t really have a choice, do we?¡± ¡°What are you talking about? I just gave you the choice, didn¡¯t I?¡± He looked back at the other adventurers, encouraging them to say something if they had something to say. ¡°I¡¯m not opposed to it.¡± ¡°I also like the idea.¡± One by one, the adventurers expressed that they had no objections. ¡°It seems none of you have anyints. How interesting.¡± ¡°Wahaha. Whatints? How do you usually do these things if you¡¯re surprised by this? If you don¡¯t like something, you should just beat up that adventurer.¡± ¡°When getting requests from important people, I usually can¡¯t even attend these events, so this is already a lot better.¡± ¡°Right, right. More often than not, we¡¯re just supposed to wait outside until the strategy meeting ends and receive unteral instructions. Even though we¡¯re the ones risking our lives for their missions.¡± ¡°I mean, his decision was also pretty unteral, but I don¡¯t really mind.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a huge difference between receiving orders from someone who won¡¯t even step a foot on the battlefield and receiving them from someone who¡¯ll fight alongside us on the front lines.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Given your reaction, you haven¡¯t done that many requests yet, huh?¡± Windhand certainly understood why the Demon Knight tolerated that young man. His ability to subtly influence public opinion with jokes was rather unusual. Even those who might have been slightly dissatisfied with this knew why they had to give up on theirints. ¡°Moreover, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll die if I go along with a n made by that guy.¡± Well¡­ There¡¯s no denying that this man had enough force to leave them without work. ¡°Of course. Let¡¯s just agree on that n, then. It¡¯ste, so let¡¯s break up the meeting for now. I¡¯ll call you again if I have more to say.¡± Anyway, now that the Demon Knight had left, there wasn¡¯t anything more to discuss. He opened the door to the cabin. ¡°Hey.¡± Windhand suddenly stopped the hooded young man before he headed out. ¡°If Ie up with a n, will he follow it?¡± He immediately received an answer. ¡°From what I know about him, he isn¡¯t one to just listen obediently.¡± Windhandughed at that. ¡°Am I toocking?¡± ¡°If there is someone among our enemies who could stop him, any n we make would be useless. No matter whether you think you¡¯recking or not.¡± What a great answer. Chapter 57: I’m Angry, but… (5) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 57 I¡¯m Angry, but¡­ (5) ¡°A ship is approaching!¡± I spent most of the day sleeping, reading, and doing some light stretching and exercise. Two days after setting sail, pirate hunting was added to the list. ¡°Pirates?¡± ¡°I don''t know. However, most ships that would approach us recklessly like this are almost certainly enemies.¡± It was a simple distinction. If it approached us, it was an enemy. If it didn¡¯t, it was just a passing ship. We decided on that method because most pirate ships didn¡¯t actually fly pirate gs. ¡°It¡¯s Vipurit!¡± However, the men under Vipurit were slightly easier to recognize. Most of their members wore red bandanas, scarves, or really just anything red. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Which also meant I could just cut them down. aaash! A [sh] filled with my Arcane Power cleaved through the sea. ¡°You can just cut down their ship as is. Simply cutting their masts somewhat leaves a bad taste in my mouth.¡± The three masts towering over their shop copsed. As a bonus, their sail was also sliced through horizontally, allowing one to see right through it. I could hear the pirate sitting in the crow¡¯s nest screaming as he fell into the sea along with the mast. ¡°Want me to cut your ship in two?¡± ¡°Please have mercy.¡± Windhand trembled exaggeratedly as he entered the captain¡¯s cabin. I looked at him, to which he turned around. Unless one was lucky enough to be carried to somend by the current, they were effectively fated to drown in the sea. Flop. I sat down on a stool-like chair. My hand holding the Zweih?nder trembled ever so slightly due to my nausea. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll see any more pirates near the coast for a while.¡± That¡¯s what one of the adventurers on deck said. That probably wasn¡¯t an overstatement. One ship the day before yesterday, three ships yesterday, and two ships today had their masts split and were left to drift across the sea. Although not an awfully huge number, it couldn¡¯t be considered small, either. Even when we went on that pirate hunt with the city guards, we barely captured eight ships in three days. ¡°Rather, there were four ships among them that belonged to Vipurit. I somewhat expected it since I was told they managed to capture a city, but they really are no joke.¡± The sailor in charge of the sails shrugged at those words. ¡°It¡¯s not like we ignored all the port towns near Jacrati on our way to Gr¨¹ Teltz for no reason.¡± He said while pulling a rope taut. ¡°There are various gangs connected to Vipurit in lots of ports.¡± ¡°So, if we tried to stop by one and visit the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, we would just get caught and chased away or engaged in battle.¡± Another sailor followed up on his words. He opened the cage ced on the deck. He caught a chicken inside of it. Chances were high that it would be our next lunch. ¡°Is it that bad?¡± ¡°All the pirates around here went under Vipurit. The only ones who persevere without getting involved with them are Boss Rahong, Blue Moon Watia, and Ouw Chima.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t Blue Moon and Ouw privateers?¡± ¡°Right. But a lot of people have switched to bing pirates. Privateers usually get on by paying some of the loot they stole back to the city. However, that¡¯spletely meaningless if the city can¡¯t properly function.¡± He pulled the rope even tighter before securing it to a mp. Only then did the sailore down from the railing. ¡°So, all those guys swore loyalty to Vipurit because they didn¡¯t want to end up dead.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you guys do that, then?¡± ¡°Are you crazy? There¡¯s no way Vipurit would just leave us alone.¡± The sailor looked at me in total disbelief before letting out an ¡®Oops¡¯. ¡°Ah, you¡¯rendlubbers, aren¡¯t you? Then you might not know.¡± ¡°Yes, we don¡¯t, so please tell us.¡± Deb intervened at just the right moment. Anyway, he never missed a beat when it came to gathering information. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a bit¡­¡± For the first time, the sailor seemed hesitant, perhaps because it wasn¡¯t something one could talk about so carelessly. ¡°I yed the biggest role in that guy¡¯s downfall.¡± At that moment, Windhand, who¡¯d gone to his quarters not too long ago, came out. He held a bottle of alcohol in his hand. ¡°I hit him right in the back with my ship.¡± ¡°¡­Whenever I remember that day, my heart still pounds. Everyone was trying to stop him, yet the captain refused and ventured into the enemy camp alone.¡± Rather annoyingly, the sailor watching quickly blurted out those words. Windhand chuckled when he heard that. ¡°Not only that, he even went during a storm!¡± ¡°What are you saying? I used the storm as a cover to infiltrate their ce.¡± ¡°Still! Just sneaking past Vipurit¡¯s men without being seen would have been easier than going at them during a damn storm!¡± He then held out the liquor bottle as if telling the sailor to take a sip. Everyone around me took turns drinking some of it. ¡°Anyway, joining him wouldn¡¯t have worked. If I even tried to swear my allegiance to him, Vipurit would have cut my head off and put it on a stake.¡± ¡°Ah, so you had no other choice.¡± I refused to drink. Ever since one of my seniors in college made me drink until I puked, I disliked alcohol. Of course, I had been forced to do so a few times before. Drinking water spoiled rather easily on ships, so even people who disliked alcohol would choose it over rotten water. However, that wasn¡¯t the case right now. I had stored plenty of water in my inventory, just in case. ¡°But¡­ Is that all?¡± ¡°What?¡± Deb tried digging deeper, seeming to have sensed something, as I wondered whether I should get up. The smell of alcohol worsened my motion sickness even further after all. I had heard being out in the open was good for getting over motion sickness, but I felt much morefortable just lying on my bed and getting some good rest. ¡°So, um, please do me a favor.¡± However, right as I was about to get up, Windhand looked at me and spoke up. ¡°Please save my life¡­ and that of our brothers. I¡¯m betting everything on you here.¡± His tone was somewhat vague, but the answer to his plea was fixed. ¡°As long as you pay me, I won¡¯t allow any failure.¡± I decided to stay in my private room to avoid the smell of alcohol after that. * * * * * * ?Mister Windhand has urged us to go to Jacrati first. Please tell me how to contact you. I¡¯m sure Sir Archmage definitely knows how to get in contact with me. It¡¯s up to you whether you decide to join us for this request, but I don¡¯t really rmend it. P.S. If you decide to follow us, bring some reinforcements and supplies. That way, you¡¯ll be less likely to get beaten up while walking around the city. P.P.S. I think Mister Knight won¡¯t stop to get our reward, so could you perhaps pick it up for us on your way? I can¡¯t bear to think we won¡¯t get anything for our trouble after all we¡¯ve been through.? The Inquisitor was crouched down, pondering over the words (letter) the thief had left behind for them. Yabad and Jacrati. The name of a ce she had never been to but always came across whenever she studied history or the doctrine of the Temple. It left her speechless. ¡°It seems you¡¯re very worried.¡± The one approaching was a priest who took care of some things on her behalf while she was unconscious and also helped her in various ways after she woke up. ¡°Ah, Sister.¡± The Inquisitor rose from where she sat and greeted the priest. Anyway, the debt she owed her wasn¡¯t small. ¡°Why would I have anything to worry about? I¡¯mfortable, all thanks to you, Sister.¡± She thought back to what had happened right after she woke up. From reporting the death of the priests to the Temple, cating the Lord after btedly hearing the ship had been severely damaged, and even responding to the Magic Tower¡¯s unreasonable demands that the dragon¡¯s corpse be handed over to them for research purposes as they were victims. She also had to fill out reports and ensure the families of the deceased would receive properpensation. Just as the thief requested, she received the Demon Knight¡¯s reward and requested that some personnel find out how the dragon ended up like that and what would happen to the sea in the future. To make matters worse, the people familiar with the incident either had already disappeared due to personal reasons or were unconscious. She didn¡¯t really know much, as she had focused on maintaining the barrier back then. If this priest hadn¡¯t helped her, she would still be getting dragged around by all sides. ¡°It¡¯s something I ought to do.¡± Despite that, the priest humbly refused to ept any credit. The Inquisitor''s eyes softened when she looked at her. ¡°Rather, are you worried now? It seemed to me that there are still things bothering you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I heard the Archmage will wake up soon, so it surely isn¡¯t about him¡­ You also managed to secure the Demon Knight¡¯s reward to some extent, so it wouldn¡¯t be that, either¡­ Is it because of the people of your group who went ahead?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± She couldn¡¯t answer her. That¡¯s how surprised she felt. That was honestly her biggest concern. ¡°I heard a bit about it. Something about them going to Jacrati.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± She unconsciously crumpled the letter she was holding slightly. When she noticed, she tried to straighten it again, but the wrinkles wouldn¡¯t disappear. ¡°¡­I want to go and help them, but¡­¡± Forty years ago, arge-scale Demon summoning urred in the Yabad region. At that time, many people had been parasitized by those Demons¡­ Many didn¡¯t even know they were parasitized and clung to the priests, begging, ¡®Please, please save me. I heard the Demons areing.¡¯ In truth, their very bodies had already be a vessel for those Demons. ¡°There is no way that they would tolerate my existence.¡± ¡­Her teacher had told her that many had died during this incident. A truly, truly immense amount. Those who refused to believe their rtives or friends had been parasitized by Demons killed the priests, and the priests killed them to survive, eventually going so far as burning entire regions, the citizens included¡­ Thend turnedpletely ck, and the sea surrounding it red. ¡°Don¡¯t me yourself. This isn¡¯t your fault, Miss Inquisitor.¡± ¡°¡­But.¡± However, that spilled blood was never washed away. Their disgust, umted hatred, and anger wouldn¡¯t disappear so easily. ¡°¡­I can¡¯t just stay away.¡± It would probably stay like that forever. ¡°Inquisi¡­¡± Craaash! ¡°¡­!¡± Both their heads turned simultaneously as amotion reached their ears. What they saw was an acolyte running toward them,pletely out of breath. ¡°S-Sir Archmage is awake¡­¡± ¡°He finally woke up!¡± ¡°B-But there is a problem.¡± ¡°¡­! A-Are there any problems with his health¡­?¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s not it. It seems the Magic Tower has found the reason for the dragon¡¯s corruption!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t natural!¡± The faces of the Inquisitor and the priest stiffened. * * * The moment my water ran out, we spottednd. We had reached the Yabad region and arrived at the ind where Jacrati was. ¡°Vipurit¡¯s men areing from both sides!¡± Of course, the ones circling the ind weren¡¯t much trouble. I simply sliced them in half with my sword, making them sink. ¡°You cut apart the ship this time?¡± On the open sea, just cutting their masts was enough to prevent them from attacking us. All they could do was to pray the sea¡¯s current would lead them tond. However, we were nearnd right now. There was no guarantee they couldn¡¯t just escape using small boats. If they did, there was a high chance that they would return at ater point. So, I cut their ships down to be sure. I couldn¡¯t risk the people''s lives onnd because I was sloppy. ¡°It got annoying.¡± However, there was no need to exin it in such detail! I dealt with the remaining ships by sacrificing my HP for Arcane Power. While onboard the ship, I gained some understanding of what the HP-to-Arcane Power exchange cost was through the use [Life Force Conversion]. As such, my HP had only dropped slightly. Of course, it was absolutely ridiculous that blood would rise from my throat just because it fell a little. ¡°I can smell blood.¡± ¡­That ghost-like bastard! I quickly swallowed the blood in my throat without letting him notice and ced my Zweih?nder into its sheath on my back. Converting vitality to Arcane Power was good and all, but every time I used it and my HP got reduced, blood would fill my mouth. Thanks to that, I almost got caught by Deb, who was very sensitive to the smell of blood, multiple times. I should avoid using this skill around him except when I was already injured. I didn¡¯t really have much of a choice this time, though. ¡°Blood? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯sing from the sea?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think so, no.¡± Ah, I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t know. I looked away and sat down on a nearby empty box. We quickly approached Jacrati, ignoring those people in the water whose ships had sunk. While our target location was elsewhere, we decided to depart after doing some basic maintenance, so we selected Jacrati as our first destination. ¡°C-Captain!¡± And just as thendscape of Jacrati was steadily entering my view, the sailor up in the crow¡¯s nest screamed. That voice, carrying a mix of fear and shock, caused tension to sweep over the ship. Most of them wore stiff expressions. ¡°Speak!¡± Windhand urgently asked the sailor. However, it seemed he had trouble getting his next words out. ¡°Damn it, what did you see?!¡± As such, some sailors scrambled to cling to the bow while others tried to scale thedder leading to the crow¡¯s nest. I just took a peek at the city from the deck. ¡°M-Monster.¡± Had he finally caught a proper view of the city? The sailor in the crow¡¯s nest started stammering. ¡°A monster has overtaken the city¡­¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± It was then that I saw a monster destroying the city¡¯s walls. ¡¸Patchwork Golem ©¦ A monster made by weaving together human bones, muscles, and flesh and letting a Demon possess it. It is said to need dozens of lives to create it, and hundreds to kill it.¡¹ It was a Demon. ____ Chapter 58: If There is a God (1) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 58 If There is a God (1) ¡°A Demon¡­?¡± The first who fell to their knees at the sight was Windhand. No wind or wave could bring this man down, but Demons were another matter. Their mere presence terrified him. Those moments of despair and madness from forty years ago engulfed his mind. ¡°Why? Why again?¡± He wasn''t alone. One of the more experienced sailors grabbed his head at those words, words which represented almost everyone¡¯s feelings. However, a single sentence drowned out Windhand¡¯s screams. ¡°Speed up the ship.¡± One person spoke confidently in this silence. ¡°Right now!¡± Windhand looked to where that voice came from as if possessed. ¡°So that I can kill those scum bastards!¡± His uncovered gray eye was full of undting madness, murderous intent, hatred, and twisted joy. Destruction personified. * * * I didn¡¯t really know what it was, but it was definitely a Demon. As such, there was only one thing I could do. ¡¸Jacrati: Ramchaban Pier¡¹ ¡¸? Fangs Aimed at Jacrati ? Go to Jacrati ? Destroy the base of Vipurit¡¯s gang ? Demons eliminated: 0 / ??¡¹ y those damn Demons. ¡°I will kill everyst one of them.¡± Immersing myself in my roley, I muttered while coldly looking toward the city. The most urgent thing to take care of was likely the Patchwork Golem we saw near the castle. The port closest to the castle wasn¡¯t in a normal state either, so it seemed we would have to clean that ce up first before moving on. At the dock, Demons and people were locked in a fierce battle. ¡¸Zombie ©¦ Unfortunate people parasitized by parasitic Demons. They have lost any sense of self and are being controlled by the Demon.¡¹ The dim-eyed Zombies were fewer in number than the people, but that didn¡¯t mean they were at a disadvantage. ¡°Vipurit bastards!¡± Humans wearing symbolic red clothing attacked people at the port alongside the Zombies. I wondered why they weren¡¯t getting attacked by the Zombies, but I roughly understood that they were probably Demon Contractors. ¡°The ship, now¡­!¡± I broke apart a barrel rolling around the ship, then picked up one of the boards and threw it into the ocean. Crack! I jumped effortlessly, crushing the railing. Ssh. The nk I had thrown became my stepping stone. ¡°Victory to my sword.¡± Like that, I managed to reach the dock. ¡°Who¡¯s that bastard!¡± Those wearing red clothes shouted and ran at me. Uwoargh! Several Zombies chasing people attempting to escape by boat gathered around me. Their mouths were covered in blood and flesh, and they held axes and harpoons in their hands. Jingle, jingle. The sound of the earrings dangling from their ears was particrly annoying. ¡°Glory to the heavens¡­!¡± But so what if they had weapons? I was faster. Thud. I took one step forward on the wooden dock and swung around my Zweih?nder on the second. The pitch-ck horizontal [sh] I sent out mercilessly cut down those things that had once been regr people. Blood sshed out and soaked the dock red. Their split bodies copsed to both sides and fell into the sea. ¡°Wh-What!¡± That tremendous attack caught the attention of both the living and the egoless Zombies. Uwaaaaargh!! Some of the Zombies that had climbed into the boats and were chasing around the people within, and those fighting against people onnd, all came toward me. I was very grateful for that. If they crowded together, killing them in one go would be much easier. Tak, tak, tak, tak. I ran across the wooden nks without hesitation and began gently swinging my sword in all directions. It wasn¡¯t long before my Zweih?nder was stained with sticky blood. ¡°K-Kill him!¡± ¡°Where the fuck did that guye from?!¡± ¡°What are those guys patrolling the sea doing?!¡± However, there weren¡¯t only Zombies. After cutting down all the Zombies that hade at me, I gripped my sword tighter as I faced those people before me. ¡°Shit, kill him!¡± I could see others desperately fighting them while trying to defend the docks. ¡°What a waste of life.¡± Soon, pitch-ck energy spread from my sword, cutting down the group d in red. Swish! ¡°Hey.¡± Then, someone spoke up from behind me. He wore a triangr hat and had long ears. ¡°Leave this ce to us and go to the castle.¡± I first checked over the people guarding the docks, then counted the remaining enemies before Windhand¡¯s face entered my view. ¡°Go and save the Lord.¡± He emitted the desperation of someone unable to abandon hope, even in despair. ¡°I beg of you, please save her.¡± ¡­I wondered what kind of rtionship the privateer captain had with the Lord of this city to be so desperate. However, I was confident this city wouldn¡¯t copse while I was here. I stuck my hand into my inventory, drawing out the questions in my mind. Throw! ¡°This is¡­¡± What I threw toward Windhand was a Demonic Energy Neutralizer. Since I had no use for it, I only brought one of the five bottles I had received in Tatara¡­ What was even the point of me having it? I almost hadn¡¯t brought it with me because it only took up inventory space. ¡°A neutralizer?¡± I wasn¡¯t sure whether it even prevented the infection caused by those things¡¯ bites. Still, if one got scratched or hit by their weapons, I was certain the Demonic Energy would erode them. With this, at least ten people could be saved. It would be better than nothing. ¡°Why did you¡­¡± Why, why? I gave it to you to drink. I swallowed those words and started running, following Windhand¡¯s request. The Zombies and Vipurit¡¯s men were clearly targeting me, but our difference in speed was simply too substantial. I outran them with ease. The only problem was that the castle was located at the ind¡¯s highest point, so the path got steeper the further I went. ¡¸A hostile existence has entered a radius of 30m.¡¹ Baaam! At that moment, a strange monster came crashing down on the spot I passed not too long ago. The roof, which wasn¡¯t all that sturdy, gave off some ominous sounds as if about to copse. As for why I was on a roof, I was toozy to follow those twisting paths, so I just decided to do some parkour. ¡¸ Gargoyle ©¦ A Demon that flies through the night sky and has mes burning inside of its body. It asionally hides itself by hanging on walls with its hooked wings.¡¹ Suddenly, a bat-like monsterrger than me raised its head to look at me. Even if I hadn¡¯t read its description of carrying mes within itself, I knew it could spew fire just from looking at its belly. A red glow shone through its thin stomach skin, making it look like a paperntern. Rumble, rumble. It even seemed to be preparing to shoot out fire, as well. However, these were signs I couldn¡¯t simply ignore. Fwooooosh! As expected, that thing began spewing fire. I jumped to the side at just the right time, moving in a near semicircle to avoid its mes¡ªthe thing turned its head, the mes naturally moving with it. ¡°You¡¯re in the way¡­¡± At that moment, the Gargoyle seemed to reach the end of its lung capacity, forcing it to close its mouth. I made a half-turn, my path somewhat resembling an oval, and almost managed to take the Gargoyle¡¯s back. ¡°No!¡± Craaaack. The roof I was standing on finally shattered into several pieces of wood as it bent beneath my feet. Swish! I cut off the Gargoyle¡¯s tail by swinging my sword like a baseball bat. I was actually trying to slice through its torso, but seemingly sensing its life was in danger, it attempted to fly away, causing my attack to miss its intended target. Kyaaak, kyak! However, one didn¡¯t necessarily need to remove a flying creature¡¯s wings to prevent it from flying. The Gargoyle, trying to take to the air, immediately lost bnce and stumbled. I naturally didn¡¯t waste that opportunity. Craaack! The roof let out some sounds again as I jumped up and stepped on the Gargoyle. Stab! The Zweih?nder I held in reverse grip pierced through the thing¡¯s neck. After I changed my grip again and spun around, half of its neck got torn out. ¡¸A hostile existence has entered a radius of 30m.¡¹ However, it wasn¡¯t the only enemy. I stepped on the body of the thing about to pounce at me. Bang! A loud boom echoed out as my body started floating in the sky. My next target was another Gargoyle readying to approach me. Kyaaargh! The Gargoyle, not expecting its prey to fly toward it, twisted its body to avoid me. Nevertheless, I swung my de just as I had nned. The Zweih?nder, which I had lowered, cleanly cut off the Gargoyle¡¯s head. Craaaash! Its corpse crashed into a roof below, which seemed to be too fragile and crudely made to support therge body¡¯s weight. Thud. Inded next to that Gargoyle. Dust, wood splinters, and the Gargoyle¡¯s head fell through the copsed roof. ¡°Th-Th-This¡­¡± I straightened my knees and waist that bent as Inded and patted the dust off my shoulder with my right hand. The owner of the house, who had been lucky enough not to get crushed, stared at me in utter shock. It wasn¡¯t like I wanted this to happen. I tried to ignore the house owner, opened the front door¡ªby kicking it open¡ªright next to me, and left. I hoped this person would evacuate to a safer ce. Kyaargh. By the way, the Gargoyle whose head I had torn off earlier was stuck in an alley between the houses and struggling to get free. sh! I finished it off with my sword. Now then, I should keep going. I continued down the path, forgetting this brief interruption. Soon, something like the castle appeared before me, from which a booming sound could be heard. * * * * * * ¡°Tsk.¡± Wasn¡¯t that castle a bit too high up? It was really inconvenient to get to. I ran toward the castle as I mentallyined. The iron bar door was closed, but that didn¡¯t matter. All I had to do was cut it apart or break it. Uwaaaah. Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t do that right away due to the Zombies before the castle gates. I considered justunching a [sh] but stopped soon after; I could see some people through the iron bars¡¯ gaps. What if the [sh] passed through the iron bars and reached them¡­ I didn¡¯t even want to imagine what would happen after. Guwah? I immediately rushed forward. I didn¡¯t bother muting the sound of my footsteps, so several Zombies turned to look at me. It was already toote, though. [Ground Crash]. I jumped up and crashed down against the ground. My sword, which descended with me with tremendous force, spread out my Arcane Power spherically. As the ck storm raged fiercely in all directions, the Zombies¡¯ bodies were flung around. They were subsequently covered in a myriad of wounds as if a sword had assaulted them. However, some were still left. I swung my sword all around, slicing, dicing, and cutting down all the remaining ones. ¡°B-Behind you!¡± Then, someone beyond the iron bars shouted at me. In the next moment, I crushed the head of the Zombie that was trying to bite my ankle from behind. I had already known it was there, but it still felt quite surprising that one of the people was courageous enough to call out to me like that. Swish. I swung my Zweih?nder to shake the blood off of it. It seemed that someone on the other side of the gate shouted something like, ¡®Open the gate!¡¯ ¡°We have to leave now!¡± ¡°Uwaargh!¡± What should I say? Rather than opening the door to let me in, they seemed to be taking the opportunity to flee now that the Zombies were gone. I looked at them as I slowly approached the gate. ¡°Hurry up and raise the gate!¡± And when I was almost at the gate, it began gradually rising. ¡°Run now!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t push!¡± ¡°Uwaaargh!¡± Although I couldn¡¯t even get in yet, I could hear the people inside acting pretty impatient. When the gate was about half-open, I slipped through by lowering my upper body. While they appeared to believe their immediate safety was secure because the Zombies outside had disappeared from the castle gates, I felt they were acting far too hastily. ¡°Run out quickly!¡± Or perhaps their situation had be so dire that it was better to jump into the unknown than stay there. I went through the now fully open gates. I passed through a crowd of hundreds but didn¡¯t really get pushed back. ¡°Kuwaaargh!¡± ¡°St-Stop!¡± ¡°Uwaaargh!¡± And then I saw it: the Patchwork Golem crawling through spaces in the walls and turning soldiers into bloody messes, Zombies climbing through the holes made by the Patchwork Golem and biting people, and Gargoyles flying around the vicinity, spewing fire. ¡°Wahaha, kill them all!¡± ¡°Cut them all down!¡± And then there was the Vipurit gang amid those monsters, massacring everyone. ¡°Save me!¡± Ah, this reminded me somewhat of those insanely packed subway lines in the morning. There were so many people. I created some space for myself to get through by pushing some of them away. I felt sorry for those I pushed, but that didn¡¯t mean I wanted to get trampled. Meanwhile, I saw tons of soldiers dying. Bam! ¡°Urgh!¡± ¡°Waargh!¡± I stamped my foot on the ground so hard that it shook. People around me screamed as my body soared into the air. Crack! However, using this momentum to only float through the air was a waste. I stepped on a Gargoyle that was flying around, preying on people. I then fell on its back, wrapping an arm around its neck. In wrestling terms, I performed what could be called a headlock or chin lock. However, I wasn¡¯t just trying to choke it but sever its head from its body. Choke! The mes surging from the thing¡¯s mouth soon died out. It must have begun suffocating when I forcibly turned its head to stop the me from hitting the people. Kyaaaargh! That bastard tried flying to one side, trying to turn its head this way or that. It was rather unstable due to my added weight, but it still didn¡¯t fall. The direction we were heading in was fairly empty of people, as well, fortunately for me. I quickly removed my left arm from it and took out a dagger. Stab! I stabbed the dagger wrapped in my Arcane Power into the thing¡¯s eyes and shed across its forehead. As a bonus, I managed to crack open its skull and crush the brain inside. Kyaaaargh! Its wings stopped moving, and we began to fall. Once I felt us sinking, I rxed my arms and strengthened my legs. The Gargoyle crushed beneath my feetpletely fell to the floor while I flew through the air once again. Bam! Kyag! My next destination was another Gargoyle. More precisely, I didn¡¯t step on its body but simply grabbed one of its wings. Still praising myself for my incredible aerial coordination, I tore through that thing¡¯s flesh with my dagger before jumping down. The Gargoyle, its wings torn off, was flung against the castle¡¯s outer walls. What happened to me was simr, but my situation was much different as I only stepped on the wall before leaping back up. Swish! Finally, I threw the dagger at the Gargoyle closest to me. It didn¡¯t hit my target right between the eyes, but as long as it hit the space between the chin and the neck, the damage it received shouldn¡¯t have been minor. It also went crashing. Bang! At that moment, my aerial hunting was over. My body fell toward the ground, creating a small crater. Perhaps because I boosted my Arcane Power during the fall, my HP had taken quite the hit. Groaaan! It was then I saw Zombies and Vipurit¡¯s mening toward me. At first, they were chasing after the soldiers and trying to kill those escaping, but when I fell close by, they changed their target to me. However, that was only advantageous for me. Better they ran at me than target those defenseless people! I wiped the floor with those who came attacking and rushed toward the Golem. Uwoaaaah! ¡°Uwargh!¡± I then grabbed one fleeing soldier who was running away and the Zombie trying to bite him by the neck. It fell t to the floor after I threw it away as hard as I could. sh! What followed was my de cutting through its throat. ¡°U-Urgh.¡± The guy I had just saved ran away quickly. I didn¡¯t really expect him to thank me; I just hoped he sessfully managed to run away and survive. ¡°I-I can¡¯t hold on anymore¡­¡± ¡°Please, save me¡­!¡± I quickly reviewed the situation. The walls had copsed, Zombies and Vipurit¡¯s men hade over here, and the soldiers¡¯ camp had almostpletely copsed. Although they tried to hold on, the battle line kept getting pushed back to avoid the approaching Golem, not to mention those Gargoyles attacking from the sky and the cowardly men of Vipurit. ¡°Uwargh!¡± The Zombies, albeit weak individually but both fast and numerous, also posed quite a problem. Whenever they bit someone, that person would die and rise again as an enemy. I had to deal with that urgently. Swish! But the humans could still fight off the Zombies, or so it seemed. After helping people on the way, I aimed for the Patchwork Golem first. People would inevitably get sacrificed during that time. I had no choice but to trust them to hold on somehow. ¡°Out of the way.¡± I ran forward, chopping up Zombies. As time went on, the Golem¡¯s size, which had initially seemed quite small from my perspective, became muchrger. It appeared to be about four meters in height. It wasn¡¯t only tall but also quite wide, making it seem even bigger. Considering it was made from stitched-together human body parts, it looked extremely disgusting and gave off a strong odor. If they put a monster like that into a manhwa, it would immediately be rated 18+. ¡°Uwargh!¡± ¡°Wahaha, die¡ª?!¡± I kicked away a Zombie that had been identally struck by the Golem¡¯s fist and grabbed a member of Vipurit¡¯s gang, who was trying to attack a young soldier, by the back of the neck. Crunch. I crushed his neck with my gauntlet-d hand and threw him to the floor. ¡°H-Huh¡­? ¡°Run away.¡± It seemed to be slowly getting into my range. I gripped my Zweih?nder tightly. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to get cut down together with that thing!¡± Whether or not he heard my words, the guy was already scampering behind me to avoid the Golem. There was nothing but enemies in front of me, after all. I stood within this copsed camp and swung my sword. sh! Soon, the monster, said to require hundreds of people¡¯s lives to kill, silently fell into a river of its own blood. Chapter 59: If There is a God (2) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 59 If There is a God (2) Dealing with the Golem wasn¡¯t that difficult. Its massive body just provided a lot of areas to attack, and its movements were very slow and easy for me to avoid, so I could cut it down with a single [sh]. I also wasn¡¯t incapable of dealing with the disturbances around me. Pulling the Patchwork Golem¡¯s aggro wasn¡¯t bad, either; that way, I could open a path for the others. Yeah, everything was fine up to this point. It was just that the Patchwork Golem¡¯s vitality was extremely high. Shouldn¡¯t it die after having its body cut through, its huge limbs amputated, and its head separated from its body? I looked at the severed body parts still writhing and struggling despite no longer being connected to a body. Finally, my eyes turned to the head I had cut off. In the center of its sunken face and sagging skin, bloodshot eyes red at me. ¡°What a disgusting Demon.¡± So, I stepped on the round head and raised my weapon. ¡°You dare look at me with your dirty eyes.¡± Pierce! I sunk my de right between its eyes, just above its snub nose. ck liquid began flowing from the wound. Inside the head, I could vaguely see a bizarre creature like an embryo but a hundred times the size. Alright. I shook off the ck fluid from my de and checked whether the Golem was still alive: its eyes had blurred over, and its writhing limbs ceased moving. It waspletely dead. ¡°Th-The monster is dead¡­¡± ¡°The monster is dead!¡± ¡°Hurry and push the Zombies back!!¡± ¡°Kill those bastards!¡± While the situation wasn¡¯tpletely resolved, the biggest menace was now dead. From the moment I¡¯d appeared, those people about to lose hope had their spirits lifted again. Kyaaargh! I tore apart the Gargoyles trying to attack me and took care of enemies the people might find difficult to fight. Because of that, I fought a few more aerial battles, which wasn¡¯t possible in the original¡­ It wasn¡¯t too bad an experience. Maybe it was because I had to fight a Sea Dragon at sea before, but I was feeling quite rxed right now. Back then, falling into the water meant certain death, after all! Uwaaargh! ¡°Heeek!¡± While doing that, I also saved those getting attacked and killed the pirates belonging to Vipurit. After killing all the Gargoyles, all that remained were the humanoid enemies. ¡°Uuh, urgh, gargh, gag.¡± ¡°¡­! Finn, Finn?!¡± ¡°You crazy bastard, let go!¡± However, I wouldn¡¯t call that easy, either. I actually wished there were just a second Patchwork Golem. Those things only caused temporary material damage, but once killed, that would be the end. However, that didn¡¯t apply to Vipurit¡¯s gang, much less the Zombies. I thought they were simply victims possessed by Demonic parasites, but they were also just like regr zombies in that they¡¯d infect the person they had bitten. There was also a brief period between being infected and when the victim showed symptoms. They were the most difficult to take care of, and killing them left a bitter aftertaste in my mouth. With the regr people and the Zombies now basically mixed together in a huge crowd, it was impossible for me to wipe them out all at once. ¡°Finn,e to your senses!¡± ¡°Let go of him! Do you want to turn into a Zombie as well?! It¡¯s already toote for Finn!¡± ¡°Finn!¡± Take that as an example. Kaaargh! I caught the thing trying to attack its formerpanions as it squealed. Craaack. By putting just a bit of strength into my hand, I managed to break its neck. The sensation of breaking through its skin and crushing its bones felt incredibly vivid. ¡®It¡¯s a Demon.¡¯ However, it was a Demon in the end. Even if I wanted to give this guy a chance to regain his sense of self, I had to consider my circumstances first. The Demonic Energy Neutralizer might help, but I wasn¡¯t so sure about that. Even if it would work, I didn¡¯t have any on me right now. ¡°Finn!!¡± All I could do for now was ignore their resentful gazes and focus on something else. There were still many enemies I had to kill. ¡°Damn it, why, why did this happen again?!¡± ¡°Y-You weren¡¯t bitten, right?¡± ¡°Those who¡¯ve been bitten, tell us immediately! This is different from forty years ago! Report right away if you have been bitten!¡± ¡°Gather at the castle gates! We¡¯ll reorganize there!¡± For now, I only dealt with those wearing red clothes and those showing symptoms of being bitten. There may be some infected among those remaining, but I had no time to search through them individually. Since Windhand had asked me to look for the Lord, I still needed to do that. ¡°Hey.¡± So, I grabbed one of the people checking others for bite marks. Although his clothes were that of a civilian, his ability tomand those around him suggested he wasn¡¯t just someone ordinary. Someone in a higher position was more likely to know certain things. ¡°Ah, you¡­¡± ¡°Where is the Lord?¡± ¡°Th-The Lord?¡± However, it seemed I had chosen the wrong person. The guy only showed he was thinking over my question, but he didn¡¯t provide an answer. Of course, I wasn¡¯t sure whether it was because he was suspicious of me or because he truly didn¡¯t know. ¡°The Lord is in the castle, no, she should be!¡± Fortunately, someone else answered in his stead. Judging by his soldier¡¯s uniform, it seemed he worked in the castle. He was seriously injured, but as someone was supporting him, it seemed he was less likely to have been infected. ¡°She probably tried leaving through the secret passage, but Vipurit and his gang entered the castle suddenly, along with the Zombies! They¡¯ll most likely target the Lord!¡± He either had quite the wit or was highly loyal to the Lord. Anyway, I got what I wanted: knowing the Lord was still in the castle and that it could be rather dangerous inside was pretty helpful. ¡°Understood.¡± My next stop would be inside the castle. While walking toward it, I grabbed some people showing symptoms by the neck. Their bodies writhed in strange ways. Bam! When one bit into my gauntlet, I just threw it forward and split its body in two as I passed by. nk. A curved, scimitar-like sword fell to my feet. It seemed quite useful. ¡°Wait, are you going into the castle?!¡± Soldiers and people in clothes I couldn¡¯t quite ce looked at me as one of them asked. Kick. The next moment, I kicked up the scimitar and caught it in my hand. It was more than obvious that wielding the Zweih?nder within the castle would be quite awkward, so I was thinking of borrowing this de for now. ¡°W-We want toe with you.¡± I didn¡¯t really care, so they didn¡¯t have to ask for my permission or anything. Actually, since I didn¡¯t know how to get inside, it would be somewhat helpful if at least one of them came along and exined how to enter. However, there were still many Zombies and pirates left. Could they even afford to follow me? Didn¡¯t they have to take care of their own first? Although the situation was slowly calming down, shouldn¡¯t there be at least one person in a high enough positionmanding the others to stay behind? Those who asked whether they coulde with me seemed like they would just follow, no matter what. ¡°If you get in my way, I¡¯ll toss you aside.¡± However, that didn¡¯t mean my character was one to discourage them. I respected their choice and broke down the gate so I could enter. Suddenly, my right arm started itching when facing a certain direction. ¡°Kill all the pirates! After that, hunt down whoever was bitten and protect the castle gate! If any of the Zombies approach, kill them all!¡± A few of the people who said they¡¯d follow me gave some orders to those staying behind and hurriedly went after me. Although I was walking pretty quickly, they somehow managed to keep pace, though their faces were distorted in pain because of their injuries. ¡°Where¡¯s the secret passage?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Useless.¡± Now that I thought about it, it would be even weirder if he knew where it was. Anyway, if he didn¡¯t know, he was useless to me. I then noticed people moving about in rather jarring ways. Soon, those infected by Zombies began attacking us. Some who weren¡¯t infected just turned into pieces of flesh decorating the floor. Kang, Ching! Kakang! ¡°¡­!¡± Then I heard the shing of des from one ce. I increased the pace of my steps even further. * * * * * * ¡°H-Hold on!¡± I eventually ran across people dressed in armor fighting against hordes of Zombies, pirates, and Demon Contractors wearing robes. I shifted the curved sword I¡¯d just borrowed. Kuargh! My sword cut through the Zombie furthest in the back and pierced the heart of a Demon Contractor in the middle of chanting spells behind it. ¡°What?!¡± There wasn¡¯t just one guy, but two? I grabbed the head of the next Demon Contractor I saw with my right hand. Baaam! I mmed the hand against the stone wall, leaving behind a massive stter of blood before the guy slid down. ¡°What just¡ª?!¡± ¡°Damn it, kill him!¡± ¡°Hurry up and kill him!¡± This curved de was pretty good. I filled it with my Arcane Power and swung it around, satisfied with the grip. It was rather satisfactory as a substitute. I fired a very small [sh] forward and eviscerated the upper torsos of several members of Vipurit¡¯s gang. ¡°They¡¯re here!¡± ¡°Are you part of the reinforcements?!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hold on just a bit longer! Rescue hase!¡± ¡°Reinforcements!¡± ¡°W-We¡¯ll survive!¡± Was this all there was to these enemies? There were quite a few of them, but none were especially strong. I narrowed my eyes and looked over the survivors. The knights, who had been defending all this time and fiercely holding on to hope, could finally catch their breath. However, no one among them appeared to be this castle¡¯s Lord. ¡°The Lord?¡± ¡°Her Lordship¡­ Ah!¡± One of them urgently pointed in one direction. Following the outstretched finger, I saw what seemed to be a firece. ¡°We must save Her Lordship! A mist-like monster followed after her through the wall!¡± A Draugr. I looked at these people who could easily identify my target and were tough enough to survive this ordeal. ¡°Open the door.¡± After hesitating for about three seconds, a knight pursed his lips as he pressed some things, at which point a secret passage opened. ¡°Uwaargh!¡± I could hear a scream from within. ¡°Your Lordship!¡± Since I could still hear shing des, that likely meant the Lord was yet to be harmed, right? I kicked the ground with these thoughts in mind. It felt like some traps were triggered here and there, but I was moving so fast that they didn¡¯t affect me. Whenever I reached a crossroad, all I had to do was follow the sounds of battle. Of course, those who chose toe after me would probably have quite a hard time, but¡­ I figured it was far better for them to suffer than the Lord to die. ¡°R-Run¡ª¡± ¡°Tia!¡± Whuuuuuuuh. As I arrived at the source of the fighting, I came across a materialized Draugr raising its weapon against a woman. Directly below the Draugr, I could see a fresh corpse and the torch it held. ¡°You.¡± With a crunching sound, my sword immediately cut off the Draugr¡¯s head. Thinking back, this had taken me two strikes before. It was probably because my level had risen, or maybe because I swung my de with more force than usual. The Draugr¡¯s body melted and scattered like dust. ¡°Are you Pion, the castle¡¯s Lord?¡± After dealing with the Draugr, a woman with pointed ears and a slightly wrinkled face appeared before me. The eight braids in her hair momentarily caught my attention, but realizing the situation, I quickly refocused my thoughts. ¡°¡­That¡¯s right. Who are you?¡± I-I saved her by a hair¡¯s breadth. Although all her guards seemed to be dead¡­ Without their sacrifice, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to save Pion. I prayed for the deceased, hoping they may rest in peace, before moving my sword to my right hand. I then stretched out my empty left hand. ¡°I came here after receiving a request from Windhand.¡± Pion¡¯s eyes zed over for a bit. ¡°Suriya?¡± ¡°Get up.¡± I waved my hand slightly as if to rify its presence before Pion grabbed it, small tears gently flowing from her eyes. ¡°Did that kid seed?¡± ¡°Are you really asking that after seeing the results with your own eyes?¡± ¡°¡­Right, indeed.¡± I helped her up and turned around. I wasn¡¯t sure where this secret passage would lead, but I thought it would be better to just return to the castle. The soldiers were there, after all. ¡°The knights outside¡­¡± ¡°Your Lordship!!¡± ¡°¡­They are alive.¡± The voices echoing through the secret passage were exnation enough. Not paying the Lord any heed, I sped forward as fast as I could. Since I could judge the distance between the Lord and myself by the sound of our footsteps, I didn¡¯t need to asionally turn around to check. ¡°I-I¡­!¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Your Lordship!¡± Joining up was good and all, but hey, how can we proceed if you keep blocking the already narrow road? I red at them with pursed lips. ¡°Make way, right this instance.¡± The knights immediately stepped aside. We had to get out of here. ¡°What¡¯s the situation? How many of you are alive?¡± ¡°Only three knights left, myself included¡­ Of the soldiers, only five remain.¡± ¡°What about the situation outside?¡± ¡°It¡¯s aplete mess. Fortunately, that gigantic monster, most of the Zombies, and pirates were taken care of by him¡­ But the infection rate is much too fast. The town is probably in pieces.¡± We walked down the pathway, which felt longer than when I¡¯d entered. I started to think about my next move. Now that I had saved the Lord, should I just lead her to where Windhand was? That seemed far too inefficient to me. How about dealing with the remaining enemies outside? I saw plenty of Gargoyles flying around the city earlier when my main priority had been to get to the castle. Or it might be even better to investigate the castle wall where that Patchwork Golem hade out from. There might still be Demon Contractors present there. ¡°Lord.¡± However, I didn¡¯t have enough information to choose thetter option. Just going around looking for something alone would waste a lot of time. ¡°Let me ask you, are these all the enemy troops that entered the castle?¡± ¡°ording to my knights¡­ Yes.¡± ¡°When did those Demons appear? Is there anything more dangerous than the Patchwork Golem around? Which ce needs the most support? Can you answer any of these questions?¡± I just decided to ask her coldly. I usually didn¡¯t talk that much, but there was no one around who could ask in my stead. Moreover, there wasn¡¯t anyone around who knew about my character setting, so they wouldn¡¯t freak out at my barrage of questions, and the likelihood of others finding outter was also minimal. I should stop worrying about breaking character and focus on dealing with this situation. ¡°I should know more about this than Her Lordship. I watched everything happen from start to finish, after all.¡± However, someone in civilian clothes stepped up instead, interrupting the conversation between the Lord and me. He was one of those that followed me into the castle. ¡°Please, exin.¡± At the Lord¡¯smand, he continued while counting with his fingers. ¡°It started at the Amsen dock. While those flying monsters distracted the harbor¡¯s forces, three ships arrived¡­ The monster you dealt with not too long ago appeared after. Vipurit and his crew also disembarked from their ships at that time.¡± Hmm, hmm¡­ I see. I didn¡¯t know where Amsen was, though¡­ ¡°The pirates released something, after which some people turned into Zombies. Then, some spread out on the city streets, and that giant monster broke through the castle walls.¡± ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t think any monsters more dangerous than that giant monster are around. However, Zombies and pirates are scattered all around the city¡­¡± I didn¡¯t really know this ce¡¯syout, so I wasn¡¯t too certain about the enemy¡¯s movement path. However, as long as there wasn¡¯t anything at the level of a Patchwork Golem around, that was fine. That meant there was no ce needing my immediate attention. So for now, I had to set my priorities, move from ce to ce, and clear them out¡­ ¡°Where¡¯s the Amsen dock?¡± Seeing that there weren¡¯t more enemies in the castle, I had to rush to that dock where the Demon Contractors and pirates firstnded. Given the unpredictability of the Demon Contractors, I had no idea what they were nning to do now. Just as the Zombie invasion started from the dock, further incidents might happen there, too. ¡°If you leave the castle and go south¡­ Hmm? Wait, why don¡¯t you know where the Amsen dock is¡­?¡± ¡°Go through the hole that monster came through, turn right, and go down the hill, or go out the castle gate, turn left, and go further south. You will soon reach the dock that way.¡± The Lord, knowing I was an outsider brought in by Windhand, added to the previous description. A very useful addition. ¡°Stay inside the castle until I return. I¡¯ll clear the ce out.¡± I left the secret passage and approached a window of the room where the secret passage¡¯s entrance was located. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Crack. The sound of a window breaking followed the Lord¡¯s words. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill Demons.¡± ¡°Wait just¡ª¡± My body fell straight down from the fourth floor. Chapter 60: If There is a God (3) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 60 If There is a God (3) They had formed defensive lines and held on for over half a day. By nightfall, the chaos permeating the city had nearly subsided. It could be said that the areas where the Zombies had spread to and those where they hadn¡¯t were clearly divided, which caused conflict. ¡°Do you have any medicine left?¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t. That was all he gave us.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too bad.¡± He¡¯d used up all the Demonic Energy Neutralizer the Demon Knight had given him. There were quite a few people whom Demonic Energy had eroded as they fought against the Demons. He had also tried feeding it to the infected just to be sure, but unfortunately, it didn¡¯t work on them. He¡¯d wondered whether he could save at least a few people from the infection that way. ¡°Uwaaaargh! Save me, save me!¡± At that moment, someone came running toward them from where the Zombies had spread to. ¡°Zombies!¡± ¡°Ready your bows!¡± ¡°Do they have bite marks?! Don¡¯t touch them carelessly! ¡°Were you bitten?!¡± The Zombies pursuing the survivors were peppered with arrows and fell to the ground. As that happened, the survivors almost reached the barricade. They lifted their torches to illuminate the survivors¡¯ faces along with the whole area. ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t!¡± ¡°Wait, step back! There are bite marks!¡± ¡°I said I wasn¡¯t!¡± Although the guy denied it, there were clear bite marks visible on his forearm and blood through his ripped clothes. ¡°Save me!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t! We never know when you might change!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not¡ª Urgh!¡± Midsentence, the person trying to climb over the barricade stopped and began twisting their whole body. While the infection speed and response time were significantly different, this was almost identical to what had happened forty years ago. Back then, people gathered together without even knowing that parasitic Demons caused this. Strict quarantines set by priests. Riots caused by those who couldn''t ept it. The mes, blood, blood, and even more blood that spread all over the city¡­ ¡°Hey, hey! Mister Windhand!¡± The young Curety man covered his mouth. When his breathing, which had be much too fast, was forcibly blocked, his dizziness seemed to calm down slightly. ¡°Come to your senses!¡± ¡°Yes, yes¡­ I¡¯m back¡­¡± He had been drowning in a sea of memories but somehow managed to return to the present. They barely managed to stop the battle. It was obvious that if he couldn¡¯t prevent such an incident from happening now, they would suffer even more damage. The person-turned-Zombie was decapitated by one of the sailors guarding the barricade. ¡°Why, why is this happening again¡­?¡± ¡°Dad¡­¡± However, while he stood within this continuous bloodshed and echoing cries from all directions, memories of the past continued shing before his eyes. These memories were especially vivid to him because he was of the longest-lived race among all the others, the nds. If it were someone of any other race, their memories might have long faded as they aged. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± The average lifespan of the nd race was between 150 to 200 years. At 53, Windhand was still in the prime of his life, so his memory worked just fine. That was the problem. The events of that time, deeply engraved in his mind, easily rose to the surface at the slightest stimulus. He had been 13. He could easily remember his childhood drenched in deep sorrow. ¡°The flying Demons areing back!¡± Then he heard someone shout. His head, nearly consumed by fear, became a bit clearer once more. It was a bit strange, but to him, the Demons flying in the sky and spewing fire all over the ce were easier to handle than those Zombies. ¡°Everyone, get ready!¡± Windhand shouted instructions to the people around him as he crossed his swords. One after the other, they raised wooden nks torn from ships or broken house walls to cover their heads. They¡¯d been soaked in saltwater as best they could to somehow prevent them from catching fire. Kyaaaah! But when he heard the flying monsters approaching, a subtle cracking sound reached his ears. ¡°Mister?¡± The ears of the young Curety man standing next to him perked up. Kyaa¡ª argh! A strangely distorted howl of those flying Demons echoed through the air. ¡°Wait.¡± Windhand shifted the nk slightly and looked at the sky. A rope had wrapped around a Demon and pulled it to one side. Bam! Before long, the rope dragged it to the ground. sh! What followed was a distinct cutting sound. Like a knife slicing through a piece of meat, a distinct and eerie sound erupted, along with a copious amount of blood. ¡°Mister!¡± The young Curety ran forward as Windhand held his breath without realizing it. The scent of blood from the past and present blended together. The smell of ashes wafting over from somewhere reminded him of a burning vige. Just like back then, just like that moment. ¡ºSuriya, run. Don¡¯t ever look back, just run. You got that?¡» ¡ºWh-What about you, Dad?¡» ¡ºDad¡¯ll be fine. So just run. Quick, run!¡» The Temple¡¯s inquisitors had burned down the entire vige, saying it was too difficult to distinguish the living from the Zombies. It was like that cursed day when his father sacrificed himself to draw the inquisitors¡¯ attention so he had a chance to escape. ¡°Wait, we have to check for marks¡ª¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to check that person!¡± And, and¡­ ¡ºIt¡¯s okay now, dear.¡» ¡°Windhand.¡± It resembled when his savior found him hiding somewhere and held out their hand to him. ¡ºIt¡¯s okay now.¡» ¡°I saved the Lord.¡± However, he didn¡¯t lose them this time. He didn¡¯t lose anything this time. His savior, his benefactor, his¡­ ¡°Are youing?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Mother. * * * * * * After disposing of the Golem, saving the Lord, and climbing through the hole the Golem came through while clearing out the enemies, I unexpectedly found a lot of Demon Worshippers at the Amsen dock and killed them all. I also killed the reinforcements they had there. I then went through the ces close by and slowly made my way back to where our group had been¡­ ¡°¡­¡± I looked at Windhand¡¯s pale face, wondering what had happened. Did a ton of people die while I was gone? I thought I could see many familiar faces from earlier, though. The adventurers even waved at us, saying we could leave the rest to them. Had the damage been very severe, they never would have acted like that. Why did Windhand wear such a mncholic expression? sh! I had no idea what was going on, so I just swung around my sword. I left behind the disemboweled body of a Gargoyle on top of a currently abandoned house. ¡°Is it fine, leaving the others behind?¡± ¡°¡­After the incident forty years ago, everyone knows quite well how to respond to a Zombie outbreak. You saw the pirates and civilians unite, building a barricade before attacking first, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°¡­The infection rate is monstrously fast, but that¡¯s fine. It¡¯ll be fine¡­¡± To note, only the three of us were heading to the castle. It would have been nice if everyone could just move to the castle, but that wasn¡¯t realistic, so what could I do? I wasn¡¯t sure about ten, but if there were over a hundred, I certainly couldn¡¯t have guaranteed their safety, especially if one considered how great a distance I would have to escort them. It was also night, which raised the chances of us getting attacked. The people also knew that, which is why they stayed behind the barricade they¡¯d built. No oneined. Even so¡­ Well, as long as they didn¡¯t reveal themselves, nothing would happen. Yeah. ¡°This time, there won¡¯t be a massacre like before¡­¡± I felt quite shocked hearing these words as I decapitated a Zombie that jumped out from somewhere. I already felt quite disconcerted seeing that the genre had suddenly changed from Fantasy to Zombie Apocalypse, and now he was talking about massacres? As certain scenes shed before my eyes, I looked at my sword for some reason. Would one consider sinking five ships a massacre? Those useless thoughts coursed through my mind. ¡°¡­! You¡¯re!¡± At that moment, I heard somethinging from the castle. From the people standing before the gate, to be exact. While it was quite dark and I didn¡¯t bring a torch, I could still see quite well. ¡°Open the gates!¡± Anyway, the soldiers eventually recognized me and hurriedly raised the lowered gates. As the iron bars rose with ng, Windhand flinched as though about to jump forward at any moment. ¡°There was a lot less damage than I expected. That¡¯s a relief, isn¡¯t it, Mister Windhand?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Now that I thought about it, what happened to Windhand¡¯s so-called brothers? I remembered him saying he couldn¡¯t just gamble away his brothers¡¯ lives. I still didn¡¯t know who he was referring to. I didn¡¯t think he meant his real blood rtives, so I assumed he meant his privateerrades he had left behind in Jacrati¡­ However, the only person he had asked me to save today was the Lord, right? However, his seeing the Lord as a ¡®brother¡¯ was quite weird. He also said brothers, as in plural. I couldn¡¯t quite wrap my head around it. ¡°Suriya?¡± At that moment, someone called out Windhand¡¯s real name. ¡°Mayan!¡± ¡°Suriya! It really is you!¡± The person ran through the now open gate, seemingly an acquaintance of Windhand. He was the one who risked everything to let me know that the Lord was in the castle. ¡°Are all of you back?¡± ¡°¡­Yes. We came back with someone who can help us.¡± Stepping back from those two embracing each other, I looked around the castle. Torches were everywhere, so it was quite bright here despite being night. They¡¯d probably done this so they could more easily make out any approaching Zombies. ¡°What about the Lord?¡± ¡°She¡¯s safe and sound within the castle.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­? That¡¯s good to hear.¡± ¡°Go over there. Everyone will be happy to see you.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± Moreover, the broken wall had been filled in, albeit roughly. I was also quite pleased to see the barricade that was probably made after I¡¯d left the castle. Considering that I¡¯d cleaned up the inside¡ªmeaning, I killed all the Zombies¡ªit should be rather safe. ¡°Urgh. Is that the monster we saw from the ship? Did it break down the castle walls?¡± Meanwhile, Deb seemed to have discovered the corpse of the monster I¡¯d killed, frowning at the disy. An understandable reaction. It hadn¡¯t been a pretty sight to begin with, but now that it had been dismembered, the Patchwork Golem¡¯s ugliness reached a new height. ¡°What the hell is going on? If it weren¡¯t for Mister Knight, the damage would¡¯ve been much greater, right?¡± Deb broke off a branch from a nearby shrubbery inside the castle. Poke. He pierced the leafy branch into the Patchwork Golem¡¯s corpse. ¡°Could Vipurit have made a deal with the Demon Worshipers?¡± Hmm. Possibly. Not only were Vipurit¡¯s men not attacked by the Zombies, but I also found them with the Demon Contractors at the dock earlier. Furthermore, I¡¯d heard they had ¡®suddenly¡¯ be strong enough to dominate a whole region. If Demon Contractors were cooperating with them behind the scenes, that would exin things. I felt like wherever I went, something would blow up. I wasn¡¯t joking here. Everywhere I went, something happened. That was why I couldn¡¯t stop doubting that this was all part of a game. It was just too absurd. If the number of victims within this city exceeded a certain level, wouldn¡¯t it be GAME OVER? Just thinking about that was quite scary. I wouldn¡¯t want to go through the sewers or y that dragon again, but this Quest was annoying in a different sense. I could reduce the number of victims during those first two Questlines by doing my best because that¡¯s how they were set up. However, I only had one body. How could I protect this whole area? ¡°It¡¯s also strange that there haven¡¯t been any further attacks since noon¡­¡± I was pondering whether I should go around the ce immediately when I heard those words. My hands twitched. Well, if they were worried about reinforcementsing, I¡¯d already dealt with that¡­ They appeared three or four hours ago at the Amsen dock where I was taking care of the Demon Worshipers¡­ Well, I¡¯d already cut down most of them before they even reached the dock, though. However, what if they swam all the way tond from their destroyed boats? ¡°Hey, where are you going now?¡± ¡­Frankly, I¡¯d thought those guys were toozy to do something like that. And I still did. ¡°No way, are you nning to kill all the remaining Demons throughout the night?¡± ¡°Hmm? Wait. Where are you going?¡± I slowly moved away. My fatigue level was still around 60, and I felt somewhat anxious, so I felt the need to go to the Amsen docks again. Or to the Katunat Pier in the West. ¡°Just take a break for a little. Won¡¯t it be dawn soon?¡± Deb grabbed my cor. I tried to knock it away sharply. However, Deb was also quite dexterous, so he quickly withdrew his hand before I could hit it properly. ¡°Mister.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get in my way.¡± However, just because I didn¡¯t fully hit him didn¡¯t mean it wouldn¡¯t leave a bruise. I was a little concerned about him because this character¡¯s physical strength was quite monstrous. However, my character would never have hit someone gently. ¡°Hey, we gotta go see the Lord.¡± ¡°I have no time to waste on something as useless as that.¡± Rejecting Windhand¡¯s proposal, I stepped on the barricade made from stacked furniture and jumped onto it. Beyond it, I could see the road I had traveled on during the day. The remains of the Demons I killed while passing through were still there, as well. ¡°Can¡¯t you please get some rest? No matter how much stamina and strength you have, I don¡¯t think resting can be considered something useless.¡± He was right. He was right, but¡­ What did he want me to do if my character setting wouldn¡¯t allow it?! Moreover, I felt a little anxious because I heard that Zombies and normal people were crowding together within the city as if it were apletely separate space, like a Dungeon. Rather than scared, it felt more like I was going to sleep without havingpleted my assignments yet. Or as if I caught a cold right before a deadline. In fact, there really was still some work left undone as I had to eliminate more Demons for my Quest. Anyway, I didn''t like this vague anxiety I was feeling. It was even more terrifying if I considered the possibility that a whole ton of people might just die overnight, leading to a game over. Rather than being gued by that fear, I would much rather work just a little more. ¡°If you¡¯re overworking yourself because of what I asked you¡­¡± ¡°Overworking?¡± I turned around and looked back. ¡°I will not tolerate any insults to my person like that.¡± ¡°¡­Fine, I¡¯m sorry for what I just said, but¡ª¡± ¡°Give up. Now that Demons have appeared here, no one can stop Mister Knight anymore.¡± Deb groaned and climbed onto the barricade. It seemed he was nning on following me. I thought it would be much better for him to stay here, though, as long as there were still enemies around. ¡°I won¡¯t stop you, so could you please allow me to follow you?¡± But what could I do if he acted like that? I turned around and stepped onto the highest part of the barricade. ¡°Ships!¡± Then, someone shouted out. ¡°Seven ships from the South!¡± ¡°¡­!?¡± To the South was the pier closest to Vipurit¡¯s upied ind. There was no way those ships were approaching us with friendly intentions. In other words, those seven ships were filled with enemies that needed to be dealt with. ¡°They aren¡¯t attacking us for some reason, or so I heard¡­¡± Why did it seem the bad feeling I had wasing true? Was there a God for such a convenient coincidence to happen? Or was it that he deliberately made it happen because I was here to lessen the damage? Had I been anywhere else, it would have taken me far longer to receive this news. ¡°Mister¡ª!¡± Swoosh! Either way, it was now time to move out. I descended from the barricade and ran toward the castle wall on the opposite side. I couldn''t do anything else. The hole I¡¯d intended to leave through was to the North, but the enemies were sighted in the South. Thump, tak. The hem of my coat got pushed back as Arcane Power wrapped around my legs. And when I quickly reached the castle wall, I simply jumped up and climbed it by running up it vertically. p! Before gravity could catch me, I grabbed the edge of the castle wall and pulled myself up. My stiff coat rustled gently, lightly breaking the silence of the night. ¡°¡­!¡± The sentries standing guard there were quite frightened, unable to let out a single sound as I scanned the sea. It was very dark, but with the moon shining bright on the water, I could vaguely see the ships. They were still quite a distance off. So much so that I was sure I would reach the port before they did. ¡°You. Tell those guys.¡± ¡°Wh-What?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need any support.¡± Bam. I stepped on the edge of the wall and jumped down with a loud noise. I wasn¡¯t all that worried about the soldiers not informing their superiors of this or those superiors not believing what I said and sending out troops anyway. Even if they did, their actions would be in vain¡­ ¡°Take care!¡± Seeing the soldiers¡¯ reactions, there was a high chance they wouldn''t believe me and try to stop me. Anyway, I seriously doubted those people would try sending troops again after seeing me sink more than five ships. Chapter 61: If There is a God (4) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 61 If There is a God (4) Was this really right? The Inquisitor couldn¡¯t stop staring at the Archmage. Was it really right for them to go there to fight when the people of the Yabad region obviously didn¡¯t want her to? Her mind was in aplicated mess. ¡°Forty years ago, the Yabad region destroyed its every temple and banned any other religious group from entering theirnds.¡± She couldn¡¯t help but keep thinking about what these people had to endure because of them. ¡°But we can¡¯t just stand by and watch now that Demons have appeared there. If we simply let it be, everything will fall apart. As a priest and Hero, I cannot just stay here.¡± Then she remembered her mission. ¡°That¡¯s why¡­ I¡­ I have to¡­¡± But even then, all that remained in her head was confusion. Two absolutes were shing inside of her. If she went by God¡¯s words, then she absolutely had to terminate all Demons, but her urge to beg for forgiveness and follow the wishes of those harmed by the Temple¡¯s self-righteousness kept welling up in her heart. Of course, God¡¯s words always came first no matter what, but it was always more important to reduce the harm caused to people, even mental anguish. ¡°Inquisitor.¡± As though he understood her inner turmoil, the old sage carefully ced his hand on hers. The furry hands of the Shaggi were soft and warm. ¡°Whether it¡¯s saving those who despise the Temple or epting their feelings and not going, there is no right answer to this. Nor is there a wrong one.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Only those who survive can judge the oue of your choice. Only those who have epted and experienced the consequences can criticize your decisions.¡± ¡°So, what does that mean? What should I do?¡± ¡°Whatever you feel is right.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the only way to find an answer to a problem without a clear-cut, right answer.¡± ¡°And what if my choice was the wrong one?¡± ¡°If there isn¡¯t a right answer, how could there be a wrong one? There may be a choice that future generations will think would have been better. However, that is for those future generations to judge. As we can only see the present, how can we know the judgment of those of the future?¡± The Archmage tapped the back of her hand. The smile on the sage¡¯s lips was very soft and gentle. It was hard to believe this man had dealt with so many things right after waking up while in his hospital bed. ¡°So, Miss Inquisitor, choose what you think is right: saving people even while facing their hatred and contempt, or respecting their feelings and staying back. Or somethingpletely different.¡± ¡°¡­Will the people of Yabad even wee our help?¡± ¡°Well, you shouldn¡¯t expect it for now. There is a high probability they will be hostile toward us.¡± ¡°Is that so.¡± In the end, was there truly no clear answer? The Inquisitor had to decide on something to which even the Archmage didn¡¯t have an answer. ¡°I can¡¯t just sit back and do nothing.¡± However, she had long made the choice in her heart. She just wasn¡¯t sure whether she should follow it. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± However, that uncertainty still haunted her. She hesitated a little but ultimately gave her answer unflinchingly. ¡°I cannot overlook this.¡± The Magic Tower¡¯s investigation had uncovered that arge-scale Demonic ritual caused the dragon¡¯s corruption. After pursuing this matter even further, the Temple concluded that the starting point of said ritual was in the Yabad region. In other words, while they didn¡¯t know what had happened there, if they made even a single mistake, the whole region could fall into the hands of the Demon Contractors. She could never tolerate something like that happening. ¡°You might be criticized. They might shower you with resentment or perhaps even attack you. Are you still going to save them?¡± ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t that just the price we have to pay for the sins we previouslymitted? I don¡¯t think that is reason enough for me to ignore them.¡± The furrow between the Archmage¡¯s eyebrows deepened. Even the Inquisitor, who was still rather inexperienced in these matters, could tell this wasn¡¯t a good expression. ¡°In that case, I want you to keep something in mind, Inquisitor.: you must never repeat what happened in the past.¡± ¡°Naturally.¡± She didn¡¯t know whether this truly was the right choice. However, she thought it was for the best. The Inquisitor stood up with such conviction filling her. The moment the sun rose the next day would be when they¡¯d leave. * * * After sinking those seven ships, I had to deal with one more at dawn. Seeing as they only sent one ship, it seemed they just sent someone to check what had happened since none of the other ships had returned. Only those who¡¯d sunk to the ocean floor knew the exact truth. ¡°Are you sleeping?¡± Had my eyes fallen shut for a moment while I was observing the sea from the castle wall so I could jump down whenever I saw one? Windhand came up to me. Deb was sleeping beside me, while that guy¡¯s stamina never seemed to run out. It must have taken quite a toll on him to perform all kinds of misceneous tasks, reporting things to the Lord and getting a grasp on the situation, but I¡¯d only seen him rest a few times. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re up.¡± Because he woke me, I put aside myints and¡ªSlump¡ªwatched Windhand settle down next to me. ¡°Didn¡¯t you get a nket or something? Even though we¡¯re in the south, nights here can get pretty chilly.¡± Seeing me without a nket or anything, Windhand¡¯s eyes suddenly opened wide. ¡°Those crazy bastards. How couldn¡¯t they even give a nket to someone helping the city, even if he''s an outsider? Seriously, those idiots.¡± No, that was a misunderstanding. They had given me something to cover up, but I just gave it to someone else because I didn¡¯t really feel the cold. ¡°If you¡¯re just here to mess around, get lost.¡± ¡°¡­I have no idea whether you¡¯re too prideful or if you have none at all. Shit. You already did so much, you should at least be able to enjoy that level of convenience.¡± Oh, he got it? I gently red at Windhand. He finally backed off, letting out a sigh. It seemed he wouldn¡¯t fuss about that anymore, at least. Phew. Thank God. ¡°¡­Anyway, at least take this. If you didn¡¯t get a nket, you probably also didn¡¯t get anything to eat. Tsk.¡± Instead, Windhand stretched out his arm to me and handed me something. It appeared shiny on the outside. ¡°It¡¯s Gwamegi. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve ever tried it.¡± ¡­What? Gwamegi? I didn¡¯t eat it here because I didn¡¯t think they had it! ¡°It¡¯s dried fish¡­ Even if it isn¡¯t enough to fill your stomach, it¡¯s still something.¡± Wow, who the hell ate gwamegi as just a snack? I took it in a way that didn¡¯t contradict my character setting and put it in my mouth. It smelled a bit fishy, but it was chewy and stuck to my tongue. If I had garlic, chives, pepper, and some cabbage, plus some seaweed to wrap it in, it would have been perfect. I barely managed to swallow my regret and ate the fish. As they said, hunger was the best ingredient. The gwamegi, which I already liked, seemed especially delicious to me right now. Yum, yum, so delicious. ¡°What? You sure are eating well. Most people from the maind have trouble eating it because of the smell.¡± Windhand chuckled as he passed me his share. I didn¡¯t refuse. I¡¯d received some food earlier when they gave me a nket, but I just wasn¡¯t full yet. ¡°¡­¡± Moreover, the gwamegi was really delicious. I crushed the oily, chewy fish with my teeth, tore apart its flesh, and swallowed. My gloves were slippery with grease, but I didn¡¯t care much since they would clean themselves after some time. ¡°First of all, erm, thank you. In a lot of ways.¡± However, while I was busy swallowing the fish meat, the particrly restless Windhand awkwardly opened his mouth. ¡°¡­On that note, can I slightly change my request? I¡¯ll pay you extra for that change.¡± He wanted to change the request? What did he want to change? ¡°It¡¯s not really that big of a change. I would like to add some uses regarding Jacrati¡¯s protection, different from those I already proposed.¡± ¡°What, exactly?¡± ¡°First, I want you to eliminate all the Demons in the city. And sink all the approaching ships or something to prevent those bastards from entering Jacrati like you did before¡­ And if Jacrati seemspletely safe, you can do whatever you originally nned.¡± I felt somewhat offended by those additions. I was already going to do these things even if he didn¡¯t ask me to. Rather, now that we were in Jacrati, shouldn¡¯t the Lord oversee these kinds of talks and not Windhand? While it was Windhand with whom I had made that contract, strictly speaking, Windhand only brought me here in lieu of the Lord. ¡°Just know that I¡¯m the one asking this of you.¡± Oh¡­ Windhand wasn¡¯t acting as the Lord¡¯s proxy, but the request actually came from him. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to do it for free, so don¡¯t misunderstand, okay? I just pretended to be acting in the name of the Lord, so I¡¯ll be the one to take care of yourpensation.¡± Now I felt like something was off for a different reason. He¡¯d kept talking about brothers but didn¡¯t mention them again after arriving here, and now this privateer captain wanted to pay me instead of the Lord. ¡°Understood.¡± However, no matter how curious I was about what was behind all this, I couldn¡¯t do much when my character was set up to be uninterested in those around him. I decided to just do as he wanted. All he had to do was pay me my reward. ¡°Okay.¡± An awkward atmosphere began to spread around us once more. ¡°¡­Do you have any more Demonic Energy Neutralizers?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Then it happened again. * * * * * * Step, step. I could hear a grouping up the castle wall. Looking into one of them, I spotted the tired face of the Lord whom I¡¯d saved earlier but hadn¡¯t had the chance to see afterward. ¡°I couldn¡¯t see you when I was looking for you. So, this was where you were.¡± The Lord nced at Windhand¡ªhe moved away his eyes to avoid her gaze¡ªbefore fixing her gaze on me immediately. ¡°Get up right this instant¡­¡± ¡°Stop. How could you show such disrespect to Jacrati¡¯s savior?¡± Notably, I was currently sitting on the castle wall in a rather poor posture. I also didn¡¯t stand even after clearly seeing that the person before me was the Lord. Windhand? He stood up and just seemed rather pleased when looking at me, but judging by the knight¡¯s words, no one was paying him any attention. Hmm, after experiencing my temper for a few days, I bet that guy wouldn¡¯t do this again. ¡°I couldn¡¯t properly greet you earlier, so let me greet you now. I¡¯m Pion. Whilecking, I¡¯m the one leading thesends.¡± In her wisdom, Lord Pion only came close enough that I didn¡¯t have to look up at her too much. So, even while sitting down, I could effortlessly make eye contact with her just by ncing up a little. Like that, I could look at her without feeling as though she was looking down on me. ¡°While there are so many things I would like to say to you, there is one thing that must be prioritized.¡± And then, the Lord slowly got down on her knees. ¡°Lord!¡± The knights, soldiers, and everyone else present made a fuss, but that didn¡¯t stop her from touching her knees to the cold stone floor. ¡°On behalf of every resident of Jacrati, thank you. Thank you so very much.¡± ¡­I suddenly felt incredibly guilty. Despite seeming older than me, not only was she kneeling before me, but my posture as she did so was all crooked¡­! My character setting aside, my conscience was kicking me on the inside! ¡°There¡¯s no need for gratitude. I¡¯m just acting ording to the request.¡± However, I valued my life more than my conscience right then. I swallowed my manners and wrapped them up tightly. It was less delicious than gwamegi, however. ¡°Even so, how can we not be grateful? If not for your hard work and dedication, we would have suffered much more damage.¡± On another note, I felt some regret. Had I known she came here just for a casual chat, I would have gone out to hunt Zombies. If I swept through the city and took care of any hidden Zombies or Gargoyles, the number of survivors would increase. Since I was struggling a little with fatigue, I chose to sleep for about two hours after checking whether any more ships wereing. I had no idea something like this would happen. ¡°As shameless as it is, I wish to ask something else from you. Please kill the remaining Demons hiding in the city¡­¡± I mean, should I just go now? My fatigue was still around 74, so I could still endure! If I wanted to relieve my fatigue a bit, I could nap in some house, and if I was hungry, I could just take some food from the empty houses. Of course, I would feel somewhat bad for the house owner, but since they had probably already be a Zombie, I didn¡¯t have to worry about it that much, right? Was that a bit too shameless of me? However, the living had to survive somehow. If they hadn¡¯t be a Zombie yet, I would work especially hard to save them for the food. Anyway, I jumped to my feet. The edge of my coat, which had been spread out around me, went up a little, and the sword I¡¯d leaned against the castle wall was now in my hand, momentarily supporting my weight. ¡°Prepare a boat.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Tomorrow, I shall punish all those who dared to join hands with the Demons.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± As if immediately understanding what I was trying to say, Windhand straightened his back. At least, I thought so. I would be more certain if I could see his expression, but I was currently showing my back to the people present. ¡°Wait just a¡ª¡± Now that I thought about it more, wasn¡¯t I jumping around too much? But it was far too bothersome to get down the usual way. Jump shortcuts were just too divine in any game. * * * Rustle. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that guy ever get tired¡­?¡± Momentarily dazed by what had just happened, he wondered out loud. After Windhand came to his senses, he heard a voice he¡¯d be familiar with over the past few days. It belonged to a young man who had been sleeping curled up under a nket. ¡°Hnng.¡± Even in the south, nights were quite cold. As such, the young man who¡¯d slept while leaning against a castle wall stretched out. ¡°¡­What¡¯s with this nket?¡± Then, a question mark seemed to manifest over his head upon noticing the additional nket on him besides the one covering him. Scratching his head, he saw Windhand and greeted him. After looking around some more, his eyes then fell on the Lord, and he suddenly stiffened. ¡°¡­What is the Lord doing here so early in the morning?¡± The young man stood up, speaking in a shaky voice. While better than the Demon Knight, he was alsocking in terms of manners. Well, thanks to him, the tension he was feeling eased up a little. ¡°You heard that, Lord? The adventurer I hired will handle all the Zombies in just a day. You have nothing to worry about. Just let the others know.¡± He joked around before the knights could find fault with the young man, his voice trembling. Of course, he never made eye contact with the Lord. Why had he made his surviving brothers pass along his words until now? Because he tantlycked the confidence to face her head-on. ¡°As you may have heard, people are probably forming a defense line around the Ramchaban Pier. Other than that¡­¡± ¡°Suriya.¡± Windhand¡¯s body shook when he heard that. The name, which he¡¯d been called so often in the past and never heard again upon reaching adulthood, pierced his ears. ¡°You worked hard and¡­ Thank you.¡± He pretended to be calm as he turned around. He still wasn¡¯t confident enough to look into the Lord¡¯s, or rather Pion¡¯s, face. ¡°Then, and also now. Really.¡± If he were to look at her now, he suspected tears would fall from his eyes. ¡°Well, why would you feel grateful toward a pirate bastard like me? Of course, I did this because I¡¯m also benefiting from it, you know?¡± He squeezed out a cracking voice. He felt like he heard someone saying, ¡°That way of speaking¡­¡± but he didn¡¯t care. ¡°I helped because if the city were to fall to ruin, I would lose my base. You got that? So, hurry up and repair the city. I¡¯m going to take care of those Vipurit bastards as you requested.¡± He had no intention of shedding tears before the Lord and her knights, not even before his subordinates or brothers. He grabbed the Curety kid, who seemed even shiftier than usual, and hurried down the castle wall using the stairs on its other side. The young man seemed very displeased by his actions but didn¡¯t openly protest much before the Lord. He was rather thankful for the show of consideration. ¡°Urgh, why did you grab the back of my neck so hard?¡± ¡°Ah, sorry.¡± He quickly moved to a ce where the Lord couldn''t see them. He squatted down where he stood and buried his face in his hands. His palms soon became wet. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°¡­Ugh.¡± He honestly felt quite sorry for the young man. However, he was crying now from being filled with emotions closer to joy than guilt. ¡°Ah, shit. This is so embarrassing¡­¡± Damn these brothers of his. Older and younger brothers and sisters who¡¯d gone before him. Did they see it? His mother, who said she would never again look those who became pirates in the face, even called him by his name. ¡°What¡¯s so embarrassing about crying?¡± ¡°People of the sea don¡¯t cry¡­ You just don¡¯t get it because you¡¯re andlubber.¡± ¡°Bullshit.¡± ¡°Did you just curse at me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not even the Demon Knight, so is there even a reason why I should talk to you?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you call discrimination?¡± Windhand thought of histe brothers who¡¯d sacrificed their lives for him and who¡¯d died to save Jacrati. And he remembered those he had been toote to save. He felt so incredibly sorry, but at the same time, he didn¡¯t. ¡°¡­I¡¯m telling the Demon Knight.¡± ¡°Are you a kid? Are you really that immature?¡± ¡°Boy, sailors never forget these kinds of things.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so damn petty!¡± That the Lord had called his name was no different from calling their names. The moment their names were called, the dead should feel more at ease now. ¡°¡­Thanks.¡± ¡°Say that to the Demon Knight, not me.¡± ¡°That guy doesn¡¯t ept any gratitude and the like.¡± ¡°Just go thank him and get rejected, then.¡± As such was his brothers¡¯ unrequited loyalty and devotion to the Lord of this damn city. Chapter 62: If There is a God (5) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 62 If There is a God (5) Contrary to the direness of the situation, it improved in just two and a half days. Truthfully, it was already resolved yesterday, but Windhand asked me to observe the situation for one more day. Going by my character setting, I would have preferred to go to the other ind immediately to eliminate all the Demons, but unfortunately, I didn''t know how to steer a ship, and Windhand, who knew how, was opposed. Finding a captain other than Windhand in this awful situation was also more or less impossible. So, I had no choice but to stay here for the following one and a half days after working especially hard the day before. That was actually pretty good and satisfying for me. Since there was almost nothing to do on the third day, I used the time to recover from all my fatigue. Wahaha. ¡°It seems all the Zombies have been killed. However, just to be safe, we quarantined the zones where Zombies appeared, and those who¡¯ve been bitten but aren¡¯t showing symptoms yet have been gagged and put under surveince.¡± After hearing the report, people all over wore bright expressions. I mean, it was inevitable that the people would feel happy after oveing something as huge as a Zombie outbreak, even while their eyes bore big dark rings and their limbs hung down in exhaustion. ¡°The pirates we captured are currently being interrogated¡­ Thanks to one of the adventurers here, we learned a few things. Oh, he also discovered a few spies in our midst. This is him.¡± ¡°¡­It feels kind of weird getting called out like that.¡± Incidentally, this was the first time I heard about everything Deb had done. I had been wondering what he was up to, but it turned out that he was helping them investigate and hunt down our enemies. What an admirable meat dumpling. ¡°From what we¡¯ve uncovered, the Demon Worshipers have joined hands with Vipurit.¡± The person giving the report kept ncing at Deb, but upon reaching the main point, his expression turned grim. ¡°It is said that those who spread the Zombie parasites on this ind and brought over those other Demons were the Demon Worshipers, who share a cooperative rtionship with Vipurit.¡± ¡°That¡¯s!¡± ¡°That mad bastard!¡± As the report continued, the faces of those in attendance also became serious. ¡°That said¡­ It appears that Montata Ind is in very, very dire straits.¡± ¡°¡­We havepletely lost contact with those investigating Montata. That¡¯s most likely why.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ It seems like it.¡± The Lord, the only person whose face remained unchanged, gestured with her hand. ¡°Have you heard any other news?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure¡­ Oh, we spotted Ouw around Ayu Hin.¡± ¡°Is that so? Well, his tenacity is stronger than anyone¡¯s. Good. Other than that¡­ How is Montata¡¯s current situation? Is Ayu Hin still holding up? What about the ces upied by Vipurit?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure about Ayu Hin. And the ces upied by Vipurit¡­ I heard that many of the city¡¯s upants have be Zombies, and the survivors were captured and either enved by the pirates or used as sacrifices.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°The officials in the castle are mainly Vipurit¡¯s people and those believed to be Demon Worshipers¡­ They continuously summon Demons or perform various rituals using the residents as sacrifices.¡± The one reporting this added one more thing. ¡°It appears the Demons that attacked Jacrati were also summoned that way.¡± The atmosphere within the conference hall immediately boiled over and exploded like an active volcano. ¡°Those bastards!¡± ¡°They have no morals! How could they bring Demons to thisnd after what happened forty years ago?!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t forgive them, even if we cut them limb from limb before beheading them for hundreds of years!¡± As someone with no idea what happened forty years ago, I felt left out¡­ I furrowed my eyebrows. Since I had no one who could ask for me and I wasn¡¯t in any position to ask myself, I had no choice but to piece together what transpired from the clues they gave me. I was just d I wasn¡¯tpletely incapable of extrapting things. ¡°Absolutely. Demons are evil beings that should be wiped off the face of thesends.¡± ¡°We have to kill them all now!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say the obvious as if it was a brilliant idea. And you, have you determined their purpose yet?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°What? Is it to rule over the inds?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°Hah, did they actually join hands with Demons just to get some insignificant pieces ofnd? How could they fall so far?¡± The Lord furrowed her elegant eyebrows. Shebed back her long hair with her hand, then tightly grabbed some of it. Her ck eyes seemed full of pitch-ck mes. ¡°You.¡± At that moment, the Lord looked at me, unable to contain her fury. She was the one who told me to attend the meeting, even though I wasn¡¯t an official. The energy around her seemed unusual, so I put some strength into my eyes as if trying to fight against the pressure. ¡°I heard you wanted to leave for Montata Ind today, if possible. You¡¯ll want to advance step by step, starting with Garorim.¡± Montata Ind waspletely under Vipurit¡¯s control, so we absolutely had to prate Garorim to receive more support from the other cities¡­ Right. It would probably be as the Lord said. I hadn¡¯t heard anything about the n changing after all. And it was only right that we departed today if we could. Right before the meeting, Windhand said he would let us leave once he received reports that the city was fine. ¡°Am I correct in assuming you will take the same number of people you arrived with?¡± By the way, I wasn¡¯t really in charge of that, so even if she asked me¡­ It would be better for her to just ask Windhand, not me¡­ ¡°You only took three days¡¯ worth of food with you. Will that be enough? If you need anything else, please feel free to let me know. There¡¯s no need to show consideration toward our situation. I will give you as much support as I can.¡± How temperamental. But I still wasn¡¯t in charge of these matters. ¡°Discuss that with Windhand.¡± For that reason, I handed all that work over to Windhand, who seemed restless whenever he stood before the Lord. He was staring at me as though I had just backstabbed him¡­ No, I didn¡¯t do anything wrong here. Hey, you¡¯re the leader! I was ying the role of some hotheaded damage dealer who ignorantly charges straight ahead! So, why was I carrying the team now?! ¡°...Is there really nothing you need? Since you have already dealt with the Demons, we should forge an additional contract about this matter¡­¡± At that moment, the Lord also watched me with an inexplicable expression¡ªher words were rather subtle, but had I not managed my expression as well as I did, I¡¯d have probably looked ridiculous. ¡°I want you to arrange for a boat right away so I can go kill those damn Demon bastards.¡± Other than that? Yeah, there wasn¡¯t really anything I needed other than that. Yep. ¡°¡­You truly are an amazing adventurer.¡± The Lord started tough. ¡°In that case, if I were to leave you a certain request of mine, what should I give as a reward?¡± ¡­I just thought she was enthusiastically supporting me as the role of the Lord demanded. But that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. I¡¯d been contemting whether to ask for a decent longsword, but I was d I hadn¡¯t. If I did, I might have gotten scammed here. While praising my wise judgment, I looked coldly at this petty Lord before me. ¡°Depends on what you want from me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± The Lord casually and lightly responded to my words before pausing to take a breath. She inhaled and exhaled slowly, then held out a piece of paper. In the center of the heavily creased paper was the portrait of someone who looked quite simr to the Lord but strangely had a different air about him. Below it was a name engraved withrge letters. ¡°Your Lordship!¡± ¡°That¡¯s!¡± People fussed when they saw the paper, while the Lord only raised her hand. In that instant, the room became quiet. ¡°The bounty on this person¡¯s head is ten million Gal. Now that he¡¯s done something like this, the amount will inevitably rise again, and since he has joined hands with the Demons, our ability to restrain and defeat him ourselves is almost zero.¡± I separated from the wall I was leaning against and walked toward the table. The rustling sound unique to paper resonated through the room as the portrait became even clearer. Vipurit. That was the name written below it. ¡°However, we can¡¯t wait any longer. So, what do you want? What can I give you to make sure you bring me that bastard¡¯s head?¡± So, did that mean she wanted me to kill Vipurit? * * * * * * ¡¸? Fangs Aimed at Jacrati ? Destroy the base of Vipurit¡¯s gang ? Demons eliminated: 215 / ?? ? Optional: Kill Vipurit¡¹ The Quest also updated right at that moment, giving me certainty. The Lord, Pion, had decided to have her brother, who had gone too far, killed. ¡°This request is separate from the one asking you to drive out the enemies of Jacrati from thesends. So tell me: what is it you wish for? What should I offer for you to ept this request?¡± However, there was one problem. Was she saying she¡¯d give me something like a bounty for that guy? I was somewhat lost in thought as I engraved Vipurit¡¯s portrait into my brain. Hmm. As long as she paid me that amount she mentioned, I¡¯d do it, no questions asked! I almost actually shouted that out, but her tone of voice was so ambiguous that I just couldn¡¯t figure out whether or not she meant this bounty. Considering the nuances, it seemed she wanted to give me something else in addition to the bounty¡­ However, the condition of this city wasn¡¯t that good now. How could they afford to pay out ten million Gal? That wasn¡¯t an amount you could pay out of pocket, you know? Even if it was possible, I believed it would be much better to use that money to restore the ce rather than just giving it to me¡­ ¡°Is there a decent cksmith in this city?¡± Hmm. Oh, whatever. There was no need for me to refuse something offered. I wasn¡¯t sure if this was about the bounty, but I had to kill that guy anyway. I should just tell them something that would be good if I received it but not too disappointing if I didn¡¯t. ¡°Of course, there is. Do you need a cksmith?¡± I put down the paper and grabbed my inventory bag. I turned it upside down and shook it over the table a bit before something fell out. ¡°Wait a second, that¡¯s!¡± ¡°¡­Are those scales?¡± ¡°When I return, I want you to have a de ready for me.¡± I threw a few scales and teeth of that dragon onto the table before taking back my inventory bag. Even if I gave him good materials, if the craftsman¡¯s level was too low, they would probably fail either way, right? Well, that was a problem for the Lord to solve. Ah, she was the one who asked me what I wanted, anyway. ¡°¡­Those things are?¡± The Lord, who had yet to identify the things I¡¯d dropped on the table, picked up a scale and turned it around. ¡°Well, I understand. Is there anything else?¡± Oh, she would regret those words. I, however, wouldn¡¯t. Instead of adding to the list of rewards, I asked for more details on the condition. ¡°Does the head have to be intact?¡± ¡°¡­As long as I can tell that it¡¯s Vipurit¡¯s head.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± And so, we wrote a contract¡­ or that was what I wanted to do, but I couldn¡¯t bring it up first due to the pridefulness my character was designed to have, so I gave up on it with tears in my eyes. I was saving money for my image, but I would never abandon my image for money¡­! ¡°Is that all you called me here for?¡± ¡°Correct¡­¡± ¡°Then there¡¯s no reason for me to stay here any longer.¡± ¡°Wait, are those all your conditions?¡± Wouldn¡¯t you usually think something like ¡®Oh my god, how cheap¡¯ when the other party practically forfeited any further conditions? Why were these people actually confirming these things? Or were they perhaps still suspicious of me? That was for the best. Conditions that appeared too good to be true almost always lead to fraud and weren¡¯t made by some pushovers. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare hold me back any longer.¡± However, I was thetter. They were free to take advantage of me but would have to deal with my temper instead! Bam. Judging I¡¯d heard everything I needed to, I left the conference room confidently. It wasn¡¯t how I should act before the Lord, but no one said anything about my behavior. ¡°¡­Well, we already expected as much, so there¡¯s no need for any more support. So, let¡¯s leave as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Wait, Suriy¡ª¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Stop grabbing me by the back of my neck!¡± Watching me curiously, Windhand quickly followed after, dragging Deb along. His timing was quite good. If he hadn¡¯t escaped now, I¡¯d have had to wait until the meeting ended! ¡°Uuuurgh. Hey, are you really going to ept that request?¡± ¡°That¡¯s none of your business.¡± ¡°Shit¡­ I don¡¯t even have ten million Gal!¡± ¡°Were you nning to pay me that in their stead?¡± ¡°¡­Come on, I¡¯ll trying up with the money, so could you not ask the Lord for it?¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re really going to give it in their stead, huh.¡± Could Deb read my mind? How could he express my feelings so well without leaving anything out? ¡°I¡¯ll add it to the request from earlier¡ª¡± Well, this was fine. I pulled out the scimitar I¡¯d been using since picking it up from somewhere and held it just below the nape of Windhand¡¯s neck. Windhand reflexively raised both his hands, assuming a surrendering pose. The sharp de slightly cut Windhand¡¯s skin, causing some blood to flow out. ¡°Your dedication and loyalty don¡¯t matter to me. You¡¯d better stop testing my patience by telling me what I should do or say to others.¡± I tried to sound as cold as possible and a little annoyed. I thought it might have been a little too much, but after concluding that my character would absolutely act like that, I didn¡¯t hesitate any longer. Moreover, it was Windhand who crossed the line first. ¡°Keep in mind that you aren¡¯t the only captain that can take me to Montata.¡± I slowly and gradually removed the scimitar from his neck and quickly returned it to its scabbard. Flutter. The ends of my coat fluttered heavily along with my movements. ¡°You were in the wrong this time, Mr. Windhand.¡± ¡°¡­Seems like it.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s leave quickly. If we keep Mr. Knight waiting any longer, he might cut us down before the Demons.¡± ¡°¡­Got it.¡± Seriously, I could finally move my body properly now. * * * The Inquisitor stroked her mace as she watched the ind slowly approaching from the horizon¡ªthough truthfully, it was her ship approaching it. The remnants of Demonic Energy yet to be Purified clearly came from the ind. ¡°Ships!¡± At that moment, several ships began departing from the port. They were obviously approaching the vessel she was on. ¡°Raise the white g and put out the signs.¡± At the captain¡¯smand, the crew started to move busily. They desperately put signs all over the ship indicating they didn¡¯t intend to fight. And when their ship finally reached the ones departing from Jacrati¡¯s port, negotiations began. ¡°We are the reinforcements sent here to fulfill the contract made with Sir Windhand.¡± It was the Archmage who spoke on behalf of everyone aboard the ship. What he held was the contract he¡¯d drawn up with Windhand, and the faces of the Jacrati people softened slightly when they saw the Adventurers'' Guild¡¯s seal stamped at the bottom. While the possibility of it being forged wasn¡¯t zero, it was enough to give the other party some peace of mind. ¡°Are you really an Archmage of the Magic Tower?¡± However, the person before him wasn¡¯t so gentle. A particrly tense atmosphere spread over the ship. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°And what about that person in white behind you? If my eyes aren¡¯t wrong, isn¡¯t that a member of some religious order?¡± ¡°¡­Right, again.¡± The Archmage opened his mouth with some difficulty. The next moment, the eerie sound of drawn des echoed across the sea. They all came from the Jacrati ships. ¡°How shameless must you be to bring someone of a religious order to thesends! Get out now!¡± The hostility that poured over them was much sharper than their swords. The Inquisitor clenched her fists when met with hostility much more intense than she¡¯d expected. She tightly gripped the hilt of her mace. ¡°Get lost now!¡± ¡°Leave this part of the sea before I kill you!¡± ¡°Disappear already!¡± However, she should never wield it against them. She absolutely couldn¡¯t. She would never repeat what had happened in the past. ¡°Just once!¡± So, the Inquisitor put down her mace and moved forward. Although she didn¡¯t bear the Temple¡¯s emblem, just seeing a God¡¯s servant shouting so loudly made the atmosphere even more sinister than it had been before. ¡°Please listen to me, just once!¡± However, she continued to talk steadfastly. She showed no sign of hesitation. The Inquisitor was aware of what she had to ovee, but she wasn¡¯t such a soft-hearted person that she would be ovee with guilt to that point. If she were, she wouldn¡¯t have dared to apologize to the Demon Knight in their third encounter or begged to learn tolerance from him. ¡°We have nothing we want to hear from you!¡± ¡°I know. But just listen to me this once!¡± She was tactless and honest. It might be a weakness in many situations, but at times it could also be a strength. ¡°We won¡¯t!¡± ¡°Please, listen to me just once!¡± And right now was one of those moments. ¡°Please, just give us one chance!¡± Her unwavering, unbreakable green eyes shone brightly. Chapter 63: If There is a God (6) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 63 If There is a God (6) Getting to Montata wasn¡¯t that difficult. The only fight I had¡ªas always¡ªwas my personal battle against motion sickness. ¡°I can see the coastline!¡± Still, we sessfully reached Garorim. The water running between the inds seemed especially blue. The sky was unusually bright, considering the circumstances. ¡°Watch out for arrows!¡± Was it when we got closer to the straits? Arrows began flying toward us from the cliffs surrounding Garorim. Tracing back the arrows¡¯ trajectory, we located a building on the cliff. It started from the shore and climbed all the way up to the terraced rocks, upying one part of the cliff. ¡°Raise your shields!¡± I continued standing on the deck as proudly and tall as before. Tatatatak. The arrows flying toward us when they struck sounded like heavy rain pouring over us. ¡°Uwah, can you actually break through all that?!¡± Hoho, what weak faith. I walked toward the bow, only knocking aside the arrows that would hit me. While I didn¡¯t know whether it was because of the sail catching wind or the boat just following the current, the ship was constantly approaching Garorim. ¡¸A hostile existence has entered a radius of 30m.¡¹ ¡¸? Fangs Aimed at Jacrati ? Destroy the base of Vipurit¡¯s gang ? Pirates eliminated: 0 / ?? ? Optional: Kill Vipurit¡¹ That was when enemy ships appeared from the ind. ¡°Enemies iing! Get your weapons!¡± ¡°Hah, I don¡¯t know if this¡¯ll end well.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t spout such weak things. All you have to do is hold on until he returns from killing them all!¡± ¡°Can we even survive on our own, though?¡± Some adventurers and sailors were talking among themselves. They might not have said it for me to hear, but I could take a hint. Not in a bad way, but more to the point of wanting to say something like, ¡®Oh, okay, I¡¯ll hurry up then.¡¯ ¡°Victory to my sword, glory to the heavens¡­!¡± As such, I raised my sword to perform the ceremony before going to battle. Swish. One of the arrows grazed right past my ear, and another stuck into the wood near my feet. I lowered my de. ¡°The time hase to pay for your sins.¡± Immediately after, I pulled my torso forward and took a step as though trying to stop myself from falling. Then, the sound of shattering wood emanated from my feet before my body explosively shot forward. Whoosh! Bam! I stepped on the railing, soared through the sky, and noisily mmed onto the approaching enemy ship. ¡°What the hell!¡± ¡°Uwargh!¡± ¡°Crazy bastard, k-kill him!¡± The ship lifted slightly out of the water before resettling, to which its passengers began swearing. The sshing water, the rocking boat, and the pirates swearing and reacting in different ways yed in front of me in slow motion. sh! However, I spent no time appreciating the view. I swung down my sword and added blood to the scene before me. I couldn¡¯t cut down the one guy behind me from where Inded, but that didn¡¯t really matter. I sensed him lose his bnce and hit the railing. It was almost impossible for him to attack me in such a state. Thud, bam! Before the ship even stopped rocking, I sped to its other side. Thud! ¡°Eek!¡± ¡°That madman!¡± I jumped over to the next ship and did the same as before. After dealing with those scared guys, I moved on to the next ship. I was almost like a wolf who snuck onto a farm and prowled through a herd of sheep. Of course, there weren¡¯t actually that many casualties since I aimed to inflict maximum damage rather than dealing urate blows with every swing of my sword. I also didn¡¯t swing more than twice before moving on as well. More people fell into the sea or suffered some cuts than people who immediately died. However, that was enough for me. From the beginning, my goal had been to use these vessels as stepping stones to reachnd and dy them from reaching our ship. By doing it like this, the crew would survive while still being limited in their movements. ¡°That bastard!¡± Meanwhile, a guy who finally realized my pattern swung his weapon at me the moment Inded. He seemed quite observant. However, I had a certain skill called [Survival Instinct]. ¡°Kill¡ª!?¡± Bam! Following the skill¡¯s instructions, Iy low as soon as my body touched the boat. The front of the ship rose from the shock, and the guy trying to attack me cut his sword through empty air. m! Then, the area I was standing on, alongside my body, lifted again. By putting strength into my feet at the right time, my body sprung forward like a spring. Bam! ¡°Urgh!¡± I lifted my knee and struck the enemy¡¯s chin with it. I then mmed down heavily on the end of the boat again. Bang! The impact caused the boat to flip over. The people on board immediately flew through the air and into the sea. ¡°Uwaargh!¡± ¡°Waaah!¡± However, before it fully capsized, I had already reachednd. Disregarding my sympathy for those guys, Inded on a rock near the seashore. ¡°Stop!¡± Before me was some makeshift building roughly hammered together. Crack! I kicked it open and entered, moving my hand behind me. Once I could feel the hilt of my sword restingfortably in my palm, I unsheathed the silver-white de, cutting down as if to cleave the sunlight. ¡°What is that monster!¡± ¡°Kill¡­ Kill him!¡± It seemed there weren¡¯t any Demons here. I advanced into the barracks filled with just people and quickly analyzed the situation. However, it was still too early to be sure, despite people being the only thing I could see. sh! As such, I poured half of my Arcane Power into my sword and sent out a [sh]. It wouldn¡¯t deal enough damage to kill boss mobs, but I didn¡¯t really have a reason to reserve this skill whose range increased the more Arcane Power I used. Of course, I would save my remaining Arcane Power as much as possible, just in case¡­ Still, I loved this wide range. I had no idea how I lived before having this skill. ¡°H-Huh¡­?¡± ¡°Y-You¡­?¡± However, this skill also had some drawbacks. The scene unfolding immediately after I used it was rather ufortable. Crack! ¡°Kuhuk!¡± Especially the process of a person bing a per/son¡­ Just seeing one person¡¯s cross-section was disgusting, but seeing a group of people with revealed organs only served to lower my mental health. ¡°M-Monster¡­¡± However, I didn¡¯t have enough time to indulge that sentiment. Dragging my feet would only prolong the time I¡¯d have to be here. While I didn¡¯t want to look at them, I hurriedly rushed through this world filled with diced corpses. Everything the [sh] had passed through seemed slightly misaligned or had parts sliding off. My boots stepped on the wet, red rocks as I climbed further upwards. ¡°Sh-Shoot!¡± At that moment, the arrows originally aiming for the ship changed their target. Tatak, Tak, Tatatak. Arrows rained down on me like heavy hail, pounding against where I had been standing. While their aim wasn¡¯t particrly good, the prattling sound was quite annoying. ¡°Kill him before he gets here!¡± Those guys were seriously treating me like some kind of boss mob. I, as the yer, couldn¡¯t help but feel offended. Even while grumbling inside, I leaped up and continued to dodge the arrows. I stepped on a rock and jumped further as if trying to show off some acrobatic tricks. Like that, I reached the second camp. Should I just slice them up with my sword, or should I beat them with my fists since I didn¡¯t particrly like being covered in copious amounts of blood? My fleeting worries continued to flit through my mind. Tickle. Right then, I felt like something moved in my right arm. sh! Since they were connected to the Demons, I couldn¡¯t show them any mercy. Instead of sheathing my sword, I swung it. The de, which I hadn¡¯t even coated in Arcane Power because I thought it would be a waste, pierced through skin, tore apart muscles, and split bones. Grab! ¡°Urgh!¡± After realizing I could easily swing around the Zweih?nder with just my left hand by pouring some Arcane Power into it, I sometimes used my right hand to grab an enemy by their cor or head and toss them away. ¡°Shit, where did that monstere from?!¡± ng! My sword was blocked. Then, I stepped onto the enemy attacking from the right and held his sword in my gauntlet before putting strength into my left hand. Whoosh. The sword that had been pushed aside regained momentum, cutting asunder everything near my left side. The one trying to attack me, along with several other pirates in the vicinity, started bleeding as they writhed on the ground. Screech! At the same time, I pulled away the enemy¡¯s sword gripped in my right hand to prevent another attack. After dealing with those on my left, I horizontally held my Zweih?nder, which had done its job, and stabbed it toward my right. ¡°Kuhuk!¡± That marked the end of the guy who¡¯d attacked me first. I pulled on the sword I was grabbing onto again. Once the de had left his grasppletely, I used its hilt to strike the one I had taken it from. Since I hit him square in the face with it, not showing a shred of mercy, he¡¯d probably suffer from at least a fractured nose or concussion. I didn¡¯t really have to worry about him anymore. ng. So, I tossed away the sword I¡¯d stolen and looked ahead. * * * * * * Two remaining people were running toward me as though waiting for this moment, while several others seemed frightened and hesitated. I extracted the Zweih?nder from the pirate¡¯s lifeless body, sttering blood everywhere. ¡°Out of my way!¡± However, right as I kicked one of them away after cutting off their head, I heard a thumping sound from above. ¡°You caused a right mess running amok in my territory, kid!¡± ¡°Boss!¡± What appeared there was a bipedal buffalo, or rather, a pirate of the Shaggi race. He seemed especially strong, with broad shoulders and a height of about 2.5 meters. Personally, I thought it would be quite fitting if he were either the general or king of this ind. ¡°Boss!¡± ¡°The boss is here!¡± ¡°You¡¯re dead meat now!¡± Actually, I was feeling a bit more ufortable now because my arm was itching like crazy. I straightened my posture while holding the Zweih?nder, hearing the pirates happily cheer when they saw that buffalo. ¡°He¡¯ll rip your body limb from limb and scatter you across the sea after turning you into scraps of meat!¡± ¡°Kill that monster!¡± ¡°Die, die!¡± The pirates were so damn noisy. I looked at the buffalo, who seemed ready to charge me, blocking out those mosquito-like guys. Then, the prominent veins on the buffalo¡¯s trapezius¡ªhe didn¡¯t seem to have a neck anymore under all those muscles¡ªcaught my eye. Looking closer, I could see the veins were actually gradually popping out beneath his long, dangling earrings and braided hair. ¡°I¡¯ll smash your head in with this club!¡± What did he just say? I could see his blood vessels were excessively dted, making it look as though he¡¯d taken something. And the aftermath of this condition could be¡­ Crack, Craaack! ¡°Uwaaaaah!!¡± It probably wasn¡¯t anything good for me. My pupils flitted to the corners of my eyes as I watched the buffalo¡¯s skin expand and his body swell even further instantaneously. It almost seemed like he was transforming into the Hulk. Was I afraid? Of course not. I was just wondering if that bastard injected himself with something to suddenly bulk up like that. Or was he a Demon Contractor? ¡°To join hands with those damn Demons¡­¡± That aside, I also had other worries. I still had some Arcane Power left, so should I just take that guy out in one blow, or should I fight him without using any Arcane Power? Of course, given the circumstances, he probably was this ce¡¯s boss mob, and it was only right to use up all one¡¯s skills while facing a boss¡­ No, but the bosses I¡¯d faced until now had been so formidable. Compared to the gue Demon or the dragon, this guy seemed too weak. Even taking meta factors such as my level being fittingly high for theter stages of the game¡­ What else could I use to exin it? In vulgar terms, he just seemed like rabbit shit to me. I felt like I would deal quite some damage even without using any skills. It¡¯d been quite some time since the plot started, but seeing how normal mobs still fell like flies when struck by my basic attacks, I suspected it would also work on bosses. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you! You damn brat!¡± However, my thoughts got cut off before I could reach a conclusion. After all, this nearly 3m-tall buffalo was running toward me with his club raised high. ¡°Huwaaaap!¡± Alright. First, I wanted to try hitting the guy without using any skills, and if it didn¡¯t work, I would use one. However, if it dealt some decent damage, I would continue using my basic attacks. Honestly, killing twenty enemies at once was far more timesaving than killing a boss in one [sh]. There was nothing more annoying than spread-out trash mobs. Bang! Anyway, the buffalo¡¯s wooden club, encased in iron, struck the floor. It was so heavy and sturdy that instead of breaking after smashing into the rock, it left scratches on the floor. ¡°Know your ce.¡± However, I had already moved away from the point of impact. While his body had grown bigger, it seemed his brain had shriveled. I raised my Zweih?nder against the enemy. My sword, shining coolly like the de of a guillotine, seemingly cutting through the sunlight, rushed toward the head and arms of the buffalo. sh! ¡°Kuargh!¡± ¡°B-Boss¡¯ arm!¡± His forearm, thicker than my thigh, maybe even as thick as my character¡¯s waist, fell to the floor. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t manage to cut off his head. Well, it wasn¡¯t that surprising, though. Anyway, our difference in weight ss was just too big. Even when he was bent over slightly after trying to strike me with his club, his head still towered over me. Furthermore, his reflexes weren¡¯t that bad. The moment I turned to raise my sword, he realized my n and tried to pull away. As a result, my cut ended up lower than I intended. That was, closer to his wrists. ¡°B-Boss!¡± ¡°You rotten bastard!¡± It seemed like my status had immediately risen from brat to rotten bastard. I went after him again, scattering the useless blood on the floor. The buffalo, who had already retreated, clenched his teeth and swung his club with his remaining hand. I stepped down hard on the ground, moving about my Zweih?nder. Screech! The buffalo¡¯s club and my sword met. The iron enveloping the club was crushed to bits and scattered to the ground before the wood revealed underneath burst into tiny pieces. Chunks of the club¡¯s upper part flew through the air. ¡°God fucking, shit.¡± At that moment, various curses left the buffalo¡¯s mouth. It was truly quite satisfying to hear. However, I also felt the same¡­ No, I hadn¡¯t yet reached the point of throwing around insults like that. I was just a bit frustrated. Of course, I¡¯d felt the same way about all the bosses, excluding the gue Demon and the dragon, but their damage output was so bad even when I didn¡¯t use any skills¡­ It was a good thing, but it just felt so nd. ¡°H-He isn¡¯t normal¡­¡± ¡°R-Run away!¡± ¡°We never heard something like that woulde here!¡± The pirates observing this scene started running away. Now that even theirst hope was lost, his subordinates only thought about escaping,pletely abandoning their leader. The bond between criminals truly was a wonderful thing. ¡°Damn those bastards!¡± The buffalo seemed pretty speechless, even impressed, by the sight of his men running away while screaming so loudly. Since their screeches were like nails over a ckboard to me, I immediately picked up my sword, preparing to kill the source of that noise. ¡°Now that it¡¯s like this¡ª!¡± As my legs propelled me forward, I swallowed my breath and swung around my sword. [Breaker]. My sword, coated in ck energy, sliced through the buffalo from the top of his head to his crotch. The blood spurting out of that thing sttered across the floor. Clink. Then I heard something breaking¡­ Crack! ¡°¡­!¡± Suddenly, a jar he had with him fell to the floor alongside the two halves of the buffalo, bloody liquid spewing from it. It seemed to have broken due to the impact of falling onto the ground¡­ No matter how I looked at it, it didn¡¯t seem like anything good! The spot where the jar fell was right next to me. I was the first to be swept up in the liquid¡¯s effects without even being granted a chance to escape. As with the gue Demon, the liquid only came up to my ankles, and I didn¡¯t really suffer from any abnormalities. ¡°Uwargh!¡± ¡°Run away!¡± ¡°Urgh!¡± No, I will correct myself. It seemed I was the only one who survived because I wore proper shoes. ¡°Those damn Demons¡­!¡± No!! Usually, when things like this happen, shouldn¡¯t I say something like, ¡®Hm, did he want to do something here? Well. I guess it doesn¡¯t really matter,¡¯ to refreshinglyplete the scene?! Next time, before cutting someone down, should I check what they have on them before killing them!? I instantly let a multitude ofints run through my head as I deliberated the situation. The pirates and even thend were in ruins. ¡°Mister Knight!¡± ¡°¡­Don¡¯te closer!¡± Uwaargh. Deb, no! You shouldn¡¯te here!! ¡°It¡¯s Demonic Energy!¡± ¡°What?!¡± I quickly strode over the liquid. As the pirates more or less died due to their boss¡¯ self-destruction, I thought it through. I wasn¡¯t sure whether Purifying this stuff with fire would work, and I also had no way of obtaining fire nor a method to stop the mes from spreading right now, so I just gave up. Moreover, the liquid was spreading too quickly, and there were so many slopes here that it would eventually reach the ship. Right now, ensuring our ship wasn¡¯t destroyed was our main priority. ¡°Get out right now¡ª¡± ¡°Demon Knight!¡± Huh? Why did a familiar voice I hadn¡¯t heard in a few days suddenly reach my ears? ¡°I¡¯m over here!¡± When I saw the face of the person who just climbed up the rock, her ming hair the most striking feature, I bit my lip. I couldn¡¯t help it because I would haveughed out loud otherwise. ¡°It¡¯s my turn now from this point on!!¡± The HP draining machine was here!! Chapter 64: If There is a God (7) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 64 If There is a God (7) The Purification of a Priest, especially one with the title of Hero, was very effective. The ck liquid evaporated like a fire doused by golden waves. It was an unpleasant yet sacred sight. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s my second time seeing it, but it¡¯s still a spectacr view. They somehow managed to arrive at just the right time.¡± That aside, as Deb said, I had no idea how they found their way here. Well, whatever. They¡¯d have had enough money to charter a ship, and navigating to this ce didn¡¯t require any special skills, unlike navigating through the Dragon¡¯s Gate. It wasn¡¯t apletely unreachable ce, but¡­ To find out where we were, they would have had to go to Jacrati and thoroughly investigate. Moreover, the people of the Yabad region hated religious organizations to an extreme extent. That was where my doubts originated. How had they gotten through all that hostility to learn our location and even catch up to us? ¡°¡­¡± As we were raiding the pirates¡¯ hideout, I sneakily observed the movements of the nearby Windhand. His expression after having grabbed a priest by their cor and barely letting them go seemed extremely distraught. There was some confusion mixed into it as well, to be exact. He seemed ready to strangle the priest at any moment, but he also showed patience and tolerance as they had helped us. ¡°This is terrible.¡± On the other hand, the adventurers, who cared little about religious groups and whatnot, focused on a different matter. More precisely, on the corpses of the pirates who died after being swept away by the ck liquid before the Inquisitor arrived. ¡°What¡­ What kind of curse is this?¡± ¡°A curse that turns one¡¯s body pitch ck?¡± ¡°One wouldn¡¯t look like that even if they applied charcoal powder.¡± They chatted amongst themselves as they poked the corpses with their weapons. As someone who knew what this was¡ªthe bubonic gue, right?¡ªtheir actions seemed somewhat creepy. Just passing by someone with that disease was quite dangerous¡­ So, wouldn¡¯t it be better not to touch them¡­? Was it really alright for the wizards to get so close, saying they would collect the corpses as research material or something? ¡°It¡¯s a gue curse. Based on the symptoms, it looks like the bubonic gue.¡± Fortunately, the Archmage slowly approached us, spreading his knowledge to the adventurers. They immediately jumped in shock at the mention of the gue. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Luckily, it doesn¡¯t seem to be a curse that turns people into living sacrifices¡­ It¡¯s still quite troublesome, however. I already broke the curse, and yet it still spread.¡± ¡°What was that about living sacrifices¡­?¡± ¡°Considering the bubonic gue has broken out in this ce, isn¡¯t just being here quite problematic?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. We have the priests here, don¡¯t we?¡± The Archmage shrugged his shoulders. What followed was something that made me furrow my brows slightly. ¡°Since the Inquisitor has purged this ce on arge scale, there is little chance of infection. Even if any of you get infected, you just need to get purified.¡± I had thought about that before, but¡­ This world sure is convenient at times. In my world, 20 million people died because they had to fight it with hygiene measures and medicine. The same went for the witch hunts, which were basically just the ughtering of people at random without clear standards. ¡°Still, it¡¯s pretty scary, isn¡¯t it¡­?¡± However, if one asked me whether I¡¯d prefer to live here rather than there, I would vehemently refuse. Even with alternatives like Arcane and Divine Power, their technological advances were simply too far behind. Human rights essentially didn¡¯t exist either, so there were many existing practices here that someone with a modern mindset would frown upon. I liked my original world much more. Not this one. ¡°Well. I¡¯m terrified by the mere existence of this curse. It¡¯s fine since it only spread within a pirates¡¯ hideout, but what if they had released it in a big city? What if this curse is what allowed the Zombie infection to spread so quickly?¡± ¡°¡­Y-You¡¯re right.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve no knowledge of such a curse¡­ It was probably developed here. How deplorable. Vipurit, does that man even know what he has done?¡± The Archmage continued to click his tongue. Seeing what had happened, it was understandable. ¡°Well, if he had known, he probably wouldn¡¯t have helped corrupt the dragon.¡± ¡°What?!?!?¡± ¡°Aah, you didn¡¯t know. It would seem the dragon¡¯s corruption is the work of the Demon Worshipers. We tracked them down and discovered the origin of the corruption to be the Yabad region.¡± That made sense, but the cause of the dragon¡¯s corruption was a consequence of what was happening here? The scale seemed a bit too big for the dragon subjugation or the Yabad region matter to be mere Sidequests. Was this actually part of the main plot? ¡°As the entire Montata ind was taken over by someone who joined forces with the Demon Worshipers¡­ I think this gue ritual was carried out using the inhabitants of that ind as sacrifices. Of course, this is still just spection.¡± At this point, one couldn¡¯t consider it mere spection anymore. Even my instincts as a veteran gamer were screaming that he was right. Everyone present seemed disturbed. ¡°Hey.¡± At that moment, Windhand opened his mouth. It was the first thing he¡¯d said without a swear word ever since the wizards led by the Archmage and the priests led by the Inquisitor appeared. Ah, thinking back, was it the first time? Earlier, when he ordered that the fleeing pirates be captured, he also didn¡¯t swear. Except for those seemingly of higher rank among the captives, none looked defiant anymore. ¡°I think it¡¯s time we talk. I understand quite well that this incident has be very big, but how and by what qualification did you guys get here?¡± It seemed I¡¯d gotten sidetracked. Getting back to the point, I looked over the letters and ns inside the pirates¡¯ hideout and eavesdropped on the conversation between Windhand and the Archmage. The atmosphere around them seemed abnormal, but I couldn¡¯t interfere. If one wasn¡¯t careful, I might see Windhand stabbing the Archmage in the stomach. ¡°That doesn¡¯t look good¡­¡± I mean, even Deb was nervous. ¡°Regarding how we got here, the Inquisitor took charge of this matter.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°And as for the qualification part¡­¡± ¡°No way, that bastard¡ª!¡± ¡°Did you call me?¡± The Archmage¡¯s remarks just seemed too vague, and the Inquisitor even managed to butt in at the worst possible time. Windhand¡¯s eyes widened as he tried to guess what had happened. Just great. In the next moment, Windhand firmly grasped the cloth covering the Inquisitor¡¯s chainmail with one hand and her cor with the other. ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Wh-What did you do when you came to this region?!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What have you done to my city?!¡± ¡°City¡­? What are you talking about? We only had a conversation. No, I mean, I did nothing at all.¡± The Inquisitor answered vaguely. Seeing her manner of speaking, Deb facepalmed at herck of tact. Unexpectedly, the priests only observed the situation, none daring toe forward. Meanwhile, the wizards were looking on excitedly as if watching a show. ¡°That¡¯s a lie! There¡¯s no way they would have just talked to you like that!¡± ¡°Of course they didn¡¯t. Not simply, at least. Most stubbornly refused to talk to me.¡± Ah, as expected of your hardy kimchi dumpling: a firm confirmation. ¡°Then, you really¡ª!¡± ¡°W-Wait! Calm down, Mister Windhand!¡± Windhand seemed about to explode from the Inquisitor¡¯s poor exnation. At that moment, Deb rushed forward and stopped Windhand. ¡°Let go of me! Get that bastard out of my sight!¡± ¡°Come on, get a hold of yourself, Mister. There¡¯s no way she would have done anything like that!¡± ¡°Did I say something wrong?¡± ¡°You seriously need to speak clearly¡­!¡± Haha, the situation went to shit. However, although I was thinking that, I continued pilfering through the documents. After some searching, I found something that one could call a map. ¡¸? Fangs Aimed at Jacrati ? Find the new base of Vipurit¡¯s gang ? Go to the mountain marked on the map ? Optional: Kill Vipurit¡¹ The tasks of destroying the base and eliminating the pirates within were long gone, and the missions that came in their stead also disappeared with the discovery of this map. I now had a new location to move to. I turned around while holding the map. The situation I could only imagine through auditory clues finally came into view. It was more of a mess than it sounded. ¡°Calm down.¡± ¡°I AM calm¡ª!¡± ¡°Whatever you think happened, didn¡¯t. I swear on my life.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Fortunately, the Archmage¡¯s forceful words stopped Windhand from going berserk. The same was true for the sailors, uncertain whether they should step in. ¡°None of Jacrati¡¯s citizens were hurt. The same goes for its buildings.¡± ¡°¡­So, how did you get here then?¡± ¡°We just talked with them.¡± ¡°Lies. No citizen of Jacrati would ever talk to someone from the Temple!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Everyone refused to talk to us. That applied to those who came to us on ships at sea and in the cities we finally arrived at after much hardship.¡± ¡°Then how the hell¡ª!¡± ¡°But we continued trying to talk to them, and eventually, it just worked out.¡± The Archmage stroked his staff carefully. ¡°If we took up arms just because we couldn¡¯t talk properly, wouldn¡¯t that just be repeating our past mistakes?¡± Windhand¡¯s body shook. ¡°What right do you have to say these things¡ª!¡± Well, it wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t have any theories, but without knowing the details, I couldn¡¯t entirely sympathize with Windhand¡¯s anger. In fact, even if he looked to me, I would more than likely turn a blind eye to all this given my character¡¯s nature, but anyway. I moved the hand holding the map and drew my sword. It would be great if the Archmage and Windhand could resolve their issues by themselves, but I couldn¡¯t help but act upon seeing the sailors had also drawn their swords. To make matters even worse, they were blocking my way! Bang! So, I cut through the ground with my drawn sword. The stone floor right before Windhand, who was being held back by Deb, waspletely torn asunder. ¡°¡­!¡± Silence fell over the hall. * * * * * * ¡°I don¡¯t care whether you wish to settle your grudges or whatnot, but if you dare to stand in my way, I will cut all of you down.¡± Amid this cold silence, I was the only one to dryly speak up. Wherever my gaze fell, the people¡¯s expressions became distorted. Well, mainly those of Jacrati acted that way. Those from the Temple seemed more like they were gritting their teeth than showing distorted expressions. ¡°Those bastards! Those bastards massacred the people of ournd forty years ago!¡± And finally, Windhand managed to shout out as he struggled. ¡°Those who had be Zombies, those who hadn¡¯t yet be Zombies, and those who would have never turned into ones! They are all crazed murderers who would burn down everything for their benefit!¡± His voice, scratched by the bitter sea breeze, sounded broken and salty. ¡°So, how could you tolerate these people?!¡± Sigh, fuck. As soon as I understood Windhand¡¯s words, I couldn¡¯t help but curse inside my mind. There was nothing else I could do. This situation was simply that shitty. ¡°It¡¯s fine seeing them on the maind, but not here! What right do they have to set a single foot on ournds?! Now that the wounds they inflicted have finally healed and new sprouts are growing in thend they burned down. Now that the smell of ashes and fire has finally disappeared! How dare they!¡± I mean, I expected it to some extent when the word ¡°massacre¡± dropped and they disyed unnatural amounts of hostility toward religious groups¡­ I felt kind of happy at hearing my theories being confirmed like that¡­ And seeing that the incident was forty years ago, that would mean a whole generation had passed. This¡­ this¡­ Uwaargh. I-I had no idea. I couldn¡¯t take sides here. It was true that having priests support us was good, but how could I tell the victims of that incident to tolerate the group who oncemitted an indiscriminate massacre?! I-I just couldn¡¯t! I was the most unqualified person to do that here!! I was wholly unrted to all that!! ¡°So, what am I supposed to do about it?¡± As tears streamed down my face internally, I answered in character. One might think I would be happy already having my answer predetermined due to my character setting, but I felt like I was doing something incredibly bad and just wanted to faint right on the spot. Even more so because Korea had a simr past. If I were in Windhand¡¯s position, I would have already filed aint a thousand times over. ¡°What?¡± ¡°If you want to kill them, do it. I never asked you to tolerate them.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± No, no, I knew it fit my character, but this answer wasplete trash! Goddamn it. ¡°Or do you not know what form your revenge should take?¡± Even so, I had to continue to roley¡­ ¡°Tear off their flesh, break their bones, and rip out their hearts. Find all those involved, cut off their heads, and trample on them until they¡¯re no longer recognizable.¡± As I approached Windhand, taking a step with every word, I felt like crying, as if I had eaten tons of mustard. He was shorter than me, so I had to lower my head a little to maintain eye contact as I got closer. ¡°That¡¯s revenge.¡± The hot-red madness that I pretended to have burning inside me left my mouth, making me seem as if I was possessed. ¡°But if youck the courage to do even that, then don¡¯t you dare interfere with my revenge.¡± Aaaargh. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so sorry that I set up my character to be this kind of person. However, even if not for that, I wouldn''t have had anything else to say. How could I carelessly talk about something so sensitive? I mean, the situation was still like that!! People were dying at such a fast pace that we couldn¡¯t just let the perpetrators go scot-free!! ¡°¡­¡± I turned away from the silent Windhand. I felt my heart breaking, but I couldn¡¯t take back the words I¡¯d already said. The sailors blocking my way quietly moved aside. ¡°Hey, Demon Knight.¡± It felt like quite some time had passed. When I left the hut, reached the top of the hill, and stood at the cliff, Windhand managed to part his lips. His voice was so small, but because the area was very quiet and my hearing was excellent, I could hear him pretty well. ¡°What did you lose to the Demons?¡± Moreover, I had to say something about that. ¡°At least you have your hometown left.¡± My conscience was biting me, so I gave him a proper answer. Of course, it wasn¡¯t really the truth, but¡­ It was still better than, ¡®It¡¯s none of your business.¡¯ Going by the original, that¡¯s what I should have said. However, out of the kindness of my heart, I increased the word count a bit. But in return, I could only show him the back of my head, but that should work out, too. Even if it didn¡¯t, I believed it was fine. I mean, if it wasn¡¯t, I could say goodbye to my head. Sob, sob. * * * ¡°At least you have your hometown left.¡± Windhand lowered his head at the sound of that dry voice. A heavy, unpleasant, yet truly clear sense of kinship sizzled in his throat. He didn¡¯t dare bring up such superficial things like sympathy or pity. ¡°Captain¡­¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± As the Demon Knight had said, he wanted to tear off their flesh, break their bones, and rip out their hearts. He wanted to trample the heads of those who had killed his father, burned his neighbors alive, and ruined his entire childhood and his home. But¡­ but¡­ ¡°Damn it!¡± What the Demon Knight had said was entirely correct. He at least had his hometown left. He at least still had a home. He had a home. He still had his home, his city, and the world he loved so much. If things continued like this, his love might be something extremely dangerous¡­ ¡°¡­Answer me.¡± Aah. How great would it be if they could say the Demon Knight¡¯s power alone was enough, and Vipurit¡¯s gang would fall by his sword even if the Temple didn¡¯t get involved? However, Windhand wasn¡¯t that foolish. The Demon Knight could be the force that led them to victory, but he wasn¡¯t someone who could handle every battle simultaneously. ¡°Did you¡­ Did you reallye here just by talking to others?¡± For that reason, he¡­ He finally managed to swallow down his anger and asked them clearly. ¡°That is correct.¡± ¡°They really gave you permission toe?¡± ¡°Do you mean this?¡± ¡°How? How did you manage to get their permission?¡± ¡°¡­I worked very hard to persuade them with various arguments and different opinions.¡± ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± ¡°I most certainly am not.¡± Windhand looked at this person from the Temple as she talked steadfastly. Her eyes seemed too straightforward. They reminded him of someone he loved. ¡°There is no basis for the Temple to interfere in this matter, so all I could offer are these arguments and opinions.¡± Those were the eyes of the woman who had saved him, the children of that city, and all the other people who had lost everything dear to them. ¡°And the people of Jacrati simply listened to my stubborn ims.¡± Ah, Mother. He still couldn''t escape those days. Even now that she¡¯d saved him, taken him in, and raised him, he couldn¡¯t let go of the past. ¡°They decided to give us just one chance.¡± However, there was no need to escape them, right? ¡°So please, I beg of you.¡± Even if he didn¡¯t forgive them, he could still give them a chance, right? ¡°Give us a single chance.¡± Because he couldn¡¯t bear to lose her, as well. ¡°A chance to show that we won¡¯t repeat past mistakes. Please.¡± Was that why the others had given them permission¡­? ¡°We won¡¯t forgive you.¡± He swallowed back his tears. The feeling of wanting to tear them limb from limb right away still echoed in his heart. ¡°I will never forgive you.¡± However. ¡°¡­So, this will be thest time.¡± Because Jacrati was so much more important to him than revenge. Those forty years of life and experience he had built up since that horrible time were so much more important to him than the thirteen years of resentment swirling within him. His brothers, his mother who took him in and raised him, thend where they live¡­ They were so very precious to him. ¡°Shit, kill those bastards with that corrupted power.¡± He eventually decided to give them a chance. ¡°Kill them and save thisnd¡­¡± It was in all pirates¡¯ nature to do anything to protect their precious treasures. Chapter 65: If There is a God (8) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 65 If There is a God (8) ¡°Hey, Archmage.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I just remembered: what happened to dispatching that Great Sage you promised?¡± ¡°Ehem. I¡¯m here, aren¡¯t I?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°¡­Ehem.¡± ¡°¡­You mean, that¡¯s you?¡± ¡°Ehehem.¡± ¡°This goddamn¡ª¡± While wondering how the Jacrati people and the priests reached a truce as they caught up with me at the next enemy stronghold, I saw Windhand grab the Archmage by the cor, apparently because of something rted to the contract. If not for one of the wizards deciding to open their mouth¡ªhe said the Great Sage who was supposed toe took advantage of the Archmage¡¯s absence to renege on the contract¡ªhe might have been taken into custody by now. Or, well, if not for taking half his men stationed in another city with him, Windhand might have beaten the Archmage bloody while pelting him with every curse in existence. ¡°I will kill you if you don¡¯t pay the penalty fee.¡± ¡°¡­Don¡¯t worry, I will pay you, even if that necessitates selling a Great Sage¡¯s invention.¡± Still, the power of money was formidable. Windhand somehow managed to hold back his anger. What great patience he showed. Bang! ¡°Oh¡­ It looks like things have been resolved, then.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯d be dead if it weren¡¯t for the Demon Knight.¡± ¡°¡­Then I should give him my thanks.¡± Of course, as was revealed by that conversation, my earlier performance had some hand in him showing patience. Hmm. If one saw a person destroy a whole building with just a single swing of a sword, I suppose one was bound to develop some patience. ¡°With this, I¡¯ll be able to¡ª!¡± ¡°Know your ce.¡± I grabbed this stronghold¡¯s Boss¡ªif one could even call this guy a Boss¡ªby the neck and pushed him to the floor. Like this, I could immediately react if he threw a curse jar. ¡°Don¡¯t think you can save your pathetic life by doing something like that.¡± ¡°Kuhuk!¡± When people get strangled, they would usually try to remove whatever was strangling them. This guy acted no different. He grabbed at my hand that was grasping his neck, tried to scratch me, and even aimed for my eyes. Craaack. ¡°Kurgh!¡± However, this was hisplete defeat. I was a lot stronger than him. I could hold him down with just one hand and break any mustered resistance with the other. The man, whose arms I¡¯d twisted like screws, waspletely subdued and only let out soft groans. ¡°Wow, you sure carry something dangerous at your side.¡± Meanwhile, Deb, who¡¯de closer to me, fearlessly pulled something from the waist of the guy I was suppressing. It was the jar I saw get used at the Garorim stronghold. I didn¡¯t think he was even therest time when it got thrown, yet he managed to notice it. ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­ Kurgh.¡± The Boss tried to reach out with his broken limb. However, Deb had already stepped away. Even if that guy¡¯s arm had been intact, it was doubtful whether he would have been able to grab Deb. ¡°We can interrogate him now.¡± Deb was correct. That¡¯s what I had in mind when I captured him alive, to begin with. However¡­ I gently looked down at the neck in my grasp for a moment, contemted my character setting, and caressed the hilt of my sword. The inquisitors, trying to drag away the target, flinched briefly. ¡°Mister?¡± I thanked him for speaking up at exactly the right time. At Deb¡¯s words, I turned away. Then, as I looked at the stronghold, myriads of shes and traces of battle entered my view. Those were why the inquisitors, whose fear had won out over their faith, looked at me. ¡°I think it would be better if we just sat here and rested for today.¡± Was the sun already setting? After hearing the Archmage¡¯s words, I looked up at the sky. It definitely seemed to be gettingte, seeing how the sky was gradually turning scarlet. And while the number of people here wasn¡¯t that big, there were still around a hundred. ¡°It¡¯s also necessary to investigate further.¡± That was true, as well. Before, all the evidence basically evaporated due to the hurried Purification, but that didn¡¯t happen this time. The jar containing the gue curse had to be analyzed, and the cause of the sudden change in those leader-like people needed to be figured out. Anyway, while I didn¡¯t currently feel much difference in fighting the transformed ones, it might be different if this Quest¡¯s Final Boss did something simr. ¡°How in the world can someone achieve that degree of Arcane Power concentration?¡± ¡°Look at this: this cross-section is a little rough. It doesn''t seem to be fully consistent.¡± ¡°Who cares if it¡¯scking consistency when it flies like that?¡± ¡°Are you crazy? How about you say that again?¡± However, was it possible to investigate properly when the wizards were acting like that? What the hell did they mean by a lower degree of Arcane Power consistency? Wasn¡¯t that rough cut just an effect? No, well, I¡¯d of course also noticed that it sometimes cut very smoothly and other times, it didn¡¯t. However, did this even matter? p, p. At that moment, the Archmage pped his hands. It was a bit muffled due to their being covered in fur, but the sound had be uniquely associated with him. The wizards raised their heads upon realizing the Archmage was watching them. They looked exactly like meerkats. ¡°Could you give me that for a moment, please?¡± ¡°Huh? Yes.¡± The Archmage looked at everyone around him as he received the curse jar from Deb. The jar had writing all over it, and even someone with no idea what this was could have sensed that something was strange about it. ¡°This is a jar containing a gue curse. Who wants to analyze it?¡± ¡°Me!!!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it!!¡± ¡­They actually wanted to investigate. Was the Archmage a god or something? ¡°Take it. If you break it, your life will be at risk, so please be careful with it.¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± ¡°Let me look at it, as well!¡± ¡°Is that the jar containing a curse?¡± ¡°There¡¯s an borate shielding spell ced on it. I had no idea Demon Worshipers could create something like this!¡± ¡°Is there really a curse in there?¡± ¡°They couldn¡¯t conceal the unique sensation given off by Demonic Energy. We can be sure.¡± I was worried in a different sense now. Wouldn¡¯t they end up intentionally opening or breaking the jar just to see what was inside it? ¡°We found the captives!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± However, I didn¡¯t worry for long. I immediately turned my attention elsewhere. An adventurer had opened one of the doors leading underground and stuck his head out. ¡°Wait!¡± Windhand rushed over first. ¡°I¡¯ll alsoe along!¡± Next was the Inquisitor. Some of the priests capable of healing also followed them into the underground, intending to heal those who¡¯d been captured. Of course, the question remained whether they would ept such treatment¡­ Since Windhand hade along, I believed it would work out somehow. In any case, it didn¡¯t have anything to do with me. ¡°I¡¯ll go check and see if there¡¯s anything hidden over here, then.¡± Deb went elsewhere to fulfill his role. The only one with nothing to do was me. Well, the Archmage didn¡¯t really move anywhere, either, but he still had the option to join the wizards and investigate. Until recently, it had been me who did all the work. ¡°Ah, right. Regarding the dragon¡¯s corpse, we somehow managed to secure your share of the spoils.¡± Hmm, what was I supposed to do now? If I acted ording to my character setting, I would have to move to the next location without resting¡­ Huh? ¡°We wanted to secure as much as possible¡­ However, the most we could receive was a quarter of the corpse.¡± What? They secured my share? And as if that wasn¡¯t enough, it¡¯s even a quarter? Did they actually want to give me all that? ¡°Even if you aren¡¯t satisfied with it, please don¡¯t get angry.¡± I clenched my fists. How could I be dissatisfied with this?! It was a reward I had already given up on, after all! I was honestly so satisfied that I was about to give him a thumbs-up. I was just that happy. ¡°We left it at the Temple for safeguarding, so you can take it with you once we return to the maind. And also¡­ the Adventurers¡¯ Guild has decided to award you a second Medal of Honor and requested that you pick it up when you get back.¡± I didn¡¯t particrly care about those Medals of Honor, though. While they did have various uses, I already had one, so getting more would just clog up my inventory. I superficially thought about what to do with the dragon¡¯s corpse. Although there might not be enough to rece all my equipment using its parts, it was still fun to think about. * * * * * * ¡¸A hostile existence has entered a radius of 30m.¡¹ I then received a system notification. Not every enemy in this stronghold was dead or captured, but it was more probable that these were new enemies who¡¯d only just arrived. I quickly reached the wooden fence. Kiuuuuu! A strange cry entered my ears. I was sure I¡¯d heard it before when researching some data. ¡°Demonic Energy!¡± An inquisitor tried getting closer to me a beatter. At that moment, the being entered my sight. I could see a deer through the wooden bars. ¡°Demonic Erosion¡­¡± To describe it more precisely, it was a deer that had be a Demon. Its skin was peeling off in various ces, exposing raw flesh and bones. ¡¸Deer ©¦ A poor beast that has been devoured by Demonic Energy, turning it into a Demon. This animal, which originally only consumed grass, can now eat everything.¡¹ Swish. As soon as I spotted it, I jumped over the fence. While it looked a little gross, a Demon was a Demon. I had to eliminate it as soon as I saw it. Kiuuooorg! In response, the deer also charged at me. The horns on its head had be disgustinglyrge and sharp, making them seem more weapon-like now. ¡°Rest in peace.¡± sh! However, I, who had in a dragon, shouldn¡¯t have any trouble killing a deer! I pulled out my Zweih?nder and separated its head from its body before trampling the fallen head, crushing it like a watermelon. Something ck, which seemed to be its brain, sshed out of its skull. I couldn¡¯t see any wrinkles on it, as though something had eaten away at it. ¡°I shall Purify it!¡± As I wiped the blood off my sword, an inquisitor came running toward me from behind, panting. She knelt before the deer¡¯s carcass and began reciting a prayer at a slow pace. However, had it been the kimchi dumpling performing the Purification, it would have just taken three minutes instead of the rest of the evening. I could see the sweat flowing down her cheeks, as well. Although it was only a single drop, its very existence showed the clear difference between the Inquisitor and a normal inquisitor. ¡°¡­¡± That aside, what would happen now? No matter how I looked at it, this was most definitely a Timed Quest. I was deeply immersed in thought while maintaining a healthy distance from the inquisitor radiating Divine Power. A golden color was slowly oveing the sky. ¡°Phew.¡± And when the inquisitor finished her Purification, I turned around and headed for the stronghold again. My eyes quickly scanned through the crowd beforending on Deb. ¡°Did you find anything?¡± ¡°Huh? Not much.¡± Maybe because it was rather rare for me to speak to him first, Deb, who had just returned from searching the ce, perked his ears and shook his head. ¡°However, I did find this letter. Something about dispatching someone somewhere¡ª¡± Snatch. I took the paper Deb was holding out to me and quickly nced over it. ¡®Send someone to the base beneath the Turtle Rock.¡¯ That was an obvious clue. ¡¸? Fangs Aimed at Jacrati ? Find the bases of Vipurit¡¯s gang: 3 / ?? ? Destroy the bases of Vipurit¡¯s gang: 2 / ?? ? Optional: Kill Vipurit¡¹ The Quest updated once more, the fixed missions¡¯ count having already increased. ¡°Be careful whening up.¡± ¡°L-Light¡­¡± ¡°I survived¡­¡± Around that time, those who¡¯d gone down slowly resurfaced, supporting other people. Fortunately, it seemed the scenario where they refused the Temple¡¯s treatment and died miserably hadn¡¯t happened. However, that didn¡¯t mean they were happy about receiving their help. ¡°First, we¡¯ll start the treatment¡­¡± However, that was good enough. As long as they couldmunicate with each other, all was fine. ¡°Demon Knight?¡± ¡°You.¡± I showed the letter to the people who¡¯d juste up, Windhand included. Internally, I wondered whether these people knew how to read, but I couldn¡¯t take back my actions now. It would be enough if I asked them orally, as well. ¡°Do any of you know where the Turtle Rock is located?¡± ¡°¡­The Turtle Rock?¡± ¡°The Turtle Rock, erm¡­¡± Was it because I spoke in an extremely high-handed manner? People became rather scared and stumbled over their words. I furrowed my eyebrows. ¡°People will get surprised if you ask such straightforward questions.¡± Fortunately, Windhand was there to mediate between me and the people. Was it because they were from the same region, if not from the same city? The people listened to Windhand carefully. ¡°If you¡¯re looking for the Turtle Rock, you just have to go over two more hills.¡± Anyway, I soon got the answer I was looking for. I had determined its location, so now it was time to depart. ¡°The next base is under Turtle Rock.¡± ¡°¡­I think I know the answer to my next question, but I¡¯ll ask you anyway. You aren¡¯t nning to go there right away, are you?¡± ¡°That Vipurit bastard¡­ What was he nning to do by gathering all these people here¡­?¡± ¡°Mister, I haven¡¯tpletely searched this ce yet.¡± The Inquisitor, Archmage, Windhand, and Deb spoke up in that order. I returned the letter to Deb and walked away. It didn¡¯t escape me that Deb was screaming and iling his hands, trying to catch the paper I had thrown at him. I now had to force myself to manage my fatigue as best I could! For one, I had to act as part of my roley, and for another, this was a Timed Quest, so I had to get this done as quickly as possible! ¡°Ah, if we leave now, the people will¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the worst idea to move quickly, given this ce is undergoing rapid Demonization¡­ The people who were held captive here are the problem.¡± ¡°Huh? Demonization?¡± ¡°What? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Is this what Demonization is? Will Demons appear?¡± The Inquisitor, Windhand, and Deb each reacted differently to my actions, none of which disappointed my expectations. What surprised me were the remarks of the Archmage, who¡¯d seen what had just happened since he¡¯d remained on the ground floor. ¡°¡­Then we must advance immediately. The longer we take, the more dangerous this area will be.¡± ¡°D-Demonization of thisnd? Wait, what about the people? What will happen to these people?¡± ¡°Phew, can we even handle this with our forces? No, more importantly, Mister really doesn¡¯t ever falter, huh?!¡± Yet again, those three responded in various ways to the newly discovered problem. Me? Of course, I ignored them all and just kept going. While it was true that the victims we¡¯d discovered were in dire need of relief, that wasn¡¯t my responsibility. As it wasn¡¯t something I needed to do, I thought it would be better just to stop worrying about it and focus on what I could do. ¡°I think it would be best to split our forces, Inquisitor.¡± And of all the things I could do, there was only one that would be most helpful and the best for us all. ¡°I will stay here and lead them. We¡¯ll be in charge of protecting the people and Purifying them.¡± To advance at top speed and ughter everything I could find. ¡°So instead, you three should follow the Demon Knight first. That would be the most efficient solution.¡± Like that, the party split up. Chapter 66: From the Very Beginning (1) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 66 From the Very Beginning (1) The Archmage sighed and turned his attention to the situation before him. The party consisting of the Inquisitor, the Demon Knight, the Thief, and Windhand departed for the next stronghold. What remained were the Temple¡¯s people, the wizards of the Magic Tower, Windhand¡¯s subordinates, and the people they had rescued. Meanwhile, he was able to observe the environment¡¯s advancing Demonization. The longer they dyed the Purification, the greater this disaster would be. ¡°First of all¡­ Your role is extremely important.¡± However, this was Yabad. Thisnd didn¡¯t tolerate religious organizations. If they made just a single mistake, they might fall into an unfortunate situation where people who should be cooperating would be fighting against each other. ¡°You must mediate between these people and us.¡± So, he firmly requested this of Windhand¡¯s subordinates and the adventurers. They were the only ones who couldmunicate with this area¡¯s residents. The wizards? He held no expectations of them. They were idiots who, even if he asked this of them, would just forget their tasks because they were too immersed in their interests. He held no trust for those of his organization. ¡°I know it might be rather unpleasant to do this, but¡­ please help us.¡± ¡°Hmm, no need to worry. You hired us, after all.¡± ¡°I mean, it must be rather troublesome for you in various ways.¡± Fortunately, the adventurers immediately agreed to cooperate. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t worry, Sir Archmage. We also have brains.¡± ¡°This is really annoying, but¡­ This is my homnd, so I will cooperate.¡± Although Windhand¡¯s subordinates weren¡¯t happy about it, they were also willing to work together. It seemed the public fight between the Inquisitor and Windhand had some impact on them. And the Demon Knight¡¯s words. ¡°And about these people¡¯s treatment, I was trying to find a way to send them to Jacrati somehow. If that¡¯s possible, then¡­¡± ¡°We should send them there?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t send them back on their own. They seem far too anxious for that, don¡¯t they? However, splitting our forces would be rather difficult, as well. We also don¡¯t know if they are the only ones. This might happen againter.¡± Of course, they didn''t know when their reinforcements would arrive, either. Or if they woulde at all. If they allowed it, then¡­ ¡°So, the thing is¡­¡± ¡°Look here, Mr. Wizard.¡± ¡°Ah, go ahead.¡± ¡°¡­Is there actually a way to solve this? I don¡¯t really want to think about it, but you¡¯ll be able to drive out those damn Demons¡­ and Vipurit from thisnd, right?¡± The Archmage thought briefly before answering the question of Windhand¡¯s subordinate. Should he tell him the truth or give him hope? Many possibilities and their oues flitted through his mind. ¡°If we¡¯re just discussing the conclusion, then I think it¡¯s possible.¡± With thebined strength of the Demon Knight and the Demon¡¯s natural enemy, the Inquisitor, there was almost no Demon they couldn¡¯t kill, even with the added disadvantage of theirckingpatibility. Rather than synergizing with each other, one side would suffer damage one-sidedly. They had the Thief with them, who was skilled at detecting traps and gathering information, and there was also Windhand, who requested toe along. He didn¡¯t know whether Vipurit was actually there, but there was a high chance of it. ¡°However, if you wish to reduce the damage further¡­ You¡¯ll need help. Help from the people of the maind.¡± ¡°¡­Are you saying you¡¯ll bring even more of the Temple¡¯s people here?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not anything unexpected, now is it?¡± Getting rid of Demons didn¡¯t end with just killing them. Thend was stained by Demonic Energy and needed to be Purified, and even after that, one had to turn over every stone to ensure all remnants were gone. Those tasks couldn¡¯t be taken care of immediately with physical strength alone, either. ¡°What we need now is time and manpower. And the more of one you have, the less you¡¯ll need of the other.¡± ¡°We still have fifty people!¡± ¡°Please look at this situation calmly. Montana isn¡¯t small enough for just fifty people topletely survey.¡± Fifty people was far too few. If one truly wanted to use just fifty people, assuming they all worked hard without a single moment of rest, it would take them a year at best. It may take even longer. The longer it took to Purify this ce, the more Demons would appear, and when more Demons appeared, the Demonization would only elerate. It would be a very fierce power struggle. ¡°Alternatively, another way would be to obtain thousands or tens of thousands of Purification Stones. However¡­ As you know, they aren¡¯t something that can be made so easily. Even if you were to bring all the stones avable on the market, it wouldn¡¯t be enough. If you were to ask the Temple for them in the name of the Yabad region, they would provide them for free, but even the Temple cannot give you items they don¡¯t have.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± In the end, the problem was time. If they didn¡¯t want to bring in any more people from the Temple, they would need more time, which would cause more damage to the region. ¡°I know this is nothing short of a disgrace to you. I know it was hard for you just to ept us. However, there is no other way. The people of the Magic Tower alone aren''t enough for this task.¡± What a cruel twist of fate. ¡°Then why are you telling us that?¡± ¡°Deck captain¡­!¡± At that moment, someone stepped forward. He was the one who went with Windhand to request help, so he seemed to be the vice-captain and next in rank. He looked to have noticed the hidden intentions of the Archmage, who now realized why Windhand left the crew to him in his absence. ¡°I need someone to spread the word to Jacrati.¡± So, the Archmage answered him honestly. The deck captain¡¯s face crumpled together slightly. ¡°There is a way to contact others there. I left behind one wizard for that reason. However, it matters who gives this report.¡± ¡°So, you want us to tell the Lord that she should bring in more people from religious groups?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not forcing you to. And I don¡¯t want you to request that of her directly, either. I just want you to show a positive inclination to this option.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s what this is about.¡± Was it still impossible? He felt a little disappointed but quickly gave up on the matter. As survivors of that atrocious massacre or their descendants, their attitude toward the Temple was understandable. ¡°If there is a God, he sure is cruel. How could he make us make that choice? He really is cruel.¡± However, it seemed he¡¯d judged too quickly. ¡°¡­However, it¡¯s true that we can¡¯t do anything about this. Fine, let me talk to the Lord. You said I could contact her from here, right?¡± ¡°Deck captain!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Temple we¡¯re talking about¡­!¡± ¡°So what? Do you think I¡¯m doing this because I don¡¯t know? My mother was the leader of the volunteer army. I know better than most what those damn Temple bastards did here! But do you know any better way? Is there even one?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Kids are dying!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just kids. The adults and the elderly will either be dragged away or chewed to death by those monsters! You can tell what will happen to them if we don¡¯t do anything just by looking at these people! Vipurit joined hands with the Demons and sold thisnd!¡± ¡°This¡­¡± ¡°The captain¡¯s choice was the right one. I can¡¯t forgive those Temple bastards. I can never forgive them. But¡­ If only they can save thisnd, and we have no other choice, I can give them this onest chance. Damn it, I hold thisnd a lot dearer, after all.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°So¡­ I will make that call. I¡¯ll persuade the Lord somehow.¡± Sometimes, hatred could be overwhelmed by the passionate love that one held for something else. * * * * * * ¡°Y-you. How?¡± It had been six days since we arrived in Montata. I advanced as fast as I could while keeping my fatigue in check. I also filled my satiety level by eating some preserves made from wild vegetables. At one point, I was lucky enough toe across some horses. Thanks to that, I could move significantly faster for a time. If not for the Demonized beasts who¡¯d kept attacking, I might still be riding it. ¡°Are you guys monsters¡­?¡± ¡°¡­Please don¡¯t include me in that.¡± While the Inquisitor could keep up with my speed, the other two seemed to be running out of stamina. I could hear rough breathing, and the dark circles beneath their eyes almost reached their chin. Compared to normal people, their physical strength might be overwhelmingly better. It was just their luck that they were stuck with me. ¡°Don¡¯t say such weak things!¡± ¡°I told you, I¡¯m not a monster like you!¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t a physical problem. You¡¯re just mentally weak!¡± ¡°What kind of strong mentality fills my stomach and lowers fatigue?!¡± Deb and the Inquisitor quarreled for the first time in a while. It really had been some time since they chatted like that, so I enjoyed listening to them, but¡ª ¡°Shut up.¡± I had to interrupt them. Not only were we in the middle of the enemy camp, but we¡¯d also heard some peopleughing and talking and were currently moving toward those sounds. The dumplings seemed to have forgotten all about that. ¡°S-Sorry.¡± ¡°I got scolded all because of you.¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s not my fault¡­!¡± ¡°¡­One thing¡¯s for sure: if you two don¡¯t keep it down, you¡¯ll definitely get scolded again.¡± Windhand pointed out in a matter-of-fact tone. The two others trembled and decided on a temporary truce. They really were cute kids. ¡°You¡¯ve been having it hard as well¡­¡± Well, because of my character setting, I didn¡¯t have a choice in what I said. So it might be a bit vague to say I was having it hard because of them. Even if they growled at each other like that, they still knew how to do their jobs and handled everything diligently. They never did anything to hinder me once things became serious. Rather, watching them y with each other in such a childlike manner was quite cute. ¡¸A hostile existence has entered a radius of 30m.¡¹ Then, a notification rang in my ears. Right then, themotion we had heard from further away became even clearer. Tap. I ced my hand against Windhand¡¯s stomach as he stood beside me to stop him in his tracks. Deb, who had been arguing with the Inquisitor, also seemed to have heard those sounds and covered the Inquisitor¡¯s mouth. ¡°Enemies?¡± Probably. I hid behind a tree and looked in the direction the sound came from, behind a hill. ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look.¡± The steep slopes were full of dry, dead leaves. Right when I was wondering how we could get through there without getting noticed, Deb volunteered to go and check. He removed his shoes without making a single sound. Rustle, rustle. While I couldn¡¯t say he was moving silently, I only noticed these noises because I was watching him walk away. The people beyond the hill would hardly be aware of them. Deb slowly climbed the hill. Dead leaves were attached to his hood¡ªI had no idea when he did that¡ªmaking him even more covert. Rustle, rustle. After some time, Deb crawled over the hill, looked back at us, and moved his fingers. With five fingers spread out, he shook them once and turned over his palm, showing the back of his hand with two fingers raised. Finally, he turned it over again and shook four of his fingers. ¡°Fourteen people?¡± That was a bit much. It was now my turn, so I worried whether I might let one escape. Well, I probably wouldn''t. ¡°Will you be okay?¡± Did Windhand still not trust me? I red at him fiercely while holding the hilt of my sword and began moving forward. Deb desperately but silently waved his hand. Then, he diligently formed some signs with his fingers. ¡°¡­Hostages?¡± That made things much moreplicated. I was spectacrly terrible at protecting people! This would be the perfect job for a wizard or inquisitor! ¡°Hostages make things a lot more difficult.¡± ¡°¡­Those captives are probably from here.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll save them.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Windhand¡¯s expression, which had seemed incredibly furious just moments ago, became ambiguous as they spoke back and forth. His anger over the current situation appeared to have shifted to the background, at least. ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel good hearing you treat me with respect, so just do whatever you feelfortable with.¡± ¡°¡­! Got it!¡± ¡°¡­¡± He had been with the Inquisitor for six whole days. Could he have figured out her character? Or had it perhaps be harder for him to get angry at her? Either way, it didn¡¯t really matter to me. ¡°Their formation.¡± Anyway, I urged Deb, who had just returned, to give me information. The young man squatted down and began outlining the situation beyond the hill with a stick. Fourteen people formed a protective circle around a carriage with children inside. Some adults were bound near the carriage. Crunch. Crack. When I heard there were children trapped in the carriage, the hilt of my sword grasped within my gauntlet-d hand gave off some eerie sounds as if they were rubbing together. What followed was the sound of Windhand grinding his teeth. The atmosphere had suddenly be quite bleak. ¡°¡­I guess they set up camp because the sun will set soon. There¡¯s a stream nearby, and the hill gives them a good view of everything approaching them.¡± They would absolutely regret this. I hated crimes that harmed children in any way the most! Wouldn¡¯t it be more pitiful and sad if everyone died, adults and children alike, such as in a war, rather than just seeing some kids locked up in a carriage? They seemed about the same to me. I usually didn¡¯t advocate personal revenge, but those bastards really deserved to get hit. My character setting also allowed for these actions, as well! ¡°Go back, don¡¯t get in my way.¡± I took out the scimitar and turned it half a turn. To be clear, what I just said was more like insurance for me. I mean, they might even take a child or one of the others hostage in a fit of rage. At that moment, the Inquisitor, who¡¯d taken a step back, unfolded her defensive barrier, Deb took out some shackles, and Windhand even dered that the Inquisitor was a decent person despite being from a religious organization, which made me more at ease. Of course, I felt a bit uneasy as I¡¯d spoken quite ambiguously¡­ Did they understand what I wanted them to do? If not, I would have to kill them all before they¡¯d even get an opportunity to take a hostage. ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°But I can fight, as well¡­¡± ¡°You idiot, he wants us to secure and protect the people while he attracts their attention.¡± Fortunately, the meat dumpling clearly understood what I was getting at. ¡°¡­Those were his intentions?¡± ¡°Most certainly. As expected of the Demon Knight¡­!¡± ¡°Although he pretends otherwise, he sure is a kind person.¡± Oh no. It hadn¡¯t been perfect. Rather, they managed to corrupt my image. Aaargh. Stop ruining my image with your weird interpretations. That kindness isn¡¯t my character¡¯s kindness. They¡¯d instead managed to reveal part of my personality! Of course, my character was extremely kind deep down, but it shouldn¡¯t show like this, no, no, it couldn¡¯t be like this, uwaargh! ¡°Eek.¡± I quickly swung my sword and stopped it right before Deb¡¯s nose. In that instant, wind blew up the dry, fallen leaves. ¡°Begone, before I rip out your tongue.¡± Notably, my facial expression probably seemed extremely angry right now. I should keep my distance, and whenever I notice them gettingfortable with me by saying I¡¯m kind, I should do something like this again. Crunch. I turned toward the hill without changing my expression. My boots crumpled the leaves as I climbed up. Tatatak. The moment I crested the hill, several arrows flew toward me. [Ground Crash], a skill that activated whenever I struck down with my Zweih?nder, released huge amounts of Arcane Power everywhere. Those arrows flying at me getting bounced off was just a bonus. ¡°Wh-What the hell is that thing!¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s a Knight!¡± ¡°He knows how to use Arcane Power! He¡¯s a Knight!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t they kill all the Knights?!¡± The Arcane Power subsided, and I looked down at the ground filled with cracks. People tied to a carriage with their legs shackled. The ve traders who set up camp before those people. I could see plenty of signs of merrymaking around the ce. ¡®I have to kill them all.¡¯ I put strength into my legs. Bang! As I kicked the ground hard, my body went straight down the hill. sh! I killed the first guy. ¡°Brats.¡± I looked over the guy I killed after kicking his face as Inded. All the children trapped in that iron carriage were looking at me. ¡°Close your eyes.¡± In an instant, pitch-ck energy began to form around the scimitar¡¯s silver de. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t watch these kinds of things.¡± The children very obediently closed their eyes. Soon after, two ck shes flew across the area, avoiding the carriage and the captives outside of it. Screeek. The scimitar let out a metallic sound. Chapter 67: From the Very Beginning (2) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 67 From the Very Beginning (2) Although I had told everyone to hold back, it was actually pretty easy to defeat the ve traders¡ªprobably Vipurit¡¯s people. It probably was because I killed one guy with my first blow, blew off the upper bodies of six more with a [sh], and leaped over the carriage, killing them all before they could even react. ¡°Did you already take care of everything?!¡± ¡°Demon Knight!¡± ¡°Wow, look at this sea of blood.¡± Did they try keeping their distance as I told them to, but then changed their course again? I saw three people running toward me. I shook off the blood and grabbed the one lucky trafficker who was still alive. Bam. ¡°Kuhuk!¡± I threw him before the Inquisitor as she ran toward me. ¡°This guy¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s well on his way down to the underworld. Hmmm. Hey, can you keep him alive somehow?¡± ¡°I can, but is there a need to?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no reason to keep him alive, but shouldn¡¯t we get some information out of him before killing him?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ You¡¯re right. Wait a second.¡± ¡°You just have to cure him enough that he can talk.¡± Ah, good, good. I really liked that the dumplings could think for themselves without needing me to tell them what to do. Seeing the dumplings acting on their own, I turned my attention elsewhere. I was now looking into the faces of the hostages who were questioning whether I was their savior or just their executioner. ¡°It¡¯s fine now.¡± At times like this, Windhand should be the one handling these matters. Upon seeing his brown skin, dangling earrings, braided hair, and body unique to a sailor, their eyes softened a little. ¡°Everything¡¯s fine now.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re.¡± ¡°¡­We¡¯re reinforcement from Jacrati. You don¡¯t have anything to worry about. Just focus on getting out of here alive first.¡± He hurriedly checked over the people¡¯s faces and conditions. Their cheeks were sunken in and their eyes seemed dead, as if they¡¯d been through a lot. The children in the carriage were no different. ¡°Let me remove your shackles first. I need a key for that¡­¡± ¡°S-Save the children first!¡± ¡°Please release the kids first! I beg of you!¡± ¡°¡­Don¡¯t worry. Of course, we¡¯re also going to release them, as well, but we¡¯ll still need a key¡ª¡± ¡°Get lost.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Did we really need a key for that? If there¡¯s no way, you just have to make one. I wrapped my hands and legs in Arcane Power and grabbed the iron bars. Creak. I managed to push aside the bars like curtains. I learned this technique while testing how much my damage increased when I applied Arcane Power to my body. ¡°Uwaaah.¡± The children, who were still obediently keeping their eyes closed, finally opened them slightly after hearing strange sounds around them and let out shouts of exmation. ¡°Wh-What?!¡± ¡°Has Mister actually transcended the realm of mortals¡­?¡± ¡°Wow, so one can do it like that! I¡¯ll help, too.¡± While I was making a gap for the children to escape through, the Inquisitor grabbed tightly onto the chains tied to the carriage and connected to the captives. ¡°You¡¯re not going to rip them apart with your hands, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s still a bit too much for me to do that with my bare hands for now!¡± ¡°For now?¡± She held on to the chains tightly with one hand and raised her mace with the other. ¡°Wait a second, what did you mean it¡¯s still too much for you for now¡­?¡± ng! The moment the mace came down on the chains, they broke apart instead of getting pulled down. It was because the way she gripped the chains and the force she struck with were just that strong. She didn¡¯t even use her Divine Power. ¡°¡­This is crazy.¡± ¡°¡­Wow, I shouldn¡¯t mess with her.¡± I was also surprised by that. I was praying the kimchi dumpling would leave her mace and Divine power at home if she faced me again. No, she should also leave her strength out¡­ If shended a hit on me with any of those things, I feared not even my bones would be left. ¡°But even if you break the chains, you¡¯d still have to untie the shackles, right?¡± Regardless, her action held little meaning. Although they had gained some freedom of movement, they¡¯d have been able to do it themselves once their shackles came off, anyway. In short, she just wasted her time and effort. ¡°Huh.¡± Damn it, that scatterbrained fool. However, her absentminded side also seemed pretty cute¡­ ¡°Come out.¡± ¡°Eek!¡± It was now time to take the children out of the carriage. Rather than just pushing apart the bars, I instead ripped them out. Some of the connected boards also got torn out in the process, so the hole was now much wider. With that, anyone could enter and exit with ease. I quickly dulled the torn part with a knife before taking two steps away from the hole. The children initially hesitated a bit but eventually starteding out one by one, starting with the older children. They were all nice kids, so the children who got out first even helped those who came after. ¡°Maya!¡± ¡°Dad!¡± At that moment, someone called out to one of the children who¡¯d just gotten off the carriage. Deb was still removing the man¡¯s shackles with a wire. ¡°Oh, thank Lord Sea Dragon, thank you so much¡­¡± ¡°Daaad.¡± As soon as his shackles were removed, the man ran to the child and embraced them. The kid, about three or four years old, opened her arms wide and hugged her father¡¯s face tightly. Despite her being at an age where her cheeks should still have some baby fat, they were quite noticeably sunken in. I wanted to cry. ¡°M-Mom¡­¡± ¡°Uncle¡­¡± ¡°Cinta.¡± ¡°Nadine,e here.¡± Following that child, others also began calling out to their loved ones. Exactly half of them acted like that. The remaining kids just cried, as if there was no one among the adults who they knew. ¡°Damn it¡­.¡± Windhand wiped his face seeing this. Deb also continued to remove the shackles wordlessly, though his expression was the same as Windhand¡¯s. ¡°Erm, I know who has the key¡­¡± At that moment, one of the children quietly spoke to me. He seemed to be a very brave and smart child. Not only did he dare to talk to me, but he also offered the information we needed right now. ¡°Who.¡± ¡°A Middle woman with a hooked nose and warts¡­ She wears a red bandana over her forehead.¡± Was there someone like that among the traffickers? I razed through them like a storm, so I didn¡¯t really know whom I cut down or the details. I was just very angry. Hmm. Could it be the person I cut down first? Going by race, gender, and the process of elimination, they seemed to be the one. ¡°¡­Understood.¡± Good. Well, I should check that woman¡¯s pockets. I looked down at the child. He was so small, making me feel especially heartbroken. I wanted to praise him for doing such a good job and feed him lots of different delicious things. ¡°¡­¡± But how could I do that? My right arm twitched before I finally turned around. Suddenly, I noticed the whole ce waspletely soaked in blood. While they didn¡¯t see me killing those guys, they did see the corpses littering the area. I felt a bitter taste spread through my mouth. Jingle. Still, my guess hadn¡¯t been wrong. I obtained the key bundle from the person I had killed first. With it, we could elerate the speed at which we released the people. * * * * * * ¡°What should we do now?¡± However, another problem made itself known. We couldn¡¯t afford to take care of these people. ¡°We can¡¯t just leave them here like we did before. They don¡¯t even have a fence to protect them.¡± Of course, we¡¯d saved many people on our stay here. Since we had destroyed ten strongholds, the survivors¡¯ number probably had already exceeded triple digits. However, it was impossible to protect them all. We trusted someone woulde to take them away. While it wasn¡¯t safe here, we determined it would be better to leave them in the strongholds where they could at least protect themselves. But what about them? The situation here was too bad for us to leave them behind simply because we couldn¡¯t afford to protect them. There was nothing we could call a geographical advantage, no roof to keep away rain, and not enough food to let them survive on their own. The crucial thing was theirck of defensive measures. They hadn¡¯t the means to avoid the beasts that roamed the forest and the ins. ¡°If we leave them behind, there¡¯s a high chance that they will die.¡± Even the Inquisitor was of that opinion. They were correct. Even normal animals would be dangerous to them, and those wandering thesends now were demonized beasts. If an ordinary person came across them, they would most likely die without being able to fight back. ¡°But aren¡¯t we too far from thest stronghold to escort them there?¡± ¡°©¤©¤!¡± However, a sound suddenly reached my ears. Because it ovepped with Deb¡¯s voice, I couldn¡¯t entirely tell if it was just that¡­ Strangely enough, though, it sounded really annoying. ¡°But we can¡¯t just leave them. Moreover, there are far too many kids among them.¡± ¡°I know that, but¡­¡± I quickly raised my hand. The gazes of those three discussing passionately nownded on me. They probably recognized it as a signal to shut up, so they didn¡¯t say another word. ¡°©¤©¤!¡± I heard it again. Although it was quite muffled due to the distance, I was certain. It was the voice of a person. I immediately rushed forward. ¡°Mister?!¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t this bastard ever tell us what he ns on doing¡­?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll have to go as well. No, but the people. However¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead first. You guys stay here and protect the people!¡± ¡°E-Ehem. F-Fine, I¡¯ll leave it to you, then! If you cause him any trouble, I¡¯ll kill you on the spot!¡± ¡°¡­You guys sure are amodating to that bastard.¡± That third one was quite backbiting. It seemed like Windhand was trying to criticize me, but our dumplings were still doing their best. I ran across thend, my mind at peace. With each step, I moved faster through the air. ¡°Run! You can¡¯t stop!¡± And finally, the voice¡¯s source came into view. It was a group of about fifteen people, a family of foxes chasing after them. Their eyes werepletely red, probably due to the Demonic Erosion, and their bodies were the size of wolves, so they looked rather threatening, as well. Even more so because they were running as if their stamina were endless despite the several arrows embedded in their bodies. ¡°¡­! A person¡­?¡± As I ran toward them, I made eye contact with the one in the lead. I ignored them. I stamped hard on the ground, which lifted me into the air. ¡°What¡ª!¡± Baaang! Having sessfully jumped over the group of people, I was now in front of the foxes. I drew my scimitar before slicing upward, cutting down a fox Then, I gently turned my sword before making a diagonal sh from the bottom to the top, though the direction I cut was different from usual. The body of the little fox running at me was torn to pieces. After bisecting the small thing vertically, I rushed forward one more time. My final target was the male fox at the rear. Stab! The male fox trying to bite me died instead, my sword in its maw. I pulled out the sword, which had passed through its mouth to pierce its brain, followed by massive streams of blood. Flop. The fox¡¯s huge body spread over the floor. ¡°All the foxes are dead¡­¡± ¡°How did those sturdy bastards¡­¡± For some reason, many arrows were stuck in its body. It seemed these people had attacked it. As I cleaned the sword, I tried to confirm something more than obvious: to my eyes, the sword I held diagonally appeared slightly crooked. As I¡¯d just randomly picked up that sword, I had nothing to say, even if it broke then and there. ¡°Erm, so, who might you be?¡± Just when I thought it had fallen eerily quiet, the person in front of the group approached me and took the initiative to talk. She had wheat-colored, almost white hair, sharp eyes, and some bone fragments hanging from her pointed ears. Swish. I smoothly returned my sword to its sheath. ¡°None of your business.¡± I was honestly far more curious about these guys. Despite being chased around by those foxes, they were unusually heavily armed. All of them were carrying swords, after all. Moreover, some of them smelled simr to Windhand¡­ Were they pirates? ¡°Mister!¡± I heard another voice, albeit unapanied by any footsteps. The other people also turned their heads in shock, raising their weapons in the voice¡¯s direction. ¡°Hey there, why are you so fast to draw your weapons?¡± However, Deb sure was rather bold at the weirdest of times. He spoke calmly, not caring how many eyes focused on him or whether swords pointed his way. ¡°What is this about? Demons? Did youe here to kill them after hearing all the noise from the road?¡± Deb seeded in conveying a simr message without saying any curse words. ¡°And, oh, these people¡­¡± Only now did Deb turn his head. I didn¡¯t know whether he genuinely just noticed them. I doubted it. ¡°Who are you?¡± Maybe he even pretended they were unimportant only because I was there. ¡°¡­Sigh. I¡¯m Blue Moon Watia. I¡¯m a pirate by upation¡­ And I¡¯m currently serving as the temporary leader of the resistance.¡± It seemed after spending time with Windhand, I¡¯d learned to recognize other pirates as well. ¡°Resistance?¡± ¡°Yes, the resistance. It seems you haven¡¯t heard the news yet, huh? The resistance is a group to overthrow Vipurit and the pirates under him. More precisely, to protect the people from those bastards.¡± Blue Moon spoke as she nced at me. ¡°We¡¯re looking for some people whom they kidnapped¡­ So, if you have the time to spar, can I ask you to help us?¡± ¡°Are you so sure of our identities to say that? Aren¡¯t you even going to suspect us?¡± ¡°Not only did this guy save me, but he also killed all those Demonic beasts, right? Tsk, if it were those Vipurit bastards, they would have left me to die. They would just sprinkle that powder on them and leisurely walk away from the beasts.¡± Was Blue Moon just quite easy to get answers out of, or did Deb only pick questions that would always lead to useful answers? Thanks to her words, I gained more knowledge, such as there being an active voluntary army, both pirates and civilians were part of it, and Vipurit¡¯s gang had a way to avoid those beasts. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°So, what do you say? If you want a reward¡ª.¡± ¡°Take them.¡± And honestly, I already pretty much knew what was going on. Deb might still want to dig for more details, but I had already figured out the situation. No matter how one looked at it, the ¡®kidnapped people¡¯ Blue Moon was talking about were the group that we were currently protecting. I would be very grateful if their organization took them away. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I said that you should take them.¡± ¡°¡­??¡± After saying these words, I turned around and retraced my steps. I fully trusted Deb to solve this problem alone, which made me move without hesitation. ¡°¡­Erm, those people you are looking for, I think we already found them not too long ago.¡± ¡°What?¡± See! Deb handled it! ¡°How about youe with me to look at them first?¡± ¡°R-Right¡­¡± It seemed we¡¯d reached apromise benefiting both parties. However, my personality was the worst, as always. ¡°Huh, you¡¯re back? Where the hell did you run off to¡­ Sister Watia?¡± ¡°¡­Suriya? Are you really Suriya?¡± ¡°¡­Damn, I was so worried after hearing we lost contact with you after you went to check out Montata. So, you¡¯re seriously still here!¡± ¡°Bloody hell, what are you saying? My damn little brother!¡± As if God had arranged it, a sibling reunion took ce. Chapter 68: From the Very Beginning (3) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 68 From the Very Beginning (3) The moment Blue Moon Watia saw Windhand, she clenched her teeth and her face distorted slightly. The same went for Windhand. His brown eyes were shaking like a candle in the wind. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re alive.¡± ¡°M-Me too.¡± The two hugged each other and patted each other¡¯s backs. It wasn¡¯t a long hug, but it was enough to glimpse into the nature of their rtionship. ¡°Rather than that, why are you here¡­? Ah, I see now! You must have managed to get someone from the maind to help us, right? Well, I was quite surprised that I¡®d never heard of someone as strong as him, so I guess he''s the one you brought!¡± Like that, Blue Moon easily determined my identity¡ªor origin, rather¡ªapparently knowing the kind of mission Windhand had undertaken. Her eyes softened when she looked at me. ¡°There are others here, as well¡­¡± Of course, that warmthpletely cut off in the next moment. It was when her gaze left me and Windhand, drawn to the people who¡¯d been taken captive. More specifically, to the Inquisitor, who was using her Divine Powers to heal the people. ¡°A cult bastard¡ª!¡± A loud roar of anger then left her mouth. It was now Windhand¡¯s time to endure suffering. * * * ¡°I will keep a close eye on you, you cult dog!¡± Fortunately, it only took a few minutes. After Windhand persuaded her desperately, he sessfully convinced her. Of course, she only ¡®tolerated¡¯ the Inquisitor. As though her emotions hadn¡¯t yet cooled, she turned around the instant their conversation ended. Pure resentment pulled at the corners of her mouth. ¡°Get ready! We¡¯re going back to base!¡± Her subordinates, ring fiercely at the Inquisitor, began gesturing to the people. As I¡¯d expected, they made the first step to take on these burdens themselves. In return, we received a mule and a carriage¡­ However, I decided to just give it to them since it would be far more useful for them than us. ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± Deb squatted next to me and spoke up. I didn¡¯t know whether he was relieved that the defenseless people¡¯s issue had gotten resolved or that Windhand managed to persuade Blue Moon. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s all because of me.¡± ¡°If you know, do better.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t apologize to you.¡± ¡°What? You don¡¯t feel sorry for me?¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s!¡± Hmm, did the Inquisitor even have anything to apologize to me for? Blue Moon¡¯s hostility was directed solely toward the Temple, which didn¡¯t include Deb or me. Of course, if I were to intervene by speaking up or something like during the argument with Windhand back then, I would receive plenty of hostile res, but that would be my own fault. ¡°Hey.¡± Then, showing his exhaustion from trying to deal with Blue Moon¡ªas he hadn¡¯t forgiven the Inquisitor himself, it should have been even more difficult for him¡ªWindhand approached us. His face was somewhat pale, like any exhausted person¡¯s. ¡°If it¡¯s okay, can we just escort them back until they reach the base? You know how many Demons are in the forest. Even now, many are attacking us.¡± I mean, Blue Moon had been shouting so loudly before that I couldn''t ignore it and forced myself to intervene, even though it went against my character settings. ¡°And¡­ I also need to tell her about the other people of the Temple who¡¯ll follow uster. Knowing Watia''s personality, she probably assumed this girl was the only one.¡± Right. Wait a second. She was so angry just because there was a single Temple person here? If she actually ran into the people we¡¯d left behind, that would spell disaster. ¡°Hmm. I don''t really mind, but it would make interrogating that guy much easier.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with it, as well.¡± The other two quickly agreed before ncing at me. They were obviously worried I would just leave, given how little I seemed to care about those people. ¡°Most of all, the resistance should be the most knowledgeable regarding Montata''s situation. I think it would be well worth our time stopping by at least once.¡± The same went for Windhand, who seemed quite upset about that part of me. He quickly continued speaking. He seemed to be slowly grasping how my character worked. Rather than appealing to my emotions, he emphasized efficiency (in hunting Demons). ¡¸? Fangs Aimed at Jacrati ? Find the bases of Vipurit''s gang: 11 / ?? ? Destroy the bases of Vipurit''s gang: 11 / ?? ? Optional: Help Blue Moon escort the people ? Optional: Kill Vipurit ¡¹ Despite just being optional, it still was added to the Quest. ¡°Tsk.¡± Of course, given how things were, I had no choice but to agree. Although I clicked my tongue right as I was about to head out, I gave up on leaving by myself. The people, noticing that their persuasion had worked, seemed incredibly relieved. ¡°¡­Then let''s go.¡± Right then, Blue Moon finally rounded everyone up and was ready to leave. The four of us stuck to the back of the group. * * * ¡°Not only does the entrance look like a cliff, I also didn¡¯t expect there to be a bay inside¡­ It''s a whole lot bigger than I thought.¡± ¡°¡­I''m d to see there are so many survivors.¡± The base we reached after several hours of walking wasrger than I¡¯d expected: dozens of ships lined the bay, and hundreds of people were moving about. Blue Moon''s expression was full of pride. ¡°It''s a hidden port known only to pirates. None of thendlubbers knew about it. Considering the situation, we¡¯re currently using it as the base for the resistance and shelter for civilians.¡± It was definitely worth the time. The entrance wasn''t wide, making it very easy to guard and defend against intruders. They were also well prepared. It seemed safer than even a castle. Ding. ¡¸Hidden Port¡¹ ¡¸? Fangs Aimed at Jacrati ? Find the bases of Vipurit''s gang: 11 / ?? ? Destroy the bases of Vipurit¡¯s gang: 11 / ?? ? Optional: Help Blue Moon escort the people ? Optional: Kill Vipurit¡¹ The location name and Quest updated with a ding. ¡°I heard many pirates aligned with Vipurit. Won¡¯t they know about this ce?¡± ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry. The only pirates who know are my brothers. And as far as I¡¯m aware, there are no traitors among them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± However, those words were essentially a g that there was absolutely a traitor among them. It would be nice if this ended as just paranoia, but I had a really bad feeling about this. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the person in charge of this ce first¡­¡± ¡°Sister Watia! You¡¯re back!¡± ¡°What¡¯s up? Come here, I brought our brother with me, too!¡± ¡°Huh? Who do you¡­ No way, look who it is? Aren¡¯t you Brother Suriya!¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?! What brings you here!¡± ¡°Haha, I just apanied our sister!¡± Why did I get such a bad feeling? The itchy sensation in my right arm doubled. It felt like something would happen at any moment. ¡°Rather, brother, why did you have toe at such a bad time?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that something pirates are especially good at?¡± ¡°Wahaha, you¡¯re right about that.¡± ¡°What is it this time?¡± ¡°Well, I¡­ Wait a sec, Rahong? Huh, Rahong was also here? I even see that bastard¡¯s ship. I¡¯m guessing all the pirates who didn¡¯t switch sides are here?¡± ¡°It ain¡¯t just pirates. Some of the city''s armed forces also came along trying to protect the people¡­.¡± ¡°Blue Moon, Windhand. Stop talking just among yourselves and exin who those people behind you are. Why is there a woman with the Temple¡¯s emblem on her armor?¡± ¡°Huh? For real? Brother! What happened?!¡± ¡°Hey there, calm down. Just listen for a sec¡ª¡± Crack, crack, crack. ¡°¡­!¡± I stood corrected. ¡¸? Fangs Aimed at Jacrati ? Find the bases of Vipurit''s gang: 11 / ?? ? Destroy the bases of Vipurit¡¯s gang: 11 / ?? ? Optional: Stop the Demons¡¯ attack ? Optional: Kill Vipurit¡¹ Something did happen. * * * * * * ¡°Demons! Flying Demons!¡± ¡°Ten ships are approaching us! Unregistered ships!¡± Bells rang out as reports came flying from all sides. Screams and shouts were heard intermittently, evidence of the despair felt right before disaster struck. ¡°How did they get here?!¡± ¡°Damn it, they found this ce after all.¡± ¡°¡­Why right now?!¡± ¡°Seems your timing really is the worst.¡± The captains present each said something before raising their heads. ¡°You guys, go block the entrance! And you! Evacuate the people!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± ¡°Get your weapons and prepare for battle! The Demons areing!¡± ¡°Grab your weapons!¡± ¡°You guys, get off your asses and get your weapons!¡± Captains were people who led people across the vast sea to findnd. Now, they desperately sought to protect their birthce and shouted out orders. It seemed they¡¯d forgotten our existence for the moment. Anyone would have when something like this happened. ¡°Boss, Ouw! Ah, also Blue Moon! Quickly, go to Dock 4! The guard captain and the others have already gathered!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going right away!¡± ¡°Windhand! Youe too!¡± Immediately after giving their orders, all the captains rushed somewhere. They were probably gathering somewhere to discuss countermeasures. ¡°Demon Knight.¡± Right as he was about to rush off, he turned and tried to grab my arm. I pulled it away before he could take hold. Windhand smiled at my expected reaction and frowning face. ¡°I want to expand on the request.¡± ¡°Not needed.¡± ¡°Huh? What?¡± What request? Rather, he would have to beg me not to kill them. I moved forward with such idle thoughts coursing through my mind. The direction I took was different from Windhand¡¯s, my goal being the dock. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you, as well.¡± Aargh, she could do whatever she wanted. Although, if I fought along with a priest, I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about getting hit by an arrow, right? ¡°I¡¯m gonna eavesdrop on the captains¡¯ conversations.¡± ¡°E-Eavesdropping!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you need to know what they¡¯ll do? I might find out which ces are the weak points, so go and fight first!¡± ¡°¡­If that¡¯s what you mean, I understand!¡± Our stubborn Inquisitor was finally convinced and sent Deb on his way. I was already heading straight for the dock. No one stopped us; they didn¡¯t have the presence of mind to do that. ¡°Who are you? It¡¯s my first time seeing your face around here!¡± ¡°Windhand sent me here.¡± ¡°Windhand? Huh, did he get new members? But why are you wearing the Temple¡¯s emblem¡­¡± I drew my sword as I watched the Inquisitor preparing to tell the truth, confusing the pirates in the middle of preparing for battle. ¡°Get on the boat! We must block the bay¡¯s entrance so no ships can enter!¡± Fortunately, the dock I¡¯d rushed to held the ship about to blockade the bay¡¯s entrance. ¡°Can we really just get on?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want to, stay here.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll get on¡ª¡± Pretending to be a pirate, I naturally blended in with the crowd and boarded the ship. Of course, I didn¡¯t help with the preparations. I didn¡¯t know how to do that, and it also didn¡¯t fit my character. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you helping?!¡± Of course, the Inquisitor tried to assist, only to fail due tocking the proper skills. ¡°Shit, why did you even get on if you¡¯re like this?!¡± ¡°T-to fight¡­¡± ¡°Damn it, are you a mercenary or something?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m an adventurer.¡± ¡°Fuck, then get out of the way!¡± ¡°Ah, got it!¡± Jeez, our little dumpling got chewed out thoroughly. As these thoughts emerged in my mind, I saw three ships, including ours, leave the bay simultaneously. I tried lightening my inner dialogue to lessen the tension I was feeling. ¡°Row!¡± Then, we departed. ¡°Prepare for collision!¡± And we just as soon came to a semi-forced halt. Bang! A loud rumbling sound echoed over the deck as part of the ship¡¯s bow broke. ¡°We did it!¡± The ships colliding was an ident, but the sailors seemed rather pleased. No matter whether this was truly an ident or nned, they couldn¡¯t help but be happy. ¡°The bay is blocked!¡± ¡°Hurry, get in position!¡± The entrance of the hidden port¡¯s bay was wide enough for two ships to pass through beside one another. The moment three ships tried going through, they would inevitably collide and be stuck. In other words, the ships themselves had be a blockade,pletely sealing off the bay. It damaged the vessels, but nothing was as effective as this. For those ten approaching ships to get through this ce, they had to destroy and sink these ships first or swim the remaining stretch to the port. Kyaaaargh! Around that time, flying Demons began appearing. There were Gargoyles, Demons that looked like dragons, and ones that looked like eagles. ¡¸Wyvern ©¦ A Demon that flies through the skies with a pair of wings and catches prey with its legs. Poison flows from its tail, which resembles an arrowhead.¡¹ ¡¸Harpy ©¦ A Demon with the body of a bird of prey and the head of a human. Its hideous face gives off a foul odor.¡¹ There were so many of them; it was like looking at a flock of seagulls or pigeons gathering on the side of the road where many people would go to eat shrimp crackers. ¡°D-Damn it. There are too many.¡± ¡°Shit, will we even survive that?¡± A swarm of Demons filled the sky, with ten ships following from below. Upon seeing that, the sailors trembled even as they adjusted their weapons. The morale, which had been high after sessfully blocking off the bay, was falling again due to the difference in their troops¡¯ size. ¡°Wake up, you damn bastards! We have no other choice! We must hold on, no matter what!¡± However, when an unknown captain¡ªhe was too shily dressed to be a regr sailor¡ªjoined us, their fighting spirit rose again. ¡°Haha, were you guys waiting for me?¡± Ouw Chima, a beautiful young woman with long curly hair and light brown eyes that looked almost gold at first nce, also joined our ranks. ¡°Let¡¯s have some fun, everyone!¡± ¡°Oooh!¡± Her tone was light,pletely unfitting for the situation, but its effect was actually pretty good. Sometimes, when the atmosphere was too heavy, you needed to force yourself to take the situation more lightly and rx. The pirates prepared for the decisive battle, equipped with bows and swords. I nced over the port and identified the civilians who had evacuated to one side. They¡¯d formed a type of camp to protect them. ¡°Demon Knight.¡± At that moment, the Inquisitor struck the deck with the shield she¡¯d been carrying on her back. I could distinctly feel some Divine Power leaking out of her body. Although it was only a little bit, it still felt heavy and burdensome. I would even describe it as somewhat unpleasant. ¡°I won¡¯t let anything get through this ce.¡± ¡°H-Here theye!¡± ¡°B-Bows!¡± ¡°Shoot!¡± However, that difort was only short-lived. Her words were incredibly reassuring. As long as the Inquisitor managed to hold on, few would end up dying, which should prevent a GAME OVER. Probably. ¡°So feel free to run wild as much as you want!¡± ¡°Dodge!!¡± The first wyvern to reach our ship pounced on me. Kyaaargh¡ª!? sh! Just as it came down, its body was bisected. Thud. I held a silver-white sword in my hand as the two bs of meatnded on the deck and rolled away. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°T-The Demon¡­¡± Clink. The scimitar¡¯s metallic sound was now very familiar to me. ¡°Seems you finally learned how to use your tongue properly.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± As the Inquisitor¡¯s face brightened, I jumped into the air. Bang! I stepped on the back of a Harpy¡¯s neck with my military boots and stabbed my sword right between its eyes, causing it to fall. ¡°Victory to my sword.¡± Flutter. Then, as I jumped off its body, the fluttering three-pronged ends of my coat seemed like tail feathers or wings. It marked the start of my bloody waltz through the air. ¡°Death to the Demons¡­!¡± A massacre was about to take ce in the sky. Chapter 69: From the Very Beginning (4) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 69 From the Very Beginning (4) ¡°Is he really mortal?¡± The pirates who¡¯d boarded the ship, all the while knowing they might die, suddenly said these kinds of things. They hadn¡¯t any choice but to do so. ¡°Can we actually survive this?¡± The person from the Temple also formed a shield that was so massive it covered the entire bay. That man flew through the sky despite having no wings and ughtered all the Demons who did and even the other enemies. He didn¡¯t look like a regr mortal man. That was why they wanted to believe in him. ¡°Damn, that woman from the Temple¡­¡± ¡°Hah, I would have cursed her out any other day, but now...¡± They looked at the woman tightly clutching a mace and praying. The pirs of light and the flowing, golden shine seemed terribly noble and sacred. If not for the bad blood with religious organizations, they might have prayed with her, their hands folded together. sh! ¡°Ah, the ship!¡± ¡°A ship is sinking¡­¡± Then, a miracle happened elsewhere. That person crossing the sky by trampling on flying Demons had sunk a ship. The dance he was performing for them could never be replicated by others, no matter what they might do. ¡°Who the hell is that guy?¡± ¡°Where is he from?¡± At first, when they saw ck energy reminiscent of Demonic Energy emanating from that man¡¯s sword, he seemed particrly ominous. However, when that ominous energy overpowered the Demons and split an iing ship in half, they epted him. No one could have a poor impression of someone who saved them from a deadly threat and even eliminated all their enemies. ¡°This is unexpected. Surprising, even.¡± ¡°C-Captain.¡± The Ouw Chima standing close by opened her mouth. She slightly moved her eyes, framed by a face said to be the most beautiful among all the pirates. ¡°Are you hurt anywhere?¡± ¡°No.¡± How could anyone get hurt here? The golden barrier created by the priest¡¯s prayer allowed nothing to enter nor exit, let alone an attack by a Demon. It was structured in such a way that not a single injury could appear on their bodies. ¡°Well, only idiots would manage to get hurt in here!¡± Ouw, who noticed that,ughed heartily. This act made her seem quite exuberant, unfitting for someone with a pretty face. However, her beauty exceeded such standards and made her actions still seem beautiful. Other factions¡¯ pirates who hadn¡¯t boarded Ouw¡¯s ship began to blush. Bang! Meanwhile, another ship sank. The sails, masts, and even the hull were split diagonally, visible even at a distance. Water flowed through the cut sections. ¡°Wahaha. I never thought the people Brother Suriya brought along would be any good, but I guess I¡¯ll have to take that back.¡± ¡°Did Windhand bring that person?¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± ¡°Then, that priest as well¡­?¡± ¡°Seems like it, right?¡± ¡°But why¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. She¡¯s helping us. Isn¡¯t that enough for now?¡± Bam! Another ship sank. Many monsters were still flying in the sky, butpared to the beginning, it seemed around half had disappeared. ¡°Anywho, what doesn¡¯t one do for survival? Grudges and the like are useless if it means that we¡¯d die right here.¡± She wasn¡¯t entirely wrong. The other person agreed with the captain. His parents, neighbors, and vige elders all described the Temple as a crazy cult, something one shouldn¡¯t ever associate with¡­ However, he didn¡¯t want to listen to these words with his life at stake. Right now, his life, friends, colleagues, and loved ones were far more important to him than the resentment of grandparents he hadn¡¯t ever met. ¡°Also, I really like that priest¡ª¡± Ruuuumble! The world seemed to shake for a moment. They then saw the sea split a distance away. * * * I spat out some blood as I opened my eyes wide. A ck shadow emerged from beneath the sea, hence why the sea ultimately split. Rumble! As that something surged upward, water was pushed out in all directions, forming seafoam as it did. What rose from it were some legs. ¡°An octopus?¡± As though in response to my words, what should have been an Information Window popped up. ¡¸???©¦???¡¹ It was somethingpletely unexpected. Stomp. Kyaaargh! I observed the situation while jumping on the back of a passing Harpy. It screamed loudly and rapidly pped its wings, seemingly panicking upon weight being added to its body. However, I didn¡¯t especially care whether the Harpy would fall. Soaring further into the air, I looked straight down at the four, no, five tentacles that rose from the water one after another. Although there was quite some distance between us, I could tell the tentacles were quite thick. That only proved my opponent¡¯s size was quite significant, as well. While not as massive as the Sea Dragon, it seemed big enough to sink a few ships easily. ¡°A Kraken really is too much.¡± First the Sea Dragon, now a Kraken? Of course, the Quest seemed already halfway done, so it shouldn¡¯t be surprising for a Boss of such strength to appear around this time. ¡°Cthulhu is seriously too much¡­!¡± I¡¯d rather face that Sea Dragon again than this. All I would¡¯ve had to do was avoid its head and tail, but a Kraken had eight or even more arms that needed to be dodged! Furthermore, the Sea Dragon¡¯s body was quite rough due to its scales. Just by looking at that thing before me, I could tell it waspletely smooth. Running or even standing on that body would require some hard work. ¡°That huge fucking octopus has no sense for timing or tact!¡± Taking advantage of no one being able to hear me right now, I jumped off the Harpy¡¯s body, expressing my true feelings as much as I wanted. sh! I somersaulted, cutting off the head of a Gargoyle aiming for me as I did so, and descended. Kuraaaargh! Stab! Then, avoiding the sharp teeth of a Wyvern trying to bite off my leg, I grabbed onto its body and climbed on top of it. My de was stuck in its nape. Riiiip! I quickly ran across the Wyvern¡¯s body and stepped on the tip of its tail. The de cut through its skin like butter, only stopping upon reaching the end of its tail. My body soared into the air again. Bang! ¡°U-Uwargh! I-In the sky!¡± ¡°Get your swords!¡± How many meters did I fall? My legs, whichnded on the mast of the leading ship, felt quite an impact alongside some loud noises. Fortunately, I felt no soreness, nor did I suffer from an injury penalty. That was good enough. ¡°Kill him!¡± While I was lost in thoughts, the pirates in the crow¡¯s nest looked around confused with their weapons raised. My hand quickly swung the sword covered in copious amounts of Wyvern body fluids. A silver sh appeared soon after, and when my other hand moved, it broke it apart. Blood rained down in all directions. ¡°Wh-What the hell? Red rain?¡± ¡°L-Look up, you idiot!¡± ¡°There¡¯s an enemy aboard the ship!¡± ¡°That monster!¡± * * * * * * Ssh! At that moment, the Kraken¡¯s arms, which seemed quite far away, submerged again and approached the ship, cutting through the water in a fashion unique to octopi. The seawater pushed away by the Kraken¡¯s body became waves that rippled across the water¡¯s surface, quickly approaching the ship I was on. m! The ship rocked and tilted, struck by those strong waves. This wasn¡¯t good. The mast I was standing on was situated almost horizontally in the air. If I hadn¡¯t stabbed my sword into it, I probably would have slipped off. ¡°Wh-What is that?! Why is iting this way?!¡± Those trying to climb the rigging to reach me shouted out with urgency. Although it was a creature summoned by their allies, it was still a monster. They felt a type of deeply ingrained fear as it approached. Quite frankly, just looking at its actions made it seem like it was attempting to attack this ship. Ssh! Bang! ¡­No, was it actually trying to attack? What the hell? Weren¡¯t they on the same side? I thought they called it to get me! Crash! It seemed suddenly crashing into the ship wasn¡¯t enough for the Kraken. Several of its arms rose to the surface and began wrapping around the boat. The railings and gunwale began to crumble. ¡°Fuck, why are you attacking us, you stupid octopus?!¡± ¡°You damn Demon worshiping bastards, you said we would be fine!¡± ¡°Sailors! Get in position! Prepare for battle!¡± ¡°What¡¯s all this fuss about?!¡± I started hearing various snippets of conversations from the deck below. It seemed they hadn¡¯t expected this to happen either. ¡°I should¡¯ve boarded a ship with a Demon Worshiper!¡± They even said things like that. While I wasn¡¯t so sure about the ships I¡¯d cut down earlier, I could at least be sure there weren¡¯t any Demon worshipers on this one. That wasn¡¯t so bad. Crack, Craaack! And the Kraken attacking this ship was also good news for me. I now had a tank to act as bait while I dealt damage. I pulled out the sword I was using to support myself. Crack! Pieces of wood scattered about as I extracted it before my body started to slip. Flutter, bang! My falling body naturally spun as I willed before taking the correct posture. I fell onto the center of the deck, sheathed the scimitar, and slowly ced my hand behind my back. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Th-That bastard¡­!¡± Scrrrrit. A faint metallic sound of friction rang in my ears as I pulled out the True Zweih?nder of Destruction. ¡°Victory to my sword, glory to the heavens¡­¡± Jet-ck Arcane Power sizzled over the de. ¡°Destruction to the Demons.¡± Jumping forward, I cut off one of the Kraken¡¯s arms. Its flesh was so much smoother and softer than the Sea Dragon¡¯s that it actually felt like I was cutting through jelly. It heavily tapped my wrist. Thud! The huge octopus tentacle, still writhing even after being severed, rolled around the ship. ¡°He cut it!¡± ¡°He did it!¡± At that moment, these people, who were, in fact, my enemies, were as happy as though we were on the same side. I never thought I would experience enemies bing temporary allies when faced with amon enemy here. Uwoooooorgh¡ª!! Immediately after, a horrible howling sound shook the whole sea. The Kraken¡¯s arms released the ship suddenly and swung around. While the ship¡¯s deck was a bit narrow for something like this, it otherwise felt like a typical Boss Battle or Raid. Bang! Right, even in this setup where all tentacles would crash down simultaneously, there was still room left to avoid them in the middle! ¡°Uwargh!¡± Of course, as in the Sea Dragon raid, the mast and outer panels broke. As a bonus, all the pirates got crushed to death. Since I¡¯d nned to bury these guys beneath the sea anyway, it didn¡¯t matter what happened to them, right? I quickly swung my sword before removing its tentacles again. I managed to slice three tentacles in quick session, leaving some marks on the deck. The cut on thest one was a bit shallow, so it was still dangling on it. However, that was good enough for now. It wouldn¡¯t try attacking me with it, at least. And even if it did, it wouldn¡¯t work. Uwooooorgh! However, I waspletely off the mark there. ¡°Th-That monster''s arms!¡± ¡°Regeneration¡­?¡± Right. Octopi were creatures capable of regenerating even cut-off body parts¡­ I was speechless as I saw bubbles rising from where I¡¯d severed its tentacles beforepletely regenerating. A new one was even growing below the tentacle that hadn¡¯t beenpletely removed, colliding with the remainder before integrating it. So now it had a Y-shaped arm. How could this game be so insane?!! If that was how it was going to be, they should at least let me see the enemy¡¯s health bar!! Bang! The Kraken¡¯s arms began pounding down on the ship, targeting me persistently. Not too long ago, all it did was strike the deck, but its attack pattern was now more varied: it included tearing apart the ship, prating it, and mming down on it with objects it could grab. ¡°Tsk.¡± What should I do now? It wasn¡¯t difficult to avoid its attacks for the time being, but things would lookpletely different after this ship sank. The moment I fell into the water, I was 98% sure it would be game over. Or should I rely on my skills and instinct again and fight it by stepping onto its body? My heart was pounding hard. I avoided the mast falling toward me and stepped on one of the Kraken¡¯s tentacles. I could feel it even through my military boots: it was incredibly smooth as if coated in slimy mucous. I was about to slip off. Stab! I quickly plunged my sword into its flesh. Slip. I slid off, hurting the Kraken in the process. Tak. Still, I managed to buy some time before the mastpletely hit the ship. I quickly jumped toward it. No matter how I thought about it, fighting on top of the Kraken¡¯s body was impossible unless I had crampons under my boots. So, what now? Was there really no way to do this? Kyaaargh! As I was closing my eyes in the face of this sinking ship, a glimmer of hope flew toward me. Kyargh! It was a Gargoyle. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡­I choose you, Gargoyle! I activated [Survival Instinct], checked for the most ideal path, and fiercely leaped up, shattering the mast in the process. Tentacles came flying at me from all directions, but it was alright. I turned my body halfway through the jump as if doing a high jump, exposing my back. I didn¡¯t particrly mean to do it, but as such thoughts entered my mind, I felt a cold, slippery sensation pass over my back. What followed was warmth. The fire the Gargoyle emitted spread heat in all directions. It was that hot air which warmed my back. Well, as long as I was sessful, I didn¡¯t particrly mind the heat. I turned my body once more. I first rotated by twisting my waist slightly, this time trying to swap the position of my head and my legs. Tak! Inded on the Gargoyle¡¯s head before moving to its neck and, finally, its spine. Just as I was about to lose my bnce or meet its tail, I pierced my sword into its back. Kyaaaaargh! The Gargoyle screamed as it twisted in pain. As expected, the direction it was flying in changed, now fluttering upward. My additional weight made it difficult to maintain altitude, but it was still enough to prevent the Kraken¡¯s tentacles from catching me. The Gargoyle flew higher. I could see many Harpies and Wyverns flying about there. ¡°Am I supposed to use these guys as my scaffolds?¡± I twisted my sword until the Gargoyle¡¯s internal organs were all messed up, as thanks for giving me a lift. Crack! Blood and flesh scattered, with me in the midst of it. Kyargh?! I, who finally settled on the back of a Wyvern, started another aerial battle. My goal was to go around all the ships. If the Kraken¡¯s aggro really was focused on me, I nned on using it to sink the four remaining ships and kill it on thest one. Let¡¯s call this operation: Fight the enemy, Using the enemy. Chapter 70: From the Very Beginning (5) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 70 From the Very Beginning (5) As if it wasn''t enough that the tforms I had to step onto midair moved arbitrarily, they also tried to attack me, and below me was that Kraken monster waiting for me to fall into the endless ocean. How thrilling to have an aerial battle under these circumstances. There''s just one thing I definitely knew, though: I really didn''t want to do this. Kyaaah!! Was it after I sank two more ships? While heading toward the remaining ship, I got attacked by a Harpy and kept losing altitude. In return, I grabbed the Harpy by the neck and head, but that action wasn''t without pain. My index and middle finger of the hand holding the Harpy''s head entered its open mouth. The saliva coating my fingers aside, it would absolutely end up biting me. ¡°Filthy¡­!¡± Just because I turned down the pain level didn¡¯t mean I wanted my finger bitten into. I used some strength to open the mouth of the Harpy about to bite me. Teaaaar! Having perhaps put too much strength into my hand, I heard the skin around the Harpy¡¯s mouth ripping apart as I forced it open with my hands coated in Arcane Power. I momentarily held the head I¡¯d torn from the jaw before throwing it away, feeling a little frightened. However, this wasn¡¯t the end of my ordeal: I¡¯d grabbed the Harpy¡¯s head right after jumping off the Wyvern¡¯s back. Since I tore it off in the process, I was still falling. I needed a foothold. Stab! I quickly drew the scimitar and stabbed it into a Gargoyle flying below me. I failed tond on it properly, so I was swung around in the air, holding tightly to the hilt of the de embedded in the Gargoyle¡¯s body. There were times when the sword nearly fell, unable to support my weight, and the Gargoyle also lost its bnce and was about to crash. Kyeeeeh! However, even if the sky fell, there would still be a hole to rise to the top again. Another Gargoyle rushed at me from directly below. I quickly switched to it. The one I had stabbed failed to recover and got thrown into the sea. Uuuuwoah! Was it right when I prepared to switch rides as the other one was about to lose its bnce? The Kraken¡¯s arm rose from right below us. I freaked out and swung my sword at it. While my Arcane Power wasn¡¯t as plentiful as before after being used to sink some ships and strengthen my body, I couldn¡¯t do anything else. My HP, which I¡¯d used to fill my Arcane Power reserves, had been reduced by over ? and was about to fall even lower. I felt like crying. Blood rose up my throat. sh! Converting my HP still had some uses. I cut off the octopus¡¯ slippery leg without a hitch, revealing its snow-white cross-section. At that moment, the Gargoyle I was on flew away from the Kraken¡¯s limb as quickly as possible. The Demons caught in its other tentacles showed why it escaped. Crash! ¡°Why is that monster attacking the ships? This is different from what you told us!¡± ¡°Damn it, that monster clearly isn¡¯t something we can fully control with our current¡ª!¡± ¡°An intruder!¡± ¡°There¡¯s an intruder on the ship!¡± I somehow reached the next ship. A strange person was among the pirates on the deck I was looking down upon. They weren¡¯t wearing a sailor¡¯s uniform or an adventurer¡¯s equipment. I¡¯d also encountered such people aboard the other two ships I sank earlier. ¡°You guys, do something about him!¡± ¡°This is something you guys specialize in, right?!¡± ¡°We already have enough on our te just controlling that monster over there!¡± Where did Demon Contractors like this pop up from? I descended while such thoughts upied part of my mind. Just as my feet lightly touched the main deck, I quietly moved my scimitar. Soon, the silver-white sh turned red as that guy¡¯s head was cut off. ¡°Enemy!¡± ¡°Kill him!¡± ¡°Die!¡± ¡°Take this!¡± The pirates were rushing toward me. ¡°We need to throw that damn bastard into the sea right now!¡± It would be very easy to crush them all with my Arcane Power, but I nned to save it for now. There was a limit to how much of my own vitality I could convert, after all, and if I used that skill against them, I mightck that power when I went to hunt the Kraken. The amount I would recover would bepletely depleted the moment I took to the skies again. So, I decided to deal with them using only [Survival Instinct]. My scimitar shing through the air seemed like a single ray of light as it cut down those who came rushing at me first. Grab! And after grabbing one of them by the neck with my empty hand, I merely swung him around using my pure, unenhanced strength. Of course, the guy was pretty heavy, so I couldn¡¯t throw him around as I pleased. I mean, it wasn¡¯t even like I wanted to do that anyway. However, it was enough as long as he fell before the other enemies, ultimately blocking their path. I quickly turned my ankle, twisted my back, and looked behind me. Then, as I quickly shed through the air with my scimitar, I heard metal striking metal. ¡°That monster¡­!¡± After I sessfully blocked their attack, the enemy¡¯s upper body was leftpletely open. With a single snap of my wrist, my sword rushed forward with the tip pointing straight at him. The other enemies¡¯ shes upied the space behind me. Stab! Bang! Unable to pierce the enemy¡¯s heart, I drove them to the mast like a wild boar. The sword went through their body and hit the mast, destroying the spot it hit. sh! One of the enemies, unable to properly keep up with my movements, lowered his head as my right hand grabbed the sword hanging from his waist. It was a straight sword, albeit a bit short. It wasn¡¯t too shabby, though. ng. The moment I pulled it out with my right hand, the sword, which sessfully blocked a strike aimed at my wrist, quickly spun around. The hilt of the sword, which I was holding in a reverse grip, immediately prated the neck of the enemy attacking me from behind. ¡°Uwargh!¡± ¡°The monster is here!¡± ¡°Toote¡­¡± By then, this tyrant of the sea had closed in on the ship. Its rising tentacles did something simr to before. The railings were broken, the mast was bent, and the ship looked to be on the verge of sinking. I¡¯d seen this happen four times, including now, and I would have to see simr things happen in the future. My life sure had be something. ¡°Now that it hase to this, I can only¡­!¡± However, hadn¡¯t my life already turned upside down the moment I realized I was trapped in this game? I had quite thete realization there, didn¡¯t I? Stab! The next moment, the sword, which had left the fingers of my right hand, pierced right between the Demon Contractor¡¯s eyes. I couldn¡¯t simply stand by and let him chant his spell just because I was distracted by some unnecessary thoughts, right? Bam! The ship began shaking as if it were about to be devoured by that giant octopus. The Krakenpletely upied one side of the ship, hence that appearance. Should I just run away now? Or should I leave once the ship waspletely torn apart, just to be sure? I dodged the tentacles, carefully securing my path of escape. Of course, my movements weren¡¯t just for evading its attacks. Anyway, the pirates stopped targeting me when the Kraken attacked the ship, but the Demon Contractors kept staring at me as if possessed. ¡°Why is the spell¡­?¡± It was a bit unfortunate that I couldn¡¯t properly hear them recite the spell to determine what was happening, but that didn¡¯t mean I would just ignore them and let them do as they pleased, right? Even if I was nning to escape, dealing with those bastards was my top priority. I ignored them before and bled for it because of the Demons they¡¯d summoned, so one should understand how important this was. Bang! ¡°Gag!¡± Because the distance between us was too great, I kicked something I found on the deck at him. The thing that flew toward him hit the Demon Contractor directly in the face. It seemed that ying so much ser every break during elementary and middle school had its merits. Although back then, it was strictly forbidden to hit other people¡¯s heads with the ball. ¡°You bastard!¡± * * * * * * I grabbed the harpoon one of the pirates rushing toward me carried on the side. Kick. When my raised knee hit the pirate¡¯s stomach, their tongue stuck out. He also released the harpoon. Swish. I pushed him away and tightly grabbed the harpoon I had taken from him. ng! I also didn¡¯t forget to block the swording at me from the other side. Screeee. The struggle between the two weapons continued for a moment. Stab! However, wasn¡¯t I holding a harpoon here? I pierced my enemy¡¯s body with it and quickly pulled it back out. When that obstacle left my field of vision, I finally threw the harpoon. Two Demon Contractors I hadn¡¯t yet dealt with were sessfully pierced by the harpoon and died. There were five more remaining. ¡°¡­!¡± At that moment, a tentacle rapidly approached me and slung around my arm. It was so thin and stealthy that I hadn¡¯t noticed it before. The octopus¡¯ suction cups stuck to my gauntlet and tightened around my arm. sh! Unfortunately for it, it was blocking the hand that wasn¡¯t holding a sword. I swiftly cut it off with my curved de and jumped away. Baboom. Right after, a massive tentacle came crashing down where I had stood. The deck was pierced through, broken, and thrown into utter chaos. ¡°The ship will capsize!¡± The ship was tilted so far back that it almost stood at a 90-degree angle. It seemed the Kraken was trying to overtake this oversized dining table, huh? Now I really had to leave this ship. The Demon Contractors didn¡¯t matter. I seriously had to escape now. I stepped onto the only intact mast and jumped off. As the ship tilted, the mast, which had be easy to climb now, seemed to be my only escape route. At least, that was the case for the moment. ¡°¡­!¡± The speed at which the boat was turning over had elerated more than I¡¯d expected. By the time I reached the end of the mast, it was facing not the sky but the sea. ¡°The Sea Dragon was easier¡­!¡± Once I realized that, I changed my route. Then I jumped, grabbing the ship¡¯s railing. Now that the ship had tilted over 90 degrees, climbing its side would be like standing up straight. I could clearly see the Kraken¡¯s body clinging to the ship''s hull. ¡°That thing¡¯s an octopus, right?¡± I still hadn¡¯t found a way to reach the skies. Behind me was the sea, and in front of me was only that Kraken, its body sticking out of the water. All the troublesome enemies, namely the Demon Contractors and pirates, had fallen into the sea, and the flying Demons circled the skies tens of meters up in the air. ¡°I remember a colleague of mine being into mukbang videos.¡± Then, all I could do was catch that Kraken. It was the only enemy left, after all. ¡°They also showed me a lot of methods on how one could prepare an octopus¡­!¡± I quickly stepped on the outer hull and ran forward. The Kraken aimed its sucker-covered tentacles at me, but they weren¡¯t that difficult to avoid as I rushed toward it. Squish. The Kraken¡¯s skin was as soft as putty and felt rather unpleasant. ¡°If stabbed between the eyes, an octopus will faint!!¡± However, with the threat of a GAME OVER hanging over my head, I somehow gained the strength to move forward. I stepped on the Kraken¡¯s head, which was somehow still out of the water. I quickly located its eyes and the ce we would call a forehead. Stab! Briefly jumping into the air, I plunged my Zweih?nder¡¯s de into the Kraken¡¯s forehead. The ck energy rotating around it like a spiral prated the Kraken¡¯s flesh as if drilling into it. Its body suddenly shook, and its tentacles moved in a frenzy. Ssh! That blow was obviously effective as the Kraken¡¯s body, which had been out of the water for some time now, instantly began diving beneath the waves. I followed it. Seawater, the slime of the Kraken¡¯s mucous membrane, and the salty water pouring from its torn skin kept entering my nose and mouth. Although I had broken through the Kraken¡¯s outer membrane and prated deeply into it, it was still like this, so I couldn¡¯t imagine what would have happened if it were at full health. Blub blub. Anyway, as seawater continueding through the hole I had torn, I was suddenlypletely submerged in water. I felt a little short of breath but was otherwise in pretty good condition. I began tearing into the cold, squishy flesh before me and sliced through its insides with my de. Of course, I didn¡¯t intend to find its three hearts and burst them individually. Ssh. When would I use the Arcane Power I¡¯d conserved if not now? Pitch-ck energy began slicing through the octopus¡¯ pale flesh. As that was happening, I saw a dark blue light appear, likely the Kraken¡¯s heart bursting or something. Anyway, the more I moved my sword, the more the Kraken¡¯s internals shook. By the time I finally managed to catch my breath, the vibrations hadpletely stopped. Riiiip! I finally left through the torn skin. I saw the monster¡¯s mangled body sinking deeper to the bottom of the ocean before turning my head toward the water¡¯s surface, on which rays of light were ying. After that, of course, I struggled to ascend. I was short of breath, and my vision was already darkening, but I still somehow managed to move my limbs. I would¡¯ve felt so wronged if I died here after all that. ¡°Puhah!¡± Right as I was wondering whether this was the end of me, air rushed into my lungs. ¡°Huff, cough, gasp.¡± I gasped, spitting out copious amounts of seawater that had entered through my nose and mouth. My vision, which was getting blurry, slowly returned to normal, and the moment the feeling of ¡® I survived¡¯ washed over me, relief swept over my heart. The Kraken was dead, right? It was, right? Although I knew such developments were quite cliche, I still hoped it would be like that. I couldn¡¯t see iting up when I plunged my head under the water again. If it was still alive, that thing was scarier than I thought. Well, even if I didn¡¯t manage to kill it, I survived for now. ¡°See if I¡­ ever¡­e back to¡­ the sea again.¡± Seasickness, aerial battles, and the sea itself were far too problematic. After this was over, I would never, ever get close to the sea again. After vowing that to myself, I pulled my head above water again. What should I do now? Immediately after that thought entered my mind, something caught my eye. ¡°¡­Running away, huh.¡± Still, using the Kraken for some easy team kills sure was convenient. I could see thest enemy ship I hadn¡¯t gotten the chance to sink moving away. It seemed they¡¯d given up on attacking. Even the Gargoyles, Wyverns, and Harpies followed after the ship and stopped their assault on the port. ¡°Tsk.¡± If they¡¯d chosen to retreat in my direction, I would have boarded their ship and dealt with those guys somehow. I found it quite ironic that they were retreating through the empty space between me and the port. Well, since they¡¯d seen me and the Kraken fighting to the death around here, it wasn¡¯t all that strange for them to keep away from this ce. Moreover, my immediate survival was more important than my regret of not dealing with all the enemies. I struggled to avoid sinking into the sea and looked for a way to get to the port. Even if I couldn¡¯t swim properly right now, I had to at least hold out until a rescue team came to get me. ¡°¡­!¡± Fortunately, debris from an overturned boat came into view. ¡°Shit, kill that bastard before he gets here!¡± Of course, some passengers were already on it: pirates who had fallen into the water before me or got away while I was struggling with the Kraken. However, did they still have bows or other long-range weapons with them? Those with harpoons on them tried throwing them at me, but their uracy was incredibly poor because of the waves moving the debris, and I swatted away those that came close to me. ¡°What a monster¡­¡± ¡°How dare someone joining hands with Demons say something like that.¡± In the end, my legs finally stepped onto the remains of the overturned ship. ¡¸? Fangs aimed at Jacrati ? Find the bases of Vipurit¡¯s gang: 11 / ?? ? Destroy the bases of Vipurit¡¯s gang: 11 / ?? ? Optional: Stop the Demons¡¯ attack ? Optional: Kill Vipurit¡¹ This marked the end of the sudden optional Quest. Chapter 71: From the Very Beginning (6) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 71 From the Very Beginning (6) Although I failed to get that onest ship, I¡¯d killed the Kraken, so the port was safe. Furthermore, I also got back tond thanks to Windhanding for me by boat. This was good enough. Even though I couldn¡¯t get everything done, we overcame the immediate crisis without suffering damage and were safe for now. ¡°Can youe up on your own?¡± ¡°Does it look like I can¡¯t to you, you bastard?¡± ¡°¡­I came here to rescue you, so can¡¯t you cut me some ck?¡± As I tightened my grip on the rope he¡¯d handed me. Windhand slowly retreated. It was very simr to Deb, like they were testing the waters and backing off right before things became bloody. However, that kind of bothered me because I didn¡¯t really feel angry at all. Putting the frightened Windhand aside, I climbed aboard the boat blocking the bay. Since the three ships couldn''t be removed immediately, the people needed to use ropes to get over them for a while. We actually had to pull up the small boat and lower it behind the ships again. ¡°Wow, color me impressed.¡± However, as I climbed over the railing, someone approached me with a rather rxed demeanor. It was Ouw or whatever her name was. ¡°Not only did you single-handedly sink all those ships, but you also annihted a huge sea monster¡­ Are you perhaps interested in bing a pirate?¡± ¡°Chima.¡± ¡°Oh my, did our brother already mark you? What a pity.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, so give up.¡± ¡°Hmmm. However, my dear brother, don¡¯t you know that the words ¡®giving up¡¯ can¡¯t be found in a pirate''s vocabry? Besides, isn¡¯t his opinion the most deciding factor here?¡± Ouw, while discussing various things with Windhand, suddenly winked at me. My face cramped up as that hit me directly. That was only cute if done by a lover or a fluffy, lively girl under 25, not some dark-hearted pirate, no matter how pretty they were¡­ ¡°If you ever change your mind, please let me know. We¡¯ll always wee a strong man like you.¡± ¡°Anyway, what about the boat? There should be one we can return on, right?¡± ¡°Haha, that¡¯s the one.¡± ¡°Get ready, you punks.¡± Fortunately, Windhand pushed away Ouw¡¯s head. She only chuckled and motioned for us to follow her. ¡°How does it feel like conquering such a sea monster right after defeating a sea dragon?¡± At that time, Windhand came closer and whispered to me. I had no idea why he was asking that¡­ nor did I know how to answer. Saying I never wanted to do something like that again or simr would be somewhat difficult, as well as a major character break, so that was out. I¡¯d at least gotten the Sea Dragon¡¯s head as spoils, but I didn¡¯t get anything from the octopus. Despite being disappointed, I couldn¡¯t talk about that, either, as that would also be out of character. I naturally leveled up again, but I didn¡¯t know how to feel about it since I didn¡¯t really need to get skills anymore, so that was that. In the end, I had nothing to say anymore. I looked away from him and ced a foot on the boat Ouw had prepared. ¡°¡­Demon Knight?¡± Just as I was wondering where she had gone, I saw a red-haired passenger already on the boat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know you woulde here¡­¡± She didn¡¯t look too good. Where did our dumpling¡¯s straightforward bluntness go? Her face looked so tired, like an office worker with twenty years of experience. Well, she did faint during the Dragon ying due to excessive use of Divine Power, so I¡¯d understand if she did something simr this time, too. ¡°Then let us leave.¡± Before the Inquisitor could properly apologize to me¡ªshe didn¡¯t even have to, to begin with¡ªOuw and Windhand each grabbed an oar and started rowing. While the number of people who could board this small boat was heavily limited, it still required two captains to row. This seemed rather excessive, somehow. Of course, if one weighed the pros and cons, this was overwhelmingly advantageous! ¡°Wow, so my brother and I are on rowing duty? Not even the Lord can enjoy such luxury!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like she can¡¯t. She doesn¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Right, right!¡± They casually raised that point as if they were also aware of this matter. The Inquisitor, whose eyes were moving about, quietly asked if she should also help with the rowing. ¡°¡­Do you know how to row? You obviously don¡¯t. I would never leave an oar to andlubber.¡± While I was looking at our little idiot, Windhand spoke as if he found her proposal ridiculous. It was so absurd that Ouw burst intoughter. ¡°Yet you still treat her well, huh? Wahahaha. Well, if I¡¯d known that, I wouldn¡¯t have brought her along.¡± ¡°Want me to stab you in the lungs?¡± ¡°Calm down, I¡¯m done already.¡± That person lived such an unfettered life. I wished I could, as well. With such meaningless envy in my heart, I reached the dock. Was it because my fatigue level had fallen to nearly 20 after that battle? I momentarily lost the strength in my legs when stepping onto the docks. It wasn¡¯t to the point of losing my bnce and falling, but everyone around could see me wince for a second. The area around my eyes also felt a little sore. ¡°Hey, Demon Knight. Are you oka¡ª urgh.¡± However, the Inquisitor was even worse off than me after leaving the boat. Did she lose her bnce or miscalcte the dock¡¯s height while stepping on it and trip? Anyway, she almost fell. ¡°Woah, what the hell are you doing?!¡± Nice catch, Deb. He¡¯s still her colleague, so he would support her like this whenever this sort of thing happened, huh? ¡°Are you stupid? Don¡¯t lift me like that!¡± ¡°Sh-Shut up.¡± Oh my, how cutely they y together. I tried walking along the dock, barely refraining from smiling lukewarmly. That would have been quite an easy feat if not for the crowds of people gathered at the end of the dock, effectively blocking the way. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°I thought I was strong, but that guy¡­¡± ¡°Huh, I have no words.¡± What was going on? Weren¡¯t all those people in front rather high-ranking? Some even wore medals on their chest. ¡°¡­From the left: Redbeard Ahmes, Limping Win, and Westwind Kato. All three are pirates. The bald guy is Ayu Hin¡¯s guard captain, the mustached one in the back is his deputy, and the one in front is Ayu Hin¡¯s treasurer. Next to them are more pirates, and the old woman is Boss Rahong¡­¡± Fortunately, Deb came over to whisper the relevant information about these people into my ear. He spoke too quickly for me to memorize everything, so all I thought was, ¡®Oh, I see¡¯. However¡­ It was better knowing some things than nothing at all. At least now, I knew who had which upation and belonged to which camp to some extent. ¡°First, let me thank you.¡± It was especially helpful knowing the man who¡¯d just stepped forward wasn¡¯t a pirate, but someone rted to the city. However, just because I knew didn¡¯t mean I would react any differently. ¡°Thanks to you¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s stop these useless niceties. I came here to find out the ind¡¯s current situation, information about the enemy forces, and Vipurit¡¯s location.¡± I immersed myself in roleying but simultaneously got distracted by weird thoughts again. Was the sea warmer here than further away? It hadn¡¯t felt all that cold in there, but I was still craving some warm soup for some reason. ¡°R-Right. But still, thank you¡­¡± ¡°If you want to show your gratitude, give me information.¡± For example, maybe something like Sundaeguk? You know, soup with thinly sliced pieces of meat in it. The more I thought of that, the more I felt regret and disappointment. Why did this ce only have stew and no soups? ¡°Now, get out of my way.¡± Ah, I wanted to eat soup. * * * Deathbringer held his aching head when he saw her, which had be a habit. If she went into a city, he was sure a bounty would be ced on her for being an annoyance. He was sure of it. ¡°Wahahaha!!¡± Meanwhile, Ouw,ughing excitedly, seemed even more disgusting to him. After some research, he discovered she was precisely the type of person he disliked. Although he also broke somews andmitted many crimes, he wasn¡¯t a viin who caused harm to civilians like Ouw did. ¡°What are you doing? Hurry up and follow after him.¡± However, they were currently allies. He also had to take care of that air-headed priest and Mister. ¡°Huh? Is that really fine?¡± ¡°The only way you¡¯ll be fine is by being at Mister¡¯s side, right? So, stick close to him.¡± Deathbringer took advantage of this moment when everyone was still overwhelmed by what had just happened and quickly sent the iron wall away. As time passed and people returned to their senses, the first thing they¡¯d notice and focus on was this woman¡¯s affiliation. He wondered whether they would still try to kill them after witnessing the Demon Knight¡¯s overwhelming power and receiving so much help. However, he couldn¡¯t be sure. That bullheaded priest brat was just too good at starting fights. So, sticking her next to a strong knight like Mister was perfect. ¡°Th-That guy!¡± ¡°Uwahah, uwahahaha! You¡¯re in trouble, trouble!¡± ¡°What a temperamentald. Well, every hero needs to have at least that much pride.¡± ¡°That green kid sure is talking big.¡± ¡°Wow, he didn¡¯t even let me properly speak with him. Hey, Windhand, tell me something!¡± At that moment, he focused on the expressions of the people around him. He tried to differentiate those who harbored dissatisfaction with the Demon Knight¡¯s attitude (which they couldn¡¯t express to him directly) from those who prioritized their gratitude toward him. The information he gained from observing those two groups led to the words that left his mouth one by one. ¡°Don¡¯t feel too offended. While it¡¯s true that Mister Demon Knight is strong, it took a lot of effort to kill a monster that big. Also, the environment was very unfavorable. That¡¯s why he¡¯s slightly on edge.¡± How did he end up cleaning after those two all the time? Of course, they didn¡¯t recruit him for his strength in a fight. Still, wasn¡¯t this much different from gathering information and the like? He waved his hands a bit to dissipate the dejection in his heart. The eyes previously glued to the Demon Knight were now focused on him. From the high-ranking officials of the city he disliked to the criminals who purposelessly plundered civilians for nothing but their own satisfaction, they were all looking at him. ¡°He¡¯s going to be like that for a while, so you¡¯ll have to talk to him through me for the time being, okay?¡± He wondered when Mister Archmage woulde. At that very moment, he really, really missed the old Archmage who usually took care of these things. ¡°Then, let¡¯s start with who you are¡­¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s a more important question, right?¡± After seeing those pirates ring at him with murderous intent despite not having done anything yet, he felt like that even more. ¡°Why are bastards from the Temple here?¡± Ah, why couldn¡¯t they just move on? How many more times did he have to exin this? Unknown to anyone, Deathbringer¡¯s blood was about to boil over. * * * * * * A littleter, I noticed the kimchi dumpling following me. Deb seemed to have stayed behind and showed no signs of pursuing us. The same went for Windhand and the others. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Well, I wasn¡¯t so sure, actually. I didn¡¯t want to stay there, so I just left. So, where should I go? While mentally answering the Inquisitor¡¯s question, I looked around the port quickly. The entire area I couldn¡¯t take in properly earlier came into view. It reminded me of Sorrento, a port city built on a cliff, if it were surrounded by cliffs. Growl. Then, a strange sound reached my ears from somewhere. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± However, I didn¡¯t have to look far as the culprit soon revealed herself. It really wasn''t something to be sorry about. Quite some time had passed since west ate something, hadn¡¯t it? Actually, my satiety was also at an all-time low. In other words, it was time to eat. The question was, where could we grab a meal in this secret ce? I dragged around the stunned Inquisitor and looked for ces where reasonable amounts of people gathered. Although this was a hidden bay, I was sure there had to be at least one restaurant here. ¡°Ah, Demon Knight. There¡¯s a tavern over there.¡± And I hadn¡¯t been wrong. We were able to find a buildingbeled as a tavern. It seemed to be currently used as some sort of canteen¡­ They wouldn¡¯t immediately know that we were outsiders, right? We should be fine then, right? ¡°It¡¯s not time for meals yet. Go away.¡± It seemed it wasn¡¯t fine¡­ ¡°Are you not open?¡± ¡°What are you babbling about? It¡¯s not yet time for food distribution.¡± The Inquisitor immediately became disappointed. I felt somewhat sorry for her as she seemed like a stiff, dehydrated dumpling. ¡°I want to buy some food.¡± ¡°Oh. Looks like you¡¯re new. Food isn¡¯t tradable here. We distribute a set number of rations to each person, so even if you¡¯re hungry now, you should just wait until dinner¡ª¡± ¡°Uwaaaargh!!¡± I tried to buy some food from him just in case, but as I had thought, it didn¡¯t work. Had someone not rushed out of the kitchen and silenced the guy talking to us, that would have been the end of this. ¡°Yes, of course you can!¡± ¡°Are you crazy, you¨Chmph!¡± ¡°Is there anything you would like to eat? I¡¯ll bring it to you at once!¡± Hey buddy, the face of the guy you grabbed was turning red. ¡°Didn¡¯t he say buying food isn¡¯t possible?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine if it¡¯s you two! Order whatever you¡¯d like!¡± ¡°¡­Anything is fine, as long as it tastes good.¡± The Inquisitor ordered in a serious tone. The person still covering the chef¡¯s mouth then looked at me. ¡°Something that doesn¡¯t contain meat.¡± No, rather than the food, that person¡¯s face reddened even more. Shouldn¡¯t he let the guy go already? ¡°Puhah! You crazy bastard!¡± Fortunately, the person managed to free himself. The red-faced guy pped his thick hand across the back of the person who¡¯d taken our order. ¡°How could you just take those people¡¯s orders?!¡± ¡°A-Ah! I¡¯ll exin it to you, so, Ah! Stop hitting me!¡± ¡°Says the guy who almost choked me to death?!¡± ¡°Not on purpose. Ah, please sit down over there and wait a moment. I¡¯ll get the food. Hey, stop hitting me already!¡± We somehow managed to get some food¡­ without anyone dying. ¡°¡­Is this really okay?¡± ¡­to answer our clueless Inquisitor¡­ Thud. I didn¡¯t know. I put the table overturned in that little scuffle to its original state with my foot and brought a chair back to its correct position. Slump. I then dropped my salt-covered body onto it. The Inquisitor, her eyes moving about restlessly, also sat beside me. Compared to the hustle and bustle outside, the store was rather quiet. ¡°It¡¯s them¡­¡± ¡°Wait, is that the Temple¡¯s crest?¡± ¡°That guy killed a huge monster¡­¡± It seemed I¡¯d have to correct myself. While it was indeed quiet inside the shop, the area just outside immediately became rather noisy. How did those people know we were the ones who yed an active role during that emergency? It almost seemed like they¡¯d gathered here to look at us. Anyway, there was quite a crowd outside. ¡°¡­!¡± Suddenly, the Inquisitor jumped up and looked in a specific direction. My heart was pounding intensely. It also felt as if the tingling sensation in my arm ovepped with my heartbeat. ¡°A Demon¡­¡± We had just ordered food, yet more work came my way again. An incredibly deep sigh stuck in my throat. ¡°Demon Knight, that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Where is it?¡± While I felt like I was about to cry, I grabbed my weapon and stood up. The sound of the people breathing outside seemed to have stopped. ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel like aplete Demon.¡± A Demon was a Demon. So what if it wasn¡¯t aplete one yet? ¡°As far as I can remember¡­ Just-infected Zombies give off the same sensation. To make a more exact judgment, I would have to observe them up close first.¡± ¡­If the infection hadn¡¯t progressed yet, that was good, right? Right? ¡°However, is this something we should interfere with?¡± I quickly shook my head. There were still those among these people who vividly remembered the massacremitted by the people of the Temple forty years ago. To stop the Zombie infection, the priests burned down everything, no matter whether they were Zombies or normal people. After something like that happened, what would happen if she, a priest, said something akin to, ¡®Hey, a person among you is turning into a Zombie. Could I check you guys over for a second?¡¯ Although she had yed an active part in the defense of the bay earlier, if she were to say something like that, they would only see it as her picking a fight. ¡°Location.¡± ¡°You mean where the Demon is? Somewhere in the crowd outside.¡± However, did you know what was even more problematic? The moment I learned where the Demon was, I had to act, or else I would break character! ¡°The food¡¯s here¡­ Wh-Where are you going?¡± Couldn¡¯t I just drop my character setting? However, if I did that, wouldn¡¯t I get struck down by that mace over there? Yeah, I knew all too well¡­ ¡°Get out of the way.¡± I burst out of the store, wrapped my fingers tightly around the hilt of my sword, and scowled at the people. They got extremely scared and immediately rushed to get out of my way. ¡°Location.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t just carelessly harm these people.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t let a single Demon escape.¡± ¡°I agree with that.¡± The Inquisitor groaned as she mumbled things like, ¡®Is it really okay to do this?¡¯ and, ¡®No, but this is a Demon we¡¯re talking about!¡¯ If her mind were a bit more flexible, she¡¯d have managed to reach apromise somehow, but she wasn¡¯t capable of that, hence why she was acting this way. ¡°Promise me you won¡¯t resort to force right away.¡± Eventually, our dumpling seemed to have made up her mind. Her green eyes sparkled as she looked at me. ¡°I came to thisnd vowing not to harm its people, and I only received this opportunity because I made this vow.¡± My character might not like that conviction of hers, but her words weren¡¯t that bad. ¡°Even if they are a Demon, I cannot yield on this.¡± Phew. Even before we went to y that dragon, she had been a kid who obediently listened to what others told her. Now, not only did she not just go along with what I did, but she was stubborn about it, as well. How well she grew up. ¡°Promise me.¡± ¡°¡­You.¡± She grew so much as a person, so when would my character be able to get some growth? I couldn¡¯t just suddenly change my character under the pretext of growth because I was scared that my head would be bashed in if I did. Could I cry now? Was holding the hilt of my sword while scrunching up my face the correct action for my character to take in this situation? ¡°Hey, why are you two fighting?!¡± Fortunately, Deb appeared in time to mediate for us. For a moment there, I felt like I could see a halo around his head. Chapter 72: From the Very Beginning (7) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 72 From the Very Beginning (7) ¡°I wanted the Demon Knight to promise me something.¡± ¡°And what would that be?¡± Deb, who¡¯d witnessed almost everything that had just happened, asked the Inquisitor, his tail swishing about. She gave him a swift and systematic response. ¡°To not harm anyone, even the person I point out to be infected and about to turn into a Zombie.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Deb¡¯s expression looked astounded. The crowd¡¯s atmosphere also changed at that moment. ¡°Hey, doesn''t that mean¡­?¡± ¡°There¡¯s one here.¡± ¡°Here in this port.¡± ¡°Yes, so we must take care of it as soon as possible¡­¡± Deb¡¯s face, on the other hand, turned deathly pale. Things became a little confusing, but I knew what he was thinking. While I did feel sorry, I couldn¡¯t do anything about this mess anymore. ¡°As expected, those Temple bastards¡ª!¡± Then I heard someone shouting. Was he called Boss Rahong? The wrinkles and scars on his face proved his many years of experience. ¡°Who would ever trust those¡ª!¡± Our eyes met. I didn¡¯t do anything, but Rahong was so frightened and horrified that he ended up swallowing his words. ¡°You¡­ You.¡± At that moment, Windhand approached us with stomping footsteps and spoke up, his body trembling. He gripped the Inquisitor¡¯s shoulder. Compared to when he grabbed her by the cor, his actions were a lot more moderate. ¡°Those¡­ Those words¡­¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m not lying. However, you have nothing to worry about. I won¡¯t throw away this opportunity I barely received.¡± Had he heard those words when we went to y the dragon or when he just met her on the ind, he most definitely would have tried to kill her. However, Windhand had witnessed what type of person this woman called Inquisitor was for the past few days. And quite frankly, the Inquisitor was such an open book that one could figure her out in under a day. ¡°I¡­ I believe you.¡± So, he reacted very differently. ¡°So tell me, who is it? Just who here¡­¡± ¡°Windhand!¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± The Inquisitor¡¯s red eyebrows twitched once. Her green eyes soon stopped at a single ce. ¡°Right over there.¡± People¡¯s eyes followed her gaze. A little away from the store was a young man standing on an oak barrel. ¡°¡­?¡± The man who¡¯d suddenly be the center of attention practically had question marks floating above his head. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s the matter?¡± He even looked back, thinking they were looking at someone behind him, but when he realized that this wasn¡¯t the case, he raised a finger and pointed at himself. He appeared to be in histe teens or early twenties, but his youthful face made him appear even younger. ¡°Ah, wait a second, Mister¡ª¡± ¡°Woah!¡± But right now, that was my lunch¡­ No, that sounded off. Prey¡­ Target for elimination¡­ Wait a second, I didn¡¯t intend on killing him right now. Even if my character hated Demons to the core, I should still be able to cut the recently infected some ck, right? In the end, rather than talking any further, I pulled the young man down from the barrel. The man, who was slightly shorter than me, trembled. He was so scared that he didn¡¯t even let out a single sound, which pricked my conscience. ¡°Let go of him!¡± At that moment, Rahong, who¡¯d sumbed to the weight of my pressure before, let out a roar. ¡°How dare you target a member of my crew!¡± Seeing how subdued he¡¯d acted toward me earlier, I didn¡¯t think he would yell like that. Still, a captain was a captain. Whenever a member of his crew got involved, he would burst into a ming rage. ¡°If you all just sit by quietly, I will kill you all with my own hands!¡± ¡°¡­! Wait, Rahong, stop!¡± ¡°Stop! Didn¡¯t you see how they helped us before!¡± ¡°You saw that battle earlier, right? You must never turn them into our enemies!¡± ¡°Everyone, get out of the way! You heard what those guys said earlier!¡± However, I was a veteran roleyer. Of course, none of the people around listened to what he had to say, even after Rahong tried to pull out his weapon. Things would have gotten a little troublesome had the others not stopped him. That didn¡¯t mean things weren¡¯t difficult right now, though. ¡°Can¡¯t we just resolve this peacefully?!¡± At that moment, just as Rahong was about to let out yet another roar, Deb, who had approached me, grabbed my arm and desperately whispered to me. He was saying that to someone who¡¯d to this point always solved everything with force and was even trying to use the same method now. ¡°Let go¡­!¡± ¡°Come on, Mister! You know that if you touch anyone here, everything will be ruined¡­!¡± ¡°I-I have something to say about this, as well.¡± ¡°What is it?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s actually possible to treat that person.¡± ¡°Why are you only saying that now?!?!¡± There was a peaceful solution to this? ¡°I-I was going to mention it sooner! It¡¯s just that I was told this was quite a sensitive subject so I couldn¡¯t speak about it carelessly!¡± ¡°No, you absolute idiot!!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t insult me!!¡± ¡°What did you just say, you idiot?!!¡± Good grief, those dumplings! To think her naivety would cause us trouble yet again¡­! ¡°Wait a sec, there¡¯s a cure?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a cure, you say?¡± ¡°No way, that¡¯s nonsense! Who here would even believe such hogwash?!¡± ¡°Wait, Rahong! I said, wait!¡± Haha, what a mess. On one side was Rahong going on a rampage, and in front of me were the Inquisitor, Deb, and some others chatting away, and the crowd surrounding us seemed quite unsettled, as well. I slowly raised my hand as I observed this chaotic situation. Boom! Although the ground consisted of solid rock, my sword, engulfed in my jet-ck Arcane Power, prated it as if cutting through soft tofu. Due to the loud noise followed by a slight quaking of the ground, the people around us fell silent. ¡°Exin in detail.¡± Of those frozen at my show of force, Deb was the first to awaken from his stupor. Tak. He nudged the Inquisitor with his elbow, to which she answered as if a switch had been flipped. ¡°If the infection and possession haven¡¯t been fully realized, Purification is still possible by only targeting the Demons within the victim''s body. However, since the time to take action is limited, it could be dangerous if we dy the treatment any further.¡± Is that so? Didn¡¯t that mean if we just Purified this guy now, our problem would be solved? ¡°Choose.¡± Seeing a way for everyone to survive in this scenario, I was the first to react. Before others could open their mouths, I gently shook the guy I was still holding. The young man instinctively trembled. ¡°Die at my hands or receive treatment.¡± ¡°Wh-What?¡± Good grief, why was this guy so light? Was he still not yet fully grown? Why was he so tiny? Was he not eating well? While these words with nowhere to go circted in my mind, I continued roleying. ¡°I won¡¯t repeat myself.¡± ¡°Urgh! W-Wait a moment, just a moment! I still have no clue what you¡¯re talking about¡­!¡± ¡°Mister, please. You need to properly exin the situation before putting him on the spot like that!¡± ¡°Put him down!¡± ¡°Hey, Rahong. If they can Purify the Demons inside his body, what¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°Everything! Everything is a problem! How could any of you trust what someone of the Temple says?¡± Boss Rahong shouted in utter disbelief as he fiercely struggled. ¡°I!¡± However, the Inquisitor raised her hand, interrupting his rampage. She managed to attract everyone¡¯s attention instantly. Her ming, crimson hair fluttered around her neck. ¡°I know you can¡¯t forgive nor tolerate me. However, the moment the Demons devour his brain, his state will be irreversible.¡± ¡°Shut up, you Temple bastard!¡± ¡°Your desire to save this person might kill him!¡± ¡°Shut up¡ª!¡± ¡°Divine Power!¡± The Inquisitor wasn¡¯t some undercooked dumpling. As Rahong¡¯s voice grew louder, the Inquisitor also raised her voice more and more. She didn¡¯t mean any harm. She was just shouting louder to be heard. ¡°The power of Purification doesn¡¯t harm a person¡¯s body! If you have any doubts, you can just test it first! He won¡¯t get hurt at all!¡± ¡°How can I trust you guys?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to trust me! I¡¯m just asking you for a chance!¡± Wow, she sure had one hell of a voice. It was so loud that it resonated throughout the whole hidden bay and extended all the way to the sea. ¡°I¡¯m not asking for forgiveness. I just want you to give me a chance to save someone who is dying!¡± However, she spoke the truth. I somehow felt like I now understood how she¡¯d managed to persuade the people of Jacrati with just her words. ¡°You¡ª!¡± ¡°I-I, Sir Knight.¡± Just as Rahong was about tosh out again, the young man trembling in my grasp called out to me. After hearing Deb¡¯s condensed exnation, he seemed about to reach a decision. ¡°So, erm, I¡¯m¡­ infected, right?¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t, Lianti! Don¡¯t be fooled by their sly words. You¡­!¡± ¡°In that case, I would like to receive treatment.¡± ¡°Lianti!¡± ¡°Urgh, Captain.¡± The young man, whose name seemed to be Lianti, shook his head once more at Rahong¡¯s shout. ¡°Erm, Captain! I know you hate the Temple, Captain. I don¡¯t like them either, but¡­! If I really am infected, other people will suffer because of it. So, at least this once¡­ Wouldn¡¯t it be okay to trust them? They said I wouldn¡¯t be harmed in any way during the treatment. Would the person who saved our port lie?¡± No matter whether he had a change of heart or had always been this brave, the young man clearly expressed his opinion while looking Rahong straight in the face. Rahong¡¯s face, and the faces of quite a few other people, showed extreme shock. Most of them were nds or older-looking people. ¡°That person is from the Temple, right?¡± ¡°Y-Yeah. Seems like it.¡± ¡°The Temple.¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± ¡°But how can she ask us to give her a chance?¡± ¡°B-But our lives are at stake here.¡± At that moment, a realization hit me. Judging by his appearance, Rahong seemed to be at least fifty years old. On the other hand, this young man was at most in histe twenties. Of course, the incident happened forty years ago, but the parties involved were still everywhere, so the next generation wasn¡¯t without any animosity either¡­ However, someone who was personally involved and someone who¡¯d only heard about it were bound to be different. Not only were their colleagues¡¯ lives at stake, but their own life depended on it, as well. ¡°Well, i-it won¡¯t hurt, right?¡± ¡°Depending on the progression of the infection, you may experience some degree of nausea.¡± ¡°How bad will it be?¡± ¡°If the Demons have started eating your brain, quite bad? Or you might just feel a little bit of nausea? Oh, there can be side effects depending on how much of your brain has been devoured.¡± ¡°¡­Then, can you please do it quickly?¡± ¡°Lianti!¡± ¡°Eek.¡± ¡°How, how could you?!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! But Captain. I don¡¯t want to be a Demon! I don¡¯t want my brain to be eaten, and I hate the thought of attacking myrades even more!¡± ¡°What¡­!¡± ¡°I-I want to survive and return to my hometown¡­! Captain, you said you¡¯d make sure I could do that.¡± I let go of the young man. He didn¡¯t have to be subdued anymore. ¡°So please, let this go, just this once. Please.¡± At his words, Rahong fell to his knees. * * * * * * ¡°Boss!¡± ¡°B-Boss!¡± Windhand¡¯s heart felt like it had been stabbed when he saw this person on his knees. He couldn¡¯t help feeling that way. Rahong¡¯s actions didn¡¯t just represent him; they represented him, his people, and everyone who witnessed this moment. Pirates, city officials, and civilians; he had been the voice of those who still remembered those days, regardless of upation, gender, or age. ¡°¡­How¡­ How¡­?¡± ¡°¡­Boss.¡± ¡°How could we forgive the Temple?¡± ¡°¡­He¡¯s still a kid.¡± ¡°B-But the Temple has done so many horrible things to us!¡± His loud shouts were like daggers, piercing the hearts of those who had been through the same. Yes, it only stabbed through the hearts of his generation. One could tell just by looking into their faces who deeply sympathized with Rahong and who couldn¡¯t. ¡°¡­Yes. That¡¯s right. But he¡¯s only sixteen now. He was born twenty-four years after that incident.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Their hatred had now be theirs alone. ¡°The kids who didn¡¯t go through that hell¡­ You know they wouldn¡¯t hate the Temple and religious organizations as much as we do.¡± ¡°But¡­ But¡­¡± While he had to smell the putrid scent of aches rising from the burned remains of his world, the children currently the same age as he¡¯d been back then only thought about doodling and ying. ¡°Rahong.¡± ¡°Windhand, even you? Have you forgotten, as well? How could even you¡­¡± ¡°How could I ever forget? Hey, just because I have a young face doesn¡¯t mean I haven¡¯t lived for as long as you, you know?¡± ¡°Then, why¡­?¡± ¡°Shit, this really is so fucked up. It really is. While hatred still lives and breathes in my heart, as time goes by, all those bastards who also remember keep on dying. The memories of those days still burn before me at any given moment, but those damn kids only ever look at me strangely when it happens.¡± ¡°Th-Then why¡­?¡± ¡°Damn it, I can¡¯t lose my family again!¡± Windhand silently knelt before Rahong. The warmth of that forehead touching his reminded him of the warmth of that day when he was struggling with all his might, hugging aplete stranger who told him they should survive together no matter what. ¡°For our families. We can¡¯t let them go through the same thing we had to¡­¡± He felt even sadder than that day, though. ¡°Hey, Rahong. Let¡¯s bear with it just this once. Fuck, let¡¯s endure even if it¡¯s unbearable for us. We¡¯ll live among those burnt remains, smelling the stench of ashes, but they shouldn¡¯t.¡± He felt so incredibly sad¡­ ¡°It¡¯s enough that we have to live with this shit.¡± * * * The meal that had gone cold was entirely tasteless. Still, if I wanted to live and move forward with vigor, I had to fill my stomach somehow. ¡°Erm, I got the information you requested.¡± I greeted Deb, my mouth filled with withered leaves. Thanks to the consideration of those in charge of the port, this tavern had been made our private restaurant and rest area during our stay. ¡°The information.¡± ¡°Here you go.¡± I put down the stack of papers Deb had brought to my table. A world without Excel sure was inconvenient. I had to go through every line twice to understand the information on those papers. ¡°How did the treatment go?¡± ¡°It ended without a hitch.¡± As I stared at those documents, the Inquisitor answered before she could even gulp down her stew. Her mouth seemed full of potatoes, meat, and other things. She somehow managed to gulp it all down in one go. ¡°What was the result of your search?¡± ¡°That was sessful, as well.¡± For your information, right after treating the young man, the Inquisitor and I walked all around the port just in case. I wondered whether there were even more infected people. ¡°We found a few dozen more infected people and could treat all of them.¡± ¡°A few dozen?¡± ¡°It seems someone procured ingredients containing the parasites. Those who ate the food made by it became parasitized.¡± ¡°¡­A traitor?¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t found anything pointing to that yet.¡± ¡°Where did the ingredientse from?¡± ¡°We are urgently gathering and interrogating those with ess to the food warehouse. However, the ingredients were brought from outside¡­¡± ¡°It might be rather difficult to catch the culprit, then. This situation is quiteplicated.¡± I¡¯d even say that everything was aplete mess. That was how bad the situation was. Be it a traitor, a spy, or just an ident. We couldn¡¯t really figure things out because anything could have led to this situation. The question was, what would happen after we left? ¡°But doesn¡¯t that mean we¡¯ll have to stay here until the traitor¡¯s revealed?¡± That was also problematic. I didn¡¯t know whether finding the traitor was required to proceed with the Quest, and if it wasn¡¯t, there wouldn¡¯t be much reason for us to stay here and help. Unlike Deb, the Inquisitor wasn¡¯t that helpful in tracking down traitors. Furthermore, the longer we stayed here, the more of a disadvantage we were at. Staying here and defending against these attacks might be helpful for now, but it also gave the enemy more time to n. If possible, I¡¯d prefer not to give them time to summon some strange Demons. I wanted to leave this ce as fast as possible and end this Quest. ¡°If you¡¯re worried about this ce, you can rx a little. There¡¯s a wizard who came here for research purposes when an incident happened. I nned to contact our main team through him to inform them of our situation.¡± ¡°Ah, I heard about that. He contacted the Temple on the maind and requested they rescue him from Jacrati. Thanks to that, we were able to receive reinforcement right away.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m just d that we got this opportunity.¡± Ah, then it wouldn¡¯t be such a big problem if we left. If reinforcements arrived right away, they would at least be prepared. Or they could evacuate the people somewhere safe. Thank God. ¡°Then we¡¯ve settled that problem if nothing else. It seems there won¡¯t be any more disputes between the Temple and the people. Does that mean the only thing left now is catching Vipurit?¡± Right. Our most immediate goal was to attack the base of Vipurit¡¯s gang, but our ultimate goal was to kill Vipurit. ¡°¡­You¡¯re not leaving right away, right?¡± What? Did he want to attack the base right away? I was a bit tired, so I nned to get some rest first. I¡¯d already reflected on how reckless I had been¡ªthough I had no intention of correcting my behavior¡ªand returned the documents. Immediately after, I properly grasped¡ªprobably¡ªwhat Deb was trying to say, which was kind of difficult as he had left some words out of his question. The castle where Vipurit was located was clearly marked on the map. It was different from the ce Windhand knew of. ¡¸? Fangs Aimed at Jacrati ? Locate the bases of Vipurit¡¯s gang: 11 / ?? ? Destroy the bases of Vipurit¡¯s gang: 11 / ?? ? Move to Ayu Hin, which is upied by the enemy ? Optional: Kill Vipurit¡¹ Chapter 73: From the Very Beginning (8) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 73 From the Very Beginning (8) Regarding how we¡¯d moved before¡ªso, how we decided where to go and the like¡ªour final goals were the locations Windhand mentioned, but if we found some gang bases along the way, we would destroy them. However, Vipurit¡¯s newly revealed location was, to exaggerate a little, right around the corner. There was no need to rush back to get the others. In other words, going for the head now was far more time-efficient than going back and regrouping. Well, I wasn¡¯t 100% sure that Vipurit would be there, though. However, the route would have been the same anyway. There was no harm in moving forward after making proper preparations and regrouping. Even if Vipurit wasn¡¯t there, a castle was still a castle, and to attack one, you would need to prepare. ¡°We¡¯re not leaving right away, right?¡± That¡¯s why I wanted to rest and work together with everyone¡­ ¡°We leave at dawn.¡± Really. I wasn''t joking. I seriously wanted to do that. ¡°Our enemies have taken over a whole castle! Do you really n on advancing just like this? What about the main party?!¡± Of course, Deb was incredibly shocked. ¡°Erm, Demon Knight. The way I see it, it would be better to join the main forces and fight together. They should currently be about two to three days from us.¡± ¡°Mister Knight, how about we just be a little more patient? We never know what kinds of Demons they may throw at us. Of course, there''s the information we got from those who have escaped or infiltrated the ce, but that should only be the tip of the iceberg¡­ It''s just a bit too reckless to just rush into things when this situation requires caution¡­¡± Internally, I agreed with those absolutely reasonable opinions. Yes, I knew this wasmon sense. This was a siege event, after all. And a siege also involved knowing and utilizing the topography, the ces we can attack, and having the right weapons. This wasn''t something a small party could take care of. ¡°Even at this very moment, Demons are being summoned. And yet you are telling me to give them even more than a single day?¡± But look here, they¡¯d already summoned many of Demons and would do it again. Assuming the lower-ss Demons were their main forces, wouldn''t that mean this would be a battle of numbers? And these battles tended to consume a lot of manpower on both sides, correct? However, what was the point of our side even having more troops? If the other side kept summoning Demons, even more inders would ultimately have to die. The longer the battle took, the more lives would be sacrificed! And what would happen if that many civilians died during this kind of Quest? Usually, it would lead to a GAME OVER¡­ If they were to summon a raid boss like the Kraken, that would also be a problem. Even if I stepped up and dealt with it, I could already see countless people getting involved in the fight and dying. The same went if they threw around those newly invented cursed jars we¡¯d seen a few times. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°The weak will only serve as hindrances.¡± In other words, as I¡¯d said, waiting for the main forces to arrive would only increase our damages. That was my opinion. And if the damages dealt to our side were too high, I bet the game would sprout something like, ¡®No problem, just do everything again!¡¯ Hah, that was entirely out of the question. I absolutely didn¡¯t want to do that. ¡°However, no matter how right you are, if you just take them head-on, even if it¡¯s you, Mister¡­¡± Of course, we would be at a significant disadvantage if we just went against them with this number of people. Windhand was also pretty useless in a fight, and while that wouldn¡¯t usually be such a big problem, he wouldn¡¯t be any help in a direct assault. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the Archmage saw in you.¡± However, what if we didn¡¯t go for a head-on battle? What if we infiltrated and assassinated our targets? I thought we would have a pretty good chance of winning if we did that. Also, although they escaped the city, we had quite a few (high-ranking) people from Ayu Hin here. Wouldn¡¯t they know of some secret passages no one else knew about? ¡°Where are Ayu Hin¡¯s treasurer and guard captain?¡± ¡°What?¡± Of course, this also carried substantial risks. Our opponents weren¡¯t stupid, so they¡¯d probably already prepared for this. If discovered, we wouldn¡¯t be able to escape safely as we would bepletely surrounded by enemies. Furthermore, we also had a traitor in our midst. If the traitor were to discover our n and report it back, this would be like throwing our heads into a tiger¡¯s jaws. On the other hand, what if we avoided or deceived the traitor? One could assume that secret passages usually enabled someone to flee from the city¡¯s center to the outskirts without detection. In other words, if we knew the exit of such a passage, we could prate the city¡¯s core without any opposition. High risk, high return. This was a gamble worth taking, in my opinion. ¡°Why are you looking for the treasurer and guard captain¡­?¡± ¡°Secret passage¡­?¡± I mean, wasn¡¯t the choice rather obvious if one possibility assured the survival of four people at the cost of thousands while the other assured the survival of thousands at the cost of four people¡¯s lives? It was pretty obvious to me, at least. ¡°Mister, are you thinking of infiltrating through a secret passage?¡± Deb, who was pretty perceptive, immediately asked to confirm. Since I¡¯d already made up my mind anyway and didn¡¯t want to engage in arguments, I didn¡¯t bother answering but instead red at him in response. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll take you to them right away. Ah, no. Just wait here. I¡¯ll bring over some people.¡± His dark green eyes sparkled in the shade of his hood. ¡°Security and infiltration are my specialties, after all.¡± Now that we¡¯de all the way here, it was time to slow down a bit. * * * * * * I wanted to get some sleep around midnight to relieve my fatigue somewhat. s, it was an unreasonable wish. Still, I managed to rx a little, so it was worth it. We established an infiltration route after sessfully gathering those in charge of the city and members of the Information Guild who knew the back alleys like the back of their hands. About the traitor¡­ Well, it should be fine. I think we met as many security measures as we could. If anyone wasn¡¯t of any use in our nning, we immediately excluded them. Even so, wasn¡¯t it pretty much inevitable that our strategy would get leaked? If we brought in someone useful when making our n and they turned out to be a traitor, everything would have been in vain. Well, I should stop these dark thoughts for now. We¡¯d received a lot of support. Of course, despite currently being in a situation where supplies were severelycking, our mission¡¯s sess was directly linked to everyone¡¯s lives. So, there was no way that anyone would talk about saving resources. Although, the person in charge of the inventory looked rather shaken when reviewing the list of things we needed. ¡°May the sea breeze push you forward.¡± ¡°Haha, good luck.¡± Anyway, we left at dawn with Windhand, who didn¡¯t know where we were going but what we were leaving for, sending us off. Why was Windhand seeing us off? Of course, because he had been removed from the group. I mean, hisbat power was pretty low, his excellent navigation skills were rendered useless onnd, and he wasn¡¯t native to Ayu Hin, so he couldn¡¯t be our guide, either. On the other hand, if he remained at the port, he could act as a buffer between the main forces and the people here. There were far more reasons to leave him behind than to take him with us. I didn¡¯t have to force myself to drag him everywhere I went. ¡°Get me my share, as well.¡± Even more so when the person himself didn¡¯t object; of course, what he took from this was probably something like, ¡°You¡¯re weak, so you¡¯ll have to stay here.¡± Anyway, while he didn¡¯t know our ns in detail, he probably figured out we were breaking into Ayu Hin. Knowing Windhand, that probably was the case. I mean, I didn¡¯t even tell him we¡¯d be leaving at dawn, yet he came to see us off at the exact moment we were about to leave. ¡°Will Mister Windhand be able to deal with the main forces?¡± However, that was already two days ago now. I shouldn¡¯t think about that anymore. ¡°Sir Archmage will also be there, so it should be fine.¡± ¡°However¡­ Won¡¯t there be problems because the guys from the Magic Tower are also there?¡± ¡°Rather, I''m more worried about these horses. Do we just release them into the forest when we arrive?¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± ¡°They¡¯ll die.¡± ¡°The probability of that happening is quite high. I mean, we¡¯re getting attacked by those beasts even now.¡± ¡°I want them to live.¡± ¡°I don''t want them to be Demonized like those things. Sigh.¡± By the way, the many horses given to us by the secret port had also be consumable items, as the forests were filled with Demonized beasts. I wondered whether it really was okay to use these horses, which were expensive on the maind and even more so on these inds, as if they were consumables, but that was the reality, so what could we do about it? Because time was of the essence, we couldn¡¯t walk all the way to our goal. As expected, this game seriously needed to patch its transportation methods. While they were at it, they should also add some day-to-day conveniences. No, the most urgent thing was obviously the Logout bug. ¡°It seems you have enough time for useless chatter.¡± Anyway, as I was throwing away the corpse of the Demon I¡¯d just stabbed to death, I spoke to the two dumplings who were having fun chatting among themselves. ¡°I can¡¯t even relieve myself properly in this ce.¡± Meanwhile, Lukkwan, who stood behind me, trembled exaggeratedly,pletely ignoring my words. Who was Lukkwan, you ask? She was the one who entered the party in Windhand¡¯s stead. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you have the guts to even go alone in this ce, sis.¡± We didn¡¯t only bring Lukkwan. We also brought along some more people who weren¡¯t only natives of Ayu Hin but were also good at infiltration. ¡°You make a living by spying and the like, but you¡¯re afraid of going by yourself?¡± As such, five more thieves of the Information Guild¡¯s ¡®Ayu Hin branch¡¯ were added to our party¡­ Since they werepetent, I just let their discussion slide. The problem with the Inquisitor was that she wasn¡¯t only hard to deal with but also quite charming in her own way. I knew she acted a certain way because she made a vow, so I couldn¡¯t treat her like Deb. We had one swordsman, one pdin, and six thieves¡­ Since this ce had be pretty close to reality, wasn¡¯t this actually a doomedbination? ¡°Wait, I see some traces.¡± ¡°Looks like a patrol route.¡± While I wasn¡¯t so sure about our DPS (damage per second), our efficiency at finding enemy traces and detecting enemies had be a lot better. ¡°We¡¯ll have to stop talking now.¡± That we¡¯d stumbled upon a patrol route meant our destination was nearby, and our destination being close meant our infiltration mission was about to begin. Hah. Did we have to walk now? I looked toward Deb. I roughly tried to ask him if he thought so, too, but it seemed he found my look a bit off-putting. Catching my gaze, he twitched his lips and nodded. Thud. My boots were the first to hit the swampy ground. My eyebrows knitted slightly as I felt the soft, slippery mud beneath my feet. Thud. The second heaviest after me was the Inquisitor, although she wore cloth armor for this infiltration. One by one, the thieves who came with us also dismounted their horses and gathered their reins. ¡°Run away.¡± They were also in charge of removing any traces left by the horses after they were set free. While they were doing that, I checked over my skills onest time. Of course, that didn¡¯t really mean much. I could use whateverbat skill I wanted without activating it first, and I¡¯d already gotten all the passive Defense skills. I also added all those that increased the amount and speed of HP recovery, at least. All that was left were negotiation and tracking skills¡­ I already overhauled myselfpletely before we came here, but I¡¯d gone up one more level along the way. I used those points on a skill in the tracking skill tree. ¡¸Silent Walk ©¦ A good hunter knows how to hide their presence. The sound of one''s footsteps bes more silent.¡¹ I¡¯d tried leaving such skills forter because I¡¯d thought they weren¡¯t that useful early on, but having them in my current situation might be advantageous. However, was this skill actually working? Why didn¡¯t it sound like my footsteps were quieter? I sighed, thinking, ¡®Great, the system is bugging out again,¡¯ and slowly began to move forward. Our infiltration finallymenced at the sign of the ck panther-type Shaggi¡ªLukkwan. Our destination wasn¡¯t the castle itself but rather the entrance to a secret passage somewhere near the castle walls. ¡°Amazing¡­ I could never have imagined something like that being here.¡± Did the thief who cleaned up any traces of entry or exit also clear away any obstructions? The entrance opened without much hassle. Of everyone present, the one with the rawest reaction was the Inquisitor. ¡°There are probably one or two such passages in the Temple, as well, but you wouldn¡¯t know, being an Inquisitor and all.¡± Although they were cooperating, it seemed their resentment hadn¡¯tpletely disappeared yet. One of the thieves subtly brought up this topic to gauge her reaction. ¡°Yep. I have never heard anything about this.¡± ¡°¡­Do you have that much trust in them?¡± ¡°There were probably very important and good reasons why they didn¡¯t tell me, so why wouldn¡¯t I trust them?¡± ¡°¡­¡± However, our kid was just as consistent as ever. Debughed silently. Lukkwan, who was like the thieves¡¯ representative¡ªit seemed shecked the authority to order as she wasn¡¯t part of the same group¡ªwas alsoughing. ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t waste your energy on such unnecessary things.¡± She finished covering the entrance and tapped the back of the guy who had utterly failed to provoke the Inquisitor. ¡¸Ayu Hin: Hole in the Castle Wall¡¹ ¡¸? Fangs Aimed at Jacrati ? Move to Ayu Hin upied by the enemy ? Liberate Ayu Hin ? Optional: Kill Vipurit¡¹ The Quest had finally updated. ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡± No matter how hard we¡¯d worked to reach the passage entrance, it would bepletely meaningless if we lingered here for too long. We entered the passage. The path, which seemed like something one might find in a crypt, changed as we progressed, eventually bing a tiled road made of piled stones. ¡°Can I light a fire?¡± I could feel my breath getting heavy. That usually meant there was a low level of oxygen. Was it possible to suffocate to death if one used an oilmp in that kind of situation? We¡¯d left behind most of the oilmps we had. Instead, Lukkwan used themp I¡¯d had for a long time, ever since I essed this ce. While it wasn¡¯t exactly an electricmp, it didn¡¯t burn oxygen since it was a magic item. Perfect for these kinds of situations. ¡°I got this while going around with Mister.¡± While Lukkwan and the thieves were moving about, Deb handed us something. ¡°This is a medicine that removes one¡¯s body odor, and this here can dye one¡¯s hair for a day. Those are the ve garments from those we rescued. It would be a bit weird if we posed as ves and lookedpletely clean, so you should make yourselves a bit dirty.¡± Although our purpose was to eliminate our enemies, it seemed necessary to disguise ourselves just in case. I¡¯d just silently taken a backseat, thinking these guys would handle those things themselves. But Deb sure was well prepared¡­ ¡°Do I have anything to do?¡± ¡°You just need to stay still.¡± An expert was an expert, after all. The Inquisitor silently followed his instructions, leaving everything to the experts. As she put on her disguise step by step, her face, which had looked like a white steamed bun, quickly became scruffy. Considering her clothes werepletely clean, it sure was funny that only her face looked like that. ¡°Your hair¡­ Ah, could you stop shaking so much?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m doing my best!¡± ¡°The top of your head, the top!¡± Since there wasn¡¯t much of a height difference between Deb and the Inquisitor, Deb had to walk on his tiptoes to dye her hairpletely. It would have been easier if she just sat down, but unfortunately, we didn¡¯t have the time for that. The magic hair dye also took some time to show its effect. However, that didn¡¯t mean we could just wait here right before the castle for another hour. ¡°Mister Knight, would you please for a moment?¡± However, I didn¡¯t hear that I also had to do this. Gaaargh. Chapter 74: From the Very Beginning (9) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 74 From the Very Beginning (9) My half-and-half hair would be rather eye-catching if I didn¡¯t dye it, though it was also uncertain how my character would feel about it. After desperately deciding on what to do, I finally applied the hair dye to myself with great irritation. For your information, I ended up stopping for a while because I was the only one as tall as Lukkwan, so I had to help her. Deb let out a sigh of relief. ¡°The concoction will take effect in about thirty minutes. After the coloring takes effect, it will remain like that until dawn. Ah, while we¡¯re at it, let¡¯s change our clothes, too.¡± ¡°But about Sir Knight¡­¡± After everyone had the dye applied, they decided to also change into other clothes as part of their disguise. In an instant, four ves and three Demon Worshipers were born. What about me? I absolutely couldn¡¯t wear those things. Dying my hair was still a safe option, but disguising myself as a ve or a Demon Worshiper waspletely and utterly out of character for the Demon Knight¡ªespecially thetter. ¡°Then, as nned, we¡¯ll take care of the lower parts.¡± Anyway, now that even the final task we¡¯d been putting off wasplete, we quickly moved to the other end of the secret passage and reminded ourselves of our respective duties. The four thieves, including the Inquisitor and Deb, would search the city for ces where people might get sacrificed to summon Demons or ces where the Demons stayed and destroy them. Lukkwan and I would search through the main buildings to kill the leaders of the group as well as Vipurit. This was the perfect way to divide our tasks. However, I should add that we didn¡¯t know where those leaders were within the city or the buildings, nor how the ce had changed. ¡°Looks like you don¡¯t have a constitutionpatible with Arcane Power, seeing that your hair still hasn¡¯t changed color.¡± It seemed Deb wanted toe along with me but said it would be better for me to go along with a native knowledgeable of this ce¡¯s geography. So Lukkwan, who was subsequently assigned to me, quietly spoke to me. However, it didn¡¯t seem like she really expected an answer from me. It was more like she was speaking to herself. Actually, I was curious about that, too. I mean, seriously, why didn¡¯t my hair color change? As time passed, the kimchi dumpling¡¯s hair turned reddish-brown all the way down to her roots. ¡°Let us go now.¡± Anyway, she led me out of the secret passage. I didn¡¯t even have to look at the map made by the Treasurer and guard captain. She navigated the countless hallways as if the map was alreadypletely in her head. ¡°I worked here before the city fell into this state, so I know my way around somewhat.¡± I hadn¡¯t really asked anything, but I supposed she was just making small talk. I thought she had a photographic memory or something. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve no clue if those damn Demons changed anything, though.¡± As she said that, she almost effortlessly picked a locked door and led me through it. Katchack. We silently locked the door again before hearing footsteps on their way to the hallway we were in. Tak, tak. I fully knew something wasing toward us thanks to [Detection]. However, this method of evading others was entirely new to me. The way she hid so smoothly along with me and entered a room the moment she heard the footsteps pass by sure didn¡¯t make it seem like she¡¯d only done this once or twice before. I had no intention of bringing it up, though, as that skill helped us out big time. I actually felt like giving her a thumbs-up. ¡°This.¡± But no matter how good a thief she was, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to move around this castle so freely if she hadn¡¯t researched where and when patrolling guards would appear. We hid in there to avoid those chained servants. Our physiques were both quite substantial, so this closet that could hide us both within itself deserved some serious apuse. However, those guys who came into the room presumably to make the bed and clean up werepletely undeserving of apuse. Was this room actually in use? ¡°Who was in charge of cleaning Mr. Vipurit¡¯s room today?¡± ¡°No one. We were told not to send anyone in there for any reason. Didn¡¯t you hear?¡± ¡°H-Huh. Really?¡± Still, there was something we could gain from them. The servants started chattering as they tidied the room. Of course, it was nothing more than idle chatter. Well, more like ventingments, saying they had to do the best they could even if they might die soon. Their voices were drenched in fear, sadness, and resignation while they dusted the ce. Lukkwan and I then looked at each other. It had only been a day and a half since we began working together, but I felt I knew what that look meant without her saying a single word. Lukkwan spread out her fingers and slowly folded them, starting from the thumb, then the index finger, and the middle finger. ¡°I bet you¡¯ll only find another corpse when you go there to clean¡­¡± And when she finally folded her pinky finger¡­ Rattle! ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Urgh¨C!¡± We burst out of the closet and overpowered the servants one after the other. Both trembled as if about to faint when they saw they were attacked by a big man dressed entirely in ck and a big, ck-colored Shaggi. Frankly, I was quite happy they didn¡¯t actually pass out. If it were me, I would have absolutely fainted. ¡°Shh. We aren¡¯t your enemies.¡± After tightly covering their mouths to keep them from screaming, Lukkwan gentlyforted the servants. ¡°We¡¯re here to kill Vipurit and those Demons to take back the castle.¡± It worked rather well. The servants¡¯ eyes widened, and their voices fell silent. They showed no signs of wanting to scream anymore, so we slightly rxed the hands over their mouths. ¡°Then, can we untie your hands? Promise me you won¡¯t scream.¡± And after they gave us their word, we freed the two servants¡¯ hands, breathing softly. ¡°Y-You two¡­¡± ¡°We came from outside.¡± I fully believed Lukkwan was better suited to handle this part than me. Having quicklye to that conclusion, I went to stand close to the door. I was standing guard in case someone approached us while she was trying to persuade them. Listening closely to what was happening in the hallway, ignoring their conversation as much as possible, it still seemed surprisingly quiet outside. ¡°¡­That¡¯s why I want to know Vipurit¡¯s location and where the important people are staying. Or a ce where they do things.¡± Meanwhile, her persuasion continued. It was about a minuteter that the hesitant servants finally closed their eyes and opened their mouths. They gave us the information we needed the most first. ¡°We should have taken one more person with us here. If we had, we could have sent him as a messenger to inform the others.¡± Well, that was alright. It would have been pretty dangerous for that person if we used them as a messenger. There was a high probability Demons were also roaming this castle. We were just rather lucky not to have encountered anything like that. An argument for that possibility was the unidentifiable dirt smeared all over the ground on our way here. ¡°First, Vipurit is staying in the room the Lord had stayed in. No one is in charge of that ce, so we¡¯ll have to break through their security.¡± Things were going smoother than I¡¯d expected. I was a bit ufortable because of that, quite contrary to what I should be feeling. My thoughts were roughly: ¡®If the path to it is easy, either the boss will be very difficult, or something will go wrong and doom us.¡¯ Or maybe I was just anxious about someone or something preparing to attack us from the back. But should I not go just because I felt a little anxious? If I didn¡¯t get my head in the game, this dungeon would never get cleared. ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll guide you.¡± Judging that we had gained everything we needed from the servants, we left immediately. I showed a little bit of goodwill¡ªsome food¡ªto those two who cooperated so well. It wasn¡¯t like I was worried about their thin faces or anything. ¡°As expected, the security on the upper floors is quite tight. Unless we scale the outer walls from here on out, we¡¯ll run into a guard sooner orter.¡± Ultimately, based on the information we¡¯d obtained, our target was the Lord¡¯s room. It wasn¡¯t like there weren¡¯t any secret passages connecting to it, but when I checked earlier, they had already been closed downpletely. Now, we had no choice but to break through with force. ¡°What would you like to do?¡± Well, this wasn¡¯t a stealth or assassination game, so I never expected us to reach the Lord¡¯s room through some hidden way in the first ce¡­ I clenched my fists as my right arm started itching. ¡°Worry about yourself.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going alone from now on.¡± Although she had seen the same map as me, it didn¡¯t describe the upper floors, so she had lost her usefulness as a guide. Lukkwan also didn¡¯t seem to be of any use in a fight, either. It seemed rather unlikely we could assassinate Vipurit covertly. I mean, wasn¡¯t our opponent someone who joined hands with the Demon Worshipers and took over a whole city? I was certain they¡¯d prepared for these kinds of situations, but it would still cause some unrest. In that case, leaving behind Lukkwan, who was at a disadvantage in melee, was the only correct choice. ¡°¡­Alright.¡± Fortunately, Lukkwan was neither stubborn nor the type to think we had to stick together no matter what. She instantly melted into the shadows. Now it was my turn. The dumplings were probably busy with their mission in the city, so they probably wouldn¡¯te rushing here even if there was amotion in the castle. * * * * * * ¡°Looks like Mister finally got it.¡± The torches suddenly appearing all over the castle splendidly announced that something happened. Deathbringer clicked his tongue as they approached where the ves were kept. ¡°It seems he found Vipurit.¡± ¡°I think he just flipped the table before he could find him, though¡­¡± ¡°What did you just say?¡± ¡°Just change your clothes. You don¡¯t have to pretend to be a ve anymore.¡± ¡°¡­Got it.¡± He kicked out the iron wall and turned to the cage containing the ves. ¡°You¡¯re¡­?¡± ¡°Wait a second. We¡¯re here to save you.¡± They only found this ce after pretending to be escaped ves and the guards who caught them, and they then bought some time by giving the real guards some sleeping pills. There was no time to waste idling about. They didn¡¯t know when the sleeping pills would lose their effect. ¡°You came to save us?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t save everyone right now, though.¡± It was difficult even for those specialized in infiltration to move about covertly while avoiding the Zombies roaming all over the city. It would bepletely impossible to do that with even more people added to their group. He began exining the reasons and rified the situation they were in. Fortunately, there was someone who could be considered a leader among the imprisoned ves, so the conversation went rather smoothly. ¡°So, there¡¯s a favor I want to ask of you¡­¡± ¡°No worries. We¡¯ll do anything if it means we can drive out these damn Demons¡­!¡± ¡°Great. In that case, we need someone to switch with one of us to provide directions¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Deathbringer nced at the person who just volunteered, the leader. He couldn¡¯t have shaved or washed himself in a while, considering the mud caked on his beard and curly hair. He didn¡¯t think it would be so difficult to switch him out for someone in their group. He had the typical physique of someone from the Yabad region, after all. Soon enough, the thief dressed in ve clothes and closest to his stature was already preparing a disguise. If they just put on a fake beard, no one would notice the difference. ¡°Okay, we''ll pretend this guy is you. I would like to ask the others to cooperate, as well.¡± ¡°No worries.¡± ¡°Rather, didn¡¯t you say earlier that you wanted to burn down the ritual site?¡± ck. Deathbringer crawled to the cage¡¯s door and opened it. ¡°And?¡± ¡°There¡¯s something even more urgent than that.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°They summoned a Dragon. Not only that, but they¡¯re also holding another ritual within the castle. I heard it was to awaken a certain great Demon¡ª¡± The lock held in his hand fell to the floor. ¡°What?¡± * * * ¡°Ene¡ªMrgh!¡± Surrounded by noise, I moved quietly. I slowly advanced through the hallway, killing everyone I came across. Less than thirty minutester, I reached thest path I had to cross: the hallway leading to the Lord¡¯s room. ¡°Get your weapons! There¡¯s an intruder!¡± It was already toote, however. I grabbed the guy standing guard before the Lord¡¯s room by his neck and crushed it. It might cause an uproar after they discover his body, but that couldn¡¯t be helped, I guess. The only thing I could pray for was that the surveince over the city would loosen as all their security personnel focused their attention on this ce. ¡°Sir Vipurit, please evacuate imme¡ª¡± My feet swiftly carried me across the hallway, enabling me to instantly pin a man against the wall with one leg. When my foot charged with Arcane Power directly hit his body, his back bent backward and embedded into the wall, his bones and internal organs were crushed, and his skin burst, letting blood stter out. It was pretty brutal. There were three more left after I took care of that one. I deflected the approaching sword with my hand before grabbing its wielder¡¯s neck. It broke with a crunch, effectively turning this body into a massive piece of meat or a meat club. Bam! As I catapulted the corpse with the broken neck through the air, the other two helplessly dragged along with it as they collided. The next thing left to do was stab a knife through their throats. Bam! Even before reinforcements could arrive, the door to the Lord¡¯s room opened on its own and¡­ ¡°My, my.¡± p. p. p. I could hear psing from the darkness of the room. An ominous sensation seemed to grab at my ankles. ¡°You came by earlier than I expected. I just heard that a sacrifice woulde by to offer itself.¡± Having great trust in my intuition, I immediately moved away from where I stood. Hmm, whether through the traitor¡¯s report or some other means, the other side already knew of our intrusion long before now. Even worse, rather than escaping, he acted normally and waited in his room. That couldn¡¯t be good. ¡°But it is alreadyplete.¡± However, it seemed I was toote. The ground beneath me and to the end of the hallway and even the walls radiated with an ominous red light that seemed almost ck. It was simr to what I¡¯d seen in the sewers. ¡°It¡¯s time for you to stop rampaging about, Gretchen.¡± Shit, this is the second time this happened to me. Should I be grateful no chains popped out of the ground this time? Huh? ¡°I¡¯ve done this much, so you won¡¯t be able to break out this time, right?¡± What gratefulness? This was the second time I¡¯d had my movements restricted by someone with ill intentions. I felt like shit. But back then, what restricted me was a somewhat material object, namely chains. There was nothing like that around me now, yet I waspletely bound. This was just too unpleasant. ¡°When you wake up¡­¡± I fell to my knees with a thud. ¡°You¡¯ll be the first one I¡¯ll take care of.¡± I didn¡¯t even lower my eyelids, but my vision was engulfed in darkness as if ck paint were being painted over my eyes. ¡®How boorish.¡¯ ¡¸Curse!¡¹ Craaack. Suddenly, I vaguely heard something breaking in the pitch-ck. Chapter 75: From the Very Beginning (10) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 75 From the Very Beginning (10) ¡¸This is a breach of contract.¡¹ Breach of contract? What? ¡¸Stop messing around!¡¹ Don¡¯t shout so loudly. Dogs that bark too loudly will¡­ * * * ¡°Excuse me? Awaken a Great Demon¡ª¡± ¡°Give us more details!¡± Deathbringer couldn¡¯t even click his tongue as he looked at the person who¡¯d beaten him to it and was confronting the man. Even the iron wall¡¯s usually naive face, simr to that of a child, was unusually stiff. And he knew when she made this type of expression. The Inquisitor usually looked like that when she heard information about dangerous things, specifically Demons. ¡°I don¡¯t really know the details. I just overheard some things.¡± ¡°Then tell me what you heard. This is very important.¡± The man looked rather shaken at someone else¡¯s sudden interference. She was being quite pushy, as well. However, perhaps because his survival depended on them, he didn¡¯t keep his mouth shut for long, even if he seemed a little surprised. ¡°All I heard was that if they seed, the Great Demon that left them will return and¡­ They would be able to take away the Hero¡¯s sword.¡± The Hero¡¯s sword. They didn¡¯t need to think for long to grasp the meaning of these words. The Hero was using a mace, after all, so there was ultimately only one person who could be called her sword. Even if said sword was rather bad-tempered, and instead of following the Hero¡¯s words, wielded the Hero herself as his weapon. ¡°¡­The Demon Knight is in danger.¡± ¡°We need to go find him right away.¡± Deathbringer had a rare moment of agreement with the Inquisitor, but it wasn¡¯t anything to be happy about. This could be an incident even worse than their n failing. ¡°Hey, what are you talking about?¡± ¡°Did the n go south?¡± Was it because those two people, who had stayed incredibly calm even when seeing the Demon Knight running rampant in the castle, suddenly had such serious expressions? The thieves who¡¯d finalized theirrade¡¯s disguise came over carefully. As one would expect from people who made their living by thinking on their feet, they already seemed infected by Deathbringer¡¯s anxiety. That wasn¡¯t anything good, either. Low morale could cause even operations with guaranteed sess to fail. They somehow needed to regain their momentum. But how? Just how could they do that? It was hard for them to even get over their own shock, so how could theyfort others? He bit his dry lips. He had known how dangerous a gamble this n was ever since the Demon Knight came up with it. However, since they were led by the Demon Knight, the greatest force they had, he ignored all the risks. He wasn¡¯t even capable of imagining that man losing to anyone. However, was that really the truth? Was there really no way the Knight would be defeated? ¡°We need to get out of this ce right away.¡± Deathbringer lowered his gaze as he saw a certain someone, whom he thought was inferior to him at these things, giving out firm orders. Instead of relying on the Demon Knight¡¯s strength, he should have kept in mind how weak he was against a prepared enemy. Instead of focusing on the image of him hunting a dragon on his own or walking confidently through a city filled with Demons, he should have remembered him lying on the floor covered in mortal wounds, his face pale in Tatara. In the end, he had joined the group no matter what to make up for that weakness, despite not being as strong in battle¡­ ¡°The enemy already knew the Demon Knight woulde here! They definitely know our location, as well! We need to move now! Quickly!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What do you¡­¡± ¡°And you, I would ask for your cooperation as we go. Pleasee along.¡± However, he couldn¡¯t do that. He had been unable to piece together the information fast enough and get the situation under control. Because of that, the Demon Knight was currently exposed to an enemy tantly aiming for him. He let him go alone into a ce that obviously held strong malice against him, even though he¡¯d heard certain things already. ¡°And you.¡± What now? What should he do if their enemies really had gotten to the Demon Knight? What if the Knight was already being devoured by the Demon and would face them as their enemy¡­? Just¡­ Just how on earth were they supposed to get through this? ¡°Hey, hey! Hey, Thief!¡± He didn¡¯t know. Nothing came to his mind. Though they were neverpletely safe, he now absolutely had to make a n that would let them at least keep their lives. The opportunity lost due to his negligence, and the image of the person who might have fallen into mortal danger because of it, shed before his eyes. ¡°Hey, get it together!¡± And then he felt a tremendous shock run through his cheek. While his teeth didn¡¯t break, the force was enough to split his lip. ¡°You idiotic bastard! We¡¯re in the middle of enemy territory! No matter what happens or whoes our way, we can¡¯t give up! Do you understand?!¡± He was then grabbed by his cor. Green eyes, much brighter than his own, shone clearly before him. ¡°If you¡¯ve finally returned to your senses, tell me what¡¯s next! I¡¯m not good with infiltrations and the like. Aren¡¯t you supposed to be an expert in that field?!¡± He saw himself reflected in them. He looked incredibly stupid, even to himself. ¡°¡­What are you talking about! I was clearly thinking about it!?¡± ¡°Then talk to me already. Don¡¯t just keep those thoughts in your head!¡± ¡°I-I got it already. I¡¯ll tell you while we move.¡± Deathbringer calmly gathered his mind and rxed his body as they conversed as usual. After waking from his panicked state, he finally began to see what he needed to do. ¡°For now, Mr. Stand-in, don¡¯t go in there.¡± How did the enemy know the Demon Knight wasing here? There were two possibilities. Firstly, they were prepared for it the moment the Demon Knight came to this ind. Secondly, the traitor stationed in the secret port reported that they woulde here. ¡°Hey Mister. When did the preparations for that ritual to awaken the Great Demon begin?¡± ¡°Erm¡­ I think it started the day before yesterday.¡± The day before yesterday. Two days ago. At almost the same time they left the secret port. In that case, it seemed those upying Ayu Hin had hastily prepared for their arrival after hearing from the spy that they wereing. ¡°So they know¡­¡± Whether they were part of the strategy meeting, overheard something, or gave their report upon seeing them leave, the spy definitely informed this side that the Demon Knight and the others were on their way here. So, it was safe to say they also knew of the other intruders¡¯ existence, too. ¡°Have you overheard them talking about preparing for intruders or something like that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing much¡­¡± ¡°Even if it¡¯s just something small, please.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I heard anything, really¡­ Ah, I heard some say that even if rats came in here, they would just turn into Zombie food, anyway.¡± Right. He knew it. But for them to willingly let them in¡­ ¡°How was the discipline of those guards?¡± ¡°Hah, they were pirates before. Do you actually think they would have even one disciplined bone in them?¡± This might be a trap, or it might be due to extremely low levels of vignce. For instance, since they didn¡¯t know their travel route, the higher-ups might have just said to keep high vignce and tightly secure every region, but the lower guys simply ignored their words. ¡°Great.¡± And to him, it seemed to be thetter. He came to that conclusion not only because they were in without asking any questions but also because of the attitude of those guys he saw guarding this ce, which was terrible. Of course, it still might be a trap intended to lure them here. However, if this really was a trap, why hadn¡¯t anything happened yet? No matter how one looked at it, this was a consequence of low discipline. They had been incredibly lucky. That was all. ¡°Hey, Miss Ironwall. Is there anything wrong with this guy? A curse, maybe, or does he possess Demonic Energy?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m sure of it.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Lastly, in that case, there was little chance their chosen guide would turn out to be the Demon Worshiper¡¯s henchman or unknowingly notify their enemy of their location due to a curse. Deathbringer lifted the lock in his hand and locked them in once more. He heard the other prisoners screaming as they thought he¡¯d abandoned them, but now wasn¡¯t the time to be considerate toward them. ¡°Let¡¯s move before those guardse to their senses.¡± ¡°Are we going through the secret passage again?¡± ¡°We shouldn¡¯t use the same path we came here through.¡± ¡°Then how should we move?¡± It wasn¡¯t certain that their enemy didn¡¯t know their route. So he quickly barred them from going the way they came. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t share all the information I have with you.¡± Instead, he tried to call to memory the hiding ces only he had heard about. He could only hope that the Guard Captain or the Treasurer, who had told him about those ces, weren¡¯t the traitors. ¡°Are you sure this¡¯ll be fine?¡± ¡°Have I done something like this just once or twice? The more escape routes we have, the better. You¡¯ll often encounter these kinds of situations in this line of work, after all.¡± ¡°Damn it, I¡¯ve probably done this a lot more than you, though.¡± ¡°Just shut up and follow me.¡± Deathbringer ignored the others¡¯ opinions and just grabbed the man¡¯s hand to make him keep pace with them. The man, who¡¯d barely even eaten in a long while, had trouble keeping up with his walking speed, but he couldn¡¯t care about it as they were in a hurry. ¡°First, we¡¯ll have to go to a safe house. Then we can think about our next steps.¡± Would the Demon Knight hold out until then? That unbearable anxiety he had felt traveled back up his throat. * * * * * * Lukkwan opened her eyes, feeling a dull pain running through her body. Rattle. The rattling of thin chains echoed in her sensitive ears. ¡°¡­!¡± At that moment, she came back to her senses. The events that happened before began quickly shing through her mind one after another. After the Demon Knight left her behind, she tried to evade all the guards somehow and searched for something like an office or anything simr¡­ ¡°So, you¡¯re finally awake, huh, little kitty cat?¡± She gritted her teeth, disgusted by the derogatory term that reduced her to nothing but a mere beast. There was no need to think about what kind of situation she was in. Ah, the face before her was one even a five-year-old child of the Yabad region would recognize, after all! ¡°Pirate King¡­!¡± The tanned skin characteristic of a seafarer and that cut-off left ear. His hair was shaved off at one side, a big scar decorating his scalp in its stead. His identity was more than clear: it was Vipurit, a demonic man whose mother would have rather aborted, boiled, and eaten had she known about her pregnancy earlier. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to wake up first, but well, it doesn¡¯t really matter either way.¡± Had she been caught by that abominable traitor? Good enough. She had joined this mission prepared to die, anyway. What mattered was whether she could witness that damn bastard¡¯s throat getting torn out before she died. And there was only one man who could rip this guy to tiny little shreds. ¡°It seems you¡¯re looking for the Knight.¡± Where had the Demon Knight, that incredible monster who ripped apart a sea monster and sunk several ships by himself, gone to? Could it be that he, too, had failed? ¡°The Knight you¡¯re looking for is over there.¡± After he gave a signal, someone came up from behind her and grabbed her face. It seemed they were trying to force her head to change direction. However, she was of the Shaggi race. Of all the races, the Shaggi were the most superior in physical prowess. Bite! So, she managed to roughly shake off the person¡¯s hand and bit it right after. The person wore no gauntlets or protective gear, as she immediately felt her teeth pierce through skin and muscle. ¡°Guwaaargh!¡± A scream left his lips. Vipurit, who had worn a disgusting smile as if wanting to appear benevolent, now seemed cold. ¡°Deal with him.¡± There was a sound of something getting swung. Bam! Followed by the sounds of a skull cracking and blood spurting. After the smell of blood spread through the area, she couldn''t hear any screams anymore. Slump. The corpse of a handsome young mannded before Lukkwan''s feet. ¡°Grab her.¡± She didn''t even have time to feel surprised. A hand even more vicious than before grabbed her head. She couldn¡¯t fight it this time; their difference in strength was simply too much. ¡°Now, let''s take a good look at the Knight who will be dealing with you.¡± They eventually managed to turn her head. Although she had half expected it, they forced her to look at an incredibly cruel and brutal ritual taking ce in the corner of the room. ¡°That guy, who even took care of the Kraken¡­!¡± Corpses were piled around them, and the magic circle was absorbing the blood flowing from them and continued glowing with an ominous light. Moreover, in the middle of the circle, she saw someone whose face she had grown quite familiar with throughout the day. He was the Demon Knight she had trusted and believed in so much. ¡°What are you doing to him?!¡± ¡°I''m just returning it to where it belongs. Isn''t a vessel just a vessel? What''s important is the content it¡¯s filled with. It shouldn''t be anything but a vessel.¡± Content? Vessel? It was difficult for her to fully understand what he was talking about, although she had an inkling. Knowledge about Arcane Power was exclusive to the Magic Tower and only rarely reached the general public¡¯s ears. However, she was absolutely sure that it meant nothing good. tter! Lukkwan violently shook her body. However, even with her massive 190cm tall body, she couldn¡¯t free herself of her shackles. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You don¡¯t have to understand my words. When that body¡¯s true owner fully awakens, you can just serve as his entertainment and die.¡± Shit, who would stay still after hearing such words? Lukkwan intensified her resistance. However, her restraints and the hand holding her didn¡¯t fall off her. ¡°However, it is a bit disappointing. If it weren¡¯t the Great Demon¡¯s vessel, I sure would have liked to have my way with it¡­¡± ¡°It truly would have been satisfying to have such a vigorous young man.¡± His atrocious actions of dragging handsome men and beautiful women into his chambers were already known throughout the region. Furthermore, if they made even the slightest mistake, they would get killed by him. Lukkwan spat in disgust. Although it didn¡¯t reach that damn devil¡¯s face, it did hit the hem of his clothes. ¡°You dare¡­¡± Rustle. Just as Vipurit¡¯s eyes moved to look back at her, a slight noise sounded. In the next moment, that person¡¯s gray and ck hair, which had been split into gray and ck, turnedpletely ck. It traveled from the roots to the ends as he raised his body. Like drops of ink staining clear water, cknesspletely consumed the gray-white strands. ¡°Aah, finally.¡± It seemed as if a Demon had taken control of him. ¡°One of the 72 Knights, Focalor, greets the esteemed ¡®Wrath¡¯.¡± Lukkwan hadn¡¯t thought much about their hair dye being ck. It was simply the mostmon hair color in thesends. However, what she couldn¡¯t believe was that the dye¡¯s effect only kicked in now. ¡°We have prepared an offering for you, so please indulge in it to your heart''s content.¡± ¡­However, was this color change really due to the dye? It was long past the time it should have taken effect. Even if he wasn¡¯tpatible with Arcane Power, his hair should have changed color ages ago. So, was this really the effect of the hair dye that just happened to kick in right as he woke up? ¡°Ah.¡± Then, the person who just raised his body finally let out a sound. It was short, like the hapless first sounds of a newborn or thest sounds of the dying. Then he raised his gauntlet-d arm and touched his head. It was a movement one usually made when ovee with anger. His nk gaze into empty space and his wrinkled brows added to her guess. ¡°Do you have a headache? It might be an after-effect of forcing you to wake up like this. Let me examine you.¡± Someone jumped toward him from a side of the room Lukkwan hadn¡¯t been paying attention to. That person, who seemed like a shadow, was dressed in robes that made it obvious to anyone that he was a Demon Worshiper. ¡°Please hold my hand first and stand up¡ª!¡± Stab! ¡°Urgh!¡± Did that Demon Worshiper actually get close to the Demon Knight and reach out a hand to help him? As soon as he grabbed the hand and stood up, something poked out of the Demon Worshiper''s back. It was a bloodied de. Everyone in the hall stood up straight. ¡°You know.¡± And this person who had easily acted just then opened his mouth. ¡°I am not quite partial to people touching my body.¡± Funnily enough, his tone of voice was extremely soft and gentle. ¡°So, please keep that in mind next time.¡± Although she had only known him for a single day, she knew the Demon Knight would never in a trillion years speak in such a soft voice. ¡°Hmm.¡± The Demon Worshiper fell to the floor as he pulled out his sword from his body. The same was true for Lukkwan¡¯s hope. She didn¡¯t know what those Demon bastards did to him, but the Demon Knight was no longer on their side. There was no longer any hope for them. ¡°G-Great Demon, why¡­?¡± Someone standing against the wall, as the now dead Demon Worshiper had before, reflexively opened his mouth. The Demon Knight¡­ No, the thing possessing his body tilted its head. ¡°Are you asking me a question right now?¡± He really had a nice voice. Hearing his light tone, she fell into resignation. Those weren¡¯t empty words. Until now, she hadn¡¯t noticed his voice because the emotions within it were so sharp, they could cut through flesh¡­ ¡°How fun.¡± His voice was quite sweet and soft. A voice that could win over anyone with just a few words. Looking at him more closely, she felt the same way about his face now that the deep creases, severe anxiety, and dark shadows of anger from an unknown source hadpletely disappeared. What remained was a very handsome young man with an extremely bright smile reaching his pale cheeks. She might have described it as a peaceful and idyllic face if not for the blood that had sttered on it as he stabbed that Demon Worshiper. ¡°P-Please forgive my insolence.¡± ¡°I shall, since I¡¯m very generous. Please ept my generosity.¡± ¡°Ah¡­! Thank you, Thank y¡ª!¡± However, that was just his outer shell, nothing more. Stab! ¡°You shouldn¡¯t ept it so quickly.¡± ¡°Urgh!¡± After stabbing yet another person to death, he looked around with a soft smile on his lips, his face soaked in even more blood. A thinyer of red flesh coated the de in his hand. This sight was so very horrifying because of this extreme contrast. Instinctive fear began to rise in her. ¡°So, hmm. What did you say your name was¡­? Portugal?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s Focalor.¡± ¡°Right, Focalor. Are you angry?¡± ¡°How could I possibly? Everything within this castle, within this city, are sacrifices we prepared for Gretchen.¡± ¡°I see, I see¡­¡± At that moment, the amalgamation of malice smiled even brighter than before, seeming satisfied. ¡°Then, this one over there, as well?¡± And finally, its gazended on her. ¡°Of course.¡± She felt like her time to die hade. ¡°Hmm, a cat?¡± This person who approached her with light steps touched her cheek with the back of his left hand. She could bite his hand like she had done with that other person if she wanted to, but Lukkwan couldn¡¯t bring herself to do it. It felt like some invisible energy was binding her. She couldn¡¯t do anything but stay still. Cold fear coursed through her veins, taking over her whole body. ¡°This whole castle is also mine, right?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°I see. Is that so¡­?¡± That thing talked to Vipurit. She didn¡¯t know what he was thinking. She hadn¡¯t the courage to look at him even with her face raised. ¡°I like cats¡­ Let her go.¡± And then, a sudden order left his mouth. Her heart was now beating faster for a different reason than when she was waiting for her death. ¡°Pardon? L-Let her go?¡± ¡°¡­Are you questioning me?¡± ¡°Release her immediately.¡± The key was swiftly inserted into her shackles, letting out a jingling sound. What came with it was a fragile hope, a slight ¡®Perhaps¡¯. Lukkwan hurriedly looked up at the Demon Knight¡¯s face. ¡°Let¡¯s y tag, little kitty.¡± However, her hopes were immediately crushed. ¡°I will wait here for 30 seconds, so if you haven¡¯t moved far enough in that time¡­ I will kill you.¡± From the beginning, the only thing left in him was a Demon with an endlessly ck and ominous aura around him. Chapter 76: Don’t Do This (1) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 76 Don¡¯t Do This (1) Lukkwan fled with all her might. Some tried to stop her but refrained after theirrades told them to leave her be. So she went down one, two, three floors before rushing into an empty room. There would have been far better hiding spaces had she looked more thoroughly, but after getting subjected to such pure malice, she didn''t have the peace of mind to do so. She stuffed herself into a closet she never in her right mind would have considered, gasping for air. She was so scared that she was about to lose her mind. The fear she felt right now was greater than what she¡¯d felt during any other crisis¡­ ¡°Ready or not, here Ie.¡± It seemed that person had reached this floor and now was moving along the hallway. ¡°Even if a rat bites you¡­ Even if an ant bites you¡­¡± She heard his slow singing resonating from afar. Lukkwan covered her mouth with her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t make a move, don¡¯t make a sound¡­¡± The slow and even rhythm of his singing slowly neared the room she was hiding in, apanied by the squeaking sound of doors opening. She could hear several ovepping footsteps, but just one set stood out. ¡°If I hear a single squeak, I¡¯ll catch you.¡± And finally, the footsteps stopped before the room she was in. Squeak. The sound of its door opening was especially clear. Step, step, step. She could only hear a single set of footsteps entering the room. Lukkwan held her breath as she cowered in her closet. A skilled thief wouldn¡¯t allow their body to tremble even a little. This gave her hope that she might ovee this crisis. Tak. However, it seemed luck wasn¡¯t on her side. The footsteps stopped right outside the closet she was in. Creak. The closet door opened, letting a thin ray of light into the space she was hiding in. Naturally, the one standing before the door, blocking some of the light, was the cause of the fear dominating her. ¡°¡­¡± His gray eye stared down at her. ¡°¡­Ready or not.¡± And then, ¡®ck¡¯. He closed the door once more. ¡°Here Ie.¡± The Demon, the person who might be a Demon, moved away again. Her heart was still pounding. * * * Daaamn. That surprised me. Perhaps it was because she was of the Shaggi tribe, half human and half animal, that her eyes glowed so brightly in the dark¡­ If I hadn¡¯t been prepared before opening the closet, I would have screamed as soon as our eyes met. My heart was still pounding. Sigh, but those guys in the hallway wouldn¡¯t know I had opened the closet here, right? I really tried my best not to make any noise while opening and closing it. I was praying they hadn¡¯t noticed. I mean, I was checking all the rooms while under the assumption they wouldn¡¯t look through them again. ¡°Hmm. It¡¯s not here.¡± I desperately acted out the new character I¡¯d developed as I entered the hallway again. I disappointedly tilted my head to the side in a manner typical for the character. My cheeks felt a bit hot, seeing that I was already in my thirties and yet acted all cute before these kids, but I managed to hold back my embarrassment. I wasn¡¯t the only one who¡¯d have their head sent flying if they noticed what I was doing. ¡°Would you like to release that person?¡± ¡°Did you just ask me a question?¡± And, urgh. I actually wasn¡¯t so embarrassed about acting cute like this, but rather because I was forced to roley using an unfinished character setting all of a sudden. A true roley lover had to handle even sudden role changes no matter what. However, the moment someone went, ¡®Are you for real?¡¯ I would immediatelypletely drown in shame. Uwaargh. Universe, I beg you! Please help me save face¡­! ¡°Th-That¡¯s not it, I©¤-¡± Stab! I didn¡¯t let him finish before plunging my sword into his neck. The atmosphere, which had slightly rxed while I focused on the game of tag, became tense again. ¡°Does anyone else want to ask me a question?¡± Come on, ask away. I would definitely kill everyone waiting for me in the hallway. They were the ones who made me y this second role, after all. I would never forgive those guys who forced me to act like some great viin. ¡°No one?¡± However, contrary to my wishes, no one came forward. I tilted my head and narrowed my eyes. At the same time, I desperately looked at my Status Window, matching the timing. I wasn¡¯t really interested in my stats which automatically increased every time I leveled up. However, the status effect written right below them was like a punch in the gut and wouldn¡¯t leave my head. ¡¸¡ù You are afflicted with a special status effect (Arcane Overload). You cannot use skills until the condition is lifted.¡¹ It went without saying that this was why I decided to roley instead of killing Vipurit right away. I couldn''t use any skills right now. ¡°What a shame¡­¡± No, it wasn''t just skills! Any use of Arcane Power waspletely sealed. I was certain of that as I tried it before, and the only result was blood leaving my mouth. In other words, I had to survive somehow in the middle of the enemy camp, relying only on my physical abilities. And quite honestly, my chances of survival were very low under these conditions¡­ So, I had no choice but to y along with my enemy''s misunderstanding. Going by what I overheard while pretending to still be unconscious to grasp my situation, I suspected things would be quite interesting if I took advantage of this misunderstanding. Well, they did perform a ritual to awaken the Demon inside me¡­ So, if they thought they seeded, why shouldn''t I take advantage of that? Of course, I couldn''t deny feeling my stomach twisting when I saw the ¡®Arcane Overload¡¯ notification after opening my eyes, having finished calcting my next move. I¡¯d been nning to just gather all the main forces of this group with my acting and wipe them out right away, but I didn''t expect that I would have to put on such a grand act¡­ Well, since they couldn''t simply turn off the yer''s consciousness outside of the game, that was probably why they just gave me the ¡®Arcane Overload¡¯ penalty. ¡°It¡¯s not in this room, either.¡± I smiled brightly as I came out of thest room. I hadn¡¯t smiled in quite some time because of the Demon Knight¡¯s character setting, but now that I was doing it so excessively, I felt like my eyes and mouth were cramping. I was exhausted. ¡°I''m bored, so I''ll stop.¡± ¡°We¡­ We will catch the cat for you.¡± ¡°You won''t.¡± I looked at that person who seemed to have gradually grasped my (character''s) pattern. To top it off, I reced my bright smile with sharp irritation and shallow anger, like a child about to have their favorite toy taken away. ¡°You really haven¡¯t any idea how to have fun.¡± However, I shouldn¡¯t hold this expression for too long. I smiled again, put my arm around the shoulder of the one who had just spoken up, and whispered into his ear as softly as I could. ¡°There is nothing more fun than catching prey that thinks it is out of danger.¡± ¡°I-Is that so?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Hmm. Even to me, I seemed like a total viin with no morals. Good. However, it would be a shame if I just ended it here. ¡°Look, like this¡­¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Swish! ¡°There is nothing more intoxicating than their faces reflected on the de that stabs through them while they feelpletely relieved.¡± It was rather fortunate that I still had the strength to cut through a person¡¯s neck without strengthening myself with Arcane Power. I coldly stared at the guy whose vocal cords had beenpletely cut through, leaving him unable to let out even a single sound. That was a bit cruel, wasn¡¯t it? ¡®No, they are enemies.¡¯ I wiped away the blood from my cheek as I removed my arm from his shoulder and put away the knife. Yet another piece of meat had been added to the collection found in this castle. * * * * * * ¡°Is Portugal still around?¡± ¡°¡­He has gone to the ritual site.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± For, Por¡­ Hmm. I didn¡¯t really mean to make fun of the guy, but the only name that came to my mind was Portugal. Anyway, I remembered that guy who introduced himself as Fo-something. If I remembered correctly, that guy had the same face as the one whom the Lord of Jacrati had begged me to kill. However, why did he introduce himself as Fo-something instead of Vipurit¡­? Hmm. Was it a new nickname or something? Perhaps the name he used as a Demon Worshiper? Wait, he also called himself one of the 72 Knights earlier, right? I wasn¡¯t quite sure because something like that didn¡¯t exist in the original game, but those 72 Knights might be referring to Solomon''s 72 Demons. They both had to do with Demons, after all, right? ¡°Please guide me.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯ll be my honor.¡± ¡°Are there any more of the 72 Knights here?¡± Well, I had been throwing around a few theories here and there based on my fantasy knowledge, but there was nothing better than listening to a direct exnation from the source. I was secretly fishing for information. Anyway, I didn¡¯t care much about why they were called the 72 Knights. What mattered was whether any more enemies from that group were in this city. Even if I had to retry, dying with that knowledge would make things easier. ¡°Bifrons and Naberius are also present.¡± As I¡¯d thought, there were more. There seemed to be quite a lot of them¡­ ¡°Originally, Gamigin and Morax also nned on joining us¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°¡­Those two died while bringing destruction to Tatara.¡± What now? ¡°They died while destroying the city?¡± Did¡­ Did I kill two named mobs without knowing? Of course, given the scale of that incident, it wasn¡¯t too weird that one or two named mobs were among the enemies. I was dumbfounded, like someone who just realized some delicious crab meat they had a while ago was actually king crab meat. It was all fine, but I somehow felt strange about this matter. Those names hadn¡¯t disappeared from the world. ¡°Hmm, okay¡­ It can¡¯t be helped. They¡¯re already dead, after all.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Huh? Are you the one who died over there? Why are you apologizing?¡± However, it wasn¡¯t a loss for me. I flicked around the dagger between my fingers. Unlike my brightly smiling face, my mind was overrun with manyplicated thoughts. ¡°Or do you want to die?¡± ¡°N-Not at all!¡± While scaring the already rather frightened one a bit more, I reached a decision. First, the 72 Knights were obviously at the executive level among the Demon Worshipers. Given how even they were treating me as their superior and someone directly under Satan, it seemed the Great Demons were the highest-ranking entities. ¡°W-We¡¯ve arrived.¡± There was just another problem that arose from this. That Fo-something greeted me as ¡®Wrath¡¯, and the Archmage talked about the Seven Great Demons before. The Great Demons¡¯ theme was probably the seven deadly sins. However, from what I could remember, none other than Satan was in charge of the sin of wrath. As chance would have it, Satan was also the name of the guy we were aiming to kill. ¡­Surely this wouldn¡¯t have such a light novel development, like ¡®I possessed a person with a Demon sealed in their right arm, but it''s actually thest boss!¡¯, right? ¡°Open it.¡± With just two words out of my mouth, the door was opened. ording to the castle map I had received, this door led to the central garden. However, after this ce had been upied and altered by the Demon Worshipers and Demons, this was no longer the central garden. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± This ce had long be a ughterhouse. If I hadn¡¯t decided to stick by this new character setting, I might have vomited a little. ¡°Naberius, the 24th Knight, greets the esteemed Great Demon.¡± ¡°Sir ¡®Wrath¡¯, I¡¯m Bifrons.¡± I barely managed to take my eyes off that utter massacre and nced at the two people approaching me. Naberius was a fair-skinned, handsome man, and Bifrons was a freckled woman. They were at least a billion light years away from the picture on the wanted poster I had seen. Neither of them was Vipurit. Then, I guess that Fo guy really was Vipurit. There couldn¡¯t be two unrted people who looked so much alike, right? ¡°E-Erm.¡± On another note, Naberius naturally bowed to me, while Bifrons, who¡¯d been bowing quite crookedly, became very aware of me. ¡­Did I look like I would kill her if she didn¡¯t bow properly? Had either of them asked this character a question, he would definitely kill them, but he wouldn¡¯t take offense overcking manners. ¡°It seems you are pretty satisfied with your hunt.¡± At that moment, the Fo-guy, noticing the blood on my cheek, came to a conclusion. It seemed he was under the misconception that this blood was from Lukkwan. Alright, I¡¯d be happy if he was! ¡°The cat is pretty good at hiding, so it was worth my while.¡± How great it would have been if my Arcane Overload disappeared at that moment. My lips started quivering as I witnessed someone having their neck slit right before me and their blood flowing into a dug-out hole. If the seal on my skills were to be lifted now, I could take care of the most dangerous people in this region in one swoop. I felt a bit anxious as the notification only mentioned that ¡®I couldn¡¯t use skills¡¯ but didn¡¯t say how long I would stay that way. ¡°¡­But what are these?¡± I suppressed those feelings and looked around this pce filled with the smell of blood. On the other side of the corpse garden were the living destined to get their throats cut and left to bleed out. What particrly caught my eye were those among them wearing prison guard uniforms. After checking their faces, the worry that my poor kids might have gotten caught disappeared. I didn¡¯t know who they were, but they sure weren''t from my party. That single factforted me a little. ¡°They are wearing the same clothes as those kids in the hallway?¡± I asked as I stepped on the back of one of those kneeling people wearing prison guard uniforms, their hands tied with a rope. Bifrons was the one who answered. ¡°Although I told those guys to strengthen our security because the Hero was about to invade, they dared to disobey me.¡± Could I interpret that as our kids having not been caught yet? I hoped so, at least. ¡°The Hero?¡± ¡°Just the empty talk of the foolish. She is but an insignificant brat.¡± ¡­Our kimchi dumpling was quite the fluffy kid, but her core was spicy and hard!? As one would expect from the enemy camp. Just wait and see. The first thing she¡¯ll do is cut your throat. ¡°Is that so?¡± I kicked the person I was stepping on before turning around. ¡°That sounds a little interesting.¡± I had gotten so used to saying things I didn¡¯t intend to that I had nothing to worry about. ¡°So, is the Hero¡­¡± Wait a second. At that moment, my gaze traveled behind the (former) guard. Shit. They were so small that I only noticed them now. There were kids not even in their mid orte teens but around five and six years old. Even toddlers. ¡°¡­here then?¡± Did my vision flicker for a moment there? Did my eyes turn red or something? I felt the sensation of anger reaching the top of my head, pulling at the nape of my neck¡ªa feeling I hadn''t experienced in a very long time. It was almost a miracle I finished my sentence. My throat seemed to tighten, and my eyes seemed to be hot. That was what one would call the heat of anger. No, it felt like real fire. ¡°I-If you so wish, we can get her for you right away.¡± I tried to focus my gaze as best I could on the ck energy bursting from my right arm. I didn¡¯t even pay attention to the clear sounds of explosionsing from afar. ¡°No.¡± I needed to be patient. Patient. If I burst out now, what would have been the point of my acting? It wasn¡¯t like I roleyed like this once or twice. Above all else, it wasn¡¯t like I could save the kids by stabbing those guys right now. I didn¡¯t have the strength to take them away or defeat all these enemies while protecting them. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± So, I had to be patient. It was more than obvious it would only harm those kids if I fought right now, so I had to be patient. Be patient. ¡°But there sure are a lot of kids here, aren¡¯t there?¡± Be patient¡­ ¡°Th-Those are the offerings for the dragon. As you know, such mighty demonic beasts aren¡¯t satisfied with ordinary blood.¡± ¡®Be patient?¡¯ ¡¸¡ù A special status condition (Rage) has been created.¡¹ ¡¸Rage ©¦ Nullifies all status conditions except Rage and ignores any further status conditions ced on you. The more you perform certain actions, the more your madness gauge will fill up.¡¹ The ck energy grew even stronger. ¡®I can do anything now.¡¯ To the point that even such exaggerated thoughts shed through my mind. Chapter 77: Don’t Do This (2) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 77 Don¡¯t Do This (2) ¡°We¡¯ll aim for the Dragon first.¡± ¡°¡­Are you saying we should abandon the Demon Knight?¡± ¡°Look at this more realistically. Mister Knight is in the castle.¡± Did he sessfully mask himself? Deathbringer tried to speak as coldly as possible, contrary to his true feelings. ¡°And the castle is brimming with guards to protect Vipurit and his troops. Do you think it¡¯ll be easy to break through all that and find Mister Knight? Even if we managed to do that somehow, what should we do if Mister Knight has already been devoured by the Demon?¡± However, his efforts weren¡¯t in vain. He smoothly gave arguments as to why they should do as he said. ¡°You know very well how strong Mister Knight is. It would be incredibly difficult to deal just with him. If he''s surrounded by lots of Demon worshipers, it''s pretty much impossible.¡± ¡°There''s no way the Demon Knight will give in to a Demon so easily. If it''s him, I''m sure he¡¯s still battling its consciousness and enduring.¡± ¡°Shit, you think I haven''t thought the same thing?¡± He let these words out quickly, but his head was thrown into chaos. His mind, which had just barely cooled down, heated up again. ¡°The situation is what it is. We can¡¯t risk our lives for something uncertain in favor of other alternatives. Just like you said, we are in the middle of the enemy camp!¡± Deathbringer raised his hand and wiped his face. He lowered his furious voice again and started speaking in a hopeless attempt to persuade this stubborn person. ¡°Regardless of whether Mister Knight got devoured by the Demon, our infiltration has failed. However, retreating doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re abandoning him.¡± There were just too many negative consequences of them going to look for the Demon Knight, especially seeing that the Hero¡¯s life was at stake here. ¡°Look at this realistically. We failed, and we can¡¯t save the Demon Knight on our own.¡± As such, they had to wait for the main forces to arrive. Only after the Archmage rejoined them with the others would they have a chance to save the Demon Knight. ¡°¡­So, taking care of the Dragon¡­ would be in preparation for when the main forces join back up with us?¡± ¡°Now we¡¯re talking.¡± Fortunately, the iron wall wasn¡¯t someone to act stubbornly during moments of crisis. He didn¡¯t want to admit it, but¡­ once he convinced this Inquisitor, the conversation would be incredibly easy. ¡°That¡¯s right. That¡¯s why I said we should deal with the Dragon.¡± There was one thing the Dragon and the Demon Knight had inmon: both could inflict enormous damage to the main forces if left unattended. ¡°If we kill the Dragon, the damage we suffer can be halved, and if the Demon Knight ovees the Demon, we can reduce it to zero.¡± However, unlike the Demon Knight, who was in a very difficult ce to target, the Dragon seemed to be located somewherepletely isted on the city¡¯s outskirts. ording to the guy they¡¯d brought along as a guide and informant, it seemed they¡¯d not only kept it isted but even restrained itpletely under the pretext of preventing any disturbances. Some people were likely guarding it, but that was probably better than storming the castle. If it was restrained, it actually might be quite easy to kill it. In that case, it might be worth the gamble. ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Great. So, let¡¯s start by going over the route. You prepared one, right?¡± ¡°Not just one. All you must do is decide on which.¡± Deathbringer took out the information he had requested in advance. As a result of those four natives putting their heads together, they managed to mark down the dragon¡¯s location on the map and drew several paths to it. ¡°Hey, Thief.¡± ¡°¡­there are like five Thieves here, you know?¡± He retorted to the Inquisitor''s stubborn words. However, all the displeasure on her face disappeared when she spoke again. ¡°Is he fine?¡± Well. Was he fine? Seeing that there hadn''t been any furthermotion or disturbances from the castle ever since they lit the torches¡­ was it okay to hope he was doing alright? ¡°¡­He¡¯s Mister Knight, after all.¡± The two turned their eyes from the obvious truth. They were 20 and 21. It was far too early for them to talk about the downfall of the person they admired most. * * * I checked the Window that had just popped up. (Rage). The effect of ¡®Nullifying all status conditions¡¯ was quite attractive, though the final line of its description was a bit disturbing. The more I perform certain actions, the more the madness gauge will fill up. What actions did they mean, and what would happen after the gauge was filled up? Moreover, I had no idea why this condition had suddenly appeared. If it was just because I got a little angry, shouldn¡¯t it have shown up long ago after I went through ¡®despair¡¯ and bouts of ¡®frustration¡¯? I also didn¡¯t know why Arcane Power was flowing out of my body even though I didn¡¯t want it to. It was even stranger because it was exiting my body through the arm the Demon was said to be sealed within. ¡°Give them to me.¡± However, although I didn¡¯t know why this happened, I could still use it. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± After checking my madness gauge, which was still resting at 0%, I looked back at the people standing silently before me, unable to ask even a single question. The moment I started smiling brightly again, the Arcane Power in my right arm burned even brighter in line with my intentions. The atmosphere around me was even more intense than usual. ¡°You won¡¯t?¡± Looking like that, I approached the person standing in the center of those three, Fo-something. He was about a span shorter than me, so when I was about 30 cm away from him, I had to lower my head a little to make eye contact. Even then, it didn¡¯t work out properly because the Fo-something guy was staring straight ahead, but anyway. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to answer?¡± For a moment, I wondered whether I should really be acting like that, but I calmed down when I saw the children shivering. How could I keep those kids in this ughterhouse when even the older civilians almost lost their minds? I should just push them like a tyrant would until they moved the children somewhere else. ¡°Who could stand in your way if Gretchen wishes for it? Please take whatever you want.¡± Fo-something answered me calmly. It seemed I had somehow seeded. However, I felt that if I continued acting like this, I would actually get used of being a Great Demon and end up with swords pointed at me. ¡°Then I¡¯ll only take the kids.¡± ¡°The kids. Understood.¡± ¡°Move them. I don¡¯t like open spaces.¡± ¡°The castle dungeons are empty. We shall move them there.¡± Hmm. From my point of view, I didn¡¯t think that anything resembling a prison would be a good ce to stay. It hurt my conscience to put kids in a ce like that. However, the risk of them getting caught up in something happening outside was simply too great¡­ Regarding their safety, there wouldn¡¯t be any better ce. ¡°You speak quite well.¡± I deliberately used my right arm, which was overflowing with Arcane Power, to brush away Fo-something¡¯s long hair. ¡°¡­I¡¯m honored.¡± Only then did Fo-something meet my gaze. Those ck eyes I could see this close for the first time were burning with an ambition and boldness that even an ignorant person would feel. ¡°What is your name?¡± I used the opportunity to ask his name again. I knew such an ambitious person would feel rather pleased with having his name remembered fondly by his superiors. ¡°It¡¯s Focalor, Sir Wrath.¡± ¡°Focalor.¡± And if a person of higher status asked for someone¡¯s name again, even though they should already know it, it would clearly mean something like, ¡®I have you in high regard, so I¡¯ll remember you.¡¯ As I¡®d expected, the look on Fo-something¡¯s, or rather Focalor¡¯s, face changed. My heart feltpletely cold as I witnessed his naked greed. Just what did he want¡ª No, it was actually pretty obvious. Strength and authority, and if I looked into it a little more, he probably wanted something like eternal life. Well, that was none of my business. The moment Focalor traded his homnd and its people¡¯s lives for his goals and created this mad world to butcher people mindlessly, his ambitions becamepletely iprehensible to me. I didn¡¯t know whether I was qualified to say this, but he would pay the price for his actions. As did anyone who ughtered people like this throughout the history of the world. * * * * * * ¡°Gretchen, I can show you something you¡¯d rather enjoy.¡± Those with no idea what I was thinking shook their tails before me in various ways. In particr, Naberius and Bifrons, who were of the same standing as Focalor. They seemed to prioritize pleasing a Great Demon over their own fear. ¡°How about going on a Hero hunt? She¡¯spletely isted within this city. Her colleagues are nothing but insignificant insects.¡± However, while Naberius only moved about excitedly and didn¡¯t open his mouth, Bifrons came forward quite boldly. I couldn¡¯t believe she would propose hunting a Hero for entertainment. Did she want to catch my eye that much? ¡°Hey.¡± After confirming the kids were being led away by the guards, I opened my mouth. ¡°Did you just ask me a question?¡± Asking for one¡¯s thoughts was also considered a question. Bifrons¡¯ face went pale as she realized her mistake. ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Bifrons is a Knight directly chosen by ¡®Greed¡¯. Please calm your anger.¡± However, before I could break Bifrons¡¯ neck, Naberius jumped into action. The new information he provided was a bonus. ¡°Greed chose her?¡± I looked down at Bifrons as if thinking, ¡®This?¡¯. Since I was already half-convinced that the Great Demons were based on the Seven Deadly Sins, I focused on the ¡®chosen by Greed¡¯ part. Alright. With this, I found out that the Great Demons probably selected the members of the 72 Knights. Or there was some kind of power structure among them. While I couldn¡¯t make use of that information now, it didn¡¯t hurt to know. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Well¡­¡± I mumbled slightly as I approached Bifrons. As she kept her head lowered, I began circling her step by step. ¡°But isn¡¯t that a pretty strange thing to ask of ¡®Wrath¡¯?¡± I circled her while debating whether I should cut her throat. Hmm, while cutting her throat would weaken their immediate power, I couldn¡¯t help but think about what would happen afterward. In other words, if I killed Bifrons, there was a greater chance they would go, ¡®You killed your teammate!¡¯ rather than, ¡®Oh well, can¡¯t be helped,¡¯ which would lead to them ordering my death somehow. ¡°Please have mercy.¡± ¡°Asking mercy from a Demon is also rather strange.¡± Of course, thanks to the nullification of any status abnormalities, I was able to ovee (Arcane Overload) and use my skills. However, I was a little worried that the madness gauge would rise if I tried it. From my extensive experience with fantasy works of any kind, I inferred thatbat was the most likely trigger for filling up the gauge. Furthermore, given the nuance of the word ¡®madness¡¯, it seemed I would go berserk or on a rampage if it were to fillpletely. It seemed this game went a different route from other works where only my damage (Attack power, critical hit chance, critical hit damage) would increase if I went berserk. As I thought, I shouldn¡¯t act carelessly. ¡°Gretchen, we have moved all the children.¡± At that moment, Focalor intervened. It was rather good timing for Bifrons. Not for me, though. ¡°Is that so?¡± Sigh, but since it would put the children¡¯s lives on the line, should I just stop here? It was pretty urgent, so I only went and saved the kids, but there were still so many civilians left in this ce. The problem was how they would react if I asked for the others to be given to me as well¡ª Kabooooooom!! Suddenly, the sound of a massive explosion reached my ears. It wasn¡¯t deafening, but it seemed to be some distance away. It didn¡¯te from inside the castle, at least. ¡°What?!¡± The three shocked people gave various instructions to the subordinates around them. Mostly to find out what was going on. Bifrons, who heard something from Naberius, looked at me and Focalor and immediately left the area. I didn¡¯t bother chasing after her. I had to find out what had happened. Roooooaaaar!!! But what was that roar that followed? It was very fierce and vicious, but it clearly came from a living being. ¡°Could it be the Dragon¡­?¡± Naberius, who was close to me, frowned. Only then did some of the puzzle piecese together in my head. ¡°Did you fail to take proper care of your little pet?¡± They said that all these people were sacrifices for the Dragon, but something seemed to have happened to it. ¡°I-It shouldn''t be a big deal. We thoroughly secured the area around the Dragon¡­¡± ¡°Divine Power!¡± Naberius¡¯ excuses didn¡¯tst long. Although we couldn¡¯t see the city from here because it was obscured by the castle, we could clearly see the pir of light rising from the other side. ¡°¡­The Hero?!¡± How could there be a pir of light made entirely out of Divine Power in a city filled with Demons? That was the only answer, in my opinion. My kids were alive and well! The corners of my mouth pulled my mouth into a sincere smile. ¡°It¡¯s be¡­ quite fun.¡± If that was what had really happened, then the situation waspletely different. I gave up worrying about the madness gauge and its implications. Now that the Inquisitor had begun the Dragon raid, there was no more need for me to sit still. ¡°You there.¡± ¡°Y-Yes?!¡± ¡°Please stop slitting the prisoners¡¯ throats.¡± More precisely, I shouldn¡¯t keep sitting still. I mean, in Raids, it was standard practice to block minions from joining the battle. After that, all I needed to do was help the Inquisitor. ¡°P-Pardon? A-Aah, that wasn¡¯t a question! I¡¯ll follow your instructions immediately!¡± I sneakily stopped the three members of the 72 Knights, who seemed to be part of the next wave, from collecting blood. I then walked up to Naberius, who was currently giving out orders to the soldiers, and put my arm around his shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m quite worried that I might be troubling you by not providing adequate service.¡± ¡°You¡¯re also pretty perceptive.¡± ¡°I¡¯m too undeserving of these words. I shall carry them in my heart for the rest of my life.¡± If I killed them here, the guards might realize I had betrayed them and start slitting people¡¯s throats again, so I would have to kill them on the way. As I disrupted Naberius¡¯mands, I followed the path Focalor and Bifrons had taken. And right as we left the castle and reached the entrance leading past the wall into the city¡­ I took away the arm I had wrapped around Naberius¡¯ shoulder. He caught up with Focalor and Bifrons without even realizing I had fallen behind. They were talking to an executive¡ªthe security captain or something¡ªwho had sensed something was wrong and rushed over. ¡°Focalor. What¡¯s the situation?¡± ¡°Naberius? Why didn¡¯t you stay in the castle¡­?¡± And three steps away from them¡­ ¡°It seems that Gretchen has agreed to¡ª¡± sh! ¡°¨CHuh?¡± A huge {sh} that seemed even rougher than usual cut everything 30 meters away from me. The sky between night and dawn was entirely dark, without even the moon¡¯s light shining down, blocking even the gushing streams of blood. ¡¸Madness Gauge: 1%¡¹ It truly was a pitch-ck night. Chapter 78: Don’t Do This (3) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 78 Don¡¯t Do This (3) ¡¸Madness Gauge: 1%¡¹ ¡¸? Fangs Aimed at Jacrati ? Liberate Ayu Hin ? Optional: Kill Vipurit¡¹ The three members of the 72 Knights, themander who was with them, and the dozens of soldiers behind them were cut down in a single [sh], which corresponded to 1%. It might be slow to fill as it was still in the early stages, but even considering that, it was quite worth using. The amount the gauge got filled by was less than I¡¯d expected. ¡°Phew¡­¡± Could I stop acting now? I thought it was safe enough for me to say that the Great Demon had gone home now. I checked the gazes of the sentries standing on the castle walls and the guards behind them. I also had to deal with Lukkwan, who might still be around here somewhere¡­ Shit, I would have to show them the scene of the Great Demon somehow so things wouldn¡¯t be awkwardter. I also had to consider that this information might reach the ears of the Demon Worshippers¡ªI might have to bluff my way out under the guise of the Great Demon. ¡°Urgh.¡± After finishing my calctions, I pressed a hand over the eye covered by the eyepatch and bent down. To give this a name, it would be the ¡®The Demon and Demon Knight are fighting for dominance¡¯ pose. Of course, extreme embarrassment overcame me right after. I was okay with ying as an unhinged person, but this transition scene was simply too much for me to endure. However, if I wanted to live, I had to ovee this. ¡°Phew.¡± Still, I was a professional roleyer! I kept going somehow. My body, which I¡¯d bent at the waist, straightened again. I immediately straightened my back, as well. When acting as the Great Demon, I deliberately didn''t straighten my backpletely, standing quite crookedly so anyone paying me even the slightest attention would notice the difference. Baaang! At that moment, I heard another explosion from a distance away¡ªRoaaaar¡ªfollowed by a dragon''s roar. It seemed the kids were doing a good job, given there was a lot more pain in that roar than the one before. In that case, I should probably clear out this castle. Based on that sound, the Inquisitor could hold on quite well, so it wouldn''t be too bad if I joined in a bitter. On the other hand, the enemies still left in the castle were a different matter. There weren''t only pirates here, but also Demon Contractors capable of casting curses and other spells through human sacrifices. And the civilians they could use as sacrifice. If left be, they might return to me as a lump of regret. Removing those bastards now would be a lot more convenient. So, I took a slight step back. Even after I unleashed that [sh], the scimitar remained enveloped in Arcane Power, giving off screeching sounds. ¡°Well¡­¡± Huh? What, someone survived this? The voice sounded too close to belong to one of the sentries atop the castle wall. I halted my steps and turned toward where the voice came from. Looking back, I saw someone whose upper and lower body had been cleaved apart wing at the dirt ground in anger. Focalor. Or was it Vipurit? ¡°You''ve done well.¡± No, but I just saw the Quest update. Why was he still alive? ¡°For a mere mortal¡­!¡± I swallowed down the absurdity I felt. At the same time, disappointment crept in. This guy was probably supposed to be the final boss¡­ While I may havended a surprise attack on them, it felt strange that he was done just like that. I felt empty because I technically skipped the boss fight. I kept wondering whether this was really fine or if this was really the end. But what about it? If this was just your run-of-the-mill game, I might have cursed out loud, but this was actually better for me right now. I had to move while keeping an eye on the Madness Gauge, and I was currently in a situation where every second counted. ¡°However, the Demon is still alive.¡± As such, I picked up a sword and brought it down on him without any hesitation. Stab! At that moment, the ughterer of the Yabad region and a traitor to humanity died as though cut off from his life source. Compared to what he had done and had been nning on doing, it was a rather insignificant end. However, I didn''t want to be disappointed about it. I could only criticize it from a gamer''s standpoint, but the end of a ughterer like him didn''t need to be dramatic or tragic. I picked up his severed head and tried to stuff it into my inventory. Since my client requested that I bring proof of his death, I intended to bring his entire head to simplify the verification process. Grab! Or that¡¯s what I had nned to do, had Focalor''s decapitated body not stretched out an arm and grabbed me. ¡°Heh, heh, hahaha!¡± No, rather, the more pressing issue was that the severed head was sporting a wide smile, or that something like tentacles were emerging from the severed neck. As such, an octopus with a human face came into being. ¡°¡­!¡± Wow, that was actually horrifying! I kicked away the hand holding onto my foot and threw away the head before it could wrap its tentacles around me. Swoosh! That wasn''t all. I swung my sword so fast that one might say it was by reflex. A barrage of shes tore apart the airborne head. While Ipletely ripped it apart, thin tentacles came out of the pieces, reached out to each other, and reattached themselves. To me, who was quite squeamish, this process looked absolutely disgusting. ¡°How hideous.¡± What the hell did that guy do to his body? What did he do to allow his head to knit itself together after being cut to pieces and then merge with his main body again? ¡°Hahahaha!!¡± This whole thing was even scarier because he wasughing like a madman. I delivered another barrage of shes with the sole intent of fully killing him before he could fully reattach his head to his body. ¡°It''s useless. The thing I did first after leaving thisnd waspletely removing this body from death.¡± However, as Focalor said after he finally stoppedughing, the tentaclesing from his bodypletely closed every wound and reattached his severed head once more, as well. My actions were meaningless. ¡¸Madness Gauge: 2%¡¹ Then what was I supposed to do? I lowered my scimitar. At that moment, Focalor''s recovery sped up even further. ¡°I don''t know how you managed to overwhelm the Great Demon again and take control of the body, but¡­ there''s no need for me to know.¡± ¡­I had to correct myself. Not only had he recovered, but he also began transforming. ¡°A Demon overpowered by a mere human isn''t worthy of respect, even if they are a Great Demon!¡± The skin on Focalor''s legs burst open, and tentacles resembling the legs of an octopus stretched out from them. They twisted around each other, forming something like the hind legs of a lion. They only formed rear legs. The front was carried by those tentacles, giving him a bizarre appearance. That wasn''t the only thing. Focalor''s upper torso twisted and let out crunching sounds before finally expanding. His body no longer seemed human. An exoskeleton covered his head like a helmet, eventually sporting horns and teeth. > [For those who desire to destroy my kingdom, only death awaits!] The sound his changed vocal cords produced spread out like waves. ¡¸??? ©¦???¡¹ ¡¸? Fangs Aimed at Jacrati ? Liberate Ayu Hin ? Eliminate Focalor: 0 / 1¡¹ * * * * * * I closed the useless Information and Quest Window and adjusted my stance. Since I already knew that [sh] wouldn''t work, I had no idea how I should fight that thing. Was I supposed to get a blunt weapon and crush it to bits? Or did I have to find some weak spot and attack it? Or should I burn it? Bang! Just as I briefly fell into thought, an attack came my way. Focalor stretched out the sprawling tentacles on his arm, shooting them toward me in a straight line. However, pration damage set aside, stabbing attacks had the clear disadvantage of being easy to read. I quickly jumped out of its attack path. Whoosh! One of the tentacles twisted into the spiral broke off from the rest to follow me. Stab! I somehow managed to avoid it by backstabbing once again. However, Focalor¡¯s tentacles didn¡¯t stop with that one attack, so I had to keep moving without even a break to catch my breath. > [For someone embraced by a Great Demon, you are rather insignificant, aren¡¯t you? Just jumping around like a mere animal in a desperate attempt to dodge my attacks!] Countless tentacles continued piercing the ground right before me, one after the other. As soon as I stepped back, a tentacle would pierce the ground where I had been standing. I didn¡¯t know whether these tentacles were indescribably hard or if the ground was soft, but the long appendages effortlessly and rapidly dug into the ground. > [Still, I must praise you for killing that annoying 24th rank.] Still, avoiding them wasn¡¯t that difficult. The maximum number of tentacles Focalor could move at once was seven. > [Well, I still have no intention of keeping you alive, though.] Furthermore, the length of those tentacles wasn¡¯t infinite, either. Earlier, I estimated their length as Focalor was monologuing to be about 15m. While it wasn¡¯t that helpful, knowing their length was limited wasn¡¯t a bad thing. > [I shall offer to you this unclean blood, this unclean flesh, and these unclean bones.] However, something wasn¡¯t right. Focalor, who had been attacking me from a distance¡ªI¡¯d backed away as far as I could to determine the length of his reach¡ªgrabbed the corpses around him using the tentacles. The tentacles that had been attacking me earlier now hung unmoving down his arms, like sleeves. > [Give me more strength.] Now that he¡¯d transformedpletely, I harbored some slight hope that my attacks might work. Or maybe if I used my Zweih?nder instead of the scimitar, it might have some effect. I tried to [sh] at him again with some expectations. Unfortunately, or obviously, my hopes were dashed. Although I managed to damage the corpses, it didn¡¯t inflict significant damage to Focalor. Even the ces where I cut off some tentacles just sprouted more. I intentionally tried attacks from various angles and severed various parts, but nothing was effective. > [Did you really think that would work?!] Shit. In that case, how was I supposed to kill him? I wondered if I really should have followed Hercules¡¯ example from when he fought the Hydra and used fire to deal with this thing. What happened next made me open my eyes wide. ¡°This can¡¯t be¡­¡± Not only did the skin on his belly split horizontally, but he also stuffed the corpse into that gash and somehow swallowed it. Was he performing cannibalism followed by human sacrifice? That was quite hard-hitting. I firmly gripped my Zweih?nder, keeping my eyebrows furrowed. While it was hard for me to stop himpletely, I couldn¡¯t let him fully consume the corpses. I at least had to chop them up and crush them into mush so it would be difficult for him to even bring them to his mouth without a shovel. > [How unseemly!] It was effective. The slippery tentacles couldn¡¯t grab ahold of those dismembered bodies, much less pick up the crushed intestines and spilled blood. ¡¸Madness Gauge: 3%¡¹ ¡¸Madness Gauge: 4%¡¹ ¡­Of course, that didn''t mean I feltfortable doing these things. I knew they were all extremely evil people, but did that give me the right to desecrate the dead? ¡¸Madness Gauge: 5%¡¹ I had to stop. I couldn¡¯t just keep on desecrating these corpses. If I didn¡¯t deal any damage to that guy, this fight would eventually lead to my defeat. My Arcane Power recovery speed was much faster than before¡ªI had no idea why¡ªso that was fine, but the same wasn¡¯t true for the filling of the Madness Gauge. It rose by three percent while I wasn¡¯t looking. I also needed to get fire from somewhere. I moved toward Focalor, who was greatly enraged. Thinking I was aiming for him, he sent a bunch of tentacles at me. However, I already vaguely understood how I should attack. Since I received assistance from the skill earlier, the cooldown wasn¡¯t over yet. I moved my body using my own power, thinking back to when I¡¯d magnificently yed around with those various flying monsters. The first tentaclended beneath my raised foot, and after I cleverly managed to avoid it, a second one approached me. As I cut it off by lightly spinning my sword, a third tentacle, bending slightly, aimed for my back. I twisted my waist just as it charged forward. It pierced the fluttering ends of my coat, passed through the air right in front of my chest, and pierced the ground. I grabbed it with my right arm and swung it around. As I flipped it over, swinging it like a skipping rope, I used it to hit the fourth tentacle. The fifth, I kicked off the ground. The sixth, I easily avoided the appendage while twisting my body in the air. The final seventh. I cut it off right before Focalor¡¯s face. I rotated my body once more and slid right behind Focalor. > [You slippery wretch¡­!] Was that still better than being a monster that was neither human nor Demon? I ran, turning my back to Focalor, insignificant worries upying my mind. Tak! I started climbing up the wall. p! The ends of my coat billowed upward as I raised my eyebrows. Before me was a guard who had seen both my dramatic acting and Focalor¡¯s transformation. He was simply standing there, trembling. ¡°I-I-I!¡± The guard only opened and closed his mouth, unable to say a single proper word. Would there be any good in keeping that guy alive? I pondered as I jumped over the castle wall. There was only one answer. Stab! There wasn¡¯t. The only people in this city whose lives deserved saving were the poor citizens caught up in this tragedy. ¡¸Madness Gauge: 6%¡¹ I struck down on the guard¡¯s head with my fist¡ªI already stabbed my sword into him¡ªand immediately turned my head. Atop the wall, I found a firece as expected. Burn. I lit a torch using the brazier ced atop the stove. > [The sight of you running away is truly pitiful!] I could hear a certain someone shouting below the castle wall,pletely unaware of what I was doing. He was voicing his disappointment. I tightly held onto the torch and checked Focalor¡¯s location. I could reach him from where I was. I grabbed one of the brazier¡¯s legs and lifted it. Bang! Then, once it reached the wall, I threw the brazier into the air and kicked it. The loose firewood inside of it floated into the air before pouring down on him. > [A mere mortal dares¡­!] The fire raining down on him from above made Focalor curse out. However, he couldn¡¯t avoid all the embers and firewood, and that was more than enough for me. Focalor couldn¡¯t recover from the burns right away. The tentacles writhed as though shuddering the moment the fire touched them, and the flesh simply shriveled up without recovering, like pieces of grilled meat. That proved it. ¡°I¡¯ll roast you until you turn into charcoal, you insect.¡± I plunged down my body, torch in hand. ¡¸Madness Gauge: 7%¡¹ The intense scarlet tint dyed even my gray eye a reddish hue. Chapter 79: Don’t Do This (4) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 79 Don¡¯t Do This (4) The Inquisitor held her mace tightly as the Dragon continued to fight back fiercely despite being bound. Would this have gone any differently had she brought her shield with her? Such useless thoughts flitted through her mind momentarily, but she immediately discarded them. If she was weak enough for something like that to defeat her just because she didn''t have a shield, she shouldn''t have embarked on this journey to begin with. ¡°Oh, almighty Lord.¡± She drew on more and more Divine Power. What followed was the expected pain, akin to fire flowing through her veins and roasting her skin from within. If she could rid all evil from this world by sacrificing her body, if she would have to use herself as a wick to burn away the world''s darkness¡­ Then she would dly burn up her own body. ¡°Your faithful servant is before you.¡± She would offer anything. ¡°Please use me as your tool to return order to this world.¡± She would even offer herself for the peace and safety of others. ¡°So, I beg of you, save the pure and innocent.¡± The Divine Power that had been swirling around her since the fight began now flooded the entire area. Rooooaaaaar! The first to be struck by this intense wave of Divine Power was the Dragon, who couldn¡¯t escape due to its restraints. Its scales began to melt, and its skin began to burn. The unclean scent rising from it was being Purified. The same was true for the blood-soaked ground beneath it. ¡°Uwaaargh!¡± Those who¡¯d made pacts with Demons were also affected. Those who¡¯d rushed here to eliminate the intruders simply fell to the ground and writhed in pain, unable to use their skills. Had they received any significant power from the contract, they might have been able to struggle more. However, they all simply turned into mere practice targets. ¡°Shit, what the hell happened?!¡± ¡°You bastard thieves!¡± On the other hand, those who hadn¡¯t made any contracts with Demons and remained human were better off. They didn¡¯t feel the Divine Power¡¯s warmth but weren¡¯t negatively affected by it, either. ¡°Jeez, just die already.¡± Of course, whether they could handle the thieves personally buffed by the Inquisitor was another matter. ¡°There are too many of them! Hey, when will that Dragon drop dead?!¡± However, their situation wasn¡¯t necessarily advantageous. Thieves held an advantage in battles involving sneak attacks, but they couldn¡¯t make full use of their abilities in a head-on fight like this one. If not for the buff, the Inquisitor would have had to work hard to keep those guys alive all this time. ¡°¡­Just hold on a bit longer.¡± That overwhelming pain even stole the moisture in her throat. After tightly clenching her dry throat to respond, she firmly advanced toward the Dragon, which was looking straight at her. It seemed to have realized that they had reached a decisive moment as it lowered its head, which it had held high until now. This would be its first andst opportunity. A massive ball of mes burst from the Dragon¡¯s maw. ¡°Uwaaaaah!¡± At that moment, the Inquisitor started rushing toward it, as well. Extreme heat was approaching her, but she wasn¡¯t afraid of it in the slightest. After all, she would always set herself ame for the sake of others. Thus, a Hero d in white light threw herself into the fire. The mes that managed to prate her Divine Power licked her skin and roasted her muscles. However, Divine Power also had healing aspects. The burned skin would heal instantly, and her muscles would recover with even more strength than before. The ashen dust falling off her almost seemed like shards of light. ¡°Justice to defy the unjust!¡± Defying the Demonic mes, she firmly stomped on the ground. Bam! She crossed through the fire with her mace raised andnded atop the Dragon¡¯s head. ¡°For rightful retribution!!¡± Baaang! A nged mace of several iron des struck the Dragon¡¯s upper jaw. The scales there shattered, and its head mmed into the ground. There was a series of tremors so enormous that both the heavens and earth seemed to shake. The force that had hit the Dragon¡¯s head didn¡¯t just m it against the ground but also created a crater. The red-haired Hero finally raised her head from the thoroughly crushed Dragon¡¯s skull. Rumble! ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Th-The castle!¡± ¡°Hey, looks like something¡¯s happening in the castle!¡± At that moment, a loudmotion suddenly came from the castle. The Inquisitor¡¯s green eyes started to sparkle for a second as she held some hope that the Demon Knight was the cause. ¡°¡­Was the real monster actually inside the castle?¡± However, what she saw instead was a tentacle monster that seemed poised to devour the entire castle. ¡°Die¨CArgh!¡± Stab! She spotted the thieves taking care of several pirates they¡¯d overlooked before. However, only one among them was a Curety with dark green hair, so he was very easy to spot. ¡°Get ready!¡± Their original n had been to kill the Dragon before escaping the city to wait for their main forces¡­ However, that n had gone out of the window. After confirming that a pitch-ck [sh] was cutting through the beast, she shouted toward them. ¡°We¡¯re going to the castle!¡± As she had expected, they hadn¡¯t yet defeated the Demon Knight. * * * Was it because I usually only fought with a single sword and no shield or anythingparable? For the first time, I realized fighting with multiple weapons was insanely annoying. Especially since the weapon wasn¡¯t small like a dagger and had fire burning at its end. Why, you ask? Fire always tends to burn upward, right? And its heat affects everyone, be they friend or foe. Because of these aspects, handling this torch was really difficult. > [You dirty rat!] However, this was the only weapon that could damage my opponent, so what else could I do but endure? I ran along the castle¡¯s outer wall. That monster had grown evenrger than before. If it chose to head to the central garden for more sacrifices, I wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything to stop it. Wasn¡¯t the reason it grew sorge because I couldn¡¯t stop it from gobbling up all the dead guards? If it drank all that blood gathered in the central garden, things would be even more troublesome, wouldn¡¯t it? Well, even now, those Demon Contractors who came here after hearing themotion were trying to help by buffing that thing or sending over some Gargoyles. Kyaaargh! However, thetter were more of a hindrance than anything though. Tentacles were flying at me from all directions, which actually prevented those flying Demons from reaching me. Moreover, they would collide with each other and block the tentacles¡¯ paths, repeatedly giving me more breathing room. Therger Focalor¡¯s body became, the more these things urred. ¡°Uwaaargh!¡± ¡°How could you do this to us!¡± > [You can help me by offering me your flesh and blood.] And regarding the former, only a few buffs reached that thing as the casters wanting to provide support were devoured mercilessly. It was seemingly more efficient for it just to stick those guys into its maw and digest them than to receive their buffs. Consequently, the Demon Contractors, who were rather averse to getting eaten, rushed to escape and stopped their buffing attempts. Either way, it was fairly beneficial for me. ¡°Kuargh!¡± I swung around my sword as I watched yet another person be caught by that monster through a window. The fierce [sh] severed the tentacle holding said person, leaving a clear scar on the castle wall. ¡°Uwaaargh!¡± Bam! Ah, to be clear, preventing people from entering Focalor¡¯s second mouth and saving them from falling were two separate things. Why should I spare the lives of those who weren¡¯t innocent civilians but instead reaped all the benefits while working under someone in league with Demons? ¡¸Madness Gauge: 19%¡¹ Moreover, no matter how I looked at it, I simply couldn¡¯t catch everyone who fell and bring them somewhere safe. It was difficult enough for me to cut those tentacles while avoiding Focalor¡¯s attacks and all these monsters. I also had to reach those wounds as fast as possible with my torch and burn them. There was also my constantly rising Madness Gauge! I kicked the outer wall, feeling great urgency as if I couldn¡¯t wait any longer. The tentacles aiming for me narrowly missed my body. I was rather lucky. > [How long do you think you can continue this charade?!] Of course, it was also true that if I jumped off the outer wall of the seven-story castle, the only thing awaiting me would be a fall into the depths. But who was I? A gamer who thoroughly experienced aerial battles over the ocean. I could see perfect stepping stones everywhere around me. ¡°I¡¯ll put an end to your miserable life.¡± I stepped on the maw of a Gargoyle trying to bite me and fired a small-scale [sh] at the tentacle approaching me from a different angle. I cut it but didn¡¯t sever itpletely. And the thing I¡¯d hoped for actually happened. Since I hadn¡¯t cut it offpletely, instead of a new one growing, it simply regenerated to seal the injury. That brief recovery gave me enough time to use it as a stepping stone. While regenerating, the tentacle wouldn¡¯t move ording to the main body¡¯s will. > [You lowly bastard!] As such, I could freely traverse through the air without having my ankles grabbed. While other tentacles came after me, it wasn¡¯t much of a problem. Two of those tentacles were torn off by some of the flying Demons. Some couldn¡¯t even recover anymore because I¡¯d held my torch at the torn-off parts. > [I am the ruler of thisnd and thend beyond the sea! Soon, I will climb to the position of Demon King and be the one and only ruler of this whole world!] Yeah, sure. Do whatever you want. I didn¡¯t really know if that was possible for him, though. I didn¡¯t even ask him anything, but this person kept going on about his ambitions in such detail that it made me want to plug my ears. I didn¡¯t have time for any of that, and it would be a disaster if I really did, so I didn¡¯t even try. > [But why aren¡¯t you dying, you lowly mortal?!] Well, that was actually what I wanted to say. The torch had already gone out three times while I was attempting to burn the cuts. That was how many tentacles I¡¯d already sliced off. However, so many of Focalor''s tentacles were still left since he could even regenerate those parts I¡¯d burned by cutting himself. He was such an annoying boss. ¡¸Madness Gauge: 20%¡¹ I felt annoyance and frustration rise within me every time I shed with this enemy who wasn''t a good match for me. Honestly, I just wanted to throw him into a pit of oil. If I set that guy on fire inside of something like that, he wouldn''t be able to regenerate anymore. ¡¸Madness Gauge: 21%¡¹ No, was that really so impossible? Damn, if I knew where the kitchen was, I¡¯d have taken all the oil they had and poured it all over him. If I did that, wouldn''t he burn quite nicely if I set him on fire? ¡¸Madness Gauge: 22%¡¹ Tch, when did my Madness Gauge go over 20%? Even as I clicked my tongue, I didn''t stop moving and narrowly avoided another attack. I bounced up and climbed onto the castle¡¯s roof before spinning around. The slightly angled roof was a bit slippery, but it was still better than moving along the 90-degree wall. At least I wouldn¡¯t fall the moment I stood still. ¡°Phew.¡± This was a great opportunity, actually, to attack my enemy while also enjoying a stable foothold without having to rely on my physical strength. An opportunity like this wasn¡¯t easy toe by when fighting an enemy actively climbing the walls. Not wanting to waste this chance, I poured my Arcane Power into my sword. As my Arcane Power recovery speed had massively increased, this much wasn¡¯t a burden to me. Just as the tentacles repositioned themselves to strike me, I suddenly threw the torch into the air and rushed right at Focalor. > [Foolish!] Naturally, he wildly waved around his arms and tentacles as though wanting to seize this valuable opportunity. sh! However, before his attacks could reach me, the [sh] I¡¯d sent out beforehand cut through Focalor¡¯s body. The same was true for the tentacles in its way, as well. > [I already told you it¡¯s useless!] Thin, thread-like things protruded from the cuts and began reconnecting the severed pieces. Step! However, before he couldpletely regenerate, I stepped onto his chest. Some of the tentacles he¡¯d regenerated wrapped around my ankles and waist. Some cut me lightly or prated through my skin. I could see my HP falling. ¡°Die.¡± However, I¡¯d expected to lose that much. I shed my sword straight down. [Ground Crash]. The skill I was using for the first time in quite a while wildly sent out energy in all directions. > [Urgh!] A pitch-ck energy split apart the darkness of night, spreading everywhere. The tentacles wrapped around me, the body I was stepping on, and the Demons flying within my range were no exception. > [You bastard!] However, I didn¡¯t use [Ground Crash] only because it was an omnidirectional attack: it also had a knockback effect. Focalor¡¯s body peeled off the outer wall and began to fall. Well, I knew he wouldtch onto it again soon with his tentacles. It made little sense to remove the tentaclestched onto every windowsill. However, it was still enough to briefly keep him from reaching the central garden for now. In the worst-case scenario, he might bounce all the way back onto the roof. If that were to happen, I just had to rush him and use the same skill again. That would be enough to stop Focalor for now. Of course, I was a bit worried that the torch might also get caught by the shock wave and go out. Catch. I caught the torch I¡®d thrown earlier and readjusted my stance, sword in hand. sh! The Harpy rushing toward me from the sky was immediately split in two, its halves rolling down the roof. Then, something strange caught my eye. * * * * * * > [I¡¯ll kill you!] ¡°¡­His wounds aren¡¯t healing?¡± The diagonal cut from earlier hadn¡¯tpletely healed yet, even though I hadn¡¯t even burned the cut. Whatever the cause, it surpassed his body¡¯s regenerative power and allowed me to cleave him in half. ¡¸Madness Gauge: 24%¡¹ No, how could I just cut him in half? I had to tear him limb from limb. He bothered me so much, after all. ¡¸Madness Gauge: 25%¡¹ Still, it saved me the trouble of scrambling to get some oil. I gracefully dealt with the two approaching Demons, smoothly advancing a step forward. Daring to step into empty air, I soon paid the price. My body started falling vertically, the torch¡¯s me leaving behind a long light trail in the dark blue evening air. ¡®Die.¡¯ ¡¸Madness Gauge: 26%¡¹ However, that was my intention. After cutting through the tentacles blocking my way, I burned Focalor¡¯s shoulder with the torch. The acrid smell of burned charcoal and pained screams melded together. And in the middle of all that, after a silence that seemed to take an eternity, I used my skill, shaking the ground below us. Baaang! > [Wh-Why!] The split torch sent sparks flying in all directions. Finally, Focalor¡¯s heavy body fell to the ground. He was still trying to attack me, but the recovery speed of his tentacles had visibly slowed. > [How did things end up like this?!] Was this what one called ast hurrah? Focalor, realizing his regenerative powers were dwindling, went berserk and attacked me even more fiercely. As if trying to reflect his emotions, his offense had grown even more intense, using more than seven tentacles covered in an exoskeleton. The sky was full of flying Demons waiting for their chance. > [This can''t be happening! It wasn''t supposed to be like this!] However, all that aside, I was still a lot faster. I had nothing more to say about that. I sent out a [sh] filled with Arcane Power. I used less power than before, which was probably why the wound I inflicted healed without a trace. It seemed attacks containing too little Arcane Power weren¡¯t effective at all. > [I''m different than the others. I''m a far moreplete being than Bifrons, who only knew how to rampage to achieve sess despite being from the bottom ranks, and even superior to Naberius, who abandoned his position in pursuit of Demonic Energy!] At that moment, his arms, which had grown evenrger, hit the spot I had been. Part of the castle wall copsed, creating a gaping hole. He really had some formidable strength. However, his movements were so big that avoiding them was basically child¡¯s y. > [There is no way I will be defeated by you, someone who was merely lucky to be a Great Demon¡¯s vessel!] What the hell was he talking about? I didn¡¯t bother listening to Focalor¡¯s ramblings properly and prepared for the next attack. ¡®If hitting him with weaker attacks doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll just have to hit him harder.¡¯ ¡¸Madness Gauge 29%¡¹ As the scimitar gave off a screeching sound, pitch-ck energy instantly flooded the de. Each time more ck energy was put inside of it, the sword rattled. I did this solely for that monster before me. > [This is my kingdom, my throne!!] It seemed he wasn¡¯t that much of a fool. I had to avoid tidal waves of tentaclesing at me from all around as I moved forward and gathered my strength. The castle was behind me, Focalor was before me, and solid ground was beneath me, leaving few directions I could dodge into. I nted my feet on the castle¡¯s outer wall and began running again. > [Don¡¯t annoy me further and just dieeeee!] And just when I felt my body getting pulled down by gravity, I kicked the wall. Ipletely forgot about the Demons following after me. Those things couldn¡¯t even dare to kill ¡®me¡¯. ¡®Straight down, focused on one point.¡¯ ¡¸Madness Gauge: 31%¡¹ I twisted my body as though performing an acrobatic flip, changing my head¡¯s position from upward to downward. There was a sea of tentacles just below me, and beyond them was my goal. The Demons in the sky let out a long howl. ¡®Die.¡¯ ¡¸Madness Gauge: 34%¡¹ My vision turned red as the massive sword in my hand moved forward. ¡¸Madness Gauge: 39%¡¹ The world was cut apart. * * * Flop. I lost all my strength andnded on some severed tentacles. The legs I¡¯d momentarily bent to distribute the burden on my ankles straightened again as the fluttering ends of my coat settled down. > [Why¡­ why¡­?] I desperately lifted the broken scimitar. The clouds cleared slightly, letting through faint moonlight that illuminated the scimitar¡¯s remains. Unlike before, it wasn¡¯t merely broken: the entire de had shattered into pieces. One couldn¡¯t even call it a de anymore. > [Everything must be in my hands. That¡¯s why I even kneeled before Satan and Helel.] A sword without a de wasn¡¯t of any more use. As such, I threw away the sword that only had its hilt left. > [Why?] And then I saw what was before me. Everything seemed slightly out of alignment. The same was true for Focalor. He had a clean cut from his left shoulder to his lower body. The tentacles tried to cleave the two halves together again somehow, but the regeneration speed was worlds away from what it had been before. > [I-I¡¯m not yet defeated.] Despite that, Focalor didn¡¯t give up. He raised his arms and tried to swat at me. > [I will never give up my power¨C!] Just as he was about to hit me¡­ > [Irk, iiirk!] However, his arms couldn¡¯t reach me. It was very sweet seeing his arms shake midair like that as if something was blocking them. > [Why¡­ why!!] His screaming almost sounded like music to me. Should I listen to him a bit more? > [Everything must be mine!!] Nah, I should get this over with. ¡®Now, I can finally clean up this castle.¡¯ ¡¸Madness Gauge: 48%¡¹ There were still a lot of mobs I had to kill, right? ¡¸? Fangs Aimed at Jacrati ? Liberate Ayu Hin ? Eliminate Focalor: 0 / 1¡¹ Chapter 80: Don’t Do This (5) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 80 Don¡¯t Do This (5) My vision was redder than it was earlier. I felt a little puzzled by this but soon put it aside. I thought it might just be because of my mood, and even if it wasn¡¯t, it was probably because of some blood stters at most. Well, it wasn¡¯t that inconvenient. Moreover, there was too much to do to pay attention to something like that. ¡°Run away!¡± ¡°Kuwaaargh!¡± I mean, as one could see. Weren¡¯t there still a ton of bugs scurrying around all over the ce? Ah, wait, they weren¡¯t bugs, but people. I was so absorbed in my Demon Knight roleying that I¡¯d confused my words. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡®But isn''t it fine to call them bugs? They¡¯re so ugly.¡¯ I pierced through the back of the guy who was attempting to run away from me. The scimitar had broken, and using the Zweih?nder inside was fairly difficult, so I had no choice but to use my bare hands. ¡°Am I acting too cruel?¡± I pulled out the guy¡¯s heart and crushed it. It was a little disgusting, but I wondered what else was wrong with this. I simply stabbed them with either my hand or a sword. And who were they? Weren¡¯t they ughterers? ughters who destroyed this city, the cities around it, and many viges,pletely massacring the people living within them. To people like that, even death was nothing less than a luxury. They had to be brought to a far more miserable state, shredded to the point where it would be impossible to reassemble their parts. ¡¸Madness Gauge: 54%¡¹ For something like that, using my bare hands was a lot more convenient. Even without a weapon, those guys copsed to the ground and died easily¡­ Also, tearing them apart one by one was much easier with my hands than with a sword. ¡¸Madness Gauge: 57%¡¹ But when did my Madness Gauge exceed 50%? I fell into deep confusion after finding that out. Of course, I couldn¡¯t just stop what I was doing over feeling a little concerned, so I didn¡¯t forget to catch the guy trying to get away from me. ¡®It doesn¡¯t really matter. There doesn¡¯t seem to be anything particrly wrong with me.¡¯ I split apart his back using my fingers. Four marks were left behind, almost like scratch marks that an animal might have left behind, allowing glimpses at his bones and internal organs. It was quite a sight. Those marks, that is. ¡°I got dirty.¡± I suddenly realized my hands were exceedingly dirty. Blood and crushed flesh were sticking to them. I knew the grime would get automatically cleanedter, but it still felt unpleasant. Should I have just taken a random sword to kill those guys? ¡®But if those guys hadn¡¯t been here in the first ce, wouldn¡¯t I have stayed clean?¡¯ ¡¸Madness Gauge: 60%¡¹ I couldn¡¯t shake that feeling. ¡®It¡¯s because of those guys. They¡¯re the cause of all this.¡¯ It felt like a grumpy person was wildly shouting these things in the back of my head,pletely changing cause and effect. ¡°You bastards.¡± Of course, I knew these guys weren¡¯t to me. But despite knowing that, my anger just wouldn¡¯t let up. That¡¯s how powerful the irritation I felt was. ¡°Die, all of you.¡± So, what else could I do? I had no choice but to kill them. ¡°Kuargh!¡± ¡°Aaargh!¡± ¡°Kehek.¡± ¡¸Madness Gauge: 61%¡¹ ¡¸Madness Gauge: 62%¡¹ ¡¸Madness Gauge: 63%¡¹ I moved and annihted every person I came across, crushing their necks and trampling their internal organs. There was no real need for me to look around as they were all people who deserved to die anyway, so I just vented my anger on them. ¡°Open! Open the door!¡± ¡°Those damned bastards blocked the door from the other side!¡± ¡°Do something!¡± ¡°You pirate bastards, go and buy us some time!¡± ¡°The hell? What are we supposed to do against a guy who¡¯s ripping through people with just his hands?!¡± Then, I came across a familiar hallway. It seemed to be the path leading to the central garden¡­ It seemed those viins¡¯ shallow bonds caused something to happen. I chuckled as I watched those guys struggling with the closed doors. ¡°H-He¡¯sing!¡± Sending a [sh] their way was the most efficient way to kill them all. However, I didn¡¯t know if it would work without a proper weapon. I quickly looked around to see if there was anything around that I could swing. ¡®My hand?¡¯ My bare hand suddenly caught my eye. It wouldn''t be that strange. After all, I could break rocks and even more insane things with this body so long as it was enveloped in Arcane Power. If one thought of them as vessels to contain Arcane Power, there wasn¡¯t much difference between a sword and a part of one¡¯s body. In that case, it wouldn¡¯t matter what I emitted Arcane Power with, either. Arcane Power began to sizzle in my hands. ¡°Damn it, we can¡¯t just stand there and die¡ª!¡± I gently waved one of my arms diagonally. Immediately after, a massive, rough [sh] was sent out from it, seemingly a bit less stable than when I used it with a sword. sh! However, it was equal in power. All the guys huddled in the back of that hallway got sliced apart. ¡¸Madness Gauge: 64%¡¹ A vague sense of pleasure climbed up my spine. Crash. However, it didn¡¯t stop there. Even the door leading to the garden was cut down. Beyond it, I could see said central garden. ¡°H-He¡¯s here!¡± ¡°Prepare to attack!¡± ¡°Just follow the n!¡± I had wondered where all the Demon Contractors had gone, but they seemed to all be cowering here. I nced at the magic circle drawn on the floor before looking back to the Demon Contractors. Their aims were painfully obvious. It seemed they wanted to get rid of me for good, considering the blood and sacrifices piled up here. ¡°What are you doing? Why aren¡¯t you pouring in Demonic Energy?!¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s not working.¡± Anyway, there seemed to be a problem: they couldn¡¯t use Demonic Energy. That somewhat cooled my intentions of waiting and seeing what evil n they¡¯d prepared. ¡°I-It¡¯s no use. What the hell is going on¡­?!¡± ¡°¡­The Great Demon. The Great Demon wants to kill us.¡± How rude. I hadn¡¯t even done anything that could be described as Demonic yet. Furthermore, my setting was that I had a Demon sealed in my body, but my body itself wasn¡¯t that of a Demon. ¡°Did the rest all run away?¡± Still, it was kind of fun seeing my enemies dying so helplessly. Realizing their attack wouldn¡¯te, I just lightly waved my arm in the direction of those guys trying to flee. sh! Like that, dozens of people lost their lives simultaneously. Were humans always so weak? ¡°Hah.¡± ¡¸Madness Gauge: 65%¡¹ They were so weak that I couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°U-Urgh¡­¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± What was that¡­? I pursed my lips when I saw prisoners strewn all over the garden. I nearly walked past them without noticing because they were lying t against the ground, almost like insects. ¡®Should I kill them?¡¯ I was shocked at that thought but quickly shook it off. These were the people I came to save. They weren¡¯t targets for me to kill. ¡®Really?¡¯ ¡­It should have been like that. I pinched the bridge of my nose. I felt a little strange. I wasn¡¯t sure, but since earlier¡­ My head was a bit¡­ ¡®Now isn¡¯t the time.¡¯ ¡­I wasn¡¯t sure. I felt a bit tired, so maybe that was why. It could also be an effect of that Madness Gauge leaving my mind so dazed. ¡°Leave.¡± I tore off the people¡¯s shackles, deeply conscious of that sinking feeling within me. Once I¡¯d grasped how to do it, pouring Arcane Power into my hands wasn¡¯t so difficult. ¡°U-Uwaargh!¡± However, why did they scream every time I tried to help them? That made me feel bad. Those I¡¯d released just fled without looking back once. They didn¡¯t even thank me a little. That felt a bit unpleasant. ¡®If they hate me so much without any reason, maybe I should give them one.¡¯ I thought about giving them a real reason to be so afraid of me, but I held back. I couldn¡¯t harm innocent civilians. That was against my ethical code. Since it was like that¡­ I, that¡­ ¡¸Madness Gauge: 66%¡¹ ¡¸Madness Gauge: 67%¡¹ That? ¡¸Madness Gauge: 68%¡¹ So annoying and unpleasant. Everything felt so irritating now. I clearly remembered things had been fun up until now. ¡¸Madness Gauge: 69%¡¹ I felt something hot rising within me. Annoyance. No, fury. Wouldn¡¯t it be good if everyone before me just disappeared? Or should I just kill each and every one? Would it lessen this unpleasant sensation if I tore off all their limbs, dug out their internal organs, scattered them all over the ground, and burned them to ashes? ¡¸Madness Gauge: 70%¡¹ I didn¡¯t know why, but I was just filled with this incessant ¡®wrath¡¯. It was like a fire that would never go out, even if it set the whole world aze. My vision became even redder. * * * * * * The Inquisitor somehow reached the castle while dealing with waves of Demons. At some point, however, those Demons began escaping rather than engaging them in battle, so it became easier. ¡°Are Demons beings that would just run away for no apparent reason?¡± ¡°¡­No. Demons usually don¡¯t flee like this.¡± Demons wouldn¡¯t typically run away, except for one reason. ¡°Everyone, take up your arms. And¡­ If something happens, prepare to run away without ever looking back.¡± There was only one reason they would run: when an overwhelmingly stronger, higher-ranking Demon tried to hunt them down. ¡°What?¡± The closer the Inquisitor got to the castle, the more unpleasant and creepier it became. She could faintly see a garden behind the castle¡¯s broken facade. ¡°Looks like the ground over there has been ripped up in a straight line, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°True¡­ Who did that?¡± They approached the garden following this unnatural trail. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± The first to see whaty ahead was Deathbringer, who had the keenest eyes and superior night vision. ¡°¡­This is terrible.¡± However, he couldn¡¯t say anything more, so another thief spoke on his behalf. The Inquisitor, whose eyes were just so-so and had poor night vision, stared into the darkness for a while. ¡°I can¡¯t see anything. What is it?¡± ¡°¡­Demon corpses.¡± She walked further ahead without lowering her guard. After she took three more steps, the thief added a few more words. ¡°Torn into hundreds of tiny pieces.¡± Only then did she see whaty ahead in the garden. There were traces of a gigantic Demon shredded into minced meat. What made it even more terrifying was that this had been aplished with a sharp de instead of a blunt weapon like a mace. The clean and straight cuts were proof of that. ¡°¡­Who did this?¡± One of the thieves spoke to themselves. And the answer to that question was someone both the Inquisitor and Deathbringer knew very well. They hadn¡¯t seen it with their own eyes, but they were certain. ¡°Mister Knight, probably.¡± Only that man could do something like this, considering the gigantic cuts carved into the ground. A veil of silence fell over the group. ¡°Let¡¯s enter.¡± They silently passed through the garden and entered the castle. It was so dark that even the faint moonlight which had been illuminating their way had disappeared, leaving it difficult to make anything out. ¡°I don¡¯t feel any signs of life. Could you turn on the light?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Tak, tak, crackle. After a few tries, the oil inside themp caught fire. At the same time, the dark world was dyed scarlet. The stone walls, the tattered carpet on the floor, and the ceiling; there was blood everywhere, along with its former owners. ¡°¡­!!¡± Truthfully, this sight wasn¡¯t new to them. If the Demon Knight had been the one to kill all the Demons outside before heading inside, there was no way he would leave the rest alone. Because these people had all sold their souls for wealth and fame. However¡­ ¡°Mister Knight would never kill anyone that cruelly.¡± Deathbringer felt some doubt. The methods of the Demon Knight he knew and the method in which these corpses were killed were very different. The Demon Knight couldn¡¯t be called merciful by any means, but he at least tended to send people to the afterlife in a single attack. Also, his used weapon was always a sword, no matter whether it was a short sword or a long sword. If he didn¡¯t use a sword, it was often to subdue someone, though he might break one of the person¡¯s limbs in the process. ¡°They¡­ weren¡¯t killed with a sword.¡± However, when he analyzed these corpses¡¯ cause of death, it appeared they weren¡¯t killed with a sword, but rather¡­ ¡°Were they killed with bare hands?¡± He believed they were killed with bare hands. ¡°Hands?¡± ¡°The cuts are too rough to have been made with a de. There are many four-pronged wounds. Most of all, this person¡­ had their heart ripped out.¡± The wound was too big and too rough for it to have been cut out with a knife or de. No weapon he knew of could inflict such wounds. ¡°Mister Knight knows how to strengthen his body with Arcane Power¡­ So, him putting Arcane Power into his hands would exin how he tore out this person¡¯s heart.¡± Of course, he didn¡¯t know whether this was possible. Before meeting the Demon Knight, he¡¯d never seen someone capable of using Arcane Power like that. However, if it was the Demon Knight he¡¯d witnessed, particrly that time he danced in the sky, it didn¡¯t seem impossible. ¡°Can you not do that?¡± ¡°¡­If you ask like that, I¡¯d say it¡¯s possible.¡± He became even more sure when the Inquisitor, who was simr in strength to the Demon Knight, confirmed it was possible. ¡°¡­We¡¯ll have to be prepared.¡± Seeing the dead Demons, they concluded that the Demon hadn¡¯t taken over the Demon Knight. However, there were just too many suspicious points for them to consider him on their side. The Inquisitor pursed her lips at Deathbringer¡¯s words. For some reason, her instincts as an inquisitor were ringing rm bells in her head. ¡°Wait, I can hear people running.¡± Then, one of the thief''s ears perked up. They didn¡¯t hear wrong. Soon, a group of people began appearing before them from one side. The Inquisitor standing at the forefront held up her shield. The shield¡¯s identity was a part of her armor used as a decoration. ¡°Who are you!¡± ¡°Aah, p-please, help us!¡± The Inquisitor looked with fierce eyes over the faces of those running toward them. She couldn¡¯t feel any Demonic Energy from them, and their clothes were shabby. Just like the ves they¡¯de across, one of whom they¡¯d taken to their hiding ce. ¡°We came here to kill Vipurit. Who are you?¡± ¡°W-W-We¡­¡± However, one could never know. She knew of those corrupt priests who held no Divine Power and even those who went as far as hiding inside the Temple. That was why the Inquisitor decided never to let her guard down. ¡°They¡¯re safe.¡± This would have continued for quite some time had a familiar voice not spoken in their stead. ¡°You¡¯re¡­!¡± Was her name Lukkwan? The Inquisitor clearly remembered that she went here together with the Demon Knight. ¡°You¡¯re alive!¡± All of them had thought she was dead. Had the Demon Knight fallen for a trap, it would have been quite difficult for Lukkwan to survive through her own strength. ¡°Lukkwan!¡± ¡°Big Sis, you¡¯re alive.¡± However, she returned alive. She managed to survive safely. The Inquisitor momentarily felt relieved by this small bit of luck. ¡°I was lucky.¡± Meanwhile, Lukkwan approached them with aplicated expression on her face and gestured toward the people. ¡°There are many things I want to tell you, but first¡­ These people were going to be used as sacrifices. They¡¯re safe.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± They weren¡¯t close enough to have absolute faith in each other, but their rtionship wasn¡¯t shallow enough to be wholly without trust. The Inquisitor decided to believe Lukkwan¡¯s words and lowered her shield. The people watching from behind let out a sigh of relief and showed some unrest. ¡°W-We have to run away.¡± Then, one of them finally mustered the courage to speak. Those words seemed strange to them. ¡°Is there something inside of this ce?¡± ¡°Th-There¡¯s a monster¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to kill us all.¡± ¡°Please get us out of here!¡± When she asked them, their reactions were almost hysterical. ¡°Kill you all¡­ What do you mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re talking about the Demon Knight.¡± However, when the reality she¡¯d expected but wasn¡¯t prepared for suddenly struck her, the Inquisitor couldn¡¯t help but be as shocked as everyone else. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ be strange.¡± The Inquisitor gripped her mace tightly. * * * To kill, or not to kill. But I want to kill. But why? I didn¡¯t know. I was just angry. Everything felt so annoying and irritating. Wasn¡¯t it alright if I killed just a little bit? ¡°Get lost!¡± No, it wasn¡¯t. ¡°Get out of here right now!¡± I roughly cut the ropes of the people bound like oysters. There was no time for me to loosen their shackles one by one. I at least cut the rope limiting their movements, so I hoped they could run away by themselves. ¡°U-urgh.¡± ¡°P-Please spare me.¡± I¡¯ve already shown so much mercy, so why were they begging like that before me again? I really wanted to kill them. ¡¸Madness Gauge: 74%¡¹ Hit! As soon as I felt the urge to kill all those people escaping, I hit my head. This wasn¡¯t normal. I didn¡¯t have intermittent explosive disorder, and it couldn¡¯t be normal to feel such excessive rage in these kinds of situations. This went far beyond mere anger. I even considered killing civilians, which was even worse! ¡°Get out of here before I kill you!!¡± ¡°Uwargh!¡± ¡°Run away!¡± I hurriedly chased everyone out while holding my pounding head. I had no more leeway to worry about roleying or my character settings. It felt as if something had settled into my brain and was endlessly whispering to me, or injecting thoughts into me. That seething, murderous intent tried to seize control from me. I felt like if my sanity slipped even lower, I would end up ughtering people. ¡¸Madness Gauge: 76%¡¹ Was this because of that Madness Gauge? It couldn¡¯t be, right? ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡®Kill, kill. Please just kill. Everything is so annoying. This situation is so irritating, so let¡¯s just blow everything to bits. Let¡¯s kill everyone here.¡¯ ¡°Fuck, this shitty game!¡± ¡¸Madness Gauge: 77%¡¹ Rage consumed me, and I didn¡¯t know who it was even directed at anymore. This anger had no definite cause. Initially, those feelings had burned like a lit fuse, but they now worsened sporadically like wildfire and rose to my head whenever they wanted. My eyes became watery, and my whole body grew increasingly excited by this rising anger. My mind was divided into reason, emotion, and other things, and they seemed to be fighting against each other. Kill. Are you crazy? Let¡¯s just kill. Fuck you. Why can¡¯t we kill? How does it make sense to kill someone just because you¡¯re angry? But my anger won¡¯t go away if I don¡¯t. This is frustrating. That Madness Gauge was truly terrifying. My vision grew red. Truly red. Even that seemed irritating and made it more difficult for me to think. I just wanted to let out these emotions. But where did these emotionse from? Ah, was it from that damn Madness Gauge? But did it even make sense for a game to arbitrarily influence a yer¡¯s emotions just because of some mechanic? I felt annoyed, no, absolutely furious. Why was I stuck in this damn game, and why did I have to go through all this trouble¡ª? ¡¸Madness Gauge: 78%¡¹ No. I couldn¡¯t get swayed. I should quickly reflect on my modern moral code. I repeatedly told myself that if I killed someone just because I was angry, I would be a beast and not a human. ¡¸Madness Gauge: 79%¡¹ No, but that shitty game got me before I could do anything more. ¡°Demon Knight?¡± I could barely hear a voice calling out to me above the incessant ringing in my ears. I raised my head as if hypnotized by it¡­ ¡°Are you okay?¡± What I found there was a lump of difort. ¡¸Madness Gauge: 80%¡¹ Ah, I couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer. Chapter 81: Don’t Do This (6) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 81 Don¡¯t Do This (6) Immediately after hearing Lukkwan¡¯s straightforward exnation, the Inquisitor rushed to the central garden in a single moment. As she did, all the civilians she came across were left to the thieves. They could find safe ces for the people so no one would fall victim to the Demons outside the castle. Then, she reached the entrance to the central garden. She stepped over piles of corpses and shattered doors to enter the blood-filled garden. The first thing she saw was a hole where arge tree had once been. Blood from a huge number of people formed ake inside it. ¡°Demon Knight?¡± She barely managed to tear her eyes from it and looked around more. Within this darkness that even the oilmp they''d prepared couldn¡¯t illuminate, she could make out a faint figure moving about. That stature and silhouette of a sword on his back clearly belonged to the Demon Knight. ¡°Are you okay?¡± However, her intuition was ringing rm bells. Why had the Demonic Energy previously confined to his right arm extended across his entire body? The Inquisitor carefully took half a step forward with her shield raised; a wise move. ¡°Urgh.¡± Bang! ¡°¡­!¡± In but an instant, a de struck her. It was a fast attack that would have been difficult to react to had she lowered her shield. ¡°Demon Knight¡­!¡± At that moment, its owner became visible in themp¡¯s mes light. The Demon Knight''s entire body was covered in red and ck energy as he held his Zweih?nder in one hand. It was hard to tell whether his eyes, tinted in a reddish color simr to a me¡¯s, were currently gray or red. The blood on his pale cheeks ran like tears down to his chin. ¡°Annoying¡­¡± ¡°Demon Knight,e to your senses!¡± ¡°I feel like I¡¯m going to die of frustration¡­¡± He went at her again. She raised her shield. Baaam! A heavy blow rained down on it. Even after she¡¯d strengthened herself with Divine Power, her hands and wrists still tingled. ¡°Demon Knight!¡± The Inquisitor called out to the Demon Knight once more. This time, she received some reaction: the Demon Knight touched his forehead with his left hand and bent down. He acted like someone suffering from a severe headache. However, the crucial difference between him and a sick patient was that he raised his sword against the Inquisitor and showed no signs of withdrawing. ¡°Huh, ugh.¡± Letting out a noise that sounded like a cry, the Demon Knight stumbled forward. The smoky Demonic Energy covering his body thickened and thinned over and over. ¡°I¡¯ve toe to my senses¡­ but I¡¯m so annoyed. So irritating.¡± The Zweih?nder¡¯s de began turning blood red. ¡°Can¡¯t I just kill her¡­?¡± Upon hearing that one sentence, the Inquisitor abandoned the hope she¡¯d been holding on to. The Demon Knight waspletely out of his mind right now. It was more than clear that that vicious Demon was trying to possess his body at this very moment! ¡°Don''t worry, Demon Knight! I can endure it!¡± What she had to do was simple. She had to ce her trust in the Demon Knight and buy time. ¡°So don¡¯t lose yourself!¡± Until he suppressed the Demon again and fully came to. Swish! As soon as she finished shouting, the Demon Knight raised his head again. The pulsing Demonic Energy eventually stretched out explosively and climbed through his hair, taking the form of a crown or horns. ¡°I told you, you¡¯re annoying.¡± The corners of his red eyes, elongated by the dripping blood, were bent like a person crying. ¡°Why¡­ why am I so annoyed by you?¡± The man, whoseplexion was more gray than white in the sunlight and yet so very pale in the dark, seemed somewhat awkward to her with that huepletely absent. However, when his pale cheeks adopted a crimson color under hermp¡¯s light and his lips, normally drawn in a straight line, curved up like a broken ss window¡­ That slight awkwardness turned into unfamiliarity. ¡°Because of you¡­ it¡¯s because of you.¡± The Inquisitor gathered her Divine Power. She¡¯d already pushed herself to the limit not too long ago, but she didn¡¯t care. The pain caused by said Divine Powerpounded her mental fatigue but didn¡¯t actually affect her physically. She could still fight. No, she had to fight. ¡°So, just die already.¡± Who else could return the Demon Knight to his senses? Bam! She raised her shield to block the iing sword. She then attacked him with her mace, to which the Demon Knight fell back to stab at her right away. Of course, an eerie energy was forming around the blood-stained de. ¡°Oh, almighty God!¡± Would she be beaten by him like that? No, she couldn¡¯t let that happen. ¡°Grace me with your presence!¡± The Inquisitor used the power God had blessed her with alongside excruciating pain. She forcibly changed the direction of her mace and shield to block that attack before going even further, sending forward waves of Divine Power. The Demon Knight narrowed his eyes slightly before retrieving his sword and plunging it into the ground. The Arcane Power pouring out of him from all over collided with the Divine Power. Ba-ba-ba-bang. For a moment, like iron shing with iron, the Demonic Arcane Power and Divine Power engaged in a fierce power struggle. The amounts were simr, after all. The two energies ended up hurtling in different directions. However, she couldn¡¯t becent. The Demon Knight wasn¡¯t the least bit fazed by that and had alreadyunched his next offensive. The crimson de cleaved through the air, and the powerful energy imbued within stretched forth, separating the world above and below. Baang! She couldn¡¯t afford to avoid it, so the Inquisitor blocked the attack with her shield. That energy before her was even more focused and sharper than earlier, leaving a few scratches on the shield. He didn¡¯t stop there. The Knight¡¯s sword, which he¡¯d raised, fell on her diagonally. The Inquisitor rolled over the floor to avoid getting cut through. She would have blocked again if she had her usual equipment, but guarding with this cloth armor and cheap, medium-sized shield would be useless. She shook the dust from her red hair. Taking advantage of that gap, the Demon Knight rushed at her. Instead of regaining her bnce after her roll, she simply raised her shield. She had one hand ced on the floor and the other holding the shield to cover her body. Not too long after, a heavy blow struck the shield. His face, barely visible from behind the shield, wore a disgraceful expression. The Demon Knight would never make that kind of expression. ¡°Did you truly think I would lose!!¡± She shouted and prayed again. White light burst out around her, repelling the Demon Knight. At that moment, the mace in the Inquisitor¡¯s right hand struck the ground in front of him. Boom. The ground before her, about three meters wide and fifteen long, trembled as pure white light rose from the earth. It was a technique the Inquisitor herself had thought up while watching the Demon Knight fight. ¡°Urgh!¡± She hadn¡¯t yetpleted nor mastered it, so its energy consumption was considerable, but she could at leastnd a hit with this. By just looking at the range that surge of light had covered, she could tell it had even affected the Demon Knight, who had been pushed back. Even the pit made from steel sheets embedded in the ground tilted to one side. ¡°So irritating¡­!¡± However, the Demon Knight wasn¡¯t such an easy opponent that he would be defeated in a single attack. The man who¡¯d resisted the Divine Power with his own energy leaped to his feet immediately and rushed forward. Bang! Shield and sword shed once more. The Inquisitor''s shield subtly changed its angle during that power struggle, enabling her to move forward. Bam! She threw the Demon Knight to the floor while his sword was still shing with her shield. While hended quite gently, her mace had already struck him directly. Craaaaash! Like a fountain rising from the ground, light emerged from where the Inquisitor had hit the Demon Knight. Fsssssh. The negative energy that met with her Divine Power burned, giving off smoke. ¡°Urgh.¡± Then, the Demon Knight touched his forehead once more. ¡°No¡­ If I do that¡­¡± The way he stumbled and muttered to himself seemed exactly like someone trying desperately to return to his senses. Now. The Inquisitor rushed ahead to subdue the Demon Knight. Her defense had been lowered significantly without that heavy armor, but her body was now light and moved forward easily. Bang! ¡°Kurgh!¡± She tried to break one of his ribs or arms, but the man was too ustomed to fighting to allow for something like that. The sword he¡¯d seemingly raised on reflex shed with her mace. However, there was an inevitable difference between someone fully prepared to attack and someone only btedly reacting to it. Even more so in a battle between a blunt weapon and a sword. The Demon Knight flew backward. However, he seemed to have enough strength still as he spun around, regained his bnce, andnded like a nimble animal. ¡°Uuurgh.¡± Then, he stumbled again. A voice filled with endless pain scratched at his vocal cords, and hisrge hand grasped his forehead as if trying to break his very skull. The ck hazeing from his body became darker. ¡°Haaah!¡± The Inquisitor continued her offense as the Demon Knight tried toe to his senses. It was only natural for her to do so, as breaking his arms and legs would make it much easier to subdue him even if he went on a rampage. However, that was a mistake. ¡°Uwaaaaaah!¡± The Demon Knight roared, Demonic Energy bursting from him to form a sphere. It stretched out in every direction, tearing through the ground as well as the air. Scratches also appeared on the Inquisitor¡¯s cheeks. She got injured despite hastily raising Divine Power to resist the attack. She slid on her back, dragging along some dirt. ¡°Die, die, die, die?¡± Meanwhile, the man who¡¯d covered most of his face with his left hand bent his fingers. Crack. His fingernails dug into the skin on his forehead. Rip! The eyepatch covering his right eye was torn off in the process. ¡°Ah.¡± However, where she expected to find an empty eye socket or an artificial eye, there was a perfectly fine one. It was neither red nor gray like his left eye, but the color of flower petals crushed and scattered by raindrops. ¡°I want to go home.¡± Like a whirlwind, Demonic Energy violently coiled around the man¡¯s body. It could no longer be described as a haze. It now resembled fog. Bam. ¡°¡­!¡± It took just a single moment. The sword in his hand instantly released energy and eviscerated everything in a twenty-meter radius. Even the shield the Inquisitor somehow managed to raise couldn¡¯t withstand that devastation and waspletely cut apart. ¡°Urgh!¡± Although the shield had been shredded, it at least did its job. The Inquisitor ced her hand over the cut on her stomach. The wound would¡¯ve been much deeper had she not blocked with her shield. ¡°Has he gotten stronger¡­?!¡± Instead of attempting to heal her wound, she urgently rolled across the floor. Swish. She could no longer hear things being torn. Only ck traces were left in the air as if engraved into it. It seemed like a simple line from the front, but when viewed from above or below, one could see that the sh was shaped like a crescent moon. The Inquisitor barely managed to remove the shield¡¯s remains from her lower forearm. There was no use for a shield destroyed to such an extent. Swish. Another sword attack wasunched without a single gap. She managed to dodge it, eyes wide open. Her reaction was slightly dyed, so several strands of her hair were cut off. However, there was no time to catch her breath; sword strikes were flying toward her without pause. She couldn¡¯t avoid them. Coming to a quick decision, the Inquisitor hurriedly struck down to unleash a curtain of Divine Power. Bang! The shield shook after being hit by just a single attack. sh! And when the Demon Knight, rushing forward just behind his [sh], swung his sword, the strong shield she was so proud of was cut apart like a piece of paper. It was fortunate she¡¯d used Divine Power to createyers of shield. Otherwise, her head would have been split along with it. ¡°Haaaah!¡± The disappearance of her shield as a reliable cover had many drawbacks, but it was wrong to think of it as purely disadvantageous. In exchange for losing her shield, the Inquisitor could easily swing her mace and counterattack. Kang! The des of her nged mace shed with the de of that bloody sword, bing a power struggle simr to the one before. However, the difference between then and now was the additionalunched attacks. The Demon Knight¡¯s left hand, empty while he swung his sword with just his right, tore through the air from bottom to top. Swoosh! Drops of blood sttered from the Inquisitor¡¯s shoulder. Kang! She pushed the Demon Knight away with her strength and kicked the man in his sr plexus with her foot. ¡°Tsk.¡± Did he attack her by wrapping his hand in Demonic Energy? She should have anticipated encountering such an attack, considering the state of the bodies she¡¯de across in the hallway. She¡¯d made a blunder. However, she wasn¡¯t given enough time to reflect on her mistakes or to correct them. The Demon Knight swung his sword upward, sending out tidal waves of Demonic Energy. If her reactions were even a littlete, her body would be mercilessly cut apart. The Inquisitor gritted her teeth and mmed her mace against the ground. The Divine Power bursting from it collided with the Demonic Energy. A massive explosion erupted along with rising clouds of dust rising. Whoosh! One second. Two seconds. The dust blocking her view pulled away suddenly like curtains. ¡°¡­!¡± How many times had the Demon Knight swung his sword in that split second? Despite her raised defense, her left ear and hair got cut off. Her right shoulder was also sliced all the way to her chest. The cut that passed over her thigh exposed bone. ¡°I¡ª! I promised you! I swore to hold on until you return!!¡± However, her injuries couldn¡¯t stop her. The burning pain from the Divine Power she took in caused a sudden nosebleed. As if to reward her for this sacrifice, however, the wounds beneath her torn clothes healed as she moved forward. A brief realization shed through the Inquisitor¡¯s mind. ¡°Oh almighty God, have pity on yourmb!¡± If she couldn¡¯t block his sword attacks filled with Demonic Energy no matter how much Divine Power she gathered and concentrated within her, what if she just got cut and healed herself afterward? ¡°I beg of you, please save this poor man!¡± Golden waves poured down on her. The sharp,pressed sword strikes filled with Demonic Energy sliced through everything as if to oppose the world. It didn¡¯t matter. She allowed her body to be cut, protecting only her vital organs. In any case, the Demon Knight¡¯s sword severed her limbs so cleanly that they would be remarkably easy to reattach or heal. ¡°Hyaaap!!!¡± And then, she finally stood right before the Demon Knight. The Demon Knight raised his sword as if to block something. However, he couldn¡¯t raise it fully. His sword and hand, which seemed rather stiff, simply stopped midair. Baam! The Demon Knight¡¯s waist bent where the mace hit him, and he was blown away. * * * * * * Deathbringer was trying tofort the people, who were extremely anxious because of the shaking ground reminiscent of an earthquake. Of course, soothing people wasn¡¯t exactly his specialty, so he often felt disillusioned in his attempts. That was especially true when dealing with those possessing certain mannerisms and ways of speaking¡ªthose who¡¯d appeared to have led a cushy life up until now, to be precise. ¡°Hey, lead me to a safer ce! I deserve protection more than those lowly people do!¡± If his second-most hated thing was the Demons and the third-most was religious orders, then the first-most was those upper-ss people. ¡°I¡¯ll pay you any amount!¡± Deathbringer stared coldly at the person iming to be of a very high position. ¡®Deserved protection more? How disgusting.¡¯ His thoughts were even colder than his expression. ¡°This is an emergency. If you don¡¯t shut your damn mouth right now, I¡¯ll throw you to the Demons outside, so you¡¯d better do what I say.¡± ¡°Wh-What did you say?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you get what¡¯s happening? We¡¯re holding your life in our hands right now.¡± It had been a while since he¡¯d wanted to kill someone so badly. It was then that he once again realized he hadn¡¯t done anything befitting a ¡®Deathbringer¡¯ since beginning this journey. Well, that was only natural, though. Had he tried to fulfill any missions as a Deathbringer, the Inquisitor would¡¯ve grabbed him by the cor before he could even start. What a Deathbringer did was kill evil people whom thew couldn¡¯t judge properly¡ªespecially the rich and powerful. ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to toss you into a Demon¡¯s maw, shut your damn mouth.¡± He imitated the Demon Knight¡¯s overbearing tone and stood before the man, hiding his anxiety. He was already irritated, and dealing with the type of person he hated the most kicking up a fuss made his stomach boil over. ¡°Are we done with the evacuation?¡± ¡°For now. We¡¯re still looking for any more captured people, though.¡± They¡¯d wandered the castle in search of any safe ces, and after capturing and convincing several guards, they returned to the ce they¡¯d found: an underground prison located within the castle. It was the perfect ce to hide, as it was difficult for the flying Demons to reach, there weren¡¯t many guards around, and there weren¡¯t any corpses inside. ¡°Are the kids okay?¡± ¡°They seem fine for now, though they seem scared and in shock.¡± It was rather lucky these kids had been locked up in this prison. While it might not be great for their mental well-being, if they¡¯d had to lead those children to safety somewhere else, their heads would have burst. ¡°Hey, trash. You¡¯re sure there aren¡¯t any more people captured here?¡± ¡°There are no more in the castle, at least. I¡¯m sure of that.¡± The pirate who¡¯d told him about Vipurit, who¡¯d apparently turned into a monster, and the Demon Knight, who¡¯d be aplete butcher, and suffered from the Demons, who¡¯d started going berserk after all the Demon Contractors died, responded while grumbling. Those remaining pirates had joined their group, hoping to save their lives after witnessing everything they¡¯d believed in crumble apart. Of course, while they hadn¡¯t made any contracts with Demons, they¡¯d still cooperated with the Demon Worshipers, so they couldn¡¯t be let off lightly¡­ However, they were now in a situation where they would ept even an enemy¡¯s help. Deathbringer, who¡¯d been forced to ept them, narrowed his eyes. ¡°Rather, you were telling the truth, right? You¡¯re going to spare us from the death penalty, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± How could they deserve such a privilege? He was in a rush, so he just told them a little lie. For such a promise to be considered valid, that iron wall Hero would have to agree to it first, at least. He also pretty much expected that she would never tolerate people like that. The surviving high-ranking people would likely react simrly. ¡°Okay, then¡­¡± Baaang! The Deathbringer was cut off by the sound of a huge explosion. ¡°What happened?!¡± ¡°O-Out there!¡± The pirates and thieves keeping watch outside burst into the hallway and shouted. ¡°The main forces have arrived!¡± Deathbringer¡¯s eyes opened wide. * * * When I cut off her hair, I briefly came to my senses. ¡¸Madness Gauge: 95%¡¹ That was why I didn¡¯t try to avoid the approaching attack. If I couldn¡¯t stop myself, I at least had to allow others to stop me. ¡¸Madness Gauge: 96%¡¹ But. But. ¡¸Madness Gauge: 97%¡¹ It was so painful. ¡¸Madness Gauge: 98%¡¹ It hurt so much. ¡¸Madness Gauge: 99%¡¹ ¡­Why did I have to go through so much pain? ¡®This is unfair.¡¯ ¡¸Madness Gauge: 100%¡¹ Chapter 82: Don’t Do This (7) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 82 Don¡¯t Do This (7) > [Aren¡¯t you angry? Why must you go through all this?] > [Aren¡¯t you enraged about that unprecedented humiliation you must endure?] > [Don¡¯t suppress it. Let it all out.] > [Your anger is justified, after all.] * * * ¡°Haah, haah.¡± Once the Inquisitor could rx just a little, she frowned slightly at the intense pain that overcame her. As she breathed heavily, the resplendently white edges of her vision returned to normal. ¡°Did I do it¡­?¡± She wiped away her sweat and nced at the person who¡¯d been blown quite far away. Had she managed to subdue him? Could the Demon no longer run rampant using the Demon Knight¡¯s body? The Inquisitor¡¯s green eyes continued to observe the copsed man. He had a deep wound in his abdomen and wasn¡¯t moving. ¡°¡­Phew.¡± Only then did she allow her body to sit down. Although she wasn¡¯t injured, her whole body was practically screaming. ¡°Urgh.¡± The after-effects that remained in her body from using Divine Power couldn¡¯t be remedied by anything. So, she just endured her pain and took deep breaths. Step, step, step. She could hear footstepsing from afar. ¡°Are you alive?!¡± The first thing that person asked upon arriving was whether she was still alive. Of course, she was still alive, or did they wish she was dead? No matter, she could never view that thief in a positive light. The Inquisitor stretched her limbs while grumbling meaninglessly in her mind. She had to correct his behavior ording to the teachings of the Temple, but there was nothing she could do right now. Just sitting was hard enough for her at the moment. ¡°O almighty God, may thou be merciful¡­¡± However, she couldn¡¯t allow herself to lie down, so she just prayed that God wouldn¡¯t condemn her actions. ¡°Gasp, you¡¯re still alive, right? Why aren¡¯t you answering me?¡± ¡°¡­Shut up.¡± ¡°Looks like you¡¯re alive and well. But why does your hair look like that? Did rats gnaw them off?¡± At the thief¡¯s words, she reflexively raised her hand and smoothed over her hair. Her ear hadn¡¯t beenpletely cut off, and she¡¯d reattached it somehow, but the hair near it had been shorn to the length of a single finger. ¡°It got cut off.¡± The Inquisitor was slightly disappointed with her hair¡¯s lopsided length but decided to let it go. She was still wondering how her ear hadn¡¯t been entirely cut off in all this. Her hair would regrow in time, so it didn¡¯t especially matter. ¡°¡­You¡¯re aplete mess.¡± Since she had been in a rough fight, her clothes had obviously be torn and damaged beyond repair. However, that guy had to point out the obvious. He really was an idiot. She was so upset that she didn¡¯t even consider responding to him. The thief also didn¡¯t ask further, seemingly not wanting her answer in the first ce. Instead, she felt something being put on her shoulders. It was the hooded cape the thief always wore. The Inquisitor¡¯s eyes moved toward the thief. ¡°What?¡± It was currently night, so it was fairly cool, but dawn was about to break. However, that degree of cold wouldn¡¯t get even a shiver out of her. As such, she simply closed her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t need this.¡± ¡°Just take what people give you. Or do you dislike it because a thief gave it to you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the case.¡± She just didn¡¯t feel cold. The Inquisitor briefly fumbled with the green hood but soon gave up on returning it to its owner. She was simply too tired to quarrel with that loudmouth. ¡°Have you evacuated everyone?¡± Instead, she only asked him about what concerned her the most. She knew the answer just from seeing that this coward hade here, but she still wanted to confirm it properly. ¡°Hah, of course.¡± So, it was like that. She was relieved to hear that the people had been evacuated safely. Even though there was still a mountain of work left to do, she couldn¡¯t help but feel happy that their biggest threat was eliminated. ¡°Our main forces have also arrived. I saw theming.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Once their main forces arrived, they could clean up the remaining Demons in the city. Furthermore, they could move the people somewhere safe and¡­ ¡°The Demon Knight¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s over there, but don¡¯t approach him.¡± They could adequately seal the Demon Knight. ¡°¡­Has the Demon left?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± She hoped it had, but she still felt the Demonic Energy within the Demon Knight¡¯s body; it hadn¡¯t decreased at all. He was unconscious for now, but no one knew whether he¡¯d be normal again after waking up. ¡°But I know he¡¯ll return to his senses.¡± However, she firmly believed that he would return. If not when he woke up, it would be the next time, or even the time after that. She just knew the normal Demon Knight would absolutely return to them. ¡°I guess I should get up, huh?¡± She¡¯d rested enough to catch her breath. She forced her body upright, swallowing back the groan of pain about to escape her mouth. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you rest a bit longer?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t. I have to seal him.¡± Before the Demon Knight awoke, she had to at least ce a simple seal on him. Thanks to the Demon Knight¡¯s internal resistance, she subdued him without inflicting too many injuries, but there was no guarantee it would happen again next time. Unless she wanted to see the Demon Knight die from his wounds worsening, she at least had to treat the one on his abdomen. ¡°Seal?¡± ¡°Just in case.¡± ¡°I know, but what will happen to Mister Knight then?¡± She¡¯d been wondering why this flustered him so much. ¡°We can just unseal him when hees to, you know?¡± ¡°¡­Can you really just unseal him like that?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no seal in this world that can¡¯t be broken.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t seals¡­ those difficult-to-do things that take a long time to make? Something that prevents him from ever waking up?¡± ¡°Large-scale seals like that do exist, but I don¡¯t know how to make any of them.¡± All she could make was a simple binding seal, which would tightly bind his body with chains of Divine Power to restrict his movements. ¡°And even if I did, I would never ce something like that on him.¡± Furthermore, suchrge-scale seals would prevent not only the Demon but also the Demon Knight from ever waking. She couldn¡¯t do that. She believed in the Demon Knight, after all. ¡°That¡¯s fortunate, but¡­ good grief.¡± However, the view of the Temple people about to arrive was probably different. The Inquisitor suppressed her worries forter. The Demon Knight would wake up good as new. It would definitely happen. It had to. It just had to¡­ ¡°Is it some kind of technique?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­Can I lend you my shoulder, at least?¡± ¡°¡­Okay.¡± As she stumbled through the ritual, she epted the thief¡¯s generous offer. Her pride was slightly hurt, but her body wasn¡¯t in good enough condition for her to be stubborn. Her limbs were trembling uselessly from the tingling pain going through her whole body. Although the thief didn¡¯t say anything about it, her entire body was also probably wet from all the sweat. ¡°Why is it soplicated¡­¡± How many magic circles had she drawn around the Demon Knight while drenched in so much sweat? ¡°Doesn¡¯t this need just one circle?¡± ¡°A sealing ritual usually takes at least two circles.¡± ¡°How annoying¡­ Watch out!¡± She¡¯d barely finished a single circle when the thief suddenly pushed her out of the way. There was no need for her to ask why he did that. Bang! Pitch-ck energy had swept over the ce she had been standing in. ¡°¡­!¡± Her overwhelming anxiety reached its peak when she raised her head to check what had happened. She saw the Demon Knight standing. However, half his face was entirely stained ck, as if something had devoured it. Murderous intent followed by Demonic Energy engulfed his right eye and flowed out of it. Powerful Demonic Energy was traveling throughout his entire body. ¡°Damn it. We¡¯re doomed, aren¡¯t we?¡± The tension that had briefly left her spread throughout her whole body again. Her body felt endlessly heavy this time, but she couldn¡¯t avoid this fight. She gritted her teeth and gripped her mace. It was fortunate she¡¯d never let go of her weapon. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of this, so run away!¡± ¡°Goddamn it!¡± The Inquisitor prayed to God once more. Enough Divine Power to heal all the cuts across her body was sent to her. The price for this was mere muscle pain, equivalent to what she would get after a day of serious exercise. ¡°Tsk!¡± However, even that was a tremendous burden for her right now. A suppressed groan escaped her mouth from between her teeth. Tak. Unfortunately, her opponent had no sympathy for her situation. When the Demon Knight flexed his left hand, the Demonic Energy circling him split into several clusters. The elongated masses of energy, each with a sharpened end, seemed simr to spears. ¡°¡­?¡± Was something like that even possible? Didn¡¯t gathering energy mid-air and projecting it with one¡¯s mind fall under the realm of magic? This couldn¡¯t just be the same energy one used to strengthen their body or coat their weapon. The Inquisitor had such superficial questions, but she couldn¡¯t ponder over them for long. His spears began falling onto her. Tatatatatak. Legs still heavy, she rolled over the floor as fast as she could. The spears followed her, plunging into the ground where she had been. Swish. The Inquisitor moved sideways, maintaining a safe distance from the Demon Knight. At that moment, she noticed something cutting through that darkness. It seemed like ck wind. No, it was red blood. As she¡¯d staggeringly fought with the Demon Knight, her blood had sttered onto a piece of iron. ¡°What!¡± The blood slowly gathered before the Demon Knight¡¯s left hand and took on a particr shape. It was a sword, an ominous de forged from dense pockets of Negative Energy. It was slightly thinner and shorter than the Zweih?nder he¡¯d used before, allowing it to be wielded with just a single hand. ¡°O almighty God, please grant me the strength to fight once more.¡± Would God give her more power? Rather, could she handle the pain that would apany it? Could she Purify him? The Inquisitor suppressed the urge to let those weak thoughts ovee her. If she couldn¡¯t surmount even this much, how would she face the King of Demons? Spurt. Her nose started bleeding again. She also felt like something was flowing from her eyes. Right. While her memories of that time were somewhat hazy, she¡¯d felt something simr happen when fighting the sea dragon. So, just like she overcame everything then, she would do the same right now. They would surely seed¡­ sh! She rolled to the side to avoid the Zweih?nder¡¯s sudden sh. Contrary to what she thought would happen, the Demon Knight managed to slice off some flesh from her shoulder. The hem of the cloak the thief had lent her was also severely torn. ¡°¡­!¡± Why was she hit? She widened her eyes without realizing it. The Demon Knight swung his sword once more. She quickly backed away. Only then did she understand why she¡¯d been hit. Whenever the Demon Knight swung his sword, a sh followed behind it after a minor dy, while another sh carved into the air 30 cm before it. Additional attacks came at her horizontally from below and above the sword. She realized she¡¯d have to jump back even further to avoid his attacks. ¡°Urgh!¡± However, if everyone could move precisely how they wanted, anyone could be a fighting master. Another stab wound was carved into her forearm. ¡°Demon Knight!¡± She had to be patient. She approached the Demon Knight, acutely aware of her bleeding nose and the tears of blood flowing from her eyes that inevitably disappeared, Purified by her Divine Power. She was interrupted by a floating spear rushing at her. Simultaneously, the Demon Knight slid back and vertically shed with his blood sword from bottom to top. His Demonic Energy spread out like a fan, splitting apart the earth. It seemed as destructive as a me. ¡°¡­!¡± She couldn¡¯t avoid that. She emitted her Divine Power for now. A solid film made of light shed with ck energy. Looming not far behind was the Demon Knight, preparing to swing his sword once more. The Inquisitor rolled forward as her instincts dictated. Demonic Energy still burned the earth and badly seared her skin, but it had ultimately been the right choice. The Demon Knightunched himself right to where she was and swung his weapon at her. That colossal sword sh split not just the ground but even the castle behind them. They could see the scenery beyond through the cut-out gap. He was indeed unfathomably strong. Still, having fortunately rolled forward, the Inquisitor took the Demon Knight¡¯s back. She wielded both her Divine Power and her mace. The man before her twisted his back, blocked her mace with his blood sword, and tried stabbing her abdomen with his Zweih?nder. Whoosh! Spiral-shaped energy shot out from his sword, flying forward in a straight line and piercing through everything in its way. The Inquisitor avoided being directly hit by the de but couldn¡¯t escape that energy vortex, which left arge wound on her side. Blood spurted from between the torn skin and tattered muscles. ¡°Ugh.¡± Although she could heal it, it would inevitably ce another burden on her. She rolled over the floor, holding her writhing body. Her opponent was so full of Demonic Energy, like a Great Demon. As such, he simply swung his blood sword diagonally without even the slightest pause. The earth split, and Demonic Energy gushed out from the cracks. ck, evesting mes started burning along them. There wasn¡¯t even a gap for her to attack. At that moment, the Inquisitor¡¯s teeth finally chewed through her lips. ¡°Haaaaaap!¡± However, if there wasn¡¯t a gap, she just had to make one. She firmly gripped her mace after barely dodging a straight stab attackunched through the mes. Her idea was to quake the earth to make him lose his bnce. Kang! ¡°¡­!¡± However, he was too fast. She parried the bone-crushing attack with her mace before it could reach her. The two swords focused entirely on a single point, leaving scratches on the mace. This was the first time a scratch appeared on this mace forged from star metal and blessed iron. ¡°What¡ª!¡± And of the two swords attacking her mace, the Zweih?nder, which had been shortened to the size of a longsword, backed off. Thanks to that, the pressure pressing down on her was halved, but she couldn¡¯t really take advantage. The Zweih?nder tore through the air, aiming for her head. The Inquisitor urgently bent her waist. Swish! While she avoided the sword itself, the additional shes cut off several strands of her hair again. At that moment, the Inquisitor immediately tackled the Demon Knight. It was an instinctive action that she hoped she might make him fall. Whoosh! It was useless. Demonic Energy immediately surged within the Demon Knight¡¯s body and burst out. ¡°Urgh.¡± The Divine Protection around her body only prevented her entire body from getting torn to shreds. However, there was nothing else she could do but roll backward with a few slight scratches. Furthermore, her thighs and forearms were pierced by those energy spears. Crunch. But instead of giving up like that, she continued to move her body. It took the Demon Knight but a moment to reach her. His blood sword, which he swung through the floor to strike her, soared upward, releasing fierce energy that appeared like an unfolded fan. He let loose countless sword swings one after the other, as if predicting what direction she would dodge in. Three sword cuts were left on the ground, resembling the aftermath of fierce mes or the scratches of a beast¡¯s ws. The Inquisitor furrowed her brows. He showed absolutely no gaps. Even if she tried to create one, the difference in their movement speed was just too different. She had no other choice but to avoid his attacks. However. However. She couldn¡¯t give up. This was the first time she¡¯d tried releasing her Divine Power through her body rather than her mace. She¡¯d never even thought of trying something like that before, but now wasn¡¯t the time to hold anything back. The moment her strengthened body stomped on the ground, the energy released through her feet shook the earth. ¡°¡­!!¡± Ruuuumble. The ground fiercely rose and fell as if they were experiencing an earthquake. Throughout that, the Inquisitor¡¯s nose began bleeding again. Using her weapon as a medium to release Divine Power and using her body as a medium were twopletely different things. That realization was now firmly engraved into her mind. Using her own flesh felt more intuitive, but the power was much more unstable and caused her more pain. She was in so much pain. Despite her having already gotten used to pain, it still hurt. ¡°Demon Knight!!¡± She could still stand, though. She could still move. The Inquisitor tightened her loosened grip once more and pushed herself off the ground using her feet. Her body rushed forward. Swish! Just then, the Demon Knight plunged his blood sword into the ground. Boom, boom, boom! A secondter, a pir of mes made of Demonic Energy rose from the ground. He retrieved his blood sword only after realizing he had been half a beat toote. And in it, the Inquisitor saw the pieces of iron he¡¯d used to hold the blood. It bounced off his foot, taking to the air andnding in his empty hand. Three shes flew her way. The Inquisitor was now standing behind him, nning to shake the ground again. ¡°Please,e to your senses!¡± The Inquisitor walked toward him, three deep cuts carved into her body. The ground shook again, throwing off the Demon Knight¡¯s bnce. His energy had been disturbed. > [Gretchen.] However, the moment she took another step forward, thinking she had found a gap, right before she was about to swing her mace¡­ The corners of the Demon Knight¡¯s mouth rose slightly. > [ept Wrath into you.] Even if his Demonic Energy had been disturbed, he could still swing his sword. While he could no longer create shes of Demonic Energy, the sword itself still contained Demonic Energy. The Inquisitor had overlooked that part, and because of it, the Demon Knight could easily pull out the blood sword stuck in the ground to swing at her. > [If you do, you will at least feel at peace inside.] She wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid that attack. A certainty no different than prophecy appeared in the Inquisitor¡¯s mind. The area around her neck was covered in goosebumps. * * * * * * ¡°Aggregate and pile up, Protective Wall!¡± Then, suddenly, severalyers of transparent walls were erected before the Inquisitor. Crack! As they hadn¡¯t been supplied with enough Arcane Power, the Demon Knight could smash through them with a single strike. However, it gave the Inquisitor time to retreat. That was more than enough. ¡°Inquisitor!¡± ¡°¡­! Sir Archmage?!¡± She saw a face she hadn¡¯t seen in quite some time. The Archmage, the hem of his clothespletely disheveled from his running, had dozens of wizards and priests following him. ¡°Damn it, we aren¡¯t toote, right?¡± With Deathbringer¡¯s arrival, the Demon Knight turned his gaze toward him. ¡°Get down!¡± She urgently shouted, cing herself between the Demon Knight and the reinforcement. Her Divine Power quickly gathered and formed a protective barrier as the Demon Knight swung his de. Four shes cut through it like butter and wed at the castle wall behind them. Fortunately, everyone present had listened to her and fallen to the ground, so none had their body split in half. At least, as far as she could see. ¡°We need a Ritual of Restraint!¡± ¡°No, we shouldn¡¯t spread out! If you spread out too much, I won¡¯t be able to protect you! Please perform a Purification right where you are!¡± At her shout, the priest settled down and began to pray. Purification was usually much easier when close to or surrounding the object to be Purified, but their situation didn¡¯t allow for that now. She couldn¡¯t protect everyone from every direction, and the Demon Knight could cut people down with just a wave of his hand. It would be much better if she could instead concentrate her power in a single ce. It would work out. The Inquisitor wiped away the blood running from her nose with the back of her hand. Usually, she would have long passed her limits with Divine Power by now, but she couldn¡¯t afford not to use it anymore. While she pretended it wasn¡¯t the case, her vision had grown blurry. This sure was hard. ¡°Bind!¡± At that moment, multiple wizards chanted a binding spell. White and blue chains rose from the ground and tried to hold down the Demon Knight. With a single wave of his hand, as if swatting away annoying flies, all the chains broke and scattered apart. He really was far too formidable. ¡°Take it!¡± Still, that short moment gave them some time to act. Two figures appeared behind her and threw something her way. ¡°This is¡­¡± Thud! Like her mace, her shield was made from a mixture of star metal and blessed iron, and it was her most reliable partner. She was finally reunited with it. Bam! She blocked the Demon Knight¡¯s countless ck spears with her massive shield in the nick of time. Unlike cheap shields, this holy relic easily and efficiently epted her Divine Power inrge quantities and easily crushed the dark spears. Her burden had been eased to some extent. However, the fatigue she¡¯d umted already wouldn¡¯t just disappear. ¡°O Fire, burn my enemies!¡± Meanwhile, several wizards, the Archmage included,unched some offensive magic. The Demon Knight drew a circle on the ground with his blood sword. mes soared up, effectively blocking the attacks. > [I¡¯ll kill everything that¡¯s bothering you.] Since they hadunched their attacks at different times, some flew toward him after the mes had subsided. However, the Demon Knight destroyed them with a single sword swing. > [I will burn and tear them to shreds until your heart is at ease.] He immediatelyunched a counterattack, as well. He spread his energy through the ground, using his blood sword stuck in the ground as a medium. A gigantic pir of fire arose. The Inquisitor widened her eyes at that attack pattern she¡¯d seen before. ¡°I can¡¯t let this happen!¡± She mmed her shield against the ground. Part of her vision had turned red intermittently, as if some blood vessels in her eyes had burst. The light that bloomed from her after she shed some blood Purified the invading Demonic Energy. > [But why are you blocking me?] She was in pain. The Inquisitor¡¯s legs shook slightly. > [Why¡­ are you notplying?] ¡°O almighty God, burn away the corrupt and erase all evil!¡± The Zweih?nder came shing at her. She squeezed her eyes shut as she heard a prayer echoing from behind her. Still, she had to endure more. > [Why?] Tok. It sounded like something was falling close to her. > [Just why?] She looked ahead, her vision still reddened. The Demon Knight before her had dropped his blood sword and was holding his forehead. The Inquisitor¡¯s green eyes sparkled with faint hope. ¡°Now¡¯s the chance, attack!¡± No. Right now, he seemed more like himself again. ¡°W-Wait¡­ Urgh.¡± The Inquisitor wanted to stop the attacks flying toward him, but she couldn¡¯t. The techniques the priests and wizards had used bombarded the ce the Demon Knight had stood. A cloud of dust rose. ¡°¡­Did we get him?¡± ¡­Could it be¡­ that he¡¯d died? She peered into the dust cloud, anxiety filling her eyes. Her heart was filled with prayers that the Demon Knight simply fainted but didn¡¯t die. She knew he was extremely dangerous, yet she hoped the Demon Knight was still alive. > [My dear Gretchen.] ¡­However, she didn¡¯t want him to be possessed by that Demon any longer. The murderous intent from the Demon Knight¡¯s right eye almost made it look like a drop of fresh blood. > [I won¡¯t allow this.] As he had put down his blood sword, he swept over his Zweih?nder with his now free hand. With that, the sword regained its original form¡ªlong and massive¡ªand was held in both hands once more. The blood sword that had fallen to the floor had disintegrated into a puddle of blood and gathered onto the Zweih?nder¡¯s de. > [Wrath is something that swallows up everything.] Something big was about toe at them. The rm bells ringing in her head were the only things able to ovee theplicated mix of grief, relief, and despair she felt. ¡°Everyone, gather around me!¡± She reflexively shouted to the people around her and mmed the shield down before her. She funneled her Divine Power, which she had gathered with whatever spirit was left in her, into her shield to create arger, rectangr protective barrier. The pain had sent her mind so far away that she could no longer move her fingertips or toes, but it couldn¡¯t mute out her instincts as they screamed at her. Swirl. For a moment, she could hear dust getting swirled up. However, the dull pain from his attack she¡¯d expected never came. ¡°¡­!¡± She felt like something had disappeared. It felt so very vivid that it actually burdened her. Her back felt strangely empty. ¡°¡­¡± The Inquisitor turned her head to look behind her as if possessed. She saw people. And she saw the city. The city that until now had been hidden by the castle. ¡°No way¡­¡± The castle was gone. At that moment, she felt goosebumps all over her body. ¡°Were you¡­ watching all this time¡­?¡± No, could it be? The Demon that had taken over the Demon Knight¡¯s body would never show her any mercy, and that massive attack would have overwhelmed even a Great Demon¡ª > [If you have no ce to return to, you won¡¯t have a reason to rebel anymore.] Whoosh! ¡°Kuhuk!¡± He forced her shield to the side. Her left arm felt like it would break, but that wasn¡¯t the problem. > [Right?] ¡°Urgh!¡± She was grabbed by the neck. > [So, just give up already.] ¡°Uuh¡ª¡± She looked at the Demon Knight lifting her by the neck. Although she somehow resisted with her Divine Power, the pressure around her neck was about to overwhelm her. > [Cry over your helplessness.] She wanted to retaliate with her mace or kick at him, but why wouldn¡¯t her body move? > [And let Wrath overtake you.] Her breathing became increasingly shallow. ¡°Let her go, you Demon!¡± Rush! At that moment, several people, probably inquisitors, rushed toward them. No. She tried to shout at them, but she simply couldn¡¯t. The Demon Knight swung the sword he held in his other hand. Slice! The sound of flesh being cut and blood sttering everywhere reached her ears. ¡°O almighty God¡­!¡± > [¡­They just keep bothering us!] One after the other, ck spears appeared over the Demon Knight¡¯s head. They flew over her head to a ce behind her. The spells of the wizards, the Archmage included, were interrupted and reced by terrible screams. > [So persistent!] ¡°Urgh!¡± Helplessness began to overtake her whole body. Stab. ¡°Damn it, I have no idea what you¡¯ve been mumbling about since earlier, bute back to your senses.¡± Then, the sound of something getting stabbed rang out. > [¡­This.] ¡°Cough, cough.¡± Just before she lost consciousness, the hand around her neck loosened. She fell to the ground, her legs having caved in, and she urgently took in air. However, that wasn¡¯t enough for her to lower her guard. She could see two pairs of legs, one belonging to the Demon Knight. The other belonged to someone she quickly recognized, even with her mind as dazed as it was. ¡°Why¡­?¡± He was alwaysining that he wasn¡¯t a superhuman like her, so why? > [A mere mortal¡­!] ¡°Ah, shit.¡± Clink. She saw the Demon Knight crushing the Kukri stuck in his shoulder with his bare hands before turning toward the thief. ¡°N¡­o¡­.¡± She had to prevent this from happening. The thief was no more than an ordinary, albeit talented, person. That meant even if the Demon Knight swung at him with just a hand instead of a sword, he would still end up dying. She absolutely had to stop him. ¡°No¡­!¡± Stand up. She had to stand up. She forced her blurry vision to focus. ¡°Demon Knight, no!¡± The Demon Knight¡¯s sword was lowered. * * * What the hell were they talking about now? They should stop talking bullshit and get out of here. * * * Deathbringer unconsciously raised his arms. He knew it wouldn¡¯t protect him, but it was a reflexive action. However, despite clearly hearing a [sh] getting fired, he felt no pain. He slowly opened his eyes, which he¡¯d closed tight. ¡°¡­Mister Knight?¡± The Demon Knight¡¯s right eye, which until now waspletely red and pulsed with energy, slowly changed back into a normal person¡¯s, with a distinct pupil and white sclera. The sword that had been aimed at him crushed the ground to his right. ¡°¡­ling.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Dumpling.¡± Dumpling? What was that about? He heard the Demon Knight mumble these words. He didn¡¯t know what it meant. He had never heard this term anywhere before. ¡°Meat dumpling.¡± However, he vividly witnessed everything that happened in the next few moments. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± With his back turned to the mes, the Demon Knight had a crimson veil covering his hair, which was turning gray again as though water was washing away the ck. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± He was smiling so sweetly as he apologized. He then stabbed himself in the stomach with his sword. Forty participants. Thirty-one with minor injuries. Four with major injuries. No deaths. It was at that moment they managed to subdue the vessel of a Great Demon. Chapter 83: Don’t Do This (8) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 83 Don¡¯t Do This (8) Ayu Hin wasn¡¯t a port city. Despite being close to the beach, given its topography, getting there by horse was much faster than by boat from the hidden port. However, if about 300 people wanted to go there and didn¡¯t have even a single horse, that logic would be reversed. As such, the pirates in the port offered them a boat, a ship that would carry the people of the order and the wizards to the vicinity of Ayu Hin. ¡°What made you do it?¡± Windhand was leaning over the railing. In the distance, he could see Ayu Hin, which had been built on a hill. ¡°Never thought you¡¯d be the first to offer them a ride. To those church bastards, no less.¡± However, one passenger remained on board. Windhand passed a bottle of alcohol to Boss Rahong. It was something he¡¯d smuggled over from the port. ¡°You¡­ Wasn¡¯t it you who told me?¡± Probably unaware of that detail, Rahong epted the bottle and instead pointed out a particr matter. Strong liquor poured out of the copper bottle. ¡°We can¡¯t lose our family again, right?¡­ We shouldn¡¯t let them live atop burning ashes again¡­ I just thought what you said was right.¡± She gently lowered her wrinkled eyelids. ¡°Because those kids are innocent.¡± ¡°¡­What¡¯s going on, old hag? Finally overcame your stubbornness?¡± ¡°You definitely won¡¯t live long.¡± ¡°Longer than you, though.¡± ¡°Fine. Live long, then. The longer you live, the more shit you get to see.¡± ¡°Are you cursing me right now?¡± This trivial banter was perfect for covering up their mixed feelings and sadness. Furthermore, using the alcohol, they set free all those hidden emotions before they could fester. ¡°¡­Do you think they¡¯ll be sessful?¡± ¡°Do you want to know?¡± Windhand was handed another bottle of alcohol and poured the liquor into his mouth. Hepletely ignored the doctor¡¯s advice that drinking too much alcohol was like stabbing himself in the stomach. ¡°The port already looks like this, so if they don¡¯t even manage to deal with Vipurit, we¡¯ll be doomed, right?¡± There were many among the pirates who didn¡¯t listen to that advice, though. ¡°Captain!¡± At that moment, the person in the crow¡¯s nest shouted loudly. Rahong¡¯s eyes turned fierce. ¡°Don¡¯t be so loud. What if the Demons notice us¡­¡± ¡°I saw a blue signaling up from Ayu Hin!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Vipurit is dead!¡± That was quite enough reason to shout out like that. * * * ¡°Gasp!¡± The Inquisitor opened her eyes and immediately raised her body slightly. The air she urgently took in seemed both cold and heavy. Her lungs, ribs, and all the muscles surrounding them were aching severely. ¡°The Demon Knight?!¡± However, now wasn¡¯t the time for her to sumb to this pain. She anxiously looked about. Turning her head, she could feel her hair touching only one side of her face as her surroundings came into view. She was in a prison cell, albeit adjusted to be a bit morefortable. ¡°¡­?¡± Her first theory was that she¡¯d failed. However, if that were the case, she wouldn¡¯t have ever woken up again. So, she proved that hypothesis wrong. So, did that mean they¡¯d sessfully subdued the Demon Knight? Even though she¡¯d copsed? No, rather, were the others safe? Rustle. She was alive, so she concluded the worst-case scenario probably hadn¡¯t passed. She now raised her body entirely. The soft cotton nket covering her body was pushed aside. While there were no beds in these prison cells, multiple nkets had been piled beneath her to make a makeshift bed. ¡°Ah, there you are.¡± Furthermore, her eternal partners, her mace and shield, were leaning beside each other against a prison wall. Seeing her usual armor, which she¡¯d entrusted to the main forces, lying atop a piece of cloth, she became even more convinced that the situation wasn¡¯t so bad. ¡°Is Vipurit really dead?¡± ¡°You saw it yourself.¡± ¡°No¡­ I mean, I still can¡¯t quite believe that Vipurit turned into that monster¡­¡± Even more so when she heard the chatter echoing through the hallway outside. The Inquisitor blinked her eyes before deciding to first put on her clothes. She had left her armor behind to be less conspicuous while infiltrating, which had made her miss it even more. ¡°When will the Hero wake up?¡± ¡°The priests said her injuries aren¡¯t that serious.¡± She quickly put on her armor, quietly listening to the chatter. Although she had no squires to assist her, she fully donned her armor in less than 10 minutes. ¡°So, that monster really ended up just getting sealed¡­¡± Squeak. She pushed open the steel bar door. As it evidently hadn¡¯t been maintained well, the sound of metal rubbing against metal quickly echoed throughout the hallway. The chatter she¡¯d been hearing from a distance immediately stopped. ¡°Th-The Hero!¡± ¡°She¡¯s awake!¡± The Inquisitor saw members of the church rushing toward her. Of course, even if she said ¡®members¡¯, that didn¡¯t mean many were present. ¡°I-I¡¯ll let the others know!¡± One of them even turned to rush elsewhere. The remaining two came right up to her. ¡°Ah, hello.¡± The Inquisitor slightly greeted those who rushed toward her with a bow, then tried to find out the most important things. ¡°What¡¯s the situation right now?¡± About the Demon Knight, the thief, and the people who were there at that time. As well as what had happened after she copsed. The priests fell silent for a moment when faced with her question. Given her little experience interacting with others, she couldn¡¯t recognize the more subtle emotions in their expression, but to her, it didn¡¯t seem as if anything too awful had happened. ¡°Let me¡­ first exin everything from the beginning.¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± After some time had passed, they began to exin. How the main forces hade at just the right time, why so few people were here now, how many casualties there were, how they handled the aftermath, and so on. ¡°We were able to get here so fast thanks to the port¡¯s pirates helping us. I was prepared for them to treat us with great hostility, but most were surprisingly cooperative.¡± ¡°As we entered the city, we noticed our enemies were in a great state of confusion, so we divided our forces to subdue them.¡± ¡°Of the 38 who went inside the castle, none have died, and 35 were injured. Among them, four were seriously injured. However, the priests were able to treat them onsite immediately, so their lives were saved. They are currently recovering.¡± ¡°Of the 264 who remained outside, 19 died, and 37 were injured. The remaining enemies fought like a ragtag group of amateurs, so they didn¡¯t cause us any significant damage. Most of the deaths happened while fighting against the Demons.¡± ¡°Currently, the wizards are trying to create a safe zone with the castle and prison as its center, and we are focusing our efforts on dealing with the Demons and searching for survivors.¡± The Inquisitor quietly listened to their report. Then, as her curiosity grew, she finally started asking some questions. ¡°The pirates didn¡¯te with you?¡± ¡°Given the danger this ce holds, they remained on the beach. After sessfully reiming this area, we sent them a signal, so they¡¯re probably returning to the port to pick up some supplies as we had agreed.¡± ¡°What did you mean regarding our enemies being in a great state of confusion?¡± ¡°It seemed something went wrong and Vipurit¡¯s men were getting attacked by the Demons. There were almost no higher-ranking members to be seen, so they were left in a daze. The Archmage decided we could easily subdue them if we split them up.¡± ¡°Ah, that probably happened because all the Demon Contractors in the castle died, so the Demons ran berserk.¡± ¡°Yes. After investigating, we came to the same conclusion.¡± ¡°What happened to Vipurit?¡± ¡°His death has been confirmed. We have disposed of his body already.¡± However, there was onest question that she had put off remaining in her mind. ¡°¡­What happened to the Demon Knight?¡± That there were no deaths among the 38 people who¡¯d faced the Demon Knight pointed to a certain possibility. However, it didn¡¯t necessarily mean things were like that. After putting it off for a long time, the Inquisitor finally asked about him. As a Hero, she shouldn¡¯t think such weak things, but¡­ she was rather afraid of what the priest would tell her. ¡°He¡­¡± Then, the priest¡¯s face darkened. ¡°¡­The bishop insisted on the death penalty, but the Archmage fiercely opposed him, so he ended up getting temporarily sealed.¡± The Inquisitor¡¯s eyes widened. * * * ¡°It sure is hard being old¡­¡± The Archmage massaged the back of his neck as he reviewed the never-ending list of tasks. He had taken 300 people with him, but he was left speechless that even that amount wasn¡¯t enough. This wasn¡¯t something that could be solved even with the deep wisdom of a Sage. ¡°Should I say it¡¯s fortunate that not many were affected by this disaster¡­¡± The old Shaggi looked back to when the Great Demon had taken over the Demon Knight¡¯s body and blew up the whole castle. Thinking back on it, he felt it was a very fortunate choice that they¡¯d only brought 40 people inside and not all of them. Had they been dragged inside the castle, they all would have died the moment it got blown away. ¡°¡­Maybe there really was no one there.¡± Of course, luck had its limits. With everything pretty much destroyed, there was no way to check whether what he thought was true, but he felt like no one had been left inside. To call the survival of the Inquisitor, the thief, and everyone he led a coincidence was just too much. ¡°I wonder if the attack got deflected somehow¡­ Or was it never meant to hit us?¡± The Archmage looked back at the castle. Its top part waspletely missing, as if it had been dug up by a trowel, leaving only a bit of its bottom half behind. That resulted from the Inquisitor blocking the attack and the sword strike¡¯s aim being just high enough to miss them. That was also why he was contemting whether they¡¯d really managed to avoid it through their own power or if it was never meant to hit them, to begin with. The wall still standing was about the height of someone lying down. As such, instead of entertaining the possibility that someone got caught up in this act of destruction, he concluded that there had been no victims. If the Demon Knight woke up and controlled the Demon as he¡¯d shown he could, one could argue that he¡¯d saved more lives than he¡¯d taken this time. ¡°¡­However, one should still mourn the dead.¡± The moment one used rtive values as a standard to weigh life and death against each other, kindness and empathy would be meaningless. However, wisdom didn¡¯t always lie in goodness. He had done his best as a Sage. He would never regret this decision, even if it wasn¡¯t the right one. ¡°Hm.¡± ¡­While he had no regrets, he was a little scared. Reminding himself of something, he loosened his stiff fingers. A Demon was still a Demon. How could he have threatened them so much with just a single blow? ¡°Sir Archmage!!¡± He then heard a booming voice calling out to him. When he heard her, his only thought was, ¡®So she finally came, huh?¡¯ Rather than saying he liked or disliked this, it was more that he recognized the work he had to take care of, no matter what just came to his doorstep. ¡°Keep working.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He approached a wizard and nced at what he was working on. The Demon Knight was imprisoned within an empty space where a now demolished building had once stood. The wizards were strengthening the restraint magic circle under his supervision. ¡°You¡¯re keeping the Demon Knight sealed¡­¡± Meanwhile, a certain someone who¡¯d approached him while apanied by the sound of nking metal immediately looked toward him. Her gaze quickly fell on the sealed man, however. Despite being quite inflexible, the Inquisitor was fairly smart and understood how seals worked. There was no way she would be surprised by that. The part the Inquisitor was so surprised by was¡­ ¡°Wh-What¡¯s with that de?¡± The sword pierced through the Demon Knight¡¯s abdomen. ¡°He stabbed himself with it.¡± ¡°Himself¡­?¡± The Archmage could roughly guess where the Inquisitor¡¯s memories stopped. Had she remembered the Demon Knight leaving the Thief alive and stabbing himself instead, she wouldn¡¯t have repeated back his words like that. ¡°Yes, himself.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± The Inquisitor¡¯s eyes trembled upon hearing that the Demon Knight had hurt himself in such a way. However, since she couldn¡¯t guess the intentions behind these actions, the shaking ceased. ¡°But if we leave him like that, won¡¯t he die from blood loss?¡± ¡°Do you think we''re just leaving him like that? Don''t worry. We are providing him with treatment.¡± No. It was even doubtful whether he even needed that treatment to begin with. Although he hadn¡¯t fully healed yet because of the de still stuck in him, he likely wouldn¡¯t require much treatment. While hecked the same regenerative powers disyed by the Inquisitor, his natural recovery speed clearly surpassed that of ordinary people. ¡°Still, this is simply too much. H-He shouldn¡¯t be treated like this.¡± Well. Was that really the case? The Archmage followed the Inquisitor¡¯s gaze and looked at the sealed man. Not only were his arms and legs restrained, but even his eyes were covered and his mouth bound with a wet cloth. However, this still seemed insufficient in his eyes. This was apletely separate matter from his trust in the Demon Knight. His strength clearly exceeded that of an average human, so he was extremely dangerous. Even if the probability of the Demon awakening again instead of the Demon Knight was limited to just 0.01%, the damage they¡¯d suffer was far too overwhelming. Furthermore, he was the supervisor of this site. He was responsible for far too many lives to care about a single person¡¯s circumstances. ¡°No matter what you say, Inquisitor, I cannotpromise on this. You know his strength is the greatest out of all of us.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to remove his restraints. I¡¯m just asking if it wouldn¡¯t be fine to remove the de stuck in his abdomen.¡± However, the Inquisitor didn¡¯t back down easily. This was even more difficult because she was such an inflexible person to begin with. How could he persuade someone who fully agreed to the seal, given this person had gone on a rampage not too long ago, but still wanted to remove the sword because she thought ¡®it wasn¡¯t right?¡¯ She also wasn¡¯t asking anything too unreasonable here. ¡°I didn¡¯t know he¡¯d stabbed himself with this sword, but¡­ I at least saw that the Demon Knight voluntarily stopped his attack at thest moment. There were also no deaths among us, only among the Demon worshipers and pirates. I doubt that¡¯s a coincidence.¡± ¡°I also don¡¯t believe this was a coincidence. But¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to weaken or release him from the seal. All I ask is to give him the minimum treatment a person deserves. Can¡¯t you do that, at least?¡± ¡°¡­We currently don¡¯t have enough manpower. When the situation bes more stable, we¡¯ll start his treatment, okay?¡± ¡°¡­As long as that¡¯s the case.¡± In the end, the Archmage decided to give in. Truthfully, he also felt quite ufortable with the Demon Knight¡¯s treatment. Just as one cannot criticize sacrificing the few for the greater good by saying it couldn¡¯t be helped, one also couldn¡¯t say it was right. ¡°Instead, there is something I would like to ask of you, Inquisitor.¡± Moreover, there was something he needed the Inquisitor¡¯s cooperation for. He wasn¡¯t such a petty person that he wouldn¡¯t ept her request if she decided to refuse his, but rtionships tended to be far smoother when there was give and take. ¡°What would that be?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. We just need your power to deal with the Demons in this city.¡± No, was that really all? Although he didn¡¯t say it, quite a few things required the Inquisitor¡¯s power. Purifying the corpses and the corruptednd throughout the area, escorting those still trapped to this pce, and clearing the path outside by killing the Demons around the city could only be less of a burden if the Inquisitor stepped in. Of course, if the Archmage stepped in, it would have a simr effect, but¡­ Unfortunately, he had a lot more work to do. From taking care of the survivors and preparing their food, clothing, and shelter, to requisitioning supplies to be sent to the rear, hunting down Demon Worshipers who might still be hiding among the people, deciding on the treatment of those who surrendered when they noticed their defeat was imminent, taking care of the bodies of the dead Demon Worshipers, and so on. Therefore, he had no choice but to leave the rest to the Inquisitor. They were just that understaffed. ¡°This isn¡¯t something you should ask for. It¡¯s something I ought to do.¡± ¡°I knew you would say that¡­ But have you even gotten proper rest? Only eight hours have passed since you copsed.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not the only one who couldn¡¯t rest properly. I can¡¯t pass on my duties when the situation is like this.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. The Demon Knight would have probably done the same thing.¡± The Archmage saw that her hair, although cut once more, was still glossy. Although he was d she chose not to attack the Demon Knight after this incident, he was a little worried about the excessive respect she held toward him. He wondered how things would turn out if the Demon Knight didn¡¯t wake up. ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t n on putting too much strain on myself. I know being patient and moving forward one step at a time will save more people than rushing and ultimately falling.¡± ¡°¡­That is very true.¡± However, even if that happened, the Inquisitor wouldn''t lose her way. No, she probably never even considered that the Demon Knight might never wake up. In the end, she also trusted that man a lot. ¡°¡­Now that I think about it, where did that thief go?¡± Then, right as the Inquisitor was about to leave, she turned around again. He¡¯d thought she might ask about him. He just found it hard to answer her this time. ¡°Ah, he¡­ is taking care of some tasks he¡¯s been given.¡± ¡°Is that so? Then, do you know where he went?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t. Why are you looking for him?¡± Considering the mission the Archmage had entrusted the thief with, if the Inquisitor found out about it, she wouldn¡¯t be happy about it. She would understand if he exined the situation a bit more, but the distance between them would greatly increase. They had barely managed to be friendly with each other these days, so there was no need to destroy that progress. That was why he pretended not to know. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± It was then the Inquisitor¡¯s turn to look at a loss. The Archmage could guess as to why. ¡°I-I have to thank him.¡± The answer came quicker than expected. A helpless yet happy smile appeared on the Archmage¡¯s face. ¡°I see. However, the task he was given is very covert, so I advise you not to look for him for now, Inquisitor. He probably hasn¡¯t left the city¡¯s vicinity, so you can do itter¡­ Why don¡¯t you tell him after he¡¯spleted his work?¡± ¡°Okay. Understood.¡± However, he still couldn¡¯t let them meet now. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go now.¡± ¡°Be careful.¡± He waved his hand and sent the Inquisitor off. When he saw that the Inquisitor had left, he turned his head back to his own work. ¡°Sir Archmage! There¡¯s a problem with the safe zone barrier!¡± ¡°It¡¯s my turn first! We¡¯ve discovered some objects and materials developed by the Demon Worshipers! They seem to be curse jars and research papers on mutating zombies!¡± ¡­However, he hadn¡¯t noticed more working his way. Maybe. * * * * * * While the Archmage was struggling to get his work done, the Deathbringer was hiding in an alleyway. He was carrying out a mission the Archmage had entrusted him with. ¡ºI¡¯m sorry.¡» However, saying he was focused entirely on his task would be a lie. He was leaning against a wall, pondering over past memories. The dawn¡¯s glow above the man, now firmly bound and further sealed, had intertwined with his eyshes. Beneath them, the dimly flickering gray irises continued to appear in his mind. ¡ºI¡¯m really sorry.¡» Could there be an apology more contradictory in this world? It was almost as incongruous as the word ¡®glorious death¡¯, yet it didn¡¯t feel as awkward. Whenever Deathbringer recalled that moment, his feelings became aplicated mess. The Demon Knight definitely wasn¡¯t speaking as the Demon, but¡­ he also didn¡¯t seem like the man he knew. Were it the Demon Knight he knew, he¡¯d have spat out some firm words instead of such a soft apology. However, despite that, why did that subtle incongruity not make him feelpletely ufortable? Perhaps it was because that smiling face made him seem so harmless. ¡®I would never want to hurt you. I¡¯m sorry for hurting you.¡¯ It was a smile that conveyed these messages solely through his facial expressions¡­ And yet. He hadn''t been able to do anything. All because he had no strength, honor, or power to make others follow him. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t even allow his copsed body to rest on a bed, nor could he treat the Demon Knight due to his awkward position. He couldn¡¯t say anything to that bishop who was running around saying the Demon Knight should be killed, and¡ªdue to being wholly disregarded¡ªhe had even less to say when they decided to seal the man after the Archmage barely persuaded that guy. No one even listened when he asked for that sword to be pulled out of him, at least. He was helpless. Just like when he couldn¡¯t do anything when the Demon Knight was trying to kill him. ¡°Shit.¡± Thud. The Deathbringer mmed his head against the wall in anger as he thought over this matter. A shallow sense of shame settled into a corner of his mind. It was an emotion he¡¯d never felt before joining the Hero¡¯s party on their journey. Before joining them, he was someone considered a ¡®predator¡¯. Even then, he had no fame or power, but as soon as the silence of night fell over everything, he would be the executioner of all kinds of scum. But now? While gathering information and discovering the truth behind things were part of his talents, he could no longer exist as an executioner. When he decided to go with them, he thought he could do it if he put his mind to it¡­ However, that was just an illusion. The world they lived in and the world he lived in werepletely different. It wasn¡¯t like they couldn¡¯t kill someone just because they were human, unlike him, who could only kill humans. ¡°Damn it, why did it turn out like this?¡± At that moment, a sound outside the alley he was hiding in broke him out of his bottomless thoughts. The hopelessness about to crawl up inside him and try to take over his brain was instantly suppressed, and his cold reason returned, making him focus all five of his senses. He focused entirely on his assigned task. ¡°Be quiet if you don¡¯t want to die.¡± ¡°Damn it. I never thought the Demon Worshipers would get beaten like this¡­¡± He melted into the shadows as he listened to their conversation. Those tasked with removing the corpses from the castle and moving the remains of copsed buildingsined without end. ¡°I can¡¯t even enjoy myself like this!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you survive, at least?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± As for their identities, they were pirates who cooperated with the Demon Worshipers but surrendered almost instantly after seeing they¡¯d been defeated. After selling out their home for doubtful profit, they immediately raised the white g when faced with some hardship. That was the type of people they were: traitors. ¡°Hurry up and move this stuff. If we don¡¯t work, they might kill us, too.¡± If someone asked why this non-recyble trash was even still alive after the main forces came here, well, he also didn¡¯t know. If he had to answer, it probably was because too many pirates were left alive to threaten or execute them all. If they wanted to kill everyst one, they¡¯d have to be prepared to suffer quite some damage themselves. ¡°You think they''d actually kill us? When there are so many of us?¡± So, to buy some time for reinforcements to arrive, the Archmage tried negotiating a temporary truce using false bait¡ªan amnesty¡ªjust as he had done before¡­ They were convinced to do somebor under the promise of being kept alive. ¡°We''re doing what they''re telling us to do! They can¡¯t just kill us like that!¡± The result was idiots like those two walking around alive. Idiots who didn¡¯t even think twice about the sins they¡¯d confidentlymitted, saying they must be kept alive because they¡¯d already surrendered and were doing hardbor as ordered. ¡°And we can just take some of the ordinary people hostage and run away if we have to.¡± There were even some among them who thought like that. They were such disgusting people. While you could say that nning a way out beforehand was wise, did they feel no shame in doing so after what they¡¯d done? Even if they died an easy death, it wouldn''t be punishment enough. The Archmage, expecting something like this to happen, made the right call when he asked Deathbringer to observe and supervise these guys. People like this usually believed they¡¯d done nothing wrong and med it on others. ¡°We''re prohibited from going to ces where those civilians are, though.¡± ¡°That''s no problem. Some guys I know are hiding among them. We can just ask them to get us some hostages.¡± ¡°Wow, you''re quick. How¡¯d they manage to do that?¡± ¡°Don''t know. Maybe they snuck in when those guys started looking for survivors.¡± ¡°Damn, I should''ve done the same.¡± Going by their conversation, it seemed they wanted to pretend to be ordinary citizens, those they¡¯d brutally ughtered not too long ago, like theirrades. ¡°Unfortunately¡­¡± However, he and the other thieves were one step ahead of those guys. ¡°They were caught.¡± Most of the pirates hiding among the civilians had already been found out. What they were looking for now were dissenters who might cause a riot. Was there truly a need to keep those time bombs alive when their situation was already unstable enough? As such, those guys were also subjects for elimination. Having gotten all the information he needed, Deathbringer moved his hand to his waist. He only remembered half a beatter that his Kukri had been smashed by the Demon Knight not too long ago. ¡°Hmm.¡± While a bit unfortunate, it didn''t matter. He didn''t care that much about the weapon¡­ He could kill someone even without one. After all, he¡¯d spent most of his short life doing such things. ¡°If that iron wall finds out about this, I''ll be done for¡­¡± At that moment, Deathbringer realized a certain matter. It was true that he wasn''t much help regarding battles between superhumans, but¡­ This kind of thing was pretty much impossible for the Demon Knight, Hero, and Archmage. Only he could do this. ¡°So, what should I do now?¡± And because he was the only one who could do this, he would never be excluded from the party. However, he vowed to keep this a secret from the Hero because he didn''t want to get nagged by her. Feeling better about himself, Deathbringer perked up his ears. He had only one goal: get rid of all the scum so the Demon Knight would awaken to a sparkling clean environment. ¡°Ah, it''s been a while since Ist took out the trash like this.¡± It was at that moment the Deathbringer, a code name given to very few even within the Information Guild, descended upon this city. The time hade for the wicked to be judged. * * * ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°What''s the matter?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I think I just heard a scream.¡± However, it was from around where the wizards were maintaining the barrier to keep out Demons. As it had been constructed hastily, it would break if even just a few Demons gathered and touched it a little bit. However, the barrier had a built-in function wherein the wizards would be notified if it was broken. There was no way they would stand by if the barrier broke and the Demons killed someone. ¡°I didn''t hear anything¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, I might have heard wrong.¡± So, she guessed she had misheard. It wasn''t even a full scream, just a ¡®Kuk¡¯¡­ So, it might have just been some rubble getting pushed over by the wind. ¡°Do you feel ufortable anywhere¡­?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± While she hadn¡¯t gotten a proper rest sinceing to this ce, the same was true for everyone here. Even if it meant struggling for a bit, she didn''t want to fall back to rest, especially because she was their first line of defense. ¡°Be prepared. I can see some Demons over there.¡± Instead, she took up arms to deal with the remaining Demons and worshipers around the city''s center. At that moment, they spotted a Gargoyle hiding in the shadows of the city. ¡°Don''t overdo it.¡± ¡°It''ll be fine.¡± While she couldn''t im to be in peak physical condition, she could still move her body and use her Divine Power. However, the total amount avable to her was slightly reduced at the moment. ¡°I''ll do it alone.¡± However, killing those remnants wouldn¡¯t even require her to use the usual maximum amount of power. The Inquisitor controlled her breathing to prevent any overload. Her body was imbued with less than an eighth of what she used when fighting the Demon Knight. She felt a bit of heat welling up within her, along with soreness ring up again in the muscles that hadn¡¯t yet recovered. ¡°Are you sure you''ll be fine? It hasn''t been that long since you woke up¡­¡± ¡°It''ll be fine, really.¡± While using Divine Power did hurt its wielder, so long as one didn''t use it excessively, it would usually just cause some minor aches. This wasn''t enough to make her give in, not when she¡¯d endured debilitating, intense pain before. Thinking about the Demon Knight, who was locked in a fierce battle with the Demon while covered inyers of seals, she felt even more determined. After firmly shaking off her worries, she went forward alone. Creak! However, she wasn''t very talented at sneaking up on her targets. The Gargoyle noticed her. She briefly thought about the thief at that moment. He¡¯d even managed to sneak up on a Great Demon, so he certainly wouldn¡¯t have gotten noticed by the likes of this thing. She felt some envy right then, but that feeling quickly dissipated. Although she wasn''t that gifted in stealth, this situation was actually convenient for her. She had intended to test something out, after all. ¡°Haap!¡± The Inquisitor swung her mace as that damn thing approached her, baring its teeth. Rumble. The ground before her began trembling as she hit it with her mace. Kiieeek! The Gargoyle quickly tried to fly up, but it was impossible on this terribly shaking ground. The Divine Power radiating from the mace and traveling through the ground swept over where the Gargoyle was. ¡°Amazing¡­!¡± ¡°I can''t believe she could use it in such a way¡­¡± The priests and inquisitors behind her were astonished by her show of power. They couldn''tprehend what they¡¯d just seen. Even in the long history of their Church, there were no reports of someone using Divine Power in such a way. To be exact, it wasn''t possible for anyone to use it like that. ¡°So that is¡­ a Hero¡­¡± ¡°It isn''t anything special, though.¡± ¡°This is apletely new way of using Divine Power. It''s utterly amazing.¡± In any case, Divine Power was an energy specialized for use in protection, deflection, and healing. Moreover, those with a lot of Divine Power usually gravitated more toward the upation of priests, who healed people and Purifiednd, than inquisitors. There was no way an inquisitor, who should be busy using it to protect their body and deflect attacks, would develop such a skill. This was only possible because she chose to be an inquisitor and had far more Divine Power than others in her upation. After seeing the Demon Knight performing a simr attack, she¡¯d kept wondering whether she could do something like that, which led to this point. ¡°If you make good use of it¡­ It''ll be an amazing weapon.¡± ¡°I think so, as well.¡± But that time had not yete. It required too much Divine Power and was still somewhat unstable. She needed to experiment with it more and use it in different ways to get a feel for it. That incident with the Demon Knight made her recognize her own shorings more acutely. ¡°If you ever need any help, please let me know anytime.¡± ¡°Thank you for your kind offer.¡± The Inquisitor moved forward again, continually assessing how much of her Divine Power she could use. Of course, aside from helping as many people as possible, she had another reason why she couldn''t allow herself to copse. ¡°There''s another Demon over there, too!¡± ¡°I''ll kill it. And one of you, please enter that red-roofed building over there. There''s a person inside. They''ll understand if you tell them we returned after catching a Dragon.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Most priests, the bishop included, were horrified by the Demon Knight. Were she to overdo it again and copse¡­ They really might sentence him to death because there was no one left who could potentially stop the Demon Knight. Even if the only thing she could do was ask them. Her position as the Hero made it easier for her to persuade members of the Temple, but she wasn''t their superior. If they refused her request, there was nothing she could do. However, she absolutely had to stop that from happening. As such, the Inquisitor reigned in her impatience and proceeded one step at a time. Though she couldn¡¯t get a proper rest, she could still withstand the umting fatigue as she advanced while controlling her speed. If she continued at this pace, she could clean up the whole city and save every survivor by tomorrow morning. Also, if she finished before the Demon Knight woke up¡­ She could personally guard his seal. In that case, even the bishop wouldn''t dare do anything to harm him. Her green eyes sparkled. She hade up with the perfect n. Immediately after that, the Demons roaming around the city started to disappear. Each day began to pass by quickly. Chapter 84: Don’t Do This (9) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 84 Don¡¯t Do This (9) About two weeks had passed. Reminiscing a little, the Archmage wondered just how so much time could have passed so quickly. Spending every day overwhelmed with so much work had made it seem even more unreal to him. But on the other hand, the city¡¯s security had been stabilized, and with the reinforcements joining in, they¡¯d reimed even more space. The Inquisitor also ventured outside the city to take care of the remaining Demons. However, that didn¡¯t mean he¡¯dpletely stopped the internal crackdown on those pirates. The members of the Vipurit gang, whom they¡¯d left alone until now due tock of manpower, were executed one after the other as soon as they had the time and personnel to spare. Like that, his workload became lighter and lighter each day. The Archmage, who¡¯d just gotten news that a second wave of reinforcements would being and was thinking something akin to, ¡®I can finally breathe again!¡¯, received another bit of news that seemed like a thunderbolt out of the blue. ¡°This ce isn¡¯t safe enough yet for the Lord toe here¡­¡± Pion, the Lord of Jacrati, hade to the recently restored Ayu Hin. ¡°While I wouldn¡¯t say the rtionship between Jacrati and Ayu Hin was especially good, it wasn¡¯t so bad that I couldn¡¯t lend a helping hand in this situation.¡± Should he think it fortunate that she didn¡¯t request a protocol or something? While he knew Pion was said to be different from other nobles, the Archmage had lived for too long to trust in things like rumors and hearsay. Furthermore, not too long ago¡­ ¡ºSomeone who embraces the power of a Great Demon. I think it would be more beneficial for us to kill him than keep him alive. Why did you make that kind of judgment?¡» ¡ºThe vessel of a Great Demon? If you¡¯re going to kill him, could you give us his corpse?¡» ¡ºWhat about Purification¡­? Well, I suppose they didn¡¯t do it because it didn''t work. How about the Temple¡¯s seals? Did they work?¡» ¡ºA seal to prevent him from going berserk, how fun! Could you provide me with his physical information? I¡¯ll develop that right away!¡» She¡¯de here right after he finished dealing with those other Great Sages whose true personalities differed wildly from their public personas. He felt consoled that he at least received limited cooperation from them. ¡°If you¡¯re worried about my treatment, you don¡¯t have to be. I n on leaving as soon as this matter is resolved.¡± Regardless of what he felt, Pion continued talking. In addition to the Guard Captain she¡¯d brought as an escort, some pirates tasked with transporting various things between the hidden port and Ayu Hin stood close to her, just slightly out of the way. They were Windhand, Ouw, and Blue Moon. They looked very reserved, eyes lowered and hands sped together. ¡°First, let us start with this.¡± At Pion¡¯s words, the pirates and guards began to move in unison. They lifted the veil covering the object they¡¯d brought all the way here with considerable difficulty. They were the items Ayu Hin needed the most: food, clothing, and medicine. The people who came snooping around when they heard another city¡¯s Lord was visiting started to cheer. ¡°Th-This is.¡± The treasurer they¡¯d brought by pirate ship once word got out that Ayu Hin was nearly restored¡ªhe was dispatched quickly, as they needed someone to cate and lead the people¡ªwas moved to tears. While he might have expected something like that since Pion had brought over a lot of things, it was still different seeing it with his own eyes. ¡°There wasn¡¯t much I could prepare with my own funds, so most of it was prepared by the city¡¯s people after they heard about the situation here.¡± ¡°I heard things aren¡¯t going so well in Jacrati, either, so how could you¡­¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t we all from the same region? And¡­ didn¡¯t we also get a lot of help from you 40 years ago? I¡¯m sure everyone still remembers that favor. So, don¡¯t worry about it too much.¡± She waved her hand before adding some more words. ¡°Other cities, and even Canavas across the sea, have agreed to send over supplies after learning of your situation, so even if this isn¡¯t quite enough, you just need to hold on for a little longer.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s the least we should do. We must hold on.¡± ¡°The supplies were too much to pile up on the beach, so we put the rest in the port. Please move them here once you can.¡± ¡°We are so grateful for your help.¡± ¡°You should thank the people rather than me, and the pirates who gave us ess to the port. That port they built has actually be a great strategic point.¡± Incidentally, little justification was needed to exin why it turned out that way. The port was chosen for this use thanks to the hardbor of the evacuees, the terrain that prevented Demons from easily entering it, and its central position. Another reason was that it was the only free port. Of course, right after the Hero¡¯s party left, they were caught up in yet another incident due to the presence of a traitor. If not for the main forces arriving there at just the right time, the ce might have already been destroyed. ¡°Rather, I heard that the Magic Tower has uncovered some information regarding the Zombie outbreak.¡± It seemed Pion¡¯s first goal for the visit had been met. So, she immediately moved on to the next matter. That may have been the primary reason behind hering here personally instead of just sending over the supplies. The Archmage¡¯s hand gently swept over his staff. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to interrupt, but this talk will be too long to have here. If it¡¯s fine with you, how about we first move somewhere else.¡± He¡¯d nned to exin this to her from the beginning. Pion had hurriedly asked the next best person she could find because she had little time, but there was no reason he couldn¡¯t tell her himself. ¡°I apologize for myte greetings. It is a pleasure to be seeing you again, Great Sage.¡± Pion, who waste to notice the Archmage, bowed slightly in greeting. ¡°Then, hmm. I really want to see Vipurit¡¯s corpse, so would it be alright if you tell me while leading me there?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Vipurit¡¯s corpse had been put on disy for everyone to see. It wouldn¡¯t be an ideal ce to have this talk, but it was far better than doing it while standing here. ¡°I will guide you.¡± ¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡± The Archmage started to guide her. Pion and some of her escorts followed behind. Their presence was partially due to the privateers, wary of the information they¡¯d received, wanting to confirm it for themselves. Ah, and the treasurer, who had considered following along, ultimately decided to stay behind to collect the supplies they¡¯d been gifted. Not only had he already been informed of this matter, but there was still so much work left for him to do while the Archmage entertained their guest. ¡°So, I heard you discovered why the Zombies spread so quickly.¡± The Archmage and Pion, surrounded by escorts¡ªit seemed somewhatical considering that privateers, Windhand included, were part of said escort¡ªbegan moving forward. Both seemed to have nerves of steel, able to ignore all those people bowing toward them. Their only indication showing they were conscious of their entourage was how they lowered their voices. ¡°Yes. The Demon Worshipers brought some of their research data here.¡± It was fortunate they¡¯d died before getting the chance to hide it away. More precisely, they were killed when the Demon Knight went berserk. ¡°First, the principle behind shortening the speed of infection¡­ It appears to be based on the fear caused by the incident 40 years ago.¡± ¡°¡­Based on fear.¡± ¡°Sometimes, experience can be much more troublesome than unfamiliarity.¡± There was a saying that ignorance made one brave. The opposite of that was the main cause behind all this. They¡¯d taken advantage of those who¡¯d be more fearful due to their experiences weakening their minds, which only served to amplify the curse. ¡°Yes, high amounts of anxiety serve as an amplification. The greater the fear, the greater the curse¡¯s effect.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s why the infection rate varied so much between people.¡± ¡°Your assumption is correct.¡± Setting aside the generation that had lived through the incident, the generation who¡¯d only heard about it could be divided into two groups: those who felt great fear because the previous generation had practically brainwashed them about this incident, and those left ignorant because they still couldn¡¯t believe what was happening. The infection rate would have been rtively fast for the former and slow for thetter. So, in this case, thetter group was in a far better situation. ¡°¡­This was only possible because they attacked this region.¡± ¡°While knowing it wouldn¡¯t be much help now¡­ You are right. Something like this wouldn¡¯t have happened in any other region. Although other cities and viges fear Zombies¡­ This is the only region so entirely afraid of them.¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± Pion frowned even more at the Archmage¡¯s calm exnation. The escorts listening in nearby also wore dark expressions, but they didn¡¯t join the conversation. ¡°Understood. From now on¡­ We must encourage our people to be prepared but not fearful.¡± ¡°That is the right decision.¡± While their fear of Zombies may never vanishpletely, such encouragement would undoubtedly help. The Archmage also acknowledged this as he slowly stopped his steps. Near the copsed castle, the remains of what used to be Vipurit were propped up on skewers, one at a time. The lined-up wooden skewers almost made them seem like decorations. ¡°This is it.¡± ¡°¡­This thing?¡± ¡°You might not believe it, but we have witnesses.¡± A thief who was lucky enough to survive¡ªno, could it really be chalked up to luck? The thief herself imed it wasn¡¯t¡ªreported everything to them. How the Demon Knight walked into a trap, what he was like after awakening, how she survived, how Vipurit died, and so on. There were still some who doubted whether ¡®that¡¯ really was Vipurit¡­ Most were convinced that it was, though. ¡°I can call her here if you want.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not necessary. It¡¯s not as if I came herepletely unaware of the situation.¡± Pion politely informed him that the pirates had briefed her beforehand, and she was only surprised that the corpse looked even more monstrous than she¡¯d expected. ¡°¡­Knowing him, he would do something like this.¡± She looked over the chopped-up and dismembered body. Her dark brown eyes betrayed no emotion. ¡°So, it¡¯s time for me to pay those 10 million Gal. Where is the person whom I made this agreement with?¡± The Archmage blinked for a moment upon hearing that question. He hadn¡¯t heard anything about that. ¡°Ah, Sir Great Sage, you didn¡¯t know. I asked an adventurer called Demon Knight to kill Vipurit. You didn¡¯t miss much.¡± That. The Archmage felt like he was drenched in copious amounts of sweat. Information regarding the Demon Knight¡¯s situation had only been shared with the Magic Tower, the Temple, and those in power in Ayu Hin. It wouldn¡¯t be good if talk of this spread, after all. ¡°He¡­¡± However, if the Demon Knight stayed unconscious like he was now, then¡­ ¡°¡­He has been cursed and is currently in istion. I think it would be better if you postpone this meeting with him.¡± No, there was no way he wouldn''t wake up. The Archmage responded to her, wondering whether he was truthfully far more dependent on the Demon Knight than even the Inquisitor. What he said wasn¡¯t exactly wrong. The Demon Knight really was cursed and had been ced in istion by means of seals. He just left out that the decisive reason for all this was the Demon residing in his body. ¡°Is that so? Then there¡¯s nothing we can do about that. What about his colleague? The one with the green hood.¡± ¡°Well, he¡­¡± Fortunately, this was something he could share. He didn¡¯t know the answer, though. ¡°I guess he¡¯s wandering around the streets¡­?¡± The Archmage trailed off at the end of his sentence. * * * * * * ¡°¡­What are you guys doing?¡± Meanwhile, the person the Lord and Archmage were looking for had both his arms suddenly caught by someone. ¡°Why did you suddenly jump out and grab my arms?¡± Now that all the pirates under Vipurit had been executed, there was little left for the Deathbringer to do. So, he was just wandering around the city. This stood in great contrast to the Archmage¡¯s and Inquisitor¡¯s situations¡ªthey were still grappling with a lot of work¡ªbut it couldn''t be helped. Compared to before, there simply wasn¡¯t much left for him to do except watch out for those Demon Worshipers. Actually, it might be correct to say he was currently jobless. ¡°Let¡¯s just calm down for a sec.¡± ¡°Haha, don¡¯t be so offended.¡± However, there was clearly a price to pay for not having any work. Deathbringer, having almost reached his destination, was caught by Windhand and Ouw. Blue Moon was also leaning against the wall not too far away. ¡°Why are you here? Shouldn¡¯t you be busy moving supplies around?¡± ¡°What can we do if the Lord asked us to apany her for a day?¡± ¡°We tried pretty hard to avoid her, but we still ended up running into her at the port. Hahaha. So, what can we do? We had no other choice but toply.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± He had heard that the Lord of Jacrati hade. He didn¡¯t really want to see her, though, so he didn¡¯t head over. However, he didn¡¯t know these pirates were also around here. Deathbringer red at them. ¡°Then, shouldn¡¯t you be with the Lord?¡± ¡°We escaped after some time. Even if we can¡¯t refuse the Lord¡¯s words, it still was too ufortable staying with those stuck-up guards.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°Where are you going?¡± It seemed the guards didn¡¯t view them kindly after seeing the Lord paying so much attention to mere pirates. He blinked at Ouw¡¯s question. The ce he was heading to wasn¡¯t open to others. Even if it were, he wouldn¡¯t have taken them there. ¡°¡­Erm, well¡­¡± As he thought about his destination, which was just a dozen steps away, the words escaped him. Was it because his mind was filled with too many thoughts? Words that normally would have flowed from his mouth like water stuck in his throat. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is something wrong?¡± Windhand, perceptive as he was, caught on to him. ¡°There is.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Still, he couldn¡¯t talk about it. How could he tell them the Demon Knight had been possessed by the Demon and, despite stopping himself, was still deemed dangerous and was currently sealed away? ¡°Hey, do you know where the Demon Knight is? I want to say something to him.¡± ¡°Ah, right, right. Please tell me, as well.¡± Blue Moon and Ouw were no help, either. Deathbringer¡¯s face, partially covered by his hood, subtly hardened. He couldn¡¯t say anything. No matter what came out of his mouth, they would find out if they asked just a little more about it. ¡°¡­Well, that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t block the road.¡± However, even if they found out, that would be better than actually telling them the truth. Just as Deathbringer was about to open his mouth, a new voice interrupted him. ¡°A member of the religious order.¡± ¡°Aah, aren¡¯t you that priest?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s been a while. What happened to your hair?¡± It was the Inquisitor. Apparently, she¡¯d left to Purify the corruptednd outside the city and deal with some Demons, and now she¡¯d returned. ¡°It was cut during a fight.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± He couldn¡¯t believe she arrived at this exact time. Anyway, that iron wall wouldn¡¯t be much help. Deathbringer was very anxious inside, seeing that stubborn mule appearing before them now. He worried she¡¯d tell Windhand the truth if he asked about the Demon Knight. ¡°Rather, if you¡¯re here to see the Demon Knight, you should just head in quickly. Don¡¯t block the road.¡± ¡­As she did right now! ¡°What?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°You idiot¡­¡± He seriously was about to go crazy. Deathbringer touched his forehead. The three pirates looked dumbfounded at her sudden mention of the Demon Knight, and the priest only stared at them nkly as if she couldn¡¯t understand what was happening. ¡°What¡­ What do you mean? You came to see the Demon Knight?¡± ¡°¡­Didn¡¯t youe here to see the Demon Knight?¡± ¡°Why are you telling them this?! The Archmage told us to keep it a secret!¡± ¡°I-I told them because I thought you were taking them with you¡­!¡± ¡°Wait, what do you mean? The Great Sage told you to keep what a secret?¡± ¡°Erm¡­ Doesn¡¯t this seem a bit problematic?¡± ¡°Just what is going on?¡± They were doomed. They had already heard so much; there was no way they would just back off. After Deathbringer wiped over his face, he saw others looking at them. Shit. Still, the only fortunate thing was that these three weren¡¯t the type to spread things. ¡°¡­Please follow me.¡± He walked forward, a sigh leaving his mouth. The pirates, realizing this situation was pretty off, followed him with serious expressions, and the iron wall, having realized her mistake, also joined them with an anxious face. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°Say that to Mister Knight, not me.¡± ¡°¡­Is there something wrong with the Demon Knight?¡± ¡°¡­Yes. If you see him, you¡¯ll understand.¡± Deathbringer entered the space surrounded by a mud wall to conceal what was within from curious eyes. Fortunately, a door had been installed to make it easier for guards and such to enter. ¡°Just what are you trying to show us¡­¡± The moment the door opened, the three pirates¡¯ faces hardened. Especially Windhand¡¯s. It was far removed from his usual expressions. ¡°¡­Is that¡­ the Demon Knight?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Wh-Why is he¡­!¡± ¡°Because of the Demon Worshipers, the Demon Knight was possessed by a Demon. In that state, he couldn¡¯t differentiate friends from foes and fought with us for a bit. So, he was sealed.¡± However, there was no reason not to tell them anymore. Deathbringer exined the situation, a bitter expression on his face. They didn¡¯t seem to understand. ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s what happened.¡± They also wanted to deny this reality more than anyone. Nevertheless, that wouldn¡¯t change anything. So, the only thing remaining was eptance. ¡°Even if he was taken over by a Demon, to treat him like this is¡­!¡± ¡°If this continues, I won¡¯t even be able to thank him.¡± ¡°Was he strong enough that they needed to put him in that state?¡± Unlike Windhand, who¡¯d been with them a while and had built up much trust in the Demon Knight, Ouw, who held less affection for him, asked a question. Immediately after, however, she seemed to regret her words¡ªwhat she¡¯d witnessed seemed answer enough¡ªbut Deathbringer had already opened his mouth to respond. ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice that most of the castle is gone?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Mister Knight did that.¡± ¡°I did notice, but to think he¡¯s the one who did that¡­¡± ¡°Hah, the Temple must have been in an uproar.¡± ¡°So, that¡¯s why he¡¯s in this state.¡± ¡°¡­Him? But how?¡± Unlike Blue Moon and Ouw, Windhand didn¡¯t seem to find it easy to ept. Deathbringer didn¡¯t try to persuade him, either. It was hard enough for him to talk about this, after all. ¡°Bullshit¡­ That man¡­ to a Demon¡­¡± ¡°¡­Wait a second.¡± Then, the only person who hadn¡¯t spoken sinceing here finally said something. ¡®Wait a second¡¯. ¡°What is it?¡± She couldn¡¯t help but move forward. The wizard keeping an eye on them from a corner stood up to stop her, but that red-haired iron wall was faster. ¡°Demon Knight, are you awake?¡± She stopped right before she could touch the magic circle and whispered. tter. At that moment, too perfect to be mere coincidence, the chains restraining the man began to shake. Chapter 85: I Want to Talk (1) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 85 I Want to Talk (1) ¡¸¡­Can you hear my voice?¡¹ ¡¸If you can¡­¡¹ ¡¸Forget everything.¡¹ * * * Shouldn¡¯t I at least get to shout out stuff like ¡®An unfamiliar ceiling!¡¯ or ¡®So bright¡¯ after waking from unconsciousness? Imented that my eyes were covered, preventing me from even doing something like that. Though, now that I thought about it, it was a pretty useless regret. I probably wouldn¡¯t be in any position to make suchments to begin with. Anyway, thanks to its presence, I came to my senses a little. I first tried to figure out my situation. Even if I didn¡¯t know what it was, something was obviously covering my eyes. I didn¡¯t sense anything wrong with my body. My limbs seemed to be attached, too, but I couldn¡¯t really move them. I even felt some pressure around my mouth. I tried moving my lips a little as a test and found it difficult, so something was also blocking them. They¡¯d apparently blocked my ears, as I couldn¡¯t hear any sound around me. I had a strong feeling that something had gone wrong. Considering that my eyes and mouth were blocked, there was a high chance my body was also bound. But why? I quickly tried to remember what had happened before I copsed. So¡­ I clearly remembered falling into a trap and pretending to be the Demon, and in that state, I dealt with some guys calling themselves the 72 Knights or something. I also took care of Vipurit, who¡¯d turned into a monster. Then¡­ What happened afterward? Erm¡­ I think I went to clear out the remaining Demon Worshippers because I was ufortable leaving them in the castle. I also vaguely recalled saving the people they¡¯d nned to use as sacrifices. But I had no idea why my memory of that time was so hazy. It¡¯s as if a filter had been put over it. I had a lot of spaces in my memories, like frames missing in a movie¡­ I couldn¡¯t remember my thoughts and feelings from that time, either¡­ Oh? For a second, I felt like I wanted to blink. A memory came to me, albeit a bit bted. I believe thest thing I saw was the kimchi dumpling swinging her mace at me after my Madness Gauge had filled up a lot¡­? Erm, I also vaguely remembered the meat dumpling looking at me, as well? ¡­What were those memories? At that moment, I felt a cold sweat running down my back. Though that was all I could remember, it made me feel like those omitted scenes weren¡¯t anything good. Maybe that¡¯s why I got arrested. I couldn¡¯t be too sure because I didn¡¯t remember, but¡­ maybe I went on a rampage, unable to differentiate between friend and foe after my Madness Gauge filled uppletely. If that¡¯s what happened, my arrest would have been inevitable. I was somewhat depressed about how high those chances were. In that case, what should I do? How much time had passed since then? When trying to check the time, I remembered the System didn¡¯t have a watch function. So, how was I supposed to find out how much time passed? Ruuumble. At that moment, my stomach started to rumble as ifughing at my serious situation. What was even more intense was the hunger that came with it. I groaned through my teeth, feeling hunger that bordered on pain. It hurt more than when I got cut by a sword. ¡°Uuh.¡± I finally let out a groan. ¡°Huh?¡± Then, I heard a sound from somewhere close: a person¡¯s voice. However, when I felt someone nearby, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to let out another sound. I should let them know I was awake, but since I wasn¡¯t fully aware of the situation yet, maybe I shouldn¡¯t. Even more so since I didn¡¯t know precisely why I¡¯d been detained like this. If I pretended to have just woken up now, something bad might happen. ¡°Was it just me¡­¡± So I patiently waited, holding my breath, until that person close to me finally rxed. Relief filled my heart. I¡¯d bought myself some more time. However, the problem was that despite having plenty of time to think now, I didn¡¯t have any means to find out what was happening. I didn¡¯t even know how long it had been, you know¡­? Ah, wait a minute. If I was that hungry, didn¡¯t that mean my satiety had decreased? I briefly opened my Status Window to get a clearer picture. Fortunately, I could still see the Status Window even with my eyes covered. ¡¸HP: 2,457 / 2,457 MP: 2,785 / 2,785 Fatigue: 51 Satiety: 0¡¹ I looked over the Status Window, which I¡¯d never properly reviewed due tock of interest, before checking the information I was looking for. The first thing I noticed was how strange it had be. My fatigue and satiety aside, what was strange was my MP. It was 1,500 before, right? Why did it be so high? I kept looking at my MP, feeling rather strange. Considering my satiety had bottomed out, it seemed at least three days had passed¡­ No, seriously, why did my MP increase? It was almost twice as much. Why? However, that wasn¡¯t the only surprise. ¡¸[Rage] ©¦ Rage can either be strength or poison. Effect: Nullifies all status conditions except Rage and ignores any further status conditions ced on you. When used, a Madness Gauge will be created. The more you perform certain actions, the more your Madness Gauge will fill up. ¡ùThe skill may be activated automatically in certain situations.¡¹ ¡¸[Arcane Spear] ©¦ Creates a spear of Arcane Power in the air and sends it toward a desired location. Effect: Consumes 20 MP. Prating attack causing 200% damage to enemies.¡¹ ¡¸[Bombard] ©¦ Ejects a mass of Arcane Power twisted into a spiral. Effect: Consumes 100 MP. Attacks all enemies within range with 600% damage.¡¹ ¡¸[Triple w Strike] ©¦ Adds two more trajectories to attacks. Effect: When activated, two more trajectories are added to all attacks. Triples the MP consumption of skills.¡¹ ¡¸[Arcane Power Control] ©¦ You can now finely control your Arcane Power.¡¹ There was nothing I could do now anyway, so I confirmed that my level had increased and I¡¯d somehow gained some points. Crucially, when trying to see whether a new skill had caused my MP to explode so much, I discovered that there really were some new skills. What? Furthermore, the first skill was the same as that status condition I¡¯d had before. It was no longer just a status condition but had be a fixed passive skill I could also activate myself. The second and third could be summarized as long-distance attack skills. The fourth was¡­ I think I could understand the gist of it, but I wasn¡¯t entirely sure. I had to test it outter. Lastly, the fifth skill¡­ I didn¡¯t really know anything more about it. I wondered whether it was that thing¡¯s fault my MP had increased, but there was no mention of such in its description, right? Furthermore, just looking at the description made me wonder what it actually did. I seriously didn¡¯t get it. ¡°Just what are you trying to show us¡­?¡± At that moment, I heard a familiar voice along with something opening. Could that be Windhand?¡­ It was him, right? ¡°¡­Is that¡­ the Demon Knight?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Wh-Why is he¡­!¡± I eavesdropped on their conversation without showing it. I nearly became agitated for a moment when I heard I¡¯d actually been sealed, but I immediately calmed down since it didn¡¯t particrly matter whether I was being restrained or sealed. Rather, the most important thing I heard was that I actually went crazy¡­ Wow, that Madness Gauge sure is scary. Although I couldn¡¯t believe it, it seemed I actually went berserk and couldn¡¯t differentiate friend from foe. They¡¯d even suppressed the yer¡¯s consciousness. Well, it was a fitting skill for the Demon Knight job. Of course, it¡¯s not like I wanted it! If possible, I would like to delete it right away! Shit! ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice that most of the castle is gone?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Mister Knight did that.¡± I did what now? I couldn¡¯t hold back anymore and started shaking a little. Well, I couldn¡¯t really feel my body, so I wasn¡¯t even aware it was moving. I just heard the faint sound of the chains rattling, which made me think, ¡®Huh? Did I just move?¡¯ ¡°¡­Wait a second.¡± However, it was apparently quite visible to the others. A voice I was pretty sure belonged to the Inquisitor cut through their conversation, followed by fast-approaching footsteps. ¡°Demon Knight, are you awake?¡± At that moment, I decided it was time for me to wake up. tter. I shook the chains¡ªmaybe?¡ªrestraining my body. ¡°Then¡­ Can you make out what I¡¯m saying? If you can, please move your head.¡± Ah, damn it, how was I supposed to look into the kids¡¯ faces? They probably had a hard time subduing me. Of course, the one who had the advantage over me was obviously the Inquisitor. ¡°Are you really the Demon Knight? If you are, please nod your head.¡± ¡­No. This wasn¡¯t something I had to worry about right now. ¡°You¡¯re really awake!¡± Wow, did she really just brush off the Demon Knight running wild? ¡°Please wait a bit. I¡¯ll release you.¡± It wasn¡¯t even likest time¡ªwhen we were moving from Somon to Tatara¡ªa short attack. I ran so wild this time that there was a need to seal me, you know? Of course, the reason I went on a rampage wasn¡¯t because I was overtaken by a Demon or something, but just because of a skill penalty. But to others, it would definitely seem like the former. Honestly, I could only exin it to them like that. Moreover, I even acted like the Demon possessed me in front of Lukkwan so she could survive! It was just an act, but the other kids would never believe that! Urgh, uuurgh. Wh-What should I do now¡­? Going by my setting, I would never allow myself to cause such a big incident, right? Swish. Meanwhile, the thing that had been blocking my vision disappeared. It was pretty fortunate the surroundings weren¡¯t overly bright. I got used to the iing light after just a few blinks. ¡°I¡¯ll free your mouth now, as well.¡± As my eyes adjusted to the light, the person before me came into view. The Inquisitor was kneeling before me and brought her hand up to my face. Thanks to that, I could clearly see the kimchi dumpling¡¯s face. White and chubby cheeks, green eyes that sparkled as brightly as ever, and hair shaved off on one side¡­? Wait, why did she shave her hair like that? I barely stopped my pupils from shaking. In my hazy memory, which wasn¡¯t much help, the scene of ¡®red hair¡¯ rising into the air coincidentally remained. After that, the kimchi dumpling swung her mace at me. In other words, it seemed I was the true culprit. * * * * * * Rustle. ¡°There we go.¡± The cloth sealing my mouth finally came off, but my mouth refused to open. It was only natural. I would never be so shameless as to open my mouth and speak my mind voluntarily! Moreover, due to the setting of the Demon Knight, what I could say was heavily limited. ¡°Demon Knight?¡± I¡­ I guess¡­ the only thing I could ask was for her to kill me, right? ¡°How many¡­ died?¡± Uuugh. Please, anything but that! I asked whatever came to mind to buy as much time as possible. Of course, I also chose that question after long, intense deliberation. There were only a few things I could say ording to my setting before asking her to kill me. ¡°None.¡± No matter how much I thought it over in the time I¡¯d barely bought for myself, however, there was no way to ovee this situation with my character setting, even more so because I didn¡¯t know the extent of the damage I¡¯d caused during this incident. ¡°You don¡¯t need to mince your words.¡± During that time, the shackles around my neck fell off with a crash. I hadn¡¯t even realized they¡¯d suspended me midair. My throat felt itchy, and I couldn¡¯t breathe for a moment. Then, the first thing I did right before losing consciousness came to mind. ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth.¡± Ah, my back felt weak. Thud. In addition to the Inquisitor, other wizards broke the chains fastened around my waist. As a result, it automatically bent. Urgh, I¡¯d probably starved for longer than three days, so I didn¡¯t have the power to stand. The chains were both my restraint and my support. I felt my body falling forward. I couldn¡¯t even support myself with my hands because they were restrained separately. ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± My head¡­ Forehead? The area between my brow and forehead hit the ground first. I somehow put some strength into my waist to prevent myself frompletely copsing. However, just because I avoided falling over didn¡¯t mean I could do something to appear cool or anything. ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± I thought about it repeatedly but couldn¡¯te up with anything to say instead. ¡°I¡¯m not worthy of living. Kill me.¡± ¡­It seemed like I really couldn¡¯t avoid death. I wanted to cry. ¡°Demon Knight!¡± ¡°I¡­ told you to kill me.¡± Of course, I didn¡¯t really want to redo all of this. As I¡¯d said so many times, it would be extremely difficult to live through all that again. But what could I do when this damn character setting absolutely forbade me from surviving this situation? In the end, I asked for death despite not wishing for it, as I¡¯d always done ever since I started ying this game. If I didn¡¯t, I figured she would say something like, ¡°Sir, you would never say something like that. Die.¡¯ or simr. ¡°Kill me right now¡­!¡± Hah, was there some way I could be saved, though? ¡°What are you talking about, Mister?!¡± Deb supported me as I fell forward. As my upper body straightened, I felt something lukewarm flow down from the bridge of my nose. My eyes widened. ¡°I can¡¯t do that!¡± ¡°No, you have to.¡± No, no. I also didn¡¯t want them to do that, if possible. If I retried, I could definitely create a better oue. I could reduce the damage caused and resolve this incident a lot faster without falling into their trap, and I wouldn¡¯t be stuck with that damn passive skill, but still¡­ Well, now that I think about it, wouldn¡¯t it be much better if I just restarted? ¡°You absolutely have to.¡± No, wait, that was wrong. I didn¡¯t know where the restart point would be. This damn game didn¡¯t have a manual save function, so I couldn¡¯t even try reloading using a previous save file, and restarting using an auto-save file wasn¡¯t possible. Of course, there were several reasons for that. Firstly, any time I tried directly inducing a restart, the only thing that System Window hit me with was, ¡°Thismand cannot be carried out.¡± Secondly, about restarting through a GAME OVER¡­.. Regardless of whether I could do something like that, my current situation would pose quite the problem. Because thest auto-save definitely happened after this fight! Well, wasn¡¯t it called ¡®auto¡¯ save because it saved automatically every time after a major event happened? Going by my experience with this buggy game, I was sure that even if I hit the restart-fromst-savepoint button somehow, it would bring me after the point I wanted to retry, right? ¡°Kill me¡­ right now.¡± Ah, wait a second. Looking at it that way, whether I could retry or not, wasn¡¯t I just screwed? If the auto-save happened after the city was recaptured, I would still be in this mess, wouldn¡¯t I? Shit. Shit. Shit! ¡°¡­¡± Admin, Status Window, System. Whoever you are. Please give this poor guy a reset button. I¡¯m begging you. Even if you asked me to do everything all over again, I wouldn¡¯tin. No, it would be even better if you did that. I could take that opportunity to get rid of this character setting. So, please, let me reseeeet!! ¡°Why are you hesitating?!¡± I rushed those two who were just standing there in silence. Of course, my intentions were still the exact opposite. Anyway, if I wasn¡¯t given aplete reset button, I could only move on to the future through their mercy. However, all I could do was whine for them to kill me. Shit. How did things get so twisted? My heart was about to burst from all these mixed emotions¡­ ¡°Your duty isn¡¯t to keep Demons alive, right?!¡± Please, just let this slide. Let it slide. Just ignore my words this time! Please!! I was desperately crying for help on the inside while desperately asking for my death with my own mouth. It seemed like death was just around the corner. My neck felt stiff. ¡°Hey, what are you saying?¡± ¡°Mister¡­¡± And right when they gotpletely overwhelmed by my shouts¡ªno, you guys shouldn¡¯t get overwhelmed by just that! Try to convince me! Or, even better, ignore my wordspletely! You hear?!---the Inquisitor chewed her lip. Did I overdo it? Regrets were slowly appearing in my head. ¡°I-I don¡¯t think you¡¯re a Demon, though.¡± ¡­However, the kimchi dumpling ultimately didn¡¯t disappoint my expectations. ¡°If you really were a Demon, there¡¯s no way you¡¯d ask to be killed.¡± Our kimchi dumpling looked like God to me now! * * * ¡°Hah!¡± A sharpugh echoed through the hall. His voice, dry and raspy, cut through the air like sharp wind over some ancient ruins. ¡°Then tell me, why did you bind me like this? Can you tell me to my face that I didn¡¯t sumb to that thing? That there is any other reason aside from that evil within me that made me go berserk?!¡± It showed both his pride and decline. As if the only thing he could hope for was his demise and annihtion. That was the only future he could see for himself. ¡°¡­Let me say it again: your duty is to kill Demons, as is mine.¡± Was that why his figure, standing upright as ever even after he shook off the thief¡¯s support, looked so small? Although he resembled his usual steely self, she could hear an ever-present resignation in his voice. ¡°So¡­ Fulfill your duty.¡± For that reason. For that very reason. She didn¡¯t dare open her mouth. Some said silence was the easiest way to determine whether someone agreed to a statement and felt the same way. ¡°¡­My duty.¡± However, she couldn¡¯t remain silent forever. So finally, after a long silence, the Inquisitor spoke up again. ¡°My duty is to save people from Demons, not to kill the innocent. And you¡­ you aren¡¯t someone I have to kill.¡± Was that the right decision? She wasn¡¯t sure. She would just have to continue moving forward. As she always did. ¡°How can I kill you, who resisted even while possessed by that Demon and even stopped yourself before you could kill a single innocent person?¡± Because that was the path she had chosen to take. ¡°¡­Nonsense. Just because no one died this time, do you think it won¡¯t happen next time?¡± What came back was an argument that was very hard to refute. His words were painful. She couldn¡¯t deny them hastily, either. ¡°If you want to let your guard down and rely on a moment¡¯s luck, fine. Release the shackles. If you won¡¯t do it, I will.¡± However, she couldn¡¯t ept this. She didn¡¯t want to ept this. ¡°If what you experienced this time is luck¡­¡± Why would the Demon Knight talk about the Demon like that? He never lost. Didn¡¯t he also win over it this time in the end? ¡°Then next time, it will be inevitable.¡± So, she was begging him not to say these things. She wanted him to be filled with pride again and so sure of his victory as always. Confidently moving forward, calmly making something seemingly impossible into reality. ¡°I will make it happen. I will never let that evil you bear within you run rampant and hurt anyone. Never.¡± If he could do that, she would be able to move forward as well. ¡°So, please, ce your trust in me once again.¡± The Inquisitor finished what she wanted to say. She didn¡¯t know if her words worked or not. All she could do was her best. ¡°¡­Why?¡± And then, after a long, drawn-out silence. ¡°Why are you so sure that I can suppress the Demon?¡± The Demon Knight quietly asked her a question. One she could easily answer. ¡°Because that¡¯s the kind of person I see you as.¡± She could hear a grinding sound. ¡°¡­There will never be another fool like you in this world.¡± That was clearly a white g fluttering in the wind. A heartwarming ending. However, what she didn¡¯t know was that during that conversation, things like ¡®Would it be considered out of character if I epted this?¡¯ or ¡®Would she cover me even if I add a few more lines here?¡¯ were going through his head. Chapter 86: I Want to Talk (2) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 86 I Want to Talk (2) As of today, I wouldn¡¯t only support the kimchi dumpling. From now on, the kimchi dumpling and I were one, and I¡¯d consider any attack against the kimchi dumpling an attack against me¡­! Actually managing to cover for all that nonsense I spouted made her truly god-like!! ¡°¡­Are you really not going to harm yourself?¡± I got to my feet with Deb¡¯s support. I had no idea how long I¡¯d been tied up, but I couldn¡¯t even feel a tingling in my limbs. I suspected it would take a long time until I returned to normal. ¡°Erm, the request isn¡¯t over yet, you know?¡± At that moment, Windhand spoke to me in an awkwardly calm manner, perhaps feeling uneasy that I wasn¡¯t answering. Rather than wanting to encourage me, he seemed to be trying to give me a reason to live. That was some rather good support. ¡°There are still two cities left needing to be reimed¡­ There are still many Demons left. There are still some remnants of the Demon Worshipers around, too¡­ So, erm.¡± ¡°¡­Where is my sword?¡± Okay, okay. I¡¯d already defeated the Boss. All I needed to do now was neatly finish this Quest. So, could someone tell me where my missing sword was? I remembered breaking the scimitar when dealing with the transformed Vipurit, but I had no idea where my Zweih?nder went. Considering it wasn¡¯t strapped to my back, it seemed I¡¯d dropped it somewhere or had it confiscated after going on my rampage. ¡°Erm, about that.¡± The only thing I got as an answer were slurred words. Those three pirates seemed not to know anything about this situation. On the other hand, the Inquisitor and Deb seemed to know but didn¡¯t want to talk about it. Did they think I would try to kill myself as soon as I got my hands on the sword? I wouldn¡¯t. ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s gone.¡± ¡­How could something like that have happened? I felt like my face started to resemble a Tibetan fox¡¯s as I slowly closed my eyes. ¡°I see.¡± I wondered how such a good sword could just disappear¡­ But it should be fine since I¡¯d already requested a new sword anyway. Actually, now that all the important matters had been resolved, I started to feel my hunger again and didn¡¯t have the energy to focus on anything else. I slowly made my way outside with their support. ¡°You¡­!¡± And then I came across the Archmage. It seemed he came running here after hearing the news. His clothes and hair were utterly disheveled as if he¡¯de here in a rush. ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± When the Archmage made eye contact with me, wearing an urgent expression, he started to tremble. Not for long, though. He soon regained his usualposure. The kind smile I¡¯d always seen on him returned to the Archmage¡¯s face. However, I had a hard time looking at him straight, given the grave crime I¡¯dmitted. I could only look at him briefly before I lowered my gaze. At that point, I decided to tone down my personality a little. Hmm, it wouldn¡¯t be too unnatural for me to be more docile toward them after this incident, right? ¡°There¡¯s quite a bit I want to say to you¡­ but it¡¯s too much for the moment. I chose a seal that would put less strain on your body, but it still took you about two weeks to awaken. It must have been quite hard on your body.¡± I see. The seal I was under should have put less strain on my body. However, what he said afterward was quite strange. Two weeks? Two weeks had passed? So that¡¯s why I felt so hungry. At the Archmage¡¯s words, I somehow got a sense of deja vu. This felt exactly the same as when we were in Tatara¡ªtime had miraculously disappeared into nothingness. ¡°¡­I see.¡± Still, from how the outside looked, many things seemed to have happened over the past two weeks. Had I been awake, I likely would have been mobilized to rebuild the city or something. At least I avoided being subjected to hardbor, so I should be thankful for that, I guess. Well, it was time I couldn¡¯t get back anyway, so being pessimistic would just make me feel worse. Moreover, no matter how I thought about it, the trigger for this new [Rage] skill of mine seemed to be negative emotions, especially irritation or anger. Of course, I¡¯d never seen a skill in any other game that would activate after analyzing the yer¡¯s emotional state¡­ However, considering this game had done weird stuff more than once or twice already, I thought it was quite possible. I had to make a conscious effort to reign in my anger, like a certain green doctor. ¡°Okay. Get some rest. Can I ask that of you?¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°You also just came back, Inquisitor, so make sure to get some rest, as well.¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± I readily epted the Archmage¡¯s consideration. Only then did the Archmage¡¯s gaze finally leave me. His next targets were those three pirates standing around but unable to intervene since earlier. ¡°I think it would be rather good if you take your leave soon. It seems the Lord is also preparing to return.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± The Lord? I heard that the lord of this city was already dead, so if they were someone rted to Windhand, it probably was the Lord of Jacrati. Why did the Lorde here¡­? I thought about it for a little before deciding to give up, as my stomach was still screaming at me. I didn¡¯t need to know everything at once, so I should eat something first. Food! * * * * * * ¡°I still can¡¯t believe it.¡± After eating and sleeping well, I heard some things. After finding out what they meant when they said I razed the castle while going berserk, I couldn¡¯t say I felt disappointed with my treatment. Even I wouldn¡¯t trust someone who almost unleashed such an attack on me. ¡°What exactly?¡± ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t it still dangerous?! There are still so many cities and viges we need to reim and save, so how could they make us leave Mister behind¡­.¡± ¡°Why should we? His power will be of great help in clearing out the Demons hiding in the forest and reiming the viges and cities.¡± In that respect, the Inquisitor was quite strange. What had I done for her to trust me so much? To the point where she even worked hard to prevent my death penalty? I was grateful, but I couldn¡¯t help feeling nervous. ¡°As I thought, there¡¯s nothing positive about the members of the Temple.¡± Even the Deathbringer, who was eating beside me, couldn¡¯t understand it. From what I heard, while I was in [Rage], it seemed I even tried to kill him after breaking his Kukri. Despite going through that, his attitude toward me didn¡¯t change one bit. No, he seemed even more attentive toward me than before¡­? Anyway, I didn¡¯t really understand why those two were treating me so favorably. What I gave them wasn¡¯t proportional to this. Rise. Hmm, I didn¡¯t get it. I just stood up, still chewing the lightly roasted carrots and potatoes. I usually wouldn¡¯t have paid any attention to these things, but I was in a somewhat special situation right now. Even without knowing the details, since I was always at risk of going on a rampage, I had to take a step back here. ¡°Wait, are you done eating already? There¡¯s still some left, though?¡± Deb was shocked to see me leave like that. He probably forgot I¡¯d put the food in my inventory. ¡°Please just wait a second.¡± ¡°Aah.¡± As I left without even listening to his words, Deb followed me while hastily stuffing the rest of his meal into his mouth. The Inquisitor also seemed to be trying toe along, but she still had so much food left on her te that it would take some time before she could follow us. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°¡­Don¡¯t follow me.¡± ¡°Are you going to another restaurant?¡± I was pretty sure I¡¯d had enough. I felt so full that I didn¡¯t even want to think about food. Hmm. Since it turned out like this, should I see the Archmage? He did mention having something to say to me. ¡°Hmm, it seems like it¡¯s not another restaurant¡­¡± Then again, I shouldn¡¯t. Since the Archmage was very busy, I changed my mind. Moreover, there¡¯d obviously be a lot of wizards from the Magic Tower around the Archmage. That was the biggest problem, actually. ¡ºWell, if it would be fine with you, could you please share some of your body tissue with us? From your right arm, if possible!¡» ¡ºWell, aren¡¯t you at all interested in the make-up and condensation of your Arcane Power? I¡¯m actually a specialist in that field¡­¡» I knew they didn¡¯t have malicious intent, but they seriously needed to start seeing people as people. That¡¯s why I was a little reluctant to see the Archmage directly. I didn¡¯t want to run into the other wizards. ¡°Then, where are you actually going?¡± Well, in that case, should I just wander around the town and do some Sidequests¡­? However, that might also be impossible. It seemed rumors about me had already spread, so I could see that all the civilians were deathly afraid of me. Given how things were, there¡¯s no way any of them would entrust me with any work. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild that was supposed to hand out Quests had stopped operating because all of the branch''s members had died. The Temple was extremely hostile toward me, so I highly doubted they would even talk with me. However, I couldn¡¯t just leave behind those guys¡ªthe trio¡ªand return to Jacrati alone. ¡°Mister?¡± What should I do? ¡°¡­I told you not to follow me.¡± ¡°Tell me where you¡¯re going, and I¡¯ll consider it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± If Deb weren¡¯t there, I would just find some shady corner and hide from everyone. Or, I would try swinging my sword around to test out the new skills I¡¯d gotten¡­ Huh? Ah, right, my sword disappeared, didn¡¯t it? Should I just get a new sword?? ¡°¡­I¡¯m going to get a sword.¡± I didn¡¯t know whether they were running some sort of market in this situation, but I had to waste this time somehow, anyway. With that in mind, I opened my inventory to check how much money I had. Weapon prices here were pretty high regardless of quality, so I had to make sure I had enough money in advance. My Inventory Window popped up. ¡¸True Zweih?nder of Destruction¡¹ ¡¸Eyepatch¡¹ ¡¸Cracked ???¡¹ But why was that thing in here? Instead of looking at the count depicting how much money I had, I found a certain item inside my inventory. I couldn¡¯t ignore it since the inventory didn¡¯t use a grid structure, with items instead taking up space ording to their volume. ¡°Ah, of course. You might need to get a new sword. But are there even ces that sell weapons here¡­?¡± Deb was saying something next to me, but I didn¡¯t really listen to what he said. I had no idea how the sword that had supposedly disappeared reappeared in my inventory, what that eyepatch was for, or how the bead the dragon gave me ended up cracked. I should just focus on the more essential things now. ¡°I know where they gathered those pirates¡¯ weapons, though. Taking any of those might not be a bad idea for now, right? But wait a second. Only then did I feel a particr sense of difort. I hadn¡¯t noticed it before because it was such a minor change and didn¡¯t actually affect my field of vision. However, I couldn¡¯t feel anything covering my right eye. ¡°Mister?¡± I reflexively raised my hand and felt over the area around my right eye. The eyepatch that was supposed to cover that eye was gone. So that thing wasn¡¯t in my inventory for no reason. ¡°Is there anything wrong¡­¡± When did I even take off that eyepatch¡­? No, no. What was even the big deal about that? Also, wasn¡¯t it a hundred times better that my sword was in there and notpletely gone? This was nothing to worry about. Those words were enough to blow all my worries away. If there was a problem I couldn¡¯t find the answer to, no matter how much I thought about it, it was much easier to just humbly ept it. ¡°Mister Knight, if there¡¯s something wrong, please let me know¡­!¡± Instead¡ªI don¡¯t know if I could even use that word here¡ªI put my hand into my inventory. When my fingers reached into the bag, grasping at air, the first thing they came in contact with was a thin piece of leather. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± I carefully put on the eyepatch so as to avoid catching my ears on its strap. My vision remained the same, but I somehow felt more stable now that something was pressing slightly onto my right eye. I feltplete again. Rustle. ¡°¡­!¡± However, I didn¡¯t stop there. I also pulled out my Zweih?nder. The silver de sparkled in the sunlight. ¡°Wh-Why is that sword in your bag, Mister¡­?¡± I didn¡¯t really know. Maybe it had something like an automatic retrieval function, although nothing was written about that in its description. Well, that¡¯s the privilege of pre-order gifts, I guess. Regardless, it was a good thing. However, my need to buy a new sword wasn¡¯tpletely gone. Before taking another step forward, I paused for a moment. Other than my Zweih?nder, I still needed a longsword I could use in certain situations. ¡°Where are the pirates¡¯ weapons gathered?¡± ¡°Wh-What? Ah¡­ Somewhere close to the wall. Should I guide you there?¡± What was he asking? He should guide me there right away. ¡°Then, this way¡­¡± Deb, who¡¯d noticed my gaze, took the lead. He seemed a touch surprised but still worked pretty diligently. Before long, the walls came into my view. ¡°Huh, Sir Demon Knight?¡± However, the moment we got near the castle wall, the first thing toe into view wasn¡¯t the weapons but someone who appeared to recognize me. Something about his face seemed familiar, so he wasn¡¯t a stranger¡­ Ah! I remembered. He was one of the adventurers who worked with us until we split off from the main forces. I didn¡¯t know how he¡¯d ended up here, but I was strangely happy to see him. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you in a while!¡± ¡°Where are you headed to? Ah, did you want to go outside?¡± It seemed they didn¡¯t know what I did or that I was forbidden from going outside. I left the adventurers and walked closer to the castle gate. I could see a pile of weapons close to it, so there was only one thing I could do. ¡°Hey, stop!¡± And then I got blocked. They were people from the Temple. One showed me a face full of hostility and fear as if he¡¯d witnessed what I was capable of, and the other only showed pure hostility as if he¡¯d only heard about what I did. ¡°You can¡¯t go out!¡± No, I mean, I wasn¡¯t even trying to go out. I just wanted to take one of those weapons. ¡°We weren¡¯t trying to leave, so please put away those weapons. We just wanted to take one of the leftover weapons¡­¡± ¡°Weapons? We can¡¯t give you anything like that!¡± Hmm. So, I couldn¡¯t take any, huh¡­ ¡°Wait a second, you already have a weapon strapped to your back!¡± ¡°Just who gave it to you¡ª!¡± Although Deb tried to intervene, they didn¡¯t stop showing unbridled hostility toward me. I knew why they acted like that, so I didn¡¯t really think much of it, but I couldn¡¯t help feeling a bit disappointed. I was kind of looking forward to getting a weapon for free. ¡°Damn Demon host¡­¡± Then I heard someone mutter something like that. Well, the setting did dictate that a Demon was sealed in my arm, so they weren¡¯t wrong. ¡°¡­¡± They weren¡¯t wrong, but that didn¡¯t mean it would stop me from getting immersed in my roleying! Haha! I lightly ced my other hand on my right arm and pressed down on it hard. Deathbringer, who was trying to mediate between me and the Temple, was also at aplete loss. ¡°O-Outside! There¡¯s a horde of Demons!¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Ready your bows!¡± ¡°Wh-What!¡± However, I had to stop my acting the next moment. Those holding watch from the top of the castle wall screamed, extremely frightened. ¡°¡­!¡± At that moment, my senses also picked up somethinging over from beyond the wall. It was quite fast, and its goal was pretty clear, as well. It was running straight toward the castle walls. ¡°Get back!¡± ¡°Mister?!¡± ¡¸A hostile existence has entered a radius of 30m.¡¹ It was toote to exin. I jumped forward, utterly sure of what would happen. Because the Temple people were pointing their spears at me, parts of my body got scratched, but the injuries weren¡¯t that serious. ¡°Just how on earth are those Demons¡ª¡± ¡°Stop them, you idiot!¡± ¡°The Demons areing!¡± ¡°Fire!¡± I saw the guys positioned right before the castle gate getting thrown back. At the same time, the gate was shattered to pieces as if something rushed into it. A strong shock rattled my body, which I¡¯d covered in Arcane Power. ¡°Kuk!¡± A slight groan pushed through my teeth. However, if I were to get pushed back like that already, putting all these people behind me would have been meaningless. I nted my feet and let my Arcane Power flow into my hands. The Arcane Power, expelling itself from my hands before I even realized it, twisted into a spiral and finally burst out from my palms. Baaang! It felt like something just poured out of me, leaving me empty and, for some reason, somewhat relieved. I then saw that huge mass of ck energying out of my hands, generating some wind before the area before me. The Demon that had attacked me now sported a hole roughly 1m in diameter. Most of its body was also gone. ¡°¡­Crazy.¡± Yeah, crazy, indeed. I suddenly returned my senses as I looked straight ahead and saw the demon with a gaping hole as if aser beam had struck it. It wasn¡¯t over yet. That guy I just killed was only the advance force meant to break down the castle gates. The real attack forces were sure to be behind it. ¡°Don¡¯t follow me.¡± ¡°¡­I know already.¡± My chest hurt a bit, like my ribs had been broken, but it wasn¡¯t so bad that I couldn¡¯t move. So, I just pulled out my sword from my back and didn¡¯t show the slightest sign of pain. ¡¸? Fangs Aimed at Jacrati ? Liberate Ayu Hin ? Cities on Montata Ind liberated: 0 / 2 ? Optional - Demons eliminated: 0 / ?? ? Optional - Assistant in rebuilding efforts: 0 / ??¡¹ At that moment, this long-running Quest updated. I could slowly but surely see its end. I had already defeated the final boss of this area, so this should be thest link in this Chain Quest. Damn, defeating this area¡¯s boss came before restoring the cities. The order seemed a little wrong, but whatever. ¡°Instead, please answer me just one question, Mister.¡± I strengthened the grip on my sword as I listened to Deb. ¡°Should I bring the Archmage?¡± I had no idea why, but my buffed Arcane Power flowed easily into my Zweih?nder. It might have been that [Arcane Power Control] skill I recently developed, making me feel morefortable with handling Arcane Power now. ¡°Not needed.¡± Narrower, more sophisticated [sh]es wed at the world. ¡°The path to the next city will be paved by tomorrow.¡± Chapter 87: I Want to Talk (3) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 87 I Want to Talk (3) People tended to underestimate things they didn¡¯t experience themselves. Even if told of certain dangers, should they be outweighed by their usefulness, people would choose to ept them after rationalizing their decision. Just like what was happening now. ¡°I have been well aware of your movements. Although you were treated rather unpleasantly¡­ you still helped us greatly.¡± I looked at the archbishop freshly dispatched by the Temple. His attitude seemed extremely friendly. Was it because the ind restoration speed more than doubled with my help? Or was it because I stepped onto the battlefield to create a path, giving the Inquisitor a chance to rest? Or was it because I minimized the damage done to the people of the Temple, no matter whether they were against me? ¡°Thank you for your help in restoring this ind.¡± Well, this was a good thing. Whatever the reason, the archbishop seemed to have judged me a useful tool and decided to merely observe me. ¡°Sir Archbishop!¡± Of course, the bishop who¡¯d directly witnessed my outburst was furious at the archbishop¡¯s decision. Even after seeing the results of my efforts, he still imed I was dangerous and insisted I be put to death, so it was only natural for him to act that way. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t take him so lightly! He can go berserk again at any moment!¡± ¡°The Hero vouched for him, and hasn¡¯t he proven himself over the past few days?¡± ¡°Sir Archbishop!¡± Personally, I couldn¡¯t empathize with thetter¡¯s point of view. Given that my life was at stake here, I really hoped the former would win this argument. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re being so sensitive.¡± However, that didn¡¯t necessarily mean I liked the former. There was nothing more frustrating than a superior unable to understand the hardships of those working on the field, and secondly¡­ ¡°Wah, Ipletely lost my appetite¡­¡± As Deb said, if someone like that just came to someone in the middle of eating and started talking to them, the food would only taste worse. I simply continued to eat, not caring whether the bishop argued¡ªunder the guise of persuasion¡ªwith the archbishop. After recapturing thest city, I couldn¡¯t eat anything, as I had to wait for additional manpower to arrive, so I was famished. The Inquisitor, likely exhausted from all the umted fatigue¡ªdespite my handling of the worst¡ªimmediately fell asleep before she could eat, but whatever. ¡°Mister.¡± And right as I was almost done eating, Deb, who had finished before me, moved his eyes slightly while holding some food in his hand. He was signaling that we should leave quietly. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The Archmage, who¡¯d aided us using his pen rather than his force not too long ago, also came along to provide rear support with his magic. It seemed he¡¯d noticed people were ufortable with me since that day. Maybe he felt ufortable himself, considering he¡¯d been acting strangely from that day on¡­ He wouldn¡¯t leave me alone whenever I went out or had ces to go. Even if that was the cause, I didn¡¯t refuse his consideration. I also didn¡¯t want to interact with the Temple¡¯s people, considering I already had a record of running wild. Talking to the higher-ranking members of the Temple? That was even worse. The kimchi dumpling was enough of a connection to the Temple for me. ¡°Wow, seriously. Look at how all those people¡¯s attitudes changed.¡± Under Deb¡¯s guidance, I secretly¡ªif one could even call this secretly, considering only the bishop and archbishop didn¡¯t notice¡ªleft the restaurant. We could finally feelfortable, considering the people around us, despite staring, remained silent. ¡°After setting sail tomorrow at dawn, we won¡¯t have to see those bastards again. Urgh.¡± I was of the same mind. After tonight, we could finally leave this ind. ¡°I heard they¡¯ll be holding a victory celebration over at Jacrati¡­ In just one day, this is all over.¡± Thinking about it a bit, the work here wasn¡¯t much different from what we¡¯d done in the other regions, but I felt strangely sick of this ce. Was it because the scale of this matter was too great? What we¡¯d gone through up until now had been at a city level, but it had now jumped all the way to a region level. As such, the time we¡¯d spent here had been overwhelmingly long¡­ ¡°Rather, now it¡¯s finally time for our payment, right? Wow, ten million Gals.¡± Hmm, yeah. We¡¯d spent almost a month in the Yabad region. That was enough to make one feel sick of a ce. ¡°Ah, you also asked for a new sword, right? I can¡¯t even fathom what a de made of dragon scales and teeth would be like.¡± As Deb had said, all that was left now were the rewards. I slowly returned to our assigned abode, leaving behind a certain someone even more excited about the rewards than me. Corpses of people and Demons yet to be disposed of greeted us everywhere we passed. The smell of ash wafting over from the ruined buildings added to the atmosphere. ¡°Hey, you came back?¡± Or was the real addition Windhand, who had hidden in our sleeping quarters? ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing you came along with the archbishop?¡± ¡°I was the one who got him here to begin with. I¡¯m also the one who¡¯s supposed to give you a ride tomorrow.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± I sat on the bed set up in this ce that resembled a guest room. For reference, the Inquisitor was also sleeping in this room, rolled up under a nket. Only a few rooms were left intact, after all, so it ended up like this. ¡°But why did youe here?¡± Deb ced the food he¡¯d brought along on the bed beside the Inquisitor and went to his ce next. As such, Deb and I were upying one side of the room, sitting pretty much next to each other, the Inquisitor was sleeping on the other side, and Windhand was sitting in the middle. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really have any official business or anything¡­¡± Then, Windhand¡¯s eyes rolled to immediately look in my direction. ¡°I know you rejected mest time, but I still have no one else to turn to but you.¡± Soon after, he closed his eyes and bowed his head. ¡°Please. Please allow me to pay those ten million Gals you¡¯re supposed to receive from the Lord of Jacrati.¡± His request was just too heavy and serious for me to strike it down as sharply as I did before. With how things were, even my character would probably listen to his reasons, at least. ¡°Of course, I know already I¡¯m in no position to convince you like this, but¡­ you¡¯re the only one I even have a chance of convincing.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem much easier to convince Mister than the Lord, though.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s a lot more likely.¡± After some hesitation, Windhand added some more words. ¡°That way¡­ we can pay back what we owe.¡± ¡°We?¡± ¡°I mean me and my brothers.¡± At that moment, an overwhelming curiosity overcame me regarding the various clues I¡¯d received so far. No, seriously now. What kind of rtionship did he have with the Lord that he would willingly pay off such a huge debt for her? From how he spoke, it even sounded like it wasn¡¯t just Windhand who woulde forward to help, but his brothers as well. ¡°¡­Why?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°I understand that you desire to repay us. I can ept that much. But I don¡¯t understand why you stepped up to reward us in the Lord¡¯s stead.¡± Fortunately, Deb asked the question burning on my tongue in my ce. He seemed quite curious about this point, as well. ¡°Rather than suddenly telling us about some debt you need to repay, why don¡¯t you openly tell us what¡¯s behind this? That would make persuading us easier, at least.¡± At Deb¡¯s words, Windhand¡¯s expression changed subtly. He seemed torn about whether or not he should tell us. After some time, he appeared to have made up his mind, though he still looked quite ufortable. ¡°It¡¯s because she¡¯s my mother.¡± He dropped that bombshell of a remark on us, creating flood-like waves. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Not my biological mother. I lost her forty years ago. She took me in after that.¡± ¡°¡­The Lord?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Once a dam broke, it wasn¡¯t so easily repaired. As Windhand wiped over his face, he confessed to us his secret circumstances he¡¯d kept hidden until now. ¡°It¡¯s not just me. Ouw Chima, Blue Moon Watia, Guileless Tony, Lion Kampen¡­ Many other pirates also grew up under her. There are even more if you include the kids who didn¡¯t grow up to be pirates.¡± ¡°No, but why¡­?¡± ¡°Otherwise, we all would have followed our parents.¡± Seeing how Deb perked up his ears and tail, it seemed he didn¡¯t expect that answer, either. I felt simrly. If not for the fact I was trying hard to pretend I wasn¡¯t interested in any of this with my eyes closed, I would have found it hard to manage my facial expressions. ¡°To exin this, we¡¯ll have to go back forty years¡­ After the Zombie Outbreak was resolved forty years ago, the Yabad region was flooded with orphans, right? Parents evacuated their children first, after all, so a quarter of all survivors were children. Jacrati¡¯s situation wasn¡¯t any different.¡± ¡°Ah, so?¡± ¡°Right. You might have guessed it already, but Pion was the one who took the initiative to solve this problem. She couldn''t bear letting all these children die, so she took them all in.¡± However, he wasn¡¯t done with his story yet. Windhand leaned back. ¡°Because of her actions, she was deprived of her position as sessor¡­ Ah, she wasn¡¯t yet the Lord at that time. The former Lord was greatly opposed to Pion¡¯s charity work.¡± ¡°¡­So, he deprived her of her status.¡± ¡°Correct. Not only that, but he also cut all his support and kicked her out of the castle.¡± ¡°Wait. Then how did she manage to feed and clothe the kids¡­?¡± ¡°Pion got those things through her own efforts, of course.¡± ¡°What? How is that possible?¡± ¡°How many kids were there?¡± He waved his hands at those words. Had there been any alcohol around, he probably would have opened a bottle right around this time. ¡°That¡¯s why my brothers and I became pirates. We watched our benefactor work herself ragged, doing all kinds of dirty work, growing thinner by the day, yet the money was never enough. To make matters worse, the number of orphans kept increasing rather than decreasing¡­ So, what could we, who only knew the sea, do?¡± ¡°¡­Did the Lord approve of your actions?¡± ¡°Are you crazy? She was absolutely against it.¡± Sadly, there were no cigarettes in this ce. It had been a long while since I had the urge to smoke one, but listening to these things with a sober mind was incredibly frustrating. ¡°The day my eldest sister returned with money earned through piracy, Pion kicked her out, saying she shouldn¡¯t even dream about showing her face again until the day she died. That day was the first time she emptied a whole bottle of alcohol in front of us. Usually, she wouldn¡¯t even drink cold water before us.¡± ¡°¡­What about your older sister?¡± ¡°Pion is a woman who rarely goes back on her word. She really didn¡¯t look at her again until the day she died. My brothers whoter became pirates were treated the same. Ah, of course, she personally held their funerals, though. As ismon with us sea dwellers, most didn¡¯t even leave a corpse behind.¡± ¡°Then why did you still decide to be pirates?¡± ¡°I told you. We couldn¡¯t do anything other than that because we hadn¡¯t learned to do anything else. Well, the Lord did try to teach us, but¡­ honestly? It was just faster and a lot easier to grab a sword and go out on sea than learn how to write in a stuffy room.¡± I was even tempted to drink some alcohol, which I didn¡¯t even like that much. Usually, I would rather crack my head with a bottle than pour alcohol into my stomach. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not saying what we did was good. But, you know, I grew up watching my brothers with blood on their hands secretlying to us in the dead of night to leave behind some meat, vegetables, and other daily necessities for us to eat. And when I became old enough to go to sea, there were still so many kids younger than me around. So, what was I supposed to do? If that dirty money could protect my family, I felt I had no choice but to take it, even if it meant getting criticized by that very family.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s also why the Lord¡­ doesn¡¯t take our favor. She¡¯s no idiot. It wasn¡¯t like she didn¡¯t know it was us, who had be pirates, leaving all these things behind for them. However, even though she knew, she had no choice but to take the supplies. If she didn¡¯t, the children would die. Although she felt miserable about this, she tolerated it.¡± ¡°¡­I guess she considered this a debt.¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why when she became Lord, she allowed privateering, which was very much out of character. She said she couldn¡¯t bear to stop the children who¡¯d grown up to be like this due to her generation¡¯s failures. Of course, most of today¡¯s generation of pirates grew up receiving welfare¡­¡± Windhandughed slightly at that moment. ¡°Thanks to that, we don¡¯t even have to pay taxes to Jacrati,¡± he said. It wasn¡¯t even particrly funny. ¡°That was pretty long, huh¡­? Anyway, that¡¯s why I¡¯m trying to pay her back. She still seems to think she owes us¡­ However, it is we who owe her.¡± Ah, I was about to go crazy. I could barely resist wildly scratching my head in frustration. Anyway, this story really, really, really stimted my conscience. I had to somehow think about how my character would react, but before that, I had to get my body back under control. ¡°So please, I¡­ can¡¯t we just give you those ten million Gal instead? It doesn¡¯t matter where the moneyes from, right? She has so much more use for that money. Unlike us.¡± I-I know, but the character break, the character break¡­! ¡°So, erm, Mister¡­?¡± ¡°Please.¡± My desire not to break character overcame my conscience¡­! ¡°So.¡± As for that money, I was okay with not getting it. I was never a money-hungry person to begin with, so why did they expect me to collect a reward from people whom a horrible disaster had just struck? However, the only reason I couldn¡¯t just tell him, ¡®Yeah, whatever, you can just give it to me,¡¯ was because it was a serious character break. ¡°I definitely recall telling you quite clearly that your devotion has nothing to do with me. Don¡¯t involve me in your affairs.¡± I had no idea if there was any way to help them without breaking character, but I couldn¡¯t risk it by fulfilling his request. After all, dams tended to copse because of small cracks, not big holes. Rustle. Was it just me, or did that bundle of nkets behind Windhand start shaking? * * * * * * ¡°We have arrived.¡± I stood on the boat, listening to the shouts of Windhand, who was acting rather awkwardly¡ªmore business-like¡ªever since yesterday. As we got closer, Jacrati looked much better than when we¡¯d left. There was no more smoke rising from mes, and most of the burnt-down buildings had been demolished or were under repair. ¡°People will probably cheer when you get off, so don¡¯t be too surprised.¡± Furthermore, the port was full of people holding gs and handkerchiefs. If one didn¡¯t think of the words ¡°overcame crisis¡± when looking at them, one would be too much of a realist. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet, but the people seem to think it is.¡± Or maybe too principled, like the Inquisitor. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, but haven¡¯t they already ovee the greatest hardship? That¡¯s what this event signifies. It gives them hope that since they¡¯ve now ovee the greatest hurdle, they can easily ovee the rest. It¡¯s to boost their morale.¡± ¡°Ah, I understand. Then the reason they asked us to march through the city¡­?¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s because of that.¡± Still, I was d the Archmage was back. Someone who could exin all these things was finally with us, though he¡¯d left out a lot to fit the Inquisitor¡¯s perspective better. ¡°I wonder if I can even be included in that, though.¡± I¡¯d been traveling onnd for a while now, so the motion sickness I had right now was no joke. I barely held back my upset stomach and listened to what Deb had to say. Anyway, that guy also tended to undervalue himself. ¡°How could you be left out? You were the one to save the Hero.¡± ¡°Urgh, that¡¯s¡­¡± And I almost killed that Hero. At that moment, I stepped away from the ship¡¯s railing. I went down to the ship¡¯s lower level, crunching soundsing from under my feet. My goal was my assigned room. ¡°Where are you going? You¡¯ll have toe back up again soon.¡± The Archmage voiced his doubts. It wasn¡¯t such a strange question to ask since disembarking the ship required me to remain on the deck. ¡°Demon Knight?¡± However, I wouldn¡¯t be participating in the victory celebrations. I didn¡¯t want to because it was too burdensome and also didn¡¯t fit my character settings. So, the others could just eat their heart out. I would wait and get off when the people in the port were gone and quickly move along the street. ¡°¡­Surely you¡¯re not thinking of skipping out on this, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not some circus clown.¡± It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t want to march through the city because I felt like I was about to barf out my insides. ¡°That¡¯s.¡± The Archmage hurriedly followed behind me. He seemed to be nning to persuade me or something, but unfortunately, I wouldn¡¯t change my mind. Moreover, I had an invincible cheat key. ¡°Do you know how famous you are in Jacrati? If you skip out on this, the people will certainly be disappointed¡­¡± Before the Archmage could talk any further, I grabbed my right arm and gritted my teeth. I didn¡¯t know whether he would interpret my actions as the Demon acting up again or me thinking I didn¡¯t deserve to stand among them. Well, it didn¡¯t really matter. ¡°¡­I understand. I¡¯ll inform the Lord.¡± Anyway, I sessfully managed to get the Archmage off my back using this invincible guard technique. Hahaha. I easily sent back the Archmage and locked the door behind him. However, before I could even feel any kind of joy from getting out of participating in something really bothersome, my motion sickness popped up again as if to remind me of its existence. It had been a long time since I was put in this state. I felt like dying. Knock, knock. Who was it now? I heard some knocking from the door. I¡¯d already defeated the boss mob Archmage, the only one with a feasible chance of persuading me, so who¡­?! ¡°What?¡± I tried to check who my visitor was while lying in the hammock. I sure as hell wouldn¡¯t open that door. If they were bothered by that, they could just go! ¡°Demon Knight.¡± However, the voiceing from behind the door was unexpected. I blinked. I thought he¡¯d never talk to me again, so why had Windhande to see me? ¡°The request reward has been prepared.¡± For a moment, I didn¡¯t understand what I¡¯d just heard. Why would I receive any reward from him¡­ Ah! The matter with Vipurit and rescuing Jacrati were two separate requests. The down payment had been sorge that I didn¡¯t even think about the full reward. Things had just changed so much from his initial request. ¡°I managed to raise seven million Gal, collecting some from here and there¡­ would that be enough?¡± Although he was speaking to me, it seemed Windhand was still upset, considering his tone was rather business-like. It didn¡¯t bother me too much, though. Well, the money might be a bitckingpared to the content of the request, but this sure wasn¡¯t an amount a single individual, much less a pirate, would be willing to pay. And that was even considering the penalty for not providing the archmage. ¡°If it¡¯s not enough, I¡¯ll get more, but it¡¯ll take some time¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s enough.¡± Crucially, this guy would run around helping his country in the future, so I didn¡¯t want to extort money from someone like him needlessly. So, I just epted the amount without question. Also, my motion sickness worsened if I talked too much, so I definitely didn¡¯t just take it because of a whim. Seriously. As the victory celebrations started, I could hear loud cheers from outside. Chapter 88: I Want to Talk (4) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 88 I Want to Talk (4) I got off the boat aste as I could to avoid all the events I might get involved in. To be honest, I hadn¡¯t nned to get off thatte, but it somehow ended up like that. What the Archmage said about me being quite popr in Jacrati was an utter understatement. Less than five minutes after disembarking as quietly as possible, I was suddenly surrounded by a gathering of a hundred people. In addition, my distinct appearance made it impossible to mistake me for anyone else. No, they didn¡¯t even give me time to deny anything before rushing toward me, full of confidence. ¡°You¡¯re Jacrati¡¯s hero now.¡± Because of that, even Windhand, who¡¯d grown a bit more distant from me, briefly sympathized with me. This was so unfair. Given how things went, Windhand should also be treated as a hero, so why was I the only one¡­! ¡°Dang. This is the first time I¡¯m d my face is so in.¡± He only had to change his clothes and could walk around all leisurely¡ªhe even brought those seven million Gal to me without much trouble¡ªwhich made me feel strangely aggrieved. Had I known things would turn out like this, I wouldn¡¯t have made my character¡¯s hair two-toned¡­! ¡°Open the road.¡± Still, when the escort sent by the Lord arrived, the crowd dispersed. That definitely felt morefortable. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± ¡­It wasfortable, but I never asked the Lord to wee me like that right before the castle gates! After counting how many guards were lined up behind the Lord, I met her eyes. While I knew this could beparable to a stroll in her front yard, I wondered why she only took ten people with her. Was there some reason behind it? ¡°Ah, the others are probably resting in the rooms we provided them. Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ve also prepared one for you.¡± Meanwhile, the Lord seemed to have interpreted my gaze as me looking for mypanions. Her answer revealed the location of my party members to me. I wasn¡¯t all that curious about it, but it wasn¡¯t bad to know. ¡°More than that, let me wee you to Jacrati.¡± ¡°Not needed.¡± ¡°Is it? Still, let me do this much. I came out as I felt rather regretful that we couldn¡¯t even give our savior a proper Jacrati weing ceremony.¡± I walked behind the Lord, who had turned around seemingly to try and lead me somewhere. As such, the personnel guarding the Lord and those apanying me here merged into one big group. To note, seeing that Windhand and his crew had also almost reached the castle, the guards became even more cautious. ¡°I heard you weren¡¯t feeling well because of the curse. Are you feeling better now?¡± Curse¡­? Well, that wasn¡¯t exactly wrong. It seemed the Archmage didn¡¯t give her all the facts. ¡°The sword.¡± I quickly changed the subject. Unless someone was trying to exploit your weakness, people usually wouldn¡¯t ask any further questions if one changed the topic so tantly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The sword has beenpleted.¡± See? She wouldn¡¯t say anything further about the other matter, right? ¡°It¡¯s just that the craftsman¡­ said he desperately wanted to meet you. Would that be fine with you? If you feel offended by this request, then¡ª¡± That aside, why was he asking for me? There was no reason to refuse, but was he calling for me? Something like ¡®I need to know who¡¯ll wield my masterpiece!¡¯ maybe? ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± If the sword was well made, it wouldn¡¯t be such a difficult request for me to fulfill. Moreover, he was none other than the craftsman himself. ¡°Understood. I shall call him here tomorrow morning, then.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go to him myself.¡± Ah, I needed to buy some more things. I¡¯d never managed to go to a cksmith¡¯s shop myself, after all. ¡°¡­I see. In that case, I shall provide you with a guide.¡± ¡°Someone who won¡¯t get in my way.¡± ¡°They would never dare.¡± Instead of getting angry at my rude responses, the Lord always gave me gentle answers. The guards standing around us would asionally flinch. However, they didn''t dare to stare daggers at me like before. ¡°We have ced your reward in your room. For your convenience, we have divided it into tinum, gold, and silver coins. I hope it¡¯s to your satisfaction.¡± The Lord even paid out the bounty she had promised me. It was rather unexpected. From what I¡¯d heard on the ship, the Lord was currently scraping together everything she had to rescue people. As such, I was prepared to hear a request to dy the payment date a bit, but it seemed that was an unnecessary worry. ¡°Let me know if you would like to request anything else. Given the situation, fulfilling some may be a bit difficult, but¡­ that doesn¡¯t mean we arepletely incapable.¡± Could they actually afford that, though? I didn¡¯t even pay any mind to that talk of additionalpensation and just looked around indifferently. After finally entering the castle, the first things I saw were the stone walls and floor. The halls looked somewhat deste. ¡°Is there really nothing else you wish for?¡± ¡­Was this how they looked originally? I didn¡¯t think this ce seemed so destest time. Suspecting something was wrong, I looked more closely at the castle and soon realized what had happened. Everything that had served to decorate the castle, including carpets, curtains, and decorative pieces, had disappeared. When people said she was ¡®scraping together everything she had,¡¯ they meant it literally. ¡°What are you looking at so seriously? Ah, you¡¯re feeling awkward because the interior has changed, right? This style is fairly popr these days, so I did some restructuring.¡± Was this what one called vintage? But it would be rather strange for this style to reach any form of poprity in this world. I withdrew my gaze from the bare walls after hearing the Lord¡¯s words, which clearly served as cheap excuses. However, there are sometimes matters one should just turn a blind eye to, even if one knows the truth. ¡°This way.¡± Anyway, after walking for some time, we reached the annex building. There were several signs that our group was staying here. ¡°Wait, before you go in, please take this.¡± Then, just when I was about to go in, the Lord stopped me. ¡°Originally, we intended to hand this to you during the victory ceremony, but things somehow turned out like this in the end.¡± White light flowed from her hand as she took something from her escort. It wasn¡¯t made of Arcane Power or anything, just pure light. ¡°Highest praise to the savior of Jacrati.¡± Like the light of the moon, fractured into small pieces and scattered in all directions by a massive jewel. ¡°And the honor to go with it.¡± A medal was ced in my hand. ¡°No matter what anyone may say, you are the benefactor of thisnd, a hero who lifted the dark clouds of despair and brought us the me of hope. Even if hundreds of years pass, this fact will never disappear from our minds and will be remembered in thisnd for all generations toe.¡± It was my second Medal of Honor. ¡°So, please do not forget this for even a moment. Some may think of you as the deepest darkness, but you shine brighter than any light in this world.¡± ¡­Looking back, it seemed I really hadn¡¯t received my first one properly after all. ¡°If you have the money to spend on something as useless as this, it seems you don¡¯t care much for your people, after all. ¡°Haha. Are you worried about them? No need. This isn¡¯t something I ordered to be made, but something the citizens made voluntarily and delivered to me.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°So, please ept it. No, take it. This is the gratitude of the people whom you have saved.¡± In the end, I received even more stuff to clutter my inventory. But I didn¡¯t feel too bad about it. * * * Instead of saying anything more, Pion chewed her lip a couple of times as she looked at that person¡¯s departing back. She hadn¡¯t realized thest time she saw him because of the fierce expression he always wore, but looking at him closely now, he seemed rather young. ¡°What a strange thing.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°I came to ept what I thought I would never tolerate or forgive for as long as I lived, and I feel so grateful for something I should have hated with all my heart.¡± She thought it was extremely sad. Yes, so very sad. They had offloaded such heavy burdens onto the backs of such young kids. ¡°¡­Things done by such young kids, as well.¡± She lowered her gaze. When she thought about them, the first person who came to mind after the Demon Knight was a girl with very beautiful, bright red hair. ¡ºYes, I know. There are still many people in this region who hate religious organizations. However, I never expected to resolve everything to begin with.¡» Her statement was as bold and provocative as her hair color. That was the first time someone had followed ¡®There are still many people who hate us¡¯ with such words. ¡ºThe responsibility to atone for what happened, to never forget, and to always remain alert so something like that will never happen again shall always be ours to bear. Lastly, it is also our duty to try to make you want to ept our help again.¡» ¡­It was her first time hearing such a simple speech before. ¡ºSo, it¡¯s fine. God favors those who work hard, so we will knock on those closed doors as hard as we can until you decide to open them for us.¡» She had witnessed many things for the first time today, so she ultimately wanted to believe and trust those words. ¡°¡­The Demon Knight doesn¡¯t seem very young, though.¡± ¡°Hmm. Do you think so?¡± The red-haired priest seeded in capturing her heart. That young Knight also became the beacon of hope for her people through his own strength. They were so young, so very young. ¡°He looks just as young as that red-haired priest. ¡­Or maybe they were capable of this because they were young? Since this was the world they would have to live in until the end, could they put in so much effort to make the world a better ce? ¡°¡­When we see young people put in so much effort, doesn¡¯t it leave us old people unable to sit still, too?¡± She didn¡¯t know. It probably wasn¡¯t that important, either. The important thing was¡­ ¡°Well then, let us return. There is still much left to do.¡± She shouldn¡¯t waste the opportunity these young kids had worked so hard to give her. The fight against the Demons was over, but the fight for Jacrati¡¯s future had just begun. * * * * * * The next day, I headed to the cksmith shop at the break of dawn. I had to, fearing I may get overwhelmed by crowds of people. The fact we had to set sail soon also contributed to this. ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Fortunately, the smithy wasn¡¯t too far from the castle, and the guide was considerate enough to only lead us there through more deserted areas. I reached the smithy safely. ¡°It¡¯s smaller than I thought.¡± Deb chirped from a ce where he could easily see the smithy. He followed me, iming he also had something to buy¡­ Anyway, what he said wasn¡¯t wrong. The smithy seemed rather small, even from a distance. ¡°They are very skilled, though.¡± At Deb¡¯s words, the guide immediately jumped to defend the shop. There was no real basis for that im, but I put my faith in those words. Unless the Lord had suddenly gone crazy, she¡¯d never have entrusted this task to someone ipetent. ¡°Uncle! Can I eat this?¡± ¡°You can, but take turns! The other kids also need to eat, so don¡¯t be too greedy!¡± ¡°Sir, the refugees have sent us food as thanks for our help¡­¡± ¡°They should put that stuff in their own mouths. Why the hell are they sending us their supplies?! Return them!¡± ¡°Sir, I bought some corn flour with the money¡­ I managed to sell the knives for a lot, so I got more than I expected, as well¡­¡± ¡°What? You bastard! Are you exploiting others'' misfortune to make money?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°Rotten bastard. First, make some porridge with that stuff! The kids wille soon!¡± ¡­Perhaps. ¡°¡­Is this actually a smithy?¡± Deb truly had the outstanding ability to say the things I couldn¡¯t. I also wanted to ask the guide that question. Was this really the right ce? ¡°Yeah, this is it.¡± ¡°This ce looks more like amunity kitchen, though?¡± ¡°The old man is just a very nice person, so it turned out like this.¡± As we seemed to gradually lose faith in this person¡¯s skills, the guide hurriedly spoke up again. What followed were exnations of how good a person the smithy¡¯s owner was and how much good he had done. He was the biggest supporter of the orphanage; he recruited many talented children and taught them for free; when the incident broke out, he distributed weapons, which had been his goods, to the people so they could hold on somehow; and now that everything was sorted, he bought food using the money from his weapon sales to feed everyone around him. ¡°He¡¯s that good a person?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Just knowing he was one of the Lord¡¯s people made me believe he truly was a good man. ¡°He¡¯s really great. The weapons he makes are so good that even people from the mainde here specifically to buy them.¡± Of course, in many games, people who seem good often turn out to be shockingly evil¡­ Well, I had no intention of digging. And the evidence of his good deeds was too clear. Those who seemed to be his apprentices and those receiving his help were all wearing smiles. ¡°I¡¯ll wait outside, then.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I left the guide outside and walked into the vicinity of the smithy. Everyone¡¯s eyes focused on my head, covered in two-toned hair recognizable from even 300m away. The once bustling area suddenly fell deathly silent. ¡°Th-That person is¡­¡± ¡°Sir Knight? Isn¡¯t that Sir Knight?¡± Why did my name and appearance spread so well throughout this city? I tried to make myself appear as unapproachable as possible so people wouldn¡¯t flock to me so readily. While I felt sorry for the kids, who looked pretty scared, I really didn¡¯t like getting surrounded by crowds. ¡°I came to get a sword.¡± Standing in the middle of the yard, I calmly stated my purpose. I then saw someone straightening their back beforeing toward me. ¡°Is it you? The guy who asked the Lord to have a sword made?¡± He was a rugged man with a stubborn-looking face. ¡°You guys take care of the rest! Follow me. The finished product is inside.¡± ¡°Erm, can Ie along?¡± ¡°¡­Thene!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The elderly man led me and Deb toward the building past the yard. When I heard he wanted to see me personally, I thought he would test me or something, but luckily, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. ¡°Are there any other products?¡± ¡°What are you looking for?¡± ¡°I was nning to buy a dagger¡­¡± ¡°I sold everything, so there aren¡¯t any.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± The inside was divided into a product disy area and, further in, a workshop. All the shelves were empty, as though everything really had been sold. Deb, who seemed to havee to rece his broken kukri, lowered his ears and tail in disappointment. ¡°I could make you one, though.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have the time to wait until it¡¯s done, so it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± Meanwhile, the craftsman went to the workshop and rummaged through a box. Not long after, he pulled out somethingpletely wrapped in cloth. ¡°This is it. Check it over.¡± After setting the sword on a disy table, he lifted the cloth. For a second, admiration was about to press itself between my teeth. ¡°I made the de by melting down those things that looked like scales, and the hilt and scabbard were made from carving those bones. To not cause too much distraction, I only ced some small gold and jadeite decorations on it. What do you think?¡± I ced my hand on the half-exposed sword. The first thing my fingers touched was the pommel iid with jadeite. Then, I passed my hand over the ivory hilt wrapped in a jet-ck leather strap and reached the dark blue de. ¡°Pretty¡­¡± I ignored Deb¡¯s muttering and silently swept my fingers over the de. The de, a dull dark blue not the least bit shiny but with an elegant yet dangerous charm, was cool to the touch. I waspletely satisfied with its appearance. Rustle. ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Its appearance really was more than satisfactory. It really was, but¡­ ¡°¡­It¡¯s short.¡± The truth revealed as I removed the cloth covering the sword while sweeping over the de was truly gruesome. The de was far too short. The de alone was only about 30 to 40 cm long, and counting the hilt, it amounted to merely about 70 cm. That should give one a rough idea. It almost seemed more like a dagger. ¡°What happened?¡± I hurriedly urged the guy to tell me the cause of this. The elderly man watching us a few steps away simply shrugged his shoulders. ¡°You can¡¯t me me for theck of raw materials, can you?¡± ¡°There weren¡¯t enough raw materials?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± No, seriously? That wasn¡¯t enough? Of course, if he made it using only those materials, it might not have been enough¡­ But wouldn¡¯t one usually mix in some other materials to make up for what wascking? ¡°If there wasn¡¯t enough, couldn¡¯t you just make up for it by using other metals?¡± ¡°Hah, if that were possible, I would have done it right away!¡± ¡­It didn¡¯t work? ¡°From iron to copper and zinc¡­ I tried mixing in every metal I¡¯ve ever used, but nothing worked. They just kept separating like water and oil. I couldn¡¯t even get into contact with themissioner, either! What could I do?¡± It didn¡¯t work¡­ ¡°So, I had no choice but to make it with what little material I had. If you have any more, I can melt it again and add it in. If not, it seems you¡¯ll have to be satisfied with this.¡± I did have more materials: the Archmage told me he¡¯d secured more parts of the dragon corpse in my stead. But those parts were on the maind. It would be somewhat difficult to get them here. As such, I felt utterly disappointed. This wasn¡¯t the old man¡¯s fault, and it wasn¡¯t hard to call it my fault, either, so I felt even more heartbroken. ¡°Erm, then what should we do?¡± ¡°What should you do? You either take it or have it remade.¡± Even still, this de was incredibly beautiful. In a daze, I lifted the de that was a little longer than a dagger but far too short to call a one-handed sword. Even considering it as a dagger, it was very light. ¡°¡­It¡¯s light.¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s light. Compared to an iron de of the same length, it¡¯s a lot lighter. It¡¯s sharper and more durable, as well¡­¡± The old man spoke as he held something up to me. It was an iron rod, 4 cm in diameter. ¡°Hit the rod with it as hard as you can.¡± I swung the sword as if possessed. Although I could feel some resistance, I easily cut through the iron rod. Even though I didn¡¯t use any Arcane Power, the iron rod was in pieces. ¡°¡­When I tested it, I only managed to get it stuck in the iron. But anyway, it¡¯s harder than an iron sword, and its sharpness is excellent. Almost nothing could dull or ruin this de.¡± I quickly checked over the de¡¯s options: everything was marked with ¡®???¡¯. Damn System. ¡°Just letting you know, but I ruined many hammers on that thing.¡± ¡°¡­Definitely a sword worth having. You cut through that iron rod as if it were a radish.¡± I could tell it was a very well-made sword, even if I couldn¡¯t see its options. The problem was that it was just too damn short! I checked it over a few more times, feeling the urge to hit my forehead repeatedly against a wall. It was a very, very well-made sword, and its design was also gorgeous, but that length caused by theck of materials was just too much. Had the de been longer than 50 cm, it would have at least been usable. ¡°Hey, Hanta. You there?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± As I was lost inmentation, a familiar voice reached my ears. ¡°Windhand?¡± ¡°Huh? What? Why are you here¡­? Ah, it looks like the Lord let Hanta forge it.¡± ¡°Suriya.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Why did youe here? Shouldn¡¯t you go make some money?¡± ¡°I''m not doing that today. I¡¯m bringing thosendlubbers back to the maind. And¡­ Well, I stopped by to tell you I don¡¯t have any money to give you. I won¡¯t be able to help out for at least a few days.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°Tsk, whatever. If you say you can¡¯t help, there must be a reason for it.¡± By the way, why was the conversation between the craftsman and Windhand so loud? Barely suppressing the urge to cry, I put the de into its special sheath. While the de was dark blue, the scabbard was gray-white with an ivory texture and decorated with gold, lending it a certain charm. Looking at it, I wanted to cry even more. Why did this have to happen to me? ¡°¡­I¡¯ll take it as is.¡± But in the end, there was only one choice I could make in this situation. No matter how hard I try to think about it, I couldn¡¯t use it with this length¡­ However, just because I couldn¡¯t use it didn¡¯t mean it was useless. The old man¡¯s gazended on me again. ¡°Then get out.¡± A really cold treatment. ¡°Right. Let¡¯s go, Mister.¡± No, wait. I still had some business left to do. tter. I put my hand into my bag for a moment, took something out, and ced it on the desk. A clear, crisp sound came from the pouch I¡¯d dropped, making it evident that it contained something metallic. ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°For your trouble.¡± I didn¡¯t particrly like its length, but it was a very well-made sword, so I should at least give him a tip. Chapter 89: I Want to Talk (5) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 89 I Want to Talk (5) I¡¯d given him the tip, so I didn¡¯t really have any more business here. I led Deb outside. There wasn¡¯t much time left until our departure and the people were about to start their day, so we had to leave quickly. ¡°Are you going to the port? I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Windhand, who¡¯d stood there for a while, was also headed for the port¡ªof course, as the ship couldn¡¯t leave without him¡ªso he came along with us. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the port.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Geez, so many people have already gathered here.¡± ¡°But they aren¡¯ting up to us.¡± The news that I visited this ce seemed to have spread already, considering I could see several people snooping around. However, none approached us, and the guide conscientiously only chose less popted paths. The Lord hadn¡¯t chosen him for nothing. Having put my worries to rest, I checked over the sword once more. As I drew it from its scabbard, it almost seemed to cut through the light, revealing its matte elegance. It was very beautiful. And very short. ¡°¡­Can you use it?¡± Instead of answering Deb, I simply sheathed the sword again. I wouldn¡¯t be able to use it at all. ¡°Take it.¡± In that case, what should I do? It was a good de, but I really couldn¡¯t use it. I also didn¡¯t want to sell it or let it gather dust in my inventory, so I should pass it on to someone else. ¡°What? Me??¡± I tossed it to the meat dumpling and tried to soothe my aching heart. I had already nned to buy him a recement for his kukri anyway, so while I did feel somewhat disappointed, at least it didn¡¯t go to waste. Rather, it felt something like fate. While it was only an estimate, that sword was of simr length to the kukri Deb had used. I couldn¡¯t believe a sword perfect for him would appear right after his weapon broke. If that wasn¡¯t fate, then what was? What I felt disappointed about¡­ Well, it was a shame it didn¡¯t fit me at all, but honestly, it didn''t really matter. As long as I had enough materials, I could have another one made again. As such, I could hand over the sword with ease. ¡°A-Are you really giving this to me?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± On the other hand, Deb went wide-eyed when I handed it to him. He seemed quite surprised, considering how he began asking me stupid questions. ¡°Really¡­?¡± Then who else should I give it to other than you, huh? I couldn¡¯t give it to Windhand. Since I just kept moving forward without giving him a proper answer, he finally seemed to get the hint. Debgged behind for a little while but quickly caught back up. ¡°Th-Thank you, Mister.¡± His ecstatic face made giving him gifts worthwhile. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Following ourpetent guide, we arrived at the port. It seemed the boat had already been fully prepared and was floating on the water with some people on board. ¡°Is everything ready?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Then raise the anchor! Time to set sail!¡± Finally, Windhand, who¡¯d boarded the ship, raised his hand. The anchor was raised, and the oars began to move. ¡°Hey, look at this.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Mister gave this to me.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t get anything from him, did you?¡± ¡°Th-Th-That¡¯s.¡± The sound of those two dumplings arguing like two grade-schoolers echoed over the deck, mixing with the wind passing over the gunwale. ¡°Wait, wait!¡± And just as the ship was moving from the dock and unfurling its sails, another person came toward us, jumping up and down. The person now standing on the docks held a bag in his hand. ¡°Hanta?¡± ¡°Heeeeeeey¡ª!¡± At that moment, I pushed my body off the railing I was leaning against and left. ¡°The money you left behind is far too much¡ª!!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Hmm, isn¡¯t that the money bag Mister gave you?¡± ¡°How much did he tip you¡­?¡± ¡°Is there anyone crazy enough to tip seven million Gal¡ª!!?¡± ¡°¡­??¡± ¡°¡­Seven million Gal?¡± ¡­I don¡¯t know anything about that. Nothing at all. ¡°Mister?¡± Ignoring everyone¡¯s attention on me, I slowly walked downstairs. The next moment, another voice added to the onesing from the dock. ¡°Sir Demon Knight! You left behind your reward for killing Vipurit!!¡± ¡­Damn it! All of them were so tactless, seriously!! Couldn¡¯t they have arrived a littleter?! * * * After again threatening to kill the others if they wasted any more time by turning around, I locked myself in my assigned room, ignoring everyone who tried to talk to me. I felt very fortunate that they¡¯d given me a private room. Otherwise, I would have had to suffer quite a bit. ¡°¡­I brought you some food.¡± Hmm, since when did a captain also do room service? Thinking back, he was probably the most shocked at that time, even muttering something like, ¡°You seriously¡­¡± No, I mean, I really couldn¡¯t help talking like that back then because I was at risk of breaking character, but I never said I wouldn¡¯t help at all!? As long as I found a way to help without breaking character, why wouldn¡¯t I?! Of course, since he didn¡¯t know anything about that, he was probably thinking something like, ¡®Why is that bastard so damn fickle?!¡¯ Anyway, I didn¡¯t want to be confronted about my actions like that, so I didn¡¯t dare go outside and even had my meals in my room. Well actually, the bigger reason was that my motion sickness would get a lot worse. Honestly, I felt like throwing up all the time. ¡°Are you still sleeping?¡± ¡°¡­What is it?¡± ¡°I just wanted to tell you that we¡¯ll reach the maind soon.¡± Still, time flew as I slept through each day. Sailing to the nearest city on the maind, Canaves, instead of the distant Gr¨¹ Teltz, probably also contributed to our quick arrival. After touching my forehead to alleviate the dizziness that hit me as soon as I woke up, I hurried out. The Archmage, whom I¡¯d only met with a few times in thest few days, looked at me today with a lukewarm gaze yet again. His eyes were filled with satisfaction, as if looking at a grandson who¡¯d done something great. ¡°¡­Do you want me to gouge your eyes out?¡± ¡°Haha, as if that would happen.¡± I knew it would happen, so I nned to leave quickly. I suppressed my emotions. If I got angry here, it wouldn¡¯t do me any good. ¡°Once we arrive, let¡¯s stop by the Magic Tower first.¡± Fortunately, the Archmage cooperated. I tried calming down as much as possible and focused on the new topic. ¡°The sealing sphere has beenpleted.¡± Well, as my character, I would have to act as if I feltplicated about this matter, though. ¡°¡­¡± Before, if I¡¯d ever heard even a mention of a sealing device, I would have blown my top, asking if they wanted their tongues cut out, but¡­ now that I had gone on a full-blown rampage, things were different. I¡¯d also already heard about this matter before. So, instead of asking what he was talking about, I turned my back to the Archmage and tightly gripped my right arm. I rxed my shoulders and bent my back a little, making me seem quite distraught if viewed from behind. But in reality, I felt a little confused, my mind filled with questions like ¡®What is the sealing effect like?¡¯ but also ¡®It sure would be nice if it could permanently deactivate that Rage skill.¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much.¡± No, I wasn¡¯t really that worried, though. At best, what was that sealing sphere capable of? In the best-case scenario, it could permanently disable that Rage skill, but that would be a different story if it also reduced my stats. Erm¡­ It surely wouldn¡¯t do that, right? It wouldn¡¯t reduce my stats, right? It had been over two months since the start, so there was no way they would nerf me that early in the game. ¡°It¡¯s just a precaution. It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t trust you¡­¡± I stepped away from the Archmage before he even finished talking. Thud. I put a little extra force into my feet as I stomped down on the wooden floor. ¡°I know.¡± I cut him offpletely. Thump, thump. I climbed the wooden stairs leading to the deck. When I appeared, everyone, including the sailors, looked my way. ¡°You¡­¡± Windhand had the most passionate reaction. He brought me my meals, but I didn¡¯t really give him the chance to talk to me. There seemed to be dozens of things he wanted to say to my face. ¡°It would be best for you to turn away those disrespectful eyes before I blind them.¡± However, my character wasn¡¯t in a good mood right now. I growled and slowly approached the gunwale. My hair swayed gently in the wind, tickling my forehead. ¡°Ah, Demon Knight. You came out!¡± However, a certain tactless person approached me without knowing what kind of mood I was in. Although others seemed critical of me, she remained steadfast. ¡°Did you eat? I was so worried since you never came out of your cabin even once.¡± Had the Inquisitor always been this sociable? I red at her as she kept on talking before me. I didn¡¯t know whether this was because she had been just that worried about me or if this was a sign of her maturing. However, one thing was certain¡­ ¡°Demon Knight. Th-The thing is¡­¡± Her eyes were sparkling with nervous anticipation as if she was expecting something. ¡°So¡­¡± ¡°Mister, you¡¯re here!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± However, before the Inquisitor could finish her sentence, Deb interrupted her. The de I¡¯d gifted him was hanging from his waist. I really wanted to ask him if he liked the de and if it fit in his hand well, but I kept silent due to my character settings. Meanwhile, I could practically see sparks flying between the Inquisitor and Deb. I thought they¡¯d gotten closer, but it seemed things had returned to normal. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m going to go help the others!¡± In the end, the kimchi dumpling left first. Her reasons seemed sufficient: she was still carrying some heavy baggage in her arms, after all. But why did her back seem somewhat lonely? I looked around to see if there had been any problem, but nothing caught my attention. I¡­ Had I done something wrong¡­? No, she didn¡¯t look at me as though I had, right? Weren¡¯t her eyes too sparkly for that? ¡°Mister.¡± After pondering it a while longer, the meat dumpling, who¡¯d sessfully kicked out the kimchi dumpling, started talking to me. ¡°Prepare to dock!¡± As we got closer tond, the deck gradually got much busier. ¡°Well, erm. It¡¯s not my ce to say this, but¡­¡± I watched the ongoingmotion with crossed arms, trying to appear cool. Standing beside me, Deb quietly whispered to me. ¡°What about the iron wall¡­? Erm¡­ Don¡¯t you have anything for her?¡± With that one whisper, I immediately came to a realization. I gave Deb something, so she also wanted me to give her something¡­! The contents of a parenting book¡ªI read it while researching something for my novel¡ªsaying one shouldn¡¯t treat one child better than the other passed through my mind. ¡°What nonsense.¡± ¡°Right, as I thought.¡± The only problem was that my character wasn¡¯t the type to go around handing out gifts. I reflexively responded negatively as I desperately wracked my brain. Deb went through a lot, but if I had to choose one person who had struggled the most, I couldn¡¯t think of anyone but the Inquisitor. It was thanks to the Inquisitor that my head was still attached to my body. I nced at Deb¡¯s de. I at least had an excuse to give it to him since it was useless to me and would have gotten disposed of otherwise. Because I¡¯d given Deb a de forged from dragon scales, it seemed I had to give the Inquisitor something simr¡­ Unfortunately, none of the Inquisitor¡¯s equipment ovepped with mine. Also, giving her something like that as soon as I had it made sounded like a serious character break. Then, should I just give her some food she liked¡­ That wouldn¡¯t work either, right? The conditions for that were wrong. Right now, I felt even sadder than when I¡¯d noticed the de of the sword I had been looking forward to was far too short. There were so many things I wanted to say and do, but I couldn¡¯t do anything because they were all blocked off because of my character setting. Howmentable. ¡°Rather, some people from the Temple seem to be waiting for us.¡± ¡°They are the additional workforce.¡± ¡°Ah, Sir Archmage.¡± ¡°Of course, there should also be some among them who want to see the Hero. This incident was quite big, wasn¡¯t it? Even though I wrote a report on all that happened, some still want to hear the details directly.¡± ¡°¡­Meaning, more work again?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of this. In the meantime, you should rest more and recuperate first. Or maybe you could try deciding which city we should go to next.¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± Was choosing our next city important right now? I didn¡¯t have anything to give to the Inquisitor¡­ I choked back my tears, unable to even apologize. Did I really have to treat my favorite the harshest? I was about to burst into actual tears here. ¡°Come on, you guys, get off!¡± Still, I had to disembark. I listened to Windhand and jumped off the boat. At a nce, I could see sailors of merchant ships loading supplies from the dock. Step. * * * * * * ¡¸Canaves¡¹ And then, my feet touched the dock. Maybe because I¡¯d spent so much time on ships, the unmoving ground below my feet momentarily seemed unfamiliar. Was this the precursor tond sickness? ¡°Mister, let¡¯s go together!¡± While I briefly stood still to ovee mynd sickness, Debnded right behind me. He always whined and said he wasn¡¯t superhuman, but if one looked at him more closely, one would realize that he wasn¡¯t ordinary, either. ¡°I¡¯lle, too¡­¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do that! Do you want to leave holes in the dock?!¡± ¡°What?¡± Meanwhile, the kimchi dumpling who tried following us down was caught by the scared Windhand. That was fortunate. I didn¡¯t know when she¡¯d put on her armor, but if she jumped off the ship while wearing that, the wooden dock would definitely get smashed to pieces. The face of the Archmage standing next to her seemed to have aged drastically in just a moment. ¡°Calmly climb down thedder!¡± ¡°I got it¡­¡± Under the supervision of Windhand, the Inquisitor eventually came down thedder along with the Archmage. Her actions were cute, but I couldn''t take her side in this matter. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a brain or something?¡± ¡°Sh-Shut up.¡± ¡°Phew.¡± Well, kids of that age usually wanted to copy what those around them did. ¡­Or was it like that? I remembered being twenty as if it were just a day or two ago, but seeing that it had already been a decade, I wasn¡¯t so sure anymore. Well, it wasn¡¯t that important anyway. ¡°Wait!¡± I slowly moved to leave the port, but Windhand, who¡¯d disembarked from the ship after the Archmage, called out to me. ¡°Damn it, I didn¡¯t think this would be thest thing I¡¯d tell you¡­¡± Windhand¡¯s words made me realize this would be hisst moment with us. Well, he wasn¡¯t a member of our party and had circumstances that made it difficult for him to join us. Unless we went back to Jacrati or somehow got tangled up with the pirates again in these waters, we wouldn¡¯t see Windhand again. ¡°¡­¡± So, I gave him a moment to speak. Windhand seemed to find it difficult to continue his words, perhaps because he felt nervous. ¡°If you have nothing to say, I¡¯ll leave.¡± However, my character setting didn¡¯t allow me to treat anyone preferentially, even if it was thest time I would see them. I coldly turned my back to him. ¡°Thank you. That¡¯s what I really wanted to tell you.¡± Immediately after, a ¡®thank you¡¯ left his lips. ¡°Miss Inquisitor, I was kind of rude to you in the beginning, but I¡¯m very grateful that you did your best for us until the end¡­ My hooded friend, Sir Archmage¡­ I also owe you both in a lot of ways.¡± ¡°¡­I only did what had to be done.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t really do anything, though¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Once he started, the words continued to flow smoothly. The others looked quite embarrassed at his sincere words. I kept moving forward, though, as my character setting required me to continue forging my own path. ¡°And¡­ Demon Knight, I''m most grateful to you.¡± However, I had no choice but to hear his words. ¡°For saving my hometown and my family¡­ Thank you so very much. No matter what anyone says, you¡¯ll always be Jacrati¡¯s hero.¡± Was it because of those sappy words? I started to feel a bit embarrassed for some reason. I felt it would¡¯ve been better for those words to be said to the Inquisitor than me. ¡°Are you still calling me a hero after seeing all that?¡± To go along with those words, I gently grabbed my right arm and made to retrieve the horses. ¡°How ridiculous¡ª¡± ¡°Is it¡­? When you saw me lying in that magic circle, the priests should have told you, right?¡± What came back was a voice mixed withughter. ¡°I don¡¯t know your circumstances because I didn¡¯t particrly listen to what those people said. However, I can at least say that I agree with what the Inquisitor said. From what I¡¯ve seen, you never lose.¡± I was caught entirely off guard. ¡°So, you''ll always be a hero. No matter what others say, you will always be a hero to us.¡± However, to call it unpleasant, well, it wasn¡¯t that big of a deal. Like mother, like son. ¡°All of us¡­ We are ready to repay you this favor at any time.¡± Although it felt somewhat cringey, it made me feel rather good. ¡°You can call on us anytime you need our help. Wherever you are¡­ If you call us, I will dlye running. Got it, Mister Knight?¡± Shonen manga wasn¡¯t popr for no reason, after all. Although, I could feel my face getting pretty hot right now. ¡°Wait.¡± At that moment, the Inquisitor came forward. I didn¡¯t know what she wanted to say, but it relieved me. Now then, just say whatever you want! In the meantime, I¡¯ll get out of this ce! ¡°I¡­ I also want to say something.¡± Just as I was about to turn around and leave without saying anything more, the Inquisitor took a deep breath and loudly shouted. ¡°Regardless of the rtionship between Jacrati and the Temple, crime is bad!¡± I almost stumbled there. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°So, wash your hands of piracy!¡± ¡°Wh-What¡­?¡± ¡°With your ability, couldn¡¯t you help others without being a pirate?!¡± ¡°¡­!!¡± ¡°Do you understand?!¡± I barely resisted the urge to burst intoughter. I could practically see their expressions despite having my back to them. ¡°¡­Damn, do you know I¡¯d have to go to prison for 50 years to wash my hands of itpletely?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t! But you can¡¯t call it right, either!¡± ¡°Damn, guess you¡¯re right! Haha! Okay, I got it! Next time we¡¯ll see each other, I¡¯ll be able to stand proud before you, Miss Hero!¡± Ah, just when I was trying to escape this scene right out of a shonen manga, it only got worse. Well, I didn¡¯t hate it that much, either. * * * ¡°Miss!¡± We gradually left the dock, receiving salutes from the pirates around us. The priests waiting at the port immediately came rushing toward us. ¡°We were waiting for you.¡± I felt a bit anxious, thinking they¡¯de here to detain me or something, but thankfully, that wasn¡¯t the case. They were just here to celebrate the Hero¡¯s return and give her a warm wee. ¡°But why are you here already? I should have said I would be stopping by the Templeter¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± However, they hadn¡¯t juste here to greet her, either. ¡°My apologies. There was a problem with the dragon corpse in our care.¡± My¡­ My reward!! Chapter 90: I Want to Talk (6) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 90 I Want to Talk (6) I¡¯d nned to stop by the Magic Tower first, but things changed. I immediately apanied the others to the Temple. I couldn¡¯t just ignore what I¡¯d heard and had to see what had happened to my dragon corpse! ¡°This¡­¡± And what I was shown were numerous pieces of scales and horns. ¡°While it¡¯s only a 1/4th, the Magic Tower and the Lord took the dragon¡¯s eyes and flesh, so we mainly secured the horns and scales. The Archmage exined why only horns and scales were present. It didn¡¯t really matter that much to me. I didn¡¯t even know what use the eyes or flesh had, but if I intended to make a weapon, these materials would be the best option. It seemed the Archmage had taken that into consideration when securing my cut. However, there was a problem¡­ ¡°The color¡¯s changed?¡± ¡°They became transparent¡­¡± The dragon corpse I had dragged out of the water originally had quite a dull color overall. Anyone looking at it would think of words like ¡®Pollution¡¯, ¡®Corruption¡¯, and ¡®Uncleanness¡¯. However, just as the two dumplings said, the parts had changed color and were bing somewhat transparent. Of course, I wasn¡¯t saying they¡¯d be as transparent as ss, but their color was just that clear. ¡°I think¡­ I¡¯ve seen something of that color before¡­¡± ¡°It looks like the natural color of a sea dragon.¡± ¡°Ah! Certainly! Sir Archmage is right. Unlike the one we killed, the sea dragon we helped had this pretty color.¡± ¡°That seems to be the case¡­ But why did it suddenly change like this?¡± ¡°About that¡­ I have no idea. I would have to look into it.¡± The color, as clear as a jewel, was extremely beautiful. However, I had no idea why it had changed while in storage or returned to this pretty color even after being corrupted. Dark blue was still eptable because of its dark shade, but this bright, clear blue didn¡¯t suit me at all! ¡°It¡¯s a relief, though. I thought someone might have stolen or damaged the items or something.¡± ¡°Did you think the Temple would guard them so half-heartedly?!¡± No, this most certainly wasn¡¯t a relief. This color palette didn¡¯t match me at all. The color didn¡¯t fit me in the least. I ced my hand on the scales while feeling despair, indescribable despair. Sssish. Smoke rose as my hand started burning, as though I had touched hydrochloric acid. ¡°¡­!¡± I quickly pulled my hand away. Fortunately, my palms were fine since I was wearing gloves, but my fingers sported light burn marks. ¡°What!¡± ¡°Are you okay?!¡± I withdrew my injured hand and red at the scales. Despite having just burned me, they werepletely fine, with only steam-like smoke rising from them. ¡°Just what is this¡­¡± It seemed even the Archmage, known as the Great Sage, hadn¡¯t anticipated this situation. He approached me, his light blue eyes wide open. ¡°Could it be?¡± He looked at the scars on my hands and the scales, then picked up one of the pieces. Even after seeing my burnt hand, he acted without any hesitation. ¡°Sir Archmage!¡± ¡°Eh, Mister Sage?!¡± However, his hands were fine. He quietly held the blue scales in his white, furry hands. ¡°You touch them, as well. If my guess is right, you won¡¯t get hurt.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± At the Archmage¡¯s request, Deb also touched them. He was a little scared, to the point of only daring to poke them with his index finger, but against his expectations, nothing happened. With newfound confidence, he took one of the scales and fiddled with it for a bit. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­?¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on here? Why does it only hurt the Demon Knight¡­?¡± The Inquisitor, who was thest to touch the scales, was also fine. In the end, I was the only one who had gotten burned. I felt my heart break a little. Why was it only me¡­? ¡°It seems to be because of his Demonic Energy.¡± The Archmage seemed to be trying tofort me. It looked like he¡¯d brought his thoughts to a conclusion in that short amount of time and continued to talk smoothly. ¡°For primordial beasts like sea dragons, Negative Energy is like poison. So, much like Divine Power, they have the power to reject any kind of Negative Energy.¡± ¡°Wait a second, so that means¡­¡± ¡°However, the dragon we killed waspletely corrupted by Negative Energy. That might be why there wasn¡¯t any reaction when the Demon Knight touched it before.¡± The Archmage, who stopped Deb from speaking by raising his hand, finally got to his point. ¡°So¡­ What if the Negative Energy contained within the corpse was slowly Purified while stored in the Temple, and it regained its power to reject Negative Energy? That would roughly exin why the scales regained their original color and why only the Demon Knight gets hurt by touching it.¡± There wasn¡¯t any specific evidence, but his guess fit just perfectly with our current circumstances¡ªeven the matter of me suddenly getting rejected by these materials. ¡°¡­So, that¡¯s what happened. I understand.¡± Wait a second. So, what now? If these materials¡¯ properties had changed to be theplete opposite of mine¡­ Wouldn¡¯t the same also be true for any items or weapons created out of them? ¡°¡­I also came into contact with an uncorrupted sea dragon. If they have the power to reject all Negative Energy, why was I fine back then?¡± I clung to even the slightest sliver of hope. Even if the color didn¡¯t match me at all, I could just paint it, but if the item itself rejected me, I couldn¡¯t use it. I didn¡¯t want that to be the truth. I wanted equipment made from dragon scales that I could use! ¡°I suppose it¡¯s because the Sea Dragon decided to tolerate you. It¡¯s the same reason you wouldn¡¯t get hurt if you were to touch the Inquisitor right now.¡± However, the Archmage presented me with the harsh truth. ¡°However, in the case of by-products like these, they don¡¯t have a mind of their own to consciously turn off their power. As such, they just always exert it¡­ That¡¯s probably why they burned you.¡± The analogy was so perfect that I couldn¡¯t even im not to understand what he meant. After listening to the Archmage¡¯s words, I looked down at the scales with mixed feelings. Their color didn¡¯t match me, and I couldn¡¯t use them even if I wanted to because they would only damage me. Sadness washed over me like a flood. After going through all that trouble, all I got were materials I couldn¡¯t even use. All I gained through my hard work over the past month were materials I couldn¡¯t ever use!! ¡°Erm, I¡¯m sorry. Demon Knight. If I hadn¡¯t suggested leaving them at the Temple, then¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, Inquisitor. Who would have expected something like this might happen?¡± The kimchi dumpling looked at me cautiously. Deb seemed to have simr thoughts but didn¡¯t speak up. That only made me feel even sadder. It really made me realize all my precious materials were gone now. ¡°¡­¡± No, no. There¡¯s always a silver lining. Rather, wasn¡¯t this an opportunity? What rejected me also rejected Demons. If we made good use of them, couldn¡¯t we create an extremely effective weapon against Demons? If we made just the hilt from something else, I could also hold it! I rarely touched the de part anyway! As that thought struck me, I felt some hope. In short, I abandoned the n to make armor and instead wanted to create a single weapon. ¡°If we made a weapon out of this material, do you think it would be effective against Demons?¡± ¡°¡­It would be.¡± Then we should make one! We should just make a single sword! I would just cover the blue with some paintter! ¡°But¡­ Well, if you n on using it, that would be a little difficult.¡± Why?! ¡°Everything else aside, there¡¯s a chance it would explode due to extreme rejection as soon as you try applying your power to it.¡± ¡­God is dead!! * * * * * * The Inquisitor was restless, feeling overwhelmingly guilty and regretful. They could have left it with the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, but she¡¯d suggested entrusting it to the Temple as it had better security. However, she never thought the material would change properties like that, leading to this situation. At this point, she thought it would have been better if they had been stolen instead. In that case, they could just get it back, but they couldn¡¯t change the materials¡¯ property again. ¡°If I study it a little more¡­ I might find a way to artificially corrupt it.¡± ¡°¡­! Is that possible?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that difficult.¡± Intentionally creating Negative Energy to corrupt them? She reflexively frowned before turning to see the Demon Knight looking down at the scales. Negative Energy was definitely something that needed Purifying¡­ Corruption was something that should never be forgiven¡­ However, the Dragon corpse belonged to the Demon Knight to begin with. She couldn¡¯t stop him from making it essible to himself. That was especially true in this case because the Negative Energy and corruption weren¡¯t intended to cause harm but to save others. It was unavoidable to prevent physiological rejection. ¡°Oh¨C I guess that would bother you, o noble priest.¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t say anything¡­! I just feel a little reluctant¡­!¡± She didn¡¯t even say anything, so why was that idiot picking a fight with her again?! She gritted her teeth and red at the thief. The sword he¡¯d said was given to him by the Demon Knight was dangling from his waist. That annoyed her even more! She wasn¡¯t entirely sure why, though¡­ Anyway, after he¡¯d bragged to her about being recognized by the Demon Knight, she felt like dying of annoyance every time she looked into his face. ¡°You¡­!¡± At that moment, the Archmage looked utterly astonished. The head of the Inquisitor, who was busy trying to decide whether these actions were right or wrong, reflexively turned as well. Sssish. The Demon Knight was holding the scales again, risking getting burned. ¡°Mister!¡± ¡°Demon Knight!¡± ¡°Are you crazy?¡± They all urgently called out to him, but the Demon Knight didn¡¯t lower the scales. Instead, he drew Arcane Power into his hands. The Demonic Energy that usually stayed in his right arm mixed with his Arcane Power and flowed through his left arm. Ssssish. The conflict between the scale¡¯s power and the rising ck energy intensified. Crack! Ultimately, the scale broke into pieces and scattered in every direction. She saw that his fingers were red and his gloves were filled with many holes. ¡°I can¡¯t use it.¡± His wounds seemed very serious at a nce, but the Demon Knight¡¯s expression was very calm. Rather, he appeared to be calcting something as he stared dryly at the scale that had burst apart. ¡°Th-There was no need to test this out in such a painful manner, was there? Give me your hand.¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± He grasped another scale, different from the one that had shattered everywhere, with his injured hand. ¡°Mister!!¡± ¡°Y-Your hand is hurt!¡± ¡°Take it.¡± Fortunately, the Demon Knight didn''t hold on to it for long. Instead, he threw it through the air,nding it in her hands. ¡°Use your Divine Power on it.¡± ¡°What?¡± The Demon Knight¡¯s words were rather unexpected, but the Inquisitor did what he said without realizing it. The Demon Knight had always given her instructions during urgent moments, so she tended to follow them unconsciously. ¡°¡­!¡± The Divine Power she had imbued it with radiated with a brighter light than she expected. This wasparable to the shield or mace made from star metal. It waspatible with Divine Power. No, it actually seemed to be amplifying it, even. Although, its absorption rate was a little less byparison. ¡°How is it?¡± ¡°Well, it seems to amplify my Divine Power.¡± The Inquisitor conveyed her thoughts without leaving out a single word. The Demon Knight, who had yet to give his injured hand to the Archmage, listened to her quietly before reaching out his hand to the other side. The direction that troublemaker was standing in. ¡°Ah!¡± Seeing the outstretched hand, the thief thought for a moment before pulling out the sword fastened to his waist and passing it to him. ¡°Hey, Mister. Please let him heal your wounds.¡± For the first time, she wanted to agree to the thief¡¯s words, but the Demon Knight acted the same as he always did. He calmly held the sword with his left arm and breathed Arcane Power into it. Although he poured his Arcane Power into the de, it didn¡¯t seem to be getting reinforced or bing notably stronger. ¡°¡­Is it more efficient?¡± After mumbling to himself, he returned the sword to the thief. The Demon Knight next took out a dagger he always carried in his clothes. Kaaang! The dagger filled with his Arcane Power struck a scale and broke. The scale, on the other hand, also cracked, but not to the point of splitting apart. The broken dagger was thrown to the floor. ¡°It¡¯ll be useful if it¡¯s made into armor.¡± ¡°What?¡± The Inquisitor was momentarily confused by the Demon Knight¡¯s words. She knew he was testing something, and he somehow concluded that they should make armor out of the materials. The unexpectedness of this aside, she wondered if that could even be done. It was rather doubtful whether it was even possible, and even if it were, the Demon Knight couldn¡¯t use it. That was¡­ Because his body was filled with Negative Energy. ¡°¡­Are you¡­ sure?¡± However, unlike her, the Archmage seemed to understand what he was saying. The Inquisitor tried to ask what was going on with her eyes. The Demon Knight¡¯s thoughts were always beyond her wildest imagination, and she couldn¡¯t confirm his intentions alone. ¡°Are you nning on giving it to the Inquisitor?¡± Just because you had someone else spell out others¡¯ intentions didn¡¯t mean you could understand them immediately. * * * I looked down at my left hand, suppressing my urge to cry. In this state, if I just shouted that I would be the one to use the item made from this material, I would be an idiot. ¡°It¡¯ll be useful if it¡¯s made into armor.¡± So, what could I do? I had no choice but to give it to someone who could use it better than I could. ¡°Are you nning on giving it to the Inquisitor?¡± ¡°What? Y-Y-You¡¯re giving it to me?!¡± I tried to free my heart from all worldly desires as I saw the kimchi dumpling, whose reaction was even better than the meat dumpling¡¯s. Still, my aching heart wasn¡¯t soothed easily. I¡¯d still had some alternatives when I gave Deb the sword since I still had materials left, but now I was out of options for good. ¡°Wh-Wh-Why?¡± However, using that to insist on using this stuff for myself was even more foolish. I was 100% sure I couldn¡¯t make a weapon for myself out of these materials. I couldn¡¯t use my Arcane Power on it, nor could I use my skills with it. On the other hand, it was verypatible with the Inquisitor. No, it even amplified her powers. These materials absolutely needed to be used on the Inquisitor. ¡°¡­Are you really nning on giving all of this to her?¡± Then who else should I give them to? I¡¯d already realized that even if we recorrupted them for my sake, I couldn¡¯t use them as effectively as the Inquisitor. I recalled the moment I imbued the sword I¡¯d gifted Deb with my power. While it gently epted my Arcane Power, it didn¡¯t amplify it. So, going by efficiency, this was andslide victory for the Inquisitor. Of course, I could still use it, albeit less efficiently. However, would my character agree to artificially corrupting something? ¡°If you wear this on your flimsy body, you won¡¯t be as much of a hindrance.¡± Furthermore, I¡­ Honestly, now that I¡¯d decided just to use a regr iron sword, these materials didn¡¯t hold any real meaning to me anymore. I mean, whether you inflicted 10 or 100 points of damage to kill a monster with 10 health points, wouldn¡¯t the result be the same? However, the urge to upgrade one¡¯s specs was simply part of a gamer¡¯s desire. The Inquisitor was different, though. This girl sometimes had to take off her armor because of its weight. That would be a fatal weakness to someone who fought while relying on defense, unlike me, who used explosive attacks. However, these materials were much lighter than iron. If they were made into armor, she would have to take off her armor a lot less often. Of course, the penalties that came with her equipment would also be reduced. Considering the power output she¡¯d shown, were the Inquisitor to wear it, she would have an easier time subduing me if I went on a rampage again¡­ As such, I would also still benefit from it. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°D-Demon Knight¡­¡± ¡°Mister Knight¡­¡± That was it¡­ ¡°I understand. If that is what you want, I shall respect your wishes.¡± ¡°Th-Thank you! I don¡¯t know if I even deserve this, but I will work even harder!¡± ¡°Mister, you¡¯re pretty generous.¡± ¡­I wouldn¡¯t go back on my words, but this sure was unfair! My dragon-scale sword!! Chapter 91: I Want to Talk (7) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 91 I Want to Talk (7) While the materials didn¡¯t go to waste, I still wanted to express my regret and this sense of injustice in any way I could. However, my character setting didn¡¯t allow that. Appearing outwardly calm, I handed over the dragon¡¯s corpse while crying bitter tears on the inside. ¡°You didn¡¯te over, so I came here in person!¡± And shortly after, another visitor came to the Temple. It was someone from the Magic Tower. ¡°Wh-What happened??¡± At that moment, I was still a bit confused after receiving a small sum of five million Gal in exchange for those materials, despite having said that I would give them away for free. It wasn''t because it was too little or anything. It was just because the thought ¡°My materials turned into money¡± kept floating around my head. Honestly, I thought it was a shame no matter how much money I received, considering the rarity of those materials. I wanted a sword forged from dragon scales far more than some five million Gal. But that was impossible now¡­ ¡°Nothing you need to know about. Why did youe here?¡± ¡­Could I do the dragon raid one more time? ¡°I wanted to test this new item quickly, but you didn''t show up.¡± That wouldn''t work. Yeah. Actually, I didn''t really have the confidence to sail out on that sea again. More specifically, to kill a dragon while on a boat. I would rather wait for the next raid than that. Urgh. ¡°So, this is the Demon Knight, right? I can tell just by looking at him.¡± Anyway, it was now time to deal with our new visitor here. I looked at our visitor with deep regret still in my eyes. However, despite my irreverent gaze, the visitor didn''t lose their smile. His tinum eyes crinkled over his cocoa powder-colored face. ¡°I am Murlock. I received the title Fierce White Wind as an Archmage. It was quite fun working on something this interesting after such a long time!¡± He reached out to grab my hand. The other party seemed quite old, but I couldn''t just allow another person to touch me like that, so I lightly pped his hand away. White Wind took back the hand I¡¯d pped away as smoothly as flowing water and pped his hands together. It seemed perfectly natural. ¡°Well, this here is the sealing tool. Its first function is to suppress Demonic Energy and partially rece it with Arcane Power, so you can use that instead if necessary! Additionally, there''s a built-in brainwashing function for the Demon possessing you. You can think of it as set words that can suppress the Demon''s ego. Simply put, it stops the Demon from running wild! Oh, I didn''t know what you''d prefer, so I made one you can wear around your neck and one that you can put on your right arm. Which do you want?!¡± While their exnation seemed natural, their tension was far too high. He was so different from our Archmage¡­! ¡°If possible, I¡¯d like you to choose the neck version! If you time it right, you could bang it against something! Then, if we just add a self-destruction function¡ª¡± ¡°What are you talking about?!¡± The Archmage, who seemed to have been watching what was happening from behind me, came rushing toward us. At that moment, I felt truly fortunate that he was our party''s Archmage. Following my dragon-scale sword, I almost lost my human rights, as well. ¡°What? The one for the arm? A pity. Okay. Please try it first, though¡­¡± Clink! ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll make a new one.¡± However, that didn¡¯t mean that things ended well. * * * ¡°Now, let¡¯s see how things are going today!¡± Although there was some conflict between the Archmage and Fierce White Wind, as their personalities shed quite a bit, he didn¡¯t stop working on the seal. It was only natural that it didn¡¯t work out immediately, despite the Inquisitor¡¯s assurance. Thus, I remained with the Magic Tower during our stay in the city to confirm the seal¡¯s effects. ¡°Improved Version No. 93! Here we go!¡± If someone asked me whether I found my stay with them ufortable, well, I would say that it wasn¡¯t bad enough to make me want to escape, at least. He carefully kept away when I was washing and sleeping, and as soon as he found a way to improve the seal, he would rush back to the Magic Tower¡¯sb. Their improved versions ranged from No. 1 to No. 93. In fact, if I rounded up the total time I spent with them in a day, it would be less than 2 hours. He even epted my small requests without asking forpensation. Click. Anyway, the Improved Version No. 93 that was created like this was ced on my right arm. It was positioned slightly above where my gauntlet began, closer to my armpit. ¡¸Equipped a sealing device. Your power will drop.¡¹ As I felt my head clear, the Window I had be increasingly familiar with over the past few days appeared once again. ¡°How is it, how is it?!¡± What was I supposed to think? It didn¡¯t feel much different from the previous version. When I looked at my Status Window, all I could see was that my Arcane Power had dropped back to 1,500. That was a fairly reasonable penaltypared to my previous worries about all my stats getting decreased. Since my Arcane Power had risen suddenly for no apparent reason, it wasn¡¯t such a major issue for it to decrease again. It didn¡¯t feel like a disadvantage or advantage to me, but I was more than satisfied with that. Well, it was quite regrettable that it didn¡¯t disable the Rage skill altogether. ¡°Okay, try using your Arcane Power!¡± However, from what I¡¯d seen over the past few days, what I needed to focus on wasn¡¯t the intensity of the seal¡¯s penalty. ¡°It won¡¯t explode this time.¡± It was whether the sealing device could reliably let through the required Arcane Power for my skills. Of course, that was also why there were 93 improved versions of the sealing. They all broke because they couldn¡¯t withstand my output. ¡°Seriously!¡± Still, I wasn¡¯tining. Without the existence of the sealing device, it seemed like the Temple would put their own limiters on me. Moreover, the reason it was taking so long was because White Wind had made it his mission to only seal away the Demon without preventing the use of my skills. If I wasn¡¯t careful, my skills might bepletely sealed, so I had no choice but to cooperate quietly. Without my skills, I was as useless as wet gunpowder. ¡°Come,e!¡± I trudged to the middle of the training ground, leaving behind that burdensome person. This was a space given to us by that sinful Temple¡­ I called it a training ground, but it was actually just some ce they weren¡¯t really using. You could clearly see by looking at the ground that it hadn¡¯t even beenpacted, nor had they smoothed out the sharp rocks jutting from the earth. It was fortunate enough they had put up a barrier to prevent unsuspecting people from getting caught up in these experiments. sh! ¡°Okay, it sessfully endured the basic output.¡± I tried letting out a light [sh]. The sealing device didn¡¯t show any abnormalities. Step 1 was a sess. ¡°Now then, the next!¡± However, considering there was a Step 1, there was also a Step 2. It was with the following skill I had to start worrying about the output. I used the next skill as White Wind expected me to: [Bombard]. ording to its Description Window, it was the skill that consumed the most Arcane Power. Whoosh! I exuded spiraling Arcane Power from some sword I had found rolling around the temple. A beam slightly smaller than the one I¡¯d unconsciously used in Montata pierced everything before me. My MP drained in an instant. ¡°It didn¡¯t break this time, either! It¡¯s not cracked anywhere, right??¡± Until now, even if they could withstand my basic skills, the seals would usually break after I used something on the level of [Bombard]. Ignoring the tense White Wind, I momentarily ced the sword on the ground and fumbled with the bracelet around my right arm with my left. I ran my fingers over the seal¡¯s surface but found no cracks besides the original engravings. It seemed to have finally withstood my Arcane Power, even to the level of [Bombard]. ¡°Good, good. Let¡¯s keep going just like this!¡± Seeing that I didn¡¯t remove the seal, White Wind had his answer. Joy spread gradually over his face as if sess was just right around the corner. ¡°Continue!¡± I also had high expectations. If the seal endured the final test, these tedious experiments would finally end. ¡°Hurry!¡± I obediently did as I was told at White Wind¡¯s urgings. I used skills requiring vast amounts of Arcane Power one after the other. Since [Triple w Strike] increased my trajectory to three, it went without saying that its Arcane Power consumption was pretty high without having to check. As such, I continued using the [Triple w sh], [Arcane Spear], and [Ground Crash]bo for quite some time. As we experimented, I also tried raising my skill mastery and looking for various applications for them, so my skills took vastly different forms every time I used them. Boom, babam. ¡°You''re doing great, really great!!¡± The ground that had endured a lot of abuse from me over several days gradually became unsuitable for further experiments. Then, my MP finally bottomed out. ¡°Did it break? Did it break??¡± The moment I fired myst [sh], I shook my wrist and looked at the two identical trails. Since acquiring [Arcane Power Control], I¡¯d been paying extra attention to controlling my Arcane Power, which physically and mentally exhausted me. Sweat rolled down my neck, which didn¡¯t usually happen. ¡°Give it here!¡± However, that mad researcher didn''t particrly care about my condition. ¡°Hurry!¡± He ran to my right side, impatiently stamping his feet. He didn¡¯t forcibly rip the seal off my arm because of a certain rule we had implicitly created on the first day we started working together. Well, I might not have explicitly stated it, but I expressed it through actions by cutting the space near him with my de. Anyway, that was how this research fanatic figured out what to do. I undid the seal and handed it to him. While there was a slight crack, it wasn¡¯t broken. White Wind¡¯s face seemed to shine brightly. ¡°Great! Now we just need to improve its durability a little!¡± He jumped around, unbefitting his title as an Archmage. Well, it wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t understand, though. Given his position and age, it might seem odd, but anyone would be insanely happy if they seeded after nearly a hundred attempts. I mean, I was equally happy. That included my inner self and my character. My character would be happy due to the underlying cause of his annoyance disappearing and the liberation of the umting stress caused by the sealing device that kept reminding him of the Demon¡­ There was no need to give a lengthy exnation as to why I felt happy, though. Modern people need their personal space. That¡¯s all I¡¯m saying. ¡°See youter!¡± I put away my sword without replying to the person giving me a rushed goodbye. It might seem a little too harsh, but I couldn¡¯t help it due to the kind of person my character was. ¡°Get out of my way!!!¡± Furthermore, that fierce White Wind didn¡¯t really expect me to reply anyway. The proof of that was how he immediately ran off after saying his piece. I didn¡¯t think there was a significant age difference between him and the Archmage, so that was actually really impressive¡­ Well, he seemed like a very active person. ¡°I hope this will be thest time¡­¡± I massaged my neck, feeling empty after pouring out so much Arcane Power. After that day, my Arcane recovery speed increased quite a bit, so it should be filled back up soon enough¡­ This feeling of being squeezedpletely dry was difficult to get used to. I felt as helpless as a newborn baby. ¡°¡­Should I leave?¡± Still, I¡¯d done everything I had to do here. I left the training grounds, moving my aching limbs. It was noon. Ten days had passed since I¡¯d left Jacrati ande to Canaves. * * * * * * ¡°Mister!¡± After I returned to the Temple to avoid the training ground supervisor¡¯s perplexed eyes, Deb was the first to wee me. ¡°You¡¯vee at the right time!¡± The next was the Inquisitor. Her body was covered in armor shaped quite differently from her usual set. The armor was primarily blue and silver. While the blue took up the majority, it was a very light tone that matched well with her red hair. It was quite surprising to see that they¡¯d made it into full te armor despite the seemingly insufficient amount of materials. ¡°It¡¯s entirely thanks to the hard work of the Temple¡¯s cksmiths. They discovered that, although they couldn¡¯t use ordinary metal, they could mix it with blessed iron. That¡¯s how they made me a set of full te armor.¡± Although I had given her the materials, I tried to avoid asking any questions about them to maintain my character¡¯s setting of not being interested in others¡¯ affairs. However, before I could say anything, the Inquisitor just started talking. I didn¡¯t really want to listen to her. It sounded like my niece or cousining from school and bragging to me. Whenever I heard her talking about this, it evoked my lingering desire for a sword crafted from dragon parts. ¡°However, as soon as I mixed the iron into it, its color changed like this. I think that¡¯s very fortunate, though. Had it stayed its original color, it would have been far too eye-catching.¡± ¡­I also wanted a dragon-scale sword!! I wanted to have equipment made from dragon parts, too¡­! ¡°I also want to say something.¡± No. Even though I didn¡¯t really get anything out of this reward, at least I made the kimchi dumpling happy. Our kimchi dumpling had worked so hard up until now, so I should be satisfied with this. Why no one else was rewarding her, so I had to, remained a mystery, but nothing else mattered as long as our kid was happy. Sniff. ¡°Mister, we received another message from the Adventurers¡¯ Guild¡­¡± While I was desperately trying to suppress my overflowing regret, Deb quietly interrupted me, getting down to business. ¡°They want you to receive another medal.¡± ¡­Another one? No, but I already got one ten days ago, so why?? ¡°I heard it¡¯s from Ayu Hin and Rampan.¡± I frowned slightly. They shouldn¡¯t give me one just because Jacrati had, and if they had enough money to make something that useless, they should spend it on their residents instead. Moreover, I already had two Medals of Honor: the one I received in Tatara and the one from Jacrati. ¡°Unnecessary.¡± I barely managed to refuse a medal, a token of gratitude for killing that corrupted dragon and thus saving the West Sea, by destroying it right before the branch manager, and now I was about to get two more here? No way. I sat down at a restaurant, leaning my sword next to me. ¡°¡­Are you really not going to ept them now, either?¡± Yeah, I wouldn¡¯t. My inventory was filled enough already with useless items! And if they had the money, they should use it for the children and refugees! ¡°As expected of you, Demon Knight¡­!¡± As I kept my silence, someone else responded from the other side. It was the Inquisitor. ¡°In that case, we should just disassemble the Medals of Honor and allocate the resulting funds to the Yabad region¡¯s relief efforts!¡± ¡°¡­I mean, I already expected as much, but damn. You two really don¡¯t have a single shred of greed in you.¡± I wondered why she was suddenly acting that way again¡­ Well, it wasn¡¯t too bad. While it wasn¡¯t bad, wasn¡¯t there something rather strange about their words? Why did my refusal suddenly turn into mecking greed? I was just trying to act like a jerk here. And why was she so confident when she said she would disassemble the medals and allocate the proceeds to the Yabad region¡¯s relief funds? Did she think I would tolerate that? Or, well, did she think I wouldn¡¯t care what happened to them since I had already rejected them? Going by my character setting, thetter was the correct answer, but it somehow seemed like they thought I would like it if they did that, which felt strange. Were my character settings still safe?? ¡°So, all of you are here.¡± Fortunately, before my character settingspletely crumbled apart before my eyes, the Archmage entered the restaurant. He held a rolled-up map in his hand. ¡°That¡¯s great. I have a suggestion for all of you. Would you like to hear it?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± I somehow felt a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu as I looked at the map rolled out on top of the restaurant table. ¡°Inquisitor, this incident made me realize our need to supplement our personnel. Right now, doesn¡¯t all the burden duringbat lie on you and the Demon Knight?¡± After finishing our task, we took a good, long rest. Now that our condition became somewhat normal again, we all gathered around an open map¡­ ¡°So, how about we stop by this ce to look for more talents? If we look in an arena, there may be at least one talented person suitable for our party.¡± Wasn¡¯t this basically about the next location we would go to¡­? Chapter 92: But There is Still Hope (1) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 92 But There is Still Hope (1) It wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t want to go to the next city. Ten days were enough rest, in my opinion. Also, since the sealing device was nearingpletion, my character wouldn''t tolerate idling in this ce any longer. While he might be wary of any further outbursts, he wasn''t the type to obedientlyply for the rest of his life. It was about time to go somece different to kill Demons. Recruiting morerades was also something to wee. The Archmage, who was considered a nuker (a character that can deal explosive damage in an instant) in-game, wasn''t actually a very good damage dealer with all these realistic elements now included. His casting¡ªhe would just stand still and cast his spells¡ªsimply took too long and required far too much preparation. He might be effective during a siege or raid, but now that most battles were mostly melee or required movement, his use had be rather vague. He had more often supported us from the rear in various ways than actively participated in the battle. Deb? Deb¡­ Since we didn''t include him in the party for his battle prowess, we couldn''t really see him as a proper damage dealer. He was fine just doing what he was best at. As such, it was as clear as day that we needed to recruit a newrade, especially someone who could fight. ¡°The arena¡­ is it?¡± However, my feelings were somewhat contradictory. While ten days to rest were more than enough, I still wanted to y some more. I felt like an office worker screaming, ¡®How is the weekend already over?!¡¯ ¡°Yes. We''ll definitely find talented people worth joining our group there. Even if we don''t, there should be plenty of strong people to test our strength against.¡± I also found it quite bothersome that our next destination would be an arena. Thinking back to the original game, one ss immediately came to mind. ¡°What''s the name of the arena?¡± ¡°It''s Ainoxar, the arena of Pa Enoch.¡± Of course, if that ss¡¯s official character were to join our team, our burden would be eased¡­ ¡­Hrmm. I didn''t really know if this would be fine, though. My character setting wouldn''t exactly work effectively with that ss¡¯s character. * * * ¡°¡­Isn''t this close to the Southern Front?¡± While I was worrying about a different matter, Deb pointed out another problem. The Archmage, seemingly having already expected this question, had an answer ready immediately. ¡°Don''t worry about that. The Southern Front is safer than you think. Isn''t the existence of the arena proof enough? Nothing will happen, even if we go there.¡± He added that if he had to choose the safest of the Four Fronts¡ªNorth, South, East, and West¡ªit would be the Southern Front, and it would be a good chance for us to gain some experience. His arguments were quite persuasive. If we had to experience the frontlines one day anyway, it would be best to gain some experience one step at a time, starting from the lowest level. This was especially true since we couldn''t simply fast travel to locations, and moving between those ces took a lot of time. ¡°No, that''s¡­¡± However, Deb''s worries weren''t soothed so easily. His eyes, peeking out from under his hood, traveled back to me. ¡°There''s also the problem with Mister¡­¡± At that moment, I remembered a particr setting I hadpletely forgotten about. Now that I think of it¡­ didn''t I kind of establish that the Demon Knight had never been to the frontlines based on the hypothesis that Demons would be more aggressive and likely to run rampant the closer they were to the Demonic Realm? ¡°I was quite worried about that part, as well, but¡­ I mean, as long as we are together on this journey, we¡¯ll have to enter the Demonic Realm one day.¡± I saw the Archmage¡¯s eyes shift from Deb to me. His eyes, blue as snow and ice, were now filled with clouds of worry. It seemed he held doubts about his own proposal. ¡°Haven¡¯t we just finished developing the sealing device? We should take this opportunity to test it. Is it truly impossible for you to enter the Demonic Realm, or can you ovee its influence using the sealing device?¡± ¡°But the risk is just too¡­!¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s a good idea.¡± Deb seemed opposed to it, while the Inquisitor was in favor. Of course, she had to look into my face right after saying that. ¡°However, if you don¡¯t want to, I have no intention of forcing you, Demon Knight. However, if you are willing to try it, I¡¯ll take care of anything that might happen. I¡¯m more than confident this time.¡± What truly dependable words. Ipletely immersed myself in my roleying, suppressing theughter about to burst out. How would my character act in this situation? My calctions didn¡¯tst that long. ¡°I¡¯m going.¡± I mean, there was no way my character would ever shirk that ce. Realistically, if I said I would take a step back here, all future developments would get twisted beyond recognition. I ended my words by brushing over the ce where the sealing device had been. Deb seemed to have more to say, but no words left his mouth. Like that, our next destination had been decided. * * * At dawn the next day, White Wind, who had run off saying he only needed to make some adjustments to the sealing device¡¯s durability, returned. He came at the right time. We had agreed to leave as soon as the sealing device waspleted. ¡°I paid as much attention as I could to the finished device¡¯s design!¡± ¡­While I didn¡¯t know much about design or fashion, I really couldn¡¯t tell what had changed. ¡°Until now, you always wore it over your clothes, but you can now actually wear it directly on your arm! I put a spell on it to prevent it from getting released on its own!¡± I took the ring-shaped seal he gave me, feeling rather strange. I didn¡¯t really feel like stripping in front of the others¡ªeven if I did take off all my clothes right now, all they would be able to see was my carefully bandaged upper body¡ªso I nned to put it onter. ¡°I made another one in case this one breaks, so I¡¯ll leave it in your care, as well. If you encounter any inconveniences while wearing it or have ideas for improvements, let me know through our friend here! I¡¯ll keep improving it!¡± ¡°No need to worry. I¡¯ll ensure stablemunication between you.¡± ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ll leave it to you, then!¡± Immediately after saying that, White Wind chuckled and vanished like the wind, saying his job was done. His title really fit him well. ¡°¡­It must have been difficult.¡± What¡­? The only difficulty was matching White Wind¡¯s tension with my character settings, so if one thought a bit more, wouldn¡¯t White Wind, the device¡¯s developer, have gone through much more trouble? I wiped over the seal he created with my fingertips a few more times. Now that I thought about it, I hadn¡¯t even been able to thank or pay him for his troubles. Although the former was pretty much impossible with my character setting, I could have done thetter, but s, I had missed the opportunity to do so. Would it be okay? ¡°Go and put it on. In the meantime, I¡¯ll prepare some horses. Or do you want me toe along?¡± ¡°Not needed.¡± ¡­Seeing that the Archmage wasn¡¯t saying anything, it should be fine. epting the Archmage¡¯s kind consideration, I left for a bit. I rented an unused room for a little while and immediately put the seal on my right arm. As my total amount of Arcane Power decreased, I felt like a corner of my mind became clearer. However, it wasn¡¯t all that refreshing. ¡°¡­¡± I put on some of my clothes and rewrapped the bandages on my right arm, which had loosened a bit, before putting on my gauntlet. In that process, I caught a glimpse of my arm¡¯s skin, which was pitch ck, but I just moved on. I¡¯d gotten used to its appearance because I had to look at it every time I wanted to wash up, after all. Just like I¡¯d be used to putting on my bandages and fastening my eye patch so it feltfortable but not too loose. Or how I wasn¡¯t all that surprised anymore about my body being totally different from my original one. ¡­Was it because my break was over, and it was time to get back to work? I somehow felt stuffy on the inside. I shook away the thoughts that had suddenly appeared in my head. p, p. Two light taps on my cheek brought me back to my senses. Rustle. I put on my shirt, vest, coat, and gauntlet one after the other. Ah, and I also put on my newly acquired chest protector beneath my shirt. It was fashioned like one of those archery chest protectors¡­ It was fine since the shirt and vest didn¡¯t make it too obvious I was wearing it. Now, I just had to check my facial expression onest time and fix it ordingly, and then everything would be perfect. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but¡­ Could I ask for directions? I got a little lost¡­ Aah.¡± But who was that person? The room I was changing in was the same one I¡¯d been using over the past few days. Furthermore, the ce we were staying at was separated from the general amodations provided to Temple¡¯s visitors. No matter how lost one got¡­ How could they wander into this ce? However, when I remembered my very directionally challenged cousin, I figured this might just be possible. ¡°I was looking for my assigned room, but no matter how hard I look, I can''t seem to find my group''s amodations¡­¡± After ncing at the word ¡®Grindana'' written across their chest, I walked away without saying anything. While it felt a little awkward, I didn''t even know the general location of their rooms, so I couldn''t really answer. ¡°Ah, so you want me to follow you?¡± However, getting angry at them and telling them to get lost seemed a bit much. I ignored the person following me. For a moment, an awkward silence pressed down on our surroundings. ¡°¡­But is it really fine to travel to Pa Enoch wearing that armor? It must be pretty hot in the desert.¡± ¡°That''s nothing to be concerned about. I tested it yesterday.¡± ¡°Tested?¡± ¡°I tried artificially heating my room yesterday. I had a theory that this armor might contain some water-attribute power since it was made from the scales of a sea dragon¡­ And as it turns out, my theory was right.¡± ¡°Water-attribute power, you say¡­¡± ¡°The effect isn''t anything special, though. It just makes you sweat less easily, and you feel cool and refreshed, as if you¡¯re submerged in water wherever you go. Going a little further, I might be able to fare a bit better in water than your average person.¡± ¡°Anything special?! It''s really great! At least you won¡¯t burn up in the heat!¡± Then, I reached the stables where the others were waiting. I ignored the person behind me making confused noises when they realized this also wasn''t their room. They should just ask the stable keeper for directions. ¡°Damn, you ripped off such good armor from Mister Knight.¡± ¡°R-Ripped off?!¡± While the seemingly jealous Deb argued with the Inquisitor, I approached them. The Archmage, trying to mediate between the two, noticed me. ¡°Now, now. Look, the Demon Knight is back already.¡± ¡°B-But that damn thief!¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± ¡­I had been thinking about this ever since I saw Deb speaking with the Inquisitor on the ship, but it seemed those two had grown pretty close. As I watched those two bicker with each other again, I climbed onto one of the horses they had organized. ¡°Let''s leave.¡± It was time to go. * * * * * * The arena, which the Archmage had suggested as our next destination, and the city it was in were directly next to a desert. That meant if you wanted to travel there from the port city of Canaves, it would take several weeks¡ªassuming you rode a horse¡ªto arrive. ¡°There aren''t any reports of unusual activities around Pa Enoch. In fact, it appears to be even more peaceful than usual since even the Demon Worshipers asionally up to no good havepletely disappeared.¡± On our way, Deb collected information about Pa Enoch and Ainoxar every time we stopped by a vige. Things about the city¡¯s level of security, unusual events urring around it, and, most importantly, any talented people who may be. ¡°It might be because the average skill level of their fighters has gradually increased over the past ten to twenty years.¡± ¡°Looks like it rose a lot. A lot of talented people must have gathered in the city.¡± ¡°Maybe so. Currently, the most famous person in Ainoxar is a fighter nicknamed ¡®Martial King¡¯.¡± Hmm. While it seemed like a strong name, paradoxically, it also seemed weak. Usually, for someone to be worthy of such a name, they had to be the main character, part of the main character¡¯s party, or at least a rival character. I munched on my sd while Deb kept reporting. Perhaps because we were close to the desert, it contained dates and tasted pretty sweet. ¡°I heard he managed to maintain his position as the arena¡¯s ¡®champion¡¯ for five years straight¡­ Although this news is three weeks old, it¡¯s quite unlikely he¡¯s lost his position in that time, considering he¡¯s held it for five years.¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°What is ¡®champion¡¯? Is that some kind of nickname?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s an honorary title given to the best fighter of the arena. It¡¯s a little different from a nickname.¡± The food here was far too sweet, so I didn¡¯t especially feel like eating it¡­ That was a bit disappointing. ¡°Only a contestant with at least ten consecutive wins can challenge the champion. There¡¯s also the condition that the champion can never refuse a single challenge¡­ So, if you managed to hold that position for five years, you would definitely be pretty strong.¡± ¡°Certainly¡­ Under those conditions, I don¡¯t think that he¡¯scking skills. Then should we ask this ¡®Martial King¡¯ to help us?¡± ¡°Unless there¡¯s something seriously wrong with him, it would be better if we did.¡± I scooped up thest few vegetables and put them in my mouth before putting down my spoon. Although this was also pretty sweet, it was a satisfying meal. ¡°What is your opinion?¡± So, they also asked me. ¡°Not interested.¡± I saw the need to recruit another person, but I couldn¡¯t vigorously insist on someone. My character was a lone wolf, so he wouldn¡¯t be that affected by the presence of his party members. Moreover, the person we would be recruiting this time was¡­ If they really were the official character of the ss I was thinking of, I would rather not have them anyway. It was a pretty popr ss in the original Legend of Heroes, but if any yers were to be asked whether they wanted to meet them directly, face to face, all of them would answer, ¡®That¡¯s a little¡­¡¯ That¡¯s the kind of character they were. So, if you were to ask me¡­ Rustle. ¡°Wee!¡± At that moment, someone entered the inn we were in. As we were close to the desert, a thick cloth was draped over the entrance instead of a wooden door, so it only made a soft sound. ¡°I can smell the scent of a strong maning from here!¡± What followed was an excited voice. It didn¡¯t sound friendly, but it certainly seemed lively, as if the word ¡®power¡¯ was tightly packed within it. ¡°Pardon? We don¡¯t have a dish of that name here¡­¡± ¡°¡­Woah.¡± Well, what their voice sounded like wasn¡¯t important. While the owner was somewhat taken aback by their new customer¡¯s unexpected words, Deb let out a sound of exmation. His ears gradually lowered. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about food! I¡¯ll still eat here, though!¡± ¡°¡­This is my first time seeing such a huge nd.¡± While the owner and the new customer were talking, Deb whispered to us in a lowered voice. Hearing his whispered words, the Inquisitor also seemed to be curious and turned around. Unlike Deb, she sat with her back to the entrance, so she had to turn her head to see that visitor. The same went for me. ¡°They seem like a very well-trained warrior.¡± ¡°Given their dark skin, they seem to be from the desert. Are they using that halberd as a weapon?¡± The Inquisitor and Archmage¡¯s words offered some additional information to this person I had yet to see. A nd warrior with arge body, the way they were looking for a ¡®strong man¡¯, dark skin, and a halberd. Suddenly, a certain someone passed through my mind. ¡°Ah, then how about sheep¡¯s milk cheese and date bread? We also have smokedmb!¡± ¡°Sounds good! But before that, there¡¯s something I have to do first!¡± ¡­The person who¡¯de in didn¡¯t have tinum blonde hair, by any chance, right? And even if they did, it probably wasn¡¯t in a wolf cut, right? It couldn¡¯t be, right? ¡°I came to fight that strong guy. Yes, you! The one with his back turned to me!¡± Please, someone tell me that it wasn¡¯t like that. ¡°Mister, I think they are calling for you.¡± I desperately wanted to facepalm because I suspected I knew who that person was without hearing their name. Although I knew, I tried to ignore them. However, thanks to Deb''s confirmation, I was even more sure, which killed any semnce of hope in me. ¡°Can¡¯t you hear me?¡± No matter how much I thought about it, this was definitely the official character of the ss that immediately appeared in my mind when I heard we would go to the arena. I could tell without even looking at their face, damn it. ¡°¡­Are you referring to someone at our table?¡± Fortunately, the Archmage answered them on my behalf. ¡°Yeah! I was speaking to one of you!¡± The other person didn¡¯t seem to notice the slight anxiety in his voice and agreed enthusiastically. I felt a headache gradually welling up. ¡°What business might you have with us?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t ¡®Berserk¡¯ just say that? I want to fight that warrior over there!¡± They might be someonepletely different, with just some slight simrities in appearance and speech¡­ What was that? Immediately after I heard what that visitor had just said, my hope, which had been running on ¡®maybes¡¯, ¡®possiblies¡¯, and ¡®probablies¡¯, finally brokepletely. Aah, they introduced themselves. They said they were Berserk. And Berserk was the third ss change of the ss I had in mind: Fighter. In other words, they¡¯d just confirmed that they were that ss¡¯s official character. ¡°¡­That would be a little difficult.¡± ¡°What¡¯s difficult? There¡¯s nothing more enjoyable than fighting against someone strong!¡± I had an ominous feeling when I heard we would be looking for our nextrade in the arena, but as I¡¯d expected, the Berserk would be the one to join us. If possible, I would like the Archmage or Inquisitor to oppose their joining, but that wouldn¡¯t happen, right? Yeah, probably not. Up until now, there hadn¡¯t been a single case where an official character didn¡¯t join our party almost directly after showing their face. ¡°He doesn¡¯t fight with normal people.¡± ¡°Berserk isn¡¯t a normal person!¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s not what I meant. I mean that he doesn¡¯t fight people unrted to Demons.¡± ¡°So, he¡¯s a Demon Hunter? That¡¯s even better! There¡¯s no one stronger than someone who knows how to kill Demons! Let¡¯s fight!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Wow, he¡¯s seriously quiet, isn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°¡­See?¡± I picked up my ss of water, trying to ignore my reality. I felt like so many painfully annoying things were happening these days. ¡°Fight with me, warrior!¡± ¡°¡­Get lost.¡± ¡­Now that this disaster was here, things could only get better, right? Please. Chapter 93: But There is Still Hope (2) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 93 But There is Still Hope (2) Berserk, or rather, the Fighter ss representative, was the most boorish and simple character in the original Legend of Heroes. While other sses used themes of growth, tragedy, or expanding one''s worldly knowledge in their stories, this person seemed to live strictly by the motto YOLO. She only did whatever she felt like doing. That was it. A lot of problems cropped up when one lived too much of an unrestrained life, though. Just by looking at her name, Berserk, you could tell this character was seriously aggressive. I mean, the words she shouted at the start of her personal story were literally, ¡®I want to fight all the strong people in this world!¡¯ Put nicely, she was very bright and cheerful, but in reality, she was just a fighting addict. ¡°Fights! Flowing sweat and pumping blood! How fun is that!¡± I strained my neck and ground my teeth. In reality, I felt more annoyed than irritated, but right about now would be when my character would gradually start to be angry. ¡°Or are you actually scared?¡± And as someone who lived on only his pride and nothing else, I couldn¡¯t possibly ignore that provocation. I finally spoke up. ¡°There is no way I would be scared of a barbarian whose manners are as pristine as the grime under their fingernails.¡± ¡°Then why aren¡¯t you standing up?¡± ¡°Because I have no intention of stooping to your level, barbarian.¡± While I did think it would have been more appropriate to attack her outright at this point, verbally attacking her didn¡¯t go against my character setting, either. Hmm, it had been about 15 days since I put that seal on my arm, so it would be a bit strange if I still couldn¡¯t control my anger and just started fighting with a normal person¡ªin the sense that she had nothing to do with Demons¡ªall of a sudden. Moreover, with the Berserk¡­ Whether or not I won, it would only be my loss. If I won, she would just beg me to keep fighting until she won, and if I lost, I wouldn¡¯t be able to tolerate that ording to my setting, as defeat wasn¡¯t in the Demon Knight¡¯s dictionary. ¡°So you were a coward.¡± However, that ¡®You scared?¡¯ she let out afterward really was taking it too far. My character settings aside, as a Korean, I couldn¡¯t let this one slip. ¡°Hold it in.¡± Was it because the sound of my teeth grinding grew more intense? The Archmage hurriedly grabbed my left arm. His expression seemed somewhat stiff, perhaps startled by what had just happened. The Inquisitor sitting to my right at the round table had also stretched out her arm, copying the Archmage¡¯s actions. Since I¡¯d made it clear I didn¡¯t like people touching my right arm, she refrained from touching it, but it was clear she also wanted to stop me. ¡°Demon Knight.¡± That gave me enough justification. I rxed my body, leaving the Berserk disappointed. It clearly showed on her face. With that, the tension of those around me was relieved, and Berserk just looked even more dejected. ¡°I thought I finally found someone strong after such a long time, but this is how it ended up.¡± Berserk sighed deeply and sat down at an empty table. ¡°Owner! Give me the thing you told me about earlier!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The following order soothed the owner, who¡¯d been worried a fight might break out inside his store. ¡°Man, looks like the storm has passed.¡± It was only then that Deb broke the silence. ¡°The atmosphere felt so bloody that I thought I¡¯d die, you know?¡± I felt a little sorry when imagining him holding his breath while I was locked in a battle of nerves with Berserk. ¡°What a rude person. She didn¡¯t even try to ask politely and instead forced their opinion on you. That¡¯s just not right.¡± On the other hand, the Inquisitor spoke up without any hesitation. Even if a fight had broken out because of this, nothing would¡¯ve happened to her, given her defense was quite high. Deb nced at the Inquisitor, a slight nervousness filling his eyes. ¡°There are some people like that in this world. Still, I¡¯m d she just stepped down. Some such people don¡¯t take no for an answer and just start fighting.¡± ¡°Preposterous! One-sidedly starting a fight isn¡¯t something I can turn a blind eye to.¡± A one-sided fight. I stirred slightly as I remembered when I first met the Inquisitor. ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s not important right now. You held up well. So please¡­ continue to do so.¡± ¡°If we stay here any longer, they might try to provoke you again, so let¡¯s just go, okay? We all finished our meal anyway.¡± In any case, just like Deb, I also wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible. Going by what I knew about the character, Berserk wouldn¡¯t say anything more to us at this point, but one never knew. If we left now, there was no way the Berserk would join our party, right? ¡°That sounds good.¡± ¡°I just finished eating, as well. Let¡¯s go.¡± Fortunately, the Archmage and Inquisitor weren¡¯t opposed to his opinion. We quickly left the restaurant and town. ¡°I hope we¡¯ll never meet that person again.¡± ¡­However, right before that, Deb had to nt a g. Well, I just hoped nothing would happen. * * * ¡°This is Pa Enoch¡­¡± We rode our horses for a few more days until we had to swap them out for camels. We then finally reached Pa Enoch, the city where Ainoxar was. ¡°Their inspections sure were strict. Probably because this is the front line.¡± Deb¡¯s grumblings weren¡¯t without reason. Unlike other cities, which we could enter in under a minute, Pa Enoch had us wait ten minutes under that scorching sun. However, we still had it better than the general public¡ªthey had to wait for about three hours on average¡ªbut¡­ as someone who had always enjoyed free passes, it was only natural for this to seem ¡®strict¡¯ to him inparison. ¡°It would be quite dangerous if Demon followers were to enter the city, after all.¡± ¡°They¡¯d still be able to enter even if they did this, though.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s better than nothing.¡± Right. I agreed with the Archmage as I looked around Pa Enoch. As one might expect from a desert city, houses made of earth were clustered close together, and the roads were narrower than those typically seen in other cities. It didn¡¯t seem to be due to ack of space but rather an intentional choice so they could drape clothes over them to provide shade. ¡°Wow, finally, some shade!¡± Deb seemed to be most excited about that. The Inquisitor was fine, thanks to her armor. The Archmage had clothes with temperature-controlling enchantments on them. And I, strangely, couldn''t really feel the heat. For that reason, he was the only one who had to suffer in the desert. ¡°It''s a little better here.¡± It seemed the temperature here was simr to Jacrati and Montata Ind. Did it feel worse here because there was no shade and less wind? ¡°How weak.¡± ¡°You''re only barely hanging on because of that armor of yours, so what are you calling me?¡± ¡°The Demon Knight is wearing fouryers of clothes, though.¡± ¡°That''s¡­!¡± What? ¡°¡­Comparing me to Mister is too unfair.¡± I could barely suppressughter from leaving my mouth as I moved forward. I didn''t feel hot, but I certainly wanted to take off the cloak and hood I had been wearing for various reasons. The others quite vehemently asked me to wear it, leaving me without much choice, but this thingpletely ruined my style! ¡°Let''s first go to the Temple before going to Ainoxar or elsewhere.¡± ¡°The Temple''s over there.¡± We moved ording to Deb''s directions, ignoring the solicitors near the gate. The Archmage was very knowledgeable, but in a ce like this, no one was as reliable as Deb. ¡°I can''t believe the Temple is so deep inside the city. This ce looks even bigger than Somon.¡± ¡°This city is the central hub of the Southern Front, so it''s not surprising that it''s this big.¡± ¡°¡­Oh, it didn¡¯t grow to this size because of the arena?¡± ¡°Correct. The arena is merely a byproduct of this city¡¯s central role.¡± The Inquisitor blinked at the Archmage¡¯s exnation. She seemed to understand what he said but not what he meant. Even I, who knew little more about this than the Inquisitor, was quite curious about this matter. The Archmage said that because this ce was unexpectedly peaceful, the arena was made to allow people to rx and let loose¡­ I wondered just how much energy these people had for them to set up something like that. ¡°You don¡¯t even know that? This arena is kind of like bait, so to speak.¡± Deb butted in. It was a vague hint. ¡°Bait to keep the strong in the Southern Front.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m not sure what you mean.¡± ¡°Ah, I mean¡­¡± While Deb was teasing the Inquisitor, the Archmage sneakily approached me. ¡°Are you feeling okay?¡± What he said next was something I¡¯d heard him say at least once a day ever since we began nearing Enoch. And for the past two days, I¡¯d heard this same question during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. ¡°I should have answered that question this morning already.¡± Ah, considering the situation, I toned down my character¡¯s temper to some degree. I had to answer that question so frequently that I couldn¡¯t stand acting the same all the time anymore. I mean, you could say it had already be a habit for me to report on the seal¡¯s state every morning and evening during its development, so this should be fine, right? With that in mind, I answered the Archmage¡¯s question, after which he stepped back. He would surely ask me again in the evening. I knew he was worried, but my mind was slowly getting tired of all that. * * * * * * Bang! That aside, was there some kind of rule in this city allowing others to fight right in the middle of the main street? Unless the city administration has bepletely crazy, that probably wasn¡¯t the case. I reflexively raised my hand to stop the Archmage and Deb from advancing. The next to act was the Inquisitor. Thud! As soon as the Inquisitor went forward and raised her shield, stone dust rained down on the area. ¡°Wh-What happened?!¡± It was good that I¡¯d stood further back than the Inquisitor. That way, I could judge the situation more urately. They were at most five meters away. The Middle swordsman who¡¯d cut through the cloth ceiling was lying spread out on the floor. And the person who made the guy that way was¡­ ¡°You got KO¡¯d already?!¡± It seemed to be a dark-skinned Middle man who had jumped from one of the building¡¯s rooftops down onto the main street. I initially thought it was the Berserk, so I was pretty surprised. ¡°Fighting like that in the middle of the main street!¡± On the other hand, the Inquisitor was focusing on something else entirely. Being the principled person she was, she immediately pointed out the vitions ofws and rules these people hadmitted. One couldn''t say that her reaction was overblown, considering the number of victims getting caught up in this fight was gradually increasing right at this moment. Since innocent people got hurt, this had turned into a criminal act she would never tolerate. ¡°Geez. I knew Pa Enoch''s public security wasn''t that good, but they sure went all out. Actually, it''s notmon for fights like this to happen in the open right in the middle of the main street. ¡°Are the guards noting?¡± The Archmage was looking around for security personnel, seemingly not wanting to intervene. ¡°I heard the guards are just really busy because there have been a lot of idents happening heretely, but they should be here any minute.¡± It was just as Deb had said. While the situation seemed a bit chaotic with all these people around, I could see a group running here from the other side. They probably were the guards. But the situation seemed to be almost settled¡­ Would there be any more reason for them to interfere? ¡°Hey, fighting in the middle of the street is prohibited!¡± Then, someone stepped into the fight. It was a man with reddish brown hair sticking out in all directions like a lion''s mane. ¡°It''s Red Mane!!¡± ¡°Kankan!!¡± ¡°Please deal with that damn bastard!!¡± He seemed quite strong to me. I mean, although you couldn''t really figure out someone''s true strength level, didn''t extraordinary people seem special even to ordinary people? That man was just like that. ¡°Kankan?¡± ¡°He''s a rather popr fighter in Ainoxar. He isn''t as strong as the champion, but just based on poprity, he could be considered among Ainoxar¡¯s top ten.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Kankan, the Red Mane, approached the dark-skinned Middle man with disdain visible on his face. His opponent''s expression was also slightly distorted. ¡°Hah, and why should I listen to you?¡± That was quite an interesting statement, but it certainly wasn''t the right choice. ¡°Because this will happen if you don''t.¡± At that moment, Kankan leaped forward and grabbed the man''s face. That person didn''t seem to have grasped the situation yet, even after getting his head grabbed like that. However, life would never proceed if one considered everyone. Bang! Kankan mmed his opponent''s head into the ground. The street gave a bit, leaving the head buried slightly within it. That seemed quite painful. Was he dead, perhaps? ¡°Uuurgh.¡± ¡°You seriously bothered people.¡± It seemed his life had been preserved, hearing him groan like that. ¡°Hurry up and take him away.¡± ¡°Ah, thank you for your help, Red Mane!¡± ¡°I just came here to buy some snacks, so what''s with this chaos?¡± Just as Kankan was departing, the guards appeared and ultimately settled the situation. The way they located the victims, took witness testimonies, arrested those who had fought, and quickly collected the tents that had copsed during the fight made it evident they hadn''t done this just once or twice before. The street was returned to its original state in the blink of an eye. ¡°¡­He''s strong.¡± The Inquisitor then let out a short assessment. Since she probably wasn''t talking about the guards, the one she wasmenting on was Kankan¡­ It wasn''t like she couldn¡¯t do what he had, but more that she seemed surprised someone besides her was capable of this. After all, only she and I had been capable of such feats until now. ¡°I can''t believe someone so skilled isn''t the champion.¡± I was actually pretty surprised about that, as well. I hadn''t seen anyone that strong until now, so I never thought I¡¯de across so many just by traveling to another region. I felt a bit nervous, thinking that the Front Lines sure lived up to their name. I also wondered if things would start to get harder for me. ¡°Seeing how strong even those who aren''t champions are, I¡¯m rather looking forward to seeing the actual champion.¡± Still, it surely wouldn''t get to the point where things would be painful for me, right? I¡¯d diligently raised my level, after all. Hmm. ¡°Are you fighters trying to challenge Ainoxar?¡± In that instant, someone quietly spoke up to us. It was the red-maned Kankan who¡¯d subdued that rampaging brat over there before seemingly going on his way. The earring dangling from one of his ears sparkled particrly brightly through his hair. ¡°I haven''t seen your faces around before. I''m guessing this is your first time here?¡± He looked somewhat fatigued¡ªlike an office worker who¡¯de out to buy some snacks on his long-awaited day off¡ªand lightly scanned over us. He first looked at the Inquisitor, who stood at the front, then the tall Archmage, who stood out quite a bit due to his height, followed by Deb, who seemed to melt away in this heat, and finally me. However, when he met my eyes, he seemed to stiffen a little. I had no idea why¡­ He couldn¡¯t detect Demonic Energy, right? ¡°Well¡­ Fine. Try your best. But don''t overdo it. Most of you look quite young, but plenty of people here don''t even care if you''re little kids. I''m not looking down on you, but please be careful and think about your future.¡± Seeing that the atmosphere didn''t turn for the worse, it seemed I had nothing to worry about. This was my first time seeing this guy, but he seemed to have quite a good personality, considering that he was giving us some good advice. ¡°Lastly¡­ Don''t meet Martial King.¡± He¡¯d really seemed like a nice guy. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Never, if you can. Although, there''s no way to meet him other than inside the arena, anyway.¡± ¡°What do you¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m leaving now.¡± But did he really bother talking to us just to give that one vague piece of advice? If he was going to give us some advice, he should at least exin it so we could understand. ¡°Wait, at least tell us what you meant by that¡­¡± ¡°I hope you''ll do well.¡± The Archmage tried to hold on to Kankan, but he avoided the grasp like a cat that hated to be touched. Thus, this meeting, which couldn''t be called harmful but was instead rather helpful, abruptly ended. Chapter 94: But There is Still Hope (3) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 94 But There is Still Hope (3) Kankan''s words raised many questions. However, it was rather difficult to forcefully keep someone here who didn''t want to stay and borate. We eventually decided to just head to the Temple with many doubts in our minds. The building, conspicuously whitepared to the surrounding buildings, didn¡¯t seem much different from other Temples, though its style was adapted to the desert. ¡°By the way, I also found some information on a tavern a lot of fighters stop by.¡± After unpacking our luggage at the Temple, we headed to the tavern Deb had found out about. A selection based on our purpose of ¡®finding talent¡¯. However, that didn''t mean their food wasn''t tasty. ¡°You chose well. Thanks for your hard work.¡± ¡°Just doing my job.¡± As I scooped up some chopped cactus, I nced around. Fitting the rumors of this ce being well-frequented by fighters, all the people around us were fighters. However, one problem was that most came here alone and ate in silence. It seemed difficult to strike up a conversation with any of them. ¡°¡­Now that I¡¯m seeing it in person, though, I feel like I made a mistake.¡± Deb appeared to have realized it as well and lightly clicked his tongue. ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°What''s the matter, Inquisitor?¡± ¡°No, well, it''s nothing, really. It''s just that, since we entered this city, I often see people who give off a slightly ufortable feeling.¡± ¡°¡­Is it Demonic Energy?¡± ¡°I don''t think so¡­ I''m not sure.¡± Well, all things considered, that wasn''t very important right now. ¡°Do you feel something from anyone here?¡± ¡°The one at that table over there, or the guy over there?¡± ¡°Are they well known?¡± ¡°¡­Aah, yeah. As far as impressions go, they¡¯re both fairly well-known in the arena. They aren''t as good as Red Mane, but they¡¯re still in the mid to upper level in strength.¡± ¡°Hmmm.¡± At Deb''s words, the Archmage made a furtive expression. I felt simrly. After all, it was none other than a priest who said they got an ufortable feeling from someone. ¡°There are no real obvious signs, so I can''t be sure. If this is because something¡¯s reacting to my Divine Power, it¡¯s very unlikely the Temple would have left this issue be.¡± ¡°In that case¡­¡± ¡°There''s nothing we can do right now, so let''s set that issue aside for the time being. Instead, I''d like you to look into this issue. Will you be able to investigate this a bit further after our talk?¡± However, since we couldn''t do anything about this immediately, the Archmage tasked Deb with further investigations. ¡°Sure.¡± After taking another look at the people the Inquisitor had just pointed out, Deb turned around again. Immediately after, a waiter served us our meals that hadn''t yet arrived. ¡°Rather than that, what about Kankan? Do any of you know why he gave us that advice?¡± ¡°Hmm, we shouldn''t ever meet the Martial King, was it?¡± The Archmage changed the topic. Unlike us, who were pretty confused by his words, Deb seemed to have an inkling. He couldn''t stand the heat any longer, so he removed his hood and gently rubbed over his bearded chin. ¡°Some malicious rumors about him were floating around, so I wanted to thoroughly verify them before bringing them up, but¡­ Just going by what I heard, there seems to be some kind of problem with the Martial King.¡± He hushed his voice as he spoke those words. No, he even had to write out the next part. It was pretty clear that he was highly aware of all these fighters around him. [It''s said that he''s gone mad. He would go and attack everyone around him.] ¡°¡­!¡± Thank God all of us could read. The Inquisitor''s eyes widened as she understood the words he¡¯d written down, and the Archmage couldn''t help but touch the back of his hand. [Can someone who attacks those around him remain champion? Shouldn''t he be dealt with?] Although shecked tact and didn''t really know what to make of that situation, the Inquisitor took up the pen and wrote something. Her handwriting was so neat that it almost seemed to have been printed. It suited her personality. [There¡¯s never been anything official. There are only some rumors going around that a servant who had served him was found dead or that someone close to him suddenly showed up with injuries.] [Is the cause for this known?] [No. However, there are some spections that it might be due to extreme stress.] Deb paused the pen he held for a moment in response to the Archmage''s interjection. As he hesitated, a drop of ink fell on the table. [This is a bit more unreliable than what I just wrote, but before the rumors of his madness spread, there had been some talk of him bing a lot more sensitive than usual.] [Why is it more unreliable?] [He was someone with a short temper to begin with.] Was it because it couldn''t be proven whether he¡¯d actually be more sensitive or was just acting on his short temper like usual? How bad was his personality for these kinds of things to spread? Well, after giving myself this character setting, it wasn''t anything I shouldment on. ¡°All of this is unconfirmed, anyway.¡± That was all the information Deb could give, so he put away the pen. The Archmage, who had effectively influenced our decision on who to take as a newpanion, had a rather anguished expression. ¡°In that case¡­ we should reconsider. If it''s just because he¡¯s a sensitive person, this problem can be solved with proper adjustment, but if it¡¯s like this¡­¡± Hearing that, I felt a prick from my conscience for a second. Even though we were talking about the Martial King, why did I feel like he kept poking at my weaknesses? ¡°However, it''s foolish to judge someone without having even seen them. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± ¡°Indeed. You''re right, Inquisitor. If one lets prejudice cloud their vision, one will miss what is truly important.¡± Still, it was pretty touching to see the results of the Inquisitor''s growth. Seeing how much she¡¯d grown since our first meeting was incredibly thrilling. Our kimchi dumpling was growing so well. ¡°I want to make a decision after meeting him face to face.¡± It seemed the advice Kankan had given us in our first meeting had be entirely meaningless. ¡°Alright. What is your opinion on this?¡± ¡°You mean me? I mean¡­ It doesn¡¯t really matter to me. Even if the rumors are true, there¡¯s no way this guy could hurt you, and if things go well and he joins our party, our power will increase, right?¡± But, well, it didn¡¯t matter in the end. If Kankan gave us that advice because he had gone mad, why wasn¡¯t he forced to quit or something? There could be reasons besides madness. As Deb had said, if he hadn¡¯t gone mad, we could make him ourpanion, which would increase our party¡¯s power. And if his personality was too unsuitable for us, madness or not, we could still simply refuse to let him join. Either way, we wouldn¡¯t suffer any losses, except maybe the time and effort it took. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°Okay. Then let us postpone extending a recruitment offer to the Martial King until we¡¯ve met him personally ande to a final decision.¡± The Archmage also seemed pretty excited about meeting that guy in person. After our talk concluded, he summarized our decision. With that, the first point on our agenda had beenpleted. ¡°Then our next step would be finding a way to meet the Martial King face to face.¡± Our second agenda point was this: now that we had decided to ignore the advice not to meet with the Martial King, we had to find a way to meet him somehow. ¡°The fastest way would be to make an appointment or visit the Martial King¡¯s residence¡­¡± The Archmage, trailing off slightly, looked at Deb. He put down the piece of cactus he was sucking the juice out of. ¡°That would be difficult. The Martial King usually doesn¡¯t agree to meet people. He is living almost in seclusion right now.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°But you never know. Maybe we can meet him through some connections?¡± The Archmage¡¯s and Inquisitor¡¯s expressions changed subtly at Deb¡¯s words, which contained a hint of anger. ¡°This ce doesn¡¯t have a Magic Tower, so we can¡¯t borrow their power, and as for the Temple¡­¡± ¡°¡­I can ask them, but I¡¯m not sure it¡¯ll work.¡± This city might not be as chaotic as rumored, but given the many parts that went against the Temple¡¯s doctrine, the Inquisitor warned us that it was highly unlikely the two were friendly with each other. While I didn¡¯t know much, that seemed quite usible to me. ¡°That can¡¯t be. There should be plenty of injured peopleing from the arena to the Temple. Don¡¯t they have some sort of connection with any of them?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­ I¡¯m not really sure. In the Great Temple, unless you donate a great sum, they don¡¯t treat the wounded in such a manner.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that called discrimination?¡± ¡°Rather than calling it discrimination, you¡¯re just treated with a slightly lower priority. There are very few priests who can heal serious injuries¡­ The people we treat first are those injured while fighting Demons or eliminatingmon sources of danger, like bandits and robbers.¡± That was somewhat understandable. The difference between someone who got hurt while protecting another and someone who got hurt after fighting with another person for personal fame and wealth certainly seemed quite big. ¡°Huh, so this ce really is different from other Temples.¡± ¡°¡­Certainly, as ashamed as I am to admit.¡± ¡°Well, if even the Temple doesn¡¯t work, what should we do?¡± ¡°Now that I think of it, at that time¡­¡± However, Deb¡¯s attempt to steer the conversation elsewhere pierced our silence. It seemed no one¡ªat least the other two¡ªhad considered a certain possibility. That actually surprised me. Since this trope often appeared in games, novels, and manhwa, I naturally expected those guys to say, ¡®We''ll get to meet him if we fight in the arena!¡¯ Kankan also mentioned that, right? That there would be no other way to meet him than in the arena. ¡°Should we go watch him fight?¡± ¡°¡­Asking him for a private meeting while in the audience would make him think we''re just fans, so he''d probably ignore us.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°And if we tried to win over those around him¡­ it probably won¡¯t leave a good impression. Oh well. If there isn¡¯t any way, it would be better for us just to forget about this. There¡¯s no need to insist on making the Martial King join us.¡± But none of them mentioned it. Well, challenging someone in the arena wasn¡¯t exactly the standard way to meet a person. ¡°Instead, I think it would be a good idea to observe him first, like the Inquisitor said. If he isn¡¯t impressive enough to meet our standards, meeting him would just be a waste of time.¡± ¡°Then, after we finish eating, we should get some tickets.¡± ¡°Ah, so are we going to Ainoxar next?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem to be a pleasant ce, but¡­ I¡¯m still looking forward to seeing it in a different sense. I¡¯m curious as to how that ce is operated.¡± I put down my spoon, worried my way of thinking had been influenced too much by fiction. I¡¯m the first to finish eating this time. Hurray. * * * * * * Rustle. The man¡¯s hands trembled as he held the letter sent to him three months prior. He¡¯d read it through several times over, each time seeming to bring forth terror in him. ¡®Why am I even reading this letter?¡¯ The resolutions he¡¯d made before reading it always seemed to be utterly useless afterward. ¡°Shit!!¡± Crash! In the end, he swept everything off the table. Various objects fell off it and spilled across the floor, crashing sounds echoing throughout the room. Even then, he was still delicately holding that letter in his hand. ¡°¡­Why, why are youing here?!¡± When he left his hometown, he thought he¡¯d never meet them again, but why? Just why? After throwing the letter on the now empty table, the man tore at his hair with his free hand. ¡°I¡¯m going to die. I¡¯m really going to die this time.¡± He wasn''t in much better shape than the shattered objects on the floor. ¡°I''ll be killed¡­¡± Desperate and miserable. > [So, are you just going to die like this?] At that moment, a clear voice rang out in the space the man was sitting alone. That unique tone of voice, resembling the plump sound of a camel-skin tambourine and the clear jangling of an oud, didn''t seem like anything a person could produce. ¡°¡­! You!¡± > [It''s been a while, mortal. I came because I thought you might need my aid, or was I wrong?] Startled, the man looked back at his visitor. His body, which had been trembling in fear of death not too long ago, was now shaking for an entirely different reason. > [Hmm. They''reing here. I see. Is she your ¡®nightmare¡¯?] Coming closer, the visitor read the letter and giggled. ¡°She isn¡¯t my nightmare!¡± Did the man lose his temper on instinct? Beneath the bearskin covering the visitor¡¯s face, their half-visible eyes crinkled beautifully. > [Then should I go?] They stepped back lightly andy down on the backless couch. > [After all, if this isn¡¯t what causes you nightmares, you won¡¯t need my help.] As a result, their clothes became quite disheveled, allowing a glimpse of their skin, but there was nothing seductive or sensual about it. It seemed more slovenly than anything. > [So, should I take this as my visit being in vain?] Just like the concept they represented. ¡°¡­No. Don¡¯t go.¡± > [Why? You said she isn¡¯t your nightmare. So, doesn¡¯t that mean you¡¯re confident you can ovee her?] ¡°Damn it, there¡¯s no way in hell!¡± The man connected to such a being didn¡¯t seem much different. ¡°I-If I train more, of course, I¡¯m confident I¡¯d win. But I never thought she woulde here now. How can I win against her if I don¡¯t even have enough time to prepare?¡± > [I heard that it¡¯s been ten years since you left your hometown¡­ Well, fine. Things like that happen.] The man extended his hand toward his visitor. > [Then I shall grant you the dream of ¡®Victory¡¯ once more.] The drug that would make all his dreamse true for free fell into his palm. * * * Right after we finished eating, we went to visit Ainoxar. ¡°Will you be participating?¡± ¡°No, we won¡¯t.¡± Maybe because they saw a strange person wearing full te armor despite being in the middle of the desert and a cold-looking person wearing a Zweih?nder on their back, we were mistaken for participants when we went to buy tickets. Although we barely managed to avoid actually participating, thanks to the Archmage and Deb. ¡°The tickets are quite pricey.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect them to be that expensive¡­¡± As their goal was to hire talented people, the price of the requested tickets¡ªin the form of tokens since paper was far too precious here¡ªalso increased. Most talented people were pretty popr, and the more popr they were, the more people wanted to see them fight, so this progression was only natural. ¡°There are people who brave the journey all the way to the front lines just to watch fights in this arena.¡± Exining that the arena¡¯s earnings were used to maintain the front lines, Deb held some ice to his head. The Archmage had made it for him out of pity, given that he¡¯d done nothing but pant ever since we came to the city. It didn¡¯tst that long and took quite a bit of Arcane Power to make, so it was a luxury he could only enjoy a few times outside, as the Archmage had prepared some pieces for emergencies. ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t that the guy we saw earlier?¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right. That guy has a match scheduled today, as well.¡± At that moment, the Inquisitor had found a certain someone¡¯s match schedule: Red Mane. It was Kankan¡¯s. ¡°His longest winning streak is 17¡­ A win rate of 73%¡­¡± The Inquisitor reviewed Kankan¡¯s information andpared it to others¡¯. Most fell incredibly short of Kankan¡¯s record, but some still surpassed it. ¡°Amazing. He didn¡¯t look weak, so I can¡¯t believe there are so many people stronger than him.¡± She eximed with admiration upon seeing the number of strong people presented. ¡°It¡¯s not like that in other ces, so why are there so many strong people in this arena?¡± ¡°Well¡­ It¡¯s because of this city¡¯s, or rather the Southern Front¡¯s, characteristics.¡± The Archmage asked the Inquisitor to consider the map she¡¯d seen earlier and what she¡¯d learned about this ce up until now, gradually introducing new knowledge to her. I didn¡¯t really have anything to do, so I quietly listened in on their conversation. ¡°As you might remember, the Southern Front is somewhat narrow due to the mountain range along the desert¡¯s edge.¡± ¡°Yes, I remember that. The mountain range is so rugged, hot, and dry that not even Demons can easily cross it.¡± ¡°Correct. As such, the number of paths the Demons can take to cross the desert is very limited.¡± One had to note that Demons were also living beings, so in most cases, they also needed to consume nutrients to survive. That¡¯s why crossing through deserts or over rugged, rocky mountains wasn''t easy for them. ¡°And one of those limited paths is where Pa Enoch is located.¡± ¡°Yes, I remember that, too. But what does this have to do with anything? Oh, do you mean these powerful people gathered here to stop the Demons?¡± ¡°If you just look at the conclusion, you¡¯re right. However, that doesn¡¯t entirely exin the existence of the arena.¡± The Archmage smiled slightly and held up the ticket he¡¯d just purchased. It was about to start, so they opted to continue their conversation as they went in. ¡°Although there are few paths the Demons could take to cross the desert, it¡¯s also very rare for them toe to the desert to begin with. They only moved when the Great Demon residing in the desert ordered them to.¡± The Inquisitor didn¡¯t seem to understand what he meant. When the Archmage started walking again, she reflexively followed. Deb and I were also two steps behind them. ¡°However, that would happen quite sporadically. They would sometimes attack once every month, but at other times, they would only attack every seven years.¡± At that moment, I slowly began to understand what the Archmage and Deb had meant before. The enemies the Archmage spoke of would only attack every seven years. As Deb had said, this ce was intended as bait to keep the powerful here. ¡°And at times like these, fighters would get bored and leave this ce. However, while the Great Demon in the desert didn¡¯t attack often, they still sometimes did, and with huge armies at that¡­ So, they needed to maintain their fighting power somehow.¡± In short, the arena was actually bait for them. A bait to attract and hold the interest of the strong in preparation for fights with Demons that could break out at any moment. ¡°That¡¯s why the arena was created. It was made so the powerful could alleviate their boredom during the periods when the Demons didn¡¯te to attack.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ so.¡± ¡°Yes. That is what I meant when I said the arena was built due to the city¡¯s central role.¡± ¡°These things¡­ I didn¡¯t learn any of that. It¡¯s quite interesting.¡± ¡°Knowing why the arena was created in Pa Enoch wouldn¡¯t give us any advantage in dealing with Demons, so I didn¡¯t tell you anything about it.¡± Well, while these things were interesting to know, they weren¡¯t exactly applicable in real life. I suddenly remembered my school days. It seemed the time the Inquisitor spent studying things in the Temple wasn¡¯t much different from when I went to school. ¡°The same goes for the pirates and this arena. After learning more, I felt that¡­ I could understand everything a bit more¡­ There are just some things in this world that can¡¯t be helped.¡± ¡°¡­! Yes, that¡¯s right, Inquisitor. There are quite a few cases where situations and people that appear evil and wrong actually have their reasons for being. Of course, we shouldn¡¯t tolerate their actions just because of their circumstances, but¡­¡± How had our kimchi dumpling gained yet another enlightenment from this, though? It was great, but she grew so much these days that I was a little shocked. As I thought, that honest personality of hers wasn¡¯t just her disposition but also due to her beingpletely new to society, leading to inflexible thinking¡­! ¡°¡­What¡¯s happening with the iron wall?¡± Meat dumpling, could you please hide that horrified expression of yours and just be a bit impressed about her growth? ¡°Ah, I guess these are our seats.¡± Meanwhile, the Archmage found the seats matching the numbers written on the tickets. Although we were prettyte to get some, we were quite close to the stage. I reckoned these matches were quite unpopr, seeing how there were more empty seats than ones filled with people. ¡°Who¡¯s fighting this time?¡± ¡°I heard it¡¯s a newly debuted newbie fighting against Red Tattoo Omar. I heard that their name¡¯s Berserker¡­¡± ¡°Omar? I don¡¯t really remember her, so she probably isn¡¯t noteworthy.¡± ¡°I just chose the earliest match because I wanted to see what it would be like.¡± Ah, so that was why. ¡°Ah, it seems like it¡¯s starting.¡± Maybe because we¡¯d gotten tickets prettyte, it wasn¡¯t long before the fight began. ¡°In this corner! The one who conquers with a single de. Red Tattoo Omar!¡± Contrary to my expectations that the fighters would be introduced at length, their introductions were actually quite short and simple. ¡°Opposing her! A rookie who just debuted, the former warrior of Norda. Berserker!¡± As their names were announced, people leaped out of the holes on each side of the stage. One was a woman with a red tattoo, fitting her nickname, and the other¡­ ¡°It¡¯s Berserk, not Berserker! You idiots can¡¯t even pronounce names correctly!¡± It was a nd with arge build, Berserk. ¡°That person!?¡± ¡°Why are they here?!¡± Those were my lines. Chapter 95: But There is Still Hope (4) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 95 But There is Still Hope (4) My head began to ache when I saw Berserk walking onto the stage. It was utterly absurd that someone who started traveling after us had arrived before us. We even rode on horses and camels. That she immediately went to participate as a fighter in this arena was a separate issue. But for the first ticket we¡¯d bought to be for one of her matches was just ridiculous. I had no idea where to even start. Was this¡­ to create usibility¡­? A way to force Berserk into our party? ¡°Did she ride a carriage¡­? No, even if she did, arriving here before us would have been nearly impossible.¡± ¡°No, we didn''t even see her pass us in the first ce. If she¡¯d used the official paths, she would have definitely run into us.¡± I leaned my back against the backrest with a disgusted expression on my face. Had I known this would happen, I would have gone somewhere else instead of wasting my time here. However, the Archmage had urged me not to act alone. I was also in no position to ignore his words because an emergency might happen¡ªthe sealing device might not work properly. They¡¯d also effectively restricted our movements to this city for the time being. No matter how stubborn my character was, I couldn''t easily go against this decision¡­ ¡°Wow, amazing.¡± No, no, now that I thought about it, I didn''t actually have a reason to leave this ce to begin with. I was sure Berserk wouldn''t jump into the audience and fight me, right? So, this much could be chalked up to coincidence, right? ¡°Hmm. Does it matter by what means she came here? The important thing is that we no longer have anything to do with her¡­¡± However, something happened before the Archmage even finished speaking. ¡°Match start-¡± Bang! The moment the referee announced the start of the match, Berserk leaped forward and immediately defeated Omar, who had a red tattoo on her face, in a single blow. Omar¡¯s raised sword did nothing against that strike. Berserk¡¯s fist shattered her sword and struck her right in the sr plexus. Her body, blown away by the hit, struck one of the arena¡¯s walls. ¡°This was extremely disappointing. Next!¡± Her tinum-blonde hair and single earring shone a metallic hue in the sunlight. ¡°¡­What was that?¡± Was it because the match ended too quickly? Even though the results were clear, the referee didn¡¯t open his mouth. The few spectators who came to the match did the same. Everyone was simply too dazed to even speak. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say to get the next one, referee?!¡± ¡°Erm, the winner is! Berserker!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not Berserker, it¡¯s Berserk!!¡± Of course, I wasn¡¯t too surprised by the oue. Rather than knowing Berserk¡¯s level, it was more that I had a vague feeling of ¡®Of course she¡¯d win.¡¯ After all, Berserk was also an official character, so how could she be defeated by a mere extra who didn¡¯t even have a special role? If an official character lost to an extra, one needed to question whether they had some hidden setting or ask the story writer about it. ¡°And bring out the next person already!¡± Meanwhile, Berserk continued to be stubborn. Normally, one would leave the stage after winning or losing, but she just obstinately stood there with no intention of budging even an inch. ¡°Hurry up! This Berserk hasn¡¯t even gotten started yet!¡± And she even pressured them to give her another opponent. Suchints wouldn¡¯t work in Ainoxar, since matches were scheduled after getting the mutual agreement. ¡°¡­This is vainer than I expected, but I understand how this works now. It seems to be over, so let¡¯s just leave.¡± ¡°If you say so, Inquisitor.¡± ¡°Wow, is that person still alive? What immense power.¡± While Berserk was kicking up a fuss, we prepared to leave. Since the other audience members were still frozen in shock andpletely dumbfounded, the only ones moving were our group, which made us stand out quite a bit. ¡°¡­! You!¡± What bad luck. Swish. Something flew toward where we were walking. It was an attack aimed at me, to be precise. Catch! I reflexively raised my right hand to catch it. Looking down at what hade flying at us, I found a piece of a broken de. ¡°Hah, you''re strong, like I thought!¡± ¡°Demon Knight, are you okay?!¡± ¡°Mister, are you okay?!¡± I ignored those fussing over me and dropped the piece of metal to the floor. My gaze immediately went to the person who¡¯d thrown the de fragment at me. She gently lowered her raised leg, apparently having kicked the de fragment with it. ¡°This time, you won''t back down again, right?¡± ¡°What nonsense¡­¡± No, no, no!!! Didn''t I just say she wouldn''t jump into the audience seats?! What was with this development? She didn''t just involve the audience; she straight up picked a fight! Was Berserk actually a character set up to go so far? Of course, looking at her character story in the original game, you¡¯d see she was a battle fanatic who¡¯d even risk her life for a fight¡­! I rubbed my neck as I looked toward Berserk. It felt like some veins were bulging, but I couldn''t be sure without looking there directly. ¡®Should I kill her?¡¯ How many times had that thought crossed my mind already? Last time, I managed to avoid this situation by using the Archmage stopping me as an excuse, but I seriously wondered if I could also use that right now. Argh, allowing myself to fall for that provocation would only make Berserk happy, so I wanted to endure if possible. ¡°Come down here and prove you''re not a coward, warrior!¡± Hmm. Including what happenedst time, this was the third stack of provocation. Even if I could let it go twice, could I really do it thrice? ¡°Mister, Mister. You''re not going to fall for that weirdo¡¯s taunts, right?¡± ¡°Demon Knight, there is no need for you to fall to that brute¡¯s level¡­¡± Bang. I smashed the Zweih?nder I was carrying on my back onto the floor. I didn¡¯t n on killing Berserk, so why would I use this sword? If I wouldn¡¯t be using it anyway, I could just leave it behind here. My longsword had broken a while ago, so there was nothing else I needed to leave behind. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you some manners.¡± ¡°It¡¯s over¡­¡± ¡°Demon Knight?!¡± I¡¯m sooooorry. I¡¯m sorry for having this kind of character settiiiiing. I went down to the stage, leaving my shockedpanions behind. The arena staff trying to drag away Berserk with all their might seemed equally stunned. ¡°Erm, uhm. We can¡¯t allow any personal fights¡­¡± Even the host, who¡¯d been pretty calm until now, tried giving some cautious warnings. However, they didn¡¯t seem to insist on it much. That was for the better. ¡°Finally!¡± Berserk¡¯s eyes were now entirely focused on me. I did the same. ¡°Norda warriors are fair. Since you threw away your sword, I also won¡¯t use any weapons!¡± What implications did that have for someone whose whole body was a weapon? I slowly breathed out as I watched Berserk throw away her halberd. It was fortunate I was facing Berserk and not Weapon Master, another branch of the Fighter ss. That thought appeared only for a moment before disappearing. ¡°Here Ie!¡± * * * * * * Without any warning¡ªno, she did shout out¡ªBerserk immediately jumped out and punched at me. Bam! How could she create such a sound by punching the air with her bare fist? While looking at the arm that barely missed my head, I desperately suppressed the urge to express my slight difort. Instead, I stretched out my hand. Grab! I caught the hand aiming for my sr plexus. I was slightly surprised by that, but it wasn¡¯t that big of a problem. ¡¸[Evasive Counterattack] ©¦ A wise warrior knows how to turn an enemy¡¯s attack into an opportunity. Effect: After sessfully evading an attack, you have a 30% chance of utilizing the opponent¡¯s gap in defense.¡¹ Not too long ago, I activated my Evasion and Counterattack skills because I didn¡¯t know what else to spend my points on. I had initially ignored these skills because I could avoid any attack on my own and just attack the enemy right after, but after activating them, I discovered they were quite useful when dealing with an enemy of equal power. I didn¡¯t know how many opponents I¡¯d meet who were my equal, like Berserk, anyway. In that vein, I hit Berserk with my shoulder. ¡°Kahah!¡±¡± Ah, don¡¯tugh. That¡¯s creepy. I tried to ignore theughtering from her. Using my other arm, which was still free, I immediately punched Berserk¡¯s chin. Like that, I evaded Berserk¡¯s attempt to w my back with the arm I¡¯d avoided earlier. After staggering back a few steps, she started to grin. It was truly horrifying. Bam! I kicked Berserk. Even as she stumbled back, she had enough presence of mind to cross her arms to guard against my attack. Her massive body dragged against the ground as I slightly pushed her away. It was about two steps. ¡°Good, very good!¡± As soon as the force pushing her back weakened, she rushed forward. For a second, it seemed like the wind surrounding her became a white stream. And once the distance between us greatly reduced, Berserk punched out with her fist once more. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was because she was tenacious or she just didn¡¯t think too deeply about how to fight that she used the same attack again. I lightly turned to the side to dodge her attack, then stretched out my arm as if to cross hers and struck Berserk right in the face. Crack. It seemed my hit had connected properly, going by that sound simr to a breaking nose. ¡°Huh.¡± However, my fist couldn¡¯t cover her whole face, so I caught a glimpse of her eyes bending into a crazy shape. Grab! That person who¡¯d just been hit square in the face with a fist immediately grabbed my arm. Honestly, I was more scared than ever. Bang! Before I could shake off her hand, another fist came flying toward me. Because of our positions, I got hit in the sr plexus instead of my face. The force behind it was quite impressive. Thanks to my lowered pain level, most pain would just cause a stinging sensation, but this hit really felt like a fist had hit me. The slightly dull pain that remained afterward was actually more bothersome than what I felt the moment she hit me. Skrrrr. The force behind that attack even pushed me back a bit, so I had to nt my feet firmly to barely regain my bnce. About three steps. That was how far back I was pushed. ¡°This is what I call a fight!¡± Wow. I wasn¡¯t sure whether this was intentional or a coincidence, but this would rile my character up a lot. I straightened my bent back, my lips quivering. I still felt some difort around my sr plexus, but based on experience, I could tell there were no broken bones. That was good enough. I watched my opponent wipe away the blooding from her nose, and as soon as she lowered her hand, I jumped in front of her. Bang! ¡°Kahah, yes! That''s how you shoulde at me!¡± Fists against fists and feet against feet. It was a fierce battle, each side aiming for the other''s weak spots. I was fighting a bit sloppily since I¡¯d never properly engaged in closebat with someone equal to me, but that didn''t pose much of a problem. [Survival Instinct]¡ªwhich always suggested the best ways for me to evade¡ªwas a very useful skill, and I also had various Evasion and Counterattacking skills. However, although I knew Berserk was resilient, she was just too resilient. Hmm, she risked taking my attacks just to get a chance to hit me,pletely believing in her sturdy physique. Of course, I couldn''t deny that every blow she dealt to me was pretty threatening. I mean, I really wanted to deal some damage, but attacking her hurt a lot¡­ Even when I raised my guard to block, the bones in my arms felt sore. I roughly felt like I was receiving extracorporeal shockwave therapy. So in the end, I had no choice but to make use of my skills and fight back while relying primarily on evasion. In rare cases, whenever parts of our bodies made contact, shockwaves would spread all around us, the wind pressure blowing up dust. The ground below our feet was gradually starting to crack. ¡°Good, very good!¡± Seeing the stage bing an utterly broken mess made me feel even sorrier for the people who would have to clean up after uster. However, I couldn''t be considerate of them because I was busy enough with my own problems here. Bam! Our arms crossed as we aimed for each other''s faces. My fist was right before Berserk, while she barely missed, only grazing my chin and cheek. My lips were somewhat busted and bled. I-I still won this exchange of blows, though¡­! My lips were a bit cut, but it was around my scar, so it wouldn¡¯t be that noticeable. Besides, my opponent was bleeding from both her nostrils! In cases like these, the one shedding more blood usually lost, so I won! I won, alright! ¡°Waha, wahahaha!!¡± ¡­No, well, I actually lost¡­ What was even the point of winning like that? Wouldn''t the one enjoying this the most be considered the winner? I checked my HP as I watched that person bursting out into loudughter, seemingly having the time of her life. I couldn''t really tell whether it had fallen by a lot or a little for a fistfight. I just knew that my limbs were throbbing. ¡°More, let''s have more fun-!¡± aatter! At that moment, a familiar yet unwee sound reached my ears. White and blue chains sprung from the ground and bound us both. I felt fortunate they didn''t wind around my neck, at least. ¡°Wh-What are those?!¡± In Berserk''s case, one actually was wrapped around her neck. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Let''s leave it at that. Can''t you see how troubled the employees are?¡± No, if he nned on stopping me like this anyway, why didn''t he try stopping me earlier? I red at the Archmage while grumbling internally. The Archmage just stared back at me without moving. ¡°Keeping that personpany any longer will only lower your own standards. Stop it ande up.¡± Wait a sec, that was just as bad a provocation as ¡®you scared?¡¯. Still, I weed it since it gave me an excuse to stop this fight now. My whole body was covered in all sorts of bruises, after all. It just wasn''t that noticeable because I was wrapped up in so many bandages. ¡°¡­Tsk.¡± Therefore, I decided to follow his words obediently. I clicked my tongue and raised my Arcane Power even more. The moment it became visible to the naked eye as a ck haze, the chains broke apart with a ng. ¡°¡­!¡± Berserk widened her eyes in surprise. But I didn''t particrly care about that. After breaking the chains, I lightly jumped up. While the stage was a bit below the audience seats, it wasn''t so high that I couldn''t reach it like this. ¡°Wait, where are you going?! The oue of our battle hasn''t been decided yet!¡± Berserk shouted, twisting her whole body as if trying to somehow break free from these chains. However, she couldn''t break them. I didn''t really have to worry about her anymore. I retrieved the sword that I¡¯d previously dropped to the ground. ¡°My, how remarkable. I tied her up more borately than you, yet she is resisting.¡± ¡­Oh, it wasn''t that she hadn''t broken them because she was weaker than me, but because she was bound more tightly, huh? Well, it was still okay since the others around us wouldn''t know. ¡°It looks like she''ll break them soon, so let''s leave quickly.¡± ¡°Demon Knight, are you fine?¡± ¡°Mister¡­¡± The Archmage hurriedly walked away while the kimchi dumpling showed concern over my wellbeing. And the meat dumpling¡­ Hmm. Yeah. I knew he was trying to tell me with that look to do better about keeping my temper in check. But had he always been like that? Shouldn''t he be worrying about me like the kimchi dumpling? I knew my character setting made me act unlike my age, but this uncle still felt heartbroken, you know¡­? ¡°Still, there''s one thing I''m d about.¡± Why? Was the meat dumpling gradually losing respect for me? ¡°While you only raised it by a small amount, the sealing device is still intact after you raised your Arcane Power to fight. You aren''t showing any abnormalities, either. I think we can rx a bit now. However, if you do something like this again, that might be a bit of a problem.¡± ¡­For some reason, he¡¯d left me alone and only stopped me after seeing enough. Could it be that he did that to test the sealing device?! Chapter 96: But There is Still Hope (5) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 96 But There is Still Hope (5) The Red Mane, Kankan, sighed as he looked at the door before him. He was hesitant about whether he should go through with it. He just wanted to leave. Why did he have to meet with someone who¡¯d killed several innocent servants and even attacked a friend of more than 30 years? He¡¯d always had a nasty temper, so there were times when he¡¯d wondered if they really were friends. But what of their damn friendship? What was the point of swearing on his pride as a Norda warrior only for him to go against it again and stand in the same spot he had a week ago? By his own will, with no one coercing or forcing him. ¡°Hah, damn it.¡± Of course, he didn''t sympathize with going out and killing innocent civilians. The strict principles of a Norda warrior were to never touch a civilian except when they tried to rob you, and anyone who vited that principle was absolutely disqualified from being a warrior. However, the reason he stood here once more was indeed those 30 years of friendship they¡¯d shared. He couldn''t stand watching his good friend fall any further. ¡°¡­That bastard should be grateful to me.¡± He was blocked from spreading any reports, threatened to cover up any incidents, and even physically attacked. Despite enduring all these hardships, was there any friend in this world who¡¯d still try convincing the other to surrender himself rather than cutting all ties or cutting off the other''s arms to prevent them from falling any lower? He even offered to always be there for them and share the punishment if they confessed all their sins. In that regard, at the very least, he was a good friend to that bastard, Martial King. Thus, Kankan had even sworn such things to him with his own name on the line. ¡°Hey, hey. Are you there?¡± And so, he stood here once more, knocking on his front door. Even though he knew it would be in vain, it was just the right thing to do. ¡°Hey, heeey! Heeeey, hey!¡± However, despite having such a friend, that bastard would never choose to repent until the very end. ¡°Son of a bitch¡­!¡± Kankan ended up kicking the door. Had he kicked it with all his might, the door would surely have broken down, so he restrained himself. Thest time he did that, people asked him to pay for the door¡ªthey¡¯d also condescendingly asked if he knew how expensive wooden doors were¡ªso he held back this time. ¡°I''m noting back here again, you hear?! You damn bastard! Today''s thest time. It really is!¡± Instead, he just let out his anger verbally. Despite knowing he¡¯d end up wandering around this ce again tomorrow, he couldn¡¯t bear to admit that now. At this point, this friend of 30 years was certainly more like an enemy than a friend. Bang! Kankan kicked the door onest time before leaving. Maybe because this part of town was mainly inhabited by fighters, no one paid much attention to themotion he caused. ¡°Did you get pissed off again?¡± Instead, some people who somewhat knew his situation poked their heads out, letting out a few giggles. Those bastards were just as shitty. Kankan¡¯s face crumpled. ¡°Shut up.¡± Although those people were as close to him as the stars in the sky were to the ground, they liked poking at him like this. Back then, the first few times he came to visit, there weren¡¯t many who acted like this, but these days, there were a lot of idiots like them. They even acted more like drunk braggarts than actual fighters, too. ¡°Speak for yourself.¡± Kankan raised his middle finger and just walked out of the street. The smell here worsened over time, so he didn¡¯t want to stay long if he could help it. ¡°¡­It seriously stinks.¡± Those bastards didn¡¯t even bother to clean up their crap. A few people still didn¡¯t give off this smell, but all the newbies who seemed to have suddenly appeared out of nowhere stunk to high heaven. And so did that goddamn close friend of his. Anyway, there wasn¡¯t a single thing he liked about this ce. He grunted as he wrinkled his nose a little. He was then suddenly reminded of that newbie fighter he¡¯d seen during the day. It was his first time seeing someone with half-ck, half-white hair, so the man stayed prominently in his mind. But at the same time, he remembered the ufortable feeling he¡¯d gotten due to the scenting off the man being subtly simr to this street¡¯s. Still, he looked pretty strong. Would they meet in the arena soon? He left, thinking it would be better if that didn¡¯t happen. Today was truly an unlucky day. ¡°Erm, aren¡¯t you the one I saw earlier today¡­?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± A really unlucky day. He¡¯d prayed that they wouldn¡¯t meet in the arena, but they ended up meeting in the Temple instead. * * * * * * I sat inside the Temple¡¯s chapel, feeling a tingling sensation moving through my body. I had nothing better to do than waste my time like this in broad daylight. I couldn¡¯t really help it, given the situation. Anyway, I had been told not to take any personal action just in case. That automatically meant I couldn¡¯t enter the Demon-filled desert beyond the city walls. Even after I went to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild to get quests, the only ones they had were rted to Demon hunting, and because of that incident a few days ago, entering the arena to scout potential talents for our party had be quite difficult. Since I hadn¡¯t started the fight, we weren¡¯t asked to reimburse them for the damage, but we were banned from entering the arena as spectators. If I wanted to go in, I would have to do so as a fighter¡ªthey actually wanted that and even said they would always wee me as one¡ªbut was there even a need to? So, I ended up stuck in the Temple. Well, this wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing. Maybe because the Temple itself could suppress Demonic Energy, none of my party membersined if I walked around here by myself. The Archmage thought it would be good for at least one person to remain with me, but¡­ there wasn¡¯t anyone avable to do that, so he didn¡¯t insist on it. That was the benefit of having a smaller group. Regardless, even this limited freedom was freedom, nheless. I was just going to stay here all day and meditate. There were a lot of people who came here wanting to pray to their god. It wasn¡¯t much different from my world. ¡°Oh God, who art in heaven, please have mercy on us. Hear our prayers¡­¡± There was actually one thing I was desperately praying to my God for. ¡°Oh God almighty, in your endless kindness, mercy, and love to your faithful servants.¡± I prayed earnestly in my heart while attending the evening mass. Please, in your endless kindness, mercy, and love, please do not let Berserk enter our party¡­ I don¡¯t care about anything else, but please let that person stay far away from us¡­ Please protect my poor body and the Archmage¡¯s head¡­ If God had even a semnce of a conscience, they would grant this earnest wish of mine. ¡°We seek your endless wisdom more than anything, so please help us ovee all trials and adversities we might face.¡± Of course, I¡¯d have nothing to say if I was told I was too against Berserk. But quite honestly, I thought it was fine to pray like that even if I wasn¡¯t against her specifically. I mean, my character already filled the role of umunicative damage dealer well enough! I was the only one they needed who couldn¡¯t coordinate well and just did straight frontal assaults! Our daily life would also be quite problematic. It might have been different if our fight had a clear oue, but since it had been stopped midway through, the tension between us would be substantial. It was rather obvious that if we ran into each other again, we would definitely try to fight. Once she joined our party, we¡¯d be unable to avoid each other anymore. I-I didn¡¯t want to get stuck with her¡­ It was easier to fight enemies because I didn¡¯t need to hold back or control my strength, but that wouldn¡¯t work against Berserk. I didn¡¯t want to fight her again. ¡°With this, we shall conclude today¡¯s prayer.¡± However, she would join no matter what¡­ Of course, considering our group¡¯s current opinion of her, this seemed unlikely, but this was simr to that time with the thieves. Sob. I got up while swallowing my tears. It seemed the other person sitting in the chapel with me also made to leave. ¡°Erm, aren¡¯t you the one I saw earlier today¡­?¡± But why was that guy here? I looked at the other person¡¯s reddish-brown hair as I wracked my brain for his name¡­ Was it Kankan? I didn¡¯t really care about who was around me and just prayed, so I didn¡¯t even realize the person sitting next to me was this guy. He might not have been able to recognize me either since I was wearing the¡ªconsecrated¡ªclothes the bishop had given me before mass. ¡°What is it?¡± Apart from that, it didn¡¯t particrly matter much to me whether he was sitting next to me, in front of me, or behind me. This coincidence waspletely meaningless because my character wasn¡¯t one to probe for information or the like. I red at him sullenly. ¡°Huh? A-Ah¡­¡± It seemed Kankan only pretended to know me without actually knowing me. When I looked at him, he just scratched his head as if feeling a bit embarrassed. The expression on his face, as if it had aged a bit, became slightly more subtle. ¡°¡­It¡¯s just, you stink¡­ and I haven¡¯t seen you in the Temple before¡­¡± He then managed to mumble something, and what he said was quite rude. What did he say just now? I stink? I stiiiiink?? Did I actually smell bad?!!? I was seriously shocked. One reason was how Kankan quite politely yet very bluntly told others they stink, and the other was that I smelled. Huh, I thought I was pretty clean. We were in the desert, so the bathing fees were ten times higher than anywhere else, but I still washed myself regrly. I even washed myself not too long ago, too! How could I stink?!! I felt like I was about to go crazy¡­ I really wanted to say something to that guy, but I couldn¡¯t, so I just tightly clenched my fists. I was going to take another one¡­ I was definitely going to take another bath, damn it. As a civilized person living in modern times, I simply couldn''t ept being called smelly. ¡°If you don¡¯t have any business with me, get lost.¡± Rather, I¡¯d noticed people here rarely even washed their hands, so I wondered how bad I had to smell for others in this ce to call me smelly and dirty. Hah, wow. Hahaha, seriously. Was there a problem with the soap or something? Or maybe it was because I wiped myself too gently, given all the bruises across my body. I was seriously going back now. ¡°Erm, sorry.¡± With a huge sigh of frustration, I covered myself even more with the blessed clothes. Since they were clean, I would probably stink less that way. I felt somewhat sorry for whoever would have to wash them, but I couldn¡¯t just sit still after hearing someone call me stinky right to my face. I couldn¡¯t even buy any perfume because of my character settings. I gritted my teeth as I noticed Kankan kept ncing at me as he left. While I felt grateful that he let me know I stunk, it was still incredibly rude. ¡°Ah, Red Mane. To see you here in this Temple again.¡± Ah, my poor, weak mentality¡­ My pride as a civilized person¡­ ¡°You¡­! Did you follow me again?!¡± ¡°Aah, that¡¯s a misunderstanding. It¡¯s just a coincidence, you know?¡± ¡°A coincidence, my ass¡­!¡± But how did that guy get involved in another strange incident before he could even leave? ¡°You must have been watching me from somewhere¡­!¡± ¡°Such preposterous words! How could I even dare to monitor the great Red Mane? I also don¡¯t have any reason to do so.¡± I knew it was rude to eavesdrop on other¡¯s conversations, but those two were talking loudly enough for anyone nearby to hear, so wasn¡¯t that a bit more problematic? Of course, they stood closer together and started whispering after some time, not wanting the people of this Temple to hear their conversation, either¡­ However, how could they not expect someone with slightly better hearing to be around? How was that talking in secret?! They should do something like that somece with no one else around! Not in a damn chapel! ¡°Even if you follow me around like this, I have nothing to say to you.¡± ¡°What are you talking about¡­?¡± ¡°Just stay out of my sight from now on. I won¡¯t get anyone else involved in this!¡± Uwaaah. Why did I have to read so many novels to the point where I could recognize these clich¨¦s at a nce? I had no intention of getting involved in this, but this was all just too predictable, you idiots! Damn it, this was a side quest, wasn¡¯t it?! I was right, wasn¡¯t I?! ¡°Haha, I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re talking about, but I definitely know you¡¯re the champion¡¯s friend, yet you want to simply turn your back on him?¡± They even mentioned the champion. I sat back in my chair and lowered my head so the cloth covered my face. My face looked quite cold as I quickly shook my head. There were rumors floating about that the champion had gone crazy. There were also numerous rumors that his madness had resulted in many deaths and injuries. And Kankan seemed to be that champion¡¯s friend. He even got monitored and threatened by others for some reason¡­ This was just, wow. It seemed the Martial King was fated never to join our party. After all, he was the one who smelled to high heaven, not me. ¡°You bastard!¡± After that unknown person left, Kankan vented his anger by mming his fist against the Temple¡¯s door. Seeing how there weren¡¯t any cracks or broken parts, it seemed he still had the presence of mind to hold back his strength. ¡°Brother, what happened?¡± ¡°¡­! I-It¡¯s nothing, Sir Priest.¡± ¡°While I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re so angry about¡­ could it be that you¡¯ve gotten into a disagreement with that Grindana merchant?¡± ¡°How could that be?! How could a fighter like me have any trouble with some merchant?¡± No, but considering the situation earlier, anyone would think they were having a dispute. Did he perhaps suck at lying because he was a fighter? ¡°¡­In that case, I¡¯m relieved to hear it.¡± The priest likely felt the same way I did but pried no further. He just wanted to give Kankan the opportunity to consult him at any time if something was troubling him. ¡°Hey, Sir Priest.¡± Was he actually going to take that opportunity? ¡°Could you¡­ Could you give me just one blessing?¡± Oh, that wasn¡¯t it. ¡°What kind of blessing do you wish for?¡± ¡°So that I can win¡­ No, I heard these things aren¡¯t allowed to ensure fairness. Then¡­¡± I secretly watched Kankan, the Red Mane, pray to the priest who was shorter than him. ¡°Please bless me so that I can help someone precious to me, so I can at least still find hope.¡± I could see his red eyes shining with resolution as if he hade to a decision. I wasn¡¯t too sure what was wrong with the champion, Martial King, but I could tell at this moment that this man before me had lost a friend. The next day, a match was scheduled between Red Mane Kankan and the champion Martial King. Chapter 97: But There is Still Hope (6) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 97 But There is Still Hope (6) I sensed something was off about the Martial King, but mypanions didn¡¯t know about that. So, as soon as they heard that morning that there would be a match between Red Mane and the champion, they rushed to buy tickets. It was only natural as it was also an opportunity to appreciate the champion¡¯s power. ¡°I did get a ticket.¡± However, it was a match between fighters in the top 10 by just poprity alone. Furthermore, they chose to duel today, not in a few days or something. In other words, getting a ticket was like plucking a star from the sky. As such, only two tickets were avable after Deb ran all over the ce and even got help from the Information Guild since the Tower and Temple were effectively useless. Only half our party was allowed to participate. ¡°Mister, you¡¯ve been banned from entering as a spectator, so you won¡¯t be able to get in even if you have a ticket¡­ Hmm. Then, who¡¯ll the other one left behind be?¡± Deb spoke as if it was already clear who it would be. He obviously expected it would be himself. ¡°In the end, it would be best if I stayed back, right?¡± See. Wasn¡¯t it too obvious he would do that? ¡°No, I think it would be better if it¡¯s me.¡± However, the situation took an unexpected turn. The Inquisitor volunteered to stay behind. ¡°Is that okay?¡± ¡°Ah, yes. It¡¯s fine. I can just go in through a different way.¡± However, that didn¡¯t mean the Inquisitor would miss the fight. ¡°The arena has requested medical personnel in case of an emergency. I was told that while we rarely have to step forward, those fighting this time are among the most skillful fighters in the city, so they absolutely needed someone with protective powers¡­ So, I can go there. I can also treat people, after all.¡± That was a pretty good way. However, she seemed to be in a pretty bad mood. ¡°Frankly, I find it rather unfair to request full protection solely through voluntary donations, but¡­ I suppose we have no choice but to take that into ount.¡± ¡°Hmm. Is that so? In that case, it would certainly be better for you to enter the arena this way and the other two to enter as spectators. What about you? Is that fine with you?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me. How fortunate.¡± After initially trying to stay behind, Deb could only answer stiffly. ¡°However¡­ In that case, wouldn¡¯t it be better to take Mister with you? I-I mean, if we work a little harder, I¡¯m sure we could make them loosen that entry ban.¡± Things might have been different had four seats been avable, but now that someone had to stay behind, things were rather awkward. I didn¡¯t know why, but he was trying to throw me in there again. Or could it be that he didn¡¯t want to go to the arena because it was too hot? Since there was no ceiling, depending on the sun¡¯s position, one would bepletely exposed to the scorching sunlight. ¡°I don¡¯t need it.¡± But why did I have to go¡­? I was curious about the Martial King and how he fought, but I suspected this guy wouldn¡¯t be able to join our party anyway. In the end, it was the type of meeting that would end after seeing each other once, so was there really any need to watch him fight? Furthermore¡­ If my guess is correct, he was definitely a criminal, right? Either way, nothing good woulde of this. I didn¡¯t want to see that guy ever. ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case¡­¡± In the end, it became the task of those three, excluding myself, to watch the fight between the Martial King and Red Mane. I had no choice but to stay behind, but that was also rather nice. I can loaf around indoors for the whole day! Yay! * * * ¡°Do you think Mister will be fine?¡± ¡°The Temple¡¯s people had nothing toin about, right? While it¡¯s a bit worrying, and I would prefer to keep an eye on him¡­ I think it¡¯ll be fine.¡± Deathbringer scratched his head inside his hood at the Archmage¡¯s answer. That wasn¡¯t really the intention behind his question, though. ¡°No, it¡¯s just¡­¡± Yesterday, while they were assessing talents, the Demon Knight just quietly stayed behind in the Temple. It couldn¡¯t be that he felt bad for causing amotion inside the arena, so it had to be purely rted to the Demon¡­ Right, the Demon. He didn¡¯t really say anything about it, though. ording to the priest who watched him, there didn¡¯t seem to be any signs of him losing control, and he even attended mass faithfully¡ªthough he looked out of ce¡ªand nothing unusual happened. However, that wasn¡¯t what he cared about. What worried him wasn¡¯t the possibility of the Demon Knight getting devoured by the Demon¡­ ¡°Okay.¡± He recalled that the Demon Knight, who¡¯d definitely bathed before they left for the arena, bathed again immediately after mass had ended. Although he had always been a very clean person¡­ He wasn¡¯t someone who¡¯d wash himself twice a day. Furthermore, nothing should have happened that would require him to wash again, either. Something that would leave him drenched in either sweat or blood. ¡°¡­Is there any other problem?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± So, why did he have to clean himself again? ¡°It¡¯s really nothing.¡± Just why? ¡°I see. But if there¡¯s anything on your mind, please let me know.¡± ¡­He could already guess the reason, and there was no real way to stop it. ¡°Let¡¯s just go.¡± ¡°Take care, Inquisitor.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± A familiar feeling of helplessness overcame him. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s here.¡± Deathbringer erased all useless thoughts from his head. It was only painful to think about things he couldn¡¯t do. Instead, he quickly found a ce where they could sit and sat down. Although he had quite some trouble getting this seat, it wasn''t that bad a position. He had a good view of the stage. ¡°Thanks to you, we were able to find them quickly.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± There was still some time left until the fight between Kankan and the Martial King. He put the dried pickled camel meat he¡¯d bought in front of the arena into his mouth. The salty yet sweet taste suited his pte. ¡°Oh,e to think of it, I told you to investigate something yesterday, didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Hmm? Ah. You mean about those people the Inquisitor got an ufortable feeling from?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Normally, he would have reported his findings when they were all gathered, but he was so exhausted from looking for these tickets that he¡¯dpletely forgotten about it. Quite frankly, though, he¡¯d found nothing significant that the Demon Knight and Inquisitor had to hear. ¡°Nothing, really¡­ There wasn¡¯t anything strange about them.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like there wasn¡¯t anything suspicious about them, but even after looking into them deeper, I couldn¡¯t find anything.¡± ¡°Hmm. What do you mean by suspicious?¡± ¡°They suddenly became stronger.¡± At first, he just found it a little strange. Fighters who had initially been in the lower ranks suddenly began standing out and leaped into the middle or upper ranks. As someone who knew what Demon contractors were like, wouldn¡¯t that be enough to be considered suspicious? ¡°But if they made contracts with a Demon¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way that the Temple wouldn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s the problem.¡± He investigated all those whose skills had witnessed a sudden, sharp improvement. Not only did they visit the Temple regrly, but most also had their injuries treated there. That would bepletely impossible if they¡¯d made contracts with Demons. ¡°I heard that Demon Contractors can¡¯t attack Demons.¡± Quite crucially, whenever Demons emerged from the desert, they would participate in defending the city. In that process, they also killed some Demons. This would also be utterly impossible if they were contracted to Demons. In other words, these people weren¡¯t Demon Contractors. ¡°Then, you''re saying this really isn¡¯t anything bigger¡­?¡± They were suspicious, but nothing could be found. The Archmage was somewhat troubled by that. It was the same type of agony he¡¯d felt since yesterday. ¡°It seems this isn¡¯t something we can figure out right now. It would be better to seek the Magic Tower¡¯s cooperation on this matter.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± If the Temple had no clue, it was only natural for them to call on the Magic Tower for help. While the Temple had the advantage when it came to detecting Demonic Energy, the Magic Tower was more proficient in analyzing everything else. For that reason, Deathbringer thought no further on this matter. It was out of his hands now. ¡°Rather, when will the match start?¡± ¡°There¡¯s still some time left.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see the skill of the person who¡¯s held the champion title for five years straight.¡± ¡°I doubt he¡¯ll disappoint, given he¡¯s this city¡¯s strongest.¡± ¡°I think he¡¯ll be weaker than Mister Knight, though.¡± The Archmage didn¡¯t answer his words. He simply smiled. He did not need to say anything else. ¡°Who do you think will win? I heard that before the Martial King became the champion, Kankan was on par with him.¡± ¡°Hoooh, is that so?¡± Was that all? After further investigation, he discovered that Red Mane Kankan and the champion were actually old friends. It seemed their friendship had continued even after the Martial King became the champion. ¡°Yeah. I even heard that they were friends. Well, it seems like they grew more distant these days.¡± [The rumor about an employee dying and an acquaintance leaving the champion¡¯s residence injured turned out to be true, and that acquaintance is none other than Red Mane.] However, some facts were also kept hidden. As he spoke, he wrote the truth he¡¯d uncovered on the Archmage¡¯s forearm. By the way, the reason he only found this out now wasn¡¯t that big a deal. The Information Guild was simply hesitant to say anything about this matter because it had been covered up by the Lord, who greatly cared about the Martial King. He was quite irked by how uncooperative this branch waspared to those elsewhere, to the point where he wouldn¡¯t have known this had he gone to them as a member of the organization instead of as a guest. ¡°I heard the Martial King is quite sensitive. Is it because of that?¡± [From that day on, Red Mane was put under surveince by both the merchant group that invested in the champion and the Lord who named him the champion.] He continued to write letters on the Archmage¡¯s forearm. It was unclear whether the Archmage understood what he was trying to convey, but, given that he didn¡¯t try to ask any further questions, he seemed to roughly understand. ¡°I guess that¡¯s the cause. If a person bes too vicious and small-minded, it¡¯s unsurprising that people will distance themselves from them.¡± It seemed he understood clearly. ¡°Hmm, I wonder if that¡¯s why Red Mane suddenly issued him a challenge. What do you think the reason is?¡± ¡°What? Isn¡¯t that simr to what Miss Priest thought?¡± [Red Mane tried to report this matter several times but was blocked every time. With that in mind, it might be better for him to kill the champion in the arena. If this continues, there may be even more victims.] ¡°Do you think he will win?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. However, most predict that Red Mane will be defeated.¡± [He will lose. 100%.] They nced at the other members of the audience, which was slowly growing more crowded, as they exchanged information verbally and, confidentially, in writing. ¡°Then, do you think another ¡®incident¡¯ will happen today?¡± [Honestly, if the champion is that unwilling to atone, isn¡¯t Red Mane in the right? This is a rare opportunity to kill someone legally with so many witnesses.] The match hadn¡¯t started yet. ¡°But anyway, just who is this guy who¡¯s been holding this position for so many years, and will he really die today?¡± However, it appeared the result was already predetermined. * * * * * * The Inquisitor sat in her appointed seat. The air around her was quite muggy. However, the cold airing from her armor allowed her to breathe easily, so it was fine. ¡°Attention! Our champion, Martial King, is entering!¡± Then, the match finally started. Of the two, the Martial King came up first. He seemed to be of the Curety tribe. A single earring hung from one of the ears on his head. He was actually asrge as most of the Shaggi tribe. ¡°He¡¯s big.¡± The Inquisitor felt a little envious when she saw him. She had never thought of herself as ¡®small¡¯, but whenever she saw people as tall as or even taller than her, she often wished she could be just as massive. When it came to fighting, physique could be considered a weapon in its own right. ¡°But he seems a bit¡­¡± Something felt strange about all this. It was simr to that ufortable sensation she¡¯d felt since entering the city, just a lot more intense. She stopped admiring his physique and looked closer at the white-haired, dark-skinned champion. She wanted to spread her Divine Power and see if she could get a reaction. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± ¡°I just feel like there¡¯s something strange about this.¡± However, she bore with it. As the Archmage had said, if it were something perceivable via her Divine Power, the Temple would not have just sat still until now. In fact, it was rather difficult to believe that this person had never once visited the Temple. He had been the champion here for about five years, so there was no way he hadn¡¯t gotten injured even once in that time. ¡°Something strange?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡± Was it just a feeling? Her face looked sullen as she checked over the person who came up next. It was Red Mane Kankan. ¡°Attention! The one who has challenged our undefeated champion, Kankan, the Red Mane, has entered!¡± Was it because he had helped them¡ªcould it be considered help?¡ªshe somehow felt like rooting for Kankan. Despite this being nothing more than a meaningless duel, fought only to earn money and fame while also determining rank. It wasn¡¯t like she¡¯d found the arena¡¯s existence desirable, but after she learned about its significance, most of those feelings disappeared, and her impression of it was overall good. So she could at least cheer one of the contestants on. However¡­ ¡°Stop! Stop it!¡± ¡°Th-The winner is! Martial King!¡± ¡°Hurry and give him first aid!¡± ¡°I will do it!¡± She immediately gave up on those feelings. She, who¡¯d believed she understood, began to doubt the meaning of this arena once again. Even though the difference in skill was as clear as day, they deliberately kept the match going, resulting in more and more serious injuries appearing on his body. Although served to entertain, this was just too cruel and dishonorable. ¡°D-Damn it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk.¡± She unleashed her Divine Power and applied it to the man about to die from excessive blood loss. She hadn¡¯t needed to use her powers recently, so this wasn¡¯t much of a problem for her. In exchange for a slight tingling in her body, the person before her who¡¯d been teetering on the edge between life and death started toe back to life. It was a real miracle to see new skin grow in ce of the old. The Divine Power even stimted the cells instead of just his blood, heightening the rate of nutrient delivery. ¡°In the end, I can¡¯t do it¡­ It¡¯s toote¡­ for me¡­¡± However, the other person didn¡¯t show even a shred of happiness at this miracle. All he could do was sob while holding his nearly severed forearm over his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re so sad, but I can say that you fought valiantly.¡± She couldn¡¯t entirely sympathize with his feelings, but she at least knew that Red Mane had done his best. The Inquisitor took away her hand, faithfully conveying her feelings. His treatment had beenpleted. As a reward for saving this person¡¯s life, she felt a mild warmth rushing throughout her body, butpared to when she¡¯d fought with all her might, it couldn¡¯t even be described as tingling. She rose to her feet, the heat within her suppressed by the coolness of her armor. ¡°So stand tall. You still have a future ahead of you, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­I tried everything I could and still failed. Yet you¡¯re telling me I still have a future?¡± ¡°Well. Have you really tried everything?¡± The Inquisitor held out her hand. ¡°Just try again. The person who trained me told me that immediate sess is rather rare. In that case, wouldn¡¯t sess be possible if one tries enough?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± The other person didn¡¯t grab onto her hand easily, hesitating. ¡°¡­What if it still doesn¡¯t work?¡± ¡°Do you just want to give up, then?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know your circumstances, so I can¡¯t me you for giving up, but can you say that you won¡¯t regret it if you give up?¡± ¡°¡­No.¡± ¡°Then try again. Until you find a good enough reason to be satisfied with giving up.¡± The Inquisitor patiently waited for this hesitation to clear up. Red Mane¡¯s expression became disheveled. ¡°Hah, I thought you were just a newbie, but you¡¯re quite the eloquent priest.¡± ¡°Am I that eloquent?¡± Her cheeks flushed at thepliment she had received for the first time. She didn¡¯t know about everything else, but this was definitely the first time anyone told her she was eloquent! Even though most of what she¡¯d just said were words other priests had taught her. ¡°¡­Thank you for saving my life.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my job.¡± ¡°¡­As you said¡­ Yeah, it seems I¡¯ll have to try again.¡± He finally took the hand of the Inquisitor, who helped him up. She watched as thisrge man rose to his feet and shook off his clothes. The man¡¯s eyes were focused elsewhere, on the Martial King, who was thoroughly enjoying that gaze. ¡°Even if I die¡­ I¡¯ll have to stop him.¡± The Inquisitor couldn¡¯t fullyprehend what he was saying. She could understand challenging him, but what did he mean by ¡®stopping him¡¯? Did he mean the champion¡¯s consecutive winning streak? Did this have anything to do with him not wanting them to meet the Martial King? ¡°Stop him from what?¡± ¡°¡­! No, I didn¡¯t mean anything by that.¡± ¡°Is there any point in risking your life for that?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I mean.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Kankan looked at her, seeming flustered, and supplemented his words. There was just one thing she absolutely didn¡¯t understand. Wait a second. Her eyesnded on the audience seats. The Archmage was waving his hand, and that troublemaker stood beside him with sad eyes. ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is, just forget it. It¡¯s nothing you should concern yourself with¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting to ask you about the Martial King. Although I¡¯ve finished treating you, getting a good rest is also important, so we should go to the Temple together!¡± ¡°What?¡± Seeing how he¡¯d acted while fighting a weaker opponent, she¡¯dpletely lost her desire to bring in the Martial King as apanion. On the other hand, she felt quite ufortable when faced with the person titled the Martial King, so she desired to investigate him further. In that regard, if she brought this guy before the other two, they¡¯d probably extract more information than she ever could. ¡°Then, let us be off!¡± ¡°No, wait, Miss Priest?!¡± She quickly grabbed ahold of Red Mane and went out. The match was over anyway, so no one would stop them. Chapter 98: But There is Still Hope (7) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 98 But There is Still Hope (7) Why was that person who said I stunk here? ¡°And that¡¯s what happened!¡± No, wait, kimchi dumpling. I didn¡¯t hear anything. What happened? ¡°The iron wall heard that guy say something and just brought him here.¡± Fortunately, our friendly exiner Deb helped me out. The exnation I¡¯d gotten was somewhat vague, and I didn¡¯t hear all of it because I had to leave for the bathroom¡­ but I managed to grasp the gist of it. That guy probably started talking without consideration for others again and got caught red-handed, didn¡¯t he? I knew that would happen! Having discovered the hidden truth, I casually crossed my legs and looked at the person before me. Kankan, who was sitting in front of me, had his head bowed, sweat dripping profusely from his face. The only seemingly calm thing about him was the single earring dangling from his ear. ¡°Look, I have nothing more to say. I¡¯m very grateful for the treatment you provided for me, Miss Priest, but I¡¯ll repay you for it in donations, so¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t treat you for money.¡± Right, our Inquisitor only knew how to throw these kinds of fastballs. Honestly, if you knew her well, she was pretty easy to fool because she was so straightforward, but if you didn¡¯t, she was exactly like a bulldozer. ¡°No¡­¡± Thanks to that, Kankan couldn¡¯t speak easily. I didn¡¯t know whether it was because his initial cynical attitude went flying or because he couldn¡¯t retain hisposure when faced with the Inquisitor¡¯s relentless pressure. ¡°I have nothing more to say.¡± Or maybe he was just good at reading the atmosphere? I quietly observed him as he let out three coughs, after which he took a resolute stance. I could see some firm determination radiating from his eyes. ¡°We just want to know something. Perhaps we can even help you in the process.¡± ¡°I already told you there''s nothing.¡± The Archmage stepped forward and gently tried to probe Kankan. However, the more he tried, the more resolute Kankan seemed to be. ¡°While I don''t want to seem disrespectful to thepanions of the priest who saved my life, there''s a limit to that. Would you please stop trying to put me in a difficult position?¡± ¡°Hmm. Since talking about it would put you in a difficult position, it seems there might be some truth to your life being in danger.¡± ¡°It''s not like that¡­!¡± However, sometimes, people were just too simple. What was he doing getting all worked up at the mere mention of that? People with enough insight would¡¯ve immediately caught on. ¡°Then let me just ask you one thing: is that ¡®difficult position¡¯ rted to the rumors circting about the Martial King?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± However, it was only good for us that he was like this. As the Archmage drove in the final nail, Kankan suddenly stood up. His face was filled with the fear of someone who¡¯d let something slip unwillingly rather than the anger of someone forced to speak. ¡°Stop.¡± With his fist clenched tightly, Kankan nced around. It wasn''t entirely unexpected, as we knew he was being watched. He just did it a bitter than I thought, was all. ¡°If you do anything more, things might get dangerous.¡± ¡°Dangerous, you say?¡± ¡°You people have nothing to do with this!¡± I slightly uncrossed my legs. Flutter. At that moment, the fringes of the fabric draped over the entrance to our room, in ce of a wooden door, moved. ¡°We''ve caught them.¡± It seemed that when he said he was going to relieve himself, Deb actually went to kill the people hiding in the bathroom. ¡°That bastard¡­!¡± ¡°U-Urgh!¡± ¡°Looks like he had a pretty long tail there.¡± It wasn''t just one guy. I nced at the people Deb had thrown before us before closing my eyes, acting as if I wasn''t listening to their conversation. Even with my eyes closed, I could tell that Kankan was seething. ¡°So, now that we''ve caught all the rats, how about we have a proper conversation?¡± The slow conversation finally made some progress. * * * * * * ¡°¡­And that''s what happened.¡± After finding and catching all his observers, we could no longer avoid getting involved. Kankan also seemed to have realized that, so he no longer hesitated. Heid out all the details before us without leaving anything out. ¡°Such viciousness!¡± Naturally, the Inquisitor was the first to fly in a rage. She was also the only one, actually. ¡°Hah. We came here to recruit some talent but ended up having to deal with some criminal cartel.¡± ¡°You seem rather pleased, even though you''re talking like it''s a bother.¡± ¡°There''s nothing I find more gratifying than condemning those who cover up their sins with power and money to evade any judgment and punishment.¡± ¡°¡­I''m guessing all of you except the priest already knew, huh.¡± ¡°Not until this morning.¡± Deb, however, simply shrugged it off. Considering his personality, hisck of reaction had felt odd, but it seemed he¡¯d gotten some information on this from somewhere. As expected, he knew how to handle things even without instruction. ¡°We should report this issue immediately.¡± ¡°We can''t. It was the Lord who ensured this matter got buried.¡± ¡°¡­Even the Lord has no right to conceal these matters. He should also be punished.¡± Kankan looked somewhat dumbfounded by the Inquisitor''s words. If I had to put his gaze into words, it would be something like, ¡®There''s no way that''s possible.¡¯ ¡°How naive. There''s no way that''ll work.¡± Deb voiced what Kankan couldn''t, given his unstable position. The Inquisitor raised her eyebrows at that. ¡°Why do you think it won''t work?¡± ¡°We have no evidence.¡± ¡°But there are clear victims, aren''t there? How about the families of the deceased?¡± ¡°Do you really think their corpses are still around? They would have already disposed of them by now. As for the families, if they choose to testify, they might end up losing their lives. Do you really think they would be willing to testify under these conditions?¡± ¡°But you said that we should condemn them!¡± ¡°We should, but not like that.¡± If thew could solve crimes buried through political power, the chaos raging in the world would be cut by half. But because it wasn''t like that, things were the way they were. Thinking back on the series of events again, I realized even more that I couldn''t stand behind the kimchi dumpling this time. Most of the clues we¡¯d found thus far were rted to the Martial King. And now, the truth behind these incidents has been revealed to us. However, was that really the end? We were on the Frontlines, so could our stay here truly end with just the Martial King¡¯s corruption? That couldn¡¯t be possible. It couldn¡¯t end like that. If not even a single Demon were involved in the case, calling this ce a ¡®Frontline¡¯ would be in vain. ¡°They¡¯d surely have taken measures to silence all the victims. If we approach them carelessly, their safety could be put at risk.¡± ¡°¡­What if we ask the Temple to protect them?¡± ¡°No matter whether the Temple gets involved, if assassins and the like were sent out, protecting the victims would be difficult even for them. Not just believers cane and go into the Temple.¡± ¡°Th-Then what about this guy? Isn¡¯t he a victim, too?¡± ¡°It might have worked out had hee forward after getting injured, but it would be difficult with how things are now, especially after he lost against the Martial King today. People would probably think he¡¯s spreading malicious rumors rather than telling the truth.¡± ¡°Uuurgh.¡± As the Archmage made the Inquisitor understand the reality of this matter, I continued to feel this subtle sense of unease. We had yet to uncover the source of the Inquisitor¡¯s ¡®ufortable feeling¡¯, which kept bothering me. ¡°Damn it, so you guys don¡¯t know what to do, either? Had I known it would turn out like this, I wouldn¡¯t have said anything.¡± ¡°Hey, Mister Red Mane. Do you think anything would have changed if you hadn¡¯t said anything?¡± ¡°Those guys wouldn¡¯t have paid attention to you anyway. Since we dealt with the people watching you, whatever decision you made, they wouldn¡¯t have noticed either way.¡± No matter how much I thought about it, those guys were definitely linked to Demons somehow. Seeing how Deb stayed silent, though, I started wondering whether it really was that big a deal. But usually, things like that tend toe back to haunt youter on. ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t seed, so I¡¯ll have to try again tomorrow.¡± ¡°¡­Are you talking about fighting the Martial King?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°No, but why¡­?¡± ¡°Unless we make him turn himself in, there¡¯s no other way to bring this incident to light! With that in mind, we should at least force him to stop so he can¡¯t create any more victims¡­!¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry to say this, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯re up to the task.¡± ¡°@(%#*%#(!¡± Was there truly no other way anymore? ¡°Is there no other way? Do we really have to leave that vicious criminal to his own devices like that?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Well, if your skills are up to par, we can make him stop by force like Mister Red Mane here tried. Of course, if you do that, it might alleviate the victims¡¯ suffering a little, but making this matter public would be even more difficult.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just revenge using a loophole in thew, though!¡± ¡°I knew you would say that, but there¡¯s no method of resolving this matter that you would approve of.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t there any other way?¡± ¡°There is a possibility, but it would take a long time. It would be much faster just to sacrifice our social dignity. For example, we could fabricate, I mean, find and expose a certain secret of that guy that would make even the Lord no longer willing to protect him?¡± Hold on. I felt like I caught a glimpse of the meat dumpling¡¯s true intentions there, but that might have just been my imagination. ¡°It would be great if he were somehow involved with Demons¡­ but that possibility is pretty low. Finding a w significant enough for the Lord, who even covered up his murders, to cut ties with him is¡­¡± I suddenly broke into a cold sweat at the conversation¡¯s sudden change in topic to conspiracy, intrigue, and politics. Considering the Deathbringer¡¯s background, it made sense for him to suggest it, but I felt a bit uneasy seeing him like that, given how different he seemed from what I was used to. ¡°Are you maybe aware of anything like that?¡± ¡°Erm, no. I just noticed things had gotten strange around him three months ago. Before that¡­ Well, there were some incidents, but nothing big. Not to the extent you are looking for.¡± ¡°That certainly is disappointing. But what happened three months ago? Was there some kind of incident?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really know¡­ We are friends, but we don¡¯t exactly open up to each other about these kinds of things. ¡°Do you have anything else?¡± ¡°Well, this might be nothing much. But the Lord protecting the Martial King does so to protect thetter¡¯s reputation and career. If we manage to destroy the Martial King¡¯s career, the Lord won¡¯t protect the Martial King anymore, so that would be another way, too.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Deb seemed to agree somewhat with Kankan¡¯s words, which made me feel even more unsettled. It felt like they were saying something like, ¡®If we don¡¯t have any facts to attack him with, we¡¯ll just beat him using propaganda and fabrication!¡¯ And if that happened, I was pretty sure the meat dumpling would have to fight the Inquisitor with his life on the line¡­ ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Now that I think about it, I also felt some difort when looking at the Martial King. Do you really know nothing else about him?¡± That was when the Inquisitor posed a question. Despite her straightforward personality, it seemed she wasn¡¯t all too opposed to ¡®Revealing an even greater wrongdoing¡¯. While she was 100% against fabrication, reporting something that actually happened was eptable. After all, he would just be paying the price for his sins. ¡°Well¡­ We have nothing on him for now, but you got the same feeling from the Martial King?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± However, she also felt difort from the Martial King? Ah, didn¡¯t that practically reek of Demon!? He definitely made some sort of contract with a Demon!? ¡°Well, the Martial King¡¯s skills suddenly skyrocketed around the time he became the champion. Taking that into consideration, it¡¯s not surprising.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Kankan, who was unaware of the ¡®difort¡¯ the Inquisitor had been feeling, asked with curiosity in his voice. Both Deb and the Archmage raised their eyebrows, figurative exmation marks above their heads. ¡°After our iron wall came to this city, she imed to feel a certain ¡®difort¡¯ from certain individuals. It¡¯s not because of their actions or appearance or something. She said that she felt something off about them at first nce.¡± ¡°I see, so?¡± ¡°Since it was Miss Priest here who said it, I thought it might be worth investigating. Surprisingly, all those people had one thing inmon, you know?¡± ¡°What would that be?¡± ¡°All of them experienced a sudden surge in power at some point. Just like the Martial King, who surpassed you five years ago and immediately went to take over the champion¡¯s position.¡± ¡°Do you happen to know anything about this? We don¡¯t think this is a coincidence. If so, if something else is involved in this¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no scandal as big as the Martial King bing champion through some tricks rather than legitimate skill. If this turns out to be true, even the Lord won¡¯t cover him anymore.¡± Thanks to Kankan¡¯s exnation, I also obtained one more puzzle piece I had been unaware of. I might have acted as if I wasn¡¯t interested, but shouldn¡¯t they still share their information with me¡­ I was d I was here to hear this. ¡°¡­Well, I don¡¯t really know about any tricks he might have used.¡± Other than that, what the hell did this guy even know? ¡°But¡­ I did find it strange at the time. It didn¡¯t look like he¡¯d done any special training or anything, but then he suddenly became stronger¡­ Ah!¡± Correction: it seemed he did know something after all. ¡°You mentioneding across people you felt ufortable around, right? Were they all fighters?¡± ¡°From what I heard, yes.¡± ¡°Do you know their names and distinguishing characteristics?¡± As if sensing that Kankan had noticed something, Deb immediately presented him with the data he¡¯d gathered. ¡°¡­I can¡¯t read.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll read it to you.¡± While there were some minor issues, it was nothing that couldn¡¯t be taken care of. It just took a bit longer. ¡°Right, exactly! All these guys were like that, as well! Despite not doing anything out of the ordinary, they just suddenly became stronger! I¡¯m certain!¡± ¡°¡­Well, looks like we were right.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no power in this world without a price. There must be something.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like they made some kind of deal with a Demon. What matters is what they offered in exchange for the power they received.¡± And finally, we had found a way. ¡°Miss Inquisitor, Miss Inquisitor!! Are you here?!¡± ¡°¡­? What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Ah, there you are! Please excuse me!¡± ¡°Brother? What¡¯s so urgent¡­?¡± ¡°Th-The beacon has been lit! The Demons have begun their invasion!¡± Just when I thought we made progress. Well, life wasn¡¯t life if everything worked out perfectly! Chapter 99: Existence (1) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 99 Existence (1) The man wearing a bearskin was trudging through the streets on a donkey. Despite being quite an unusual sight in the desert, no one was paying attention to his existence. > [Humans sure are incredibly foolish, thinking they could gain power without having to pay any price.] A thin, ck hand pulled back the bearskin. As the bear head covering his face fell back, his curly hair fell out. It was shiny andpletely free of tangles, seemingly having been well taken care of. > [Thinking there is no price is also a price in and of itself.] The being seemed to like his hair quite a bit and slowly twisted some around his index finger. > [But it¡¯s still a little disappointing. I don¡¯t want to go beyond this city yet.] And once the long hair was wrappedpletely around his finger, the being just cut it off. > [Sigh, just what are Pandemonium and Moby Dick doing? I haven¡¯t even killed a single Hero so far, so why me¡­? Ah, I don¡¯t want to do it.] The cut hair slowly loosened around his finger before he gathered it in his palm. Hee-haw! The donkey then cried out loudly. > [Stop being like that. I know already.Helel will nag me to no end if I fail. But what can I even do? I¡¯m the leastpatible with the Hero¡¯s power. I don¡¯t even know if an all-out war like Gretchen used to do is even possible for me. All I can do is dream¡­] Hee-haw! > [Actually, that guy is the one mostpatible with the Hero. How annoying. Anyway, I¡¯ve never liked that Gretchen guy anyway¡­ Arbitrarily going around, iming to be the strongest after the King, but now when we need him most¡­] Crackle. The hair resting in his palm spontaneously caught fire. After it burned up in an instant, he spread its ashes into the air in a single motion. > [Let¡¯s stop worrying.] The ashes flew around andnded on someone on the other side of the street. His hair, neatly divided between gray and ck, billowed in the wind. * * * ¡°¡­?¡± The Inquisitor suddenly turned around, so I also nced behind her. It was merely a reflexive action, but it didn''t really yield any results. Now that the beacon had been lit, the streets were filled with citizens evacuating ording to the manual and troops running to the castle walls. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did you get that ufortable feeling again from someone?¡± ¡°¡­No. I just felt like something was behind me. I think I was just too paranoid.¡± ¡°If you feel something, don''t just ignore it. Now that the Demons have invaded, we can¡¯t rule out the possibility that something has snuck into the city.¡± ¡°Yes, understood.¡± Although she said that, she didn¡¯t pursue the feeling she just had. Seeing that she didn¡¯t react any further, it seemed it really was just a feeling. ¡°Rather than that, let¡¯s hurry.¡± Loitering on a narrow street would only prevent other people from passing us, so we hurriedly went on our way. Our destination was the wall on the other side of the city, where the Demons had started attacking. ¡°They let us through?¡± Deb¡¯s thoughts were mine exactly. Right now wasn¡¯t exactly a state of emergency¡ªwell, it technically wasn''t unmanageable to the extent of what had happened in Jacrati¡ªso besides the military forces, I didn¡¯t expect them to let anyone up on the castle walls. That was really surprising. Or did they let us through because we had the Temple and the Magic Tower backing us? Ah, was that it? ¡°I¡¯ve never seen something like this happen, either, but¡­ It could be because the beacon only indicated Danger Level 1.¡± Right then, Kankan, who hade with us, muttered something quietly. From what I¡¯d heard, rather than attacking the wall right away, the Demons of the desert would stop somewhere around its vicinity, gather their forces, and wait about half a day to two days before starting their assault. So, they would call upon wizards and priests to gauge the extent of the Demons¡¯ forces and strategize. This was very likely to be why they let us through. ¡°Both the Archmage and the agent sent by the Main Temple are sure to take on the central role of each faction. It¡¯s only natural that they were allowed entry.¡± The priest who¡¯d apanied us even confirmed my guess. ¡­But what about the rest of us? Were we just brought along as extras? It wasn¡¯t all that bad since we got an opportunity to assess the situation properly, but it still felt kind of strange. ¡°¡­Do you think the Demons use this time to prepare?¡± ¡°Rather than that, it¡¯s presumed that this is a characteristic of the Great Demon leading the army. The Great Demon making the desert their home is known as the Duke of ¡®Sloth¡¯, so I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s why they take their time.¡± Oh¡­ I was wondering who the Great Demon living in the desert was. Sloth, huh? Thinking back on the seven deadly sins, if it was Sloth, the one in charge might be either Astaroth or Belphegor. I wasn¡¯t sure whether that would be their real name, but while I didn¡¯t know much about the former¡¯s appearance, thinking about thetter conjured the image of a Demon sitting on a toilet, which didn¡¯t feel that threatening. ¡°¡­But if a Great Demon is present, won¡¯t this be really dangerous?¡± ¡°There has never been a single instance of the Great Demon of Sloth taking the lead in the past, even when the Demons¡¯ forces were vast.¡± ¡°Still¡­¡± ¡°Of course, there''s no telling whether things will be the same now as in the past. You''re right. But we''re already in this city, aren''t we? There''s no way for us to avoid this. The only thing we can do is be careful.¡± ¡°That''s also true.¡± Deb had whined a bit and asked for more information on the Great Demons. It seemed he wanted to cram any information he got about it into his head as fast as possible. ¡°There isn''t much information on the Great Demons, especially Sloth.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Didn''t the Archmage tell you earlier? It¡¯s never showed up on the frontlines. We sometimes get a bit of information after some torture, but that stuff is mostly on the level of rumors. It''s nothing to the extent you''re hoping for.¡± Was it because the topic was Demons? The Inquisitor, who rarely spoke up on her own, answered his question. As if to prove said information was indeed just on the level of word of mouth, the following exnation she provided really was equivalent to some tall tales. ¡°There¡¯s nothing that could be helpful among these.¡± ¡°It¡¯s also proof of the Great Demons¡¯ persistence in destroying all records of them. That is also why their true names are unknown.¡± ¡°¡­You don¡¯t even know their true names?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± So Deb and I stood on top of the wall, having been unable to gain anything from their words. ¡°You can¡¯t stand there. This is a supply passage.¡± Thanks to Kankan, who¡¯d often witnessed things like these, I avoided making any mistakes. ¡°It has a ceiling?¡± Curiosity burst from me as if to rece any other thought. Hmm. The city walls of Far Enoch were unique in that they consisted of two separate walls and even had a ceiling built over the two. I was a little surprised by it because I had never seen this type of structure in this ce before. However, why did they build a ceiling just to put holes in it? Wasn¡¯t that quite frustrating? ¡°The Demons alsoe by air, so they built this ceiling to prevent them from killing us. Through these holes, they kill the Demons that decided tond on the roof with spears¡­ Sometimes, people still die if a fire-breathing Demon fights back.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Deb, whocked such military knowledge, nodded along to Kankan¡¯s exnation. I inadvertently also gained new knowledge. ces that were used to dealing with Demons sure were very different. Their preparation was quite thoroughpared to other cities. ¡°If the Yabad region had these kinds of things, it would be much easier for them to deal with the Demons.¡± ¡°But don¡¯t they only rarely encounter flying Demons there?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t the Demons break down the walls?¡± ¡°If their forces are strong, they do sometimes break. However, having something is better than nothing, as that would spell death.¡± ¡°The ceiling is quite low here¡­ Isn¡¯t that quite ufortable for soldiers of the Shaggi tribe?¡± ¡°Were it any higher, the soldiers¡¯ spears wouldn¡¯t reach the Demons on top, so it can¡¯t be helped. Besides, those that are too tall and would be inconvenienced by this ce are sent elsewhere to begin with.¡± I was so d I had the Inquisitor and Deb with me to ask questions. I roughly saved the information from this conversation in my brain. It was essential to fill in the gaps in my knowledge about this world, even if the information might seem unnecessary. After all, one could never know what knowledge might be useful in the future. ¡°This way.¡± Then, someone who seemed like themander called for a few people from atop a watchtower. Of course, neither Deb nor I could go there¡­ It didn¡¯t really matter, anyway. Even without standing on top of the watchtower, one could easily see the desert through the window-like gaps in the castle wall. ¡°Are all of those beings Demons¡­?¡± ¡°Most likely.¡± ¡°Yes. We¡¯ve gathered many Shaggi and Curety with good eyesight to confirm this multiple times, so it¡¯s certain.¡± I now understood why they tried to hold on to all these talented individuals, even if it necessitated creating an arena. Even if the Demons only attacked once every few years, if they brought forces this massive with them, the city couldn¡¯t afford to lose even a single person. I clenched my fists, barely suppressing the urge to click my tongue. On the desert¡¯s horizon, visible through the gaps, I could see faint ck lines wiggling about. They were all Demons. ¡°This is serious. When was thest invasion?¡± ¡°¡­It was two months ago.¡± Meanwhile, the Archmage and the priests who¡¯d climbed the watchtower spoke with themander. Was it because I¡¯d heard that the maximum interval between invasions was seven years? Two months didn¡¯t feel all that long. ¡°Is that the usual interval between invasions?¡± ¡°No. The shortest recorded interval was one month, but¡­ that was during the era when the Demons¡¯ forces were at their strongest. After their peak, even the shortest interval was half a year¡­ Usually, they only attack once every year. That¡¯s how it¡¯s been for the past 20 years.¡± Deb, who was standing beside me, blinked. After being given such clear numbers, anyone would realize this situation was highly unusual. Especially considering our circumstances. Weren¡¯t we the Hero¡¯s party whose ultimate goal was to defeat Satan? ¡°¡­You¡¯re quite popr, aren¡¯t you, iron wall? Wherever you go, Demons pop out.¡± Honestly, this probably wasn¡¯t the kimchi dumpling¡¯s fault, but rather the plot taking a bad turn. ¡°More importantly, now that this has happened, the matter about the Martial King¡­¡± ¡°¡­We¡¯ll have to postpone it. Or at the very least, um, dealing with it simultaneously¡­ probably isn¡¯t possible, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s quite reasonable, but...¡± Kankan held out both his hands in the direction of the Demons. He seemed to be suggesting that, if not for him needing to deal with those things, his situation would be fine. From my perspective, well, I couldn¡¯t exactly make any vehement statements because it was just a gut feeling, but it still felt like this would stab us in the back. ¡°Well, we have no other choice. Nothing in this world should take precedence over getting rid of Demons.¡± ¡°¡­True.¡± ¡°Even if he wants to kill us, he wouldn¡¯t do it while all these Demons were invading us, right?¡± ¡°That seems to be a matter we¡¯ll have to think more about.¡± Even if he wasn¡¯t directly rted to Demons, he might still attempt to assassinate us during this chaos to silence us. Hmm. But everyone here was capable enough to deal with that, though. The Archmage, who was the most vulnerable, would stay in the safest ce, anyway. Hmmm¡­ It wouldn¡¯t be wise of me to speak up in this situation, so I thought it would be best to focus on just myself for now. If someone tried sneaking up on me to stab me in the back, I would just have to deal with them. ¡°It¡¯s unlikely a coincidence that the Demons decided to attack again after just two months. We should strengthen our surveying efforts in case they try something.¡± Fortunately, the Archmage had gone up to convey this issue to themander. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t mention something like traitors within our ranks. We still weren¡¯t sure whether they were in leagues with the Demons or just corrupt. With no evidence to prove their involvement and little time to gather it, catching them would be quite difficult. ¡°Maybe they did something to the castle walls or the city center. Bombs are one thing, but in the case of the Yabad region¡­¡± Instead, the Archmage mentioned the cursed jars we had to deal with in the Yabad religion. Thanks to that, the search and reinforcement of the walls and residents¡¯ shelters would be more thorough. Their vignce would also be heightened. At this level, even if the corrupt fighters had actually joined hands with actual Demons, they wouldn¡¯t be able to move freely. At most, they might get some freedom of movement once the fight started¡­ From an objective standpoint, this oue was quite tolerable. At least they wouldn¡¯t use bombs within the city. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re back.¡± Ten minutes passed before the Archmage and the othermanders came down, sooner than I expected. Of course, the brevity of the conversation was likely due to theck of room for significant changes in strategy, given the nature of this battle. The priests were to focus on reinforcing the walls and treating the wounded as usual, while the wizards were to use AOE spells to kill as many Demons as possible. The soldiers and fighters were stationed on the walls and throughout the city to defend against any Demons that slipped in. That was all. Unless new technology or weapons were introduced, their battle tactics were unlikely to change. ¡°You.¡± However, I was the first person the Archmage called out to among those waiting below. His subtly stiff face nced alternately between me and the Inquisitor. Since he didn¡¯t really say anything, though, it was probably something unconfirmed or that we didn¡¯t need to know. ¡°I already mentioned it when we entered the city, but I¡¯ll say it again: never move alone from this moment on. Don¡¯t even think about going outside the city walls.¡± Instead, he continued to add to those words. ¡°Even though there is no clear evidence, with both you and the Hero here, there is a certain chance the Great Demon is also here if they¡¯re aware of your existence. In that case, you two could be targets, as well.¡± That was a valid concern coupled with a sincere request. But to my ears, it somehow sounded like a summoning spell for that Great Demon. Either way, with the stage set as it was, it would be even stranger if the Great Demon actually didn¡¯t appear. * * * * * * ¡°If they chose toe here, they should just hurry up and attack already¡­¡± Regardless of that ominous Demon-summoning spell by the Archmage, preparations for our imminent defensive battle continued. Troops were deployed to the city walls, ammunition-like arrows were checked over once more and redistributed to areascking them, additional non-regr forces¡ªlike fighters or adventurers¡ªwere deployed, and so on. It felt like I was watching a hopeful group rearranging their priorities while doing a group project. Although, the difficulty of their assignment was no joke. ¡°Damn it, I can¡¯t even get some sleep because those bastards are just standing still over there¡­¡± Yet, more Demons were gathering over there than we could prepare for. The ck waves gathering on the horizon were even visible to those with ordinary eyesight. And none of them moved to attack us. Thanks to that, it was the soldiers who were suffering the most. If they rxed, they might miss the enemies¡¯ arrival, but remaining tense like that consumed a lot of energy, so they were stuck in a dilemma. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much.¡± However, not everyone was tense to the point of suffering from stomachaches. The veterans who¡¯d survived in this city for a long time just leisurely strolled around as if they didn¡¯t notice the Demons lurking outside. It was a form of familiarity that had be ingrained in their bodies. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there like a statue, you neers!¡± Even the citizens who stayed behind to handle rear support didn¡¯t seem particrly concerned. Even if they didn¡¯t climb atop the city walls personally, those who¡¯d endured living here for decades seemed not to take this situation too seriously. To them, this was akin to an annual event, so their reaction might be understandable. ¡°More importantly, why isn¡¯t Sir Martial King here? It seems like all the other fighters are here, though.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I saw themander swearing earlier, calling him a bastard and all that.¡± ¡°Huh. What¡¯s that guy up to? Hey, Red Mane! Heard anything?!¡± ¡°¡­No idea. How am I supposed to know what¡¯s happening in other people¡¯s minds?¡± However, the Martial King not showing up was suspicious. Extremely suspicious. ¡°Oh, now that you mention it, wasn¡¯t there a neer who arrived a few days ago?¡± Just then, someone approached me. Archmage was stationed elsewhere and Deb had left to relieve himself, leaving me in a bit of a predicament. Kankan seemed to think I was just a pretty taciturn person who wouldn¡¯t be of much help. So, in the end, I had no choice but to speak up, huh? This person was supposed to be someone I¡¯d have to fight alongside, but it looked like I would have to piss him off before the fight even started. ¡°You came from the Yabad region, right? How about telling us what went down over there? Heard they were having some trouble there.¡± Uhm, hmm¡­ This was pretty awkward, after all. I opened my mouth while nibbling on a piece of bread and dried dates handed out by the residents. ¡°Finding joy in others¡¯ misfortune, are you? Your personality is quite something.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Couldn¡¯t we just keep our mouths shut? ¡°Miiister, did you get your meal¡­ What¡¯s with this atmosphere?¡± Fortunately, just before the mood became even more miserable, Deb came running over. His eagerness to share some of the delicious food he¡¯d received from the residents with me was quite touching. I had no intention of taking it, though, because it felt like epting a bribe. ¡°Would you like some, too?¡± ¡°They¡¯re all dried vegetables.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re dissatisfied, feel free toin, then.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m notining. How did you manage to get those expensive vegetables?¡± ¡°I¡¯m quite skilled, you know?¡± Just then, someone approached us with quick steps. Since I didn¡¯t bother to look in their direction, all I could see was their shadow cast on the ground, which was quiterge. ¡°Who¡­ Huuuh?!¡± ¡°Y-You?!¡± Rather, that voice seemed kind of familiar¡­ Uwaah! A wild Berserk had appeared! ¡°Nice to see you. I wanted to greet you earlier, but I only got to now. Oh, hello, Kankan. Long time no see.¡± More surprising than realizing that the approaching shadow belonged to Berserk and that Kankan actually knew Berserk was the fact that¡­ ¡°Uhm, are you surprised? Sorry. I came here to apologize, so please don¡¯t avoid me, okay?¡± Berserk, she¡­ She could actually speak so calmly?! Chapter 100: Existence (2) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 100 Existence (2) I barely managed to hide my expression, but Deb looked like he¡¯d seen a ghost. Berserk scratched her cheek awkwardly. ¡°Erm, I¡¯m really sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to startle you¡­¡± ¡­Th-This was giving me chills. Just a few days ago, she had been ring at me, but now¡­ W-Wait, was it actually her? Or was this someone entirely different? Now that I looked at her a bit more closely, she did seem a little different¡­ ¡°Get lost.¡± I replied to her with a hint of annoyance, telling the person before me to go away. Of course, even in this situation, I couldn¡¯t help but pay close attention to the other party¡¯s appearance. I kept wondering whether this really was Berserk. What I saw was as follows: Thick muscles, as if to prove that even someone from the nd tribe could be rugged. A giant physique that couldn¡¯t even be described asrge anymore. Skin as dark as ebony, and hair the color of tinum, which almost looked white when exposed to sunlight, slightly cascading down her neck. Her amber eyes seemed to hold more than what her youth would suggest. Yeah, that was where the problemy. Everything about her matched Berserk¡¯s description, but those eyes drastically changed my impression of her. ¡°Y-Y-You¡­ No, big sis, h-howe you¡¯re¡­¡± ¡°My younger sister headed this way¡­¡± ¡°Naturally, but¡­! Wait, could that be why Marial King hasn¡¯t arrived yet¡­? Big sis, have you already met with that guy?!¡± ¡°No, not yet. My sister sent him a letter, but I haven¡¯t seen his face since we came here.¡± ¡°¡­!!¡± Meanwhile, Kankan, who was conversing with Berserk(?), let out a silent scream. The expression of shock and horror stered across his face was honestly quiteical. ¡°Wh-When did she send this letter¡­?¡± ¡°It must have been around half a year ago? Since it was sent from the north, it would have arrived more recently, though.¡± ¡°¡­!!¡± When he heard her response, Kankan started to tear at his hair. His pale face vividly portrayed the depth of his confusion. ¡°What about its contents¡­¡± ¡°Hmm. It¡¯s nothing much. It simply said that she wanted to discuss something they¡¯d talked about a long time ago.¡± ¡°¡­Something she talked about?¡± ¡°That guy once told my sister that he would crush her one day. She ignored it at the time, but looking back, she did be a little curious as to why he said that. For your information, I tried to stop her.¡± ¡°¡­So, he went crazy because he received this letter¡­!¡± I wasn¡¯t entirely sure what was happening, but it seemed we had uncovered why the Martial King had be so sensitive, bordering on insane. I didn¡¯t know why receiving a simple letter would drive someone to kill others, though. ¡°Erm¡­ Who are you, exactly? You don¡¯t seem to be the same person we met before¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry. I have some history with Kankan here. Um, if the one you¡¯re referring to is Berserk, then no, I¡¯m not her.¡± Physically, she didn¡¯t seem like someone who would use her head much, but her eyes and gestures exuded wisdom and intelligence, making her seem quite strange. I could tell they weren¡¯t the same person, but I felt some dissonance because of the image I had already ingrained in my mind. ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then why are you¡­?¡± ¡°As I mentioned earlier, I came to apologize.¡± The other person lightly scratched the back of her neck. Her slightly droopy eyes were filled with shame. ¡°My younger sister, I mean, Berserk, caused a lot of trouble for you.¡± ¡­I¡¯d thought they looked a lot alike. So, they were actual siblings! Deb seemed to have simr thoughts, as he immediately looked convinced. Hmm, if they were rted, no matter whether they were twins or just sisters, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for them to have simr appearances. There were plenty of people within a family who looked alike, and there were even wholly unrted people who seemed almost identical in this world. ¡°I won¡¯t ept.¡± However, I didn¡¯t feel like epting an apology from someone other than the perpetrator, even if she was her sister. Besides, wouldn¡¯t my character feel rather ufortable receiving an apology from someone who looked exactly like the person who pissed him off? At least, that was how I interpreted it. ¡°¡­Hmm, you seem angrier than I expected.¡± The other person scratched her cheek again before raising her hand. It looked like she wanted to leave for now. ¡°This won¡¯t be my only opportunity. I¡¯ll take my leave for now. I told the soldiers I wanted to use the restroom for a moment and left, so I think I should probably return quickly.¡± No matter whether they were regr soldiers, adventurers, or fighters, they were instructed not to leave their assigned positions arbitrarily, but somehow, someone I hadn¡¯t seen when I was ced here managed to show up here. If it were a soldier and they got caught, they would face disciplinary actions, but it seemed it was different for adventurers or fighters, huh? ¡°Ah, right. This is just my own curiosity speaking, but have you ever received formal military training? You seem to be from the east¡­¡± If you snuck out by saying you just wanted to use the bathroom, you should get back quickly! She seemed normal, but she actually wasn''t any better than her younger sister! I didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, I simply pulled my longsword¡ªa cheap one I¡¯d acquired after a day of visiting all the nearby shops¡ªfrom its scabbard. ¡°Alright, I got it. Let me apologize once more for my younger sister''s actions. Well then, take care.¡± It seemed she understood and departed. ¡°¡­No, but even if they''re sisters, it''s been a long time since I''ve seen two people who looked so simr. Are they twins?¡± After she left, Deb shook his head, a bewildered expression on his face. I felt the same. I was a little relieved that she was just a blood rtive, but the impression Berserk had left on me was just too intense. Seeing someone with the same face act so differently from what I expected was highly unsettling. Honestly, it felt like Berserk had been possessed by some kind of ghost or something. ¡°They¡­ aren''t twins.¡± Finally, after regaining some of hisposure, Kankan spoke up. ¡°They may seem like that, though.¡± He suddenly lowered his eyes, which took on a deep glow. ¡°Come to think of it, she mentioned that you came from the same ce. Do you know each other well?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say that I know her well¡­ It¡¯s more that she was pretty well-known where we lived. In reality, our rtionship is just superficial. The younger sister¡¯s personality is a bit¡­ you know.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s how it seemed. Especially considering how she started picking fights with Mister every time she saw him.¡± ¡°¡­! Have you already met? No, more importantly, she picked a fight with you? Did you two actually fight?¡± ¡°They fought. Mister did, I mean.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re still alive?!¡± What, why, what? What was wrong with me being still alive? ¡°Seems you''re stronger than I thought.¡± I tried to imbue the words ¡®Get lost¡¯ into my eyes as I looked at Kankan, who seemed to look at me with new eyes. Understanding what I was trying to say, Kankan quickly averted his gaze. ¡°She¡¯s that strong?¡± ¡°Very. Growing up without a guardian, somewhere only the strongest survive, they rose to the rank of Great Warrior all by themselves, sweeping up the titles of Weapon Master and Berserk, which only the strongest in an era could achieve.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Wait a second. Weapon Master? If Berserk referred to the one we¡¯d met before, then Weapon Master would be the older sister we met just now. Did the sisters each choose a different ss advancement? Then, which of the two was supposed to join our party? ¡°Of course, because of their peculiar behavior¡­ few wanted to get involved with them. The older sister was somewhat manageable, but the younger was so aggressive that one couldn¡¯t even describe her as bative¡¯ anymore.¡± So, no one got involved with either of them? That was a bit much. ¡°Because of that, even though Berserk was unendingly arrogant, people avoided conflict with her¡­ And yet, Martial King¡­¡± However, neither my thoughts nor Kankan¡¯s words could reach their proper end. Buooh! Buooooh! The sound of a horn echoed through the area. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°That sound!¡± ¡°Demons!¡± ¡°Everyone, get ready!¡± The rxed atmosphere suddenly changed. That signal meant that the Demons had started to move. It went without saying, but everyone around me began their preparations one after another. Since they wouldn¡¯t know when the fight would break out, most had just quietly stayed where they were stationed, in no hurry to move. They had handled their equipment all day yesterday, after all. ¡°Launch the catapults!¡± Thanks to that, not many people were panicking unless it was their first battle. As if signaling the start of the battle, stones began to fly toward the Demons. Boom!! ¡°Alright, great! Smash them all to pieces!¡± The catapults¡¯ poor uracy wasn¡¯t of much concern. The ammunitionnded right where the enemies were. ¡°Arcane signal iing!¡± ¡°Prepare the arrows!¡± The sand of the desert started to shake. Rumble! The result was simr to an explosion, causing the ground to rumble as spikes spread everywhere outside the city walls. In an instant, hundreds of Demons were skewered and doomed to die. ¡°It seemed like Mister Archmage made his move.¡± It certainly seemed that way. Of course, the Archmage wasn¡¯t doing it alone, but he¡¯d at least probably taken the lead. Indeed, wizards were the best in the field when it came to AoE damage. ¡°Fire!¡± However, there were still some Demons left. Next, the soldiersunched arrows. Their primary targets weren¡¯t the ones walking on the ground but those flying in the air. ¡°O almighty Lord!¡± At that moment, the Inquisitor shouted loudly from among the priests. The faint shine of her silver-blue armor mingled with that of the other priests, forming a massive beam of light. Since they had to move flexibly as a group, they were clearly visible, standing on the upper side of the wall. ¡°The ursed ones persecuting your flock. Bestow upon me the power to vanquish them and protect the living. Let thisnd be a sanctuary with me as its stake!¡± A tremendous blessing requiring a ton of divine power permeated through the gaps in the city walls. I didn¡¯t know which effects it had exactly, but at least it wouldn¡¯t be anything harmful. ¡°We can win this!¡± ¡°Kill them all!¡± Morale soared high into the heavens thanks to our Hero''s efforts, though no one here knew her by that title. I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little uneasy, though. ¡°Mister!¡± ¡°¡­! What are you doing?!¡± Still, it was good for the others. Thinking like that, I leaned into one of the gaps. Fortunately, it wasrge enough for one person to pass through. ¡°Seriously, again?!¡± No, meat dumpling. If you put it like that, it makes me seem like I¡¯m someone who¡¯spletely hopeless. Well, that wasn¡¯t entirely wrong, but still, wasn¡¯t it a bit much? I wasn¡¯t crazy enough to do something like this. I just couldn¡¯t fight properly within the walls. I also considered the existence of the Martial King and the other riffraff, thinking it would be a good idea to stop them directly. If they were to stab me from behind, it might be painful, but I couldn¡¯t just stand by and do nothing because I was worried about that. ¡°Mister Archmage told you not to go out!¡± ¡°That lunatic¡ª!¡± Ah, you guys shouldn¡¯t worry. I wasn¡¯t going out, not really. I didn¡¯t go ¡®outside¡¯ the city walls. sh! I swiftly dealt with the approaching enemies rushing toward the hole I wasing out of before climbing on top of the roof. Strictly speaking, this could still be considered ¡®outside¡¯, but the ¡®outside¡¯ the Archmage mentioned probably referred to the desert beyond the city walls. In that sense, I wasn¡¯t breaking my promise. I was just going to fight from here. Kiyaaargh©¤!? Swoosh! Several flying Demons that hadn¡¯t gotten struck by arrows tried to pass by me, only to be sliced into pieces. Letting out a [sh] or two always felt rather satisfying. Sssssrrrr. And the [Arcane Spear] skill I¡¯d recently obtained was also excellent. I could use [sh] to target multiple targets at once, but they needed to be in a straight line, and therger the scale, the more Arcane Power was required. On the other hand, [Arcane Spear] could urately shoot down one enemy for around 20 points of Arcane Power. That it instantly killed the target via headshots made its damage output irrelevant. One slight issue was that I had to aim precisely at their heads¡­ But still, long-range attacks were the best. Really thrilling. ¡°Victory to my de, glory to the heavens¡­¡± Now that I had [Arcane Spear], shooting down enemies trying to pass by was much easier. I took a moment to offer a proper prayer, something I hadn¡¯t done in a long while. And at that moment, all the Demons flying past me plummeted to the ground with gaping holes in their heads. Gone were the days of running around desperately to kill airborne enemies. ¡°Death to those bastards¡­!¡± Wahaha! [Arcane Spear] was just too good! * * * * * * Deathbringer sighed. He was foolish to think that guy would just obediently stand by. ¡°C-Can we survive¡­?¡± ¡°Damn, keep going, bro!¡± ¡°That guy, kill that guy, too!¡± At the same time, he felt a bitter sense of resignation. Even though the Demon Knight could be spoken to, there was no way to stop him. His current performance was proof of that fact. ¡°A C-Cyclops¡­ Ah! He killed it!¡± A Demon as infamous as the Patchwork Golem, known to level castles whenever it appeared, was killed in a single blow. ¡°Tarrasque down!¡± ¡°Manticore shot down!¡± Even Demons that were subspecies of dragons and took hundreds of attacks to kill were no different. The Demon Knight ughtered Demons much faster and with greater ease than those who¡¯d lived here for much longer and umted lots of experience. Naturally, the damage they suffered was greatly reduced. While the Demons on the ground still caused some casualties, going by the soldiers¡¯ attitudes, it seemed to be manageable. It was very easy to see whenpared to other areas. Due to the situation, making precise measurements wasn¡¯t possible, but¡­pared to others, this ce didn¡¯t have to rece its personnel as fast. That meant there were fewer deaths. And that wasrgely thanks to the Demon Knight. What excuse could he possibly give to keep him from joining the battle? Especially when even this was already him showing restraint? If the Archmage hadn¡¯t warned him, he would have leaped off the wall and swept away all the Demons around him. He was sure of that. It would have beenpletely possible for the Demon Knight. And if he¡¯d done that, the damage to them would have been even less, though the Demon Knight would have been the one most in danger. ¡°Is this really okay¡­?¡± Deathbringer continued shooting arrows to kill even one more Demon, suppressing these thoughts that kept emerging. It was true that the Demon Knight was strong, but was it really okay just to leave him there by himself? He¡¯d heard that the Great Demon could target him, so was it really okay for him to be in such a conspicuous ce? ¡­Wouldn¡¯t that seal, which they¡¯d barely managed toplete, break by the end of this battle? The Demon Knight, who¡¯d never used these techniques when killing the sea dragon, started regrly using skills that only the Demon in him had used since that day¡­ ¡°Arrows¡­!¡± These stray thoughtspletely disappeared along with the arrows he shot. Deathbringer hurriedly reached for one of his spare arrows. ¡°¡­!¡± That was when something suspicious caught his eye. Far off, a giant figure approached the praying priests with a raised weapon. It didn¡¯t feel like he¡¯de with peaceful intentions. ¡°He¡¯s really here. I can¡¯t believe it.¡± He¡¯d kept in mind everyone the iron wall had felt ufortable about, the Martial King included. Far beyond just their appearances and personal information, he even memorized where they¡¯d been deployed and their assigned roles. ¡°Was he really a traitor¡­?!¡± Despite the Archmage¡¯s request and warning not to dismiss the possibility, he couldn¡¯t help but still feel surprised. He didn¡¯t expect this to happen. ¡°It¡¯s not like the people here have collectively gone blind.¡± Later, he nned on killing the Martial King, who never even showed up, and everyone he could remember. For now, he had to stop that ominous hand from reaching the priests. While he might despise their stubborn and hateful nature, they were still warriors and healers who could save the injured, right? Noticing that they were in danger was more than enough reason for him to move. ¡°I won¡¯t let that happen!¡± In his hand, a de tinged with darkness became filled with anticipation and determination. Blood sttered against the insides of the castle walls. Chapter 101: Existence (3) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 101 Existence (3) The Inquisitor unconsciously turned her head at that ufortable feelinging from behind her. The first thing she could see were the priests praying with her. What she saw next was a de hurtling toward the priests. She tried to pick up her shield, which she had ced on the floor beside her. However, even if she did that, it would be toote. The keen judgment she¡¯d gained through several practice battles made her aware of that. So, what should she do? ¡°Come!¡± Believing in the armor she wore, the Inquisitor stood before the priests to block the attack. This amazingly light armor made it possible. Bam! The forearm she¡¯d raised as a shield shed with the de of an axe. It didn¡¯t break, but the recoil pushed her forearm back a little. ¡°That¡¯s!¡± Still, she managed to stop it. Wasn¡¯t that enough? The Inquisitor lowered the hand that hadn¡¯t collided with the axe¡¯s de. She withdrew her mace from her belt, intending to use it to strike the enemy''s head. ¡°Shh.¡± In an instant, something seemingly emerged from the shadows to takeplete control of thatrge man. They kicked the back of his knees to adjust his height, grabbed his chin to fix his face in ce, and slit his throat with a de. Actions all performed simultaneously. Blood poured out. ¡°Kerg, gag.¡± He precisely cut through the carotid artery. The Inquisitor could tell by the amount of blood spurting out of the man before her. The next thing she did was identify the person who did this. A dark green cape that appeared almost ck when viewed in the dark, and ears poking out of it. It was the troublemaker. ¡°What happened¡­?!¡± ¡°What happened? The bastards you noticed finally showed their true colors. I¡¯m not sure yet whether they are in league with the Demons, but considering they targeted you, a priest with nothing to do with this, it¡¯s likely¨C¡± ¡°Demonic Energy!¡± As soon as the attacker¡¯s life was cut short, her face froze at the sight of some ck powder flying in the wind and a burst of Demonic Energy. Until then, she¡¯d only ever felt some slight difort, but for some reason, she could now actually feel some Demonic Energy. ¡°An intruder?!¡± ¡°But how?¡± ¡°Are you okay?!¡± Immediately after the Demonic Energy scattered into the air, the surrounding soldiers noticed the attacker. It was as if that Demonic Energy had been concealing him. ¡°Get those guys¡­!¡± That was dangerous. The Inquisitor tried to move to escape from that ce, intending to deal with all those from whom she felt difort. Rumble. But at that moment, she heard part of the city wall copse. Since she¡¯d stopped praying, some of her blessings had been destroyed. ¡°¡­!¡± It might have been a coincidence, but it may have not. That was what held her back. The Inquisitor slightly bit her lip. ¡°Sandworms!! Two Sandworms are approaching!!¡± To make matters worse, she felt the earth shaking below them. Sand Rat. It was a Demon with a body length of up to 20 meters, and its characteristic was that it moved by burrowing through the ground. It was the biggest enemy of city walls built only on the surface. ¡°I will take care of those guys, so you just stay here and pray.¡± ¡°¡­! How will you¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a lot better at killing people than you, right?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± She opened her eyes wide at that troublemaker¡¯s words. For a moment, this person who¡¯d suddenly emerged from the shadows seemed especially threatening. ¡°Mister Knight has climbed up the castle wall, so please keep that in mind. Oh, and please give me some holy relics. If anyone asks, I have to tell them I was ordered to kill those guys. And that feeling definitely wasn¡¯t wrong. The Inquisitor clenched her fist before her before finally taking something out and throwing it toward him. Catch. ¡°Thanks.¡± She then returned to her spot. An even more intense blessing than the one before enveloped the city walls. * * * The Deathbringer walked back the way he came, recalling the locations of those guys. And at where he was supposed to be stationed, he caught Kankan, who was fighting even harder than before. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go hunt down some traitors.¡± ¡°What are you saying? Sandworms areing our way!¡± It seemed he had been so focused on what was happening before him that he didn¡¯t know what was happening in their own lines. He grabbed Kankan and forcibly dragged him along. While the Demon Knight was ying a very active role, the fight was only growing more intense. Few people would notice their absence. Those who did wouldn¡¯t have the power to stop them because the Demons were attacking non-stop, or they would go silent when shown the holy relic he¡¯d received. ¡°Traitors?¡± ¡°Those guys. The ones like the Martial King.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Not only did they try to attack the priests, but Demonic Energy was also detecteding from them. We can¡¯t put this off anymore just because some Demons areing our way.¡± Kankan might be very talented, but even his absence wouldn¡¯t make much of a difference so long as it wasn¡¯t the Demon Knight who left. On the other hand, when it came to hunting down traitors, someone this strong was indispensable. Killing them in one hit would minimize damage and allow for swift action. ¡°Your job is simple. Let me know about those guys I have no information on and handle any head-on confrontations.¡± Furthermore, Deathbringer wasn¡¯t that confident in head-on fights. He needed at least one person who could cover for him in that aspect. ¡°Okay.¡± After some exnations, Red Mane immediately understood his role. It was nice having someone so easy tomunicate with by his side. ¡°Then let¡¯s go immediately. We have to kill everyone within these walls, including the Martial King. ¡°¡­!¡± The hunt had just begun. * * * * * * Uwah. There were just too many Demons. Seriously. With such thoughts in my head, I continued to swing my sword. I¡¯d used [Bombard] a bit too much and my Arcane Power was reaching its limits, so I couldn''t use any of my skills. It didn¡¯t really matter since I could still easily cut through those guys, though I still felt some resistance in my wrist. sh! I tore apart another harpy and wiped my face. Because of how many things I¡¯d killed, blood was sttered all over it. The blood on the back of my hand and fingers gathered into droplets and flew away with a single gesture. Kyaaaak! ¡°Tsk.¡± At that moment, even more of those things came flying. One of them, rushing at me like a cannonball, almost crushed part of the wall before it could even reach me. However, I wasn¡¯t willing to sacrifice some of my life force for more Arcane Power. I cut that cannonball bastard in half. The vertically bisected body separated and fell on either side of me. The wall imbued with many blessings was quite strong, so it didn¡¯t copse when that cut-apart body fell on it. I didn¡¯t know what would have happened had itnded behind the city wall, but it likely wouldn¡¯t have mattered much since a lot of corpses were already piled up there. Kyaaaaaaarg! Another onended on the wall, its mouth filled with mes. It seemed like it wanted to spit out some fire after its roughnding. However, this wall wasn¡¯t just sturdy. I mean, I lost one HP every three seconds, so what would happen to those guys? Sizzle! The moment the wall touched its skin, steam began rising from it, burning the creature¡¯s body. Although not powerful enough to instantly melt the thing, it was more than enough to hurt those Demons. That thing trying to spit out some fire crumbled, its attack dyed by half a beat. It was enough time for me to pull out my sword and cut off its head. Bam! The severed head fell over the wall. ¡°Haah.¡± But seriously, for how long did I need to fight? I felt like I¡¯d already killed quite a few¡­ I nced at my surroundings. While walking up and down the wall, I¡¯d prioritized dealing with Demons that could potentially destroy the wall, so I couldn¡¯t see any more big ones for now. There were still a lot of flying Demons left in the sky, but I only killed those that came close or tried to attack me. On the ground outside the walls¡­ Wow, what was going on down there? I couldn¡¯t really do anything about those on the ground and had just left them alone, so the guys down there seemed pretty busy. Some of those things were trying to climb the walls, digging their ws into it. In particr, they persistently targeted areas that were already showing some damage. Boom! Still, the walls remained intact, and the wizards were steadily taking out those bastards. So, it would be only a matter of time. Things would turn out fine. ¡°Sandworms!! Two Sandworms are approaching!!¡± As long as a mid-boss or something equivalent to a boss didn¡¯t intervene, that is. ¡°I thought it would be easy.¡± Just when I thought things would turn out fine and I could safely beat this event without the boss appearing, two boss-like monsters appeared. I didn¡¯t even need anything to tell me to understand that much. Ruuuumble. Those things even had the characteristic of moving through the ground. I clicked my tongue as I looked toward the burrowed-through earth. I couldn¡¯t kill those things. Firing a [sh] from up here down to where they were would take a lot of Arcane Power. And [Bombard] consumed an insane amount of Arcane Power, as well. [Arcane Spear], on the other hand¡­ I didn¡¯t know exactly how much damage it would cause after prating through all that soil. Despite having not seen the enemy''s appearance yet, I¡¯d bet their skin was pretty tough, considering they were burrowing through the ground at that speed. I suspected it would be pointless. It would be better if I didn¡¯t even try. Going down to kill them¡­ even if I ignored the Archmage¡¯s request, that would be a bit unreasonable. There wasn''t just one, but two, and a lot of people were around that area. Most importantly, I didn¡¯t have any more Arcane Power left. I could kill most Demons without any Arcane Power, but killing this kind would probably be impossible. Ruuuumble. The Sandworms wereing even closer every second. The end goal of their rough movements, enough to push their Demonic Energy to the surface and send other Demons flying, was clearly the wall gates. I wasn¡¯t sure how intelligent those Demons were, but that was obviously some kind of ploy. Ah, now that things were like this, they should just open the gates a little. If they did, I wouldn¡¯t have to use my skills left and right like this! Having such thoughts, I wanted to either sit or lie down. I could do nothing with my own power, so I just hoped the situation would improve by itself. Bang!!! However, reality was flowing differently from my hopes. Ultimately, I had to stand by and watch the gates get smashed to pieces while unable to touch those things. The only constion was that the city had expected the gates to be smashed to pieces to begin with. ¡°Kill them!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let them get to the shelter!¡± That was a constion because, by assuming that this would happen, their subsequent response was very fast. That meant the wizards could immediately fill in the gaps caused by the gate¡¯s destruction with earthen walls, and the manpower stationed throughout the city could immediately fight against the Sandworms. It was just that every time those giant monsters moved, the damage done to the buildings increased immensely. Hmm, should I also go down? I thought about that briefly while tearing off the head of a Gargoyle attacking me and throwing it toward a Wyvern. I wasn¡¯t so sure about going outside the walls, but since I would be going into the city, I wouldn¡¯t be breaking my promise, and I¡¯d already taken care of the monsters that could destroy the walls. The only ones left were outside of the walls¡­ However, others could handle them just as well. Even if they managed to cause some damage, it wouldn¡¯t be as bad as what those Sandworms could do. Above all, it would be more efficient for me to handle the boss and have the others deal with the mobs rather than lots of people dealing with the boss and me alone handling all these mobs. ¡°Haah.¡± Okay. I should go help. There wasn¡¯t just one of them, but two. Since they were far apart, even if I was a little low on Arcane Power, my life wouldn¡¯t be in danger if I fought one. It shouldn¡¯t be a problem for me to deal with just one. With these thoughts in mind, I wrapped what little Arcane Power I still had left around my legs, preparing to descend to the ground below. > [You seem to be in a good mood, given that you¡¯re seriously holding yourself back like that. I thought you¡¯d at least show some kind of reaction to this.] ¡°¡­!¡± Had I known this would happen from the beginning, I wouldn''t have done that, though. > [I deliberately chose a moment when you would be the angriest to show up, but unfortunately, it seems that didn''t work out as nned.] ¡°You¡­¡± I slightly held out my hand toward that person with a beauty one would usually only see in Hollywood. Another Demon approached me, unable to read the mood, and got pathetically torn apart by me. However, the other party showed no kind of reaction to that. Of course, they wouldn¡¯t. If they would react to something like that, they wouldn''t be standing here in a Greek-style linen robe atop this wall. No, their clothes aside, how did they even get up on this wall? Unless they were supremely confident in their skills, no one would dare stand here without protection. > [For you to not even recognize me¡­ Looks like you''ve bepletely useless now, Gretchen.] Even more concerning was that I couldn''t even sense their presence. That was dangerous. Cold sweat ran down my back. Thankfully, the other party willingly initiated a conversation first. If they didn''t, I might have only noticed them after they stabbed me in the back. Scrape. ¡®Kill them. Right now.¡¯ I continued to think, the slight scraping of metal ringing in my ears. Didn''t they just say I ¡®didn''t recognize¡¯ them? They even spoke as if they were looking down on Gretchen. I was pretty sure none of the 72 Knights, who were far lower in rank than a Great Demon, would say something like that¡­ ¡°You''re Sloth.¡± > [Ah, I guess you haven''t be that useless yet.] Hey. Archmage, are you watching? Your summoning spell was sessful. The Great Demon has appeared. Scrape. ¡®Kill them immediately.¡¯ Ignoring everything else, I focused entirely on the opponent before me. They might be a Great Demon boasting incredible power and stats, but they were still a step below the final boss. However, I couldn''t afford to lower my guard before them. Of course, their strength had probably been bnced out ording to the plot''s progression. Naturally, they had to! Even if I couldn¡¯t defeat them in this setting, they were still one of our targets. I couldn''t just let my guard and tension down. Usually, these named characters were much stronger than the bosses that appeared alongside them. > [Well, this is fine, I guess. Considering I had to move because of you, I don''t n to end this easily. There''s no way you can exert your original strength in that suppressed state of yours. How fortunate.] ¡­Still, I hoped they would go easy on me. My only sin was getting stuck in this game without any way to get out, so couldn''t they be a bit gentler with me? > [Now then, let us enter your deepest nightmare.] Gyaaaag. Chapter 102: Existence (4) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 102 Existence (4) Thud! Deathbringer moved with Kankan, sessfully killing several people. He started wondering whether just that one guy had been aiming for the priests, but that was unlikely. Those the Inquisitor had mentioned were all involved in all sorts of incidents, aiming to kill the strongest individuals, stab themanders, etc. ¡°There¡¯s something strange about these guys.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± There was a certain kind of strangeness about them. It wasn¡¯t unusual for Deathbringer himself to notice these kinds of things. He was used to them, after all. However, even after having their target pointed out, Kankan couldn¡¯t properly recognize them, which was definitely weird. It wasn¡¯t just once or twice, either, but every single time. ¡°Damn it. I stabbed him, so why didn¡¯t my attack go through?¡± Furthermore, the enemies outright ignored some attacks. Even when Kankan somehow managed to see the target and attack them, he caused either no or only insignificant wounds. Despite Kankan clearly attacking them properly. ¡°Why can¡¯t I attack them properly, but you can¡­?!¡± ¡°Well, maybe we need to attack them without them noticing.¡± Or perhaps it was because of the relic he was carrying. Deathbringer briefly passed the relic to Kankan, but unfortunately, nothing changed. ¡°That isn¡¯t it?¡± If it wasn¡¯t the relic, then what else made them different? This was too unexpected to attribute to their constitution and too strange to call coincidence¡­ Oh, perhaps? Deathbringer suddenly gripped the hilt of the de in his hand. It hadn¡¯t been purified, and the Archmage had even coated it to prevent it from getting purified, so it definitely contained Negative Energy. Even he, someone who didn¡¯t know much about Energy, wondered whether it was really okay for him to use it like that. Given his weapon was like this, could it be that it somehow possessed the ability to interfere with this phenomenon? ¡°¡­Try holding onto this for a moment.¡± ¡°Why does this de¡­ smell this bad? It looks clean, so what did you apply to it?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Afterward, Deathbringer looked back at the target he¡¯d just found. The guy was no longer clearly visible. He was definitely there, but his presence seemed somewhat blurred, such that he could easily be missed if not fully paid attention to¡­ ¡°What? I can see him clearly?¡± So that was the cause. Deathbringer took back his dagger. As expected, the enemy began to be more visible to him. ¡°What on earth is that de?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, either.¡± He knew it was made of dragon scales, sturdy yet light, incredibly sharp with no chance of getting dull. He¡¯d heard these exnations when he came along to pick it up. However, he never expected it to have such an effect. Did Mister Archmage, who¡¯d coated it, know about this? What about the Demon Knight, who gave the dagger to him? While it could be that the Archmage simply didn¡¯t tell him, it was more likely that he didn¡¯t know. However, as for the Demon Knight¡­ Given his circumstances, he might not have known and just gave it away, but it wouldn¡¯t be too surprising either if he actually knew. That man just held too many secrets, after all. Stab! ¡°Anyway, as far as I remember, this is supposed to be thest one.¡± Deathbringer smoothly stabbed thest target in the back. He punctured the spot where the lungs were so his opponent couldn¡¯t even scream. While he was like that, Deathbringer precisely slit his throat. Without knowing what that guy was capable of, this was the best way to ensure his target ended up dead. ¡°Y-You guys!¡± The soldiers who¡¯d been facing off against his target until not too long ago looked at them with round eyes. ¡°The priests told me that traitors are hiding in our midst and ordered me to take care of them.¡± This situation had be so familiar to him that he almost felt bored by it. After eagerly pulling out the holy relic and showing it to them, he hurried away. Since they were in a crisis and had already fought the target, there was no way that they would question his words right now. ¡°Are we done?¡± ¡°Within the walls, we are.¡± As Deathbringer said that, he pointed outside. Some targets remained in the defense forces near the city center. Baaang! ¡°¡­No way, even there? Ah, it must be. A few men I know of weren''t positioned on the walls, either.¡± ¡°Well, yes, but are you confident you¡¯d survive if you went over there?¡± While the wizards had erected earth walls to patch the broken gates, it was uncertain when the Demons might break through them. Furthermore, the city was already swarming with Demons who¡¯d sessfully infiltrated¡ª whether through the broken gates, by burrowing through the ground, or by air. The absence of res indicated that the final defense lines hadn¡¯t been breached yet, but that wasn¡¯t much sce. They wouldn¡¯t be going to safe ces. They would have to navigate tons of Demons to find the traitors. ¡°Honestly, no.¡± Moreover, the biggest problem was those two Sandworms that had entered the city first. While they might be confident enough to deal with the other Demons, those two couldn¡¯t be taken down easily. ¡°But we have to go.¡± ¡°¡­Spoken like a true warrior.¡± ¡°Norda Warriors never give in to fear.¡± ¡°A perfect death-seeking mindset.¡± However, they didn¡¯t have any other options. Deathbringer and Kankan entered the city together. Below, many Olgoi-Khorkhoi were waiting for their prey, and on the rooftops, flying demons were trying to snatch up any person they could see, but they had no other choice. ¡°Martial King, why¡­?!¡± And they arrived just in time to see the Martial King join the defense line and raise his sword against his own. It was an incredible coincidence and the perfect opportunity for a certain someone. ¡°You bastard!!¡± Seizing the opportunity, Kankan faced the Martial King. Right beside them, a Sandworm was tearing down nearby buildings, resisting the city¡¯s forces. ¡°I¡¯ll stop you for sure this time!¡± However, that was only Kankan talking. Deathbringer, who had rushed there with him, waspletely frozen in ce after discovering something else. ¡°J-Just what the hell is Mister fighting¡­?!¡± In the distance, a man standing atop the wall was facing down a massive ck vortex. * * * * * * > [Wh-What¡¯s wrong with the Nightmare¡­?] At the mention of nightmares, I reflexively got scared. However, there was only thick, ck mist? Lumps of dust? Anyway, that stuff justzily drifted past me, and nothing else happened. Rather, even the Great Demon¡¯s minions, such as the flying Demons, appeared frightened and backed away. Even the Great Demon of Sloth seemed a little taken aback. > [I could sense Nightmare within you. Fears leading to deep despair and resignation, so why¡­?] The Great Demon snapped their fingers. However, whatever they tried to do didn¡¯t work correctly. The ck vortex only ended up dispersing before it could take form. > [Why¡­?] I wasn¡¯t quite sure what was happening, but this seemed like an opportunity. I gathered the Arcane Power I had built up during our brief conversation and aimed my Zweih?nder, dyed ck, directly at the Great Demon as I attacked. ¡°Die.¡± My sword shed through their body. However, instead of shedding blood, their flesh instantly became dust and scattered. Transformed into ck particles that swirled around like a sandstorm, they then took on the shape of a bear. The ck vortex washed over me. Bang! Aside from my attacks beingpletely ineffective, allowing that thing to continue rampaging would likely not end well. So, I roughly pushed them away with [Ground Crash]. The top of the castle wall shook tremendously, but thanks to my carefully controlling my power, it didn¡¯t copse or anything. I achieved my goal. > [Show me your Nightmare.] However, that Demon sure was persistent. Some of the fog, which had receded at their gesture, took on a particr form. Like dry ice spreading gently over a stage, what had calmly dispersed over the castle wall soon spread evenly and horizontally into the air all around where the wall didn¡¯t restrain it. If the intention was to make where the roof began and ended indistinguishable, this was quite an extraordinary feat. > [Yes, this is how it should be.] Although, it didn¡¯t seem like that was what the Great Demon had aimed for. >¡ºBrother.¡» ¡°¡­!¡± A figure emerged from the smoke in the air, taking on a more defined form and color, slowly licking its lips. I, who was about to attack the Demon once more, screeched to a halt. >¡ºSon.¡» Even more figures appeared around me, not just that one. There was a girl who looked about six or seven years old, a middle-aged man, and a woman of simr age. Next, a man and woman who looked to be around Deb¡¯s and the Inquisitor¡¯s age appeared. >¡ºWhy¡­ Why is it only you¡­¡» But¡­ Well, who the hell were they? As I looked at them, with their empty, pitch-ck eye sockets and blood oozing from their mouths, I couldn¡¯t help but sweat profusely. Even without these special effects, how could I recognize them when I seriously didn¡¯t know who they were? They didn¡¯t feel even the slightest bit familiar, more like strangers from a distant past or something. > [How does it feel, surviving all on your own after leaving your family to die?] What? Family? >¡ºWhy is it only you¡­?¡» >¡ºBrother, it¡¯s so cold here¡­¡» >¡ºWhy, why did you leave us behind¡­¡» They were supposed to be my family?! >¡ºWe also wanted to live.¡» >¡ºWhy are you the only one who survived?¡» ¡­Ah, right. It wasing back to me now, albeit rather vaguely. They looked somewhat like the people I had seen in the opening video. Urgh, I knew that I had nothing to do with this, so why did it feel like a dagger had been stabbed through my chest? I hardened my face as I saw these false figures approach. The Great Demon probably thought I was shocked because of what it did¡­ But that wasn¡¯t it. Not at all. >¡ºSon.¡» No, I just didn¡¯t expect it to bring up this character¡¯s family. Of course, had they brought out my real parents, this would have been a different story. Anyway. ¡°Fa¡­ ther.¡± Even if my inner thoughts werepletely different, I couldn¡¯t show them on the surface. I squeezed my lips together hard, and made my eyes seem bloodshot. It was more than obvious that my character was supposed to harbor immense guilt for being the sole survivor of his whole family. >¡ºBrother¡­¡» ¡°Irena¡­¡± Was my youngest sister¡¯s name Irena? Urgh, I felt like I messed up. I was praying that the Great Demon didn¡¯t notice. With those thoughts in mind, I grabbed my face with the hand that wasn¡¯t holding the sword and cried out. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± Normally, now would have been the perfect time to fall to my knees and be swallowed up by despair, but since there was no one around me to help me out, I decided to skip that part. No, I mean, depending on the interpretation, my character might see this as an insult toward his family, so instead of feeling despair, I could just go with anger. That way, I wouldn¡¯t end up acting out of character. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± Alright, I made up my mind. I gently straightened my hunched back, scratching my face with my fingernails. I was pretty confident that my eyes were currently shing with indomitable determination. My face was already covered in a lot of blood, so I wasn¡¯t sure whether I was shedding tears. ¡°¡­I swore I wouldn¡¯t stop until every Demon¡¯s head wasid out before your graves, yet those damn bastards dare to mock you.¡± > [¡­!] I lifted my sword, the raised corners of my mouth pulling it into a twisted grin as if letting outughter. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father, Mother, my siblings¡­¡± Swish. Immediately after, a jet-ck de sliced through the illusions and even tore through the Great Demon, who had been behind them. Of course, that, too, was just an illusion. > [Oh, decided to kill your family again, huh?] ¡°Until my dying breath, I shall remain the eternal avenger.¡± > [What poor, pitiful souls¡­ to be abandoned twice by their kin whom they trusted most¡­] Regardless of what the Demon said, I replenished the Arcane Power in my sword with a smiling yet tearful expression on my face. ¡°Death to all Demons crawling on thisnd.¡± Snap. A liquid of unknown origin ran down my cheek and dripped from my chin. > [How strange.] Having realized their tactics weren¡¯t working, the Great Demon regathered their ck particles. They didn¡¯t show even the slightest hint of regret, as if it didn¡¯t matter whether this worked. That was kind of annoying. > [This should have been enough to infuriate him, yet it doesn¡¯t seem like Gretchen is stimted by this at all¡­] I had no idea what they were talking about. Were they trying to make me feel wrath rather than despair? Gretchen, were they trying to stimte the Demon inside of me? Was he stimted every time I felt ¡®wrath¡¯?¡­ I was already reluctant to get angry because of that Rage skill, but now I was even more hesitant. What could possibly make me angry here? > [You.] At that moment, the Demon suddenly reared their head at me. I reflexively swung my sword to split their body, but it was still nothing more than an illusion. > [What kind of contract did you make with Gretchen?] ¡­It was annoying enough to have that thing hovering around so close to my face, but right now, I was thinking their name should be changed from ¡®Sloth¡¯ to ¡®Bullshit¡¯. How could I make a contract with a Demon who only existed within the confines of the setting? ¡°Die.¡± > [Hmm.] That aside, I had no reason to continue listening to their nonsense. I swung my sword once more, and yet again, it passed through their body. This was getting annoying. No, seriously, this was a bit much, right? How could I even hit that thing? No matter whether I swung my Arcane Power-imbued sword or tore it apart with my bare hands, they just kept dispersing into dust. I tried to grab them, but they slipped right through my fingers. In my desperation, I even used [Bombard] on them, but it only affected the Demons flying around us. Could it be that they could only be killed using Divine Power? Or were they the type of enemy that couldn¡¯t be killed right now?? I tried all sorts of skills to wound the Great Demon somehow, but everything just passed through them. Nothing seemed to work. My only constion in all this was that I could disrupt their attacks with just a couple of gestures. It wasn¡¯t a big constion, though. > [Not this, not that, either.] However, the problem was that the Great Demon wasn¡¯t really attacking me anymore. Rather than directly attacking me, that thing only showed me various illusions made from that dust. Many scenes rted to my character¡¯s past shed by, such as a person with goat horns kneeling before a ck figure. If that was supposed to distress me or something, it certainly didn¡¯t work. I first needed to know the emotional impact of that scene before I could feel any emotion from it, but all I knew about the Demon Knight¡¯s past was just a few sentences. Apart from the incident in which his whole family was massacred, I didn¡¯t know what he had gone through. Moreover, the Great Demon didn¡¯t even show me the whole event in context, just a few scenes. There was no way I could feel any sort of emotion, no matter if it was misery, despair, or wrath, from these images. If there was anything I was troubled by right now, it was the continuous need to act. I felt like my brain was on fire, just trying to figure things out without fully understanding what was happening. Later on, I just attacked wildly as if my head had caught on fire due to excessive anger. > [Strange.] What was so weird about this? Wasn¡¯t it already torture enough that I had to y along with that bastard¡¯s weird y while unable to inflict even the slightest damage on them? > [I know your kind well. Easily sumbing to indiscriminate anger, self-loathing, and despair. Even after oveing your Nightmares, you just end up creating more for yourself.] By this point, shouldn¡¯t the Archmage or the Inquisitor have felt any diforting from this ce ande up to help me? Please, someone, just defeat this damn mob. Help me. > [But all your Nightmares seem to be based on just the past and show no signs of change.] Please. > [As if they aren¡¯t your Nightmares at all.] Uwaaaargh! Who even cared whether they were my nightmares?! Being stuck fighting this goddamn unbeatable mob for who knows how long was the real nightmare here! > [Even if you somehow split your personality in two, it wouldn¡¯t be like this.] You are my damn nightmare, you bastard!! Chapter 103: Existence (5) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 103 Existence (5) > [Ah.] Maybe it would be better for me just to leave this damn Demon behind and go somewhere else. If the Inquisitor wasn¡¯ting, I might as well go to her first. Just as I was entertaining that thought, the Great Demon turned their head, their gaze fixed on the downtown area where a fight appeared to have broken out. > [Looks like I can¡¯t y around with you anymore.] y? aaaay? Sure, from that bastard¡¯s perspective, it wasn¡¯t too strange for him to call this ying with me since he¡¯d been watching me struggle all this time, but this was so infuriating. I felt positively furious! I couldn¡¯t show my rage on my face, but seriously, this was so irritating! ¡°You bastard¡­!¡± > [Looks like even the limits of the nested Nightmares granted to the sacrifices have been reached. Haah. They just keep nagging but nevere forward themselves. What the hell? I already lost a whole bunch of Demons I had been gathering up for decades now.] He let slip some important clues there, mentioning nested nightmares and gathering Demons, but I was more irritated by something else. > [It¡¯d be too much of a loss for me to let my main body actually descend, right? Yeah. I¡¯m not even a good matchup for this Hero, and Gretchen is also like this, so what¡¯s even the point of descending? It¡¯s better just to get nagged again.] You, youuu. I only failed to inflict any damage because this was a story event, but things will be very different next time. No matter whether you hid your main body somewhere or something else, the moment the invincibility buff granted by the plot is released, you¡¯ll seriously¡­! > [No, maybe it¡¯s better now that their advancement has been blocked? Well, even if the front lines widen, that only leaves more ces to worry about. Maintaining the status quo might be the best option. Yeah, widening the front lines wouldn¡¯t stop the humans from continuing to struggle.] I swung my sword again. I had been swinging my sword at them the whole time, but this time, I¡¯d imbued it with even more Arcane Power. ng. The sound of metal echoed faintly in my ears as the sword was sent flying. > [Now, please pass on exactly what you just heard to themander. Hmm? I¡¯m more than fine with the current situation, so we should just leave it at that. By the way, why don¡¯t you just let Gretchen out? That way, I won¡¯t have to deal with any consequences.] ¡°You trash¡ª¡± > [I¡¯ll be happy that I can ck off, and you¡¯ll be happy that you managed to push me back. It¡¯s a win-win for all of us.] Swish! As expected, it didn¡¯t work. I grimaced as I watched the fog start to dissipate before me. Even though I could see some remaining Demons had been cut down in my rage amidst the fog, that didn¡¯t change anything. > [You got it? Make sure to pass it on.] If not for this guy, I could have killed so many more Demons and saved so many more people¡­! I couldn¡¯t even use [Evasive Counterattack] because that bastard wasn¡¯t attacking me directly. This was just ridiculous! Swoosh! I swung my sword again at the slowly dissolving dust in the air. Naturally, it didn¡¯t work. The swirling ck dust fog disappeared entirely from my sight. Clink. At the same time, I heard something break. ¡°Bastard¡­!¡± Hmm, that sounded pretty serious, but since the sword didn¡¯t break outright, I could always check on itter. With that in mind, I looked around a bit more. Everything was still the same. There was only me, who¡¯d barely held it together mentally, the winding-down battle atop the castle wall, and the ongoing fierce defensive battle inside the city center. That Great Demon bastard. They¡¯d really pushed it¡­! ¡°Damn it¡­!¡± As soon as the Great Demon disappeared, I rushed toward the approaching Gargoyle and fiercely shed at it. I was even more annoyed that I didn¡¯t have enough Arcane Power to rush to the city center after using it all up in myst attack. Furthermore, I couldn¡¯t even properly vent my anger because [Rage] might activate! ¡°Uwaaargh!¡± ¡°S-Save me!¡± ¡°Hold on!¡± However, even though I was really angry¡­ It might be almost over, but the fight wasn¡¯t finished yet, as many people were still fighting against the Demons. Clenching my teeth, I killed the Demons still clinging to the castle wall. Not only did I not have enough Arcane Power to go to the city center, but the two Sandworms, which were the biggest problem, were already dead. I didn¡¯t know who killed them, but it seemed like it would be fine for me to just focus on this ce first. ¡°Move aside!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± The fight that had been briefly halted immediately resumed. That Kankan and Deb had disappeared somewhere, the reason the Inquisitor hadn¡¯te to save me, and that what had broken just now was the seal on my forearm were things I would hear about after the battle on the wall had been sorted out. * * * Meanwhile, while the Demon Knight was still battling the Great Demon, Deathbringer tried to run away after seeing the city wall filled with ck fog. Even if he tried to join in, it probably wouldn¡¯t do much to improve the Demon Knight¡¯s safety, so if he couldn¡¯t do that, shouldn¡¯t he at least call for some help, no matter whether it was the Inquisitor or the Archmage? However, the moment he was about to leave, something happened behind him that stopped him in his tracks. Leaving aside the nearby Demons he couldn¡¯t do anything against, the fight between Kankan and the Martial King was going far too one-sidedly for him to ignore, precisely as it had in the arena. ¡°Not by you!¡± ¡°Damn it.¡± Deathbringer saw Kankan already bleeding profusely from just a few blows. If things continued like this, Kankan would undoubtedly get killed before he could even reach the wall. And if the Martial King were given free reign, he would undoubtedly massacre those who went to hunt the Sandworms. He didn¡¯t know what measures they¡¯d taken, but traitors like the Martial King were somehow not being targeted by the Demons. Furthermore, if those blocking their way disappeared, the Sandworms would head straight for the shelter¡­ If that happened, even if the people on the frontlines survived, the city would inevitably copse. The soldiers and fighters were those fighting on the frontlines, but the regr citizens were the driving force behind the city¡¯s maintenance. The traitors? If the frontlines copsed, they¡¯d have yed their role perfectly. Even if he didn¡¯t know what manner of deal they¡¯d made with the Demons, they likely left some kind of escape route open for themselves. That meant they could shamelessly live on even after destroying this whole city. He couldn¡¯t stand that thought. Deathbringer gritted his teeth as he plunged his de into the mouth of the Olgoi-Khorkhoi charging at him. He absolutely despised the wicked who were allowed to escape judgment without any consequences. ¡°Mister, you can hold on, right? I believe in you.¡± The Demon Knight¡­ He would be fine. Although he¡¯d realized the man was only mortal because of what happened not too long ago, he now had no choice but to act like this. He had to believe in the Demon Knight¡¯s strength. Or he had to believe that the Inquisitor or the Archmage had noticed something was going on and woulde to help him. ¡°I¡¯ll just kill one more person, and then I¡¯ll go.¡± With that, he picked up a sword and shield. Holding his breath, he hid his body in the shadows. Even when Kankan had one of his arms cut off, even when the other fighters attacking the Martial King in Kankan¡¯s stead were killed, even when a Demon appeared right next to him, and even the moment when a Sandworm destroyed the building standing next to him¡­ He kept himself melded with the surrounding darkness, bing nothing more than a mere shadow. And right as Kankan shed with the Martial King once more with what strength he had left, Deathbringer stepped out of the shadows and precisely stabbed the Martial King in the back, his sword stained with something unknown. ¡°Urgh!¡± He had to stab diagonally due to the height difference, but that was actually better. He used all his strength to force the sword past the liver to reach the lungs. The de, skillfully avoiding the ribs, cut into the man¡¯s flesh before he twisted it and pulled it out. It was a merciless strike intended topletely end the opponent¡¯s life. ¡°Ergh, huff.¡± Instead of words, the Martial King¡¯s mouth produced only wheezing, exhale-like sounds. It was clear evidence that his attack had been sessful. ¡°Dodge!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Yet, despite suffering this much damage, the Martial King still seemed to have energy left. While exchanging blows with Kankan, the Martial King slightly twisted his hip and swung his fist backward without retreating. He was trying to hit Deathbringer without moving away. Kankan noticed what he was doing and shouted out. Bang! He tried pulling away, but it was toote: the Martial King¡¯s arm struck his chest heavily, sending his body rolling. ¡°Tsk.¡± He barely regained his bnce amidst the scattered debris and the sand-covered floor after rolling around like a wheel. He grabbed the area where he¡¯d been hit. ¡°¡­Damn it, did he crack my ribs?¡± He¡¯d prepared to retreat regardless of whether his attack was sessful. In fact, he¡¯d moved right as he pulled out the de, yet he¡¯d still managed to get hit. He didn¡¯t know whether it was anger or tenacity driving the Martial King to such heights. Seeing how obviously in pain he was, even with how things were, that monster seemed to have at least taken some damage. ¡°Die!¡± Fortunately, Kankan gave him some time to catch his breath. He was fiercely attacking the Martial King, who¡¯d had one of his vital organs stabbed. He seemed to believe he wouldn¡¯t get any more opportunities if he missed this one gap. ¡°I told you not to interfere!¡± However, the Martial King was as strong as he was. By some means, he regained his breath and met Kankan¡¯s sword. He was a disgustingly resilient bastard. Or maybe, did he gain some sort of benefit from the deal he¡¯d made with the Demons? Otherwise, a regr person wouldn¡¯tst long after having their vital organs stabbed. ¡°I won¡¯t fall until I stop you!¡± Honestly, his opponent wasn¡¯t easy, either. Despite appearing to struggle at a distance, those two kept fighting even after one had his arm severed and the other had his lungs stabbed. Even if they both could use Arcane Power, wasn¡¯t this a bit too much? They truly were something else. ¡°Just stall for some time, Mister Red Mane!¡± Well, even if they differed from him, it wouldn¡¯t matter much. Unless the Martial King¡¯s innards were made of steel, the poison would definitely work on him. He threw several daggers their way instead of the stained sword he¡¯d used earlier. Rather than waiting for another opportunity, he decided to interfere directly while he still had the chance. ¡°You little rat!¡± As expected, the Martial King easily brushed off Kankan and deflected the daggers. It didn¡¯t really matter. ¡°Did you know this rat had poison on his ws?¡± The poison had been on the sword he¡¯d ambushed with, not those daggers. ¡°It¡¯s poison obtained from the monitor lizard of the Great Forest of Chiria. Not sure if you know about it.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Not many toxins acted instantly, and considering that the opponent used Arcane Power, it might take even longer. But even that Arcane Power would soon reach its limits. Though not the most expensive poison, once inflicted, it would lead to certain death. ¡°Within an hour, half your organs will have dissolved, and within a day, you¡¯ll be dead. Your blood vessels will corrode, your bleeding will intensify, and your muscle tissue and flesh will slowly rot away.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°In other words, you¡¯re screwed. You bastard.¡± It was only a matter of time. The Martial King would definitely die. * * * * * * ¡°You little¡ª cough!¡± Seeing the Martial King spit out blood, he threw another dagger. Even now, he was truly formidable, sessfully blocking both the dagger and Kankan, who was actively aiming for any gaps, while in this condition. ¡°Y-You think I¡¯m going to die like this?¡± Although his head should¡¯ve started spinning from the internal bleeding, his sturdy legs remained firmly on the ground. His will to live certainly was strong, even if he was unworthy of living. ¡°I won¡¯t die. I¡¯ll never die!¡± ¡°What are you saying? Just die alr¡ª¡± Deathbringer¡¯s eyes suddenly widened as he saw the Martial King swallow something. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to use this here, but¡­!¡± Then, something like the ck vortex he¡¯d seen around the walls began to emanate from the Martial King. It didn¡¯t just flow out of him but also seemed to absorb into the floor around him. ¡°You guys can¡¯t drag me down in this ce!¡± It even took on a particr form. ¡°I-I won¡¯t fall¡­!¡± The Arena? No, that wasn¡¯t it. While simr to an arena, it looked different from the one in this city. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°From my hometown¡­?¡± The somewhat primitive form of an arena, plus Kankan¡¯s words, gave him an inkling of what this was. However, what was important was why it had appeared here like this. >¡ºLoser.¡» ¡°That¡¯s¡­!¡± There was even a figure standing atop the newly created stage saying some words. ¡°I won¡¯t lose¡ª!¡± The Martial King roared thunderously. Then, the figure shattered into pieces. Even his face, which had hinted that he was slowly dying from the poison, regained its color for some reason. He seemed like a wailing ghost. ¡°Kill them!¡± aang! To make matters worse, he began using the Demons around him. The Demons that had previously stayed back due to the Martial King¡¯s presence now came flying toward them. ¡°Just die already¡­!¡± ¡°Get out of here!¡± ¡°Then you get out of here. There¡¯s no way to escape now!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll buy you some time, so run!¡± Buy time? What a load of crap. Even if both his arms were intact, how much time could he buy? Plus, even if he managed to buy enough time, what would be the point? The Demons were tantly targeting them, so did they really have any chance of properly escaping? ¡°Ah, shit!¡± He didn¡¯t know anymore. They might have at least had a chance if they were only facing the Martial King. Bang! But still, moving would at least be much better than staying put. Deathbringer dodged the Gargoyle approaching him. As it poured down mes on him, it scorched the ground and singed his cloak, along with the tip of his tail peeking out. At least he managed to avoid bing a whole roasted piece of meat. ng. Craaack! ¡­However, that didn¡¯t mean all the danger had disappeared. ¡°Uwargh!¡± He stepped onto the debris of the broken building nearby, climbing on top of the pile. The reason was that Olgoi-Khorkhoi could burrow through most types of soil but would take a bit longer to get through rocks, and they couldn¡¯t break through iron at all. Of course, flying-type Demons would target him even more, but at least he could see theming and evade, right? Though it was a bit narrow for three people to fight well on top of. ¡°Hey, get out of there!!¡± ¡°Are you crazy?! Why are you dragging that thing over here!¡± ¡°Even the Martial King¡¯ll get crushed by that!¡± ¡°Are you saying we should also just get crushed to death, then?!¡± Even the Sandworm that had previously gone off in a different direction returned, smashing through buildings as it made its way back. There was no way those cries were sincere. However, amidst the chaos of those who¡¯d seemingly failed to kill the Sandworm scattering in all directions, his attention was drawn to thoseing his way. ¡°Damn it!¡± The Martial King¡¯s death was inevitable, so he¡¯d tried to stop Kankan from sacrificing himself and dying in the process, but then this had to happen. Demons were simply a bad matchup for him. They were just too good at creating unnecessary variables and, to hisst move, always ended up destroying everything. Deathbringer pondered his options, clicking his tongue. Interfering in their fight, grabbing Kankan, and running away was out of the question. It was utterly impossible for him to carry someone so bulky and still run away quickly. Besides, the Martial King wouldn¡¯t just let them go willingly. So, should he take out the Sandworm? But how? Even if he trusted in his de¡¯s performance and stabbed it, considering its size, it would be nothing more than a prick to that thing. ¡°I¡¯m sick and tired of leaving myrades to die¡­!¡± He kept thinking. Should he try stabbing the Martial King again? ¡°That¡¯s a good attitude to have.¡± Suddenly, the head of the Demon nearing him shattered into pieces, scattering in all directions. The shadow looming over the road was as massive as ever, to the point where it was unbelievable that they were actually of the nd tribe. ¡°I came all the way here to have a talk, but given the circumstances, that might be a bit difficult. You seem to be in quite a hurry to act here, so how about just killing that guy?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Deathbringer pursed his lips slightly as he saw who was standing before him. He felt a vague sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu, seeing this personpletely covered in blood, as if they had just been in a fierce battle, and the corpse of a Sandworm visible behind them. ¡°Instead, I¡¯ll make sure the other Demons won¡¯t disturb you and somehow distract that guy over there. Will that work?¡± ¡°¡­If I can''t handle this after you serve him to me on a silver tter, I should just die, damn it.¡± However, there was no time to think about where he¡¯d seen that scene before. He blurted out that it would be possible before assessing the situation any further. The other person grinned. It was an elegant smile, like a magnolia weing spring. ¡°Great.¡± And soon, the nature of that smile changed. It seemed like a sign, like the first note yed on a guitar signifying the start of a performance, or a p announcing the change of scene. Her crescent eyes fiercely opened wide, and her lips, which had curved softly, stretched into a wide grin, taking on the shape of a madman¡¯s smile. ¡°Then, let this Berserk ughter those Demon bastards!¡± The hand not holding the halberd grabbed the head of an iing Gargoyle and mmed it into the ground. Her wild voice, bouncing around the surroundings along with the sound of flesh getting crushed, even reached that person stubbornly clutching Kankan¡¯s neck. ¡°So, show that loser his ce! You¡¯re still a loser, and you¡¯ll always be a loser!¡± ¡°You¡­!¡± The Martial King¡¯s eyes opened wide. That was the first time something had truly caught his attention. Chapter 104: Existence (6) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 104 Existence (6) ¡°I-I¡­!¡± The primitive arena that had manifested around the Martial King began to tremble. Although he wasn¡¯t sure about the reason behind this, it was undoubtedly nothing good for the Martial King. What was bad for the enemy was an opportunity for him. ¡°I¡¯m not a loser!¡± The Martial King threw Kankan aside and turned toward the Deathbringer. He didn¡¯t know whether Kankan was alive or dead, but that wasn¡¯t important at the moment. What mattered now was not wasting this opportunity that Kankan had bought them by stalling for time. ¡°You sure talk a lot for a loser who isn¡¯t even a warrior anymore!¡± With that, Deathbringer quietly moved forward under the protection¡ªkind of¡ªof Berserk. With the Demons and even the Martial King focused on her, no one would pay his movements any attention. ¡°I! I¡¯m not¡ª!¡± ¡°Hah, Berserk doesn¡¯t waste her time on the weak!¡± Berserk simply let out a snort,pletely disregarding the Martial King. There was still a chance the attention would shift toward him, but it didn¡¯t. Although it was difficult to tell whether she was sincere or just trying to provoke him, her words had an outstanding effect on him. ¡°Where are you going? Come back here right now!¡± As she approached the Sandworm, seemingly wholly unconcerned with the Martial King, he furiously leaped forward. ¡°Face me, face me right this instant!¡± ¡°Hey, get lost! That Demon¡¯s mine!¡± This seemed like the perfect example of unrequited love. Deathbringer controlled his breathing and rxed his body, observing the Martial King. His skin was flushed red with anger, but his mouth was closed like a m, and his limbs merely trembled without moving an inch further. This showed beneath the anger and jealousy, therey a deep-seated fear and a sense of impending defeat. ¡°Berserk!!!¡± The reason was unclear, but did it matter? Many people became the head of a snake because they didn¡¯t want to be the tail of a dragon. Yet because hecked strength, the Martial King had resorted to all sorts of tricks just to be the head of the snake, unlike the person standing confidently before him as someone who¡¯d be the head of a dragon without using any sort of tricks. Crash! In the meantime, Berserk was shing with the Sandworm. She tore through its body and smashed its head in with her halberd, a sight worthy of putting her in the ranks of superhumans. ¡°¡­!!¡± And precisely because of that, a certain someone couldn¡¯t help feeling even more agitated. It was only natural that small fish would get eaten if they tried to swim with the big fish. If one couldn¡¯t ept one¡¯s limits, one would inevitably be frustrated and carried away by their own emotions. Swoosh. And the moment emotions were allowed to cloud judgment, the Martial King could no longer be considered his opponent. Anyway, If he didn¡¯t seize this opportunity after the whole table had been set for him, wouldn¡¯t he bring shame to the name ¡®Deathbringer¡¯? Swish. With no one paying him the slightest bit of attention, he finally managed to position himself behind the Martial King. His body, lowered close to the ground so the Demons flying in the sky couldn¡¯t detect him, seemed like a shadow and moved with controlled precision, even adjusting his extremities so the Olgoi-Khorkhoi couldn¡¯t notice him. His shallow, elongated breaths didn¡¯t even contain heat anymore. ¡°How¡­ How could you¡ª!¡± At that moment, the Martial King could no longer contain his anger and moved forward. It was the moment he¡¯d been waiting for. Deathbringer¡¯s footsteps moved forward, obscured by the Martial King¡¯s ruckus. It wasn¡¯t particrly difficult for him. He had already done this quite often and even used this skill once before when he helped subdue the Demon Knight. Compared to that time, the Martial King seemed almost cute to him. ¡°Berserk!¡± Bam! The Sandworm stopped moving andy still on the ground. Even then, this person who still couldn¡¯t dare challenge Berserk was shouting from a few steps away. ¡°I-I¡¯m¡­!¡± A de that didn¡¯t reflect even a single ray of light was resting against his throat. ¡°What a cowardly loser.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Though the Martial King stepped forward to turn his body, it was already toote. The assassin, who¡¯d failed to anticipate a recovery and missed his first chance, gambled his life once more. Instead of choosing the path of avoidance, he chose the path that ensured his opponent¡¯s death. Without resorting to any tricks or poison, he only had faith that his de could slit his opponent¡¯s throat. ¡°Kurgh!¡± And that belief was rewarded. Although the arm holding the de got caught by the Martial King and he got thrown to the side, blood was spilling down his neck like water from a fountain. Once that point had been reached, there was no way that he would survive, no matter what he did. ¡°Until the very end.¡± The Deathbringer had won. Crack. The false illusions that had spread everywherepletely shattered. ¡°Damn, this hurts like hell¡­¡± He rubbed his body, which had struck the debris of a broken building. He had been thrown into a pile of fragmented rocks, so his back and everything else were throbbing with pain. It was already fortunate enough that his skull hadn¡¯t been smashed in. ¡°Uurgh.¡± Well, the arm the Martial King had grabbed appeared to be broken, though. Deathbringer moved his somewhat okay hand to grab the de he¡¯d dropped when his arm was broken. Bite! Intense pain shot up his leg. ¡°Son of a¡ª!¡± Right, he¡¯d thought he could get through this without being touched by a single Demon. He was actually lucky enough to have not been bitten once so far. Crunch, crunch. However, bing Demon food immediately after oveing such an ordeal felt just too unfair. He grimaced as he looked at the Olgoi-Khorkhoi crawling around him. Even if he could swing his de to kill them, one had already attached itself to his arm. He couldn¡¯t move his arm properly due to its paralysis venom. ¡°Goddamnit¡­¡± Was he fortunate enough that his tongue could still move freely? No, even his tongue seemed to be slowly growing numb and stiff. He squeezed his eyes shut as he saw more Demons gather around to devour him. ¡°What? Already dead?¡± sh! He felt a ssh of fluid from the Demon that had bitten onto his leg, the one on his arm, and the ones swarming toward him. ¡°Sti¡­ ll.¡± He managed to move his eyes slightly. Someone coated in the Demons¡¯ bodily fluids was looking down at him. Behind her was the corpse of a Sandworm as big as a mountain. In that short time, she¡¯d managed to tear apart that powerful Demon. ¡°Al¡­ ive¡­¡± He wondered whether she was holding back herughter or something. Her amber eyes widened. ¡°Hah! Yes, that¡¯s right! The person who brought that loser to his knees shouldn¡¯t be in such a pitiful state! Come on, if you¡¯re alive, get up quickly!¡± Was she crazy? How many people could move their bodies, let alone stand, after being bitten by an Olgoi-Khorkhoi? However, Berserk didn¡¯t have any suchmon sense. She simply grabbed him and pulled him up. His stiffened body was limp like a broken doll, but Berserk held him up with just her strength by gripping him by the back of his neck. ¡°Can¡¯t you just ovee this low-level paralysis poison with your willpower alone?¡± ¡°¡­¡± That person was one to spout nonsense transcending humanity. While the Demon Knight appeared tock sympathy, he wasn¡¯t one to act so recklessly. ¡°Kan¡­ Kan is¡­¡± Nevertheless, she was the one who saved him. Because of that, Deathbringer chose to overlook her ignorance once. The fact that there was an even more urgent matter to attend to right now also yed a part in it. ¡°¡­still¡­ alive.¡± Fortunately, he could still hear Kankan from the other side. He was being supported by someone barely clinging to life, but he was still alive. One could only enjoy victory when still alive to experience it. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go. To¡­ the¡­ rear.¡± And to properly secure the lives they¡¯d barely held onto, they needed to go to where they could find some healers. They retreated to the designated location, tending to their wounds along the way. * * * * * * As it turned out, the Inquisitor¡¯s side was also attacked. Twice, actually. The first time, Deb had noticed and went to help; the second time, it seemed the kimchi dumpling had handled it on her own. While there were no casualties, they had been so busy that they couldn¡¯t afford to help anyone else. Besides, she didn¡¯t even know I was fighting atop the wall. ¡°I should have paid more attention¡­¡± ¡°Be careful. You¡¯ve used too much Divine Power. You should rest now.¡± Moreover, because she had been casting blessings on the whole wall the entire time, this girl looked utterly drained. ming her for not supporting me while she looked like that would make me an extremely bad guy. I just checked whether the Inquisitor was safe and went down. I had something to report to the Archmage. ¡°You¡¯vee at a good time. Did anything happen? Are you okay? But why did youe alone? Did you get hurt, by any chance¡­?¡± ¡°The Great Demon came.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Judging by what I¡¯d seen on my way here, it fortunately seemed like nothing significant had happened here. While some people had tried to intrude, they were all repelled by the barrier. I saw some charred corpses in the hallway where the wizards were positioned, which served as evidence. ¡°What do you mean by that?!¡± However, it was also pretty rming that they hadn¡¯t noticed the Great Demon appearing on the city walls. ¡°I think¡­ I get what you¡¯re trying to say. Seeing that the Great Demon just retreated, there¡¯s a chance they¡¯llunch another attack. You should just stay here, or rather, go to where the Temple¡¯s people are and¡ª¡± ¡°I told you what I had to, so I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± ¡°Wait a minute, where are you going? If you¡¯re thinking of providing support, forget about it. There is no way this Great Demon would hide somewhere obvious. They managed to hide themselves deeply once already; they can always do it again. It¡¯ll be less dangerous for you if you just stay here¡­¡± ¡°Dangerous?¡± I thought about the soldiers andmanders on the front lines, who¡¯d reported that the damage was far less than expected, and the chaos inside the city I¡¯d seen from atop the walls. I even thought about that Demon who said it would be best just to maintain the status quo and that we should leave it at that. ¡°That thing is nothing but a pile of dust made of deceit and lies. Its touch can¡¯t even reach me.¡± ¡°¡­Did you make that judgment on your pride?¡± ¡°¡­I attacked it several times with Arcane Power, but I failed to do any damage to it, either. It was like a mirage.¡± As for maintaining the status quo, well, that had nothing to do with me, so I couldn¡¯t make a decision about that. However, I knew there were certainly casualties because of this fight, even if there were fewer than usual. No matter whether there were fewer than usual, the fact remained that people were injured and killed during all this. So, wouldn''t that be reason enough for me to intervene? Especially since the fight wasn¡¯tpletely over yet, and a few Demons were still flying around. ¡°It mentioned something called a ¡®nested Nightmare¡¯ that it granted to its sacrifices and that they¡¯d reached their limits. We can¡¯t fully trust what a Demon says, but we can¡¯tpletely disregard it, either.¡± ¡°¡­If, as you say, it primarily uses illusions, your attacks don¡¯t work on it, and theirs can¡¯t harm you, then there¡¯s no need for you to waste any more strength on it.¡± Also, there was nothing I could do about that Great Demon. As the Archmage said, I would only waste my energy if I tried to fight it any further. Icked the capabilities to do anything more. It wasn¡¯t like I believed what that Demon said, but I thought if it had any way to cause me any real harm, it would have done so as soon as we encountered each other rather than wait for the next opportunity. ¡°But that¡¯s only if we view this positively. If the Demon were to¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try to tie me down with mere possibilities.¡± I interrupted the Archmage. I appreciated his concern, but this was just a bit too excessive. Had we considered these possibilities, we wouldn¡¯t havee to thisnd in the first ce. ¡°¡­It said it wants to maintain the status quo, but that probably isn¡¯t true. We should remain cautious.¡± ¡°¡­I see. Understood. I¡¯ll be on guard against any further invasions.¡± Once I made my position clear, the Archmage ultimately relented. However, that didn¡¯t mean that he just let me go easily. He tried to object again when I mentioned that the seal had broken. Had I not passed on some more information about the Great Demon and stubbornly insisted, he likely would have locked me up, one way or another. Even so, I couldn¡¯t avoid him telling me to only go out with the seal. Anyway. Even if he hadn¡¯t asked me to do that, I would have had to rece the seal anyway. Considering I got permission to go out in return, it wasn¡¯t such a bad exchange. Now, no one could say anything. * * * ¡°H-How did you¡­?¡± I arrived at the rear, located beyond the city center. ¡°Get to the infirmary.¡± While crossing the city, I quickly ushered some people I picked up on the way to the infirmary. ¡°Have you seen a dark green-haired Curety or Red Mane?¡± I learnedter what those two did. I heard that Deb went off to find the traitors and left the city wall with Kankan. They¡¯d probably been searching through thest defense line, but now that it had copsed, if they weren¡¯t hiding in some building, they were most likely somewhere around here. If anything, I at least needed to know whether they were still alive. ¡°Ah, those guys. I saw them heading to the infirmary earlier.¡± The infirmary? Right, even though they went inside the city, tons of Demons were rampaging about, so they could have gotten hurt¡­ ¡°Are their injuries serious?¡± ¡°Uhm, quite¡­¡± If even the civilians who¡¯de forward to treat the wounded could remember them, how badly had they been hurt? I walked quickly to the infirmary. It was a bit difficult to find them with so many injured people there, but thanks to Deb noticing me first, I didn¡¯t have to look around for too long. ¡°Ah¡­ Mister, you were safe after all.¡± But why was Deb¡¯s arm like that? Why was it in a splint? And why were there bloodied bandages around his leg? I thought he might have gotten injured, but I expected it would have been just a scratch¡­! Wait, what was that on his face? Was that Demonic Erosion?! Had he been bitten by a Demon?!!? ¡°I was a little worried when I saw that ck mist, but fortunately, it doesn¡¯t seem like you¡¯re injured.¡± I looked beside Deb, who was smiling. There was Kankan, whose entire body was wrapped in bandages and missing an arm. I clenched my fists. If even Kankan ended up like this, there was no way Deb could have been safe. That was probably also why his arm got broken. Did that mean the meat dumpling almost died while I was ying around with the Great Demon on the city wall? Really? ¡°Erm, Mister.¡± Of course, unless it was part of the plot, they wouldn¡¯t just kill off one of my teammates. It wasn¡¯t my fault that I had been tied up in that situation before. I mean, was there even a single person who would just leave the boss monster be and randomly go somewhere else? There was always the chance of them attacking the moment you left them alone, and you could never know when they might transition to a new phase or something. But still. ¡°Are you angry¡­?¡± Still, it bothered me. Even more so because I hadn¡¯t seen them, especially Deb, who was on the somewhat weaker side, getting injured and suffering so much. And although you couldn¡¯t say we were, Kankan also ended up losing his arm and would now suffer from a permanent disability. ¡°Mister?¡± I didn¡¯t remember the Inquisitor, who was suffering from overusing her Divine Power, having any part of her body broken, at least. How dare these trash mobs touch one of my dear teammates, whom I¡¯ve be somewhat attached to over the past few months¡­! ¡°Erm, ah! If you¡¯re worried about the Demonic Erosion, there¡¯s no need. They have enough medicine here, but the situation is fairly severe right now, so they just dyed the administration¡­¡± That punk thought I was worried about that? I was just annoyed that he went off somewhere and got himself hurt. Flutter. ¡°Wh-Where are you going?¡± However, since my character setting wouldn¡¯t let my emotions show on my face, I turned sharply on my heels. Actually, I started thinking I should keep my distance more from now on. I mean, my setting was that I didn¡¯t want anyone around me, but if I got angry simply because someone got hurt, what would be the point of all this? ¡°Mister?¡± I left the room Deb was in and walked into the city. ¡°Oh! So, you¡¯ve survived, as well!¡± Just so you know, there was no special reason for this. It was just that this Great Demon rekindled my hatred for Demons, and leaving that thing alone would absolutely go against my settings. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Get lost.¡± A-Anyway, that¡¯s how it was. ¡°Berserk just asked you where you¡¯re going, though.¡± Yeah, that was none of my business. I casually brushed past Berserk, who I happened toe across, as if swatting away an annoying fly and crossed the defensive line. Someone tried to stop me, but they appeared to just be pretending for some reason and ended up letting me through. ¡°Aha, you¡¯re going out to hunt Demons! Alright, as a Norda warrior, I can¡¯t miss out on something like that. Berserk ising, too!¡± It was time to clean up all the rats in the city. Chapter 105: Existence (7) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 105 Existence (7) ¡°It looks like you¡¯vepletely cleaned up the city. While I can''t say that this was a wise decision¡­ Good work. Thanks to you, losses have been minimized.¡± The two of us spent the whole night hunting Demons in the city. The rescue team that joined uster also killed some, but the number was iparable to those we¡¯d hunted. The path we¡¯d taken was littered with Demon corpses. ¡°It seems the Great Demon didn''t reappear. Thank goodness. I was worried they might be plotting something back there since it''s been so quiet around here.¡± The reason for that was pretty simple. While not overlypetitive, my character had so much pride that it could pierce the skies. And when Berserk, who was endlessly aggressive and unyielding by nature, was added to the mix, the answer was more than evident. Wepeted fiercely over who could kill a Demon first or who would kill the most. As a result, we ended up spending the whole night killing those things without any rest. ¡°Except for those with serious injuries, most of the injured have regained consciousness after being treated. Now it¡¯s time to repair the wall and buildings¡­ Thanks to you, we no longer have to worry about the Demons.¡± I¡¯d be lying if I said it hadn¡¯t been exhausting. However, hearing that our efforts sessfully reduced everyone else¡¯s suffering was enough to satisfy me. Honestly, the fatigue wasn¡¯t the most difficult to deal with, but Berserk¡¯s wild shouts and roaring challenges¡ªsomething like: ¡°Wahaha,e at me!¡±¡ªall night long seriously strained my ears. ¡°Good job.¡± Anyway, I turned my head slightly while listening to the Archmage¡¯s words. I didn¡¯t do it specifically for the Archmage, so he didn¡¯t need to thank me; that¡¯s what this was supposed to mean. Seeing this, rather than smiling contentedly, the Archmage sighed softly. He reacted a bit differently from before. Had he been worried? ¡°Ah, heree the bodies.¡± The people who¡¯d gone out for repairs returned with corpseden carts. They were all civilians who¡¯d volunteered for this, all wearing thick boots to prevent Olgoi-Khorkhoi bites. ¡°What a mess¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s how it is in the rear. Hardly any there died cleanly.¡± Most of the bodies were torn apart or mangled due to Demon attacks. It was unavoidable, given how many were devoured by Olgoi-Khorkhoi or crushed by the Sandworms. As for those who¡¯d died after bing Demons due to Demonic Erosion¡­ Even if their limbs were intact, they weren¡¯t pleasant to look at either due to the Demonization they¡¯d been undergoing. ¡°The faces of those guys arepletely smashed. It¡¯ll be impossible for us to find out who they were¡­¡± ¡­For the record, that wasn¡¯t my fault. Not to me the others here, but I certainly killed them very cleanly! ¡°It¡¯s the Martial King!¡± ¡°The Martial King? He¡¯s dead?!¡± ¡°The Martial King is dead?!¡± At that moment, a corpse with its head half cut off was unloaded from one of the carts. It was a dark-skinned member of the Curety race. I couldn¡¯t really tell, but judging by the reactions of those around me, that appeared to be the Martial King. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you heard, but it would seem the Martial King really made a deal with the Demons. Since we have many eyewitness ounts of him using some strange powers, no one will be able to cover up this incident.¡± With the corpsesid before us, the Archmage spoke up again. It seemed like he knew that I hadn¡¯t heard about that yet. More importantly, hmm. We¡¯d originally nned to find some ws in the Martial King, ruin his career, and have him punished¡­ But that¡¯s just how the world worked. At least he didn¡¯t die a hero. With how many criminals I¡¯d already sent off, I shouldn¡¯t care too much about the Martial King¡¯s judgment, but at least this was better than nothing. ¡°As Demons are involved, the Lord can¡¯t avoid an investigation. Ignorance also won¡¯t absolve him of responsibility. In the process of investigation, I believe the murder concealment will also be uncovered.¡± On another note, I wondered why he was telling me about all this. I wasn¡¯t particrly interested in that stuff. ¡°As soon as this bes known, not only will he have to pay a fine amounting to half his fortune, but he¡¯ll also lose his status. If this were any other region, he''d just get dismissed without even a need to look into this any further, but the circumstances of this ce are a bit different.¡± This kind ofeuppance is something any person would apud, but it didn¡¯t exactly matter much to my character. It wasn¡¯t any of his business, after all. ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± Ah, he wasn¡¯t talking to me, huh? I quickly nced at Deb, who¡¯d suddenly spoken up. The signs of Demonic Erosion had disappearedpletely, perhaps because he¡¯d taken some medicine after I left. His arm was still in a splint, but the Inquisitor said she would treat him once she had time. ¡°He covered up someone¡¯s death and only gets dismissed?¡± ¡°Concealment of a crime isn¡¯t punished that harshly. You¡¯re already aware of that, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Someone who hid something as bad as murder wouldn¡¯t have just stopped at that! He must have been involved in plenty more, so if they just investigate him further¡­!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a possibility. However, this isn¡¯t under our jurisdiction, nor do we have the luxury to look into this further. You also know that.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± The Archmage spoke quietly while stroking over his staff. ¡°Our job is to stop the Demon Worshipers and exterminate Demons, not to rid thisnd of corruption. That is up to the people of thisnd.¡± ¡°¡­But.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. It¡¯s frustrating, I know. How couldn''t I know that there¡¯s nothing more infuriating than having to overlook a criminal¡¯s actions? As much as I¡¯d like to, we can¡¯t take care of every city or person¡¯s issue wee across.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you mention this before? It¡¯s easier to clearly divide what we can and can¡¯t do to help. I know it¡¯s hard, but you have to ept it. Anything more is beyond our capabilities.¡± ¡°¡­I got it.¡± Deb didn¡¯t look entirely convinced. He seemed to have some problem with the Lord, and knowing the Thief¡¯s back story, I knew precisely what nerve this situation touched. While what the Archmage said wasn¡¯t wrong, I couldn¡¯t really side with him, either. ¡°Thank you for understanding.¡± ¡°¡­No need for that.¡± ¡°Well, thank you anyway.¡± Still, it was fortunate that the Archmage was good with his words. If he hadn¡¯t been in our party, we all would have been in real trouble. ¡°That aside, it¡¯s rather unfortunate. We came all the way here, traveling for at least four months, to recruit some talents, but those we thought were talented individuals turned out to be sinful traitors. But that doesn¡¯t mean we can just hire someone who isn¡¯t up to par¡­¡± tantly trying to change the subject, the Archmage brought up something else. Considering our purpose foring to this city, it was something that needed to be brought up at some point. As someone who knew Berserk was around, I felt a bit nervous. Was Berserk not even on the Archmage¡¯s radar or something? Despite my not actively wanting to encourage Berserk to join us, her skills certainly weren¡¯tcking. Was it because of her personality that he didn¡¯t even consider her from the start? ¡°Uhm. well. There is one decent person, though.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± At that moment, Deb cautiously interjected. Although his expression did not change drastically, I could clearly see howplicated his emotions were. ¡°Uhm, I mean¡­ She caught a Sandworm solo, you know? Taking that into consideration, her skill level seems to be pretty decent¡­¡± ¡°Ooh, someone skilled enough to kill a Sandworm alone. Seeing that you mentioned her, there¡¯s no need to worry about her being a traitor. Is there any other issue?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± I could guess the reason for his hesitation. Would it be too narrow-minded to bring it up? ¡°Well, not really. I¡¯ll tell you after I be more certain.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s how you see it, then so be it. Just let me know once you¡¯ve confirmed everything. I guess we can wait a little longer to prepare for any further invasions¡­ Though the likelihood of that seems quite low, to be honest.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Fortunately, Deb didn¡¯t mention that name. Well, I wasn¡¯t even sure if he meant her, though. ¡°Oh, right. With things how they are, Demon Knight, I suppose you should also rest a bit now. I was a bit short-sighted here. Let us go. If there are any other attacks, you¡¯ll need the stamina to fight off those Demons. Even if it doesn¡¯t happen, we need to leave this city pretty soon.¡± Berserk, who¡¯d kept me up despite my building fatigue, briefly appeared in my mind. ¡°Oh, and regarding the seal, I¡¯ve already arranged to have a new one delivered. It should arrive before we leave the city, so don¡¯t worry too much about it.¡± As for my bet with Berserk, I barely managed to win¡­ Rather, I didn¡¯t want toe across her again because of that. I felt like she wouldin about her loss and try to settle it with me again. ¡°There you are! I wondered where you disappeared to!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± * * * * * * ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, buddy! What should await you after every battle is meat and drinks!¡± Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Not even ten seconds had passed since I¡¯d thought about never wanting to meet her again before Berserk suddenly popped her head in. Unlike me, who looked rtively clean thanks to my clothes¡¯ self-cleaning function, she was still covered in various Demon fluids. ¡°Berserk got us a great spot! Come on, let¡¯s go!¡± I couldn¡¯t hide my disgust when Berserk approached me. Deb didn¡¯t seem all too enthusiastic, either. ¡°Get lost.¡± ¡°Ahaha. You¡¯re quite the shy friend! No need to show any restraint!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Wow, you¡¯re even more stubborn than the iron wall¡­¡± ¡°Oh, the young hunter was also here. Let¡¯s go together! There are some people who want to see you!¡± ¡°Huh? Me??¡± Ah, that¡¯s also why I didn¡¯t want her in our party. I was pretty confident I could handle her quite well If I discarded my character settings, but my character¡¯s personality was just too extreme and overly tense. I clenched my fist tightly in frustration, faced with Berserk refusing to listen to me. She wasughing loudly while pounding her chest. ¡°Worried that the food won¡¯t taste good? No need to worry about that! Kankan told me who the best chef in town is! I asked that guy to cook, so I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll get delicious food.¡± I found it hard to believe that a restaurant was still operating in this situation, but it seemed she just hired the chef outright. How bold. ¡°¡­I told you to get lost.¡± Either way, I had no intention of going with her, character settings or not. I tried to speak even more sternly as a type of final warning. ¡°Hmm. Ah! Is this too burdensome for you?¡± However, it didn¡¯t seem to work on her. ¡°If that¡¯s how you feel, there¡¯s no need. We spent the whole night fighting side by side, after all! Norda warriors don¡¯t easily abandon those they fought together with, even if it was for just ten minutes, let alone someone like you, buddy. There¡¯s no need for you to feel burdened at all! The same goes for that young hunter over there!¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not really¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Just listen to me!¡± No, that wasn¡¯t it. While it was certainly good that she didn¡¯t outright rechallenge me after I defeated her yesterday, I never asked her to invite me like this¡­! ¡°Wait, wait.¡± At that moment, the Archmage, who was watching us, intervened. For some reason, his eyes seemed to sparkle. ¡°Did you two fight togetherst night? I mean, to handle the remaining Demons in the city.¡± ¡°Huh? Yeah! It¡¯s been ages since there was a warrior who could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with this Berserk! Oh, that young hunter was also good. Such hunting skills are a rare sight even in my hometown.¡± ¡­That sounded somewhat ominous. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s put aside the talk about the hunter for a moment. So, I¡¯m to understand that, by standing shoulder-to-shoulder, you mean that you fought alongside the Demon Knight all night without rest, correct?¡± W-Wait a second. Sir Archmage, please stop. Stop! ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Aaaaargh!! ¡°Is that so? Hoh, indeed. Understood.¡± I bitterly screamed on the inside at the sight of the Archmage¡¯s eyes sparkling as if he¡¯de across an extraordinary talent. I had been wondering why he hadn¡¯t thought of Berserk, but it appeared that it was because he didn¡¯t know the extent of her strength¡­! ¡°Do you have any otherpanions?¡± ¡°Companions? I¡¯m traveling with my sister.¡± ¡°Is she strong as well?¡± ¡°Wahaha! Very strong! But she¡¯s shy, so she doesn¡¯t show her face often. It¡¯s pretty hard to catch a glimpse of her.¡± ¡°Hoh. I see. So, do you have any other purpose for your journey?¡± ¡°Not really! I just go wherever there are strong opponents.¡± No matter how I viewed it, this conversation definitely felt like a recruitment interview. This had been a trap! I had felt so relieved when he¡¯d shown no sign of wanting to go through with recruiting her, but then this betrayal¡­! ¡°Uhm, Mister Mage.¡± At that moment, Deb, wearing a somewhat grim expression, grabbed the Archmage by the arm. Was he trying to stop him? Or oppose him?! For a moment, hope gripped my heart. ¡°That¡¯s the person I was talking about, but¡­ You should consider this carefully.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Perhaps because he was conscious of people with good ears, Deb added some words by writing them on the Archmage¡¯s arm. His fingers were tapping so lightly that even I couldn¡¯t make out what he was writing. ¡°We should definitely think more about this.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± However, it didn¡¯t seem to change the Archmage¡¯s mindpletely. ¡°So, when do you n on leaving this city? This old man has something he wants to ask you.¡± ¡°Leaving, huh? I have no intention of leaving yet. But you want to talk with me? About what?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing too serious. I can say that much. How about we talk about it tomorrow or the day after?¡± ¡°Hmm. Tomorrow or the day after? That¡¯s okay. But if it takes any longer, I might end up leaving first. I don¡¯t stay in a city too long after I finish fighting.¡± ¡°It shouldn¡¯t take that long. Don''t worry.¡± ¡­I should have known. Ever since Berserk appeared before me, I expected this fate was inevitable. Uuurgh. Chapter 106: Existence (8) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 106 Existence (8) I barely managed to twist myself out of Berserk¡¯s invitation. I had to extend mymendations once more to Deb, who supported me by leading me away from there, iming we had something important to do. Whether he did it because he didn¡¯t want to go there himself or for some other reason, I felt grateful to him nheless. Ah, I also felt thankful to the Temple folk who faithfully adhered to our request not to let anyone in, regardless of who came knocking. That way, I could avoid Berserk by locking myself in the Temple. ¡°Stoning corpses, huh? There are certainly many ways to insult the dead in this world.¡± And like that, another day passed. ¡°They sold themselves to the Demons. Even if this act is insulting the dead, they aren¡¯t worthy of a peaceful rest.¡± ¡°Who said anything about that?¡± Before exining why others were stoning corpses, I need to exin something else. The people of Pa Enoch watched for any further signs of an invasion for the whole day. As soon as it became clear that it was unlikely, they followed the manual they had established over the years. While remaining vignt, they hastily repaired the damaged city walls and began rebuilding the important buildings within the city. Furthermore, the Temple formally announced the presence of the traitors scattered in their midst. With the battle almost over and the traitors dealt with, it was decided that revealing their presence would cause no further unrest. Naturally, many people didn¡¯t believe them initially. Even setting aside the mid- to high-ranking fighters, three of the most popr fighters being deemed traitors was just too unbelievable. However, thesends were none other than the frontlines. Given the clear evidence, how could one possibly defend those who conspired with the enemy here on the frontlines to the bitter end? Their anger became overwhelming, proportional to how much they¡¯d believed in the traitors, and the result was the stoning of these corpses. It seemed to show their determination not to let even their corpses rest easy since they couldn¡¯t be killed again. Of course, in the eyes of a modern person, this was a very barbaric act¡­ However, I had to tolerate it because the world I knew had very differentmon sense and levels of development regarding human rights. And throwing rocks at them like this could be considered rtively tame. The treatment of the Martial King, who¡¯d ruled over this ce for over five years, was much harsher. The guy was now reduced to a mere lump of flesh, impaled on a spear and inevitably pelted with numerous stones. ¡°¡­Any idea what Kankan is up to?¡± Deb, whispering quietly while looking down on the city, seemed conscious of Kankan having been friends with the Martial King. ¡°I saw him right at the front, throwing rocks. Didn¡¯t you see?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± His expression quickly turned into astonishment at the Inquisitor¡¯s words. I wasn¡¯t sure whether he was shocked because he found out about it after the Inquisitor or because Kankan had participated in the stoning. Maybe it was both? I was surprised by both these points, at least. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the Lord also get hanged?¡± ¡°If we hang him now, how will we go about the session? Even if we waited until after bingpletely sure that the Demons won¡¯t attack again, it wouldn¡¯t be toote, either.¡± ¡°We¡¯re also not sure if hanging him is even justified. The Lord didn¡¯t collude with the Demons.¡± ¡°But some of the city¡¯s residents have already died.¡± ¡°The Martial King killed them.¡± Meanwhile, some senior officials gathered behind us and debated the Lord¡¯s criminal charges. Roughly speaking, there were bishops representing the Temple,manders who had led battles on the Lord¡¯s behalf, and other high-ranking officials. The Archmage was also present as a Great Sage of the Magic Tower. ¡°We must strip him of his position.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that too hasty? We should first confirm if there¡¯s anyone suitable to seed him.¡± ¡°So, are we supposed just to leave things as they are? We should at least appoint a representative.¡± ¡°Well, who should we appoint as a representative, then? What if the Demons attack while we are in the middle of deciding?¡± ¡°Would those Demons actually attack after dering they wanted to maintain the status quo?¡± Ah, about us¡­ We had been brought here because we¡¯d yed significant roles in the battle, and there were good reasons for it. I was here to testify about the Great Demon, Deb was here to confirm matters about those he¡¯d killed, and the Inquisitor was here because she was the Hero. Those were the reasons. Now that we¡¯d done all that, we were just listening to those guys chatting. ¡°I don¡¯t know about the other matters, but Demons shouldn¡¯t be believed.¡± ¡°Ah, Sir Great Sage.¡± At that moment, the Archmage, who mainly had observed the people of this city handling their own matters, let out a brief remark. ¡°While I also agree that the Demons attacking in the near future seems unlikely, whether that¡¯s truly the case is still unknown to anyone. We must never let our guard down.¡± The Archmage also suggested that they should heavily suspect the Demon¡¯s intentions. ¡°That entity conveyed their will to ¡®maintain the status quo¡¯ to us through the Demon Knight. However, no one would make a suggestion that would only benefit the other, especially not Demons.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°What we must heed is that Sloth induced people to betray their own despite them not being Demon Contractors. Moreover, with that trick, they even managed to avoid the Temple''s attention.¡± ¡°¡­It would be difficult for us to notice even if the same thing happened again.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. In that regard, maintaining the status quo isn¡¯t necessarily good for this city.¡± Stagnant water is bound to rot. The result of that was this betrayal. Of course, the water had been changed out after this incident, but¡­ did that mean there wouldn¡¯t be a next time? After the moment passed, the water would stagnate again. ¡°Demons are beings of chaos. Investing 10 or 20 years into the fall of this city isn¡¯t such a long time for them. So, regardless of who bes the Lord and what they ultimately do, supervising this matter is absolutely necessary. As long as we are confronting these Demons, our struggle will be eternal.¡± That was the point the Archmage wanted to emphasize. He repeatedly urged them to increase surveince to prevent the fighters from being corrupted and warned them against the Great Demon¡¯s tricks. Fortunately, none among the listeners dismissed his words. ¡°Then isn¡¯t that even more reason for us to change the Lord?¡± ¡°Even so, the battle is already over now¡­¡± ¡°At least stability¡­¡± However, the severity of the Lord¡¯s punishment remained undecided. ¡°It¡¯s infuriating.¡± Deb, who was examining all the aspects of the punishment being discussed, expressed his dissatisfaction. That was something I could agree on. While I felt relieved that they would receive some sort of punishment, if I were asked if these were the correct punishments for him, I would also just end up tilting my head. The issue of whether it was right to enforce strict punishment on one criminal who could save many people or withhold or mitigate punishment to save more was always a tough one. ¡°He deserves to die.¡± ¡°Then kill him.¡± I leaned against the wall, quietly contemting. Deb looked up at me. The Inquisitor did, as well. ¡°Ah, Demon Knight. That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°And take responsibility.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°For those actions.¡± The storyline of the Thief often began with assassinating a noble who livedfortably despite having killed his friend. In other words, their trigger was viins getting away without any punishment. So, if Deb wanted to kill the Lord, I was sure he was capable of it. Throughout the plot, the Thief character was always portrayed as a representative and avenger of the weak. ¡°If the city that lost its leader copses, if the frontlines are broken through, whether these people live or die in the process, that¡¯s your responsibility.¡± But did I sympathize with his perspective? Not really. I wasn¡¯t someone who advocated for enacting personal justice. I understood where he wasing from, but I didn¡¯t necessarily believe he was right. ¡°If you got that, then pick up your sword. Prove your courage with your de.¡± However, I wouldn¡¯t stop him. Who was I to stop him? In the end, this was just a matter of differing values. As a matter of fact, my character wouldn¡¯t especially care about others seeking revenge or anything else they decided to do. If Deb wanted to fight the Inquisitor, even if it would only bring tears, I should still let it happen. ¡°However, if you don¡¯t have the confidence, then put up with it.¡± Well, I personally hoped he wouldn¡¯t do that, though. Our cute meat dumpling. If he engaged the Inquisitor in battle, he would absolutely have to leave the party¡­ and if that happened, who would cover for my character? ¡°¡­¡± I walked away from the debate, wearing aplicated expression. Its venue was in the castle, so there were still plenty of ces I could go to. Our lodgings were in the Temple, anyway. * * * * * * Rustle. Of course, I didn¡¯t head straight for the lodgings. Haha! I entered the training grounds. Since this ce had an arena, many fighters ended up in the Temple, so this area was originally prepared for them. ¡°Phew.¡± I would only feel drained if I used my skills too much, so I just wanted to train lightly today. This time, I¡¯d noticed that urately aiming [Arcane Spear] was far too difficult if there were too many enemies. I would often slightly miss my target. There was no rule saying that only big Demons woulde out every time, so I just wanted to get used to dealing with these things. Thud. I kicked a rock into the air. The rock, suspended in midair, shattered after being hit with [Arcane Spear]. However, it didn¡¯t break evenly; one part was small, and one wasrger. The reason was that [Arcane Spear] had only hit the edge of the rock, not its center. Was it an issue with my vision? Was that the best my reflexes could do? Furrowing my eyebrows slightly, I kicked up another stone. My subsequent try seemed a little better, but I still wasn¡¯t satisfied. ¡°The reason it keeps veering off is because your control loosens at the end, causing the tip of the spear to waver.¡± Just as I was wondering how much longer I would have to keep trying, someone suddenly emerged from the darkness. Well, they approached me gently while clearly announcing their presence, so it actually might not have been so sudden. ¡°It seems you have an abundance of Arcane Power, so how about focusing just on control? Refining it will absolutely improve both your uracy and efficiency.¡± ¡°¡­You.¡± No, wait, how did they even get in here? Didn''t the Temple block anyone from entering? Did they climb over the wall or something? Rather, was that really the reason I was slightly off? Was it possible to control an already activated skill? Wasn''t it just about the intensity of the output? As I thought over these new realizations, I tightened my grip around my sword, trying to maintain the mood. I was increasingly doubtful regarding my character''s temperament. I mean, I had since the beginning. That guy''s massive pride wouldn''t even allow him to ept others¡¯ advice. ¡°It was just a suggestion. No need to react so strongly to it.¡± Considering her demeanor, she was probably Weapon Master rather than Berserk. Since there was no discernable physical difference between them, I had to judge them by their tone and expression. Luckily, their personalities were distinct enough for me to differentiate them. ¡°I heard the news from my younger sister. You guys want us to join you on your journey.¡± Apparently, they¡¯d already finished their talk with the Archmage. ¡°Your objective is hunting Demons, right?¡± I hesitated for a moment, unsure whether I should answer, before simply furrowing my brows. ¡°Yes.¡± I decided to reply as I conjured another Arcane Spear in my hand. ¡°You''re also part of that journey, right?¡± "It''s a temporarypanionship.¡± ¡°I see. Companionship.¡± So, the goal here wasn¡¯t just to shoot it off but focus on controlling it. But how was I supposed to control it? Shooting it was easy, like pouring water out of a water bottle. I could easily adjust its intensity. However, I didn''t know how to do that with something that had already left my hand. I was already using [Arcane Power Control], so I couldn''t receive any further corrections from it in this regard. I couldn''t even feel the Arcane Power anymore. ¡°When sending out Arcane Power, it''s important to condense it. It tends to disperse into the atmosphere, after all.¡± ¡°¡­You.¡± ¡°I''m not talking to you here. I''m just reviewing.¡± ¡­what the hell? Did all the social skills Berserk was supposed to have go to her sister or something? ¡°Wizards can easily manipte the flow of Arcane Power through magic circles and spells, but things are quite different for us warriors. We do it relying solely on instinct and mental strength.¡± She said she was just reviewing these things for herself, so what could I say? It was a fairly weak excuse, but I had no choice but to go along with it, even though it would hurt my character''s pride a bit. I gracefully epted her consideration, although outwardly, I clearly showed how bruised my ego was. ¡°There are no shortcuts for this. The reason there aren''t any warriors who can visibly manipte Arcane Power is because possessing both the ability to condense Arcane Power to a visible degree and the amount of Arcane Power needed for that is incredibly rare. However, it seems you''ve met both those requirements.¡± I had wondered why it was so hard to encounter warriors using Arcane Power like me. So that was the reason. It was actually rare for someone to make Arcane Power visible, huh? ¡°However, just because there aren''t any shortcuts doesn''t mean there isn''t a way. While wizards start umting Arcane Power externally, warriors build it up internally. So, you should keep in mind¡­¡± Keep what in mind? ¡°Do you think this journey will seed?¡± Did she know that the most irritating thing was stopping in the middle of a sentence?! Aargh!! And of all times, she had to stop when she was about to mention a proper method for me to improve! It was so tant! ¡°¡­I don¡¯t care.¡± I impatiently threw the spear I¡¯d summoned just now before creating the next one. I might not have listened to all that properly, but I had consumed enough fantasy works to go from there. I wouldn¡¯t just desperately cling to her hints alone. ¡°I¡¯m just curious. I¡¯m wondering whether I can leave my younger sister in your care¡­ That¡¯s why I need to know this.¡± Earlier, she said that wizards umte Arcane Power externally and warriors internally. What was the difference between those two? ¡­Hmm. Externally? ¡°If you give me a negative answer, I won¡¯t see any reason for her to join you on this journey.¡± If one started umting Arcane Power externally, one could distribute it in all directions, but if one gathered it internally, wouldn¡¯t it focus more on one¡¯s skin or weapon? Was that not it? Or would it focus more on the parts that touched one directly? Or was it more like the difference between inting a sphere and coating it¡­? Was that it? ¡°I said, I don¡¯t care.¡± Ah, whatever. Theory was always different from practice. I threw yet another spear without any hesitation. This time, the Arcane Spear I sent out without any target in mind reached a bit further than previously before scattering. ¡°Why don¡¯t you care?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care whether you and your sister join this journey or whether this journey fails or seeds, as long as I get to kill Demons.¡± I looked back at the Weapon Master as if trying to dismiss her. Unlike earlier, when a gentle smile adorned her face, her expression was now stiff. It was probably because of my own expression¡­ Anyway, I was satisfied. Aside from their recruitment into the party now being entirely out of my hands, I still needed to maintain my character. ¡°So, just get lost. I don¡¯t need cowards like you. You¡¯ll only get in the way.¡± Oh, should we just assume this guy¡¯s temper, which had subsided a bit after the incident in the Yabad region, has red up again due to the appearance of that Great Demon? It wasn¡¯t my fault I acted that way, it was that damn Demon¡¯s fault. * * * Thepetent Norda Warrior watched the man leave, his face distorted. She¡¯d heard the general outline from the Archmage, but he was more intense than expected. ¡°A good Norda Warrior believes in themselves and moves toward their goal without worrying about things like failure or sess.¡± However, that wasn¡¯t so bad. In this situation, where the journey''s goal was as precarious as this, even though his personality wasn¡¯t perfect, having someone with determination was a thousand times better than a weak person. Just like that child who had confidently introduced herself as the Hero. She spoke lightly, but her words still carried steadfast honesty. ¡°Earlier, I also thought the rest of hispanions got passing marks.¡± It was just that their personalities were incredibly different. However, they were all equipped with the power to exin those personalities. Not just that man walking down the street, but the others, as well. Even the thief, who she¡¯d once considered weak, was capable enough to ¡®hunt¡¯. In terms ofbat power, they possessed all the necessary aspects for her to call them herpanions. ¡°Hmm.¡± It wasn¡¯t just that. Considering the wisdom shown by the Archmage and the wit shown by that thief friend, they might be able to handle Berserk¡¯s personality. They seemed ustomed to controlling the stubborn, so-called tough guys who wouldn¡¯t listen. Moreover, the purpose of this journey also appealed to her. While she held no particr connection to the Demons, Berserk needed a fight that could push her to her limits. In that sense, a journey where her life would be at stake was far better than wasting any more time seeking someone strong to fight. Furthermore, she would be saving the world in the process, which would also earn her honor. ¡°I can¡¯t give up on this even more if it¡¯s like this.¡± However, what stimted her the most¡­ wasn¡¯t any of that. No, it was something subtly intertwined with what she¡¯d said earlier. ¡°¡­We can¡¯t afford to miss out on someone who can defeat Berserk.¡± Even if the others were weak, even if their journey had no particr purpose, she would still have considered apanying them so long as the Demon Knight was with them. After all, it was that man who¡¯d brought about Berserk¡¯s first taste of defeat. ¡°Hah.¡± She thought about the Demon Knight, who¡¯d managed to improve immediately after receiving a slight hint. So long as he possessed that abundance of Arcane Power and tremendous talent, Berserk could never defeat the knight. That was still true even if he was self-taught without formal education and obstructed by bad habits and ack of theory. ¡°If you¡¯re next to a genius, you¡¯ll stop acting stubborn, right?¡± Yes, if Berserk continued to rely solely on instinct and kept trying to force her way through everything, she could never beat that knight. ¡°¡­It really is time to stop now.¡± If it persisted for too long, childishness would be nothing but unsightly. Sometimes, extreme measures were necessary to make someonee to their senses. ¡°Is your conversation over?¡± Just then, the sage who¡¯d made her a proposal through Berserk approached her. Since she had already felt his presence, the Norda Warrior rose to her feet. ¡°Yes.¡± In truth, she had already decided as soon as she received that proposal. She had dyed her response only because she wanted to carefully assess that man¡¯s personality a bit more closely. ¡°So, what is your answer to my proposal?¡± Now, certain the man wasn¡¯t one to feel fear in the face of danger, there was no need to postpone her answer any longer. With her desire for blood and battle, Berserk would never oppose apanying them on this journey. ¡°If all of you are okay with it, we¡¯d like to join you.¡± So, she willingly decided to join them on this journey. Chapter 107: To a Distant Land (1) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 107 To a Distant Land (1) ¡°Is this really okay?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you also agree to this yesterday?¡± ¡°Well, true. Mister Knight seems a bit peeved, though.¡± ¡°¡­Well, that¡¯s¡­¡± No, I was fine. I knew she would end up joining the party either way. I knew this was fate, but still¡­ ¡°I¡¯m counting on you! Wahaha!¡± My ears might not be safe from this point on¡­ Just kidding, the one who didn¡¯t like her was my character. I didn¡¯t really mind her myself, so it would be great if those guys didn¡¯t misunderstand too much. I had been begging and praying that I wouldn¡¯t get involved with her until now, but I didn¡¯t dislike Berserk herself. It was like an introvert befriending an extrovert or suddenly bing a dog owner, even though you didn¡¯t ask for it. That was how it felt, at least. Although having her around was a bit tiring, I didn¡¯t actually dislike it. It was a subtle feeling that people without friends wouldn¡¯t understand. Anyway, for those reasons, I didn¡¯t actually hate Berserk. No, to be honest, I just got flustered because I ended up in a party with her. I mean, people with such personalities often appeared in sh¨­nen manga, right? So, there was something familiar about her, as well. I mean, I had enough affection for her to call her by the nickname ¡®Bers¡¯ like I did with Deb. It totally wasn¡¯t because Berserk was too long. Really. So, I quietly leaned back in my seat, watching Bersughing heartily. I was wondering why I couldn¡¯t see Weapon Master anywhere, but I guessed she could herself just fine. Actually, my main concern right now was where we were headed next. We just had a new party member join us, so I hoped the next area wouldn¡¯t be as intense. I mean, I¡¯d gotten a lot of rest while traveling and also after we solved a case, but¡­ I still hoped we could take it easy for a bit more. * * * We spent two more days in the city monitoring the situation, but thankfully, there were no further attacks. Considering the number of Demons we¡¯d fought, that was somewhat understandable. Still, until we knew the full extent of that Great Demon¡¯s power, we couldn¡¯t let our guard down. ¡°I think it''s best if we leave now.¡± However, that didn¡¯t mean we could stay here forever. In that respect, the Archmage¡¯s remarks were more than wee news. ¡°Already?¡± ¡°Hmm. That¡¯s a shame. I wanted to have a proper fight with the Demon Knight!¡± The spare seal was delivered to us this morning, but over the past couple of days, Bers would request a duel whenever she had the chance, saying she was bored. I was just d she didn¡¯t go out looking for other fighters after the battle ended. So, there weren¡¯t any further idents. ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired yet?¡± Separately, Deb, who¡¯d found out that Bers was actually pretty easy to talk to after observing her for the past two days, spoke up next to her. Bers¡¯ eyes widened for a moment before she burst intoughter again. ¡°There¡¯s nothing that can tire Berserk out!¡± ¡®No, please be tired. Give me a break.¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t trouble the Demon Knight too much.¡± ¡°Huh? When have I been troubling him?¡± ¡°You¡¯re being unreasonable.¡± ¡°Being unreasonable? Berserk is??¡± Still, I felt relieved that both the Inquisitor and Deb were helping to calm Bers down. Bers was so brazen and rowdy that the Inquisitor surprisingly looked like the master of socializing to me. ¡°It seems everyone¡¯s getting along well.¡± Surprisingly, the Archmage felt no stress from trying to control Bers. Perhaps it was because she was talking about nothing but fighting, and since I was perfectly pulling Bers¡¯ aggro, the Archmage couldn¡¯t help but feelfortable¡­. In fact, if I included the increasingly incessant questions of whether I was okay or if there were any problems with the seal. I¡¯d say I was the most stressed and troubled here. Neither of them showed me even a shred of mercy, seriously. ¡°However, let¡¯s not dy our journey too much. Could you please listen to what I have to say?¡± ¡°Did a rescue requeste from another city? Seeing you speak with such urgency makes me think something bad happened¡­¡± ¡°Oh, no, that¡¯s not it. I just happened to find a request matching the destination I was trying to suggest.¡± The Archmage decided to set aside the discussion about the request and brought up which destination he wanted to suggest first. ¡°Firstly, I nned to suggest Hudelen as our next destination.¡± ¡°Hudelen?¡± ¡°Yes. To head east, we¡¯ll almost certainly need to pass through that city.¡± He pulled out a map and marked our current location before moving his finger eastward. A mountain range stretched out almost vertically close to that spot. ¡°The ways to cross the Karil Mountains are minimal. Of course, the ruggedness of the mountains shouldn¡¯t be a problem for our party, but there¡¯s no need to choose the more difficult path if we don¡¯t have to.¡± Next, the Archmage moved his finger slightly to the south. His finger covered a city in the middle of the mountain range, Hudelen. ¡°For that reason, we¡¯re headed for Hudelen. It¡¯s at the narrowest part of the mountain range, originally known as the city connecting the east and west.¡± It was such a reasonable choice that we couldn¡¯t use him of just deciding things on his own or trying to force his opinion on us. There was no need for him to say anything else. I¡¯d rather turn back before I was forced to go over the treacherous mountains. ¡°I understand why we are heading toward Hudelen, but what about that request¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s an escort mission.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± There was even an escort quest to the same destination? That seemed too good to pass up. Despite feeling a bit uneasy about it, taking it seemed pretty obvious. If we could earn some money while heading to our destination, why refuse? ¡°It seems the Grindana merchant group ns to move to another city. Although we aren¡¯t particrly worried about further attacks anymore, it¡¯s different from that merchant group¡¯s perspective.¡± He left the decision about taking the merchant group¡¯s request to us, saying it didn¡¯t really matter either way. While he appeared to direct this question to us all, it was actually meant for the Inquisitor. Bers and I were fine so long as we had Demons or something else to fight, and Deb seemed uninterested in getting involved in the discussion about our destination or method of getting there. ¡°I wonder whether we should really leave already¡­¡± However, the Inquisitor seemed somewhat uneasy. After all, although the battle was over, there was still a real possibility of another attack happening. With the repairs to the walls and city still iplete, there was always a chance that the Great Demon could pull off another of their tricks. That waspletely different from agreeing to leave the people of the city to clean up the city¡¯s corruption. ¡°Hmm.¡± The Archmage also seemed to understand that sentiment. His expression slightly hardened. ¡°Actually, Inquisitor, the reason I want to leave now isn¡¯t because of that request. With the Magic Tower¡¯s and Church¡¯s support, we aren¡¯t exactly short on money. I simply rmended it for the experience.¡± ¡°Yes, I know.¡± ¡°I want us to leave now because I feel anxious.¡± He spoke while looking toward me. Was I the cause of his anxiety? I remembered the broken seal. Was it because of that and the Great Demon? ¡°Is it because of the Great Demon¡¯s appearance?¡± ¡°So ultimately, Mister didn¡¯t defeat it, huh?¡± ¡°A Great Demon appeared?¡± The Archmage shook his head slightly at each person¡¯s reaction. ¡°I indeed included the Great Demon¡¯s appearance as part of it, but the reason is slightly different. What concerns me most is how the Great Demon ¡®knew¡¯ we would be here.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t they¡­ just predict that we¡¯d be here?¡± ¡°That is a possibility. Considering our progress route, our intentions should be pretty clear. However, it¡¯s strange that its timing was so precise.¡± As he said that, the Archmage pointed to various other cities on the map. They were cities in the same general region as Pa Enoch. ¡°Us heading east was somewhat predictable, but isn¡¯t it strange how they precisely predicted which of all these cities we were going to? Especially since we didn¡¯t inform the Church or the Magic Tower of our next destination.¡± ¡°Indeed¡­¡± Deb, as sharp as he was regarding information, nodded. ¡°However, we should consider that they only vaguely knew of our next destination but could pin us down by gathering various rted rumors. We should keep the Magic Tower, the Church, and the Adventurers¡¯ Guild in mind, and¡­ we shouldn¡¯t forget about the Information Guild.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. However, what¡¯s most important is that the Demons knew we were here.¡± ¡°¡­Are you worried about more attacks?¡± ¡°Not per se. It¡¯s something more than that.¡± The Archmage didn¡¯t borate further, so I could only guess what that ¡°something more¡± he was more concerned about than further attacks was¡­ I quickly determined what it was by process of elimination, considering everything that could make the Archmage this anxious. I was pretty sure the final boss wouldn¡¯t appear due to some meta element, but from the perspective of the Archmage, who wasn¡¯t so sure of that, even Satan¡¯s emergence was a real possibility to him. ¡°Erm, well. I can''t quite follow your reasoning, Sir Archmage. What¡¯s the connection between the existence of informants and the necessity to leave the city?¡± ¡°¡­It could be some kind of trap. If they knew we wereing here and prepared this assault, wouldn¡¯t they have also prepared for its possible failure?¡± ¡°Then shouldn''t we stay here longer? If their target is me, then additional attacks¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not an option.¡± That might be why he didn¡¯t say it out loud. If he mentioned that he was considering Satan possiblying here, meaning there was a high chance of this city ultimately getting destroyed, the Inquisitor, knowing that, would never leave. ¡°Inquisitor, you fainted from excessive use of Divine Power again this time, right? It would be incredibly dangerous if the enemy took advantage of that knowledge by dividing their forces and attacking in several waves.¡± ¡°I-It was better than before. I wasn¡¯t unconscious for the whole day this time. I slept less than when we were in Montata.¡± ¡°I know, but could you still handle it if the Great Demon kept attacking over and over?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°The more time we give the enemies, the more dangerous they be. For all we know, the Demons attacking the Northern Front might move south.¡± The Archmage stroked his staff while gently nudging the slumped-over Inquisitor. ¡°However, if the Hero leaves this ce early, they¡¯d have no reason to move, either. Once their target disappears, there¡¯s no more reason for them to act recklessly.¡± But in that case¡­ Why didn¡¯t we just leave two days ago? Was it because we needed to restore our stamina? Well, leaving the city in the state we had been in would have been quite risky if we were ambushed or something. ¡°Erm, uhm. Berserk doesn¡¯t really get what you¡¯re talking about¡­¡± Meanwhile, Bers was utterly lost and lying on the desk before her. It reminded me of how I would slump over the table when giving up on solving some math problem as a student. Well, it wasn¡¯t that hard to understand how Bers was feeling. Since she joined us not too long ago, she probably didn¡¯t know much about our situation. I mean, even if she had joined us earlier, she still would have had difficulty understanding. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve achieved our original goal behinding to this city, it¡¯s best for us to leave. Plus, we must find a way to deal with the Great Demon of Sloth. Fortunately, they retreated this time, but we still don¡¯t know how to harm that Great Demon.¡± The Archmage was gently persuading the Inquisitor without rest. Even those excuses were likely just the tip of the iceberg, but the Inquisitor gave in eventually. ¡°In that case¡­ It seems I have no choice but to agree. Understood. I will¡­ follow your decision, Sir Archmage. What about the others?¡± ¡°Berserk doesn¡¯t likeplicated things. If you¡¯re going, I¡¯ll go with you. If you¡¯re not, then I¡¯ll stay.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°In that case, let us leave tomorrow morning. Please keep that in mind, everyone.¡± Were the Inquisitor a little more experienced, she might have picked up on the possibility of the Archmage deliberately leaving something unsaid¡­ As of now, that might be a bit difficult for her, though. However, I couldn''t really say anything about it. Even if I were in a position to talk about it, I still would have stayed quiet. ¡°Demon Knight, you''reing with me. We need to pay the Guild a visit.¡± Following the Archmage''s call, I stood up from where I was sitting. Unlike the Archmage and the Inquisitor, who were registered as a party, I was registered at the Guild as a solo adventurer, which required me to sign a separate contract for requests. Having to alwayse along to the Guild whenever we chose to undertake a quest was a bit of a hassle, but I had to bear with it since getting added to the party would be rather problematic for me. Because I took on the quest as a separate entity, I would also receive a separate reward, so it wasn''t really a loss for me, and there were quite a few opportunities for me to avoid these kinds of situations. * * * * * * ¡°Wait a sec!¡± At that moment, someone came in. Since the door to our amodation had been opened so grandly, we¡¯d all be aware of our visitor. ¡°I have something to say, but is now a good time or¡­?¡± It was Kankan, who had lost an arm. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°First of all, I apologize for barging in here sote at night. Erm, also, I wasn''t eavesdropping or anything! I just happened to hear you talk about the merchant group and their request, so¡­ I thought we might not be able to see each other anymore tomorrow, so I wanted to say goodbye to you before then.¡± He scratched his mane-like hair, a sheepish look on his face. ¡°Thank you, everyone. Especially you¡­ I''m very grateful to you. Thanks to you, I managed to stop my friend.¡± Then, he finally bowed his head. He seemed unfamiliar with expressing things like gratitude¡ªbecause he was roughly my age, I could understand how the older one got, the harder it became to say thanks. However, after getting past that hurdle once, oveing it again would be much easier¡ªhis ears were beet red. ¡°I mean¡­ I didn''t do that much.¡± ¡°No, if it weren''t for you, I wouldn''t have been able to stop him. Isn''t my missing arm proof enough of that? Proof that I couldn''t defeat him. On the other hand, you¡­ managed to slit his throat beautifully.¡± If Kankan was talking about his friend, wouldn''t that have been the Martial King? Was it Kankan and Deb who killed the Martial King? Without any help from Berserk? This was the first I had heard of that! ¡°I was only able to do that because you distracted him.¡± ¡°Wahaha, the young hunter is quite modest. Be proud, young hunter! He may have been disqualified as a warrior, but he wasn''t weak. You were able to break through that guy''s guard and sessfully attack him!¡± ¡°Berserk is right. It''s never easy pulling off another sneak attack on someone so soon after the first one.¡± I felt betrayed. You, you¡­ They told me Berserk had done everything. What was going on?! Why would they lie and marginalize what had happened like that?! ¡°Anyway, thank you. Not just to this friend here, but to all of you.¡± Whether it was the Inquisitor, who¡¯d humbly said she only did what she had to after putting a blessing on the entire city wall, or Deb, who¡¯d unexpectedly managed to kill a guy I expected to be a mid-boss or boss, they both did their jobs so excellently that I couldn''t help but feel proud of our dumplings. When I reminded myself of just how young these two were, tears started to well up in my eyes, sniffle. ¡°This is a token of my gratitude.¡± At that moment, Kankan handed us something that appeared to be a bracelet made of bone fragments. Technically, this wasn''t something he¡¯d requested of us. We simply got rid of traitors during a battle¡­ However, it seemed he wanted to repay his personal emotional debt. ¡°It''s nothing special, but where I''m from, it''s customary to give this sort of thing to one¡¯s benefactors. So, this is a kind of¡­¡± ¡°A token. A token that a Norda Warrior has recognized you. As long as Berserk is with you, there shouldn''t be a single Norda Warrior who would show you any hostility, but with this, even the tiniest shred of hostility they might have will disappear!¡± ¡°Berserk is right.¡± Berserk chuckled as she nudged Deb to ept it. Of course, Kankan had brought one for all of us, so it wasn''t just Deb who got something. He just got the most. ¡°Wh-Why so much?¡± ¡°Thanks to you, many were spared a grim end at the Martial King''s hand. They were all eager to repay you but couldn¡¯t find you anywhere¡­ So I decided to deliver it to you on their behalf.¡± ¡°But still, this is just too much.¡± ¡°Take it.¡± Just as I had received a gift package in Tatara, Deb also received something simr. Despite taking it, he still seemed quite ufortable, saying things like ¡®Is it really okay for me to take this?¡¯ or ¡®There are people who had it a lot harder than me.¡¯ He seemed really unfamiliar with these kinds of situations. Once he finally got himself to ept it, there was obviously no one who wanted to stop him. ¡°Now, Demon Knight. You should take this as well.¡± ¡°I don''t need it.¡± ¡°You especially should ept this¡­ So that Norda Warriors don''t mistake you as an enemy and end up dying.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Well, just this much wouldn¡¯t cause any harm. Fortunately, it was just a bracelet and not a whole gift package, but I still wasn''t happy about it. It wasn''t like I was going around to gather trinkets like medals and so on. It would be way better if they just bestowed honorary titles on me. Giving me these useless items only filled up my inventory space. ¡°Well then, may the future of you great warriors hold great struggles.¡± Still, I epted it. I¡¯d already received what I had been supposed to; this was just one additional thing. * * * ¡°Urgh, it''s hot.¡± We¡¯d properly said goodbye to Kankan, and there probably wasn''t anything for us to do in the city anymore. There were many reasons for us to leave, too, so we left the city without hesitation, along with those we were supposed to escort. ¡°Haha, the heat around here can be rather intense.¡± However, even though we were supposed to be on an escort mission, there wasn¡¯t actually much to do to protect the luggage. The reason was that there were no Demons or beasts in the desert to begin with. Of course, there were sometimes robbers in the desert, but one wouldn¡¯t encounter them so frequently, so we could just put them aside. The biggest enemy here was nature itself, such as the sunlight and heat beating down on our skin and the asional sandstorm. ¡°Would you like some water?¡± ¡°Ah, thank you.¡± Well, I managed to withstand the heat rtively well. Deb, on the other hand, who felt the heat more intensely than the others, was the problem. The Archmage could create some ice for him to help, but he¡¯d already enjoyed that privilege ten minutes ago. He needed to reserve his Arcane Power in case of an emergency, which was probably why he wasn¡¯t asked to make one again. As I¡¯d mentioned before, making ice in the desert consumed quite a bit of Arcane Power. ¡°Uurgh.¡± Because of that, Deb had to endure the heat while sitting on a camel, slumped over and relying on the asional sip of water to cool him down. I wished I could take some of the heat he was feeling away from him, but that wasn¡¯t possible. ¡°Weakling.¡± ¡°Says the one who¡¯s only getting by because of that armor¡­¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s not the case!¡± Hmm, ah. Speaking of the armor, it reminded me that I still had one item that the Sea Dragon had given me, didn¡¯t I? If that bead somehow contained the power of water¡­ But considering how fragile it was, I wasn¡¯t sure if this would work out. Besides, even if it would, giving it to him would feel too out of character for me. It would also seem pretty odd if I handed it over to him now that we were almost through the desert. Sorry, Deb. Hang in there. This is the path you chose. ¡°Haha¡­ We¡¯ll reach the Karil Mountains in about two more days, so the heat should ease up a bit. Hold on for just a little more.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Fortunately, we spent far fewer days in the desert than when we traveled from Canaves to Pa Enoch. Deb also brightened up when he heard that. ¡°Yaaawn. This is so boring. The desert is only barren, nothing else.¡± Meanwhile, Bers was slumped over for apletely different reason. She was feeling the heat almost as intensely as Deb, but what bothered her more was actually the boredom she was feeling. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to hunt, either.¡± If she had something to hunt around here, Bers might have been really happy, but the caravan people might scream in terror if that were the case. I saw some of the people around her smiling awkwardly, unable to share her enthusiasm. Anyway, everyone was going through their own hardship. ¡°Is there anything interesting happening in Hudelen?¡± ¡°Nothing, as far as I know. Do you know anything?¡± ¡°Not really¡­¡± Deb shook his head weakly, pointing toward the caravan members. He seemed to be suggesting that we should ask them since they were more likely to know thetest news of this ce. However, they didn¡¯t have any useful information, either. It made sense, as they wouldn¡¯t be heading there if they knew they¡¯d run into significant trouble there. They weren¡¯t hunters seeking adventure, and traveling to a city suffering from some incident would only put their goods at risk, just like this journey did. ¡°Hmm?¡± At that moment, Bers lifted her head. Her previously slumped-over body straightened like an arrow, her view now as high as the Archmage¡¯s. Her amber eyes began to scan the horizon intently. ¡°¡­I can smell a fight.¡± Following her actions, I also started staring ahead. When I noticed a dust cloud on the horizon, Bers immediately spoke up. Her previously bored expression was now incredibly lively. ¡°Wait, you¡­¡± ¡°Bandits ahead! They¡¯reing this way!¡± The moment Bers began to move, someone with a kind of telescope confirmed her sighting and shouted in warning. The Archmage quickly took back his hand, which he had extended to restrain Bers. The Inquisitor¡¯s eyes seemed to convey something like ¡®How did she know?¡¯ Even I had to admit it. While her eyesight didn¡¯t seem especially good, her intuition was truly beast-like. ¡°Wahahaha! A battle!¡± ¡°¡­Please, calm down.¡± Regardless, there was no way that I would skip out on a potential quest. The camel carrying Bers and myself broke away from the group and began galloping ahead. Chapter 108: To a Distant Land (2) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 108 To a Distant Land (2) As a city connecting the southeast to the west, Hudelen had a huge number of goods gathered. However, where there were flowers, there were butterflies, and where there was honey, there were bees. Simrly, where there were goods, there were thieves. That became quite evident in our current situation. ¡°Traveling through this area is quite the challenge.¡± ¡°This ce is well known for these kinds of¡­ urrences. The guards patrol this ce less frequently because it''s on the outskirts, so many bandits take advantage of this to ambush caravans here.¡± As soon as we entered Hudelen¡¯s vicinity, we had already been ambushed three times. They were all scum without the slightest intention of earning an honest ie who had, from the beginning, chosen to live off looting others. ¡°So, do you always have to fight them off?¡± ¡°Not always, Miss Priest. Usually, we just pay a toll to the most powerful gang in this area to pass through here.¡± ¡°The most powerful gang¡­?¡± ¡°From the bandits¡¯ perspective, if they constantly fought against caravans, they would suffer from a manpower shortage. So, they prefer just to let us pass for a reasonable fee. Instead, because the full amount they earn from this is quite high, the bandits end up fighting among themselves, so it¡¯s usually the strongest gang that collects the money.¡± Just like how gangsters collected protection money or how brigands operated in martial arts stories, even these bandits had their own way of doing things¡­ ¡°Then¡­ Why are they attacking us now?¡± ¡°Usually, at least one gang maintains control over the others¡­ However, judging by these sporadic attacks, it seems that position is currently vacant. I can¡¯t say whether that¡¯s fortunate or unfortunate for us. The only thing I can say is that I¡¯m d I hired you all.¡± This timing certainly was bad for either side. We had no choice but to draw our swords against these opponents, and the bandits had the bad luck of encountering strong foes who would end their lives. ¡°Uurgh, spare me¡­¡± Thud! ¡°Although we are running a deficit due to the goods we already lost, at least we don¡¯t have to pay that toll.¡± However, in the end, they brought this upon themselves. As such, neither the guards hired alongside us nor the caravan¡¯s own guards felt any obligation to spare these thieves. Dragging them back into the city was too impractical. Furthermore, they were unlikely to repent, and most importantly, they attacked first. There was no reason for us to show them any mercy. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you using that technique? The one where ck stuffes flying out and kills everything?!¡± ¡­Actually, I was also just using my sword in this fight, even though I could have easily dealt with them with my bare fists. I hadn¡¯t used any of my skills, either, as Bers had noticed. ¡°Or did you leave this opportunity for Berserk? Wahaha! Thanks!¡± For the record, that wasn¡¯t why I didn¡¯t use any of my skills. It was just¡­ I didn¡¯t feel it was necessary to create such carnage when we weren¡¯t in some sort of crisis or a situation rted to Demons. Honestly, cleaving through dozens of people in a single blow wasn¡¯t a pretty sight. Just because I could create such a gory scene didn¡¯t mean It was something to be proud of. ¡°I wish I had such useful skills like you, Demon Knight.¡± ¡°It would certainly be convenient to eliminate all the inconsequential thingsing in groups without needing to engage every individual.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also not as skilled, but still.¡± Despite its brutality, its usefulness was a separate matter that others seemed to find enviable. I was grateful they didn¡¯t criticize me for not using these skills, but it still left me feeling somewhat unsettled. ¡°¡­If I could use these kinds of techniques, it would make killing Demons so much easier.¡± Since leaving Pa Enoch, the Inquisitor seemed oddly demoralized every time we fought, which worried me a lot! Was she really that troubled by herck of strength, which had rendered her unable to properly help the city¡¯s people before we left¡­?! ¡°By the way, why can¡¯t you do something like that?¡± ¡°There are various reasons, but to put it simply, it¡¯s due to myck of ability.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± At that moment, Deb, who¡¯d somewhate back to life now that the temperature was a bit lower, tried teasing the Inquisitor. However, this time, the Inquisitor¡¯s honesty¡ªor perhaps dejection¡ªwon against him. ¡°Being too modest isn¡¯t a good thing, either, Inquisitor. If you attribute the inherent limitation of Divine Power solely to your ipetence, it could lead to severe misunderstandings.¡± ¡°S-Sir Archmage.¡± Wait a minute. After looking around a little, the bandit situation appeared to have cleared up quite a bit, so we should prepare to leave again. Mypanions and I mounted the horses we¡¯d exchanged for the camels in thest vige we visited. Although this area fell under Hudelen¡¯s domain, we still had a long journey ahead of us. We continued our conversation as we moved¡ªthough, given my character setting, it was unlikely I would be able to join in¡ªbut there wouldn¡¯t be a problem if they started talking first. ¡°Does Divine Power have different properties?¡± As we resumed our journey, Bers cheerfully asked a question. ¡°Of course it does. When considering the efficiency of Divine Powerpared to Arcane Power when performing healing, it bes quite apparent.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that just because it¡¯s the power of God?¡± ¡°That might be one reason. However, if its characteristics show a consistent pattern, wouldn¡¯t it be appropriate to describe it using the term ¡®property¡¯?¡± Since there weren¡¯t any bandits around, all we could do was walk. We weren¡¯t close enough with the people of the caravan to have a friendly chat with them. Taking advantage of that, the Archmage began a brief lecture on this subject. This sometimes happened during our travels, and I greatly weed it. After all, anything that could supplement my own knowledge, no matter when, was only beneficial to me. ¡°Divine Power tends to form nes. That means it spreads out and doesn¡¯t easily disperse. Conversely, it¡¯s nearly impossible topress Divine Power into points or lines.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°¡­Is that how it is?¡± ¡°¡­? Why don¡¯t you also know about this?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always just used it instinctively and never thought about it like this¡­¡± Apparently, I wasn¡¯t the only one who needed theirmon knowledge supplemented. ¡°When ites to applying it to something that already has a form¡­ like a body or weapon, whether you spread it using nes, dots or lines, the difficulty doesn¡¯t vary much, which is probably why you weren¡¯t aware of this. One can only feel the difference when trying to project it outward.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Certainly. Returning to my exnation, condensing Arcane Power into a point or line is far easier than forming it into a ne. Of course, if the density exceeds a certain degree, that also bes quite challenging¡­ Anyway, that¡¯s the gist of it.¡± ¡°Hmm, hmm. And what does that have to do with it not having any offensive techniques?¡± ¡°Think about it. Is it more painful to get hit by a force evenly distributed over ten different spots or by a concentrated hit to just one spot?¡± ¡°A concentrated hit to one spot¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why there are more offensive techniques in the field of Arcane Power, while the field of Divine Power holds more defensive skills. Their natures are fundamentally different.¡± Following that, the Archmage exined how theck of offensive skills using Divine Power also had historical reasons. While that history lesson was quite interesting, it wasn¡¯t especially important for someone not preparing for an exam or something. What piqued my interest was something else. If concentrating Divine Power into a single point wasn¡¯t possible, couldn¡¯t one just deal damage using its ne form? In the end, blunt weapons like hammers also used their wider surface area to deal damage. ¡°Well, if Divine Power can only be used to form nes¡­ Can¡¯t it be used to crush or press down on something?¡± Exactly, just as Deb said. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± The Archmage hesitated a little at Deb¡¯s question. Knowing the theory was one thing, but since he couldn¡¯t use Divine Power, he seemed somewhat reluctant to specte about other methods of application¡­ ¡°Does it not work?¡± ¡°¡­No, it seems feasible.¡± The only one among us who could use Divine Power now wore an incredibly pensive look. She seemed to have been struck by a profound realization, her expression hardening. If this were a manhwa, there would be an exmation mark in the background behind her. It was both endearing and amusing. ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± She was about to thank him properly, but when she saw Deb¡¯s face, she stopped and only mumbled a small ¡°Thank you¡­¡± It really was quite a cute and funny sight. ¡°What¡¯s with that half-hearted gratitude?¡± ¡°I said thank you.¡± ¡°No, but it was so quiet.¡± ¡°And how is that a problem?¡± That topic shift lifted her previously rather downcast mood immensely. I stifled augh about to escape my mouth and urged my horse forward. As I did, the two bickering dumplings and Bers, still struggling to understand the Archmage¡¯s exnation, passed by on either side of me. * * * * * * Fortunately, we didn¡¯t encounter any more bandits after that. Instead, we ran into guards returning from patrol. That meant less work for us, who had been hired for ourbat capabilities. ¡°Haha, wee to Hudelen.¡± Finally, as the guards at the city gate weed us in, the sprawling, developed city unfolded before us¡ªtruly the border between the East and West. ¡°¡­How beautiful.¡± ¡°We get that a lot. They say our city is one of the most picturesque in the world.¡± I still felt like something was missing here, but that thought quickly faded. Instead, like the Inquisitor, I found myself marveling at the scenery around us. It was hard not to. The backdrop of mountains and cliffs, fully developed buildings nestled into their faces, flowing waterways interspersed throughout, and at the heart of it all, ake pooling in the lowest part of the city. While we were walking on a path carved into the cliffs to enter the city, I had simply thought it would look like any other ce, but seeing it now, this was the most fantasy world-like view I had ever seen. No wonder the guard took so much pride in the city¡¯s beauty. ¡°Nothing will happen in this city, right?¡± However, instead of marveling at this beautiful sight, Deb was more concerned. Given the constant incidents that happened every time we visited a new city, his reaction wasn¡¯t too unreasonable. ¡°I wonder what kind of strong people live here!¡± There wasn¡¯t any need to pay heed to Bers¡¯ words. ¡°I¡¯m sure nothing will happen. Well, it seems our job here is done, so let¡¯s just go report to the Guild and part ways with the merchants.¡± Andstly, the Archmage¡­ beautifully nted a g. My gaze briefly lingered on him before I moved on. Believing we would at least be safe on our first day here, I hoped we could get a good night¡¯s sleep. ¡°Please consider epting our request again next time!¡± After going through various procedures, we quickly made our way across the city. Due to the heavy trade and rted requests, the Adventurers¡¯ Guild was conveniently located right next to the trading post, minimizing any wasted time. Though the most important locations for us, namely our lodgings (the Temple) and the Magic Tower, were at theplete opposite ends of the city. ¡°The Temple is at the very top, and the Magic Tower at the very bottom. What an odd location choice.¡± ¡°The Temples are usually situated in high ces.¡± ¡°Who doesn¡¯t know that? I wasn¡¯t saying that because I didn¡¯t know. ¡°Hmmmph! Walking back and forth a few times between the Temple and the Magic Tower will definitely be good exercise. What a nice city.¡± Wait, Bers was equating this to exercise? Her being a battle maniac aside, those muscles weren¡¯t just for show, huh? ¡°¡­Berserk, I think you¡¯re crazy in a different sense, as well.¡± ¡°Berserk isn¡¯t crazy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant¡­ I apologize if I offended you.¡± ¡°Very well. I ept your apology.¡± Bers turned uncharacteristically serious at the mention of her being crazy. Only after the poor, startled meat dumpling bowed his head quickly did Bers¡¯ expression return to her usual cheerful one. ¡°Only if you join me on a few round trips from the Temple to the Magic Tower tomorrow, though!¡± ¡°Urgh!¡± She seemed a bit too cheerful. I averted my gaze as Bers draped an arm over Deb¡¯s shoulder. I absolutely wouldn¡¯t be getting involved in that. Those two could figure it out on their own. ¡°Training? Let me join in, too.¡± ¡°Haha! Great! You¡¯re a true warrior!¡± Shaking my head inwardly, I looked at the dizzyingly steep slope. The city was built in a zigzag pattern to avoid the path getting too steep, but going up and down that slope? No way. Why would anyone willingly go through such hardship? I never even went hiking because I absolutely hated climbing and the like! ¡°Demon Knight! Join us, as well!¡± ¡°Get lost.¡± Whoops, I ended up answering reflexively because I hated even the mere idea of it. I wouldn¡¯t be taking it back, though. Nothing would make me hike up that slope. ¡°Why don¡¯t you want to? Do you prefer a different type of training?¡± No, it wasn¡¯t that¡­ I didn¡¯t like training at all. However, I would asionally practice my skills to apply them in more intricate and varied ways. Ever since Weapon Master gave me a little hint, I had been focusing on that. However, outright saying that I didn¡¯t want to join in on their foolishly brutish training session felt a bit out of character. I averted my eyes from Bers and moved forward. I was rather relieved that the Temple was so eye-catching, making it easy to locate and get to. ¡°Ah, Demon Knight. Did I forget to mention it? You need to go to the Magic Tower today.¡± ¡­However, that didn¡¯t change my fate of having to go all the way down there and back up here again. No, why?! Why?!! ¡°Don¡¯t feel too bad about it. White Wind contacted me and said he wants to check something regarding the seal.¡± Uuuurgh. Chapter 109: To a Distant Land (3) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 109 To a Distant Land (3) In the end, we all ended up heading down to the Magic Tower together. The people of the Temple appeared somewhat hesitant about that but didn¡¯t try to stop us outright. They did warn us to watch out for snakes and that if anyone got injured, we should bring them back here, though. On our way down, Bers tried to make us do parkour, as I¡¯d expected. I could go into more detail about it, but to summarize, Deb almost cracked his skull open. ¡°Next time, I¡¯ll definitely go alone.¡± ¡°Are you already backing out, young hunter?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t force us to take paths only you can use, you maniac!¡± ¡°This was quite productive. Keeping pace was a bit of a challenge, but¡­ I didn¡¯t realize there were so many alternate routes besides the main roads.¡± While Deb was desperately yelling how this couldn¡¯t even be called parkour anymore, the Inquisitor clenched her fists. Her green eyes and flushed cheeks shone with a fresh, vibrant glow, seemingly indicating that she¡¯d found this experience quite exhrating. Though from what I¡¯d observed, she didn¡¯t have much talent for this kind of thing. ¡°Demon Knight, you really should join us next time¡­!¡± Never. At least, not in this city! I desperately avoided the kimchi dumpling¡¯s eager gaze. If she thought that would make me change my mind, she was wrong. Hmph. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go inside.¡± At that moment, the Archmage calmly led us inside. The tower standing in the middle of theke had its doors wide open, weing us. The architecture looked like someone had plucked the dome off St. Peter¡¯s Basilica or St. Paul¡¯s Cathedral. ¡°I¡¯d thought this Magic Tower was just really small, but could it be that the main building is actuallypletely underwater¡­?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t always like this, but as the city developed and the waterways shifted, it just ended up like that. Still, the water helps dampen the noise, so both the wizards and the residents are happy with this arrangement.¡± Anyway, we had to cross theke to enter the tower. We walked along the path leading over the water. The water flowing on both sides made me feel as if I were on a boat. Even though the bridge was solid, this subtle motion made my stomach churn. Was that perhaps why there weren¡¯t many people crossing it? ¡°If there¡¯s just a single crack in the wall, we¡¯ll all end up drowning¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say such scary things. Besides, there¡¯s no way it could break so easily. The first thing the wizards ensured when the tower started getting submerged was their own safety.¡± Things would usually break right after someone imed they didn¡¯t break easily. At least this was just ake, not the sea, so swimming would be much easier. Just in case, I noted the direction of the nearest shore as I stepped into the tower. Through the open door, I could see a reception desk. The interior decorations were simpler than I¡¯d expected but still quitevish, objectively speaking. ¡°We¡¯re here to see White Wind. May we enter?¡± ¡°The Great Sage? Do you have an appointment¡­?¡± Instead of answering, the Archmage simply presented an emblem to them. The person behind the desk jumped in surprise. Their legs immediately straightened, and they bent over into a 90-degree bow. ¡°I¡¯ll guide you to the research wing!¡± ¡°Hoho, there¡¯s no need to be so formal.¡± ¡°N-N-Not at all, Sir Archmage!¡± The desk clerk handed out visitor passes to us with trembling hands, telling us that we should never take them off under any circumstances. Apparently, the security in the research wing was so strict that anyone without a visitor pass would be detained immediately and dragged to the interrogation room. Finding it a bit inconvenient to wear around my neck, I wrapped it around my wrist like a bracelet instead. The clerk didn¡¯t seem to mind, so it looked like that much was eptable. ¡°This way, please.¡± The clerk led us down one of the branching paths. I didn¡¯t know where the other path would lead, but seeing how people in civilian clothes wereing and going from there, I assumed it had to be some kind of public area. ¡°You can¡¯t look outside from here, huh?¡± ¡°Rather than setting up a barrier strong enough to repel water, it¡¯s far more efficient to build and reinforce the building by engraving reinforcement magic.¡± ¡°¡­So, there aren¡¯t any windows anywhere?¡± ¡°Probably not. Unless a material capable of withstanding water pressure while still being transparent enough to see through is discovered, it will likely remain this way forever, as well.¡± We followed the clerk down the stairs. The staircase, which didn¡¯t have a single window and was merely illuminated by artificial lights, reminded me of a subway station. ¡°Huh. How can anyone even live in a stuffy ce like this?¡± ¡°Haha, wizards take to the outside less than house mice do! So there¡¯s no way they would worry about this ce being stuffy!¡± Then, as we reached the bottom of the stars and truly entered the research wing, a familiar voice that didn¡¯t belong to anyone in our current group interrupted our chat. ¡°S-Siiiiiiir Great Sage White Wind!¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll take it from here, so you can head back. And¡­ It¡¯s been a while! I¡¯m d to see you¡¯re doing well. Yeah, yeah. While we¡¯re at it, could you tell me in detail about how the seal got shattered? I¡¯ve heard the outline, but nothing beats hearing it from you personally.¡± There he was, that research maniac. ¡°How did you know we wereing?¡± ¡°Huh? Aah. It was a coincidence! Some idiot was secretly experimenting in an arcane-free zone, broke a wall, and nearly drowned us all. I was in the process of scolding them when I just happened to see you guys!¡± Sir White Wind, Murlock,ughed loudly while sharing that rather ominous story, leaving our entire grouppletely pale faced. ¡°You told me the walls wouldn¡¯t break so easily¡­!¡± ¡°¡­I didn''t consider internal threats. My apologies. I retract my previous statement.¡± ¡°Heeey!!¡± ¡°Hmph. Berserk knows how to swim. If things get sticky, I can just swim to theke''s surface and escape!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point if only you can survive, Berserk?!¡± Deb clutched his head and looked toward the Inquisitor as hisst hope. The kimchi dumpling, her expression resolute, solemnly spoke up. ¡°I can deploy a barrier to block the water¡¯s path, allowing everyone to escape while I hold it back for you¡­!¡± That was at least a somewhat sensible n, though it would mean she¡¯d be sacrificing herself. Deb finally facepalmed. It felt like a scene from a si. ¡°Alright, alright, let¡¯s go. I¡¯ve been eagerly awaiting your arrival!¡± ¡°My, I didn¡¯t expect you to be so excited. It pains me to say this, but you¡¯ll probably need to step away from this research for now.¡± ¡°Why?!?!¡± White Wind reacted like a puppy whose food bowl had been taken away. ¡°Why? Because I have something to discuss with you. You weren¡¯t the only one working on the seal, so there should be another wizard working with you who can take care of this. Leave it to them ande with me.¡± ¡°No! No!! I¡¯ve been looking forward to this moment for so long! There was a lot I wanted to ask him, as weeell!!¡± ¡°Then ask me instead.¡± White Wind whined, but the Archmage was firm in his stance. He called out to the wizard waiting behind White Wind and gave them instructions. It was so amusing to see the Archmage¡¯s orders seemed to take precedence, even though White Wind was supposed to be in charge of this branch. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go, Sir Demon Knight.¡± ¡­I was saddened that I now had to step into the center of this madness again. ¡°The rest of you can tour the tower. Who knows what useful things you might discover. Especially you, Inquisitor. Feel free to ask around for a ce where you can test your skills as well as your strategies. Make sure to do so.¡± ¡°Ah, understood.¡± ¡°Berserk has always wanted to experience fighting against magic. This is a great chance to see if I can withstand it!¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll go with Berserk.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± As such, our group dispersed. * * * * * * Havinge to a proper facility, I repeated what I had done in Canaves so they could gather more precise data. In other words, I needed to unleash a flurry of skills again to check their output. ¡°Does the Demon ever speak to you?¡± During the process, the wizard pushing me to my limits asked me that question. Given my character setting, in that I would absolutely cooperate to fend off the Demon despite being extremely ufortable with this, I raised my previously furrowed eyebrows high. ¡°I¡¯m just asking to get more urate data.¡± The wizard was more socially adept than that White Wind. Instead of pressing me, she provided a reason for her question. That was a more effective approach. I reluctantly unclenched my jaw. ¡°No.¡± However, regardless of my character setting, I¡¯d never actually experienced something like that. How would that Demon, who was only supposed to exist in my settings, even talk to me? ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°I meant what I said.¡± Aware of the gazes focused on me, I gripped the armrest of the chair I was sitting on more tightly. The metallic handle groaned unpleasantly as it bent in my grip. The other wizards immediately turned their heads away. ¡°Then what does it feel like when the Demon takes control?¡± However, the wizard before me was different. She continued questioning me calmly. Her business-like demeanor felt oddly more likable to me. ¡°¡­You wretch!¡± However, regardless of how likable I thought she was, character settings were character settings. I sprang up from my seat and red down at the wizard. She was particrly short for a Middle, so I practically had to bend over to look down at her. ¡°Please exin.¡± ¡°I already told the Great Sage.¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t hurt to repeat what you told the Great Sage, would it?¡± Wow, this person had some serious guts and eloquence. If someone taller than me snarled at me like that, I would immediately back down. Impressed by her boldness, I pondered what I should do next. Going by my character settings, I would probably run off at this point, right? Bang! ¡°Ah!¡± So why shouldn¡¯t I do that, then? ¡°Ah, but the measurements aren¡¯t finished yet!¡± I bolted out of there. All the people here had also been pestering me to show them my right arm, so there was no hesitation in my actions. My character would rather bite off his tongue and die than willingly show it to others. Even when White Wind asked me to do it, I hadn¡¯t relented. Surprisingly, White Wind didn¡¯t really insist. So why should I listen to his underlings?! ¡°W-Wait a moment!¡± Nope, not listening. I shook off the wizards¡¯ hands and exited the building. Theyout was a bitplex, but I could still leave by retracing my steps. Hehehe. ¡°Hehe, I just need this for this month¡¯s thesis¡­¡± ¡°Pomegranate tea, that damned pomegranate tea was the problem. If only I hadn¡¯t drunk that pomegranate tea, I wouldn''t have ended up here. Uuurgh.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a talking potato¡­ a potato that can do nothing but talk¡­¡± ¡°Hey. Hey! Emergency! Mage Chonghai is moving all the materials and equipment to another branch! Get the word out to theb members there, quickly!¡± In the process of my escape, I got a glimpse of the daily lives of the wizards. It was impossible not to notice as I made my way out, passing by those guys moving around like zombies. ¡°Sir Sage¡­ Please let my thesis pass¡­¡± ¡°Chief Wizard or whatever, it¡¯s all just meaningless. Whether you¡¯re a chief or just a regr wizard, we¡¯re all simply ves to the Sages¡­¡± It seemed the hierarchy went from Great Sage (Archmage) to Sage (Mage) to Chief Wizard andstly to regr wizards¡­ Honestly, just from overhearing them, this ce sounded exactly like a graduate school. I¡¯d never actually been to one, but I had heard plenty of stories. ¡°Urgh, this is so frustrating. I¡¯d rather go to the Magic Tower of Sir Azure Lake than be tormented here¡­¡± ¡°Are you stupid? Do you think they¡¯d take a wizard who couldn¡¯t survive under Sir White Wind?¡± ¡°They even epted a wizard with no Arcane Power. I think I''ll be fine¡­¡± ¡°You really are an idiot.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about just being epted by them. If you go there as you are, they¡¯ll just make you hunt merfolk, you know?¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± I¡¯d always thought of them as research maniacs, but it seemed like wizards didn¡¯t have it easy, either. I couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit sympathetic. However, when thinking back to the gazes of those who seemed to view me only as mere research material, I immediately looked at them with a straight face. ¡°Who are you? Why is a civilian in the research wing¡­¡± I climbed the stairs, tilting my arm slightly so that guy had a clear view of my visitor¡¯s pass. I could see the desk, the lobby, and the door leading outside. I was almost outside. Aiiiiight. After tossing the visitor¡¯s pass back to the desk, I quickly made my way to the bridge. After being in that enclosed space devoid of natural light for a couple of hours, I felt an immediate rush of relief as I took a step outside. I hadn¡¯t realized how much I preferred open spaces. That was also why I didn¡¯t take the subway often. ¡°If you get too close to the railing, you might get eaten.¡± Who might be that kind¡­ Wait, did they say ¡®get eaten¡¯, not ¡®fall in¡¯? ¡°Didn¡¯t you see the warning sign?¡± I turned my head a bit to see who was warning me here. Judging by the robes and that emblem, they were probably a wizard. They looked quite¡­ young. ¡°Anyway, step back. Dozens of people have been attacked by that thing already.¡± Seeing the kid barely reach my chest surprised me a little. Of course, being overly surprised just because someone looked young would be incredibly rude, so I quicklyposed myself. They might just be short for an adult. ¡°What are you doing? I said step back.¡± Rather than kind, their voice sounded fairly blunt. It seemed they¡¯d had to deal with many people like me who hadn¡¯t read the warning sign all day long. ¡°You really aren¡¯t listening, huh? Are you deaf as well as blind¡ª¡± However, personal attacks really were crossing the line!? ¡°Watch out!¡± I moved my hand to my waist and drew my sword. Swish! Something lunged at me from theke, sttering crimson liquid as my de cut through it. ¡°You¡¯re warning the wrong person here, kid.¡± So, what exactly was that thing attacking me¡­? Oh, this wasn¡¯t South America, so why did a giant water snake pop out here? In that case, shouldn¡¯t they ban people from essing theke altogether instead of just warning them about getting too close to the railing? No wonder the Temple people warned us to watch out for snakes when we told them we were going to the Magic Tower! ¡°Th-That snake, in one hit.¡± I nced at the bisected water snake sinking into theke and stepped back from the railing. While it hadn¡¯t been particrly frightening, I had no desire to remain by the railing after enduring that kid¡¯s fiery verbal assault. ¡°Wait, wait!¡± However, that sharp-tongued fellow grabbed me once more. When they realized who they were dealing with, all their ferocity seemed to dissipate, and the grip on my arm was soft, a mere touch. ¡°Do you perhaps take requests? If so, can you handle these snakes for us?!¡± And this interaction even led to a Sidequest? ¡°Please, I¡¯m begging you! If this continues, all our customersing for Arcane supplies will disappear!!¡± Was this an opportunity, perhaps¡­? Chapter 110: To a Distant Land (4) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 110 To a Distant Land (4) ©¤ Sir Great Sage, the Demon Knight refused to cooperate with the investigation and left. What should we do? ¨C The Archmage, who was conversing with White Wind in the reception room, slightly furrowed his eyebrows. ¡°Hm, what caused this?¡± ©¤ We asked about what happened in the moment he was possessed by the Demon¡­ ¨C ¡°I figured that would happen. Just leave him be. Don¡¯t bother sending anyone after him.¡± ©¤ Understood. ¨C As White Wind answered calmly, it was the Archmage who seemed a lot more taken aback. He set down the teacup he was holding. ¡°Is it really okay to just let him go?¡± ¡°How can we catch someone who¡¯s expressing his difort so vehemently?¡± ¡°But wasn¡¯t this investigation crucial for creating the seal? Without it, making it properly would be¡­¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s impossible. Like I said earlier, the absolute seal you want¡­ will never be possible. Even if he fully cooperated, making something like that would be more than difficult. With him reacting like that, it¡¯s even more challenging.¡± ¡°Was that the reason? I thought you meant youcked the technical skills. Should I try persuading him again¡­?¡± The Demon Knight was an important resource, not only because of his power, but also because his very existence ensured they didn¡¯t have to deal with one of the Great Demons. That was why the seal, which served as a sort of insurance, was also crucial. It wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t understand the Demon Knight¡¯s feelings, but in this situation, they needed to find a way to make himpromise somehow. ¡°It¡¯s no use.¡± However, the Archmage thought the same. ¡°You won¡¯t get him to do anything more than this. Not over his dead body.¡± Even White Wind, who always wore a bright smile, could only whisper as much as his expression hardened. Even if he hadn¡¯t said it, the Demon Knight¡¯s actions spoke for themselves. ¡°And how do you know that?¡± ¡°Because I react somewhat simrly when ites to certain matters. And you as well, right?¡± White Wind poured some honey into his teacup. As he swirled the teaspoon inside of it, the honey melted into the warm tea. ¡°We know in our heads that reacting this way is neither right nor efficient, but there are still some things we can¡¯tpromise on. Things where we would rather choose death overpromise.¡± His tea should be rather sweet now. Wouldn¡¯t it be too sweet? ¡°I respect him.¡± He kept adding honey to it, spoonful after spoonful, until the tea overflowed when its heat could no longer dissolve the honey. Like the pain remaining in one¡¯s heart that couldn¡¯t be melted away by reason once it grew to a certain point. ¡°That¡¯s why I gave him something that could blow up his heart in a moment of crisis.¡± ¡°¡­! Wha- That¡¯s!¡± ¡°In fact, I find it rather surprising that you¡¯re acting like this. I thought you would respect people and their decisions far more than I do. Or has your own self-loathing extended even to that kid?¡± ¡°¡­!!¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not that big a deal. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll handle it well.¡± ¡°¡­Did it seem like I didn¡¯t respect him?¡± ¡°Not to that extent. I just wondered if you were being so sensitive because of that Hero or for some other reason. I didn¡¯t expect you to try so hard to persuade him. I thought you¡¯d at least give it some time. This isn''t a problem that can be solved immediately. Of course, the short development time for the seal is also a factor here.¡± White Wind drank the tea that was mostly honey in one gulp. Despite the intense sweetness, his face remained unperturbed. ¡°Well, everyone has to deal with tight development schedules and the like, so let¡¯s just set this aside. The other issues are your personal matters, so I won¡¯t discuss them any further. If you want to try to persuade him, I won¡¯t stop you.¡± White Wind gestured lightly with his fingers, implying that if the Archmage seeded in persuading the Demon Knight, he should be informed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the rest. Researching ways to deal with Demons is obviously necessary, and as long as the Hero is in the Magic Tower, we¡¯ll fully cooperate with finding ways for her to apply her Divine Power.¡± Ah, and of course, they needed to search for those informants. White Wind lightly reminded him of all the issues he¡¯d previously mentioned. The Archmage silently stroked his teacup. ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± Although they couldn¡¯t see the outside scenery directly, Arcane devices captured and showed images of their surrounding area. ¡°Ah! Right, I didn¡¯t get the chance to give the Demon Knight that request! Ipletely forgot!¡± ¡°Request?¡± ¡°Aah! It¡¯s toote to get anyone of his caliber now. This is all your fault! You have to fix this!¡± ¡°How¡­ absurd.¡± ¡°You have to fix thiiiiiiis.¡± * * * I raised my eyebrows at that person clinging to me. ¡°It seems you¡¯ve lost control of your limbs along with your sense of shame.¡± If Sidequests simply came to me on their own, that would be something to be happy about. I had been dealing with what might be the Main Quest or incidents of incredibly grand scale one after the other, after all. However, a request from the Magic Tower? Shouldn¡¯t I at least show some defiance even though I nned to handle it? ¡°Alright, I apologize for what I said earlier. Please, just hear me out.¡± That apology seemed pretty half-hearted¡­ Well, whatever. That kid was still young, so I decided to let it slide. I took a stance that showed I was willing to listen now, to which the kid¡¯s face brightened as they began to exin. ¡°Those snakes suddenly started appearing in theke about two weeks ago. We always had some snakes around, but we¡¯ve never had ones thisrge.¡± Moreover, these snakes were incredibly aggressive, attacking people on the bridge like they¡¯d done just now. Because of that, the number of visitors to the Magic Tower had sharply decreased. ¡°The smallerbs run by this Magic Tower survive by selling Arcane items. If our number of visitors keeps decreasing, thosebs will all go bankrupt. We absolutely must prevent that!¡± The kid insisted it wasn¡¯t because of their ownb¡¯s situation, but in my opinion, that seemed to be 99% the reason for their request. ¡°So.¡± But¡­ I had always wondered when I woulde across a quest like this. It was one thing to take on quests handed out by the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, but, yeah, one was normally supposed to take on these kinds of misceneous tasks like this. However, if it was that urgent, couldn¡¯t the Magic Tower handle it themselves? ¡°Th-That¡¯s why I''m asking you to take on the request¡­¡± So why weren¡¯t they doing that? There had to be a reason. ¡°¡­Please, I beg you. The Adventurers¡¯ Guild already turned us down. The wizards from thebs affected by this wanted to step in, but they¡¯re all researchers and incredibly weak¡­ And the otherbs withbat wizards said this was none of their business and refused to help¡­ Even the Great Sage told us to stop bothering him about this¡­¡± While I was specting on the background of this request, the kid, looking very sad, continued to spit out excuses. Thanks to that, I somewhat understood why they were asking me, although it also raised some more questions. ¡°¡­The Adventurers¡¯ Guild turned you down?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s all because of the Temple! They used us of being responsible for this and told us to handle it ourselves! The Adventurers¡¯ Guild sided with them!¡± Huh, the Temple? That was strange. Wasn¡¯t the Temple supposed to be all about helping others, to the point of often working for nothing? And the Adventurers¡¯ Guild generally acted in the public interest, so why would they refuse this request? ¡°Aren¡¯t they just too much? Sure, some of thebs caused the city to be overrun with bugs, or caused the ground to shake, resulting in some houses copsing, or blocked the drain system, causing some houses on the lower levels to get flooded¡­ But this time, we¡¯re also the victims here!!¡± ¡­So that was the reason. Anyone would think they were to me for this. If incidents like this happened repeatedly, anyone would assume they were the culprits. ¡°And then they think that getting free treatment is already enough! We alwayspensated in our own way for all the damages we caused!¡± And they even got free treatment. I mean, if they always had to clean up after the Magic Tower¡¯s mess, it wasn¡¯t surprising they were fed up with it¡­ Realizing why those two organizations devoted to the general public refused to help, I took a deep breath. Anyway, they imed it wasn¡¯t their fault, and it wasn¡¯t something they could handle alone, so I might as well take care of it. It wasn¡¯t a Demon-rted issue, just a simple snake hunt. This shouldn¡¯t take too long. ¡°¡­So, I just need to kill all the snakes?¡± ¡°I beg of you¡­ Huh?¡± ¡°I asked if killing all those snakes would be everything.¡± A contract¡­? Eh, whatever. It wasn¡¯t like I was short on money or glory. If they paid me, great. If they didn¡¯t, I wouldn¡¯t mind. After all, thepensation for handing over the¡­ dragon scales was still sleeping in my wallet. Ah, I felt like dust suddenly got into my eyes. ¡°Y-Yes!¡± However, now that I thought about it, how was I supposed to kill all the snakes? In most games, one just had to defeat a set number of mobs wandering the field, but in this ce¡­ Ah, wait a second. ¡°Do you have an item that allows one to breathe underwater?¡± ¡°Ah, of course! I¡¯ll get it! No, wait. Let¡¯s get it together! I¡¯ll provide you with all the necessary items!¡± Now that I thought of it, it had been some time since I¡¯d seen a Quest Window. Huh? * * * * * * At that moment, I realized there hadn¡¯t been a Quest Notification, but I had no time to dwell on it further. The client¡¯s desperation was just too intense to ignore. Moreover¡­ Even if there was some kind of system error preventing Quest Notifications from appearing, there wasn¡¯t really anything I could do. These bugs were crazy. It would be nice if this game just crashed and forced me to log out, but well, there wasn¡¯t much I could do about it. Although this situation was a bit unsettling, I couldn¡¯t let myself get consumed by fear and anxiety. I fought off the sinking feeling and decided to dy uncovering the cause. I could think about itter as much as I wanted after finishing this quest, maybe while resting or even while exploring theke. Besides, it had been weeks since I¡¯d seen thest Quest Notification, and the world hadn¡¯t ended yet. What was another day or two? If something were to go wrong, it would have happened already, damn it. ¡°Our savior!¡± ¡°Our light!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± So, postponing my worries, I followed the client into theirb. They provided me with items that enabled me to breathe underwater, medicine to prevent dpression sickness, hot packs to counter hypothermia, and even an underwater shlight. ¡°A-Are you sure this is enough?¡± Back outside, I removed mybat boots and coat, storing them neatly in my inventory. I had no reason to swim around while burdened with unnecessary clothing, especially since I wasn¡¯t really in a rush. Removing these clothes didn¡¯t affect my appearance much, either. ¡°Take this, too. Pressing the button will inte a balloon withpressed air that can instantly drag you up to the surface.¡± Why were they so well-prepared for underwater incidents here? I thought about the marine survival games I¡¯d yed before and took another look at the item they handed me. It was a device resembling a harness with an airbag in the back. When I put it on, it didn¡¯t look too bad on me, though in the best case, I wouldn¡¯t need to use it. After cing the hot packs¡ªstones the size of a finger¡ªon my wrists, ankles, waist, and chest, I bit down on the underwater breathing device. ¡°Good luck!!¡± ¡°Stay strong!¡± Ssh! Those encouraging shouts, drowned out a bit by the sound of me diving in, felt oddly irritating. Bubble. I noticed that the breathing device worked well as I dove deeper. Due to the nearby city and research facility, the water was incredibly murky, filled with what seemed to be algae and dust particles. The debris floating around the ce was also no joke. Pop, pooop. Still, it wasn¡¯t to the point where I couldn¡¯t see anything. With the sound of air bubbles popping around me, I dove even deeper. Twigs, leaves, and seaweed brushed past me, and thekebed started toe into view. ¡°¡­?¡± Strange nts were covering the bottom. Was this alright? Without any time for other thoughts, I grabbed my knife and began to prepare. This would have been dangerous even if the bottom werepletely bare, but with these nts, detecting any approaching snakes was even more difficult. I cautiously swam around, not diving too deep. A few fish brushed past me, and soon, several of those snakes started getting closer to me. Perhaps due to my experience dealing with a sea dragon and, unlike before, having enough Arcane Power, handling these giant water snakes didn¡¯t seem too difficult to me. The giant water snakes approaching me were cut in half instantly and sank to theke floor. ¡°¡­??¡± However, those nts then started wrapping around the water snakes¡¯ corpses. It wasn''t just a matter of the nts swaying around due to the current or getting pressed against the snake corpses. They were clearly wrapping around the fallen bodies, pulling them closer. Didn¡¯t that seem like it might cause problems?? Bubble. I should probably check one more time, just in case this had just been my imagination. I decided to find another snake to test this. I was a bit scared to go down there personally, so I thought I might as well experiment using the corpses of the things I had to kill anyway. Sorry, snakes! Honestly, it was pretty unfair to call them pests and kill them just because they made this ce their home. People were the worst, really. sh! I found a third snake and cut it down. Then, I grabbed its sinking body and held it out. I slowly lowered the snake corpse like a fishing line. Rustle. ¡°¡­!¡± Those things were definitely grabbing it! I furrowed my brows as I watched the nts wind around the snake¡¯s corpse. I decided to test the strength of those nts by pulling on the corpse. They were pretty resilient, but I could tear them apart. Should I go up now or investigate a bit more? I released the snake I had used for this experiment and looked down at the nts. The dark green, swaying things almost made the floor seem like the jaws of a beast. Buuuuubble. ¡­I should investigate a bit more. These things could just be natural creatures in this ce, but the wizards would have mentioned them if they were. Well, who knows, they might have simply forgotten to tell me. Even if this situation was abnormal, I still needed to collect some samples, at least, so I could ask the wizards about it. I also needed to check how far these nts had spread. I started by examining thekebed, putting the snake hunt on the back burner. I didn¡¯t have to go out of my way to find those things since they kepting at me on their own. What worried me more was how wide those nts spread. I frowned as I saw the nts not only covering almost the entirekebed but also engulfing what looked like part of the Magic Tower. Thankfully, those nts hadn¡¯t spread to the shore yet, but if left unchecked, they would surely cover the whole area in no time. Actually, what was more troubling was theck of fish in thiske. I only saw some in areas without those nts. I swam around a bit more. Having killed about a dozen snakes and roughly checked the growth of these nts, I decided to gather some samples. ¡°¡­!¡± But why were these things so uselessly tough?! My best guess was that it would be easier to grab some nts from the outskirts rather than right from the middle section. That was the right call. As soon as I got closer, the nts quickly wound around my limbs and showed incredible resilience. Snap! I managed to free one of my arms and swung my knife at the nts. As I cut them down, those things let out a screeching sound. I was finally free of their iron grip. Bubble. Being restrained like that felt incredibly disgusting. I shuddered as I grabbed some of the pieces of nt I¡¯d cut off and swam upward. The seaweed-like strands continued clinging to my arms even after being cut off from the central part. Ssh! ¡°Ah, you¡¯re back!¡± Geez, searching for about two hours turned out to be more exhausting than I¡¯d expected. I slowly approached the bridge after removing the breathing device with my free hand. Climbing up wasn¡¯t too difficult since part of the railing had been torn off. ¡°S-So, did you catch any snakes¡­?¡± ¡°What is this?¡± Setting aside the snakes for now, I really needed them to answer this first. What if I had approached these nts carelessly? ¡°A nt?¡± ¡°When I got closer to it, it tried dragging me in. Exin.¡± ¡°It tried to drag you in? That¡¯s just¡ª¡± I swept back my wet, limp hair, which was unpleasantly heavy from the floating debris caught in it. ¡°Well, about that. May I exin?¡± At that moment, someone unexpected intervened. ¡°Sir Great Sage!¡± ¡°What brings you here, Sir Great Sage?!¡± It was White Wind, living up to his name by suddenly appearing out of nowhere like a gust of wind. ¡°This was originally something I wanted to request of you.¡± I had a feeling that this situation was about to get a whole lot moreplicated. Chapter 111: To a Distant Land (5) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 111 To a Distant Land (5) ¡°Haah, I had hoped to resolve this quietly¡­¡± White Wind led us back inside, insisting this wasn¡¯t the right ce to discuss this. The group of wizards who¡¯d initially made this request also followed. They were dragged in along with me without receiving a proper exnation. They didn¡¯t exactly have a say in the matter, but none of them even tried toin, so it probably was fine. ¡°Before we begin, what I¡¯m about to tell you is ssified information, so make sure this doesn¡¯t reach anyone else¡¯s ears. Understood?¡± I was more bothered about getting dragged here without having the chance to clean myself. Urgh, I felt so grimy. As I picked bits of bark and nt from my hair, I tried my best to focus on the conversation. Considering he¡¯d said this was ssified, this clearly wouldn¡¯t be a simple matter. ¡°By the way, you absolutely must keep this secret from your party, particrly that priest.¡± Wait, even from the Inquisitor? I halted my hand while brushing over my wet hair and looked at White Wind. His usually cheerful¡ªor rather maniacal¡ªexpression was nowpletely serious, making him look especially grave. ¡°I¡¯ll ensure you¡¯re wellpensated for keeping this secret, understood?¡± I wasn¡¯t really all about doing anything for money, though¡­ ¡°You seem to assume I¡¯d readily agree to that.¡± I was usually pretty open to epting jobs, especially if they paid well, as long as they weren¡¯t against thew and I had nothing pressing to take care of. However, it was rather concerning that he asked me to keep this from my party. Seeing that a Great Sage was involved, this shouldn¡¯t be anything illegal, but it still felt off. Especially considering I currently couldn¡¯t rely on my Quest Log to check. ¡°Ten million Gal. Would that be enough to buy your discretion?¡± ¡°¡­You think I¡¯d ept this so easily?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no reason not to. Don¡¯t be too rigid. I¡¯ll even add a bonus if you seed.¡± It was hard to turn down that sum. I thought back to the amount Jacrati had offered me. Technically, they¡¯d offered me ten million Gal just for Vipurit¡¯s head and even gave me an additional reward for killing the Demon¡ªwhich I¡¯d turned down. It wasn¡¯t like they were giving me too little or too much for that, but¡­ What exactly was that guy asking of me? The Magic Tower might be wealthy, but they wouldn¡¯t just shell out ten million Gal for some trivial task. This had to be something important¡­ What could have escted this simple snake hunt to a ten-million-Gal Quest? Had I stumbled onto something I shouldn¡¯t have?? ¡°Alright, we¡¯re all set then? Let¡¯s get down to the real talk.¡± Cutting my inner turmoil short, White Wind spoke up again. ¡°First off, you saw those nts, right? They were born from one of our mistakes!¡± And he immediately dropped this bombshell. ¡°Due to some of the buildings deteriorating, some Arcane Power leaked into the surroundings, affecting the local ecosystem. The water¡¯s higher density rtive to air made it so this Arcane Power didn''t disperse like it would have otherwise. As for why the snakes are congregating here, I also have no clue, ahaha.¡± The others reacted even more strongly, their faces flushing red as they fumbled for anything to say. If the other person weren¡¯t a Great Sage, they might have immediately expressed their anger. ¡°So.¡± Besides, it seemed like it really was the Magic Tower again! Seeing how even White Wind didn¡¯t know why the snakes were here, that actually seemed to be unrted to them, though¡­ However, those nts were definitely their fault. He probably hadn¡¯t strongly demanded others to resolve the snake problem in order to cover this up. So, our wizard friends here shouldn¡¯t go around ming the Temple or the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, right? At that moment, I showed my displeasure. White Wind didn¡¯t seem to care at all, though. ¡°The root cause is this aging building, so repairing it would resolve things¡­ but the problem is, to repair the Tower, we must first remove those nts! If we ask our people to remove them, it would be far too conspicuous, given the nature of Arcane Power.¡± On the contrary, White Wind cheerfully pped his hands and eximed. ¡°So. I¡¯d like you to take care of this matter. I don¡¯t want this to reach the ears of the Temple or the Adventurers¡¯ Guild. If it does, you know what will happen¡­ right?¡± I¡¯d been wondering why he insisted on keeping this from the Inquisitor, and it turned out to be the same reason why they didn¡¯t properlymunicate the matter with the snakes. Ultimately, they wanted to deal with this secretly, meaning that ten million Gal was more like hush money than an actual reward for a Quest. Right now, I was in a situation where I would effectively be nothing but a weeder, to which I wore a deliberately annoyed expression. ¡°¡­Do you think I¡¯d take on such a trivial task?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. I know! You wouldn¡¯t want to get involved in some petty or trivial task. That¡¯s why I offered you so much money!¡± As if already anticipating my reaction, White Wind waved around one of his fingers. Then, a mannequin standing in one corner of the reception room moved toward us. Creak, creak. Thunk. Was it a mannequin or perhaps a marite? Apanied by metallic nking, the humanoid figure walked over and opened a drawer, pulling out what appeared to be a very ornate box. It seemed a bit too wide and t to be used to store something. ¡°So, how about this?¡± I stood corrected. It was indeed a box to store something, and what it held was a ne. ¡°This is a subspace ne made by yours truly! It can hold up to three cubic meters! If you were to sell it, it would easily fetch you over ten million Gal, so how about this instead?¡± Wait, that was a subspace ne? Ah, I couldn¡¯t resist more inventory space. ¡°Hey, is it really alright for you to give me that?¡± ¡°Ahaha. Compared to having the whole city treat the Magic Tower like traitors, this is a small price to pay.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°So, I can take that as you agreeing to keep this a secret from the Hero, right?¡± I epted the ne from White Wind, ignoring the shocked looks from those around us. The ne, with its serpentine octagonal chain, was intricately inscribed with tiny letters. However, its design was rather clunky. It even seemed like its silver color wouldn¡¯t sh with my appearance¡­ Hmm. Why a ne, though? I already had enough things around my neck, particrly the bandages. ¡°You can wear it around your wrist like a bracelet, around your neck, or even around your ankle as long as it¡¯s touching your skin. To put something inside, you just have to touch the item and think about storing it. To retrieve something, you must first make sure you have enough space around you and then think about taking it out.¡± Luckily, it seemed I didn¡¯t have to wear it around my neck. Thinking about whether I should wear it around my arm or leg, I looked at White Wind. ¡°It won¡¯t work if someone else is also touching the item, so keep that in mind! It uses a small amount of Arcane Power, but since you have plenty, that shouldn¡¯t be an issue. Lastly, since it doesn¡¯t have any security measures, anyone who meets the conditions can use it, so don¡¯t lose it. That¡¯s all for the warnings!¡± Then, should I take that request? White Wind¡¯s clear voice fell on me. Despite his sitting posture, it felt like he was towering over me. ¡°¡­Tsk. Define the scope of this task.¡± Still, who could resist more inventory space? ¡°Ah, right. It¡¯s best to rify things like this with a contract. Can you read?¡± ¡°I can.¡± ¡°Hmm, hmm. Good, good. That makes things faster.¡± White Wind had the marite fetch a pen and paper. With shocking speed, it covered the paper with writing. The paper was soon filled with the basic contract details, special uses regarding the confidentiality of this mission, a pledge for the ownership transfer of the ne, and the tasks I needed to perform. With this, I could clearly understand what I needed to do even without my Quest Log¡­ ¡°Check it over!¡± The problem was that I wasn¡¯t all too familiar with contracts. I¡¯d dealt with a few publishing contracts but had legal assistance, so those were fine. This was very different. I now understood why the Adventurers¡¯ Guild was so necessary. Feeling a new appreciation for the Guild, I quickly signed the contract. There didn¡¯t seem to be any hidden uses, and it seemed to include everything essential. I figured that spending more time mulling it over would only dy things. Besides, with the Archmage still here, there was no way that he would scam me, right? Although, that was often how people got scammed. Still. ¡°I¡¯ve checked it.¡± Hah, so now the Quest would begin. Since he wasn¡¯t taking back the ne, he apparently intended to give it to me as an advance payment. Now that I¡¯d taken it, I should get to work. I rolled up the copied contract and touched it into the bag at my waist. ¡°Ah, are you heading out right away?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t n to drag out this trivial matter.¡± ¡°Haha. I knew I picked the right person for this.¡± Ah, so he hadn¡¯t given me time to wash up because he knew I would be going back in there anyway. That was kind of pissing me off. ¡°Alright, then you guys also go and help him out! I originally nned to keep you out of this, but now that you know, I don¡¯t really have a choice. Having a convenient excuse for all this isn¡¯t too bad, either.¡± Seeing how they wouldn''t getpensated for their troubles in the least, it seemed that I was in a much better position than them. I offered them a silent constion as I headed out. The sun had yet to set. * * * * * * Ssh! No, the sun had set already. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re back up!¡± ¡°A-Aren¡¯t you cold?¡± ¡°We have some food ready for you here!¡± I emerged only after sessfully clearing about a third of thekebed. The contract stipted that I didn¡¯t need to clear all the nts, just what was covering the building, but that took up almost half the area, so it took some time. As a result, the sun had already setpletely, and the moon was shining high above me. My day had vanished in an instant. ¡°First, a nket¡­¡± I had it rough, but so did they. As I fully climbed onto the bridge, I saw the wizards who must have been waiting around this ce like guards while I was submerged in theke. One hurried over with a nket, probably thinking that I felt cold. ¡°No need.¡± Maybe because of the heat pack, I didn¡¯t feel particrly cold. I refused the nket and examined the food they were offering to me. It was nothing but meat. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Sh-Should I get something else?¡± ¡­No. It wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t like it, nor was I socking in character that I wouldin about food someone went out of their way to get for me. Besides, I¡¯d skipped lunch and dinner while I was busy cutting those damn weeds underwater, so my stomach was practically empty. The main reason I¡¯d resurfaced was that the effects of the dpression sickness medicine had worn off, and I could no longer ignore my hunger. Waiting any longer seemed dangerous, so I just started stuffing the food into my mouth. I chewed mechanically. Then, I began wondering where my party members might be and what they were doing. Had they noticed that I was missing? That Great Sage must havee up with some exnation, right? Deb was probably having a tough time following around Bers, and the Inquisitor was most likely engrossed in practicing her skills. I hoped they were eating properly. As for Bers¡­ She looked like the type of person who was capable of taking care of herself, so she should be fine. ¡°Do you want some more?¡± Around when I¡¯d almost finished my meal, lost in various thoughts, the wizard who¡¯d initially given me the snake request asked cautiously. I immediately shook my head. Eating any more would probably make me feel sick. ¡°Is that really all you¡¯re going to eat¡­?¡± Ah, was it okay for me to go back into the water right after eating? It should be fine. I had been eating pretty slowly, so 20 minutes should have passed already. ¡°Huh, you¡¯re going back in there right now?¡± Of course. My fatigue level was still manageable. Additionally, the contract specified that I should act as inconspicuously as possible. I wouldn¡¯t have much of a problem doing this during the day, either, but nighttime was still much better. There wasn¡¯t much time left, anyway. So, I took the medicine I needed and promptly jumped back into the water. I felt a bit sorry for the wizards who had to wait until I resurfaced again, but I had to ignore them. I never told them they had to stay with me after all. Ssh! Theke¡¯s water, which was even colder at night, wrapped around my body. ¡°Oh!¡± Just after I submerged without considering the feelings of those around me, one of the remaining wizards eximed. ¡°Wh-What?!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?!¡± The others, thinking something serious had happened, looked rmed. The wizard who¡¯d just cried out turned toward his colleagues, his face pale. ¡°I forgot to give him the stone to maintain his body temperature¡­ It¡¯s been hours since thest one wore off.¡± ¡°¡­You idiot! How could you forget something so important?!!¡± ¡°Aargh!!¡± It wasn¡¯t really anything big. * * * Meanwhile, I, the protagonist of the wizards¡¯ concerns, quickly reached thekebed. The water¡¯s depth, probably around 30 meters,bined with the night¡¯s darkness and the floating debris, was reminiscent of a snowy night. Afternding in the area where I¡¯d already cleared out the weeds, I inspected the remaining section. The only ce left was the main building. Bubble. Breathing through the underwater breathing device, I slowly walked along the exterior wall of the building. Upon reaching the still-untouched weeds, I lowered my body and swung my sword, which was about 40 centimeters long. The [sh] advanced approximately two meters before me. The weeds within that range were torn apart effortlessly. Bubble. Afterward, I walked through where I¡¯d cut the weeds to about my knees¡¯ height. Even in that state, these stubbornly resilient nts clung to my legs. It wasn¡¯t anything I couldn''t handle, though. Once I reached the center of the cleared area, I took out something from my inventory. This pill-like object was an herbicide designed explicitly for these weeds. It supposedly worked by attacking anything that Arcane Power had transformed¡­ The reason my help had been requested despite having developed this was fairly simple. To be effective, it needed to be buried in the ground so that it could make contact with the roots. The problem was that the wizards couldn¡¯t cut through the weeds as efficiently as I could, and even if they could, it would cause too much of amotion. When I asked White Wind if he¡¯d considered improving this poison, he said doing so would take too long. He¡¯d nned to make it more effective by having it work as soon as it dissolved into water, but he was pretty anxious about the Temple or the Guild discovering this matter while he worked on it. That was probably why he¡¯d made me do this as soon as I arrived. By using me, he could solve this problem even with the current version of the poison. Well, it wasn¡¯t anything significant. As soon as I received this extra inventory space, I was already fully satisfied. Thunk. In any case, I pushed the pill into the ground. The weeds covering parts of the building''s exterior wall began withering immediately. The radius was slightlyrger than I¡¯d cut down with my [sh]. Although there was some loss in effectiveness, I still had plenty of pills. Praising myself for how well I cut those things, I repeated the process. And when I finally reached the center where the main building was. ¡°¡­?¡± Hidden among the weeds was a purple¡­ grotesque¡­ thing that seemed like a nest. What was that? Chapter 112: To a Distant Land (6) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 112 To a Distant Land (6) I raised my light to get a better look. While I waited for the floating debris to settle, the nest-like structure became more visible. It was purple, with crimson, veinlike protrusions and a somewhat smooth texture. It looked like an egg perfectly cut in half, but it seemed much thicker and had these prominent veins. While it didn¡¯t look particrly gross, like organs on disy, it wasn¡¯t exactly pleasant to look at, either. Feeling a tingle in my right arm, I decided to cut away the weeds surrounding me again. To examine the nest more closely, I had to clear these remaining weeds. Also, I wasn¡¯t too sure how the pill would affect this nest. But after nting the pill, the weeds withered away while the nest showed no reaction. Stabbing it with my sword yielded the same results. Gathering all my courage, I touched it. It felt lukewarm¡­ and somewhat unpleasant. The texture was like that of a tree trunk,yered and hardened. I stared at it for a moment beforeing to a decision. Could it be that what I¡¯d thought was just a Sidequest turned out to actually be part of the Main Quest rted to this area? Yeah, everything made sense now. Even though I hadn¡¯t actively sought out this Quest, it stillnded in myp. Given that some games led to saving the whole world after receiving some ne, this wasn¡¯t entirely unexpected. Crack! Getting some samples of this thing was crucial. I decided to take a small piece of this nest with me, just in case. If I took the entire thing, it mightplicate any future investigations, so I nned to give the wizards only a part of it. Although they might need the entire thing in the end¡­ One could never know. The wizards might also need to see the nest¡¯s original state. It was better just to make two trips than regret itter. With that in mind, I tore off a fragment and held it in my hand. The Quest Log had been a great help in giving me direction in situations like this in the past. I felt slightly nostalgic when I started thinking about that. ¡°Aah! He¡¯s back up!¡±¡± ¡°S-Sorry! I forgot to give you this stone!¡± But I still made it through the river water anyway. I noticed a group of wizards who seemed ready to send someone else into the water. I had no idea what stone they were talking about, though. ¡°Check this.¡± Ignoring their nonsense, I tossed them the piece of the nest I¡¯d cut off. The wizards, flustered and rather disorganized, caught the fragment and stared at it, puzzlement evident on their faces. Ssh. Uuurgh, climbing up the edge of the bridge was pretty exhausting. Trying to maintain some semnce ofposure, I hauled myself up using nothing but my arm strength, then shook my head to clear my hair of debris and weeds. I felt extremely grimy and ufortable. I really wanted to clean up. I also wanted to wash my clothes with lots of fabric softener to ensure they smelled nice, despite knowing they would just clean themselves if I waited. A brief desire to clean myself from head to toe swept over me. ¡°¡­Sir Adventurer, where exactly did you get this?¡± The wizards asked me with serious expressions while I shook the dirt out of my hair with my fingers. My eyes narrowed into straight lines. ¡°I¡¯m sure you aren¡¯t asking me that because you have no clue, right?¡± ¡°¡­!!¡± They probably hoped they could simply deny reality, but yeah, I brought this from the bottom of theke. I approached the remaining parts of the railing and plopped down, not because I was tired, but because I sensed I might have to go back in soon. I mean, they couldn¡¯t do anything about this without my help, whether it was guiding them to it or bringing up the whole thing. ¡°R-Report this immediately!¡± I wasn¡¯t sure why the wizards looked so serious. Just what exactly¡ª ¡°A Demon¡¯s nest has appeared!¡± Oh. * * * ¡°Well, this is quite the unexpected problem.¡± White Wind, who had rushed here immediately, whispered in a very solemn tone. His previously bright face was now entirely devoid of emotion, as if it had been wiped off. It reminded me of that marite he¡¯d manipted in the lounge. ¡°Set up a barrier.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± At White Wind¡¯smand, the wizards began creating a barrier. It was enormous, covering part of the Tower and theke, but thanks to therge number of wizards present, it didn¡¯t take too long toplete. ¡°Has the Hero returned to the Temple?¡± ¡°Fortunately, or unfortunately, that guy probably knows more about this than I do. Can we somehow sneak him out without the Hero noticing?¡± White Wind spoke as he approached me. ¡°Sorry, but can you take me back to where you found this? For your information, I¡¯m not a good swimmer, so I¡¯ll need to bind myself to you with rope.¡± It was something I¡¯d expected. Having taken a brief rest, I stood up and moved toward the water. ¡°I hate getting wet, though.¡± ¡°S-Sir Great Sage!¡± ¡°We can go instead!¡± ¡°Yeah, no. I¡¯ll go. What do you even know about this? Just get that guy instead. Make sure the Temple¡¯s people don¡¯t notice and absolutely don¡¯t let the Hero follow you. Got it?¡± White Wind removed most of his clothes and handed them to those around him. I thought he might create something like an air bubble to go down, but it seemed even a wizard of his caliber couldn¡¯t do that. Ssh! Soon, White Wind and I dove into theke. ¡°How troublesome.¡± Although he couldn¡¯t envelop his whole body in a bubble, he could create one around his nose and mouth to rece the device I had. After examining the nest for a while, White Wind did just that so he could speak. He even did the same for me, which was unexpectedly kind. Not that I had much to say, though. ¡°Old Arcane Power turned into Demonic Energy, which created this Demon nest. How truly troublesome.¡± ¡°¡­What did you just say?¡± I stood corrected. This guy ended up saying something that made me want to speak up, too. ¡°Why are you so surprised about this? You are the living proof of that process.¡± Me? Why was I the living proof of that? I furrowed my brows in confusion, but then it dawned on me. The current situation appeared to stem from Arcane Power transforming into Demonic Power¡­ And I was a prime example of the opposite: I regrly converted Demonic Power into Arcane Power as if it were nothing. Which meant¡­? ¡°If Demonic Power can be Arcane Power, there¡¯s no reason it can¡¯t work the other way around. Although we¡¯ve always assumed that it was impossible.¡± Oh god. So that was what this was. ¡°Moreover, I have no idea what will happen now. If word gets out that Arcane Power can be turned into Demonic Power and even give birth to Demons, some wizards will definitely try to cross that line. And if that were to happen, could the Magic Tower ever coexist with the Temple?¡± White Wind tried to sweep aside his floating hair as he spoke, though it was of little use. ¡°¡­Well, it¡¯s pointless to talk to you about this. You¡¯re not a wizard, and if it weren¡¯t for that troublesome being inside your body, you wouldn¡¯t even be involved in all this to begin with.¡± It was more like he wasining to himself. As White Wind said, I¡­ didn¡¯t really know much about this matter. Even less than White Wind might have expected, actually. So, even if I wanted to ask him about this issue, I couldn¡¯t think of anything to ask. I kept my mouth shut and just tried to look as if I were lost in thought. ¡°First, let¡¯s deal with this. Since this thing is right on top of the main building¡¯s roof¡­ We should first reinforce that wall before removing this entire section.¡± However, that was that and this was this. Worrying about future problems didn¡¯t mean we should ignore the issue at hand. We determined what we could do right now and got straight to work. * * * * * * The process of cutting out the nest involved thoroughly ensuring that water couldn''t leak inside the building before tearing it off. Perhaps because it was such an urgent matter, all the rted work was done within an hour. During that time, I had to enter and exit theke twice more, but it really wasn¡¯t that big a deal. ¡°White Wind, I¡¯ve heard the gist. Just what is this¡­?¡± Around that time, the Archmage hurriedly arrived. He seemed to have had quite a hard time getting down here from up top in the middle of the night, going by his disheveled appearance. ¡°¡­This.¡± The Archmage, pushing past all the high-ranking mages, fixed his gaze on the nest. As if he immediately recognized what it was, his face hardened. ¡°You somehow managed toe here alone?¡± ¡°Ah, when I mentioned it had something to do with my research, the Temple was somewhat understanding, but that¡¯s not important right now.¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s important. If the Temple finds out about this, what do you think they¡¯ll do? You knew that and abandoned your lifelong research, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Huh, abandoned his lifelong research? So, something like that happened in the Archmage¡¯s past¡­? I recalled the Wizard¡¯s character story. The Wizard¡¯s side stories¡­ didn¡¯t really show anything particrly special besides giving the character a bit more depth. The job one could change into differed depending on whether one chose to focus on the character¡¯s pursuit of knowledge or their morality. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s save that story forter. This isn¡¯t the right ce for it.¡± ¡°Right. What¡¯s important right now isn¡¯t what will happen after the incident is resolved, but how we should resolve it.¡± I felt my head spinning with the sudden onught of new revtions. A Quest that had seemed insignificant was now tied to this world''srger plot and character backstories. Uwaaargh. ¡°First, we need to learn what has spawned from this nest. Then, we need to either kill the being or capture it. Only then can we decide whether to cover this up or report it.¡± And as such, it seemed I would be taking on the role of the hunter again. Even with my head still spinning with all that new information, I urately caught the details of the uing Quest. It was justmon gamer intuition. Years of gaming experience had honed my mind to the point where losing a single Quest Marker wouldn¡¯t stop me from figuring out things like this. ¡°Judging by the lingering arcane traces, it hasn¡¯t been long since it spawned. But you should know, right? I specialize in research, not actualbat. Most of our members who can use tracking magic aren¡¯t particrly good inbat, either¡­¡± ¡°¡­Alright. I¡¯ll handle it.¡± ¡°Great. I¡¯m counting on you, okay?¡± It seemed that the Archmage would also be apanying me on this Quest. However, since the inquisitor couldn¡¯t find out about this, she was obviously excluded from the party. It would be incredibly strange if everyone but the Inquisitor were away, so I probably couldn¡¯t take Deb or Bers with me, either. Bers aside, who typically acted independently from the group since joining, it was pretty odd for me to be paired with the Archmage alone. This was a fairly newbination. The story seemed to be giving the Archmage more screen time now, given theirck of presence in the previous Quests. ¡°Let¡¯s take care of this quickly, Demon Knight. I¡¯ll also write up another contract.¡± Well, it didn¡¯t really matter who apanied me. I signed the contract, which promised 400 thousand Gal aspensation, and immediately set off to make the hunt more efficient. Neither I nor the Archmage were in great physical condition, but we had no other choice. If we dyed this any further, the arcane traces would disappearpletely, so we couldn¡¯t afford to rest. ¡°This direction leads to the Great Forest¡­¡± And once again, I found myself submerged in water. As I¡¯d previously done with White Wind, I bound the Archmage to me with a rope and began scanning theke floor, trying to track the Demon¡¯s trail. It had been a while since I¡¯dst seen the vivid glow of the {Tracking} spell. ¡°There¡¯s a cave over there. If it really leads to the Great Forest¡­ it might have gone there. Let¡¯s hope it hasn¡¯t entered the forest dwellers¡¯ territory.¡± As a result, we came upon a cave I hadn¡¯t noticed while clearing the weeds. Rocks were ced around the entrance, obscuring it. ¡°Is it that way?¡± ¡°Did you go blind just because I turned off the lights?¡± ¡°What can I say? At my age, one¡¯s eyesight gets weaker and weaker.¡± ¡°¡­Tsk.¡± ¡°Thanks for turning on the light.¡± We moved into the cave, equipped with specially made underwater breathing devices that allowed us to talk. Being a bitrger than me and unable to swim well, the Archmage was a burden to me, but this was surprisingly better than if we were out in open water. In the open, I had to pull him along, but inside the cave, he could grip onto the stony walls to help us progress. ¡°The water¡¯s really cold. I should have brought more stones.¡± After we¡¯d gone quite a distance, the Archmage startedining about the cold. His inability to cast something like a waterproofing spell and the removal of his temperature-regting robe seemed to be taking a toll on him. ¡°Weakling.¡± Was it really that cold? To me, the water just felt lukewarm. Or maybe I had been submerged in theke for so long that I¡¯d already gotten used to it? Although I couldn¡¯t really recall ever feeling particrly cold even when I first entered. Anyway, taking care of my precious party members was important. If the Archmage were to fall ill, that would spell disaster. I handed him a hot pack in the form of a stone. As a wizard, he was ultimately much more likely to catch a cold than I, a fighter. He was also a lot older than me and always supported us in any way he could. Though his recent nagging had been a bit much, I knew he did it out of concern. Even if it was pretty tiresome, I understood the sentiment behind his words, so I wouldn¡¯t shy away from small gestures like giving him a hot pack. ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold?¡± ¡°If we lose the Demon, you¡¯ll know what it really means to feel cold.¡± Ah, just take it already, old man. I muttered something nonsensical as I swam further in. The tunnel that had been growing narrower finally started to widen again after we passed through the tightest section. It even began leading upward. Ssh. We finally managed to reach an area with air. I was d I¡¯d decided to keep mybat boots on. I ignored the water sloshing inside them as I scanned the inside of the cave. I felt a slight breeze, indicating that this ce was connected to the outside. ¡°So, this ce connects to the outside.¡± The Archmage climbed out of the water behind me, his clothes dripping. Despite him carrying the hot pack, I could see him shivering slightly. ¡°Wait, give me a moment to wring out my clothes.¡± Sure, sure. While the Archmage was busy wringing out his clothes and fur, I examined the tracks more closely. The glowing marks left behind by the spell continued in a long, unbroken trail. It looked like something had been dragged along the way, or a massive serpent had slithered through this ce. ¡°¡­A snake, huh.¡± It couldn''t have been a sack or something, so it had to be thetter. Judging by the trail¡¯s width, it had to be a huge one¡­ Wow. I felt like I could understand why those snakes had gathered here. Ahaha. ¡°Hmm? Ah. I see. That exins how it managed to get out of the water. The Demon must have taken the form of a snake.¡± No, it wasn¡¯t funny. That thing was enormous! How did it make sense that this thing was as wide as my waist?! This wasn¡¯t just a big water snake; it was an enormous, colossal one! Barely hiding my shock, I untied the rope around my waist and pulled my coat out of the inventory. It was time to start the chase properly. Chapter 113: To a Distant Land (7) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 113 To a Distant Land (7) A day had passed since they¡¯d started chasing after the spawned Demon. Almost implicitly deciding who would take the first night watch shift, they had taken a rest. The Archmage tried taking the second shift as soon as he woke up. Things would have gone smoothly had the Demon Knight not tried setting off immediately after confirming he was awake. ¡°Please, just get some sleep!¡± Chasing after the Demon was an urgent matter. However, having almost caught up with the Demon, rest had be the priority. It wasn¡¯t wise to face the Demon with an exhausted body. So the Archmage pleaded with him, almost begged him, to take a rest, and finally seeded in getting the Demon Knight to get some shut-eye. It took a five-minute battle of nerves to achieve that. ¡°Tsk.¡± How could someone be so stubborn? He rubbed his temples and checked over the insect-repellent herbs and the campfire. While the campfire appeared to have been carefully maintained, there were signs of some clumsy mistakes. Considering his career as an Adventurer, that was quite surprising. On the other hand, it didn¡¯t seem too odd to see him sleeping without a nket. It was as if he could endure even the coldest winter night without the warmth of a campfire. ¡°¡­¡± Whether that was normal, well, it probably wasn¡¯t. Living by disregarding one¡¯s safety and clinging solely to a single purpose wasn¡¯t normal behavior. That meant both this guy, who knowingly walked into peril that would only lead to self-destruction, and he, who had been observing this guy all along, weren¡¯t entirely sane. ¡°Hatred¡­ is it?¡± Almost for the first time, he looked closely at the young man¡¯s face. It was certainly the first time he¡¯d looked at the Demon Knight not to confirm whether he was a danger but to understand him as a person. Then, something he couldn¡¯t see before finally became clear to him. From the dark circles under his eyes indicative of deep fatigue to the unusually dry lips, from his thoroughly concealing clothes that didn¡¯t show a single bit of bare skin to his sleeping face that still looked so very young. And he recalled how the Demon Knight had been consumed by a Great Demon not too long ago and then had to face another Great Demon before even having the time to recover properly. ¡º¡­That Demon can read one¡¯s past. Probably memories that could be called nightmares. Take note of that.¡» The Archmage remembered the Demon Knight¡¯s words regarding the Great Demon of Sloth. At that time, he hadn¡¯t thought too deeply about the meaning of those words, focusing more on whether the seal had weakened or if Sloth would attack again. However¡­ thinking on it a bit more, those words held another meaning beyond the mere conveyance of information. How could the Demon Knight have known this information that couldn¡¯t even be found in literature? In the end, the Demon Knight had probably experienced his own deepest nightmares at that time¡­ ¡°Haah.¡± His calm demeanor wasn¡¯t proof that he hadn¡¯t been hurt. Physical strength didn¡¯t mean one was just as mentally and emotionally resilient. Yet, why had he turned a blind eye to that until now? That realization let a sigh slip from his mouth. ¡°You, too, are an innocent victim.¡± Looking back, he hadn¡¯t treated the Demon Knight like a person quite often. He had merely been regarded as the vessel of a Great Demon who could be a useful party member if managed well and, after his rampage, as a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment. That was a separate matter from considering his personality, whether he possessed an underlying kind nature or whether he really was simply rude or just very clumsy in expressing himself. Had he truly regarded the Demon Knight as a person, he¡¯d have taken action the moment he realized thetter saw himself as disposable. After his rampage, instead of worrying about the same thing happening again, the Archmage should have first considered his mental and physical state. He should have first considered how the Demon Knight felt after facing the Great Demon¡­ ¡°¡­I need to thank White Wind.¡± Perhaps he¡¯d also adopted this mindset that ¡®it would be okay if the Demon Knight died¡¯. If he died, the Great Demon within him would also perish, which might be more efficient in urgent moments. Since the Demon Knight himself was acting quite self-destructively, the Archmage assumed he wouldn¡¯t mind even if he weren¡¯t treated all too humanely. Just as he¡¯de to despise himself because of his research results, he believed it would be eptable to scorn someone who carried a Demon within their body. ¡°How could I hold the title of Great Sage when, even at this advanced age, I still haven¡¯t found righteousness in my heart¡­¡± It was a truly foolish conclusion he hade to. The Demon Knight was already suppressing and disposing himself enough, so what right did he have to burden the man even further? Despite having lived so much longer than this young man, how could he¡­ ¡°¡­How should I apologize?¡± Could it be called fortunate that he¡¯d realized this sooner rather thanter? Could he even use the word ¡®sooner¡¯ in this case? With a sigh, he poked the fire. Given that he¡¯d recognized his mistake, it was now time to correct it. Even if the Demon Knight might not ept his apology, he still had to try. Suddenly, the sleeping Demon Knight¡¯s eyelids fluttered open. Perhaps due to his pale skin, it looked as if a dead man had just opened his eyes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± As the Demon Knight abruptly rose to his feet, the Archmage followed suit. sh! Before he could get an answer, a dark sh cut through the quiet forest. ¡°Why did you¡ª?¡± There hadn¡¯t been any reactions from his {rm} spell, so why? Even if the Demon Knight was highly sensitive, his barrier wasn¡¯t that small in radius, either. ¡°Scum.¡± Regardless of his mistakes, it was clear that the Demon Knight¡¯s temperament was far from good. The Archmage was exasperated as he watched the man rush out without giving him even a single word of exnation. He wished the Demon Knight would at least give him a hint. * * * * * * Was it because of the Archmage¡¯s persistent persuasion or my encroaching fatigue? Instinctively, I had sensed a presence, subtle and somewhat long. Though I really wanted to wake up from my slumber, I simply couldn¡¯t. I tried my hardest to force my eyes open. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I didn¡¯t know, either. What should I do when something just bothers me? I held my aching head and grasped my sword. Swish. I detected that faint presence again. sh! Half-awake, I swung my sword, sending out a [sh]. ¡°Why did you¡ª?¡± I couldn¡¯t feel anything through a [sh], but judging by the presence or absence thereof, I could tell whether my target was dead or alive¡­ ¡°Scum.¡± Haah. I could tell it wasn¡¯t dead yet as it kept moving. I stepped forward, sensing that unsettling presence still lingering around us. Even then, I constantly felt a need to just lie down. I had to press my palm hard against my forehead to even stay alert. Honestly, I felt so, so, so tired. I might have been in a better state had I not slept at all, but having woken up after a simple, short nap, I felt even more exhausted. Rustle. I stomped my feet heavily and forced my eyes open to shake off the drowsiness. Though my peripheral vision remained fairly useless, it was still better than having my eyespletely closed. ¡°What exactly is over there¡­?¡± So, what bastard dared disturb my sleep? I followed the clear sh marks on the ground. The twisted presence seemed to be retreating as if running away, but it was slower than my walking speed. It was even moving in a winding S-shape. Thrust! Gotcha, you damn snake. I stabbed down with my de after advancing about seven meters. The snake, blending into the foliage rather well with its mottled pattern, could only wriggle. It looked like an insect specimen pinned into ce, except it was still alive. ¡°What... in the world¡­?¡± The Archmage, who had followed after me, was shocked. ¡°¡­Haah.¡± The snake wasn¡¯t dead yet, but we didn¡¯t have to worry about it escaping. I turned and lightly stepped on the snake¡¯s head, which tried to bite at me, while I pressed down on my temples. It was hissing from beneath the boot crushing it. I didn¡¯t care at all. What concerned me more was what the Archmage had said about setting up a barrier with a 20-meter radius before we slept. Did I not hear the rm because I was asleep? If that were the case, the Archmage would have noticed something, right? ¡°H-How did it break through my Arcane barrier¡­? No, is this thing even a Demon? Why can¡¯t I sense any Demonic Energy from it¡­?¡± Right. Seeing him panicking like that, I could tell that his spell hadn¡¯t activated to begin with. Fine. I suppressed the growing irritation stemming from my severe sleep deprivation. Objectively, I knew this wasn¡¯t the Archmage¡¯s fault¡ªof course, if this hadn¡¯t been a mistake, it must have been intentional, but getting mad about it now would get us nowhere¡ªbut most importantly, if I got angry, [Rage] might activate. ¡°Could it be disguising its Demonic Energy by converting it into Arcane Power¡­?¡± And more than anything, I didn¡¯t even have the energy to get mad right now. I was so tired. Could I go back to sleep now? ¡°Wait, wait. Absolutely do not kill it. If we want to verify this hypothesis, we need to take it back alive to test it.¡± Ah, I even forgot to kill it. Judging by the Archmage¡¯s reaction, it seemed better to keep it alive, so it didn¡¯t really matter. I rubbed my neck as I watched the Archmage restrain the snake with chains. A familiar feeling of frustration seemed to brush over my skin. ¡°Thanks. Just keep pressing it down for a bit longer.¡± Anyway, this was the Quest to begin with. Uhm, this was a Quest, right? The Quest Log still wasn¡¯t working properly, so I felt a bit confused. Was this creature actually a Quest Target? ¡°¡­There¡¯s a hole in the barrier. That¡¯s why it didn''t activate. But how? How could a hole¡­?¡± In the meantime, the Archmage sessfully restrained the snake and inspected the barrier. His tone contained a mix of guilt and astonishment. ¡°My goodness. Not only can it disguise its Demonic Energy, but it also seems to have even developed the ability to absorb Arcane Power¡­¡± That one sentence managed to snap me wide awake like a ssh of cold water. Absorbing¡­ Arcane Power? Wasn¡¯t that a bit, well, dangerous?? Usually, such abilities were reserved for final bosses or the like, right?? Was amon mob supposed to have such an ability?? ¡°¡­Absorb Arcane Power?¡± I reflexively repeated part of what the Archmage said. I was a bit worried this might appear out of character, but the Archmage seemed too preupied to notice. ¡°It sounds absurd, I know. But if that isn¡¯t the case, then¡­ breaching the barrier like this would be impossible.¡± He even kindly exined to me what he meant. As someone not well versed in the Arcane, I didn¡¯t fully understand what he meant by ¡®breaching the barrier like this¡¯, but I grasped that this was unprecedented. ¡°W-We must return immediately. This isn¡¯t something that should be covered up to avoid discord between the Magic Tower and the Temple. If this spreads, then¡­¡± Yeeeah. That¡¯s how it should be. I stepped in front of the Archmage, who was about to secure the snake, and picked up the tightly bound creature. Although the Archmage was tall enough that, when looking straight ahead, I could only see his chin¡­ But as I¡¯d said repeatedly, I was the only one with a warrior ss here, and I was also a lot younger. It would be better for me to carry it than the Archmage. Probably. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Not needed.¡± This was slightly off-topic, but why couldn¡¯t I put living things in my inventory? If I could do that, I would have just put it in either my bag inventory or my new inventory ne. That would have made things easier. ©¤©¤©¤!! Then suddenly¡­ As I was about to move ahead of the Archmage, a sound hit my ears. Something was clearly causing amotion within my earshot, even though I couldn¡¯t see exactly where. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The problem was that human screams were mixed into that noise. ¡°¡­¡± Ah, I was tired. Really tired. But could I just ignore that? Thud. I tossed the restrained snake aside and ran toward where I heard the screams. The Archmage let out another groan, but I hoped he would be understanding since lives were at stake here. ¡¾¡ªStop it!¡¿ ¡¾Adisa, dodge!¡¿ ¡¾Rather, you should run¡­!¡¿ With each step, the noise grew closer and the shouts became clearer. Though I couldn¡¯t quite understand thenguage, the urgency in their voices was unmistakable. ¡¾Nooo!¡¿ When I reached the origin of themotion, a giant snake was currently attempting to swallow a person. It was happening right in front of me. ¡°Move.¡± ¡¾¡­What?¡¿ Sorry, but I didn¡¯t have the energy to shout. I pushed aside the person aiming their bow at the snake and stepped before them. The person about to be swallowed also fell to the side as I pushed them away. Stab! At that moment, I stabbed my sword into the snake¡¯s lower jaw to hold it in ce, using my other hand to keep its upper jaw from closing. I couldn¡¯t risk sending out a [sh] since someone was behind the snake. Squelch! However, I was so tired that I somewhat misjudged the angle. The snake¡¯s fang pierced my right shoulder. Only about 5-8 cm of the 30 cm-long fang managed to get me, but still. ¡¾Y-You¡¯re¡­¡¿ I felt dizzy. Still, saving a life at the cost of a small hole in my shoulder could be considered a good trade. I pressed harder on the snake¡¯s upper jaw to prevent the fang from sinking further into me. Then, using the longsword at my waist instead of my Zweih?nder, which was pinning down the lower jaw, I shed its upper jaw horizontally. Thanks to the snake¡¯s anatomy, with its head close to its mouth, that one strike was enough to kill it instantly. Additionally, I was also able to pull the fang out of my shoulder. ¡¾Th-Thank you!¡¿ ¡¾He killed the snake in an instant¡­¡¿ ¡¾So strong¡­¡¿ Wow, I thought the snake I¡¯d subdued earlier was big, but this one was on another level. It seemed like it could swallow an elephant whole. I couldn¡¯t help but be impressed as I further examined the body of the snake I¡¯d in. Seeing a snake this truly massive made me feel more astonished than disgusted. ¡¾Ah!¡¿ One of the people I¡¯d saved came running toward me, looking frantic. I noticed they had four eyes and three pairs of arms. All the people here shared these features, suggesting they were of the same species. ¡¾V-Venom!¡¿ ¡°¡­?¡± I didn¡¯t understand what they were saying. Were they speaking a differentnguage? ¡¾You need to get the venom out immediately! You¡¯ll die if you don¡¯t!¡¿ ¡­They seemed to be talking about something urgent. One pointed at me, and the others were pointing at my shoulder. Ah, they were probably talking about my wound. It was fine¡­ ¡¾Damn, he¡¯s a foreigner, so he can¡¯t understand us!¡¿ Wait a second: could it be that this snake had venomous fangs? ¡¾Quickly, remove your clothes. We need to extract the venom!¡¿ Judging by their gestures telling me to take off my clothes, I figured out the situation. That snake was really venomous. Damn it. ¡°¡­!¡± That had to be one fast-acting venom. Before I could even react, my head started spinning and blood erupted from my nose. Damn it. ¡¾Ah, nooo¡ª!¡¿ Thest thing I saw was my vision tilting to one side before everything went ck. Chapter 114: To a Distant Land (8) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 114 To a Distant Land (8) I looked up at a white ceiling covered in a grid pattern. Shhhk shhhk. I felt like I could hear someone breathing somewhere. Then, I followed a single line caught on the edge of my vision¡­ ©¤©¤©¤! ¡¸No, not yet. Please, not yet¡­¡¹ Ah, I see. I still¡­ * * * Through the presence of trickling tears, my vision brightened again. It wasn¡¯t filled withplete brightness, though. The cave, dimly lit by the crimson light of torches, filled my view. Thanks to that, my current sightpletely buried the white I¡¯d glimpsed in my dream. That very nostalgic yet unbearably sad color immediately scattered away. I was left only with these emotions, not knowing what I had forgotten. ¡¾O-Oh! He¡¯s awake, awake!¡¿ I wanted to linger in that sorrow for a while longer. At the same time, I wanted to cover it uppletely and forget about it. ¡¾He woke up!¡¿ However, there were moments in life when one didn¡¯t even get the option to choose. That was what I was experiencing right now. ¡¾You must have been in a lot of pain. Those tears¡­¡¿ ¡¾¡­Did he cry?¡¿ ¡¾Yes.¡¿ Before the voices I could hear from afar got closer, I lifted my left arm to cover my eyes. My character setting¡­ My character setting was that I wouldn¡¯t show anyone my tears. That was why I did it. ¡°Demon Knight, are you awake?¡± And just when I covered my eyes, the Archmage approached me. ¡°Don''t push yourself too hard. Although we neutralized the venom, the aftereffects are still rather significant.¡± I see. Well, I did pass out right after I got pierced by that snake¡¯s fang. It was a miracle I hadn¡¯t gotten reincarnated. When my vision went dark, I thought for sure I was a goner. With my rationale reemerging, Ipletely suppressed those emotions. It wasn¡¯t that difficult. I just had to focus on my character. The character that wasn¡¯t me. ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± That way, I could cover up that misery within me and simultaneously address what needed addressing. ¡°¡­Do you remember copsing from the snake¡¯s venom?¡± I intentionally did not respond. The Archmage didn¡¯t seem to be expecting an answer, either, as he just continued speaking without pause. ¡°It was pretty difficult to treat you on the spot, so I sought help from the forest dwellers. This cave and the antidote were provided by them.¡± Setting aside why we were in a cave, I now understood why there were so many unfamiliar voices around me. The people I¡¯d saved had helped us. ¡°The snake we captured¡­ It even devoured the chains made of Arcane Power and tried to escape, so we had no choice but to kill it.¡± Did they really kill the snake? It wasn¡¯t that difficult to subdue, so it wasn¡¯t such a huge loss, but still, was that really okay? ¡°Anyway, I contacted White Wind, so don¡¯t worry too much. Now that the immediate danger has passed, you can rest here for a bit before we head back.¡± That should be all the information I¡¯d need. I slowly removed my hand from my eyes, discreetly wiping away the tears as I did. It had been just a single tear. I sure hoped no one noticed it. ¡°¡­Is your shoulder hurting? The wound haspletely healed already, but still¡­¡± The Archmage asked, his voice tinged with a hint of hesitation. I wondered why he seemed so cautious all of a sudden. It wasn¡¯t anything difficult to answer. Rustle. However, I remained silent. ¡°¡­! Don¡¯t get up. You still need to rest more.¡± Ignoring the Archmage¡¯s advice, I tried to get up. Woah. As soon as I lifted my back about 10 cm off the ground, gravity pulled me back down. It didn¡¯t hurt, but my whole body felt stiff and unresponsive, especially my right shoulder. ¡°Didn¡¯t I just say that everything urgent has been dealt with? Just rest, please.¡± I couldn¡¯t put any strength into my right arm and shoulder at all. I ignored the Archmage¡¯s pleas and checked my arm. It was an almost unconscious action, but it revealed a shocking fact. ¡°Get out!¡± No wonder I could feel the nket¡¯s texture so vividly! Where were my clothes and bandages, not to mention my gauntlet?! ¡°Demon Knight¡ª¡± ¡°I told you to get out!!¡± I mustered every ounce of strength in me to force the Archmage out. I knew he¡¯d undressed me for treatment, but my character would never tolerate such a thing. ¡°¡­Your clothes are here. And please¡­ Don¡¯t overexert yourself.¡± In the end, the Archmage conceded. I was finally left alone in the cave. I had used up all my energy shouting just then, though, so I had to dy picking up my clothes for the moment. Shiver. ¡°¡­Cold.¡± However, dying getting dressed only made my exposed skin feel even colder. It was a peculiar chill that wouldn¡¯t disappear even with the nket I had. Reluctantly, I propped myself up and started gathering my clothes. First came my bandages. They were quite convenient with their automatic cleaning and restoration functions. I slowly began to wrap up my right arm. ¡°Feels like something is missing¡­¡± Something nagged at me, like I¡¯d forgotten something important. Starting from my palm, I wrapped my wrist, forearm, and elbow, all the while trying to figure out what I had forgotten. Once the bandages reached just below my shoulder, a realization struck me like lightning. The seal was gone. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Had the Archmage removed it during the treatment? I didn¡¯t see it anywhere inside the pile of clothes. I absentmindedly touched the ce where the seal had been. It was where my triceps met my deltoid, a ce that had darkened considerably and was now returning to its original color. I couldn¡¯t remove the seal on my own, so I always had to clean myself carefully around it and the bit of bandage trapped beneath, but now my fingertips could touch the scars left on my shoulder¡ªfrom scrubbing too hard after being told I stunk. Maybe I should put on one of my spares. I twisted my body to look for my inventory bag. Rustle. I then saw something moving on the nketid over the floor. It wasn¡¯t a living being but instead appeared to be a piece of metal. ¡°¡­Oh, that surprised me.¡± I panicked for a second, thinking it might be a cockroach. I reached out my hand to feel what it was. Ironically, it was the seal I¡¯d been searching for. I didn¡¯t know why, but it seemed to have broken while I was asleep. Well, it still felt better now that I had confirmed its condition. It was better for it to have broken than to have vanished without a trace. It was less worrying, but¡­ I debated whether I should tell the Archmage this. Well, I should tell him, but his naggingtely had simply been too much. Also, he would probably say something if he discovered it was broken. On the other hand, while saying nothing had some benefits, it could be a type of gter. In the end, I resigned myself to even more nagging. Instead, with a much lighter heart, I finished wrapping myself in bandages, put on another seal, and got fully dressed. Thanks to my right arm regaining sensation, it wasn¡¯t that difficult. I didn¡¯t know where the chest protector I¡¯d gotten from White Wind went. Seriously, why did that chest protector disappear? It was pretty dangerous to handle it carelessly. Although, I was a little suspicious of those who¡¯d helped me¡­ They wouldn¡¯t have taken it, would they? * * * * * * ¡¾Oh, he came out!¡¿ ¡¾What? Already?¡¿ Grumbling internally, I dragged myself out of the cave. The only constion was that nothing beyond the chest protector was missing. ¡¾Did he actually wake up less than half a day after we got rid of the Chibineng¡¯s venom?¡¿ ¡¾Even the brave warriors of the forest suffered for three days and nights!¡¿ ¡¾He must be a very strong warrior.¡¿ ¡¾So what, he has a curse on his right arm!¡¿ ¡¾Isn¡¯t it just some kind of disease?¡¿ ¡¾No, it isn¡¯t.¡¿ However, as soon as I stepped out, I saw many people gathered around the cave I had been in and the surrounding area. Those who¡¯d quickly noticed my presence immediately turned their gazes toward me. This was quite different. Not only because their attire was reminiscent of primitive tribes and the like, but also because theirmon features were quite different from the four races I¡¯d grown used to encountering. nd looked mostly human, pointy ears aside. While Curety and Shaggi would be treated as fairly alien in real life, those types of races often appeared in games, so most gamers could overlook their appearance¡­ But these people¡­ Well, apart from looking vaguely like Curety, they felt somewhat unfamiliar. As far as I could tell, the Curety and Shaggi''s animal characteristics came from vertebrate animals: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and so on. But these people seemed to resemble¡­ spiders¡­ right? What else could they resemble? ¡¾What does it matter if he¡¯s cursed? Since he helped us kill the Chibineng, he¡¯s our benefactor. Honestly, I¡¯d like to take on his curse in his stead for saving me.¡¿ ¡¾Was he really bitten? That upright posture is the spitting image of a perfect warrior¡¯s stance.¡¿ ¡¾These foreigners really only have one pair of arms. How hard must it be living with only two arms? They can only do one task at a time!¡¿ Of course, I didn¡¯t dislike them, nor did I intend to discriminate against them. I was just surprised that this Curety tribe resembled a type of arthropod, but after seeing them for a while longer, I probably wouldn¡¯t pay them any mind. However, it still felt unsettling how they kept ncing at me. What were they talking about while looking at me like that? Since I couldn¡¯t understand a word of what they were saying, I was even more curious¡­! ¡°So, you really didn¡¯t rest more. You are¡­ very stubborn.¡± Then, my savior arrived. I¡¯d seen his face not too long ago, but I was inexplicably d to see him again. It felt like meeting a fellow Korean in a foreign country. ¡°How many have seen it?¡± However, as always, the character setting came first. I considered telling him about the broken seal or the missing chest protector first, but I decided to prioritize my roleying by starting with this. Right. My character would pay the most attention to his cursed right arm, which was nothing short of a shame to him. So, I gestured to my right arm as I spoke, seemingly coercing him. The Archmage¡¯s blue-silver eyes only stared at me. ¡°How many have seen it¡­?!¡± ¡°¡­Not many have seen it directly. There were seven people, along with a healer of this tribe and two more to assist him. If you include me, it should be eleven.¡± Eleven? Was that a lot? Hmm. Maybe not? I clenched my hand around my right arm, lips sealed tightly. Due to my gauntlet, I didn¡¯t leave a bruise from squeezing it too tightly. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry. I couldn¡¯t protect the thing you wanted to keep hidden.¡± But why was the Archmage apologizing for this? Just why? There was no need for him to do that. ¡°The only thing¡­¡± Nothing was quite as awkward as receiving an apology from someone who¡¯d done nothing wrong. Following my character setting, I briskly walked past him, interrupting his words. Fortunately, the Archmage didn¡¯t grab me. However, when should I bring up the seal now? I also needed to ask about my chest protector. What a mess. I might find the chanceter on. Scratching my head¡ªonly in my imagination, of course. I wasn¡¯t going to make a fool out of myself now, would I?¡ªI slowly left the area. As I left the cave and the wooden walls surrounding it, a street lined with ordinary-looking houses unfolded before me. More burning stares were directed at me now. However, this was nothing. I crossed the street, leaving the settlement altogether. Finally, the lush canopy of the jungle appeared before me. At that moment, my body, which had been moving forward without any hesitation, halted for a bit. Erm¡­ I wouldn''t get lost if I went a little further, right¡­? I moved my eyes and reluctantly opened my Map for the first time in a long while. It wasn¡¯t a Map I could zoom in on, but it was quite useful for orienting myself. But¡­ ¡°Damn it.¡± Was the World Map bugging out, too, following the Quest Window? This was insane, seriously. I gritted my teeth while staring at the nk screen. The thoughts I¡¯d suppressed, deliberately trying to forget, began slowly resurfacing. Even the emotions I¡¯d buried deep within me naturally resurfaced along with them. Things I desperately wanted to ignore and deny until the very end were gradually, or actually pretty quickly, tightening around my throat. Despite being onnd, I felt suffocated, as if I were submerged in theke. All the sounds of this world simply became muffled, as if my ears were clogged with water. ¡¾Hey¡­¡¿ At that moment, a voice came from behind me, seemingly calling out to me. No one else was around, and the owner of that voice spoke as they approached me. ¡¾Uhm, what should we do? It seemed like he couldn¡¯t understand ournguage earlier.¡¿ ¡¾Should we bring the Shaggi outsider?¡¿ ¡¾It looked like they were arguing just now. Maybe he¡¯s upset because we saw the curse.¡¿ ¡¾Yeah, I¡¯d be upset, too.¡¿ Of course, thenguage barrier made this very difficult. I turned around fully to see who was approaching me. At that moment, the peopleing toward me were slightly startled and immediately hurried over. ¡¾E-Erm! Thank you! You saved us!¡¿ ¡¾We were hunting around the borders to avoid the Jatav tribe when we encountered the Chibineng. We''re very grateful to you. Without you, we¡¯d all be dead!¡¿ Since we didn¡¯t share amonnguage, the only thing I could do was look at the people iling about to understand their message. Even without words, I could tell they were clearly and sincerely grateful. The anger that had been welling up inside of me subsided somewhat. The thoughts dragging me into this swamp of negativity were dispelled just by seeing theirughter. ¡¾You really are the greatest warrior.¡¿ ¡¾It¡¯s a bit strange that you only have one pair of arms and eyes, but you have a pretty handsome face otherwise.¡¿ ¡¾Hey, that isn¡¯t apliment.¡¿ ¡¾But you sure are tall. Are all outsiders as big as you and the Shaggi?¡¿ Even though this was just a temporary solution, it was better than nothing. I let those guys keep chattering. If I were to follow my character setting, I¡¯d chase them away, but I was too tired to make such calctions. ¡¾It would be much better if we couldmunicate!¡¿ ¡¾Yeah, then we could ask him more questions!¡¿ ¡¾Should we get Makaka?¡¿ ¡­I was just so, so tired. ¡¾Huh¡­ Oh! The delegation is here!¡¿ ¡¾They finally returned!¡¿ And then, from beyond the jungle, a group bearing a g gradually entered my vision. * * * The Archmage closely observed the settlement, which was clearly divided between high-ranking people andmon residents, like egg yolk from egg white. A group was entering through the outer walls surrounding themon residential area. ¡°Hmm.¡± He stroked his staff as he watched the group. The tribe that had helped them was the Serhan Tribe, whose symbol was a pattern of leaves. However, the g carried by the approaching group bore a different emblem, meaning they were from a different tribe. ¡¾Was the reason for the leaders leaving to meet a delegation from another tribe?¡¿ ¡¾Oh, did I not mention that?¡¿ Treating the Demon Knight wasn¡¯t something he should feel indebted to them for, considering the Demon Knight had saved the lives of their hunters. However, it was only proper to meet the tribal leaders and express at least some measure of gratitude¡­ ¡¾Yes. With the Katina period approaching, they went to wee another tribe¡¯s delegation to solidify our alliance.¡¿ Had he known that the leaders were away for such a reason, he would have left sooner, even if it meantmitting a breach of etiquette. The Serhan Tribe was rtively weing to outsiders, but other tribes held a deep-seated dislike for them. In fact, the only reason they could enter this vige was due to the arbitrary actions of the hunters they¡¯d saved. In other words, their chief and priest still didn¡¯t know of their presence. With that in mind, if a delegation from another tribe were to discover them, that could lead to some problems. ¡¾It¡¯s not good for outsiders to be seen during such an important event. I think I should leave right after I find the Demon Knight. Could you convey my thanks to the chief and priest?¡¿ ¡¾Oh, you¡¯re leaving already?¡¿ Both the guests and the tribe¡¯s leaders would only face difficulties if they remained here. It would be far better to simply be seen as rude than to cause an enormousmotion. After all, they didn¡¯t even know their guests¡¯ identities. ¡¾The residents of the Great Forest are wary of outsiders. An alliance is an important matter, and I don¡¯t want to cause you any trouble, so¡­¡¿ ¡¾Oh, if that¡¯s the reason, it¡¯s fine. I hear that the current chief of the Vigabol Tribe is friendly to outsiders.¡¿ ¡¾Is that so?¡¿ Even so, there was no need for them to get involved in this, which was why he only nodded in agreement but didn¡¯t retract his statement. ¡¾Erm, if you want to leave unnoticed, it might be a little toote for that, though.¡¿ ¡¾What do you mean?¡¿ ¡¾Isn¡¯t that yourpanion over there?¡¿ He hadn¡¯t nned on changing his mind. ¡¾¡­Demon Knight.¡¿ He would have stuck to his decision if only the Demon Knight hadn¡¯te in with the delegation. The Archmage rubbed his forehead. Chapter 115: To a Distant Land (9) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 115 To a Distant Land (9) I hadn¡¯t nned on getting closer to them. A group with a g appearing out of nowhere clearly screamed, ¡°We¡¯re important people!¡± I¡¯d nned just to pass them by, but¡­ ¡¾Come closer, Outsider.¡¿ My mistake was underestimating how sharp their eyes were. Even as I tried moving away from their expected path, they had someone call me over. ¡¾It really is an outsider!¡¿ The person riding atop what appeared to be a leopard eyed me with curiosity. Considering I had been equally fascinated with their six arms, I couldn¡¯t exactly say anything, but it still felt like a bit much. It was as if¡­ They were looking at a monkey, or something even less than a monkey. It was like I was a curious disy piece. ¡¾Aah, was that too rude?¡¿ However, I couldn¡¯t afford to be reckless. Although there were about thirty people in the group, only three were riding on leopards, and they were dressed in rather borate attire. No matter how I looked at them, those three were obviously of high status, given those intricate clothes. I focused my gaze on them until they showed some signs ofprehension. ¡°Sorry, my apologies. In Vigabol, we don¡¯t really see outsiders unless they are official envoys.¡± This person¡¯s tone was apologetic yet firm. I understood the delicacy of this situation, so I simply nodded, maintaining my respectful posture. He sounded slightly awkward, like a foreigner speaking Korean, but I had no difficulty understanding him. ¡°Erm, well, can you understand? I practiced hard.¡± So what if he couldmunicate with me in mynguage? I knew nothing about the people here or this region, so I couldn''t just talk to this guy carelessly. As such, I decided to avert my gaze from the confident-looking man before me. I saw a kid on the leopard conversing with those who¡¯d followed me. ¡¾What happened?¡¿ ¡¾Well, it''s a long story¡­¡¿ The person I¡¯d been speaking with was pretty shy, but his style differed slightly from that of this vige¡¯s people. Conversely, the kid seemed to be from here; while his clothes were a bit colorful, their style was very simr. That they still rode a leopard despite being the smallest in the group suggested they held significant status. But I couldn''t do much with that information alone. I had no idea what I should do next. ¡¾Ah¡­ Could it be that he didn''t understand me because of my poor pronunciation?¡¿ ¡¾That¡¯s unlikely. Chief Atarte¡¯s fluency is beyond question. However, please also consider the outsider¡¯s position, being suddenly faced with leaders of multiple tribes.¡¿ Meanwhile, thest person on a leopard spoke up. Their calm, resonant voice somehow felt reassuring to me despite the evidentnguage barrier. ¡°This is the chief of the Vigabol Tribe. They are interested in connecting with the outside world and are very curious about foreigners. Would you mind joining us?¡± Moreover, that person also spoke mynguage. In fact, they were even more proficient than the man who¡¯d spoken to me first. ¡°Not interested¡ª¡± However, that was beside the point. While I did need some form of distraction, I had no desire to join their conversation. To repeat, I knew nothing. ¡°Actually, the chief was eagerly looking forward to speaking with you. However, there hasn''t been a chance yet.¡± [Please, save our tribe¡¯s and chief¡¯s dignity.] ¡°¡­!¡± No, but¡­ I didn¡¯t know anything¡­! [I don¡¯t know how you ended up staying with our tribe, but I will ensure that your favor will definitely be returned.] I looked at the woman whose voice was echoing in my mind, then at the kid¡­ wondering whether he was the chief. She¡¯d nced at the kid while saying that ''the chief was eagerly looking forward to speaking with you¡¯, so it was highly likely. Why was a child their tribe¡¯s chief? Well, it might be due to some tribal customs, so this wasn¡¯t anything I could figure out immediately. ¡°¡­¡± It was pretty difficult to refuse when they were asking me to preserve their chief¡¯s dignity¡ªespecially since he was a kid¡ªso desperately. But what if I agreed? Maintaining my persona aside, Icked the confidence to handle being caught between two chiefs. What a predicament. ¡¾Priestess, while it¡¯s true that I looked forward to conversing, I don¡¯t wish to strain our benefactor, who is still in recovery. He was injured while saving our hunters from the Chibineng and got poisoned, after all.¡¿ ¡¾¡­The Chibineng? Did you say that he was poisoned by the Chibineng?¡¿ ¡¾Yes, Chief Atarte. So, I suggest we dy the conversation. I understand your curiosity about outsiders, but¡­¡¿ ¡¾In that case, we certainly should postpone it! But more importantly, is it safe for him to be out here after getting poisoned? Is his body alright?¡¿ Why were they making such a fuss over me? ¡°¡­I momentarily forgot that you were still recovering from the venom due to your strong presence. Please forgive my oversight.¡± I deliberately kept silent while they talked among themselves for quite some time. Soon, the woman turned her head to me. Although she seemed unaware of it, she¡¯d given me a reason to refuse the conversation, which I had no reason to decline. ¡°How about we apany you? Yourplexion doesn¡¯t look good.¡± In the end, I couldn¡¯t avoid being taken back to the tribe. * * * * * * ¡°Why did youe back together with them¡­?¡± Although I¡¯d been caught and returned to the vige, I¡¯d bought some time to assess the situation under the pretext of recuperation. And when the group of chiefs moved to thergest building in the vige, the Archmage, who had been hiding somewhere, came running and dragged me somewhere else. It was perfect timing, I would say, both to clear my mind and because I wanted to understand what was going on. ¡°I only paid back what I owed.¡± Following the Archmage into an empty building, I answered him bluntly. Moreover, that one sentence was to preemptively avoid seeming out of character for apanying them. ¡°Haah¡­¡± Meanwhile, the Archmage held his forehead at my unkind words. No matter how smart he was, there was a limit to how much information he could glean from thatment. ¡¾Erm, is there a problem?¡¿ Fortunately, I wasn¡¯t the only one here at the moment. The hunters who¡¯d been with me supplemented my exnation. ¡°So that¡¯s what happened¡­¡± The Archmage, who somehow looked five years older, handed me a bowl of porridge. The porridge he¡¯d boiled while we spoke contained finely chopped ingredients, seemingly taking my physical condition into consideration. I wasn¡¯t sure whether it was to aid my digestion or something, but I really appreciated theplete absence of meat. ¡°Eat this while you listen.¡± It appeared that this culture didn¡¯t use eating utensils, seeing as I was only given the bowl containing the porridge. ¡°As I¡¯d mentioned before we came here, the Great Forest of Chiria is home to many ancient tribes, each with their ownnguage.¡± Ah, that. He¡¯d exined this to me after we¡¯d confirmed that the snake had fled into the Great Forest. He¡¯d said the forest was home to many secluded tribes that avoided contact with the outside world. I¡¯d thought we wouldn¡¯t encounter them, so I hadn¡¯t paid much attention to the details. I was only vaguely aware that these tribes were the ones he¡¯d been talking about. ¡°Most of them are hostile toward outsiders. They often try to kill anyone who invades their territory, iming they wouldn¡¯t ever let trespassers get away.¡± So that was it? Did I help them out for nothing, then? But considering that they saved me, not all tribes were like that. ¡°However, the tribe we¡¯re indebted to now, the Serhan Tribe, is a bit different. Given their location on pretty much the outskirts of the Great Forest, they¡¯ve always had some contact with the outside world. As such, they are less hostile toward outsiders.¡± So, what was he getting at? I intently listened to the Archmage, waiting for him to get to the point. The porridge was quite hot, but I still ate it, enduring the pain with all my might. Blowing on it to cool it down wouldn¡¯t look cool at all. ¡°What I want to address here is the delegation from the Vigabol Tribe that just arrived. Until a few years ago, the Vigabol Tribe wasn¡¯t friendly to outsiders.¡± I see¡­ But hadn¡¯t I alreadye across the chief of the Vigabol Tribe not too long ago? ¡°Fortunately, the current chief wants the tribe to move out of istion and believes they should open up to the outside world. That¡¯s probably why they didn¡¯t react adversely upon seeing you.¡± Only then did I understand the odd favor the Vigabol chief held toward me. As the chief and the person beside him had told me, they really wanted to know more about the outside world. ¡°The problem is that right now is the ¡®Katina¡¯ Period.¡± As I drank it, sip by sip, the porridge was almost gone. I wasn¡¯t full, but my stomach didn¡¯t feel empty, either, so I simply put down the bowl. ¡°During Katina, a new warchief is selected to take the vacant position of the previous warchief, who was either dethroned due to causing problems or died after reaching the end of their lifespan. Anyone who holds the position of chief has the right to try and take it.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°Serhan is a rtively weak tribe, so their chief would never participate in Katina if they could help it. On the other hand, Vigabol is one of the strongest tribes and holds significant power. Moreover, as I said, the current chief is quite the reformist. He¡¯ll absolutely try to take that position, even if it means changing old customs. This alliance is likely for that purpose.¡± As I began to grasp the situation, I felt a sense of urgency. This meeting was incredibly crucial. So, if I hadn¡¯t gotten involved with them¡­ ¡°It would have been better if we hadn¡¯t gotten between them to begin with, but seeing that the other party is already aware of us, it would be rude for us to leave without a word¡­ You¡¯ll have to sit down with them at least once. Of course, I will apany you there, but¡­ you know? I¡¯ll do whatever I can to help you, so please¡­ erm, well. I¡¯m begging you.¡± I had to handle this situation properly. So, I shouldn¡¯t show any resentment. We weren¡¯t formally invited guests of the Serhan, but we¡¯d somehow ended up like this, and if we treated the Vigabol carelessly, that could spell trouble for the Serhan. ¡°Is that okay?¡± I inwardlymented a little at seeing him make a request despite his expression being devoid of trust. Just because I came across some people, how did I end up getting involved in politics? Seriously, couldn¡¯t I just take some more poison and lie down?? ¡°If¡­ If it really is impossible, it also wouldn¡¯t be too bad if you just pretended to be suffering from severe side effects brought about by the poison. It would dy our return time significantly, though¡­¡± Ah, right. Suppose I told them that I had to return to the city while I was supposedly suffering from severe side effects. The way back wasn¡¯t easy to traverse and was filled with all manner of insects and wild animals. Seriously. Were my only choices to participate in their conversation, which definitely wouldn¡¯t go all too smoothly due to my character settings, or lie and stay backfortably, which would dy our return? What should I choose? I was already in a situation where I had to get back as quickly as possible since I¡¯d left without my other party members knowing I was gone. ¡°¡­I won¡¯t say much.¡± I couldn¡¯t adapt to others¡¯ circumstances with this personality, but wouldn¡¯t it be even more regretful if we wasted any more time than this? After some intense rounds of analysis and deliberation, I¡¯de to a decision. The Archmage nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± It felt strange seeing the person who was actually working the hardest here express his gratitude to me. ¡¾Ah, Lady Priestess!¡¿ At that time, I felt a presence outside our building. Some people often looked our way, but this was the first time someone approached us so directly. ¡°It seems the Priestess of the Serhan Tribe is here.¡± Who? I had no idea who that was. Guessing that the Priestess was someone of slightly higher rank, I waited for that presence to enter this ce. Soon, someone opened the door, pushing past the guards surrounding the building. It was the woman I had met earlier who was impressively fluent in ournguage. Though I¡¯d initially mistaken her for another tribe¡¯s chief due to her attire, she was actually from the Serhan Tribe. I had been quite curious about why she rode alongside two chiefs on a leopard. ¡°I apologize for thete greetings. I¡¯m Vivia of the 6th Branch of the Rising Swamp.¡± She looked down at me with her eight eyes, their color a mysterious blend of purple, teal, and yellow. Given this ce¡¯s sedentary culture, I was sitting on the floor while she was standing, so it was inevitable that she would look down on me. ¡°You may refer to me as Priestess, as that is the closest equivalent to what I am in yournguage.¡± The Priestess didn¡¯t maintain her position for long. She plopped down in a somewhat drafty spot we had deliberately avoided earlier. Her half-closed eyes were fixed on the fire in the center of the room. ¡°Before we proceed, I must thank you for saving our hunters. Without your help, we would have lost many young and skilled hunters.¡± She then bowed deeply, a gesture of utmost gratitude. Although I hadn¡¯t really intended to help them, any mild resentment I¡¯d felt for being made to participate in a conversation between high-ranking people vanished from my heart almost instantly. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything. It was all him, so please don¡¯t thank me.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± I copied her posture and straightened my back as I watched her put away the pot and make tea. In an attempt to appear dignified, I hadn¡¯t been slouching originally, but the Priestess¡¯ posture was so stiff that it made me sit even straighter. ¡°Chibineng¡­ The Swallowing Green River has been a major nuisance for our Serhan Tribe. Not only now but also in the past, it has imed the lives of countless hunters and warriors. The entire tribe will be deeply grateful to the warrior who managed to kill it.¡± After expressing her gratitude once more, the Priestess offered me something. ¡°This is a small token of our gratitude. Normally, the chief would be the one to bestow it, but as he is currently receiving the envoy, I have been tasked to give it to you on his behalf.¡± Just as the Archmage had pushed the credit onto me, he also showed no intention of epting or rejecting this gift. It seemed he wanted to leave the decision up to me. So, the answer to this was obvious. ¡°I don¡¯t need it.¡± I didn¡¯t know what was wrapped in those leaves, but I wouldn''t be epting it. I hadn¡¯t even helped them expecting a reward. ¡°Dear benefactor, please ept it.¡± ¡°I said I don¡¯t need it.¡± This exchange didn¡¯tst long. As I repeated my refusal, the Priestess took back the gift even without the Archmage intervening. ¡°If that is your wish, I shall ept it.¡± The tea was ready. The Priestess poured the tea into a cup and handed it to me. ¡°It¡¯s medicinal tea. Although the poison has already been expelled from your body, there might be lingering aftereffects. It also has quite a few benefits for your health.¡± This was quite difficult to refuse. While¡­ it might seem fairly insignificant, some teas were worth more than a car¡¯s weight in gold. Regardless, it was just a cup of tea, so shouldn¡¯t it be easier to refuse? ¡°We gratefully ept the Priestess¡¯s kindness.¡± Following his lead, I carefully took a sip of the hot tea. ¡°¡­!¡± The tea was very delicious. Though I only knew some bits and pieces about tea ceremony etiquette from a friend who practiced it, I couldn¡¯t properly appreciate the taste of tea. ¡°The aroma is wonderful.¡± ¡°It¡¯s made from leaves that only grow in the Great Forest. I¡¯m d it suits your taste.¡± They say good tea can rx the body. Sipping the tea, I could feel my previously tense nerves easing up a bit. Paying no mind to the conversation between the Archmage and the Priestess, I focused entirely on the tea. Soon, the cup waspletely empty. ¡°Considering the help we¡¯ve received, I wonder if it might be rude to impose on you any further¡­¡± The perceptive Priestess poured me a second cup. At the same time, she finally began speaking about what she really wanted to say. Thanks to the tea, my previously tangled thoughts hadpletely cleared up, and I was in a much better mood. I felt more inclined to listen to whatever she had to say. Crack, snap. Bang! ¡¾We have guests. Just who is being so rude as to interrupt us right now¡­¡¿ ¡¾Lady Priestess, that isn¡¯t important right now. Jatav warriors have been spotted nearby!¡¿ I was calm, but the world was not. Even though I couldn¡¯t understand theirnguage, the sound of an urgent quest falling into myp was unmistakable. Chapter 116: To a Distant Land (10) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 116 To a Distant Land (10) ¡¾¡­Is it true?¡¿ ¡¾Yes. Fortunately, it seems they haven''t yet found this ce due to the barrier, but¡­ they likely followed the traces left behind by the delegation.¡¿ ¡¾¡­Those needlessly sharp bastards.¡¿ ¡¾The hunters have erased most of the traces, so they won¡¯t be able to find us any time soon.¡¿ This smelled unmistakably like a quest, but I couldn¡¯t say I¡¯d grasped the situation yet. The Archmage¡¯s serious expression suggested that something pretty significant had happened. ¡¾Is it possible for us to send out warriors to deal with them?¡¿ ¡¾There are too many of them. If our goal is not just to drive them away but to annihte them, we¡¯d need to send out most of the vige¡¯s warriors.¡¿ ¡¾¡­The guest currently with us is the chief of Vigabol. If we deploy most of our warriors, they¡¯ll definitely notice. We must ensure that they remain unaware of this.¡¿ ¡¾Then what should we do¡­¡¿ ¡¾Does the chief know about this?¡¿ ¡¾No, he is conversing with the guests, so I reported to you first, Miss Priestess.¡¿ ¡¾I see. I will inform the chief. Gather all the vige¡¯s hunters. Call only some warriors, to the extent that our guests won¡¯t notice.¡¿ ¡¾Yes!¡¿ Ah, whatever. Haha. They¡¯d exin it to me once they were done talking, anyway, so I might as well rx right now. I calmly sipped my tea. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was the aroma or its actual taste, but it sure was delicious. If I were offered more of it, I certainly wouldn¡¯t say no. ¡°Jatav, huh? It seems things aren¡¯t going well.¡± When I¡¯d almost finished my second cup, the Archmage muttered something under his breath. Of course, it was another noun¡ªit definitely wasn¡¯t a verb¡ªthat felt unfamiliar to me. ¡°The Jatav are just as powerful as the Vigabol. Most warchiefse from their tribe. From what I know, the reclusive nature of those residing in the forest isrgely because of them.¡± It sure was nice that the Archmage always provided an exnation. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to ask for another refill, so I simply drilled this basic knowledge into my brain. ¡°But for them to have been spotted near the vige right now¡­ No matter whether they¡¯re here to reduce Serhan¡¯s firepower or stop the alliance from being formed, one thing is clear: they are very aware of the Katina period.¡± So, regardless of whether they were aware of it, they were using force to disrupt things¡­ was that right? These power struggles sure were intense. ¡°I suppose we should have left the vige sooner.¡± I fully agreed with that opinion. While I didn¡¯t regret saving those people, dealing with the aftermath certainly was a hassle. Although I did sympathize with them a bit, I had no desire to get involved in someone else¡¯s power struggle. ¡°But the biggest problem is¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± I looked at the Archmage, who was staring at me, utterly clueless about why he was doing that. What? Why was he doing that? What was he thinking? I prayed he wasn¡¯t going to nag me for saving people. Seriously, please don¡¯t nag me for saving people! ¡°Have more tea.¡± Oh, thank you. I gratefully epted the tea, which I couldn¡¯t dare request myself because I felt a little self-conscious. How delicious. ¡°People from beyond the Forest.¡± At that moment, the Priestess, who had been speaking with someone who¡¯d juste in, turned to us. Herees the quest. I¡¯d been through this so many times that as I waited for her words, I only felt calm. ¡°Please, help us.¡± Her plea was sincere yet not servile, as the Priestess slightly bowed. ¡°I understand your situation, but we can¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°I know this request is rather shameless, but we desperately need the strength of the warrior who defeated the Swallowing Green River.¡± ¡°We are outsiders. What would people say if we,plete outsiders, interfered in Katina?¡± Fortunately, the Archmage could handle this situation. The Priestess bit her lip anxiously, not out of irritation but nervousness. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡¾Miss Priestess, the Jatav have mobilized the Jahukaya!¡¿ ¡°¡­!¡± Another person suddenly burst through the door. The Priestess¡¯s yellow skin turned as pale as a white rice cake. ¡°The Snake that devours light¡­?¡± The Archmage¡¯s expression changed subtly, not because what he had heard seemed dangerous, but because he was trying to figure out what it was. It seemed like he didn¡¯t know everything. ¡°I shall go first. Please forget my request and rest herefortably.¡¾Makaka, stay here and attend to our guests.¡¿¡± The Priestess hurried off with the hunters. The young girl who¡¯d been assisting the Priestess looked incredibly flustered, ncing between the teacups before us and the tea leaves at the side. ¡°Uhm, w-would you like some more tea?¡± Did she also know ournguage? ¡°What is the Jahukaya?¡± As I got more tea, having drunk half of it already, the Archmage asked a question. The girl, eyes wide open, scratched her head with her free hand. ¡°I, erm, not very familiar with thisnguage.¡± ¡¾We can also speak in thisnguage.¡¿ ¡¾Then, I¡¯ll exin. As its name implies, the Jahukaya is a snake that consumes light.¡¿ ¡¾Light? Do you mean it uses something like photosynthesis to survive?¡¿ ¡¾No, not that kind of light¡­¡¿ The girl spread out one hand, holding it parallel to the ground. Soon, a small burst of light shimmered above it. ¡¾It consumes this kind of light: Arcane Power.¡¿ The Archmage leaped to his feet. ¡°Demon Knight, we have to catch it!!¡± First, they start chattering in anguage that only they understand, and now this? He might believe I was a polyglot like him, but I sure as hell wasn¡¯t. * * * * * * Apparently, the Jatav Tribe had been breeding snakes that could consume Arcane Energy. It had started fairly recently, just a few months ago. We didn¡¯t know how they¡¯d managed to begin breeding these kinds of snakes, but for us, it was as if we hit the jackpot. It was like they were serving a recement for the snake we had to kill on a silver tter. ¡°Just one, no five snakes.¡± Excuse me? Didn¡¯t twoe after one? Why did he jump all the way to five? While thinking that, I wondered whether this was the right thing to do. Was it right to secretly capture these Arcane snakes right after deciding not to get involved in their power struggles? And why was I, who specialized in frontal attacks, chosen for this task instead of Deb, a specialist in ambushes and theft? ¡°The Jatav Tribe greatly values the Jahukaya. If we miss this chance, we might have to go all the way to their main base.¡± I understood why the Archmage was pushing for this so much. It was easier to handle things physically than somehow join in on their negotiations. In the end, I took off my coat and donned the hooded leather poncho that Makaka¡ªthe girl whom the Priestess had left behind¡ªhanded to me. Given the racial differences, namely the different number of arms, I couldn¡¯t avoid being noticed altogether, but that didn¡¯t mean there was a need to show them my face. I also put away all my usual weapons that could lead to me being identified. The provided machete would be my only real weapon. I doubted I would use it, though, since I wasn¡¯t familiar with it. ¡°Erm, th-these are the Priestess¡¯s clothes, so please take care of them¡­¡± Makaka, who handed me the clothes, requested this of me while seemingly on the verge of tears. The Priestess had willingly lent them to me to deal with the snakes. It looked like she had a lot on her te as the Priestess¡¯s servant. ¡°I will.¡± If a child asked me to take care of something, I would absolutely take care of that thing. I passed by the warriors waiting near the outer wall. They were preparing for the worst, still hiding behind the barriers concealing the vige to avoid revealing its position through unnecessary movement. As for the hunters? I¡¯d heard they took some sort of back route. They were going to act as decoys. This also posed a significant risk in revealing this ce¡¯s location, but they had no choice. Ignoring the present problem to prevent future problems was foolish. ¡¾The barrier will bepromised if you go out there!¡¿ However, they were still concerned about it. I kept thinking about what I could do and finally came to a decision. When I was about ten meters from the barrier, I tensed my legs. I gathered Arcane Power in them. ¡¾What are you¡ª!¡¿ Boom! The ground shook slightly as my bodyunched into the air. The dark poncho spread out like the wings of a hawk. ¡¾¡­!¡¿ By the way, it wasn¡¯t just the Inquisitor who¡¯d gotten some ideas from the Archmage¡¯s special lecture a few days ago on the difference between Divine Power and Arcane Power. I also got a few ideas, though it was more about understanding why my existing skills manifested in specific ways than learning new applications of my power. However, that understanding wasn¡¯t meaningless. Once I grasped a technique, I could create new ones much more easily. ¡¾A ck¡­ trail in the sky¡­¡¿ Thanks to that, I could try doing various things like this. For instance, not just spreading Arcane Power over my body but spiraling it around me. ¡¾Hey, can¡¯t you hear some sounding from somewhere?¡¿ ¡¾Does that mean the Serhan¡¯s base really is somewhere around here¡ª¡¿ ¡¾What¡¯s that?!¡¿ Was it a good way to apply my power? I didn¡¯t particrly think so. While it had be easier, it still required headache-inducing calctions, and externally expressing my Arcane Power didn¡¯t affect my physical abilities at all. In other words, if I wanted to enhance my physical abilities, I would have to use my Arcane Power again. And it didn¡¯t even output an Attack Power equivalent to the Arcane Power I used. The power consumption was simr to one use of [Bombard], but its effect wasn¡¯t much different from [Stinger]. But¡­ It was still fine. Enhancing my body wasn¡¯t the only important thing. I¡¯d somehow found a way to extend my Arcane Power externally. I hadn¡¯t tested this skill¡¯s defensive properties yet, but I¡¯d created something resembling a shield. And I could use it offensively, as well. I¡¯d tried it once, but it didn¡¯t really work out¡ªnot knowing at the time that a shield was so difficult to make, I¡¯d tried molding it into the form of fabric¡ªbut having it was much better than having nothing. As long as I kept creating things, there was room for development. ¡¾A-A snake!¡¿ Moreover, it looked pretty cool. Pitch-ck energy covered my rushing body in a spiral, pointed in front and spread out long in the back. Wasn¡¯t that cool? My entire body, even my face, was covered in Arcane Power. ¡¾S-Spare me!¡¿ ¡¾Uwaaargh!¡¿ Ah, so there had actually been no need to change into other clothes, right? Hmmm. Welp, it didn¡¯t really matter. But now that I was thinking about my clothes, it felt like I¡¯d forgotten something. Ah! I¡¯d totally forgotten to mention the broken seal. I would have to tell the Archmage as soon as I got back. I definitely wouldn¡¯t forget this time! However, I could only discuss the seal after this task wasplete. I moved among the warriors, who were less than 100 meters away from the vige. They were easy to spot as they were covered in red mud. As soon as I appeared, they started screaming and fleeing in every direction. I had no idea where that damn ¡®Jahukaya¡¯ snake was. ¡¾Come back here, hiss! Hisss!¡¿ Surprisingly, I found it quite quickly. Although I had no idea what it looked like, identifying the snake handlers was very easy. They, too, were rushing to regather the snakes while attempting to escape. Because of this, I could easily spot their location, so I immediately rushed there. ¡¾Argh!¡¿ As I mentioned, this skill¡¯s Attack Power was pathetic rtive to its required Arcane Power. A direct hit from it might tear apart grass or thin branches, but if it were to hit a tree trunk or a person¡¯s body, it would just cause some superficial cuts. Of course, those cuts would still be quite deep and numerous, but anyway. Rather than Attack Power, its knockback, which could push back almost everything, seemed quite strong. The snake handler was thrown to the side. The snake almost got knocked away, too, but I somehow caught it. However, its skin was somewhat¡­ well, torn, but it was still alive, so it should be fine, haha. I ran around in all directions, gripping the snake¡¯s neck tightly to prevent it from biting me. Fortunately, my hands were ratherrgepared to a snake, so I could hold two in a single hand. ¡¾Retreat! Retreaaaat!¡¿ ¡¾I-It¡¯s a ck snake. A ck snake¡­! A snake that flies like the wind!¡¿ I managed to catch a total of four snakes when I had about a fifth of my Arcane Power left. I skillfully avoided the dispersing Jatav warriors while running to an empty space. I was a bit worried that what I was doing here might be a bit too obvious since I¡¯d intentionally driven them toward the opposite side of the vige. After enhancing my body once more, I jumped up andnded tens of meters away after drawing a beautiful parab in the air. The remnants of Arcane Power surrounding me remained in the air like a long tail before disappearingpletely. Bang! Of course, that wasn¡¯t all. I intentionally used [Ground Crash] as Inded. The ground trembled and seemingly roared loudly. The nearby trees bent slightly, bushes were torn apart, and the ground cracked open. Anyway, it was quite the dramatic view. For what it¡¯s worth, I purposely left some traces further from the Serhan vige. Even if the Jatav warriorster returned to investigate, they couldn¡¯t cause us any harm, right¡­? I was careful not to leave any traces of where I¡¯de from. So, they wouldn¡¯t find it, right? Well, it was already done. I might have caused more harm than good, but still, I¡¯d driven away the warriors without any casualties. With that thought in mind, I returned. With huge trees in all directions, finding my way was a bit challenging, but using the traces of my rush, I vaguely knew what direction to head in. ¡¾Our savior¡­!¡¿ Moreover, some of the vige hunters and the Priestess came running out themselves. I threw the snakes toward the Archmage, who was sitting in one corner. Although still conscious, the snakes were either dazed or close to death. There were also plenty of hunters around, so it should be fine. ¡¾Wh-What just happened¡­¡¿ Ah, had I known it would turn out like this, I would have just gone without putting on these clothes. They were unnecessarily troublesome. ¡¾Just how did you just¡­?¡¿ I unbuttoned the poncho with one hand. Fortunately, it had buttons instead of just holes for the head, which would have made taking off this thing pretty difficult. Swish. Thanks to that, I could slip it off easily. Returning the borrowed cloak to the Priestess, I took the machete I¡¯d yet to even draw into my hands. It, too, flew through the air andnded in the hands of a hunter positioned a bit away. The hunter, who had been quite dazed, was startled by the machete appearing before him and quickly grabbed it. Had it not been in its sheath, he might have cut his hand on it. Anyway, I finally made eye contact with the Archmage before asking a question. ¡°Is it not enough?¡± ¡°No, this is plenty.¡± Good, what a perfect ending. Chapter 117: To a Distant Land (11) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 117 To a Distant Land (11) ¡¾Miss Priestess, what happened?¡¿ Ekuah, chief of the Serhan, sensed a subtle change in the vige¡¯s atmosphere before and after his chat with the guests. While the chief of the Vigabol appeared oblivious, as a native of this vige, Ekuah could immediately tell that something was off. ¡¾I will tell you now.¡¿ When the Vigabol chief began speaking with hispanion, he took the opportunity to ask the Priestess about it. The woman who¡¯d served as a priestess long before he even became chief bowed slightly and whispered some urgent news at his question. It was information that made him jump in shock despite knowing he needed to remainposed. ¡¾Wh-What did you say?¡¿ ¡¾Please calm yourself. You mustn¡¯t show any reaction.¡¿ ¡¾Y-Yes, of course.¡¿ Ekuah managed to regain control over his body, but his heart was racing wildly. A warrior, enveloped in ck Arcane Power, sweeping through the forest like a storm! Ekuah had already been of the opinion that this outsider was a remarkable warrior upon hearing that he killed Chibineng. However, after hearing this, he couldn¡¯t think of the outsider as merely a ¡®remarkable warrior¡¯. Had this warrior been a dweller of the Great Forest, he would have been hailed as a great hero. ¡¾I would like to have a conversation with¡­ that guest. Of course, the Vigabol chief is also curious about him, so we should invite him before everyone¡­ So, erm, could you get his permission?¡¿ Ekuah, who¡¯d be chief at a very young age due to the early passing of the previous chief, behaved with dignity befitting of the position, but he simply couldn¡¯t erase his admiration for heroes. Actually, this had been the first time in a long while since the chief had uttered such a child-like request. Had the Vigabol chief not been present, he would have clung to the Priestess¡¯ leg, begging her. In fact, he already felt rather disappointed about having to meet him alongside the Vigabol chief. ¡¾That¡¯s¡­¡¿ ¡¾I-Is it difficult?¡¿ ¡¾¡­He has expressed a desire to leave early.¡¿ ¡¾Oh, no¡­¡¿ The Vigabol chief¡¯s interest in speaking to the outsider no longer mattered. Since they already owed the stranger a great debt of gratitude, it was their duty to persuade the Vigabol chief to let him leave. Asking any more of their guest would be nothing short of shameless. But, but¡­ Ekuah couldn¡¯t hide his disappointment. He greatly wished to speak to this great warrior! He wanted to see the majestic figure of the one who¡¯d driven away the Jatav warriors¡­! ¡¾Is something the matter, Chief of the Serhan?¡¿ ¡¾N-Nothing at all. Let us proceed. I hear the training ground is ready.¡¿ However, he couldn¡¯t remain a boy. Ekuah quickly resumed his role as chief and attended to the chief of the Vigabol. ¡¾Priestess, make sure our benefactorcks for nothing until his departure. I ce my trust in you.¡¿ ¡¾Don¡¯t worry.¡¿ It was now time to move toward the sparring area. * * * ¡°It really does absorb Arcane Power¡­¡± The Archmage and I carefully examined the captured Jahukaya. More precisely, the Archmage observed the snake while I silently sat in the back. For reference, three of the four snakes I¡¯d caught were securely locked within a cage of wooden stakes we¡¯d prepared. The remaining one was left free in a controlled environment for ongoing observation. Since these snakes couldn¡¯t consume things like leather, dirt, or wood, we didn¡¯t need to be concerned about them escaping. I was just here in case the Archmage gets attacked. ©¤ What¡¯s going on? ¨C ¡°Ah, I was finally able to confirm it.¡± ©¤ Did something happen? ¨C ¡°Well, something did happen, but I can¡¯t tell whether I should call it good or bad.¡± ©¤ What is it? ¨C The Archmage was talking to White Wind through a crystal bead-like object. Maybe due to the Arcane Power drifting from it, the snake, which had been nibbling on Arcane structures created by the Archmage like a pigeon pecking at breadcrumbs, suddenly started to get closer to the Archmage. Snap. ¡°Do you have a death wish?¡± No, I mean,e on. You should move away when you notice a snake approaching or something. You shouldn¡¯t just stand there. I was so startled that I ended up stepping on the snake. ¡°I know you¡¯ll save me, so what might be the problem?¡± Was that guy serious?? ©¤ What¡¯s with that snake? ¨C ¡°It¡¯s a snake that can consume Arcane Power.¡± ©¤ ¡­What? ¨C ¡°I don¡¯t know if it was made in the same way as the one we killed before, but I have confirmed with my own eyes that it indeed consumes Arcane Power. Oh, by the way, we captured four of them this time, so we don¡¯t have to worry about having too little¡ª¡± ©¤ Bring them here immediately! You said it consumes Arcane Power, right?! Can you show it to me one more time¡ª ¨C While White Wind almost screamed through the bead, I checked the snake I had stepped on. I was a little worried I might have crushed its head in my panic. Ah, no, it was alive. I carefully picked up the snake, which was flicking its tongue at me, and ced it in its designated container. It kept on trying to stick its head out, hissing. The more I looked at it, the cuter it seemed. ©¤ They¡¯re mass-producing snakes that consume Arcane Power?! Aretheyoutoftheirminds?! ¨C ¡°You forgot to space your words.¡± ©¤ What did you say?! ¨C I wondered whether it would eat my Arcane Power, as well. I tried gathering some at the tip of my finger, with the same sensation as if I were using [Arcane Spear]. A ball of ck Arcane Power started forming there. If I made it longer and shot it out, it would turn into [Arcane Spear]. I didn¡¯t n on doing that, though. Bite. The snake bit my finger while consuming the Arcane Power. Hey. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I couldn¡¯t let them catch me ying with an animal. That wouldpletely ruin my image, right? I calmly removed my finger from the snake¡¯s mouth¡ªit had bitten into my gauntlet, so its bite was neither painful nor difficult to extract my finger from¡ªand closed the lid. Since my back had been turned to the Archmage, he didn¡¯t see that the snake had bitten my finger. ©¤ I¡¯ll send someone your way, so please return immediately! ¨C ¡°Understood.¡± Just closing the lid seemed a bit toox, so I tied it up with a string like I¡¯d done with the others¡ªa bundle of gifts made especially for the Magic Tower. ¡°Well then, since we¡¯ve made contact, let¡¯s go.¡± Huh, wait, weren¡¯t we supposed to say goodbye or something? Specifically, to the chief, the Priestess, and the Vigabol chief? I thought we couldn¡¯t leave without talking to them a little out of courtesy? ¡°Considering all you¡¯ve done, I doubt they¡¯ll ask for anything more. No matter what happens with their alliance, the Serhan can¡¯t me us for it.¡± Hmm, I kind of understood what he said, but I still wasn¡¯t so sure. Listening to the Archmage¡¯s words, I picked up the bundle. Normally, I would have made my party members carry everything, but since the only one with me was the Archmage, I decided just to carry it myself. I couldn¡¯t have our esteemed wizard suffer an injury, now could I? * * * * * * ¡°A-Are you leaving already?¡± However, it turned out to be unnecessary. After hearing that we¡¯d be leaving, the Serhan tribe sent people to help carry our luggage. The hunters I¡¯d saved from the Chibineng were also among them. ¡¾We must repay you for your kindness somehow. Please allow us to guide you to the border! We know the safest and shortest route!¡¿ ¡¾These people are our tribe¡¯s best hunters when ites to guiding. Please, don¡¯t refuse us.¡¿ Although the way they looked at me was somewhat burdensome, I quickly got used to it since it always turned out like that whenever I contributed in some way, strangely. I watched as two hunters took my luggage, enjoying the silence. No one approached me, and since I couldn¡¯t answer them anyway due to thenguage barrier, now was the perfect time to savor some silence. This silence was ideal for entertaining all sorts of random thoughts. There was nothing to focus on, no one to interrupt, and my task was fairly simple. I didn¡¯t need to nce around anxiously or try to guess the atmosphere based on others¡¯ reactions. In other words, I enjoyed this time to its fullest. I wondered whether this Quest was truly over. If the next part of the Main Quest was somewhere in this region, it was undoubtedly tied to the power struggle between the tribes. I lightly entertained some suspicions about whether the Jatav¡¯s cultivation of Arcane Power-eating snakes was connected to Demons. ¡®It would be nice if the Quest Window worked properly.¡¯ My thoughts then changed direction for a moment: the Quest Window. Worries I¡¯d set aside finally wedged their way into my thoughts again. At that moment, all the sounds around me became muffled. Beeeep. The beeping in my ear was sharply distinct from the muffled noise around me. My hand reflexively rose to press against my ear and temple. I could only press down on my right side properly. ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± Two or three seconds passed like that. The Archmage looked at me. Despite pressing my hand against my head, I wasn¡¯t acting as if I was in pain, so I didn¡¯t know why he was asking me that. Had I let it show on my face? ¡°What?¡± That shouldn¡¯t be it. I hurriedly shut down my thoughts. At least until I was alone. I needed to lock away any emotion until I was somewhere I didn¡¯t have to worry about my life, no matter what feelings I expressed. ¡°No, your expression¡­¡± Oh, damn. It seemed I actually had failed at managing my expression. Urgh. It wasn¡¯t as if I¡¯d really broken character or anything¡­ I didn''t, right? Please tell me I didn¡¯t!? I desperately danced around, or rather, pretended to be like the Demon Knight, to get out of this. Sir Archmage, whatever you noticed, please just let it go this once. Just this once. I promise you, I¡¯ll maintain my Demon Knight act even more diligently than ever from this moment on. ¡°You.¡± I lowered my hand and focused on the Archmage. I couldn¡¯t miss a single word he was about to say. ¡°If you¡¯re troubled by anything, please tell me.¡± I couldn¡¯t miss a single word¡­ Rather, here he goes again. I scrunched up my face, bracing for another barrage of ¡®Are you okay?¡¯ and ¡®How is the seal?¡¯. It was a reaction that more reflected my true feelings than acted-out ones. ¡°None of your business.¡± ¡°Demon Knight.¡± Yeah, yeah. As if I didn¡¯t know what he was worried about. Of course, I knew, though. Even though I was old enough to understand that someone nagging was just a show of concern, hearing someone nag this much was simply frustrating. As for my character, so long as I contained the Demon, I could allow a certain degree of restraint¡ªthat¡¯s why I¡¯d endured everything until now¡ªbut that had its limits, right? This just had to be a normal temper re-up. ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°It seems you¡¯re starting to underestimate me.¡± Ah, shit. I forgot to tell him about the seal again. Ah. What a drag. But it would be pretty awkward if I talked about it now, right? Yeah. I should put it off a bit more. If worst came to worst, I could just ask White Wind for a spare without telling the Archmage. ¡°I have let many things slide. Truly many things.¡± Instead, I took a step closer to him. Beeeeep. That tinnitus had yet to subside, as well. It was a little irritating. It wasn¡¯t anger, just mild annoyance welling inside me due to this subtle irritation. ¡°Don¡¯t cross the line any further.¡± ¡­So this wasn¡¯t venting my anger. It shouldn¡¯t be. No, it mustn¡¯t be. Being unable to control one¡¯s emotions and taking them out on others was simply too uncool. So, this was just part of my act. It was about time for my character to start getting pissed off. The Demon Knight was the one most wary of the Demon, and he was also the one who experienced the most stress because of it. How angry would you be if someone else started poking at you? ¡°¡­I.¡± The Archmage, seemingly caught off guard by my reaction, started to stammer. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± However, he eventually apologized. I didn¡¯t want him to do this. It wasn¡¯t even his fault. ¡°Although it¡¯s a bitte for me to say this, how about we take a short break before moving on?¡± ¡°No need.¡± Seriously, the Demon wasn¡¯t about toe out. We could just leave, so why was he acting like that? The Archmage seemed to be developing some sort of paranoia. Well, I suppose I also would if I were in his ce, but still. ¡°I¡¯m struggling here, though.¡± Ah, it seemed like I was the one paranoid here. How embarrassing. I thought he wanted us to dy our journey because of me. ¡°¡­Pathetic.¡± I deliberately concealed my embarrassment. After all, I also needed some time. Time to separate my own emotions from my persona. ¡­If the two started blending together, this wouldn¡¯t be fun anymore. ¡¾¡­Is there a problem?¡¿ ¡¾No, no. But could we dy our departure a little? He¡¯s quite proud and doesn¡¯t like to show his troubles, but it seems he¡¯s still suffering a little from the poison¡¯s side effects.¡¿ ¡¾Of course, I¡¯ll handle it. I¡¯ll also get a healer¡­¡¿ ¡¾No need for a healer. He¡¯ll probably just get angry and refuse any treatment. Instead, could we get some more of the medicinal tea that the Priestess gave us?¡¿ ¡¾Of course.¡¿ ¡¾Thank you.¡¿ Ah, I wondered how long we would have to rest. If it was going to take a while, could I take a nap? My fatigue level was a bit high. Bang! ¡¾¡­?!¡¿ ¡¾Th-The training ground!¡¿ Ah, great. Not again. ¡¾The chief is over there¡­!¡¿ ¡¾Send someone immediately! Hurry!¡¿ I closed my eyes tightly after looking toward the part of the vige where the explosion hade from. My Quest Window wasn¡¯t working, but why did it so clearly feel like a Quest was looming over me? It was starting to wear me out. Chapter 118: To a Distant Land (12) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 118 To a Distant Land (12) While watching the friendly sparring match, Ekuah engaged Atarte, chief of the Vigabol, in conversation. Atarte, who neither looked down on him for his youth nor the Serhan Tribe for itscking strength, was a pleasant conversation partner. ¡¾Haha, another splendid match.¡¿ Of course, there was still something¡­ peculiar about him. Although Atarte¡¯s tone and words were nothing but impably polite, he strangely felt a chilling sensation now and then. Especially when he made direct eye contact with Atarte¡¯s pitch-ck eyes. ¡¾We have lost once again. It seems like we have a lot to learn from your warriors¡¯ training, Chief Atarte.¡¿ Ekuah pped his hands at the warriors¡¯ disy of strength while trying to determine whether his unease stemmed from the possibility of a raid by the remaining Jatav or from something else. The warriors concluded their sparring match, bowed to each other, and left the arena. ¡¾Who¡¯s next? Ah, it¡¯s Saffar. So, this is already thest match. What a shame.¡¿ Atarte hadn¡¯t brought many warriors with him, so the sparring match was already nearing its end. ¡¾On our side, it¡¯s¡­¡¿ However, Ekuah was honestly quite relieved about that. With the possibility of another attack by the Jatav looming over them, conserving their strength was the only right thing to do. ¡¾¡­?¡¿ However, during their conversation, one of the Vigabol warriors climbing onto the stage disyed some strange behavior. He threw something tightly wrapped into a ball. ¡¾Chief!¡¿ Bang! Ekuah couldn¡¯t properly see what happened after because the warrior standing next to him had pulled him into his arms. However, what he could hear was already overwhelming enough. A deafening explosion, the shing of swords, someone¡¯s scream, shouts, and the sound of flesh being torn apart. ¡¾Wh-What is happening¡­?¡¿ Still young and not fully grown, Ekuah wasn¡¯t confident in his martial skills. He also remembered the previous chief falling to an assassin, presumably sent by the Jatav. He understood why the warriors were so intent on protecting him. He really did. ¡¾Let go of me so that I can see what¡¯s going on!¡¿ But he was the chief. Without struggling much, Ekuah craned his neck to see what was happening. His eight eyes scanned the area and quickly assessed what was urring around him. ¡¾H-How could you¡­!¡¿ ¡¾My apologies, Atarte, but you must die.¡¿ It was a rebellion. However, not of the Serhan, but the Vigabol. ng! While Ekuah took in the situation, Atarte was already confronting the traitor. Evidently, the title Atarte bore before bing chief, Vigabol¡¯s Strongest Warrior, wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. Not only had Atarte survived the ambush, but he was also holding his own against three warriors simultaneously. Though Atarte seemed slightly overwhelmed, it appeared he could get through this if he received some external help. ¡¾Ekuah, assist me!¡¿ ¡¾Chief of Serhan, we are in the midst of a rightful battle for session. It wouldn¡¯t be wise to antagonize us!¡¿ But just as Ekuah was about tomand his men to assist, the rebels warned him. With his lips parted, Ekuah froze for a moment. ¡¾Ekuah!¡¿ He knew the Vigabol were somewhat divided between those supporting Atarte¡¯s new reforms and those wishing to adhere to tradition. However, he hadn¡¯t realized the rift was severe enough to lead to open assassination attempts¡­ Moreover, those who started this rebellion were those whom Atarte had dered his most trusted people. About half of those Atarte had brought with him had agreed to rebel like this. This meant the rebels¡¯ forces were by no means small. So, what about the Vigabol¡¯s main base, which Atarte had temporarily vacated? Could it be that the rebels had already taken control of it? ¡¾Chief, your orders!¡¿ ¡¾What should we do?¡¿ Ekuah swiftly weighed his options: should he ally with the rebels for the good of the Serhan, or should he trust Atarte for a more favorable future? If only the Priestess were here¡­ But even if she were, the decision would still rest on his shoulders. Ultimately, this was his call to make. ¡¾¡­Aid Atarte and eliminate the rebels!¡¿ And like that, he hade to a decision. Atarte harbored goodwill toward the Serhan, whereas the traditionalists attempting to oust him¡ªthose clinging to outdated ideologies¡ªheld the Serhan in contempt. Supporting Atarte would be far more advantageous if they were victorious. That was what had influenced Ekuah¡¯s judgment. ¡¾Ekuah!¡¿ ¡¾You¡¯ve chosen the poisoned chalice!¡¿ Yet, immediately after issuing themand, the Serhan chief was gued with intense doubts. Was this really the right decision? Could it have been the wrong choice? ¡°What is this?¡± At that moment, an unfamiliarnguage echoed through the area. The next thing he noticed was a man with gloomy, rather exhausted gray eyes. ¡°A rebellion?¡± A rebel¡¯s de came flying toward him. * * * ¡°What is this?¡± Seriously, what was this mess? Seeing the chaotic situation spread before me, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a weak sigh. Haah. Watching them fight amongst themselves when I was already dead tired brought up quite a mix of emotions within me. ¡°A rebellion?¡± If this was an actual rebellion, that would be a pain. I couldn¡¯t just blindly support one side without knowing why this rebellion was happening. Who knew what consequences mighte back to haunt meter? Besides, we Koreans had experienced so many tyrants and dictators throughout history¡­ Honestly, when I heard the word ¡®rebellion, my first instinct was to look at the ruling ss and think, ¡®Could it be?¡¯ However, if this wasn¡¯t a legitimate revolution but a coup, things would get pretty awkward. ¡¾Die!¡¿ However, I had no real choice in this matter. Someone had decided to attack me. ¡¾Protect our guest!¡¿ After swiftly dealing with the attacker, I noticed others approaching me. I nced around to see if they were enemies, but they were actually showing me their backs, trying to form a protective formation around me. The question now was whether they were on the rebels¡¯ or victims¡¯ side. Since I wasn¡¯t getting attacked anymore, I had a second to think. I quickly scanned the faces of those I¡¯d heard were chiefs. During my observation, I noticed that the rebels, given their attire, seemed to be from the Vigabol Tribe, while the Vigabol chief was ironically under the most intense attack. As for the Serhan, they seemed to be aiding the Vigabol chief and focused on subduing the rebels. The people protecting me were also from the Serhan Tribe. The person who¡¯d tried attacking me earlier seemed to be from the Vigabol Tribe. Like that, I immediately determined who my enemies were. Regardless of whether this was a revolution or a coup, someone attacking an innocent civilian could never be called part of the good guys, right? Right? ¡°Sigh.¡± I formed an [Arcane Spear] in my hand andunched it. I chose this skill to avoid hitting my allies. It also allowed me to attack multiple enemies at once, so it was a pretty good choice in this situation. ¡¾Argh!¡¿ The Vigabol chief¡¯s enemies were dealt with in one fell swoop. After that, I left the protective formation and kicked around another enemy attacking a Serhan warrior. While I couldn¡¯t really distinguish who the enemy was in a Vigabol vs. Vigabol situation, I most definitely could if it was Serhan vs. Vigabol. ¡¾Outsider!¡¿ At that moment, someone raised their sword against me. My hand instinctively drew its own de to deflect their attack. My Arcane Power, half-recovered from resting, had subtly coated my de to make it even sharper. Slice! Like that, my opponent¡¯s sword was cut in twain. Thud! ¡°¡­¡± However, I¡¯d underestimated my opponent, who had more than just two arms. He had six, a detail I¡¯d missed. Dodging the next wave of attacks, I parried the fourth and fifth strikes while taking a step back, channeling Arcane Power into my right hand. sh! Four deep w marks tore across the enemy¡¯s torso. While it didn¡¯t wholly dismember him, the wounds were deep enough to limit his movements severely. ¡¾What?!¡¿ Was that person panicking about four steps away from an enemy? What about those behind him? At this point, I realized that my inability tomunicate was causing me much more trouble than I¡¯d anticipated. ¡¾Atarte!¡¿ However, it didn¡¯t matter much that I couldn¡¯t identify the enemy. Others would do that for me. The crucial part was protecting those I could confidently call allies. In one swift motion, I moved to the side of the Vigabol chief. Despite having taken care of three people, he still couldn¡¯t shake off the enemy¡¯s persistent assault. ¡¾You¡­¡¿ Maybe I should refrain from killing those guys since it might cause some problems. I grabbed the one attacking the chief by the back of the neck and threw him to the ground, my hand charged with Arcane Power. He was flung away like a rag doll, causing the ground beneath him to shake. He might have hurt his back a little. Next, I deflected another attacker¡¯s sword and struck his sr plexus. Through some extensive experiments, I¡¯d learned the precise strength needed to break a person''s ribs without killing them. Although that hit sent him a decent distance through the air, he shouldn''t be dead. Probably. ¡°Who are the enemies?¡± This was seriously frustrating. This would have been a lot easier if at least their clothes had been different. Who exactly was I supposed to subdue here? ¡°¡¾I don¡¯t¡­ Ah.¡¿ This one and that one are enemies.¡± It was fortunate that this person could actually speak mynguage. Following his directions, I began bringing down the presumed rebels one by one. Some of them yelled something at me, but I just ignored them. If they were upset by that, they should also learn a secondnguage. Thwack! Of course, I still wasn¡¯t all too sure I was doing the right things. * * * * * * After kicking away an enemy, I finally saw the Archmage and the Priestess rushing over, panting. Funnily enough, my sword wasn¡¯t stained with any blood. Well, it was only natural since I hadn¡¯t cut anyone with it. ¡°What happened?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask me.¡± Couldn¡¯t he understand? As I watched the tribe members handle the situation, I leaned against a suitable pir. Honestly, I just wanted to sit down¡ªI was oddly exhausted¡ªbut that would be a break of character, so Ipromised by leaning against this pir. The wounds I¡¯d sustained from fighting these six-armed enemies, which differed from facing three enemies simultaneously, finally started to ache. Though my pain sensitivity was set pretty low, the dull throbbing was still rather noticeable. ¡°Are you alright?¡± The Archmage approached me, concern in his voice. Most of my injuries were just minor cuts, but the first wound I¡¯d received was quite deep, which seemed to worry him. ¡°I¡¯ll treat you.¡± There was no reason for me to refuse. Acting indifferent to whether he treated me, I closed my eyes and zoned out, trying to empty my mind to prevent my thoughts from spiraling in a strange direction. ¡¾Erm, th-thank you.¡¿ While I was lost in thought, a child approached me. If I remember right, he was¡­ the chief of the Serhan Tribe. He looked to be around the age of a fifth or sixth grader. Given how quickly kids grow these days, it was hard to be certain, but I suspected my guess was correct. He reached just slightly above my chest. ¡¾If it weren¡¯t for you¡­¡¿ The child¡ªah, calling him a child would be fairly disrespectful, considering he was the chief. The Serhan chief was looking at me with a flushed face. Wondering where the Priestess had gone, I noticed she was trying to get a handle on the situation, giving orders to the warriors. ¡°I also want to thank you.¡± Before I could even respond, someone awkwardly expressed their gratitude to me. The chief of the Vigabol Tribe approached me, limping slightly as if one of his legs had gotten injured. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t helped us¡­¡± He didn¡¯t finish his sentence, but some things didn¡¯t need to be said to be understood, especially since I had seen him struggle so much before I intervened. ¡°¡­¡± He stopped talking and fell into thoughts. His face disyed a mix of emotions. Betrayal, anger, spite¡­ Given that a rebellion had just urred, it wasn¡¯t surprising for him to have these kinds of emotions. Though, I had to wonder where sadness had gone in this mix. ¡°How should I repay this debt?¡± Despite his emotional turmoil, he didn¡¯t remain lost in thought for too long. His bold, well-defined face looked directly at me. It had been a while since I had met someone at eye level with me, despite not being a Shaggi. ¡°No need.¡± However, there was only one answer I could give. I hadn¡¯t moved due to a request or a promised reward, so how could I ept anypensation? As usual, I firmly expressed my refusal. Like most of whom I did this to, the other party showed regret on his face. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡¾He truly doesn¡¯t wish to receive any sort ofpensation.¡¿ The Archmage, who had been treating my shoulder, withdrew his hand. His interjection was rather wee. I didn¡¯t want to deal with this any further, so please, do handle this for me. ¡¾So, I would ask you chiefs to see it as just a small favor.¡¿ But still, I didn¡¯t particrly like him speaking in anguage I couldn¡¯t understand. It made me feel isted. ¡¾I see.¡¿ ¡¾¡­A small favor.¡¿ ¡¾Yes. It was just a small favor.¡¿ I felt kind of ostracized, like being caught between two foreigners and someone capable of speaking thenguage. I looked at the three people, feeling a strong urge to smoke a cigarette. Of course, I didn¡¯t dare re at the chief of the Serhan Tribe. Respecting him as the chief of a tribe was one thing, but protecting him as the child he was was another. I mean, these two feelings could coexist¡­ Probably, yeah. ¡¾Then, how about epting an initiation to the Vigabol in return for your help?¡¿ ¡¾I¡¯m asking for your understanding.¡¿ So, when were they going to let me go? This was pretty awkward¡­ ¡¾That¡¯s¡­ quite unfortunate.¡¿ I watched as the previously one-sided atmosphere of pure gratitude turned into subtle tension. I wondered what they were discussing. Why were the Archmage and the Vigabol chief locked in this staring contest? ¡°Are you alright?¡± Then, the Archmage¡¯s gaze turned toward me. ¡°If you¡¯re okay, it would be best if we left now. The Magic Tower did request that we return as soon as possible, right?¡± ¡­Before, he¡¯d said that we should rest. I mean, it would be fine if we didn¡¯t, but it was a bit strange for him to change his tune like that. What conversation did they have that he would retract his words? Was the Archmage not on good terms with them? ¡°¡­¡± However, the Archmage was my ally. I had no reason to prioritize a chief I had just met. Still, shouldn¡¯t we help them? But then again, the damage to them wasn''t that significant. There were some casualties, but they were few and far between, and it wasn¡¯t like I could heal them. Besides, there weren¡¯t any more targets for me to take down. The structural damage was also minimal; only the arena had suffered a little damage. At this point, I figured I could just pretend I didn¡¯t see anything and leave. So, I stepped away from the pir, following the Archmage¡¯s words. The hunters were now rushing over, flustered and awkwardly holding our luggage, so it seemed we didn¡¯t need to go back to where we¡¯d rushed over from. ¡¾Chief of the Vigabol, how will you deal with the rebels¡­ Wait, are you leaving?¡¿ At that moment, the Priestess, who seemed to have regained herposure somewhat, ran toward us, her face pale. At first nce, she seemed like someone who¡¯d always remain calm and steady like an old tree. However, considering the Jatav Tribe¡¯s invasion and some of the delegation suddenlymitted treason, it wasn¡¯t too surprising that she lost her calm demeanor. Seeing her struggle through all these sudden troubles made me think she sure had it rough. ¡¾If we only had more time to express our gratitude for your help¡­¡¿ ¡¾It¡¯s alright. How could we take up any more of your time in such a situation? Ah, you should take back the hunters you assigned us, as well. Every hand must be precious to you right now, isn¡¯t that so?¡¿ Well, it didn¡¯t matter to me, anyway. Based on what the Archmage had suggested not too long ago¡ªit seemed we¡¯d have to take care of the snakes ourselves¡ªI walked to the hunters. The hunters, who¡¯d felt that leaving these precious snakes behind would just be wrong and thus both had their hands full, leaving them unable to help, looked at me as if I were their savior. ¡¾¡­What is the foreign warrior taking with him?¡¿ ¡¾Ah¡­ They are Jahukaya. It seems our guests are interested in their ability to consume Arcane Power.¡¿ Fortunately, the snakes had straps on them, allowing me to carry them over my shoulder like a bag. I slung two of them over one shoulder and carried the other two in my hands. Since there didn¡¯t seem to be anything more to discuss with the others, the Archmage promptly followed after me. ¡¾¡­Because they consume Arcane Power?¡¿ ¡¾That¡¯s usually the reason why people capture a Jahukaya, right?¡¿ ¡°I¡¯ll also carry one.¡± ¡°Get lost.¡± I didn¡¯t need him to do this. He should just lead the way because my map waspletely useless andpasses didn¡¯t work here. I wouldn¡¯t be able to find my way out of here alone. ¡¾Wait, wait!¡¿ At that moment, the Vigabol chief stopped us. I thought their conversation had ended, but he sure was persistent. I frowned. ¡¾If you¡¯re interested in beings that consume Arcane Power, how about this?¡¿ ¡¾Chief, we¡­¡¿ ¡¾This is supposed to be a secret, but¡­ the Mountain Lord also consumes Arcane Power.¡¿ But, well, I couldn¡¯t really participate in this. I only watched on as the Vigabol Chief, looking slightly hesitant, spoke to the Archmage. ¡¾¡­! What?¡¿ ¡¾If you ept my invitation, I can arrange for you to meet the Mountain Lord. I¡¯ll also provide a priest to trante for you. Ah, but remember, this is a secret. Recruiting the swamp priest who serves the Mountain Lord is informally allowed but not officially permitted. So, what do you think?¡¿ It seemed like the Archmage had been caught off guard by what was said. He looked shocked, his mouth constantly opening and closing again without any wordsing out, before he turned to me. ¡°¡­Demon Knight.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It seems¡­ we need to visit the territory of the Vigabol Tribe.¡± ¡­What kind of conversation did they have to reach that conclusion? I was so frustrated that I might actually learn thisnguage, seriously. Chapter 119: If I Could Leave (1) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 119 If I Could Leave (1) ¡°Just as the Western Sea has the Sea Dragon, the Great Forest of Chiria has the Land Turtle.¡± After telling me we needed to go to the Vigabol Tribe¡¯s territory, the Archmage exchanged a few more words with the Vigabol chief. He then began exining things to me. ¡°It¡¯s one of the Primordial Beasts. ording to literature, it looks like a turtle intertwined with a snake. Of course, it has disappeared and not been seen since.¡± When I heard it was and turtle, I thought it was some type of demonic beast, but it turned out not to be. And a turtle intertwined with a snake definitely sounded like the ck Tortoise. ¡°However, even if the Land Turtle is gone, there is still a creature that inherited its blood. That is the Mountain Lord. It¡¯s the being that the residents of the Great Forest revere and worship.¡± At that moment, I got a pretty ominous feeling. The Sea Dragon¡ªsince they were blue, I could probably call them the Azure Dragon¡ªand now the appearance of the ck Tortoise probably meant the Primordial Beasts were designed after the Four Symbols. The problem was with the regions they were in. No way. Isn¡¯t it obvious that the ck Tortoise should be in the North? The setting waspletely messed up. It wasn¡¯t like they¡¯d just put this in during someter patch or something, so why did they put the ck Tortoise in the South? Of course, the Azure Dragon, or Sea Dragon, was also in the wrong area. ¡°The Mountain Lord is known toy eggs and die every fifty years, and when the next Mountain Lord hatches from their egg, they will eat its parent¡¯s flesh to inherit its power.¡± Also, that breeding method seemed strangely familiar. Did all Primordial Beasts pass down their power like this? Their reproductive strategy was seriously excellent for ending their bloodlines. ¡°Because of this, the Mountain Lord¡¯s power varies little between individuals¡­ but this particr Mountain Lord has developed the unique ability to ¡®consume Arcane Power¡¯.¡± My mind was going all over the ce as I listened, but hisst words made me stop. So, that¡¯s why he suddenly changed his mind. It was because of that. ¡°Moreover, when the current Mountain Lord was born¡­ It seems simr to the phenomenon we¡¯re dealing with right now.¡± The Archmage was trying carefully to convey this message without directly mentioning words like ¡®Demon¡¯ or ¡®Demonic Beast¡¯. Even though we¡¯d gone back inside the building we¡¯d been in before to continue the conversation¡ªthe chiefs were still busy dealing with the aftermath of the rebellion¡ªthere remained a risk of information getting leaked. He was being considerate of the fact that the residents of this ce worshiped this Mountain Lord. ¡°We need to verify the truth of that im, but if it really is true, we can¡¯t afford to back down.¡± However, I wasn¡¯t so dense that I couldn¡¯t understand what he was hinting at, albeit in a roundabout way. ¡°Of course, considering there was a traitor in this delegation, it¡¯s possible a rebellion is already brewing in the Vigabol¡¯s territory¡­ But for now, we have legitimacy on our side. Even considering that we¡¯ll need to help the chief suppress the rebellion, having legitimate means to meet the Mountain Lord through the tribe¡¯s chief is a significant advantage.¡± As the Archmage said, there was no benefit from missing this opportunity. Contacting the Magic Tower again, helping suppress the rebellion, meeting the Mountain Lord to investigate further¡­ It seemed our return to Hudelen was bing a distant dream. The Magic Tower would handle any of the party¡¯s suspicions, and it was clearly more efficient for us to focus on what only we could do. Although the mission¡¯s scope just kept expanding¡­ at least the other side was offering us fairpensation. ¡°The cause of the rebellion.¡± However, no matter how great of an opportunity this was, this still needed to be rified. Sure, the rebels attacked me first, but how could I know if that was just one person making a mistake or the stance of the entire group? Based on my life experience, rather than raging about in such situations, saying stuff like ¡®Those guys did it!¡¯, it would be better to quickly assess whether the person who targeted me went crazy or if the whole group was like that. That way, I could avoid missing valuable opportunities or learn what I should avoid in advance. ¡°Hm? Aah. I only said that legitimacy was on our side but didn¡¯t tell you the reason for this, didn¡¯t I?¡± Yeah. So please do tell me. ¡°It¡¯s nothing major. The old faction, who oppose opening theirmunity to interact with the outside world, tried to kill the young chief before those ideas could spread any further.¡± Ah, an ideological conflict. ¡°In that sense, it¡¯d be worth helping them out even if we hadn¡¯t been granted the opportunity to meet the Mountain Lord. The Great Forest has been too isted for far too long. We have respected their attitude, but who knows what the future may hold? I understand their desire to preserve tradition, but there¡¯s no harm in minimal exchanges of technology and knowledge. To uphold traditions, one needs strength.¡± True, one must know what¡¯s happening around them to prepare. Some countries had suffered greatly due to maintaining istion, while others advanced far ahead in many fields. However, it was also true that once change began, tradition could easily be lost¡­ But still, trying to persuade someone with force instead of arguments and evidence was a bit too much. I suppose it was inevitable in this world where human rights weren¡¯t very well developed¡­ Hmm. Hm. Ah, I didn¡¯t know anymore. Maybe it was because I was young, but I felt it was better to have an open attitude, though I couldn¡¯t be sure this would remain so in the future, as well. In that case, should a third party, that is, an outsider, even intervene in these ideological issues? However, it would also be pretty problematic if I just stood by and let harm befall others¡­ Besides, I was already entangled in this situation. Ideological conflicts were an essential and inevitable part of history. ¡°None of my business.¡± On a separate note, it really pissed me off that I had no choice in being stuck in this situation. ¡°True, it isn¡¯t.¡± ¡°What if the Mountain Lord is a Demon?¡± I chose to turn my attention away from the difort of being involved in an ideological conflict and focused on something else. This was also fairly important. Not only did it consume Arcane Power, but its birth was also simr to that of the Demon that hatched at the Magic Tower, you know? That implied the current Mountain Lord might be a Demon. Even if it was a local deity, if it was corrupted, there was no way my character would ept this. I deliberately ignored the Archmage¡¯s efforts to change the subject and silently red at him. ¡°¡­It would depend on the situation.¡± That wouldn¡¯t be a satisfactory response for my character. ¡®Let¡¯s kill it¡¯ and ¡®Let¡¯s decide based on the situation¡¯ clearly had different meanings, right? ¡°Are you joking?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m serious.¡± ¡°Are you saying you¡¯re tolerating the existence of a Demon¡ª!¡± ¡°It¡¯s just the way it was born. Isn¡¯t it too cruel to decide it must die for that?¡± Oh, a moral statement. ¡°¡­Hah, did you decide to be a Saint now? Even having pity on Demons?¡± However, that statement went against this world¡¯s view. If he was going to say something like that, he should have done so sooner. Until now, he¡¯d clearly been of the mindset that Demons deserved to die, so why was he saying things like this now¡­? ¡°We clearly¡ª¡± ¡°If one deserves to die just because they were born with Demonic Energy, then should I kill you, too?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± I was at a loss for words. That statement perfectly targeted the Demon Knight¡¯s settings, so how could I say anything against that? ¡°Demons should be killed. Yes, that certainly is true. But if everything possessing Demonic Energy is deemed a Demon, then not only would the Mountain Lord be one, but you, as well.¡± Moreover, the Archmage even went so far as to nce at my right arm as he spoke. I instinctively pulled my right shoulder back. ¡°But none of us who¡¯ve been with you until now consider you a Demon. Because you are walking on the right path without being swayed by the Demonic Energy.¡± Indeed¡­ What he said was true. So, what he meant was¡­ ¡°What I mean to say is, if the Mountain Lord is clearly corrupted and harming those around them, they¡¯re a problem we must take care of, just like we did with the Sea Dragon. But from what I¡¯ve heard, the current Mountain Lord rules thend with reason, like the previous Mountain Lord.¡± Right. He wanted to confirm the possibility of coexistence before making a decision. ¡°So, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to check whether coexistence is possible before making a decision.¡± This wasn¡¯t just about my character setting but also a point the original setting didn¡¯t consider. Since all the characters who¡¯d appeared before us and emitted Demonic Energy were enemies, I unconsciously developed a certain bias. I naturally thought the current Mountain Lord would be this area¡¯s boss mob. But¡­ Hmm. This meant there was a clear possibility they weren¡¯t. No, rather, wasn¡¯t it more likely that they¡¯d turn out to be an ally? In any case, I had no choice but to acknowledge that opinion. ¡°Who knows? Maybe there¡¯s even a way to remove¡­ that energy from the Mountain Lord. And if there really is one, it might also help you.¡± The only problem was my character settings. If I said something like ¡®We still have to kill it¡¯, I should be the first to get killed, and if I said ¡®I agree¡¯, I would be breaking character. ¡°¡­I understand this might be difficult for you to ept. But please understand, it was you who first proved to me that this possibility even exists¡­ Please don¡¯t be too hostile toward the Mountain Lord.¡± Ah, this was really bad. What should I do? ¡°You¡­ you dare¡­¡± I huffed as if seething with anger, unable to decide which reaction I should have. What a dilemma. Knock, knock. ¡¾Erm, the chief has invited you to dinner¡­¡¿ Luckily, the Goddess of Fortune was smiling upon me. She provided me with an opportunity to leave this conversation without having to answer. I didn¡¯t know what that person said, though. ¡¾I¡¯lle.¡¿ The Archmage lightly replied to the voiceing through the door before turning to me. ¡°It seems quite some time has passed by already. It¡¯s time for dinner.¡± His sky-blue eyes reflected my frustrated self. ¡°¡­The chiefs have invited us to dinner, but if you prefer, you can just eat here. I will go in your stead.¡± Ah, erm. I didn¡¯t really want to be alone, though. I let out a sharp sigh over his words. He was obviously trying to ¡®Give me time to think¡¯. I had nothing to think over, though, since I would be breaking character no matter what I did. ¡°Then, let''s do that.¡± Whatever. I should just eat quickly and get some sleep. The Archmage left the building alone. * * * * * * White Wind sighed deeply after receiving the Archmage¡¯s message. He wasn''tining about being asked to retrieve the Arcane Power-consuming snakes since they weren''t currently in a position to deliver them to him. It seemed they¡¯d found additional matters that needed investigating, making it impossible for them to return to the city. He also wasn¡¯tining about that. Actually, it would only be right to pay them more for it. But to think they would discover a being that not only consumed Arcane Power but was also born simrly to the Demon that had hatched here? ¡°Gather information about the Great Forest. Especially about the Mountain Lord.¡± Of all things, it had to be the Mountain Lord. The damn Mountain Lord. ¡°The Mountain Lord?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± If one thought about it positively, like the Archmage had mentioned¡ªthat it might be like the Demon Knight, who still possessed reason and could act justly¡ªthen this couldn''t be any better. The Mountain Lord couldmunicate with people, and it was so much easier to investigate something that could talk to you. But what if it wasn''t like that? What if it wasn''t like that at all? ¡°Looks like we might end up losing all the trading partners we just managed to secure.¡± How many of their ingredients could only be found in the Great Forest? Misfortune always seemed toe all at once. It wasn''t just about the ingredients. It wouldn''t do them any good to antagonize the residents of the Great Forest when they might get into conflict with the Temple. ¡°We''ve reached the limit of what we can keep from the Hero.¡± They had been stalling while helping her develop new techniques using Divine Power, but that could onlyst them so long. The disappearance of these two left the Hero''s party increasingly suspicious. He was sure that by tomorrow, they would be demanding to know where the two were. ¡°So, what do we do now?¡± He turned to speak into themunicator he¡¯d momentarily set aside. ¨C ¡­What do you mean? Just tell them. ¨C ¨C You want to give the Temple justification to interfere more than they are already?! I''m against this!! ¨C ¨C No secretsts forever. Even now, there are people making use of these beings. Do you think it isn¡¯t happening elsewhere, as well? We can''t solve this by hiding the truth. ¨C ¨C I agree with Destroying Hoe. It''s better to speak up now and prove our innocence in the matter. ¨C Is that so? White Wind narrowed his eyes. The vegetation that had been growing around the Magic Tower had been mostly cleared out, and they¡¯d also dealt with the nest the Demon had hatched out of, so the Hudelen branch''s mistakes¡ªthough it was still doubtful whether something resulting from years of wear could be called their mistake¡ªcould be buried easily. If they just brought up the situation with the Great Forest''s Mountain Lord, the Temple would remain none the wiser about what they were hiding. As for why the Demon Knight and the Archmage went into the Great Forest, they could simply im that the two had been sent there to gather ingredients. So hiding these matters itself was no longer the problem¡­ ¨C Erm¡­ I don''t mind telling the Temple about this matter anymore, but¡­ if we leave an internal record of this in the Magic Tower¡­ wouldn''t that be a bit risky¡­? ¨C ¨C Why? We have to announce it somehow to prepare. ¨C ¨C Ah, I get it. Can we trust our people, though? ¨C ¨C Ah. ¨C ¡°So, everyone''s worried about the same thing.¡± That was the problem. The moment this matter became known in the Magic Tower, someone would definitely start experimenting¡ªnot to prepare, but to satisfy their personal curiosity. ¨C That''s why we didn''t call a whole assembly but just held a meeting with a few of us. ¨C ¨C That was the reason? ¨C ¨C ¡­Repentant Fairy, you need to think more deeply about the reason for people''s behavior. You''ve lived for such a long time, yet your ability to infer is still on the level of a child. ¨C ¨C You want to die? Come here, you punk. ¨C ¨C Youe over here. ¨C ¨C You #@$#@#- ¨C ¡°Take your fights to a private line.¡± Was that all? There was also a possibility, no, a guarantee, that there were Demon worshipers within the Tower. They didn''t know whether the Demons were aware of this matter, but the moment this was announced, those guys would definitely ry that information to them. Just the thought of Demons exploiting this process was terrifying. ¨C Damn it. If Arcane Power is concentrated in one spot for too long, it''ll create Demons? How is this any different from Demonization? It''s already difficult enough to experiment underwater. ¨C ¨C Demonization, huh? That''s an interesting thought. Isn''t it likely that Demons are also created in this way? ¨C ¨C If that¡¯s true, we could uncover the principles of Demonization. ¨C ¨C Oh? ¨C Moreover, there was one thing he hadn¡¯t yet informed them of. ¡°I need to tell you something in advance. I dyed mentioning this matter because it¡¯s not yet confirmed, but it seems that beings born from concentrated Arcane Power have the ability to consume it.¡± ¨C Seriously? ¨C They didn¡¯t know how that Arcane Power-eating serpent was born, nor were they certain what the ce where the Mountain Lord had been born looked like. However, one could say there was a high probability that¡­ beings born from Arcane Power were able to consume it. ¡°As well as the ability to disguise themselves by converting their Demonic Energy into Arcane Power.¡± ¨C Damn it. We never had a choice to begin with! ¨C Haha. We¡¯re doomed. White Windughed heartily while listening to the screams of these Great Sages. He had already gone through this stage after hearing the news from the Archmage, so this was simply amusing to him now. ¡°Erm, Great Sage. The Inquisitor has requested to speak to you. She¡¯s asking if you know the whereabouts of the Archmage and the Demon Knight¡­ What should we do?¡± However, he couldn¡¯tugh at that piece of news. ¡°¡­The inevitable hase.¡± ©¤ What do you mean? The price for teasing us like that? ¨C ¡°I need to step out for a moment. Pleasee up with a n in my stead.¡± ¨C Y-You punk¡ª ¨C Click. White Wind severed the connection before standing up. No matter whether they decided to inform the Temple, it was now time to admit the truth to the Hero. Since they¡¯d already informed the Archmage and requested that he bring those things back, there was no way to hide this any longer. * * * After being fully sated, I ced thepletely empty, used bowls by the entrance. I had been told to put them there once I was done, so this should suffice. Probably. After that, well. While leaning against a wall, I wondered whether I should go to sleep. Although it was said that sleeping right after eating wasn¡¯t good for your health, I didn¡¯t care. By that logic, sleeping while sitting up wasn¡¯t good for my health, either. ¡¸ ¡ø 1 Hour 00 Minutes Sleep ¨‹ ¡¹ But I desperately needed sleep right now. Although I wasn¡¯t as exhausted asst time when sleep overcame me just from closing my eyes, I still needed sleep badly. There are moments in life when you just want to sleep, regardless of how tired you are. Considering the system that could instantly put me to sleep was still functional, I felt lucky, reassuring myself. And the moment I decided on the amount of sleep I wanted and confirmed. Darkness spread before my eyes like paint,pletely covering my vision. ¡®Why are you ignoring it?¡¯ The whole world was submerged in darkness. ¡®You already know that the time when the system started malfunctioning weirdly coincides with exactly when you began wearing the seal.¡¯ Darkness¡­ enveloped me. Inside the darkness that covered all my wandering thoughts. ¡®It¡¯s almost at its limit.¡¯ Ah, I couldn¡¯t help but miss the bed that apanied me through my thirties. Right? Chapter 120: If I Could Leave (2) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 120 If I Could Leave (2) When I woke up, I found it was already the following morning. It was nice seeing that my fatigue had hit 0, but hadn¡¯t I set the system to let me sleep for only one hour? Had I somehow continued sleeping, like when someone turns off their rm and just keeps dozing off? Pushing aside the fur nket¡ªprobablyid over me by someone else¡ªI stepped outside the building. Although I knew an entire day had passed by the light filtering through the hole in the ceiling, the overall scenery looked different somehow. The sunlight, now as intense as during midsummer, stung my eyes, making me feel as if I was getting exorcised. ¡°Ah, you woke up right in time.¡± Uuurgh, the sunlight¡­ I felt like a vampire in the sun¡­ No, vampires weren¡¯t really affected by sunlight here. It felt like I was melting under this scorching heat. The Archmage approached from a distance. ¡°Aren¡¯t you hungry? It¡¯s around mealtime, so I brought you some food.¡± How could I be hungry after eating so muchst night¡­ Oh, I actually was! After noticing the normal drop in my satiety level, I epted what the Archmage handed me. It was stir-fried vegetables with lots of spices. I found out yesterday that this seemed the tastiest to me. I wondered how the Archmage knew he should bring this. ¡°Would you prefer to eat inside or outside?¡± Eating inside wasn''t a bad option, but it was a nice day out. Eating outside seemed quitemon here, so I might as well join them. I sat near the campfire on a stool made from tree trunks, which was about the height of a bathroom stool. The hunters already eating in the area nced at me, suddenly falling silent. I didn¡¯t mean to make them ufortable, so I felt a bit sorry. ¡°If you need more, just let me know. There¡¯s plenty.¡± ¡°¡­No need.¡± But I¡¯d already sat down. Pretending not to notice them, I simply started eating my stir-fry. Seeing that outsiders usually used utensils, the Priestess had specially carved me a spoon, so I felt no difort while eating. The food was delicious. ¡°¡­I have something to discuss with you.¡± As I worked my way through the variousyers of stir-fried vegetables, I finally reached the bottom of the bowl. I lifted it to my lips and finished eating thest pieces, leaving almost nothing but a bit of sauce. ¡°The chief of the Vigabol Tribe hopes to depart by noon today.¡± tter. I set the spoon down on the bowl. The Archmage then handed me a cup of tea, seemingly the same kind I¡¯d had yesterday. It still tasted incredibly good. ¡°But if you prefer, we can also leaveter¡­ The chief is keen on yourpany and wants to respect your wishes.¡± Hmm. I felt like he was trying to bribe me with food. Was I mistaken? And how did the Archmage know what I liked? ¡°Of course, you don¡¯t have to involve yourself in this matter. I have already requested reinforcements from the Magic Tower, so if you refuse, they will send someone else in your ce.¡± However, the tea was sinless. I sipped it slowly, feeling its warmth spread through my body. A wave of rxation overcame me. ¡°What will you do?¡± I could tell the Archmage was uneasy because of how things had gone yesterday. I had my eyes half-closed, contemting the offer he was obviously making. ¡°Tell the chief.¡± Whether I would ept the Mountain Lord¡¯s existence or consider it a threat to be eliminated was still up for debate. While I had already been thoroughly convinced, for my character, this wasn¡¯t something that could be decided in just a day. After all, this involved overturning the hatred, contempt, and disdain that had umted inside him over a long time, essentially changing his whole worldview. ¡°I will cooperate, but I¡¯m under no obligation to follow orders.¡± However, one thing was clear. When it came to matters involving Demons and Demonic Energy, the Demon Knight would never back down. Whether I could spare it or had to kill it could only be judged after I saw it with my own eyes. ¡°¡­Understood.¡± The Archmage nodded, epting the conditions that came with my agreement. He didn¡¯t seem particrly surprised, as if he had already anticipated my response. ¡°Then, when do you suggest we depart?¡± ¡°I have no time to waste on a mere power struggle.¡± ¡°Got it. We¡¯ll depart as soon as possible then. The chief will be pleased.¡± My dear trantor was working as wlessly as ever. It was time to cross over into the territory of the Vigabol. ¡¾I¡¯m certain yesterday¡¯s misfortune will be the foundation for a strong friendship between our people in the future. Until we meet again, please stay healthy.¡¿ ¡¾Of course. I also wish for Chief Atarte to remain in good health until the next Katina.¡¿ As soon as the message of our departure reached him, the Vigabol¡¯s chief, Atarte, urged the warriors under hismand¡ªthose who hadn¡¯t betrayed him¡ªto form a group. Unaware of what had urred in their home, they were eager to leave as soon as possible. ¡°¡­Next time, please visit our tribe¡­ Pleasee again.¡± ¡°I hope we will have another opportunity to be your hosts.¡± On the other hand, there were those who regretted our early departure: the chief and the Priestess of the Serhan, who didn¡¯t have a proper chance to really talk to us. The chief wore an awkward smile as if he¡¯d simply memorized that sentence, while the Priestess wore the smile of an adept expert as she skillfully urged for our return. Both clearly eagerly awaited our next visit. They even tried to give me gifts I had previously declined again. Of all things, it had to be the tea leaves I liked. In my heart, I sincerely wanted to ept them. ¡¾I¡¯ll carry this for him.¡¿ ¡¾Ah, thank you.¡¿ ¡¾But¡­ Please take good care of the matter with the snakes.¡¿ ¡¾No worries. I¡¯ll make sure to hand them over to the Hudelen Tower.¡¿ ¡¾Haha, thank you very much.¡¿ However, the Demon Knight wasn¡¯t one to just ept gifts so easily. So, with a heavy heart, I had no choice but to reject the gift they offered me. However, before I could, the Archmage intercepted. Hmph. ¡°I¡¯ll be in your care.¡± Despite feeling a bit sad and annoyed, I wouldn¡¯t show it. I closed my eyes and listened to Atarte¡¯s greeting. Due to the angle and direction of the sunlight, it kept piercing my eyes, making it impossible for me to keep them open. ¡¾That guy¡­¡¿ ¡¾Stop. Don¡¯t try to impose our customs on outsiders. He has already proven himself.¡¿ This sunlight really was unbearable. * * * * * * ¡°No wonder I didn¡¯t see Mister anywhere. So, he took on a request¡­¡± ¡°Why didn''t you tell us? If you had, we could¡¯ve helped¡­¡± ¡°I did consider asking you for help, Hero, but¡­ this had nothing to do with Demons. It was just a simple material-gathering task. Moreover, you mentioned that you were about to reach a new level, so I didn¡¯t want to disturb you.¡± ¡°Then why did the Archmage¡­¡± ¡°Arcane materials are pretty tricky to collect. If left to non-wizards, there¡¯s a high chance the materials would get spoiled, so I had to ask someone to help. Besides, some materials needed this time are from wild animals and require {Tracking} magic, which isn¡¯t an easy spell. You must be able to detect traces scattered all around, attach colored Arcane Power to them, and guide it along the traces to connect them, which is something only a Great Sage can usually do.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Haha! Berserk didn¡¯t understand a thing you said!¡± ¡°In that case, wouldn¡¯t it have been better to call me, as well¡­?¡± Those three people had very different reactions to White Wind¡¯s exnation. Behind them were physically capable wizards¡ªthose who could at least walk for more than three hours¡ªof the Hudelen Tower¡¯s academic-only branch. Additionally, they¡¯d brought along some high-ranking priests just in case. ¡°But isn¡¯t this a bit careless¡­ Is it really okay for us to enter the forest dwellers¡¯ territory like this? I heard they greatly dislike people entering without permission.¡± ¡°Up to here, it should be fine. This area is known as the bordends. Herbalistse here quite frequently. Besides, the Serhan Tribe has officially given us their permission, so we have nothing to worry about.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Deathbringer scratched the back of his head as he listened to the Great Sage¡¯s words. While he understood that a wizard needed to collect these materials personally, he was more than confident he could have assisted with the tracking. Yet, they had left him out. A subtle sense of disappointment and offense filled his heart, as though he had been deemed useless. ¡°Someone should be here soon to greet us¡­¡± Despite having proven his worth during their mission in Pa Enoch, he wondered if he still appearedcking in their eyes. ¡°Hey, I think there¡¯s someone over there.¡± Meanwhile, Berserk sensed someone¡¯s presence before anyone else. She pointed to an area in the forest, but no one could be seen there. Beneath the bushes, behind the trees, up in the branches¡ªeven after thoroughly scanning all these ces where someone could be hiding, they saw no one. ¡°No one seems to be there, though?¡± ¡°No, someone¡¯s there. How did you manage to see through a concealment-type barrier despite not being a wizard?¡± However, someone was there, hidden by magic that shouldn¡¯t be able to be seen through. ¡°Perhaps that¡¯s the person we¡¯re supposed to meet.¡± When Great Sage moved forward with a slight jump, the empty forest began to change. The air distorted and rippled, revealing the hidden person. ¡¾Are you the ones from the Hudelen Tower?¡¿ ¡¾Yes, that¡¯s correct. The Archmage called for us.¡¿ ¡¾I¡¯m sorry, but could you please provide us with proof?¡¿ Deathbringer frowned deeply. Magic¡­ That was really unfair. Warriors who could enhance their bodies with Arcane Power had limited ways to apply it, confined mostly to strengthening one¡¯s personal abilities. But magic, on the other hand, was truly¡­ ¡¾I¡¯m not entirely sure what kind of proof you need. Is this sufficient? Or maybe this? Ah, perhaps this?¡¿ ¡¾¡­That you could show me these items is proof enough. There¡¯s no need to show me anything else.¡¿ ¡¾Aah. What a killjoy.¡¿ Deathbringer averted his gaze as White Wind handled the situation on their behalf. The forest was truly gloomy, growing darker as night approached, but with a single Arcane Item, it was easy to see what was around them. It was almost depressing how convenient it was. Indeed, magic was such a cheat. ¡°Yawn. I¡¯m starting to get bored. Aren¡¯t there any strong opponents here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like there aren¡¯t, but we mustn¡¯t draw our weapons recklessly in this ce. The residents of the Great Forest are very strict with outsiders.¡± ¡°I was looking forward to fighting the warriors of the Great Forest, but it seems I won¡¯t be able to have fun¡­¡± ¡°¡­While you shouldn¡¯t draw your weapon without warning, I think asking for their permission first and sparring with them would be fine.¡± Regardless of his feelings, the situation just kept on progressing. As nned, they were handed the snakes. Some of their members took charge of the snakes and returned to the Magic Tower to begin their research on them. Deathbringer, White Wind, the iron wall, Berserk, several wizards, and priests followed the guide to the Serhan Tribe¡¯s vige. After spending the night there, they decided to head to the Vigabol Tribe, where the Demon Knight and the Archmage were said to be heading. * * * ¡¾Those traitors¡­ It seems they really decided to kill me.¡¿ The journey back to their territory wasn¡¯t smooth. Warriors from the Jatav Tribe had positioned themselves along our route. ¡¾It seems someone sold them information about the chief personally visiting the Serhan. Otherwise, they couldn¡¯t have been positioned here like this¡­¡¿ ¡¾Obviously, that¡¯s how it must be.¡¿ I followed the hand signals of the Vigabol hunters pressed against trees and bushes. As one might expect from a jungle-like forest, there were many smaller trees with intertwined branches and thick foliage, making it easy to hide. The only problem was that we couldn¡¯t exactly move forward. ¡°¡­Regarding the ambush of the Jatav on the Serhan, it appears someone leaked some information to them.¡± The Archmage whispered softly. Well, it wasn¡¯t really any of my concern, but knowing that made me feel a bit sorry. In the end, the Serhan just got dragged into this. Sure, if their meeting ce got ambushed and the host couldn¡¯t respond appropriately, it would be their fault. But if the ambush happened because of the visitors, it would definitely be the visitor¡¯s fault, right? ¡¾Can we circle around them?¡¿ ¡¾That might be difficult. They have people in all the key positions¡­¡¿ ¡¾What aboutunching a frontal assault?¡¿ ¡¾There are too many of them. We could somehow manage, but there would be casualties¡­¡¿ More importantly, could we really just stay here while our opponent kept moving? I watched the scattered figures of people graduallying in our direction. Each one was armed, making it very clear that they were targeting us. ¡°To be confronted with such a difficult situation right from the start. I¡¯d rather avoid conflict with other tribes if possible.¡± The Archmage also looked troubled. ¡°It would be ideal if we could pass by without them noticing¡­¡± Then suddenly, the Archmage¡¯s gaze turned toward me. ¡°You.¡± I had a sudden feeling he was about to put me to work again. ¡°¡­The thing you used to drive away the Jatav yesterday. Can you do it again?¡± My feeling was spot on. Chapter 121: If I Could Leave (3) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 121 If I Could Leave (3) ¡°The Jatav are blocking the way, so we can¡¯t go?¡± ¡°Yeah. They seem furious, talking about some secret weapon of the Vigabol chief they call the ck snake¡­ Anyway, it looks like we¡¯ll have to fight the Jatav to get to the Vigabol¡¯s territory.¡± ¡°Berserk is confident about beating them.¡± ¡°You might be able to fight them freely, but our Tower can¡¯t afford a battle, okay? We barely secured permission to gather materials from the Great Forest, but if we fight them, they¡¯ll block us from doing so again!¡± ¡°Then what should we do?¡± ¡°What else can we do? We must negotiate. They probably won¡¯t agree, but¡­¡± ¡°So, joining up with the other two will be¡­¡± ¡°Sorry, Hero. It appears we¡¯ll have to dy our journey by a few days.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± * * * We managed to arrive in the territory of the Vigabol. ¡¾How¡­ How did you manage to¡­?¡¿ While I¡¯d hoped we could simply return without any issues and receive a warm wee from the tribe before visiting the Mountain Lord, I kind of expected this. It was still surprising, though. ¡¾How could you do this?!¡¿ ¡¾Hah, shut up! I warned you repeatedly, Atarte. You were the one who didn¡¯t listen!¡¿ ¡¾Taposhaka! Sammar!!¡¿ As expected, a rebellion had also urred here, and the vige was under siege. ¡°Are you¡­ erm, okay? Your expression doesn¡¯t look good.¡± Suppressing the rebellion itself wasn¡¯t that difficult; there were still forces loyal to Atarte, and not all the vigers were participating in it. However, even though there weren¡¯t any particrly skilled fighters among the rebels, as this was an ideological battle, Atarte had tried fighting without any weapons and seemed to have pushed them back. ¡¾Uwaaah!¡¿ ¡¾Shut up, you¡¯re noisy!¡¿ However, the real incident happened at the end of their talk. Faced with their rebellion¡¯s imminent failure, the rebels took several kids, about six years old, hostage. Naturally, my eyes practically turned red with rage when I saw others, especially innocent civilians, getting caught up in this incident. Obviously, those bastards, who had grown up protected and cherished by their parents, hadpletely forgotten their own childhoods and had stooped so low as to take kids hostage. Those insane pieces of shit. These jerks, these scumbags. ¡°Let me ask you something.¡± The moment theyid hands on children, all their ims about keeping tradition and justifications had lost power in my eyes. I gripped my sword while firmly engraving a certain point into my mind. Before me were rebels upying a vige, staging a hostage situation in ast act of defiance. ¡°Can I kill these vermin?¡± The rebels¡¯ leader was holding one of the child hostages directly, while the others were kneeling behind a wall where another rebel stood. Additionally, they were bound with rope. ¡°¡­You.¡± The Archmage called out to me sternly, but I ignored him. Instead, I focused on the guy holding the child. Since he had six arms, I couldn¡¯t cut them all off without harming the child, and because he held the kid¡¯s head close to his jaw, aiming for his neck would be difficult. Even if I attacked and defeated him, the other children¡¯s safety was still at risk. I needed to n my next move carefully. ¡°Kill him if you want. I¡¯d prefer you leave his head intact, but it¡¯s also fine if you don¡¯t.¡± Just as I was trying to fish for an answer carefully, Atarte gave me his definitive confirmation. That was all I needed. ¡°Tell them this.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Tell them to close their eyes.¡± A pitch-ck light etched itself into the air, piercing the enemy right between his eyes. Bang! At the same time, I propelled myself off the ground, taking to the air. Craaash. At that moment, a transparent barrier shattered into pieces as I broke through the inner fortress wall, swiftly climbing up to stand before the freshly fallen corpse. ¡¾Huh?¡¿ The child was safely in my arms. At that moment, losing my chest armor felt like a blessing in disguise. ¡¾Wh-What¡ª¡¿ Afterward, I swiftly moved toward the other children and swung my sword. It seemed Atarte had ryed my message properly, seeing that most of the children had closed their eyes. Thank goodness. sh! Steel sharply cut through flesh, spraying blood everywhere. ¡¾Urgh.¡¿ At that moment, my chest became damp with snot and tears. It was better that way. If the child was rubbing their face against my chest, their vision was blocked, in which case they couldn¡¯t see their surroundings. Rustle. I adjusted my hold on the kid, ensuring they couldn¡¯t peek over my shoulder as I checked for survivors. Was it because the children were a lot smaller than adults and also kneeling? My sword sh had only cut through those inhumane pieces of trash. The children had been merely sttered with some blood but were otherwise unscathed. I had seeded in saving them without causing them any physical harm. ¡°Keep your eyes closed.¡± I knew they wouldn¡¯t understand my words, but I hoped they would at least grasp what I meant from the tone of my voice. With that in mind, I gave out a futile warning as I gently ced the child in my arms with the hostages. Then, I looked into the bewildered faces of those around me who seemed unable to believe what had just happened. With the children¡¯s safety ensured, it was now time to subdue the rebelspletely. ¡¾The children are safe! Move in!¡¿ ¡¾We should move the children first, Chief. That way, he can move more freely.¡¿ ¡¾I see. That might be better!¡¿ After I made a move, the previously halted suppression efforts resumed. The Archmage used magic to shatter their barrier¡ªthey¡¯d hastily recast it after I broke through earlier¡ªand the blocked door, allowing the warriors to rush in. ¡¾Taposhaka¡­ Sammar¡­¡¿ Among them was Atarte. He climbed up the wall to take the children away but paused for a moment. His gaze lingered on the corpse of the man with a hole in his forehead and the body of a woman a bit further in. A mix of affection and anger flickered in his eyes before he finally closed them. I didn¡¯t know what kind of rtionship he shared with them, but it clearly wasn¡¯t shallow. ¡°I¡¯ll take over now.¡± Well, whatever their rtionship was wasn¡¯t any of my concern. I handed the children over to the Archmage and Atarte, who was with him to ensure his safety while casting, and then left the scene. Thud. As Inded below the wall, I stirred up a small cloud of dust before moving forward. ¡¾¡­He managed to subdue most of them alive. Is he being considerate so we can personally execute themter?¡¿ ¡¾I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessarily the reason¡­¡¿ I proceeded to beat down the remaining rebels who continued to resist and dashed to where the enemy priests supposedly were. Though I could see a few rebel warriors still standing, I left them to the Vigabol warriors. I knew I couldn¡¯t afford to give the priests (wizards) any time. ¡¾The maze is almostplete! If we keep this up, they won¡¯t be able to get in!¡¿ I ran through the building and kicked down the door to a room where I could hear voicesing from. Bang! ¡¾Alright, it¡¯s¡ª?!¡¿ ¡¾Wh-What the¨C!¡¿ ¡¾How did he get here so quickly?¡¿ ¡¾Those filthy outsiders¡­!!¡¿ I had no idea what they were saying, but judging by how their faces were flushing and twisting in anger, they seemed to be cursing me out. Since I couldn¡¯t understand their words, this didn¡¯t really impact me. ¡¾Qu-Quick, take the children hostage¡ª¡¿ However, their shouting was so annoying that I couldn¡¯t help but use force to shut them up. While violence was a temporary solution, it couldn¡¯t be said to be the true answer, nor did I believe it could change a person, but I had no other choice right now. Those bastards were trying to keep the children they¡¯d apparently kept inside as reserve hostages. These guys were just like theirrades outside; not even a speck of goodness could be found within them. ¡°I hope you realize how precious the integrity you¡¯ve abandoned is.¡± Those filthy scum bastards. They should be grateful that there were children here; that they were watching was the only thing holding me back here. ¡°Because if you do, you''ll want to bite your tongues and die from shame over what you¡¯ve done.¡± These utterly despicable pieces of trash¡­ * * * * * * ¡¾A-A man with missing arms¡­¡¿ ¡¾A monster came to get us¡­¡¿ ¡¾Uwaaah. Moooommyyy.¡¿ I took a deep breath, hearing a ringing in my ear. My expression must have been quite terrible, seeing these children burst into tears like that upon seeing me. The anger surging within me had been smothered by a wave of embarrassment. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t cry.¡± Leaving behind the despicable scum, who¡¯d had their limbs broken by me, I approached the crying children first. It hurt a little to see them scooch away in fear whenever I reached out to them, but¡­ I would be scared, too, if arge, darkly dressed man who¡¯d just beaten up some adults came near me. Although I was here to rescue them, the visual information they got from me was that I was a threat. I doubted they were even old enough to make judgments based on context. ¡¾Hic. Waaaah!¡¿ ¡¾Uwaaaaah!!¡¿ ¡¾Daaaaaddyyyyy!!¡¿ But I couldn¡¯t just ignore their ear-piercing cries. I decided to take some special measures while I tore apart the ropes tied around them. ¡°Look at this.¡± ¡¾Hic, sniff.¡¿ ¡¾¡­Pretty.¡¿ I had to apologize for cursing out those adventurers who gave me that gift pack, calling it clutter. They¡¯d actually had quite some foresight. I took out various pretty, shiny, but otherwise useless items from the gift bag I¡¯d received in Tatara. There were octagonal ornaments reminiscent of Koreancquerware, colorful knot decorations made of five-colored thread, tiny bells, painted wooden figurines, bracelets made with low-grade crystals, and so on. Even to my eyes, these items seemed quite beautiful. I could only imagine how fascinating they might look to the kids. Their attention was immediately captured. Riiip. At that moment, while the children were distracted, I tore apart the vine ropes as quickly as I could. It was quite a hassle, as the children were each tied up individually and once more in groups. The ropes were bound so tightly around them that it left marks on their skin. I would have to deal with these bastards properly as soon as I got out of here. ¡¾B-Behind you.¡¿ Huh? I saw the child I¡¯d just freed looking past me and exhaled. Bam! ¡¾Argh!¡¿ Even if the child hadn¡¯t warned me, I would¡¯ve quickly noticed that guy¡¯s limping footsteps¡­ but it was still pretty creepy. If they had that much determination, they should have held a proper discussion with the chief in court instead of leading a rebellion. I tripped the approaching rebel and punched him squarely in the face. I didn¡¯t use any Arcane Power, so he probably wouldn¡¯t die from that. However, considering all the blood pouring from it, his nose was most certainly broken, ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Rather, why weren¡¯t Atarte¡¯s warriorsing in? Did they decide to subcontract this job to me and then just went to ck off? After freeing all the children as they yed with the various trinkets, I decided to take them outside. Although the rebels had been subdued, I couldn¡¯t just leave these kids amidst criminals. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Despite us speaking differentnguages, they seemed to understand what I meant. I picked up the visibly youngest kid, who was fiddling with one of the knot decorations, in my left arm, and with the others clinging to my head and legs, I went outside. To make it easier for the kids to cling to me, I returned my sword to the inventory, essentially leaving me unarmed, but that was fine. This uncle was still more than capable of beating kidnappers with his bare hands. ¡°How did you get in here¡­?¡± Then I ran into the people who¡¯d just entered the ce. The Archmage looked at me with a subtle expression, speechless at the sight of me leading these kids out like little chicks. Guiding the hostages outside shouldn¡¯t be out of character, though. As I mentioned earlier, I couldn¡¯t just leave hostages, especially children, in the same space as their kidnappers. So, I¡®d thought this much would be okay¡­ or was it not? Did I do something wrong? My mind was racing a mile a minute, trying to decipher the Archmage¡¯s reaction. ¡°¡­I knew you were quite kind to children, but, hmm. Anyway, hand them over to the warriors. It¡¯s better that the children are not here.¡± I was relieved to hear that, though I was a bit worried about thising to haunt meter. I¡¯d intended to hand them over, anyway. Having someone else care for them made much more sense than keeping them with me. ¡¾You, and you! Take the kids outside!¡¿ ¡¾Okay, let¡¯s go.¡¿ ¡¾Thank you, Mister Armless Warrior.¡¿ ¡¾Bye-bye, warrior.¡¿ ¡¾By the way, what are you all holding?¡¿ ¡¾The warrior gave it to us.¡¿ The Vigabol warriors quickly took away the children. They also wanted to take the child I¡¯d been holding in my arms, but¡­ ¡¾Please hand them over to me.¡¿ ¡¾Hnng.¡¿ Uwah. Hey kid, I really appreciate you not pulling on my hair, but please, let go of my clothes and the eyepatch. The child¡¯s grip was so strong that the button securing my eyepatch at the back tore off, causing it to slip free. I quickly covered my right eye with my hand. ¡¾Noo. I don¡¯t wanna go. Waaah.¡¿ ¡¾Urgh!¡¿ ¡¾Heeeek!!¡¿ The child, who was in the process of getting forcibly pulled away from me, cried loudly and swung around the hand holding my eyepatch. It seemed they wouldn¡¯t let go of my clothes so easily, either. ¡¾We can¡¯t have this. A good warrior doesn¡¯t cry over a simple goodbye.¡¿ ¡¾Now, how about looking at this?¡¿ However, someone who¡¯d btedlye forward from the back and the Archmage performing some magic tricks briefly distracted the child. The warriors used that moment to pry away the child and return my eyepatch. ¡¾Waaaaaaaah!!¡¿ The poor thing started to cry bitterly. ¡°¡¾The crying is too loud. Please take them away. I apologize for the child¡¯s rude behavior¡­ Ah.¡¿ I apologize on the child¡¯s behalf. We failed to educate them properly.¡± ¡°¡­No need.¡± Educate? Kids were always like that at that age. After quickly putting my eyepatch back on, I reached into my inventory. There shouldn¡¯t be any more toys in there after I¡¯d taken those things out earlier. ¡°The priests set up a maze barrier, but you still somehow managed to get inside. Inviting you here was indeed a wise decision. As expected of the ck Snake Warrior.¡± Ah, so that¡¯s why they took so long. I¡¯d thought it was strange. While thinking about what to do, I rummaged through my inventory. It was filled with all kinds of things ever since I¡¯d opened that bundle, so finding what I wanted was rather tough. I scowled slightly. ¡°¡­If the child¡¯s actions offended you, I will sternly warn them¡­¡± What was that crazy person talking about? Warning them for a natural reaction? Instead, we should be trying to soothe them to cover up all these bad memories. Was he out of his mind? ¡°I said it¡¯s not necessary.¡± I walked past Atarte with a deep scowl on my face. ¡°Just keep your promise.¡± I caught up with the warrior moving slowly outside with the crying child in his arms. ¡¾Hic, sniff.¡¿ Tak. ¡¾Sniff, huh?¡¿ Something fell into the arms of the kid, whose crying had stopped momentarily due to exhaustion. A colorful ball of yarn, about the size of a baseball, rolled around the child¡¯s hand. ¡¾Wooow!¡¿ ¡¾Huh?¡¿ With that, half of my useless stock had disappeared. Nice. * * * The Archmage watched as a certain someone almost indifferently gave the child a gift before walking away. Even though it wasn¡¯t anything special, the child had stopped crying and was now beaming. Just like everyone else who¡¯d received help from the Demon Knight. ¡¾¡­He¡¯s more generous than he looks.¡¿ ¡¾Right?¡¿ Maybe that was why. The Archmage couldn¡¯t tell if it was surprising or actually typical of him. He was always hostile toward others, but when it came to those whom others easily looked down on¡ªthe injured and endangered, those who¡¯d lost much and couldn¡¯t worry about anything but their survival, and children who still needed the protection of adults¡ªhe showed great kindness. Truly. ¡¾His harsh behavior and tone often cause misunderstandings, but he is someone who always seeks to walk the path of the righteous.¡¿ It was difficult for someone as strong as him to show genuine kindness to the weak. ¡¾Truly a rare sight in this age.¡¿ Indeed, the Demon Knight was a good person. He was far too precious to have a bomb ced around his heart to end his life¡­ a truly precious individual. ¡¾Of course, it would be a lot better if he stopped neglecting himself like this in his pursuit, though.¡¿ Therefore, the Demon Knight absolutely deserved a better life. There was no need for him to carry around a bomb or push himself to the brink of death like this. He should enjoy a life filled with rxation and happiness. He absolutely deserved it, even if he didn¡¯t think so. ¡¾Hmm.¡¿ The Archmage watched that young man¡¯s retreating back with a satisfied expression on his face. ¡¾He truly is¡­ an excellent person.¡¿ Because of that, he didn¡¯t notice. ¡¾Very righteous.¡¿ Atarte was smiling coldly. Chapter 122: If I Could Leave (4) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 122 If I Could Leave (4) ¡°Are there any inconveniences?¡± Deathbringer felt rather burdened by this person following him around, trying to provide him with constant assistance. He was particrly troubled by this because the person attending to him was the direct aide of the Priestess. To make matters even worse, he was the only one enjoying this luxury. Berserk had left with the nonsensical statement, ¡®Warriorsmunicate through their bodies¡¯, and the iron wall was meditating in her assigned chambers. He didn¡¯t want to be left alone in a room with those other Temple members, so he decided to go for a walk, explore a bit, and obtain some rare poisons¡­ In hindsight, he regretted leaving his quarters. While he appreciated them taking such great care of him, he found it quite burdensome. ¡°Erm, I can manage on my own.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t let that happen. The Priestess has ordered us to ensure you are assisted and aren¡¯tcking in anything.¡± If they had an ulterior motive, like surveilling or controlling his movements, he might have had an easier time epting this. However, these actions stemmed purely from goodwill. He finally decided to address this openly. He¡¯d heard that the people of the Great Forest were greatly hostile toward outsiders, so why were they being so amodating? ¡°We were saved. By the ck Snake Warrior.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Everyone wants to repay his kindness. But the warrior left to assist the Vigabol Tribe with urgent matters.¡± However, when he asked, stories about a certain someone he knew pretty well came up. Deathbringer¡¯s expression turned curious. ¡¾The geographical conditions between the Jatav and the Vigabol have repeatedly hindered our rtionship. Isn¡¯t that right?¡¿ Meanwhile, White Wind had a personal meeting with the chief of the Serhan. A great number of tea leaves,mon in the Great Forest but more precious than gold outside of it, were steeping in hot water before him. ¡¾However, in this Katina, there will be someone with a positive stance on the exchange with the outside world. And if he were to be warchief¡­¡¿ ¡¾Our connection can be fully established.¡¿ The words they exchanged were far more valuable than this tea, though. ¡¾Of course, to be warchief, he will need some¡­ assistance. Many in this forest are unable toy down long-held traditions and beliefs immediately.¡¿ While young, he wasn¡¯t so ignorant. Rather than be offended by the highly transparent intent behind his words, White Wind felt pleased. It was difficult to negotiate with someone who was too ignorant and foolish. ¡¾So, if we do it like this, we¡¯ll then¡­¡¿ ¡¾I appreciate your words, but that¡¯s a bit¡­¡¿ White Wind continued intensely discussing their future with the Serhan chief. He couldn¡¯t miss this opportunity to secure more trade routes within the Great Forest, even though their current focus was hunting the Arcane Power-eating snakes. The Archmage and the Demon Knight were already handling this task¡ªit would be a while before any of their research in the Magic Tower bore fruit¡ªso he had nothing to worry about. ¡¾I didn¡¯t expect to get along so well with the Tower Master. I hope we¡¯ll have another opportunity to talk like this in the future.¡¿ ¡¾If Sir Chief invites me like this, how could I refuse?¡¿ Separately, there was something White Wind had been curious about. He wondered why the Serhan were so amodating to outsiders. Although they¡¯d never been especially harsh toward outsiders, they couldn¡¯t be called particrly friendly or eager tomunicate with them. There had to be a reason for this. ¡¾¡­Ah, the reason.¡¿ Unable to contain his curiosity, White Wind immediately asked the chief. The chief¡¯s normally calm and gentle face briefly turned slightly bashful, making him look like a regr little boy. ¡¾¡­An outsider warrior with two-colored hair has done our tribe a great favor.¡¿ That was the Demon Knight. Without needing any further exnation, White Wind instantly realized what the answer was. As far as White Wind knew, only two people in this world had two-colored hair. ¡¾Of course, it isn¡¯t like we want to repay this debt to you as a substitute. However¡­¡¿ After taking a few calming, deep breaths to regain hisposure, the boy quickly regained his demeanor as the chief of a tribe. ¡¾Before meeting him, we couldn''t even fathom that someone as powerful as him existed. We also realized that if he were ever to point his sword at the forest, we would bepletely defenseless. However, it might be different for other outsiders. Knowing about him means that we have enough time to prepare, right?¡¿ Hmm. The Demon Knight far exceeded the average, so just knowing about him didn''t necessarily mean they could prepare for him¡­ But White Wind chose not to mention that. If they misunderstood the Demon Knight as the standard of strength of all outsiders and were thus more open to interacting with outsiders to prepare against him, that would only benefit the Magic Tower, right? ¡¾Of course, change will alter many aspects of our current lives. Some will feel it¡¯s destructive. But if one thinks about it a little more, even the forest and the Mountain Lord we serve are ever-changing, albeit slowly. So, I, too, want to embrace change without fear in my heart.¡¿ ¡¾And that¡¯s why now is the right time for a new warchief, right?¡¿ ¡¾Yes.¡¿ ¡¾Do you want us to send someone to help you?¡¿ ¡¾I appreciate the offer, but it¡¯s fine. Sudden changes can cause a lot of bacsh, as it did with the Vigabol tribe. So, I¡­ want to change slowly, just as we are now. In the process, we¡¯ll also determine what traditions we must protect.¡¿ Having outsiders residing inside the vige might cause difort, so it seemed they wanted to ept some temporary guests gradually. It was a slow approach, but that might actually be better. Rather than getting scared and retreating into their shells like turtles at the mere sight of unfamiliar customs, it was far better to adapt gradually over several years. ¡¾I see. Thank you for your kind words.¡¿ With that, White Wind¡¯s curiosity had been sated. Now, there was only onest thing he needed to find out. The personality of the Vigabol chief, whom this young chief was supporting and the Archmage only reluctantly decided to assist. Regardless of his reformist nature, the policies he¡¯d implement after bing the new warchief might worsen things, even if doing so led to increased interaction with them. ¡°Have you finished your conversation?¡± ¡°Yes. What did you find out?¡± ¡°¡­I heard something strange.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a wizard hailing from the Vigabol tribe who is now fully affiliated with the Magic Tower. He said¡­¡± And in White Wind¡¯s opinion, the Vigabol chief wasn¡¯t suited for this position. ¡°He¡¯s problematic.¡± No matter how perfect someone might seem, those capable of inflicting violence on their family and loved ones absolutely couldn¡¯t be trusted. Indeed, just how greatly would those who raised their hands against their most precious bonds disregard others? * * * * * * ¡¾You can use this ce during your stay.¡¿ ¡¾Hooh. I don¡¯t know if we are deserving of such a fine ce.¡¿ Although we were invited here as guests¡ªit was more of an employment situation since we both knew about the rebellion and were promisedpensation¡ªwe¡¯d made significant contributions by saving a lot of people. As a result, the Archmage and I were treated quite luxuriously. We were assigned the best house after the chief¡¯s residence. ¡¾Not only did you eradicate the traitors who dared to threaten our Chief, but you also helped take care of those evil things they left behind.¡¿ Of course, the Archmage wasn¡¯t just receiving favorable treatment because of me. Thanks to the nature of Arcane abilities, he proved his worth after the suppression: he dismantled barriers, removed Arcane devices, and partially helped reconstruct copsed buildings. ¡¾Moreover, despite us having greatly inconvenienced you already, you generously created temporary Arcane sealing tools¡­ Please don¡¯t hesitate to use this ce to your heart¡¯s content.¡¿ He was even more valuable since all these priests had participated in the rebellion. While his Arcane assistance was already very precious, as a fellow wizard, he was the only one capable of sealing those guys. ¡¾We are truly grateful for your consideration. However, we cannot stay here for long. When will we receive what was promised¡­?¡¿ Of course, even though we were treated well, it didn¡¯t really matter. While afortable ce to sleep and good meals were certainly wee, our situation was a bit difficult. We¡¯d somehow ended uppletely changing a tribe¡¯s future¡ªhad the rebellion seeded, the person in charge would have changed¡ªbut this wasn¡¯t our original goal. We came here to meet the Mountain Lord. We were here to discover whether they were a Demon and, additionally, to uncover the principle behind these Arcane Power-consuming creatures. As such, I¡¯d have preferred they lead us to the Mountain Lord quickly rather than give us this luxurious treatment. If we stayed here any longer, we might get involved in selecting the warchief or whatever the goal of this Katina thing was. I really hated political fights, which were never just clear-cut battles between good and evil. ¡¾I apologize, but I cannot answer that arbitrarily. I will convey your request to the chief, however.¡¿ ¡¾That will suffice.¡¿ ¡¾I will return with his response along with your meal. Please wait a bit longer.¡¿ I nced at the person who¡¯d guided us here as they left and leaned against the wall. I casually ced my Zweih?nder next to me. ¡°They said they¡¯ll bring us food. It seems we¡¯ll have to wait a little longer.¡± I¡¯d been wondering what they were talking about, but it was just about food. Indeed, we hadn¡¯t eaten anything proper during our journey nor had any time to eat upon arriving here. Even if this wasn¡¯t my usual mealtime, I had to get something in my stomach. ¡°It seems the group led by White Wind will be here a bitter. Just as we struggled to move freely due to the Jatav blocking the way, they are having simr issues.¡± I casually listened to what the Archmage had to say while checking my satiety level. I wasn¡¯t particrly interested in White Wind¡¯s group, as they were onlying here to investigate, meaning they wouldn¡¯t reduce my workload. ¡°Hmm? He also gave us a warning.¡± Then, the Archmage furrowed his brows slightly as he checked hismunication device. ¡°Is there something wrong with the Vigabol tribe¡­?¡± Knock, knock. A heavy knock echoed from the door of the building we were staying in. The Archmage cleared his throat after ncing away from themunication device. ¡¾Ahem. You maye in.¡¿ The voice leaving his mouth after that sounded somewhat subdued. ¡¾I have brought your dinner.¡¿ However, the mention of food momentarily cut off his whispers. Soon, wooden dishes filled with food were brought in one after the other. There was so much food that it was hard to believe it was meant for just two people. ¡¾¡­This is far too much. We appreciate the hospitality, but this is excessive¡­¡¿ Although they were doing their best to treat their benefactors well, considering a rebellion had urred not too long ago, could they really afford to be so generous to us? Had the food stores been untouched? ¡¾The chiefmanded that we ensure our benefactors aren¡¯tcking in anything.¡¿ ¡¾Hmmm¡­¡¿ I felt rather agitated but remained silent. The Archmage would handle this, no problem. It was the ssic group project strategy of ¡®letting others do the work¡¯. ¡¾Ah, I also bear the response to your earlier inquiry. The chief said that the Mountain Lord is a figure greatly worshiped by all the tribes, and it¡¯s particrly difficult to arrange a meeting during the Katina period. He asked for your understanding as it will take some time, but he will do his best to fulfill his promise.¡¿ Well, the Archmage was pretty good at these kinds of things, right? I took care of all the tasks requiring physical strength, after all. So, it should be okay. Although, a decent person should never act like this. ¡¾In that case, there¡¯s nothing we can do.¡¿ ¡¾Thank you for your understanding.¡¿ I only half-listened to their conversation as I examined the food. There were many sweet-looking fruits and various types of meat¡­ it was a literal feast. ¡¾©¤©¤!¡¿ ¡¾©¤©¤lep!¡¿ In any case, as their conversation concluded, the other people in the building withdrew one by one. It was kind of fascinating seeing them retreat backward without turning their backs to us. ¡¾It seems to be rather noisy outside. Is something happening?¡¿ ¡¾It¡¯s nothing serious. We¡¯re just preparing for the execution of the rebellion leaders.¡¿ ¡¾¡­But it sounds like I can hear children¡¯s voices.¡¿ ¡¾Ah¡­ that¡¯s because when rebellions ur, the leaders¡¯ entire families are subject to execution.¡¿ So, could I eat now? However, the Archmage hadn¡¯t sat at the table yet. Even though my character wouldn¡¯t give a damn about respecting the elderly, I still wanted to dy eating until after this elder sat down at the table. ¡¾Ah! If you wish to watch¡­¡¿ ¡¾Absolutely not. We decline.¡¿ Why did the Archmage¡¯s face turn so foul? This was my first time seeing such an expression on his face. ¡¾¡­Very well. But if you change your mind, please let us know. We will arrange a ce for you.¡¿ ¡¾Thank you for your kindness.¡¿ Nothing was scarier than seeing someone who usually never gets angry finally lose their temper. I concealed my agitation, crossing my arms and closing my eyes. My stomach was quietly grumbling, probably only audible to me. ¡°I almost forgot that this ce is almostpletely isted from the outside world.¡± Fortunately, the Archmage sat down not too long after. I naturally opened my eyes and nced sideways to see when I could start eating. ¡°Though rebellions are a grave crime, exterminating the perpetrators¡¯ entire families has long been prohibited¡­¡± What did he say? ¡°¡­They¡¯re going to execute the rebellion leaders and their families. Do you want to watch?¡± Was he crazy?!!? ¡°I guessed as much. You aren¡¯t the type to go watch something like that.¡± The Archmage nodded as I reflexively responded with my face. Although the idea of executing the entire family of the perpetrators left me utterly stunned, he seemed fairly unbothered, just clicking his tongue before returning to his usual calm demeanor. Once again, I was the only one who feltpletely lost in this barbaric era. ¡°Ah, right. This might be unnecessary for you, but please be careful. I¡¯ve learned that the leader of the Vigabol tribe is known to be violent toward his family. His younger sibling reportedly fled to another tribe due to his abuse. He may appear gentle on the surface, but on the inside¡­¡± However, the dreadful news didn¡¯t end with that. Hearing that he was abusing his family to the point where his younger sibling had to escape far away meant that he was a terrible domestic abuser, and I had just helped that scumbag. I would have even preferred it if he was a murderer! In this world, it was kill or be killed, after all! But domestic violence? Domestic violeeeence?? Furthermore, in a world without any police or public authority it could be reported to? I felt like I was going mad. Seriously, I was about to lose it. Knock, knock. At that moment, a polite knock traveled through my dazed mind. It was a light and cheerful sound,pletely unfitting my state. ¡°Since I heard you declined to watch the execution, I¡¯m here to ask again. Are you really sure you don¡¯t want to watch?¡± Without waiting for our permission to enter, the door was abruptly flung open. Considering the rank of the person who just entered, it was rather hard toin, but what they¡¯d done was incredibly rude. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t hurt to take a look.¡± From behind him, I could hear the high-pitched wailing of a child, which sent chills down my spine. Chapter 123: If I Could Leave (5) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 123 If I Could Leave (5) The system of collectively punishing individuals who share a particr rtionship with something is known as guilt by association. The punishment of exterminating three generations for high treason was also part of this system. I thought it was simply barbaric and cruel, but I could understand. Wiping out three generations, especially in the case of high treason, served as a warning, enabled some political motives, and helped to prevent retaliation. Furthermore, these punishments had been enforced in an era thatcked the same degree of human rights or concerns as modern times. Even if I didn¡¯t like it, I could somewhat understand why these punishments existed¡­ I was kind ofing to terms with it, but¡­ ¡°¡­I¡¯m a bit taken aback.¡± ¡°Ah, I apologize for suddenly storming in. It¡¯s just urgent. Will you really not be watching the execution?¡± I could assume this extermination of three generations was unavoidable in this world¡¯s settings, but why was he suggesting I watch it? Did I look like someone would enjoy such things? Sure, given how my character presented himself, it might seem as if I wouldn¡¯t even bat an eye at someone suddenly dying, and usually, this might even be true, but¡­! ¡°Where we are from¡­ this manner of collective punishment resulting in execution is rarely seen. We find it rather unpleasant to see innocent people die.¡± ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s a shame.¡± Knowing he was a domestic abuser made his ncing at us and smirking feel more than just a bit annoying. It was infuriating. I almost reflexively shouted, ¡°Why the hell are you grinning? Makes me want to fucking wipe that damn smile off your face,¡± but I barely managed to hold myself back. My character wouldn¡¯t talk that crudely. It wasn¡¯t cool at all. ¡°If you hade, we might have been able to spare the children.¡± What did that bastard just say? ¡°¡­What do you mean by that?¡± At the Archmage¡¯s question, Atarte simply shrugged. ¡°Nothing much, just theater for the people. While it is Vigabolw to exterminate a traitor¡¯s entire family, many children are included in this round of executions. It¡¯s a shame to kill all these children, so if you hade, I would have made it seem as if we were sparing the children to avoid appearing barbaric before our guests.¡± The words flowed smoothly out of his mouth, but essentially, it was a threat¡ª¡°If you don¡¯te, the children will die.¡± ¡°But since you already refused¡­¡± I didn¡¯t feel like that just because he was a domestic abuser. Of course, that also yed a part, but something more influenced my thoughts. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped.¡± Honestly, if he genuinely wanted to save the children because he felt sorry for them, would he be smiling like he was now? No, he would be desperately pleading with us, maybe even getting down on his knees. ¡°Well then, enjoy your meal.¡± But why was this bastard acting like that? Was he trying to confirm that I was weak to children? Did he n to exploit that part of me? However, that grin on his face was really crossing the line¡­ ¡®Makes me really want to kill him.¡¯ Wasn¡¯t he seriously annoying? It wasn¡¯t just because of his shrewdness in trying to use me, but that arrogant way he smiled, as if he was sure he could use me, convinced that I was beneath him. ¡°¡­Chief. I understand that you are in a hurry, but it¡¯s rather unsatisfactory to leave without clearly stating your business.¡± The Archmage conveniently bought some time for me. With that, I tried to collect my thoughts quickly amidst my rising anger. Ironically, that anger helped a lot in regaining myposure. The thought of wanting to punish and humiliate that bastard sharpened my mind. And then, I reconsidered that this guy was a domestic abuser. More precisely, the psychology of one. ¡°Ah, have you changed your mind?¡± One cause of domestic violence was using violence as a means to gain power or feel superior. In other words, he was expressing his sense of inferiority through aggression. That exined why he was suddenly taking these children hostage and acting so overly confident. A person who would resort to violence to feel superior to others would have no qualms with using children as leverage to threaten me. Someone who¡¯d used such a method to receive others¡¯ recognition would definitely get a kick out of threatening us like this. Despite being no match for me in terms of strength, he probably thought he was superior because he could still threaten me. ¡°I only said we wouldn¡¯t be joining immediately, so isn¡¯t there some room for discussion¡­?¡± The frustrating part about all this was that I couldn¡¯t just ignore him because children¡¯s lives were at stake here. ¡®Can¡¯t I just kill him?¡¯ I nced down at the teacup I held, somewhat hesitant to touch my spoon. ¡°If you aren¡¯ting personally, no amount of discussion will have any effect.¡± ¡°Chief.¡± ¡°While it¡¯s quite unfortunate, what can I do? I did try, at least¡ª¡± That bastard believed he had the upper hand here, so I somehow needed to bring him back to reality. Only then could we have a proper conversation. ¡°You think you can make a fool out of me?¡± Crunch. I crushed the teacup with my bare hands, purely for show, of course. Since it was made of wood, it felt a bit different from smashing a ss cup. It splintered along the grains. The Archmage and Atarte both mped their mouths shut at that instant. ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t mean to. I was merely¡ª¡± Look at this bastard, continuing to p his mouth just because he was the chief. After thoroughly crushing the teacup, I brushed off the dust and splinters. Since I¡¯d broken the cup without using Arcane Power, my hand ended up covered in various wounds. Even though I was wearing gloves, the splinters had pierced them and had be embedded in my skin to the point of drawing blood. Blood mixed with the tea that had still been in the cup, trickling down my hand. ¡®Gotta show him who¡¯s boss here.¡¯ But did it hurt? Not really. ¡®I need to instill pure fear in him¡­¡¯ What truly hurt, what actually caused me pain¡­ ¡¾Uwaaaaah!!!¡¿ ¡®Why?¡¯ Every time I heard a child¡¯s cry, my heart started to pound painfully. ¡®Why is my sorrow for those dying stronger than my anger toward those who would dare rise against me?¡¯ I despised the sound of children crying more than anything else in this world. It wasn¡¯t due to some traumatic experience or any particr incident from the past; I just hated it. From little kids to teenagers who were almost but not quite adults, I just wanted them all to be happy. ¡°Did you think that if you said that, I would immediately jump to action?¡± Simply because I was an adult, because I¡¯d lived longer than those children, because it was just the right thing to do. ¡°Did you think you could use me?¡± I wished nothing but happiness to all the children out there. ¡°Know your ce.¡± How dare this fucking bastard take these children hostage? No, he was even worse than a bastard. I swear, I should just XXX him before XXX. Did that piece of trash want to be turned into minced meat? ¡°The only reason you¡¯re still alive is because the promise you made before aligns with my goals.¡± I slowly stood up and walked toward Atarte. Since we were of simr height, there wasn¡¯t much need for me to look down or up at him. Our eyes immediately met. ¡°And I didn¡¯t want to unnecessarily dirty my sword with blood.¡± I then let out a snarl. People who''d step on the weak to elevate themselves often bowed their heads to those they couldn¡¯t defeat, so this could be considered a calcted threat. ¡°¡­¡± And as I¡¯d suspected, it worked. I looked down at the bastard who¡¯d just averted his eyes, intimidated by me despite our simr heights. Honestly, I would have loved to say something like, ¡®Now, repeat after me: human rights!¡¯ and smash his head into an ethics book, but unfortunately, there weren¡¯t any such books around. My gaze stayed on him persistently. ¡°Remember this. From now on, the lives of these children are of equal value to your life.¡± Damn it. It was frustrating enough already knowing he was a domestic abuser but unable to do anything about it, and now he dared to use children to threaten me? Bastard. Whether others startedining about him not following customs or whatever was now his problem. He was the one who gave me an opportunity to intervene in a matter I would usually have no business interfering in. If so much as a single hair on those kids¡¯ heads was harmed, he would go down with me. Understood? ¡°Get out.¡± I practically ordered him to leave, not even trying to mask my disgust, revulsion, and contempt for him. Finally, Atarte¡¯s face turned red with humiliation, but didn¡¯t protest. He was a typical example of those strong against the weak and weak against the strong. ¡°Leave, now.¡± The door closed, and peace returned. ¡°Well done.¡± The Archmage, who¡¯d gotten closer to me at some point, pped his hands slightly. Each p released a white light that started orbiting around us and reflected off the walls. ¡°You really did well.¡± He then began writing something in the air along the path of light with his Arcane Power. He seemed to be casting some manner of spell. I didn¡¯t know what type it was, but it didn¡¯t really matter. ¡°Although it¡¯s a custom here, I couldn¡¯t bear to see those children die for no fault of their own, but thanks to you, at least they will be saved.¡± I listened intently to the sounds outside. Even though I couldn¡¯t understand what they were saying, I could tell the kids¡¯ cries were growing more distant. Focusing a bit more, I could feel the presence of these children moving elsewhere. Considering that they were moving away from the gathering of adults outside, it seemed quite likely that the kids had been excluded from the execution. Somehow, I¡¯d saved them. ¡°The problem is that the chief won¡¯t let this go so easily¡­ I wonder how the surviving children will be treated.¡± Well, as the Archmage said, this wasn¡¯t the end of it. Even though they¡¯d survived, their parents were all set for execution. Moreover, they were children of traitors who were also supposed to have died. Just being orphaned was tough enough, but having to bear thebel of being a traitor¡¯s child on top of that¡­ ¡°The chief will probably find it burdensome to leave those children in the vige. Is it possible to send them to another tribe?¡± Hah, it never was good to help others recklessly without a n. Ah, what to do? I couldn¡¯t take those kids with me. ¡°We¡¯ll have to think about it little by little. It¡¯s not something we can resolve immediately.¡± Was there anyone who could take in arge number of children? * * * * * * Atarte couldn¡¯t suppress his rage, and with his face flushed, he stepped outside. Those waiting for him there followed after him subtly, intently watching his expression. ¡¾Was there some kind of problem¡­?¡¿ However, it had only been a momentary slip. He barely managed to bottle his emotions and regain his usually calm expression. His position required him to smile on the outside, even if he was cursing on the inside. ¡¾The guests, the ck Snake Warrior especially, said they did not wish to see the children die. Haha. I also thought so earlier, but he certainly cares greatly for children.¡¿ With just that one statement, the faces of those around him changed immediately. They were impressed by the guest¡¯s magnanimity. Despite holding such great power, he was so generous andpassionate toward children. ¡¾Since they¡¯ve shown us great favor, we shouldn¡¯t convey the appearance of a cruel and barbaric tribe. Let¡¯s spare the children below the age of ten¡­ No, twelve.¡¿ ¡¾Understood.¡¿ ¡¾But, Chief, when you say only children under twelve, do you mean you will only allow those from one to twelve to live¡­?¡¿ ¡¾Is there a problem?¡¿ ¡¾There is a child who just turned thirteen the other day.¡¿ ¡¾¡­Then include that one, as well.¡¿ ¡¾Yes.¡¿ However, to Atarte, this was nothing but an annoyance. He had hoped to use this situation to his advantage but had instead been forced to sow seeds of discord within the tribe. Being coerced into saving thosebeled with the vague term ¡°child¡± meant he couldn¡¯t just spare those who were too young to distinguish right from wrong. Although a twelve or thirteen-year-old was less threatening than a fourteen or fifteen-year-old, they were still old enough to harbor thoughts of revenge. ¡¾Keep them alive, but don''t immediately release them into the vige. Iste them and observe their condition before letting them go.¡¿ ¡¾Understood.¡¿ ¡¾You, filter out the children aged one to twelve and transfer them to the original prison. Include Akata, who just turned thirteen. I order you to spare them.¡¿ Feigning calmness, Atarte attended the execution. Before the entire vige, the rebels were thrown near the execution tform while their children were taken away. ¡¾What are you doing with my child?!¡¿ ¡¾Akata!¡¿ ¡¾Mother, Father!!¡¿ So, the child who¡¯d just turned thirteen was Taposhaka¡¯s daughter, Akata. He regretted sparing her. Atarte nced at the kid, who was quiterge and muscled for a thirteen-year-old. Her eyes burned fiercely, showing that she would never forget this day. She was a seed of betrayal. Killing her would have been the right decision. But now that he¡¯d already ordered that she be spared, what could he do? He couldn¡¯t go back on his word in this situation. ¡¾Damn it, I¡¯ll kill you. I¡¯ll kill you all! You and that outsider you brought with you!!¡¿ At that moment, Atarte¡¯s ears were suddenly filled with a desperate, thunderous cry. ¡¾That¡¯s right. The ce I gave those two is¡­¡¿ ¡¾What?¡¿ ¡¾Never mind.¡¿ A n was forming in his mind, one that would allow him to warn that outsider who had dared to reject his proposal and even threaten him, while also dealing with that potential traitor. It was an excellent n, he thought. A cold smile crept across Atarte¡¯s lips. Chapter 124: If I Could Leave (6) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 124 If I Could Leave (6) ¡¾How pitiful. If it hadn¡¯t been for that outsider, the rebellion would have seeded.¡¿ ¡¾You madman! How can you say that out loud¡­!¡¿ ¡¾It¡¯s just kids here. It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine.¡¿ ¡¾Don¡¯t you know the quietest forests are the most dangerous?¡¿ ¡¾I said it¡¯s fine.¡¿ On this strangely sleepless night, Akata bit her lip hard as she heard the guards¡¯ chattering. She was filled with both anger and sorrow. The night, which should have been serene, was instead filled with the echoing screams of her family, who¡¯d been executed just a few hours ago. ¡¾Come to think of it, the outsider is staying at Taposhaka¡¯s house, right? To think he¡¯d get the second-best house right after the chief¡¯s, just like that. It seems he really cares for that outsider.¡¿ ¡¾¡­The warrior is one thing, but that white-haired furball is also a priest. With all the vige priests having joined the rebellion, it¡¯s understandable. Especially with Katina approaching.¡¿ ¡¾Is he nning to take the outsiders to Katina?¡¿ ¡¾No way¡­¡¿ Taposhaka was her father¡¯s name. That detestable outsider had not only caused the death of her entire family but also taken over their home. ¡¾I¡¯ll kill them. I¡¯ll kill them all.¡¿ The girl, biting down on her lips, vowed to take revenge. Those outsiders, who¡¯d interfered in their affairs and gotten her family killed, and Atarte, who¡¯d nearly beaten her sister Samar to death before taking the position of chief. All of them. ¡¾¡­Still, I¡¯m d the chief brought in that outsider, regardless of whether he ns to take him to Katina.¡¿ ¡¾Why?¡¿ ¡¾I mean, you know. Taramba¡­ My son got taken away today. If it weren¡¯t for the outsider¡­¡¿ ¡¾Ah¡­¡¿ ¡¾What kind of leader would someone who takes children hostage be if they seeded in their rebellion?¡¿ ¡¾That was so unexpected. To think Taposhaka would take children hostage¡­¡¿ ¡¾Some of Taposhaka¡¯s supporters turned against him because of that. Those children they took almost died.¡¿ Meanwhile, those guards started spouting nonsense, iming her father had taken children hostage. ¡¾Bullshit¡­!¡¿ There was no way her proud father would do such a thing. He would never resort to something so petty. Right! That whole thing about the rebellion also had to be a lie! Her father, who cared so deeply for the Vigabol, would never start something like a rebellion! That all had to be false usations by that vile bastard Atarte to secure his power! The girl dismissed everything those guards said as mere nder. It was the desperate struggle of a child who couldn¡¯t bear to face the truth. ¡¾In that sense, I also kind of¡­ like the outsider warrior. Even though we don¡¯t speak the samenguage and he has fewer arms, I¡¯ve never seen a bad person who¡¯s kind to kids.¡¿ ¡¾Really?¡¿ ¡¾Haven¡¯t you seen Tuba¡¯s youngest daughter ying with a ball? I was told the outsider warrior gave it to her to stop her crying. The other kids captured this time also got a toy and are ying with them.¡¿ ¡¾But if they are things brought in by the outsider, aren¡¯t they foreign products? I feel a bit ufortable about that¡­¡¿ ¡¾I initially felt the same way, as well, but watching the kids y, it seemed like nothing. They only look like pretty decorations and the like. Some are quite fascinating, even. Are these types of things popr on the outside?¡¿ Somehow, she couldn¡¯t hear these words as genuine praise for the outsider but as just sweet talk from those whom Atarte had swayed. Tap, tap. How long had she been staying awake, grinding her teeth? She could feel a presence beyond the prison wall. They made themselves known with a faint sound, barely noticeable had she not been leaning against the wall. ¡¾Shh. Just wait a bit longer.¡¿ The unknown person began scratching at the floor a bit, keeping her quiet. Around when the moon had wandered far over her head, the ground right next to the girl started to move. ¡¾The rest is up to you.¡¿ Someone had dug a small hole for her. She would have to dig a bit more to escape, but it was a start. ¡¾Who are you?¡¿ This might be a trap, so Akata asked cautiously, having doubts about this situation. But as she got no reply, it seemed the person had left already. Should she stay here like this? No, she didn¡¯t want to do that. Akata carefully dug through the earth, watching out for the guards. Her fingernails broke and her skin tore as she kept digging with her bare hands, but it wasn¡¯t anything serious. Thanks to that stranger doing most of the work, it didn¡¯t take her long. The girl quickly escaped the prison. The kids who were in the same cell? She didn¡¯t wake any of them. Anymotion during her digging could alert the guards. Moreover, if this was indeed a trap, it would be best if she were the only one caught in it. The children in the cell were also only five years old, far too young. ¡¾What should I do now?¡¿ However, once she was out, she didn¡¯t really know what to do. She just stood there nkly before vigorously shaking her head. Escaping the vige alive was highly unlikely. The Great Forest at night wouldn¡¯t let her. If she would die either way, she at least wanted to take revenge beforehand. ¡ºWhat kind of leader would someone who takes children hostage be if they seeded in their rebellion?¡» ¡­She had to avenge her family. Akata hurriedly moved. ¡¾A white-necked spider!¡¿ In the process, she also came across an effective weapon. Fearlessly, she caught the spider and disassembled its body. The venom of a white-necked spider was a highly effective paralytic poison. ¡¾Those bastards¡­¡¿ Should she kill Atarte or the outsider? After some thought, Akata chose thetter. The former was too heavily guarded. She obviously held more hatred for Atarte, but she only had one chance. Whether she seeded or failed, her head would be on the line the moment she went for it. With that in mind, she decided to take the path that would let her get revenge on at least one of her targets. Akata¡¯s small feet took her to her old home under the cover of night. Swish. ¡¾Is there a problem¡­?¡¿ Unfortunately, at that very moment, someone stepped outside. He wore a ck coat that almost blended into the night, with hair that seemed unnatural and, most importantly, only one pair of arms. Although she had never seen him in person, it wasn¡¯t hard to figure out who it was. It was the outsider warrior. ¡¾Sigh, in our vige, the chief is the only one who can speak the outsider¡¯snguage.¡¿ ¡¾Erm, are you going for a walk? Should I follow you?¡¿ The outsider warrior seemed to be heading somewhere away from the building. One of the guards keeping watch tried to follow him, but the warrior gestured for him to stay away. ¡¾Damn it, I¡¯ll report this.¡¿ After hesitating between whether to follow or stay, the guard eventually left to make a report. This was a great opportunity for the girl. Wasn¡¯t a priest easier to kill than a warrior? ¡¾Woah, I shouldn¡¯t step on that.¡¿ However, the girl¡¯s ns quickly turned into broken twigs on the forest floor. The building seemed to be surrounded by some magic, seeing how the guard made a fuss after barely stepping inside. ¡¾Damn it.¡¿ Considering how all the priests had been imprisoned for treason, it had to be the outsider priest who cast the spell. In that case, killing the priest was nearly impossible. The moment she crossed that line, the guards would notice something was amiss and rush in. Even if the priest were asleep, he would awaken immediately and prepare for an enemy. So, what she should do was¡­ Akata¡¯s gaze followed the departing figure. The chances of seeding were meager yet also pretty high. He was heading into the forest in the middle of the night, as only an outsider would do. Into that forest filled with poisonous insects and all manner of beasts. ¡¾¡­I can do this.¡¿ She didn''t even n on ambushing him. All she hoped for was that the beasts got the warrior. Clenching her teeth, the girl followed after the warrior. Crunch, crunch. The faint sound of stepping on grass was the only thing audible in this silence. Scrrrratch. Then, she heard something scratch against a tree. Reflexively, the girl lowered her body. Scrrrratch. The noise came at regr intervals. Akata narrowed her eyes and touched the spot she had heard iting from. It was a knife mark. Why was he leaving marks? She once again considered whether this was all just a trap. However, the outsider warrior¡¯s gait was too rough for him to be leading her into a trap. Even now, she was nearly ten steps behind him, even after hesitating for a moment. Akata quickened her steps so as not to lose sight of the warrior. Their distance from the vige was gradually increasing. * * * ¡¾Chief. I¡¯ve confirmed that Akata is following the guest.¡¿ ¡¾Is that so?¡¿ At the time Akata had left the vige, Atarte narrowed his eyes as he listened to the aide¡¯s report. ¡¾Yes. Fortunately, the warrior of the guest group decided to go on a night walk¡­¡¿ ¡¾Lucky us.¡¿ Yes. They were indeed lucky. While it wouldn¡¯t particrly matter whether she seeded or failed, it would have been a shame if the child hadn¡¯t moved how he wanted because of the guards. They had enough reason to punish her after she escaped once, but using that as a pretext to execute her would be difficult with the outsider¡¯s threat still hanging over his head. He wanted to create a more definite excuse¡­ ¡¾Even though she¡¯s smart, she¡¯s still just a child.¡¿ ¡¾¡­Indeed.¡¿ ¡¾To fall for this so straightforwardly without suspecting a thing.¡¿ There would be more than enough reason if she attacked their guest. But Atarte wanted even more. His eight eyes narrowed. ¡¾It would be perfect if she died at our guest¡¯s hands.¡¿ The offer to spare the children was meant merely to chain the guests. It was partially to maintain his reputation and other smaller benefits, but the main reason was to see how far the guest would go for the children. Knowing he would do anything to help these children doomed to die as rtives of traitors, Atarte could use him even more. ¡ºKnow your ce.¡» But looking at the current situation. ¡¾¡­Damn it.¡¿ Just thinking about that ice-cold voice made Atarte rub the back of his neck. How dare he? How dare he threaten him? Not just anyone, but him, the one with the highest authority in this ce. ¡ºThe only reason you¡¯re still alive is because the promise you made before aligns with my goals.¡» Despite feeling such intense displeasure, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to act on it directly. The guest¡¯s words weren¡¯t just a bluff. ¡ºAnd I didn¡¯t want to unnecessarily dirty my sword with blood.¡» Indeed. Being the strongest warrior of the tribe, he was sure of it: if that man became hostile toward them, they wouldn¡¯t have a single way to defend against him. The disparity between them was as great as between a sapling and a tree, a torch and the sun, gravel and a mountain. Resistance was utterly impossible. Bang! ¡¾Sammar! Sammar¡­ Ah, she¡¯s dead, right? That useless idiot.¡¿ So he was begging, hoping the escaped kid could drag that man¡¯s mood to rock bottom. He didn¡¯t even expect her to kill the man. That wasn¡¯t why he let her go, to begin with. ¡¾Well, it can¡¯t be helped, then.¡¿ He simply hoped that child would cause the man some difort. To make this man, who supposedly cherished children, soil his hands with a child¡¯s blood and feel even the slightest shred of difort from it. As trivial as it was, that was the only way he could exact his revenge against a target he couldn¡¯t oppose. ¡¾You¡¯ll have to bear the punishment instead.¡¿ However, there was no need for him to hold on to this lingering resentment. If his opponent was simply too strong for him to vent his anger on directly, he¡¯d just direct his rage toward someone weaker instead. ¡¾Brace yourself.¡¿ He grabbed the hair of the aide, who was sweating profusely. He closed his eyes tightly and gritted his teeth as if expecting something to happen. Pow, pow, pow! ¡¾¡­He¡¯s at it again.¡¿ ¡¾Shut up. Unless you want to be next.¡¿ ¡¾¡­As great a leader as Chief Atarte is, at times like these, I can understand why Sammar made that choice.¡¿ The sound of beating echoed through the building for quite some time. However, since the only people there were aplices to whom this was a daily urrence, the night passed without any disturbance. * * * * * * ¡¾We went out so far¡­¡¿ Meanwhile, Akata found herself in a bit of a predicament. Although she had grown up in this forest, she wasn¡¯t yet experienced enough to navigate the forest at night easily. She could still find her way back by following the markings the outsider warrior had left behind, though¡­ She looked back. The dense forest blocked out most of the moon and starlight, making it incredibly dark. Akata swallowed nervously. ¡¾Damn it, how far is he going¡­¡¿ As they got deeper into the forest, it became harder for her to see her target. She¡¯d already lost track of the sound of his footsteps, so without the marks he¡¯d left, following him further would have been impossible. She bit her lip in frustration. Whoooosh. Then, at that moment, she heard a waterfall. A map appeared in her mind. She knew this ce. ¡¾Are we over there?¡¿ How did this outsider know about the waterfall? With that in mind, Akata quickened her pace. The trees thinned out a bit, finally allowing her to see the warrior she¡¯d lost sight of. He was sitting on a rock near the waterfall. There were a lot of wild beasts near the water. Despite her unease, Akata clenched her fists as she cautiously approached the outsider. Whoooosh. The sound of the waterfall grew closer. Sob. Faintly, amidst the waterfall¡¯s crashing sounds, there was a faint sound of crying. ¡¾¡­?¡¿ And then, when Akata was only a few meters away from the warrior, she saw something unimaginable. ¡°I want to go home.¡± The outsider was crying. ¡°Please, please let me go home¡­¡± Under the pouring moonlight, he wept so sorrowfully, tears streaming down his face. ¡°It¡¯s so hard to keep ignoring it any further¡­¡± The one who truly wanted to cry was her. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me in this world¡­¡± Silvery teardrops flowed continuously down his pale face. Even as his ungloved hands wiped and rubbed at them, the tears wouldn¡¯t stop. ¡°It¡¯s so hard, Mom. I can¡¯t¡­¡± The man was sobbing as if the world was ending. Just as she had cried when she lost her parents, the outsider was sobbing like someone who had lost everything. ¡°I don¡¯t want to live by killing others¡­¡± Even though she couldn¡¯t understand his words, they sounded utterly heartbreaking. ¡°No matter how I look at it, this all just feels too real, so how can I¡­?¡± She didn¡¯t want to see this, but witnessing her enemy at his lowest point brought out a peculiar mix of emotions within her. A mixture of indignation, wondering what right he had to cry like that, and sympathy she couldn¡¯t help but feel. However, even so. That outsider was her enemy. He was responsible for her parents'' death. ¡ºTaramba¡­ My son got taken away today. If it weren¡¯t for the outsider¡­¡» He was the one who killed her parents. ¡ºSome of Taposhaka¡¯s supporters turned against him because of that. Those children they took almost died.¡» Her parents¡­ No. Everything they¡¯d said was just nonsense. Feeling her resolve weaken, the girl steeled her heart and gripped the stone knives she had prepared. Two of the five knives were coated with white-necked spider venom. With a bit of luck, she might kill the outsider. Swish. However, she had focused too much on her target. By the time she felt another presence, it had already been toote. Roar! ¡¾Aargh!¡¿ A leopard pounced on her. She narrowly avoided having her throat bitten, but its jaws managed to mp down on her middle forearm. It felt like her arm was about to be torn off. ¡¾Let go, let go!¡¿ Instinctively, the girl swung her limbs and the knives she held wildly. It was all futile. The leopard''s eyes glowed fiercely, its teeth sinking deeper into her flesh, and its ws dug into her body, causing excruciating pain. She wondered if this was what dying felt like. sh! In that instant, a fierce wind swept over her, and the leopard that had been shaking her body suddenly stopped moving. More than just stopping, it actually fell over on its side. Blood sprayed across her face, warming her body. ¡°Are you hurt¡­!¡± It hurt; it hurt so much. The girl was crying in agony, experiencing pain like never before. Unfamiliar yetforting words hit her ears. Yes, they wereforting. ¡°Hang in there. I¡¯ll take you back to the vige.¡± Clumsy, kind, gentle. ¡°You¡¯re bleeding too much¡­ I¡¯m going to tie this around your arm, so don¡¯t move, okay?¡± Repulsive. Akata felt herself getting lifted. She felt the coldness of his body against half of hers. It was humiliating. She hade here to kill this man, but instead, she had failed and was now even being helped by him. And the worst part was that his embrace reminded her so much of her father¡¯s. ¡°Just hold on.¡± The words he whispered in her ear brought her a strange sense of relief. She foundfort in her enemy¡¯s kindness, and her fear of death began to fade. Just like when she was in her father¡¯s arms. ¡¾No¡­¡¿ She hated this. Even though she was being helped so greatly, she still hated it. No matter how kind or gentle he was, he was still the one who had killed her parents and siblings. ¡°¡­!¡± Akata swung all her arms she could. Since the outsider only had one pair of arms, she thought at least one of her strikes mightnd. However, one only grazed his cheek and another his shoulder, and it ended with her instantly getting thrown away. Her body rolled on the ground. Ah. Even sneak attacks didn¡¯t work on real warriors like him. Even with fewer arms, he still countered her attack. As she rolled over the ground, she realized the pain from the fall hurt far less than the frustration of failing yet again. A sense of helplessness and injustice overwhelmed her entire being. At the same time, she didn¡¯t want it to end like this. She reached for stones or sticks to rece the knives she¡¯d lost when she was thrown. ¡°Ah!¡± She decided to throw them to vent her anger. ¡°Careful!¡± But strangely enough, the one she¡¯d attacked approached her first. Not only that, he pulled her into his arms once again despite knowing she¡¯d attacked him. Why? No, the reason didn¡¯t matter. Akata instinctively knew that this was herst chance. Consumed by rage, she focused only on fulfilling her desire rather than assessing her opponent¡¯s actions or her surroundings. ¡¾Die, die!¡¿ The first knife pierced between his chest and shoulder. ¡¾Dieee!!¡¿ The second and third knives stabbed toward his heart. Though they were just stones carved into the shape of knives, they managed to prate his skin forcefully. Bang! Suddenly, a huge roar and a powerful gust of wind struck her ears. ¡¾¡­?¡¿ She reflexively turned her head. ¡°Urgh.¡± And then she saw it. ¡°Cough.¡± A giant anaconda. ¡°N-No injuries, right?¡± Which presumably had tried to swallow her. ¡°N-None, right?¡± Lay there, dead, with a massive hole in its neck. ¡°Cough.¡± The man holding her spat blood onto her shoulder. ¡ºI also kind of¡­ like the outsider warrior. Even though we don¡¯t speak the samenguage and he has fewer arms, I¡¯ve never seen a bad person who¡¯s kind to kids.¡» D-Dad. He taught her to repay a grudge twice over and a favor tenfold, so what should she do in this situation? * * * ¡°Cough.¡± Wow. Seriously. That kid''s aim was something else. I moved forward, lost in some useless thoughts. The child who¡¯d attacked me stopped resisting after I saved her from another wild animal attack. Thanks to that, moving had be a bit easier. ¡°Urgh.¡± The problem was that my head kept spinning from the constant bleeding. As I stubbornly kept moving, I couldn¡¯t help but think I had gone a little too far into the forest. The stab wounds throbbed dully with pain and kept bleeding, but I couldn¡¯t treat them myself. The bandages I¡¯d applied werepressing them, somewhat stopping the bleeding, at least¡­ but I didn¡¯t have any potions or anything. Besides, I didn¡¯t have the medical knowledge to treat these wounds properly. ¡¾Why, why¡­?¡¿ Meanwhile, that kid in my arms kept muttering. She seemed to be in shock. Maybe she was shocked I had saved her and was even carrying her now, even though she had attacked me. Well, honestly, I also felt like I was being a bit of a pushover here. But what could I do? How could I abandon a kid who didn¡¯t look much older than a middle schooler? ¡°It¡¯s¡­ okay.¡± I didn¡¯t know what had driven her to attack me, but since she¡¯d stopped stabbing at me after I saved her again¡­ I felt that this was enough for now. Despite knowing it was wrong, she must have been so frustrated and overwhelmed that she couldn¡¯t help but do it. Kids this age found it hard to stop themselves from doing things, especially when they didn¡¯t have a guardian around to guide them. So¡­ ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Even if she made a mistake after getting carried away by her emotions, she was still a child who managed to stop herself and realized she had done something wrong. I forgave her. Just like when I once set the house on fire while cooking or hit someone in the head with a baseball while ying, but I was still able to grow into a proper adult thanks to the forgiveness and consideration the adults around me had shown me. I could forgive her because I was an adult and because she could cry so bitterly out of guilt. So it was alright. Everything was alright. I didn¡¯t me her. ¡°Don¡¯t cry.¡± ¡¾Why, why¡­?¡¿ ¡°Don¡¯t cry, kid¡­¡± I walked whileforting the child in my arms. Although my vision was bing blurrier, I could keep moving forward. ¡¾Ah, the vige¡­¡¿ Then, very faintly, I could see a crimson glow that I couldn¡¯t miss even with my blurry vision. It was probably torchlight. That meant we¡¯d reached the vige, right? Ah, thank goodness. I half relied on luck to find our way here. We somehow made it. ¡¾Just¡­ Just a little further¡­¡¿ But¡­ I couldn¡¯t walk any further. My one-time death immunity skill had already been used up¡­ ¡¾Ah, no, don¡¯t! We¡¯re almost there!¡¿ Ah. This was myst step. I couldn¡¯t walk any further. Finally, with a ¡®thud,¡¯ I fell to my knees and copsed. ¡¾I-It¡¯s all my fault. It¡¯s all my fault¡­¡¿ Hmm. Was I going to die like this? Would this be my first retry? Hah. I really didn¡¯t want to retry¡­ ¡¾S-Someone, please save him!¡¿ Ah. At least the kid was safe. What a relief. ¡¾Someone was injured!! Here, this man, this man!!¡¿ I was really relieved¡­ ¡¾Please!!¡¿ Suddenly, my vision wentpletely ck. I could faintly see a white ceiling and the faces of my family. * * * ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡¹ Damn, just likest time. The seal became loose again. ¡¸I¡¯m really sorry¡­¡¹ That seal is causing trouble again. Chapter 125: If I Could Leave (7) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 125 If I Could Leave (7) ¡¾Guest, guest!¡¿ The Archmage was abruptly awakened by the sudden arrival of people. The Demon Knight? He reflexively turned around to indeed see the Demon Knight. ¡¾Wounds!¡¿ But he was in a near-death state, being carried by others. ¡°Wh-What happened¡­?¡± He could see a red stain between the crimson vest and the white shirt. And it was near the heart area. For a moment, his heart sank. ¡¾Everyone except those holding him, step back!¡¿ If his heart had truly been pierced, time was of the essence. The Archmage hurriedly tore open his clothes, cut the bandages vertically, and examined the wound. There was one near his corbone and two near his heart. The cuts weren¡¯t clean but jagged, causing blood to gush out of them uncontrobly. ¡°What in the¡ª¡± Seeing the severity of the wounds made his head spin. Given how much blood he was losing, it seemed the subvian artery near his shoulder had been narrowly avoided, but the wounds near his heart were undeniably critical. The only reason he was still alive was because he¡¯d avoided a direct hit. ¡¾We need cloth to stop the bleeding!¡¿ He had to do everything he could. Leaving only those needed to stabilize him, he cast his magic. He didn¡¯t know how someone as powerful as the Demon Knight had ended up like this. Saving him was the priority right now. ¡°How, how did this happen¡­?¡± Maintaining his spell while pressing down on the wounds, his white fur soaking up the blood, hemented that the Demon Knight¡¯s armor, which he¡¯d never considered thin because he¡¯d never seen him so injured, seemed increasingly inadequate today. Although he couldn¡¯t wear heavy armor like the Inquisitor, it would have been nice if he at least had some light armor, even if it was just around the vital areas¡ª ¡°¡­!¡± Amidst all his frantic thoughts, the Archmage suddenly realized something, and his breath stopped. He did have one¡ªa piece of armor. One designed to protect his heart. ¡­Something he had secretly stolen from the Demon Knight. Krrk. Clenching his teeth, he felt a surge of overwhelming regret stemming from possibilities he hadn¡¯t considered. ¡°¡­If only I had known.¡± Aah. If only he had known that it woulde to this. If he had known that the Demon Knight would get attacked like this, that he would get stabbed close to his heart, bringing him to death¡¯s door. He would have, would have¡­ No. Even knowing this, he would have still taken it. If he had known the Demon Knight would get attacked, he could have just crafted a new chest protector or ensured he wouldn¡¯t get ambushed to begin with. Thus, the regret surging up from his heart was ultimately pointless. The incident that had urred and his removing the chest protector, which was actually a bomb made by White Wind, were entirely separate matters. His regret held no true significance. How could he have known this would happen when he took away the protector? He¡¯d merely hoped this man wouldn¡¯t continue carrying a bomb on his chest. He believed it to be better to remove it than risk detonating it himself, even if that meant leaving his heart vulnerable. It wasn¡¯t like he wanted these injuries to get worse than they were now. This was simply bad luck. As good intentions didn¡¯t always lead to favorable oues, this time, too, misfortune had triumphed over goodwill. That was all¡­ ¡°Dear God.¡± That was all, and yet¡­ ¡°This man isn¡¯t to me for harboring this darkness within him, so please show mercy.¡± Still, he couldn¡¯t help but envision a different future where the Demon Knight had sustained fewer injuries because he hadn¡¯t removed this device that nominally functioned as a heart protector. ¡°Please show mercy.¡± Tears flowed from the eyes of the wise elder. Crack. ¡°¡­?¡± At that moment, a cracking sound reached his ears. His teary gaze turned toward its source. ¡¾Roll up his shirt.¡¿ Had they broken a bone while stabilizing him? But that sound had been far too distinct for that. He watched as the person securing his right arm peeled away the gauntlet, coat sleeve, and shirt. The critical question was whether his spell¡¯s healing effect could outpace the rate at which his body was losing strength. As long as he kept the spell active, he could afford to divert his attention elsewhere for a moment. ¡°¡­!¡± However, the arm they uncovered was uninjured. The problemy with the ck fragments that had fallen from his sleeve as it was removed. Those were fragments of the seal. He swallowed hard. ¡¾Should we remove the bandages, as well?¡¿ ¡¾No. Leave them as they are.¡¿ Although he wondered how the seal got broken, if there were no signs of the Demon taking over, his priority was still his treatment. Moreover¡­ Those bandages served more than one purpose: not only did they help stop the bleeding, but they also preserved some of the Demon Knight¡¯s secrets. He focused on the wound near his heart. ¡°Gasp!¡± However, before he could heal the wound, and less than ten seconds after he¡¯d discovered the broken seal, the Demon Knight awakened with a gasp. Given the amount of blood he¡¯d lost, his face was ghostly pale, making him look like a reanimated corpse or as if a soul had just entered a lifeless body. ¡°The¡­ child.¡± ¡°¡­! Don¡¯t talk, no. Keep talking. That¡¯s better than falling unconscious again!¡± ¡°The child.¡± Whether he¡¯d understood or was just speaking in his delirious state, only talking about things he deemed important, was unclear. Regardless, the Demon Knight coughed up words together with blood. ¡°The child¡­ that came¡­ with me.¡± ¡°The child that came with you?¡± It was hard to grasp the whole situation with just these words. He turned his attention to the people who¡¯d brought the Demon Knight here. ¡¾Was there a child with the Demon Knight?¡¿ They looked at each other with troubled expressions. ¡¾Erm, there was a child who broke out¡­¡¿ ¡¾So, we sent the child¡­ back to the prison.¡¿ ¡¾Broke out?¡¿ ¡°The child¡­ was also hurt¡­¡± A child who broke out? And they were also injured? ¡¾Bring that child here, as well.¡¿ It was still too confusing, no matter how much he tried to understand. However, the Demon Knight would surely not be pleased to learn that an injured child had been sent to prison. Moreover, it seemed the child¡¯s injuries were somehow rted to the Demon Knight¡¯s. He decided it would be better to hear what had happened from the child. He continued channeling Arcane Power into the Demon Knight¡¯s wounds. ¡¾Yes, yes.¡¿ Though the others were rather hesitant, none of them refused. Or rather, they couldn¡¯t. After insisting firmly, the Archmage nced at those who ran to fetch the child before focusing on healing again. He felt infuriated, seeing those people drag their feet in such an urgent situation. ¡°¡­?¡± However, there was still one more problem awaiting him. When he turned his attention back to the wounds, an eerie sight unfolded before him. ck energy, ck Demonic Energy, was gathering around the injuries. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± He wanted to understand what was happening here, but there was no immediate way to find out. For now, he could only focus on healing, branding this scene into his mind. As always. The Demon Knight¡¯s stubborn tenacity allowed him to cling to life, ultimately escaping death. * * * ¨C What do you make of this phenomenon? ¨C In response to this question, White Wind twirled his fingers. ording to the Archmage, the Demon Knight¡¯s recovery rate wasn¡¯t anything abnormal. Compared to an average person, yes, but it was still within the realm of what one could expect from a user of Arcane Power. However, surviving such heavy injuries was another matter. Even Arcane Power users had their limits. How could he survive being stabbed near the heart, walk for hours on end without proper treatment, and still be rtively fine? Moreover, after losing that much blood, he woke up and spoke rtively normally in under thirty minutes. That was, without a doubt, abnormal. ¡°There are no results without a cause, no endings without beginnings.¡± ¨C ¡­Indeed. ¨C ¡°There must be a reason for the Demon Knight''s tenacity. Could the Demon be influencing his body? Maybe the Demon dies if the Demon Knight does?¡± ¨C That''s what I think, too. ¨C ¡°Hmm.¡± For that to be true¡­ hadn¡¯t things ended too easily? The Demon could have taken advantage of the situation and possessed his body, but it instead merely healed the body and disappeared? That wasn''t very Demon-like, now, was it? ¡°You mentioned that the seal shattered?¡± ¨C Yes. ¨C If the Demon had truly done the healing, things wouldn''t have ended so calmly. White Wind started to think about it from a different perspective. ¡°¡­Arcane Power can substitute for the energy of one''s body.¡± The Demon Knight¡¯s seal breaking was often due to output issues. Of course, after some experimenting, they¡¯d gotten it able to withstand more¡­ However, seeing how it had broken several times already, it was clear it still couldn''t withstand excessive power. Could this have happened for the same reasons? ¨C Arcane Power users are more resilient than ordinary people, but isn¡¯t this a bit too much? ¨C ¡°That¡¯s true for ordinary Arcane Power users. However, the Demon Knight¡¯s Arcane reserves are exceptionallyrge, you know?¡± ¨C Are you suggesting that if the amount of Arcane Power within someone exceeds a certain limit¡­ they can even dy death? ¨C ¡°It¡¯s already a proven fact that the more Arcane Power one has, the more one can endure. It¡¯s just that we¡¯ve never seen anyone with as much Arcane Power as the Demon Knight.¡± ¨C ¡­That¡¯s a possibility. ¨C ¡°It¡¯s more convincing than the Demon healing him and leaving quietly.¡± Considering how close he¡¯de to death, even if the Demon did something, it might not have had enough power left to take over his body, so it just ended up saving him. However, another possibility was that while the Demon was still suppressed, the Demon Knight unconsciously shattered the seal and drew upon that power to survive. Both scenarios seemed usible. ¡°We should look into this further.¡± If thetter were true, that would be fortunate. If it were the former, that would be quite dangerous. Wondering whether the Demon Knight would be willing to answer if questioned about it, White Wind asked about his current state. ¨C He¡¯s still asleep. ¨C ¡°I see. It¡¯s surprising he even managed to wake up briefly.¡± That he¡¯d woken up, said something, and then fallen unconscious again was rather unusual. White Wind leaned back on his chair rather nonchntly. The chair he¡¯d brought from the Magic Tower wasfortable, something he couldn¡¯t say about the tribe¡¯s sedentary culture. ¡°Ah, how did the Demon Knight get injured in the first ce? Did a dragon appear? Or did he fight the Mountain Lord? Did he get into a brawl?¡± ¨C ¡­No, he got hurt saving a child. ¨C ¡°Around the heart, of all ces?¡± ¨C That¡¯s¡­ Ah. It seems he¡¯s waking up. I need to step away for a bit. ¨C ¡°Alright.¡± There wasn''t much else he could do. White Wind chose to wait for a follow-up rather than getting up and going somewhere else, knowing the Archmage would be back. Not long after, themunicator buzzed again. ¡°So, what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¨C Do you have any spare seals? ¨C ¡°Huh?¡± Why was he asking for a spare seal? White Wind pondered for a moment but replied rather quickly. ¡°I do.¡± With nothing else to do, White Wind had brought along a few spare seals to pass some time by working to improve them. He could also quickly make more if needed, as he had all the materials in his subspace bag. ¡°But why? Don¡¯t you have some spares?¡± ¨C ¡­Apparently, the one we had was used recently. ¨C ¡°When?¡± ¨C The day he was poisoned and slept for half a day. It seemed it broke then, as well. ¨C ¡°Really? Why didn¡¯t you mention this earlier?¡± ¨C ¡­I only just found out about it myself. Perhaps it was broken by the snake¡¯s venom. ¨C Could that be it? It didn¡¯t quite add up, though¡­ Sensing something was off about this but unable to put his finger on it, White Wind couldn¡¯t help but frown. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll send one over immediately.¡± However, that doubt was fleeting. White Wind didn¡¯t dwell on such things for long. ¡°The Jatav still haven''t given up. Who should I send to handle this¡­¡± A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. ¡°Excuse me. Your wizards caused another incident¡­¡± ¡°Berserk didn''t cause an incident.¡± ¡°Shut up, Miss Fighter. It''s not that you didn''t cause trouble, but that I stopped you from causing any. Anyway¡­ What''s with that look on your face?¡± Coincidentally, the perfect candidates for this task had arrived before him. White Wind smiled wide. ¡°I''ll send them over.¡± ¨C Right. ¨C ¡°Huh?¡± The gofers had been chosen. * * * * * * I hadpletely forgotten¡­ Looking at the amount of Arcane Power exceeded well over 2,000, I felt rather strange. Of course, I didn''t really intend to sneak away and get a spare from White Wind. I had just thought of doing that because I was very upset at the time. But¡­ I hadpletely forgotten about this¡­ I cautiously checked the Archmage''s state. The bandages he¡¯d cut open to treat me were back in ce, as was the shirt that had been removed. ¡¾I''m sorry, I''m sorry¡­¡¿ The kid who¡¯d attacked me¡­ Well. It looks like she received proper treatment. The injured area was well bandaged, and she was wearing a splint. She seemed a bit more wounded than I remembered, but she surely couldn¡¯t have gotten even more hurt after returning to the vige, right? It had been dark, and the situation was rather chaotic, so I must have just seen it wrong. What really concerned me was something else. I mean, since she had returned to the vige and gotten seriously injured, if she had a guardian, they definitely would have been here with her¡­ But since no one was here, I was guessing she didn¡¯t have one? Siiigh. I almost patted the head of the crying kid before me, but I realized that this would be seriously out of character. Fortunately, only the kid saw my true nature during that chaos¡­ Still, one could never know. If the kid had told anyone what had happened, she might have mentioned what I¡¯d told her¡ªbut then again, she couldn¡¯t even understand mynguage. For the first time, I was seriously d we couldn¡¯t understand each other. No matter what I said, no one could tell if I was acting out of character. Still, the meaning of crying was universally understood. Since she¡¯d also seen that, I needed to be more careful for now. Patting her head would definitely be out of character. So, I just leaned against the wall, holding my right arm. Maybe it was because my wound hadn¡¯t fully healed yet, but I felt strangely tired. Or maybe I¡¯d spent more time near that waterfall than I thought? Or perhaps because I woke up too early from my passed-out state? ¡°Can we talk?¡± However, I still had many hurdles to ovee before I could rest properly. The consequences of putting off telling him about the seal had finally caught up with me. Damn it. ¡°¡­Your injuries¡­ No, I mean, is the wound okay?¡± Wouldn¡¯t the person who¡¯d treated me know that better than I would? I looked at my HP bar with a nk expression. In my extensive experience, I¡¯d found that the HP bar was somewhat unreliable, but it was still pretty intuitive since it disyed my state in numbers. As long as it was full, I knew I wouldn¡¯t die, at least. In that sense, I could say I was fine. Although my shoulder wound was still covered in herbs and bandages, and the wound near my heart was obviously covered with new flesh, and my HP was still fluctuating a little, but it wasn¡¯t declining! So, at least it wasn¡¯t getting worse, right? That should be good enough. These wounds would heal properly over time. Unlike the scars imprinted on one¡¯s mind and soul, these would heal as time passed. ¡°¡­I heard the child attacked you.¡± ¡°So?¡± Was he really jumping straight to talking about punishing the child? Of course, even though I forgave her, attempting to kill someone was still wrong. Proper discipline was necessary. If we let it slide, it would set a bad precedent for the kid. However, the punishment here¡­ probably wouldn¡¯t be anything I would approve of, right? This world was a lot harsher, and the punishments were severe. Given that this was an attempted murder, it certainly warranted punishment, but I hoped to avoid anything as extreme as execution, especially since the child seemed to understand that she¡¯d done something wrong. Ah, seriously, did this kid really have no guardian? Ideally, this should be discussed with her guardian. ¡°What do you think we should do?¡± While I was thinking about these things, the Archmage asked me this after carefully choosing his words. I was quite surprised since I expected him to ask why I saved the child or something else along those lines. ¡°If we hand this child over to the tribe, they will probably administer their internal punishments. Execution is the most likely oue.¡± The Archmage also seemed to think that the child might get executed. ¡°I¡¯ll follow your lead since you¡¯re the one who was harmed.¡± True. It¡¯s impossible not to realize this much. The people who¡¯de in here with various items during my treatment all seemed more than eager to take the child away, and there was no way the Archmage would have missed the hostility contained in their actions. He probably sent everyone else out of the room before I woke up properly to protect the child until the situation became clearer. ¡°The child says she¡¯s sorry.¡± As I looked at the child while lost in thought, the Archmage seemed to interpret that as curiosity. I didn¡¯t really want to know that, though. Although I couldn¡¯t understand what she said, the nuance was pretty clear, so I kind of figured that was what she¡¯d said. ¡°¡­Or are you curious about why the child attacked you?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°Tell her.¡± Above all else, I¡­ ¡°Apologies are meaningless.¡± Of course, I was curious about the reason, but given how my character was set up, it would be a bit difficult to ask. I never wanted her to apologize anyway. Honestly, there was no way such a young child would attack me for no reason. So, either I¡¯d done something wrong, or someone else put her up to it. Both scenarios were pretty easy to imagine. Considering this child had no guardian, she could be the daughter of someone who got executed because of me. Or, if someone put her up to it, it might be Atarte, whose pride I utterly smashed to pieces not too long ago. So, I just, just¡­ ¡°There won¡¯t be a second chance.¡± I hoped this child would receive a fitting punishment to ensure they wouldn¡¯t make the same mistake again and grow into a better person because of it. Just as many adults had. ¡°Are you forgiving this child?¡± ¡°If she tries again, I¡¯ll kill her. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°¡­Then, should I hand her over to the tribe?¡± ¡°I said I would kill her if she tried again.¡± ¡°I see.¡± I hoped the Archmage would understand what I meant, even if I spoke rather unorthodoxly. He understood, right? He had to. In this situation where handing over the child to the tribe would mean her death, he had to have some inkling as to what kind of decision we needed to make. ¡¾¡­He says you should make sure not to repeat the same mistake rather than just apologizing here.¡¿ ¡¾B-But still¡­¡¿ ¡¾Yes, yes. You¡¯re wondering how he could possibly forgive you. But we understand your feelings. Your resentment is valid, regardless of right or wrong. It¡¯s justified¡­ and I¡¯m trying to understand.¡¿ ¡¾¡­How¡­ How could you possibly understand me? I-I lost everything¡­!¡¿ ¡¾Yes. Because of us.¡¿ ¡¾And knowing that¡­!¡¿ ¡¾But your parents tried to kill other people¡¯s children.¡¿ ¡¾¡­!!¡¿ ¡¾That¡¯s why he drew his sword, to save the weak. The children who were captured at that time¡­ They were the only reason he got involved in your affairs.¡¿ ¡¾¡­Th-That¡¯s.¡¿ Meanwhile, I wondered what the Archmage was saying to make her cry even more. What were they discussing for so long? ¡¾We¡¯re not telling you not to resent us. No matter what your parents did, we had no right to take them from you. You can resent us. It¡¯s only natural that you do. Even if you pick up your de to enact vengeance again¡­ We would understand. But¡­ it seems to me that you already know that much.¡¿ ¡¾¡­I know. I know, and yet¡­ even though I know. I heard my dad and mom talking all night¡­!¡¿ ¡¾Yes, yes.¡¿ ¡¾But¡­ But I still feel so angry¡­!¡¿ ¡¾It¡¯s not your fault. Your anger is justified.¡¿ ¡¾Daaaddy¡­!¡¿ I really had no idea what they were talking about. I didn¡¯t understand why the child, who had already been sobbing, started crying even harder. ¡¾We are sorry. Truly.¡¿ But she seemed to be finding some sort offort in his words, so I felt relieved. ¡¾¡­Why must children suffer because of adults¡¯ greed?¡¿ I briefly closed my eyes. * * * ¡°Hmm. Looks like she¡¯s asleep.¡± Having confirmed that the wailing child had fallen asleep, the Archmageid her gently down to one side. Beyond that, there wasn¡¯t much else he could do. The Demon Knight was also asleep. ¡°He must have been very tired.¡± It was rather unusual for him to fall asleep in the presence of others. The Archmage took a nket ced nearby and covered him with it. His peacefully sleeping face didn¡¯t look like that of someone who had been stabbed in the heart not too long ago, nor like someone who had just forgiven the one responsible. Yes. It was just an ordinary face, like that of a young shepherd from pastoral scenes. ¡°¡­Even after nearly dying, he still granted her another chance.¡± So, did that make him akin to those saints wandering the world in the guise of shepherds? Or had he already be a saint long ago? To forgive her without even asking why the child did what she did, such tolerance was something only a saint could have¡­ ¡°Hah.¡± Of course, that couldn¡¯t be the case. Their merciless God would never appoint someone who harbored a Demon as a saint. A Demon Knight who held a Great Demon within himself could never be selected as one. However, if he wasn''t a saint, how else could his actions be exined? The Archmage had heard her situation and chosen to refrain from punishing her out of pity and to avoid inflicting any unnecessary guilt, but¡­ To forgive her without even hearing the reason, what kind of person would that make him? He wasn''t foolishly kind or naive, so he must have had some sort of idea of her situation and still chose to forgive her. Yes. He must have known and still let it go. ¡°If you weren''t the vessel of a Demon, perhaps we would have met in a Temple.¡± And that made him wonder. If he could give a second chance to a child in this situation as the Demon Knight, just what kind of person would he have been had he led a more peaceful and ordinary life? ¡°No. It''s difficult to make any assumptions without knowing his past. I noticed he had some form of swordsmanship training, going by his fighting style, so perhaps he belonged to a Knight family.¡± His thoughts wandered further, reaching for the Demon Knight''s past. Had he always been this seemingly indifferent yet kind person even before bing the Demon''s vessel? Or was he once bright and lively? These thoughts came to him, showing his desire to know more about the Demon Knight''s past¡ªquestions that would never reach the Demon Knight''s ears and thus likely remain unanswered forever. Buzz. Just then, themunicator buzzed. ¡°Ah, just in time. Could you see if the Serhan tribe could perhaps take in a child¡ª?¡± ¨C Sure, sure. I''ll ask. But I have to tell you something first. ¨C At White Wind''s words, the Archmage perked up his ears. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Could something have happened to the thief kid or the warriordy he¡¯d sent? He felt a bit tense. ¨C The Serhan chief said that during the Katina period, one absolutely cannot meet the Mountain Lord, or more precisely, the priests of the swamp who serve him. Any contact during that time might be seen as an attempt to acquire the position of warchief illegitimately, so no matter what connections one might have, none may approach them during the Katina period. ¨C ¡°¡­Is that really true?¡± If it was, then what about the promise the Vigabol chief had made them? ¨C I don''t know. Maybe the Vigabol chief thought he could do it despite knowing this, or he was just lying, but the Serhan chief and the priests were pretty clear. The priests of the swamp absolutely won''t allow any contact during this period. What are you going to do now? ¨C It could be that the Serhan''s influence was just too weak, making it seem impossible for them. However, it was also very possible that the Vigabol chief had lied. ¡°¡­I think it''s thetter.¡± ¨C You also think he was lying? ¨C ¡°Tsk. What a waste of time.¡± That meant every moment they¡¯d spent here and all the assistance they¡¯d provided the Vigabol chief might as well be worthless. The Archmage, whose mind had been clouded by a chance to meet the Mountain Lord, shook his head, ming himself for not suspecting anything. ¡°It''s best we leave immediately if we can.¡± ¨C Hmm. Okay. So, we don''t need toe to you anymore? But what about those two who just left? They don''t have a wizard with them, so I can''t contact them. ¨C ¡°¡­We''ll regroup with them here after resting for a bit and prepare to leave.¡± ¨C Got it. ¨C They¡¯d already left? Sometimes, being too quick could also be troublesome. Entertaining these thoughts, the Archmage began calcting where to meet those two who¡¯d already started making their way here. However, he, too, was rather sleep-deprived. Unable to ovee his own fatigue, he also fell asleep. He nned to think about this more after getting a bit of rest. Chapter 126: That’s Enough (1) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 126 That¡¯s Enough (1) ¡¾Our apologies. Because of our shorings¡­¡¿ After getting an appropriate amount of sleep, he woke up at around noon. The Archmage checked on those who¡¯d lingered outside while they¡¯d rested, unable to enter. Had it not been for the barriers he¡¯d meticulously set up before going to sleep, at least one of them would have surely tried to sneak in. One could tell just by looking at their faces and their constant subtle nces over his shoulder into the room. Their expressions showed far too little concern for the Demon Knight to chalk it up to them being worried about him. Clearly, they were much more concerned about the child. Well, given the circumstances, this wasn''t particrly strange. After all, because of theirck of supervision, a child of someone who¡¯dmitted treason managed to attack one of their guests. However, there was more to this. The child had definitely received help escaping her cell, and that person was definitely targeting the Demon Knight. Moreover, this happened the same night the Demon Knight shed with this tribe¡¯s chief. While it seemed too poorly thought out to be called a proper n, it was too suspicious to be a mere coincidence. The Archmage had no intention of overlooking this. Even if this wasn''t the chief''s n, he should have ensured the child''s safety so something like this wouldn''t have happened. Since the Demon Knight had given the child a second chance, he had even more reason now to uphold his decision. ¡¾It''s alright.¡¿ ¡¾Th-The child¡­¡¿ ¡¾We''ll take care of her ourselves.¡¿ ¡¾Huh?¡¿ It might seem a tad ridiculous for the victim to not only forgive but also protect the perpetrator, but what could he do? The words had already left his mouth. He let out a dryugh, declined the offered meal, and shut the door again. Knowing that the Vigabol chief had deceived them and was now suspected of instigating a child to murder, he decided not to ept any more favors from them. ¡¾Urgh¡­¡¿ At that moment, the child slowly awoke. As the light shone on her yellow eyes, they seemed vividly golden, like glowing liquid honey. ¡¾Ah!¡¿ The child looked around where she had been lying and noticed the nket covering her. She soon started fidgeting with it. Seeing her cheeks flush like that made her endearingly look her age. ¡¾Would you like something to eat?¡¿ Although he¡¯d declined that meal earlier, he still had some snacks prepared. ¡¾¡­Erm, is it¡­ alright not to wake him?¡¿ ¡¾It''s fine.¡¿ While eating was important, there was no need to wake someone sleeping so deeply just for that. Besides, he needed rest. Though he had been sleeping more recently, likely due to the poison, it was still far below average. ¡°No¡­ the one who sleeps the least is actually Berserk. Warriors, indeed.¡± ¡¾Hmm?¡¿ ¡¾Nothing. Eat up.¡¿ The Archmage had decided the Demon Knight could use some more sleep and didn''t wake him. However, when he still hadn¡¯t woken up the following morning when the sun was already high in the sky, he began to worry that something might be wrong. * * * ¡®Get angry. Get angry at all the unfair suffering you must go through.¡¯ ¡®Isn''t it about time you stop pretending everything''s fine? Now is the time for you to get mad, don''t you think?¡¯ ¡®Aren''t you tired of being fooled by tant lies?¡¯ ¡®Don''t you hold any hatred for those who made you stain your hands with blood?¡¯ ¡®The child who stabbed you in the heart is right in front of you. She tried to kill you. How can you forgive her so easily?¡¯ ¡®Escaping reality any longer is just¡­¡¯ ¡¸ ¡ø Sleep for 1 hour 00 minutes ¨‹ ¡¹ ¡¸ ¡ø Sleep for 1 hour 00 minutes ¨‹ ¡¹ ¡¸ ¡ø Sleep for 1 hour 00 minutes ¨‹ ¡¹ . . . ¡°¡­ight.¡± The dreamless sleep sure left me feeling unexpectedlyfortable. ¡°¡­Knight!¡± This system, which let me fall asleep instantly without needing to toss and turn even when I wasn''t tired, sure was useful. No, it was actually the best. ¡°¡­mon Knight!¡± Honestly, I probably wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep properly in this ce due to stress, but with this, I could at least restfortably. ¡°Demon Knight!¡± However, any sleep must eventuallye to an end. It was now time to wake up. ¡°¡­What is it?¡± I slowly opened my eyes and assessed the situation. Having repeated this long cycle of sleeping, waking up, and falling back asleep, I had no idea how long I''d slept. Judging by the hoarseness of my voice, it seemed I had slept for over half a day. ¡°¡­Are you alright?¡± ¡°I asked you, what is it?¡± How long did I sleep? Wondering if something urgent had happened that made him want to wake me up, I looked around. There was nothing unusual. ¡°¡­Erm, No, well, it¡¯s nothing really. But, aren¡¯t you hungry?¡± Judging by the sunlight streaming into the room, it appeared to be daytime. If I had fallen asleep around dawn, it would make sense for it to be midday now, but¡­ If that were the case, the Archmage wouldn''t be wearing such a worried expression. Also, my satiety had dropped significantly. Did I sleep for over a day? ¡°I woke you because it¡¯s time that you ate something.¡± In that case¡­ I¡¯d slept a lot longer than I thought. Whenever I woke up, my mind was half-asleep and my thoughts would wander in weird directions, so I repeatedly tried using the sleep system each time, which must have led to this mistake. My mistake. ¡°I won¡¯t force you¡­ but I would like you to listen to my thoughts.¡± However, what was done was done. Judging by how my fatigue level was now zero, one couldn¡¯t call this an entirely bad thing, either. I agreed and sat at the table, epting the situation for what it was. I had some fleeting worries about this potentially being seen as me breaking character, but I quickly dismissed such thoughts. It wasn¡¯t exactly in line with my character, but considering I had gotten stabbed close to that heart, I figured I could just chalk this up as an aftereffect. Honestly, at this point, it would be even weirder if theyined about my sleeping or believed it wasn¡¯t in character or something. ¡°I thought it would be unwise to continue epting the chief¡¯s hospitality, so I just took out what I had with me. It¡¯s just a simple meal, but¡­ is that fine with you?¡± The Archmage offered me a slight apology as he sat at the table. I had wondered why the meal looked so different from ourst, and it turned out this was the reason. Well, I wouldn¡¯t want to ept any favors from an abusive lunatic who threatened children¡¯s lives. Better to eat in rice with soy sauce than ept anything more from that piece of trash. Yeah, yeah. With that in mind, I had noints about this simple meal. After all, someone prepared this meal especially for me, so how could I be dissatisfied? I had some dietary preferences¡­ but there was nothing on this table I wouldn¡¯t eat. I ate the grain porridge without a word. The child, who seemed to have understood what I¡¯d poorly tried expressing before falling asleep, also remained at the table. The Archmage and the child seemed to have grown quite close while I was asleep. ¡°So, I¡¯m thinking we should leave soon¡­ but would you like to rest some more before we go?¡± It was good that they got along. With my mind in somewhat of a daze, I put the porridge into my mouth with a spoon. The Archmage¡¯s words that had reached my ears were slowly getting processed in my brain. It took me a couple of moments for me to get the meaning. Were we finally going to meet the Mountain Lord? Or had he decided to scrap the whole thing after discovering that the Chief was utter garbage? I would personally prefer thetter, but since this was the Magic Tower¡¯s request, it was probably the former, right? ¡°No need.¡± I answered casually, already convinced it was like that. If he was showing me this much concern because he thought I¡¯d slept so long due to my injuries, it wasn¡¯t necessary. My condition wasn¡¯t bad enough to dy our departure. ¡°Really¡­? Hmm. Alright, then. Just don¡¯t push yourself too hard. There¡¯s no harm in resting a bit longer if you need it.¡± True, but my character setting didn¡¯t allow for that. I mechanically finished the porridge. The hot food seemed to warm me from the inside, but the subtle chill I was feeling didn¡¯t fully disappear. ¡¾Erm¡­ What are you talking about¡­¡¿ ¡¾Ah, it¡¯s nothing. Just what I told you yesterday, Akata.¡¿ ¡¾Ah¡­¡¿ No matter how warm my surroundings were, no matter how hot the food I ate, there remained a chill brought on by a sadness that would never truly disappear. ¡°Then let¡¯s head out. Make sure you have everything¡­¡± ¡­But I needed to pull myself together. I wiped away the thoughts trying to drag me into a downward spiral and fixed my expression. My character would never show any fatigue or weariness. That¡¯s what one called Coolness¡­ or was it Koolness? I was suddenly confused about that word¡¯s English spelling. * * * * * * Bang!!! Would they not even allow me to focus on something like this? I frowned, thinking they were being too much despite knowing it was just the flow of the quest. Sure, minor issues could escte into major events, but for this to happen continuously is a bit much. This was the third explosion I¡¯d heard since entering the Great Forest! If they kept repeating this same pattern, yers were certain to get bored and drop this game like a hot potato! ¡°¡­Really, there¡¯s never a dull moment here.¡± See? Even the Archmage looked fed up with this bullshit. I grumbled internally about the scenario writers being goddamn sry parasites. Not that I really believed that. From what I¡¯d heard, scenario writers had to do a whole lot of work. ¡¾What was that sound¡­?¡¿ ¡¾Akata, stay here for a moment.¡¿ While the Archmage soothed the child, I opened the door and stepped outside. My eyes narrowed as I scanned the surroundings to figure out what was happening. ng, ng, ng!! ¡¾We¡¯re under attack!¡¿ ¡¾The Jatav are here!¡¿ I¡¯d had a gut feeling when I heard that explosion, but this definitely looked like an attack, right? ¡°The Jatav must have an endless supply of troops or something¡­¡± With a weary (internal) sigh, I watched people run toward the vige entrance. Adding in the Archmage¡¯s words, it was clear that not only was this an attack, but the attackers were indeed the Jatav. Yeah. The same guys who¡¯d caused a ruckus back when we were staying with the Serhan tribe. They certainly were an aggressive tribe. Katana or Katina or whatever, they seemed to be attacking everyone everywhere during the period when they chose the next warchief. Was keeping one¡¯s political enemies in check like this really allowed? ¡°We have no more reason to be involved in this fight. It¡¯d better if we just¡­¡± At that moment, the Archmage, clutching his forehead, seemed lost in thought. ¡°They deceived us first, so there¡¯s no more need for politeness. Let¡¯s just use this opportunity to leave quietly.¡± His words were so out of nowhere and without context that I found them quite puzzling. Hey, you couldn¡¯t just say things like that without exining anything. I didn¡¯t get what he meant. What deception? Was that kid really an assassin sent by Atarte?? ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I asked, a bit irritated. Although my character usually cared little for what went on around him, I had to ask this time. He mentioned someone ¡®deceiving¡¯ us, and my character absolutely couldn¡¯t stand getting deceived. ¡°Ah¡­ I forgot you don¡¯t know yet.¡± The Archmage apologized, ming his forgetfulness on his old age¡ªthough, in my opinion, my memory was even worse than his¡ªand briefly exined what he had learned yesterday. After he was done, I concluded that Atarte was indeed a total bastard. I¡¯d had a bad feeling about him when discovering he was a domestic abuser, but learning he¡¯d also tricked us intoing here with conditions he couldn¡¯t fulfill? Yeah, that guy was rotten from the start. ¡®Shouldn¡¯t he be just killed?¡¯ Seriously, shouldn¡¯t he be killed? When that thought came to mind, I clenched my fist tightly for a moment before rxing it again. No matter how much of a worthless, irredeemable scumbag he was, killing him would vite human rights¡ªmainly my own. Regardless, dirtying my hands with the blood of trash like that would be an insult to my hands. Resolving everything through violence was wrong to begin with. However, that didn¡¯t change the fact that he was a criminal who should be isted from society. I clenched my lips, trembling with anger, looking at the victims who had no choice but to endure because I couldn¡¯t intervene. If I wanted to keep following my character setting, I should be thinking about how to act in this situation, but my personal feelings kept pushing me toward wanting to punish him. I couldn¡¯t live like this. ¡°You, perhaps¡­¡± My expression was probably pretty bad. The Archmage, sweating profusely¡ªwell, he wasn¡¯t actually sweating, but he seemed to be¡ªlooked like he wanted to say something to me. ¡¾Damn it, magic!!¡¿ However, he missed his timing. Another loud explosion erupted. Unlike before, when we were inside the building, we could now clearly see what was happening. ¡°They¡¯re breaking through.¡± That was an urate assessment. All the priests here had sided with the rebels, leaving no one to counter the enemy¡¯s spells. Except for the Archmage, who was here as a guest and essentially hired as a mercenary. ¡¾Guests!!¡¿ Look at them. They were running straight toward us. The Archmage and I frowned as we saw people approach. It wasn¡¯t like we had stood here long or appeared overly rxed. Despite that brief exnation, we hadn¡¯t spent even a minute outside. But so what, I guess. It¡¯s not like finding and calling out to someone was only possible if they were nearby. That was all. ¡¾The traitors brought in the Jatav. Please, help u¡ª¡¿ ¡¾I¡¯m sorry, but that won¡¯t be possible.¡¿ The Archmage cut them off coldly, even though they hadn¡¯t fully exined the situation yet. He seemed to be hurrying his decision, possibly to prevent me from going after Atarte¡­ Well, only he would know. ¡¾We have received a message from the Magic Tower. Our situation has also be quite urgent.¡¿ ¡¾If things continue like this, we¡¯ll be defeated!¡¿ ¡¾I¡¯m truly sorry, but we really can¡¯t help.¡¿ His tone was as cold as the Siberian tundra. ¡¾Why¡­!¡¿ ¡¾My apologies. As I mentioned yesterday, we¡¯ll take care of this child.¡¿ Meanwhile, I was still contemting whether I should deal with Atarte myself, but I figured the Vigabol tribe would fall regardless. Interfering had simply too many consequences, even if Atarte was a bastard. Damn it all. ¡¾¡­The chief left us a message in case you guests refused.¡¿ Goddamnit. ¡°If you do not act, we will lose everything anyway. I will kill all the vige children. ¡¾That¡¯s what it says.¡¿¡± A true bastard nevermitted just one evil act. * * * ¡°Damn, we finally got here, but why is this ce so chaotic already¡­¡± ¡°Fight! Battle! Berserk wants to join in!¡± ¡°Wait a sec, Miss Fighter. Why would you want to join a fight that¡¯ll only bring losses??¡± Until recently, the most uncooperative and difficult person to deal with in Deathbringer¡¯s life was the Demon Knight. However, ever since Berserk joined their party, that ranking might be changing. She was usually fine, but when it came to fighting, she wouldpletely lose her mind. Meanwhile, the Demon Knight was always fairly umunicative, especially when it had anything to do with Demons, so he still held the top spot. ¡°I definitely joined you guys to find more people to fight. But every time, you tell me not to fight¡­ You liar¡­¡± ¡°I never promised you anything like that.¡± The only thing he¡¯d thought when she joined them was, ¡°Ooh, so she¡¯s joining us.¡± He¡¯d never tried persuading her to join. Deathbringer, rejecting any involvement in that matter altogether, brought up to his eyes an item that White Wind had given him. It was supposed to help one detect the aura of living beings, allowing one to see through walls. It was helpful in nning out infiltration routes but rather inconvenient for finding people. Every person just looked like their silhouettes, colored in various hues¡ª ¡°Ah!¡± White Wind had said Arcane Power users would be easy to spot, and now he understood why. If ordinary people¡¯s colors were faint and blended into the background, Arcane Power users¡¯ colors were very vibrant and distinct. As for the Demon Knight and the Archmage¡­ ¡°There¡¯s no mistaking them.¡± Their auras were so immense that they didn¡¯t even resemble a person''s outline anymore. The Archmages¡¯ was a bit fuzzy but still person-like, while the Demon Knight¡¯s was just¡­ just¡­ It was like a circle had been cut out of space, as if even observing him wasn¡¯t permitted. ¡°But why are theying this way¡­?¡± Were they nning to join the fight? Well, considering they¡¯d been promised a meeting with the Mountain Lord, it wasn¡¯t strange that they would cooperate, but hadn¡¯t they decided not to get involved in politics? ¡°¡­Young hunter.¡± But why¡ª ¡°Get down.¡± In an instant, Deathbringer swallowed hard before feeling a weight press down on him. The unexpected heaviness of the muscles pressing down on him was overwhelming. However, that was nothingpared to what happened next. ©¤©¤©¤! A wave that barely even made a sound shook the heavens and earth, throwing back his hood and making his hair flutter wildly. Had Berserk not pinned him down, the wind pressure would have made his body suffer quite some injuries. ¡°What the¡­¡± Then he saw it. Above him, the dense trees that once stretched endlessly skyward were gone without a single trace. Just like what had happened to the castle on Montata Ind, where it had all been reduced to dust, leaving only a small part of the lower section behind. Chapter 127: That’s Enough (2) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 127 That¡¯s Enough (2) That ckmailing bastard made a desperate attempt, thinking I would be swayed, but he was mistaken. The worst oue would be if that guy survived with my help and continued being chief or became warchief. I might not know much about the Jatav tribe, but I knew Atarte was the kind of guy who¡¯d set back the lives of his people by decades. However, I couldn¡¯t just ignore the children. So, in the end, I yed myst card. ¡°Hah, you came. I knew you wouldn¡¯t be able to abandon the kids, huh?¡± Leaving behind Akata¡ªwhat the Archmage called the child¡ªwould have likely resulted in her being taken hostage, so I brought her along. Survival came first, no matter what brutal scenes would unfold before us. However, even if Akata was safe, the other children were still at risk. The same applied to the child Atarte held in his hands at this very moment. He used two of his six arms to lift the child onto his shoulders. Seeing the child¡¯s crying face, it was abundantly clear they weren¡¯t enjoying this at all. ¡°I¡¯ll be in trouble if you use Arcane Power, after all.¡± Ah. So, he was using the child as a meat shield to protect his head from my [Arcane Spear]? ¡°Also, I need to be wary of that priest on your side, right? I might not know much about this, but I can sense Arcane Power.¡± Atarte pointed behind him as if to say he would kill the kids if we tried anything funny. I saw children tied up such that they were hanging at the height of an adult. It seemed he had done this after he observed me taking care of the rebels. It had been a while since Ist encountered such an absolute bastard. ¡°So, are you going to help us now? They came here with a small elite force, taking advantage of ourck of priests, so they¡¯re mostly using magic and even brought along the Jahukaya. However, there aren¡¯t many of them. If we take care¡­¡± Seeing this made a surge of furious heat rise to my eyes. ¡®Aren¡¯t you angry?¡¯ Really. ¡®Don¡¯t you want to kill him?¡¯ Irritating. ¡®Don¡¯t hold back.¡¯ I¡¯d never thought living like a pushover was wrong. The losses I¡¯d suffered were mostly manageable, and sometimes, these losses even provided some with irreceable opportunities. ¡®You don¡¯t need to endure this anymore.¡¯ But sometimes, seeing people trying to exploit my goodwill made me sick. ¡®Let¡¯s just kill them all.¡¯ Did they think they could take advantage of me because I stayed quiet? I wasn¡¯t that kind of easy person. ¡°Demon Knight?¡± ¡¸Rage¡¹ I recognized the depth and intensity of this boiling anger. It was so unbearable. With my stress level already incredibly high, I couldn¡¯t handle any more of this disgusting situation. ¡°Demon Knight!¡± ¡¸Nullifies all status conditions except Rage¡­¡¹ But that didn¡¯t matter. ¡¸ig©¤©¤@# further status4#^con7%$to$$^&[email protected] #$*^[email protected]#[email protected]@#&*?????¡¹ I already knew what would happen if my forcefully suppressed anger erupted and what results it could bring. ¡°Demon Knight, what are you trying to¡ª!¡± ¡¸Error!¡¹ First, I focused my anger away from the children and civilians around me. ¡®¡­How?¡¯ It was different from when I was on the ind. Back then, I was furious at so many things: the enemies tormenting children and the gory sights they made me witness. Yet, I had to suppress my emotions. That only amplified my anger until I fell into [Rage]. But the situation was different now. Now, I could release my anger before it could paralyze my mind. It was okay to do so. ¡®How can you control your anger?¡¯ If one could direct one¡¯s anger in the right direction and act in a purposeful and rightful manner, then anger wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing, either. Releasing water before the dam broke wasn¡¯t a sign of impatience but a wise action. ¡®How?¡¯ Thus, I focused on my target and concentrated the surging Arcane Power in my right arm into one point. ¡®A mere human.¡¯ ¡°Demon Knight¡ª!¡± And when the Arcane Power was fully gathered into a single point, I unleashed all my anger and sorrow along with it. My Arcane Power, which had been 2,941 points, instantly plummeted to 0 as I fired a pitch-ck beam. ©¤©¤©¤! With a thunderous roar too loud to even call a sound, a long, ck, serpentine energy beam streaked across the sky. Where this giant snake had passed, it looked as if a giant had taken a bite out of the forest, leaving nothing behind. The sight was so overwhelming I couldn¡¯t even let out a dryugh. In a world where Arcane Power and swords were amon sight, this felt like it would be part of a myth. ¡°Try it.¡± Soe on, you bastard. Let¡¯s reset the board. ¡°You will soon realize that the lives of these children are directly tied to your own.¡± You''re not the only one who can threaten others. * * * ¡­I thought I could finally bring him down this time. ¡¸Ah. Aaah¡­¡¹ * * * ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°What? Are you surprised by my unexpected reaction?¡± Our surroundings grew silent. It was an eerie silence, quite incongruous for a battlefield where two tribes were fighting against each other. ¡°You thought I would fear carrying away the corpses of innocent children?¡± However, considering what I had just done and how the resulting wind pressure had demolished several houses and sent people flying, it wasn¡¯t really that surprising. ¡°Kill them! I have already murdered my own blood. What difference would the blood of these children make?!¡± Even if he didn¡¯t have the presence of mind to look away from me, he¡¯d surely have noticed his surroundings after being thrown to the ground, especially when everyone around him was staring at the forest behind him. How could he not at least nce over his shoulder? Finally, those who still had the guts to move after seeing that scene, well¡­ ¡°However, remember this!¡± There wouldn¡¯t be any, at least not until I finished talking, right? ¡°If you kill those children, I will rip your flesh, crush your bones, and shred your insides before scattering them over the graves of those innocent souls in vengeance!¡± So, let¡¯s do this¡ªthis game of chicken. Whether he went all out and killed everyone here or if he couldn¡¯t do anything, enabling me to save all the children as I intended. Whoever blinked first would lose. ¡°Then make your choice!¡± However, I could assure him of one thing: while I might note out as the ultimate winner, he would definitely be the loser. ¡°Will you take these children as yourpanions to the afterlife, or will you choose to quietly mind your own damn business.¡± Either way, he was going to die. ¡°Wh-What¡­?¡± For the first time in quite a long while, my character and true self were united as one to let out this genuine rage straight away. I felt the heating from my cheeks, the warmth of anger. But was that a bad thing? Not really. Even though this situation was utterly shit, I felt strangely refreshed inside. Honestly, this was the first time I could express my anger without worrying about the consequences. Back in Montata, I¡­ well, given the circumstances, I had to be cautious even when I wanted to get seriously angry. ¡°Ch-Children¡­¡± Snap. As I thought, this bastard was seriously flustered. I intentionally brought up my past that was part of the setting to give my words more power, and it seemed to have worked. After all, it was hard to believe someone who¡¯d killed one¡¯s very kin would get swayed by the deaths of some unrted people. That was precisely what I was aiming for. Suppressing the urge tosh out at him, I stabbed my Zweih?nder into the ground beside me. A surge of Arcane Power flowed out of my hand, causing dark energy to emanate along the de. This was a clear threat. ¡°I told you to make your choice.¡± Atst, Atarte, who¡¯d been pathetically yelling at the children, finally shut up. Perhaps because he didn¡¯t want to hasten his end, he didn¡¯ty a finger on them. It was so absurd that I couldn¡¯t evenugh. * * * * * * ¡¾What just¡­ happened¡­¡¿ ¡¾A ck thunder¡­ came out of the stranger¡¯s hand.¡¿ ¡¾Was that a snake¡­ flying through the sky?¡¿ Meanwhile, those around us were muttering among themselves. Neither the invaders nor those defending had the courage to continue fighting, so they just stood there dumbfounded. ¡¾Run away!¡¿ At that moment, a boy around fifteen started running, holding a child. One of the Jatav warriors reflexively drew his spear against that boy. sh! But I couldn¡¯t let that happen. I swung my hand to shoot out an [Arcane Spear], clearly showing that I was the one who did it. One could think of it as me throwing the Arcane Power gathered on my fingertips like a knife or a card. It was far more efficient than manifesting it midair, requiring less Arcane Power. The spear quickly flew forward and severed the Jatav warrior¡¯s spear. His expression turned to shock, and the child hurriedly ran away. ¡°How dare you?¡± What a joke. Did they think I wasn¡¯t siding with the Vigabol and threatening Atarte because I sympathized with those invaders? ¡°My refusal to side with that scum doesn¡¯t justify your aggression. So go ahead, try running wild. The moment you target even one person who is unarmed or unwilling to fight, I will personally take your heads.¡± I stared at the Jatav warrior with fierce, unyielding eyes. I¡¯d heard that unwavering eyes were often described as those of a killer, so I made extra sure to keep my gaze motionless as if it were nailed to them. Whether it was effective or not, the warrior began to sweat profusely and stepped back. ¡¾¡­To the warriors of Jatav, I shall ry to you this message. We are guests of the Vigabol tribe and have no intention of intervening in this conflict¡­ so long as you do not attack those who are unarmed or unwilling to fight.¡¿ Ah, right. They didn¡¯t understand mynguage, right? But that didn¡¯t matter. It seemed like the Archmage was tranting for me. ¡¾I ask of you, please leave the civilians who flee or surrender alone if you don¡¯t want us to intervene.¡¿ Of course, this kind of made me feel like I¡¯d be some international organization like the UN¡­ but who cares? The strength I¡¯d shown could save lives, and that was all that mattered. ¡¾We can¡¯t trust the words of outsiders!¡¿ ¡¾So what if you can¡¯t? What will you do then? Be warned, the one beside me won¡¯t treat you as politely as I do.¡¿ ¡¾¡­!!¡¿ ¡¾I repeat, you have no other choice. Please don¡¯t force us to make the worst decision here.¡¿ Fortunately, the Jatav stopped directing their swords toward the civilians, perhaps understanding the Archmage¡¯s trantion. ¡¾Damn it. Ultimately, that means you¡¯re siding with the Jatav under the guise of neutrality! You are our guests, yet you n to stand by and watch our tribe get annihted!¡¿ ¡¾It seems to me that the chief crossed the line first. Furthermore, it appears the one pushing the Vigabol over the edge isn¡¯t us.¡¿ ¡¾Have you no pity for us?!¡¿ I watched as the children and elderly gathered behind me before ring at Atarte again. Even though I couldn¡¯t understand what he was saying, his shameless expression suggested he wasn¡¯t saying anything worthwhile. Atarte, who had been whining to the Archmage, finally flinched. ¡¾It was you, Chief Atarte, who threatened to kill the children if we didn¡¯t intervene! And you dare speak of pity?!!¡¿ The Archmage¡¯s shout echoed in all directions. I was kind of curious about what that bastard said to him. ¡¾And the same goes for those who support the chief! Are you just standing idly by because those taken as hostages are the children of rebels?!¡¿ Wow, the Archmage was seriously furious. I felt my own anger subside for some reason. As before, seeing the usually kind-hearted Archmage so enraged somehow made my own heart shrink in fear. If not for my character setting, I likely would have put my hands together andid my head on the ground. ¡¾How foolish! If those children die, it¡¯s obvious who the next hostages will be!¡¿ ¡¾¡­! What do you mean?!¡¿ ¡¾Wait, what are you saying?!¡¿ ¡¾Onest thing, Chief. You haven¡¯t just gambled with the lives of these children here. You¡¯ve staked the lives of all the children in this vige.¡¿ Not knowing why he was so angry made it even scarier. ¡¾Chief¡­?¡¿ ¡¾That¡¯s a lie. Don¡¯t get swayed! The enemy is right in front of us!¡¿ ¡¾¡­¡¿ However, it seemed their morale was fluttering quite a bit. ¡¾It¡¯s true!!¡¿ At that moment, the child behind me, Akata, shouted loudly. ¡¾That man told me to kill this person, too!! Just because he said that he didn¡¯t want to help!!¡¿ Hey, why was she pointing at me as she spoke¡­ ¡¾¡­Akata?¡¿ ¡¾Whatever, you said that it was highly likely yesterday, right?¡¿ ¡¾But if you do this¡­¡¿ ¡¾My whole family is dead, so what¡¯s the point of this tribe surviving, anyway? I¡¯d rather see this damn tribe burn if it means I can watch Atarte die.¡¿ Hey¡­ ¡¾Ch-Chief, is that true?¡¿ ¡¾Don¡¯t be swayed! Are you going to believe the words of a rebel¡¯s child with the enemy right in front of us?! You should already know that the rebels colluded with the Jatav!!¡¿ ¡¾That bastard doesn¡¯t care about the tribe¡¯s fate! He said if we were going to be defeated anyway, we¡¯d all be dead, so he took all the children hostage!¡¿ In the midst of this chaos, I found myself feeling despondent. Despite my giving these guys a way out, they left me out of their talk¡­ Hmph. Slice! At that moment, Atarte drew his sword. No, more urately, he swung it since he¡¯d already drawn it. In any case, the fact remained that he¡¯d just beheaded someone. It was the person who¡¯d been muttering the most fervently to him. Atarte¡¯s face, seething with rage, surveyed the surroundings with a cold re. ¡¾I am your chief. If there are those among you who would be swayed by the words of an outsider and a rebel¡¯s child, you¡¯d be better off throwing down your weapons and joining them.¡¿ Did he have any¡­ charisma? I couldn¡¯t really tell. After all, to me, he was nothing more than a domestic abuser and scumbag who held children hostage, or, in other words: ¡®a waste of oxygen and a piece of trash that couldn¡¯t even be recycled¡¯. Even if he had charisma, I would absolutely say he didn¡¯t. However, that was just my opinion. The people around us were quick toply. Despite someone having just died, they chose submission over opposition. He wasn¡¯t chief for nothing, I guess. Still a scumbag, though. ¡¾They can¡¯t attack civilians! Use that to your advantage!¡¿ ¡¾¡­Yes!¡¿ It seemed Atarte was somewhat capable. Despite significant losses, he still managed to regroup his forces, making them hold their ground. Considering he couldn¡¯t even call for help andcked priests, it was quite impressive. Still a scumbag, though. ¡¾Damn bastards¡­¡¿ Regardless of the Vigabol tribe¡¯s fate, I certainly hoped the Jatav would at least kill Atarte. I continued ring at the bastard holding the children hostage. Naturally, I was waiting for the moment he released the hostage so I could kill him. It was hard to hope for his defeat like this, considering the children might get caught in the crossfire. That bastard surviving, let alone winning? Those kids would have to live their lives under the rule of this bastard who¡¯d taken them hostage. Ah, how infuriating. ¡®Please. Kill him.¡¯ Couldn¡¯t I just deal with him somehow? ¡®Kill everything that annoys you!¡¯ Seriously, if only I could deal with just that guy¡­ ¡°Mister.¡± Was it just my imagination? I felt like I heard a voice I shouldn¡¯t be hearing¡­ ¡°Mister Knight.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± I turned my eyes toward the voice I¡¯d heard amidst that ringing in my ears. There, between the houses, I caught a glimpse of a green pair of ears and a tail. Behind him, a muscr fighter was peeking out, not entirely hidden. ¡°Erm, well. Is there anything we can help with?¡± ¡°Berserk wants to fight.¡± These guys were truly funny. When did they get here? And why were they hiding like that? Half of Bers¡¯ body was sticking out¡­ Wait a second. I looked toward Deb and Bers again. If this went well¡­ couldn¡¯t we actually save the children? ¡°Wizard.¡± ¡°¡­? What is it.¡± This wasn¡¯t something I could handle alone. I called out to the person with the highest intelligence stat here. It was time toe up with a n. ¡¾Damn it, their resistance is too strong!¡¿ ¡¾Damn. They said not to worry, that even if the rebellion failed, it would still weaken their forces¡­! This is why you can¡¯t trust people from other tribes!¡¿ ¡¾Commander, the Jahukaya have taken heavy damage! What are your orders?!¡¿ ¡¾Use that device! Damn it, I didn¡¯t want to rely on that outsider¡¯s item, but we have no other choice. Throw it!¡¿ Just when I decided toe up with a n¡­ ¡¾Throw it!¡¿ Amid the fierce battle, a small vat was thrown into the middle of the vige. ¡¾Huh?¡¿ ¡¾A-Aaaaaah!¡¿ ¡¾Uwaaaargh!!!¡¿ ¡°¡­It¡¯s the curse!!¡± Disaster began to spread around us. Chapter 128: That’s Enough (3) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 128 That¡¯s Enough (3) ¡¾Hey, are you sure it¡¯s alright toe here like this?¡¿ ¡¾Visiting another tribe¡¯s vige without prior notice is definitely rude¡­ but since we¡¯re allies, I think we can manage somehow.¡¿ ¡¾Even though you¡¯re thinking of abandoning that alliance?¡¿ ¡¾We have no other choice. We were betrayed first.¡¿ Not long after the Thief and the Fighter set off, the Jatav suddenly withdrew. Thanks to that, they were able to head into the Vigabol territory¡­ White Wind was currently moving with the Serhan chief. ¡¾This isn¡¯t just anything. It¡¯s something that concerns the Mountain Lord.¡¿ The reason? Well, it was due to White Wind¡¯s inquiry about the regtions around meeting the Mountain Lord, which appeared to have deepened this issue. ¡¾If he was just lying about contacting the priests of the swamp, then I will apologize, but it¡¯ll give us some peace of mind. However, if he¡¯s truly able to contact them¡­ Yes. As soon as it happens, all the tribes of the Great Forest will point their swords at the Vigabol Tribe. Since we have an alliance with them, our tribe might also suffer, so I can¡¯t just stand by and let that happen.¡¿ ¡¾I see. But is meeting the Mountain Lord during the Katina period really such a sensitive issue?¡¿ ¡¾Whoever is chosen by the Mountain Lord will be the warchief regardless of the results of Katina.¡¿ ¡¾If it¡¯s someone chosen by the Mountain Lord, shouldn¡¯t you respect that?¡¿ ¡¾Yes, you¡¯re right. In the past, the tribes of the Great Forest thought that, as well. However, 80 years ago, someone unable to win Katina manipted the priests of the swamp and falsely imed to be chosen by the Mountain Lord, making him the warchief. They exploited the fact that the Mountain Lord rarely shows himself.¡¿ ¡¾Ah, so that¡¯s why?¡¿ ¡¾Yes. Since then, unless the Mountain Lord makes his choice known before everyone, such ims are considered lies. Naturally, the priests of the swamp have also started avoiding contact to escape any suspicion.¡¿ Having understood the background, White Wind could now see why the Serhan chief was reacting like this. He pouted his lips, thinking the tribes had so many strange rules. ¡¾We¡¯ll see the Vigabol¡¯s vige once we get over this hill.¡¿ ¡¾I see.¡¿ But it somehow seemed unusually noisy¡­ White Wind felt his breath bing shorter as he took the final steps up the hill. The view beyond came into sight. ¡¾A fight?¡¿ ¡¾¡­Oh no.¡¿ It seemed the Jatav had withdrawn in preparation for this. Clicking their tongues, they watched the Jatav and the Vigabol engage in battle. At this rate, they¡¯d be unable to enter the Vigabol¡¯s territory. Even if they could, they shouldn¡¯t, lest they get caught up in this fight. ¡¾We should go back¡ª¡¿ ¡°Wait.¡± At that moment, the Hero, who had been in the rear to support the wizards, stepped forward. Her hair, which was starting to cover her neck, swayed in the wind. ¡°I can sense a curse.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead!¡± What in the world? Why so suddenly? Howe? White Wind blinked in surprise and hurriedly focused his Arcane Power. While it wasn¡¯t really his specialty, he had a basic knowledge of detection spells, so he spread his energy in all directions. ¡°¡­You¡¯re right!¡± ¡¾Erm, what¡¯s happening? Is it okay to let her go ahead¡­?¡¿ ¡°That¡¯s not¡­. ¡¾That¡¯s not the issue right now! A curse appeared over there!¡¿¡± Given this now involved Demons, they could no longer avoid getting involved. White Wind screamed internally about how the situation had escted so quickly as he hurriedly followed the Hero. ¡¾W-Wait.¡¿ ¡¾Chief, what should we do?¡¿ ¡¾¡­If it¡¯s a curse, it¡¯s likely rted to Demons. There shouldn¡¯t be any Demons in the forest guarded by the Mountain Lord. Let¡¯s go!¡¿ ¡¾Yes!!¡¿ Without knowing the details, the Serhan people followed behind them. An unexpected three-way confrontation among these three tribes was about to unfold. * * * ¡¾S-Save us!!¡¿ ¡¾A curse! It¡¯s a curse!!¡¿ ¡¾Those insane Jatav bastards, what did they throw?!!¡¿ ¡¾Death ising!!¡¿ ¡¾C-Commander! Commander, please save me!¡¿ ¡¾Wh-What is this? What on earth did those outsiders give us¡ª!¡¿ Deb had a natural talent for killing people, so I had nned on using that to free the hostages. But why did the situation turn out like this? I looked at the ck liquid spreading from the middle of the vige. It smelled of death and decay. My right arm itched. ¡¾Retreat, retreat now!¡¿ ¡°Run away!¡± We couldn''t ignore this. I plunged into the midst of those dying helplessly. From my experience, it would be fine so long as it didn¡¯t touch bare skin, so I didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡¾Uwargh!¡¿ Whoosh! I quickly rescued people from the spreading ck liquid. More precisely, I grabbed those about to be swallowed by it and threw them behind me. ¡°Wizard, raise a barrier!¡± ¡°O earth, rise and harden.¡± The Archmage seemed better suited as a supporter than a dealer. In any case, the earthen wall that rose from the ground blocked the ck liquid. I continued throwing people over it. Vigabol, Jatav. There was no need for me to distinguish between them. In the face of this damn gue, fighting was meaningless. ¡¾Th-The children!¡¿ Ah, shit. I red at the liquid approaching where the children were being held hostage. The ones hanging were somewhat safer, but the problem was with the kids huddled together, kneeling on the ground. Even with all the power and skills I possessed, there wasn¡¯t a way for me to save everyone securely. ¡°O God!!¡± Damn it. If I couldn¡¯t save them all, then I should at least save as many as I could carry¡ª ¡°Cleanse this corruption!!¡± In that instant, a massive storm of light struck down on us. Although my HP took a hit, I couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Not bad.¡± ¡°¡­! Demon Knight!¡± Wooow! Our dumpling timed that perfectly! As expected of a Hero! Our dumpling really was the best!! I nced at her flushed cheeks before tearing apart the ropes binding the children. The guards watching the kids had already fled, so no one interfered with us. ¡°Free the others.¡± ¡¾Th-Thank you.¡¿ I handed a dagger to the children I¡¯d freed and pointed to the ones still hanging. The children were surprised by my clear show of intent, then quickly nodded. It seemed they¡¯d caught on. ¡°Ah! More importantly, Demon Knight, why is there a curse¡­?¡± Then, I should handle this, huh? Ignoring the Inquisitor¡¯s question, I started to ponder. I¡¯d seen the Jatav guys throw it, but I didn¡¯t exactly know why they had it. But that was something to think aboutter. First, I needed to assess the situation. I quickly scanned over the now somewhat forcibly calmer scene. Many of the Vigabol had suffered from a direct hit, but the Jatav also suffered significant damage. Most of the warriors shing with others had either died or were now suffering from the curse. The Inquisitor was infusing the area with her Divine Power so there wouldn¡¯t be any more deaths, but they would obviously suffer from great pain until fully healed. ¡°Who threw it?¡± But they had brought this upon themselves. I doubt the lower-ranking guys knew about its effects, though¡­ Were they kids? No, they weren''t. Why should I sympathize with grown-ass men who came here to wage war?? I could feel sorry for their deathster, but right now, the ones I should truly pity were the innocents nearly sacrificed because of them. ¡°I asked, who threw it¡­!¡± And to top it off, these curse bombs rted to Demons had appeared here! My character would never tolerate that, right? These goddamn bastards. One side abandoned their humanitypletely, while the other chose to join hands with those who did. And one of these damn scum was seriously going to be the next warchief? How revolting. ¡¾What is happening here?!¡¿ Meanwhile, another force had joined us. I raised my eyebrows upon seeing people from the Magic Tower and the Serhan chiefing through a gap in the wall. ¡°Just what is going on?¡± White Wind came rushing toward me, clutching his pointed hat to keep it from flying off. Faced with this chaotic scene, he covered his mouth. ¡°I want to take one of them as a test subject, but I suppose that won¡¯t be allowed?¡± ¡­I pretended not to hear that. ¡¾You¡¯re¡­!¡¿ ¡¾Chief of Serhan! You¡¯vee at the right time! As an ally, please lend us your aid¡­!¡¿ Atarte, who was reorganizing the frontline after repositioning his warriors, urgently called out. The Serhan chief nced at Atarte, his expression hardening. It was the kind of expression I would often make when meeting someone I really didn¡¯t want to see. You know, smiling on the outside while cursing them out on the inside. ¡¾I¡¯m not here as an ally. I came because a guest informed me of the presence of Demonic Energy, and I volunteered to investigate.¡¿ ¡¾Yes! Right! It was the Jatav who did it!¡¿ ¡¾Is that really¡ª¡¿ Ruuuumble!! Just as Atarte and the Serhan chief exchanged a few words, the ground suddenly began to shake. * * * * * * ¡°Wh-What?¡± The Inquisitor seemed rather startled, but I was still fairly nonchnt about it. Ever sinceing to this region, the unexpected had somehow be almost routine. By now, I wasn¡¯t even fazed anymore. I was just curious about how many surprising events this region still had in store. ¡¾The Mountain Lord!¡¿ I took that back. I was actually shocked. J?rmungandr had shown up in the sky. ¡¾Th-The Mountain Lord¡­!¡¿ I squinted at the white serpent in the sky. Its round, snake-like eyes weren¡¯t particrly scary, just incredibly massive!! It wasn¡¯t just a big snake; it was a colossal, enormous snake! > [Wow, seriously, these guys are crazy.] At that moment, the serpent¡¯s mouth opened slightly, and a sound like a ship¡¯s horn came out. Somehow, it felt like that sound resonated deeply in my ears. > [You¡¯re not the only ones living in this forest. Why are youmitting suicide in my forest? If you want to die, don¡¯t drag others down with you and just croak on your own.] Why did it sound so oddly folksy¡­? > [Ah.] Just then, the snake and I made eye contact. Its eyes blinked twice before it subtly shifted its gaze. > [Did those guys offend you¡­ Is that why you¡¯re angry¡­?] Wait a second. Why was this massive creature being so polite to me? > [I¡¯ll apologize on their behalf, so please, just leave the forest alone¡­] ¡­I felt like a gangster despite not having done anything. Huh?? Excuse me??? ¡¾You are in the presence of the Mountain Lord! Everyone, show your respect!!¡¿ Then people riding on snakes¡­ No, lizards? Came rushing over the walls and buildings. Their attire was unmistakable that of priests, making their identity very clear. The gigantic snake couldn¡¯t be just some ordinary creature, and seeing how everyone bowed their head the moment it appeared, this was surely the ¡°Mountain Lord¡±. That would make those priests the ones who served the Mountain Lord, the priests of the swamp. ¡¾O great Mountain Lord!¡¿ ¡¾Great Mountain Lord!¡¿ ¡¾Please forgive us!¡¿ ¡¾Show us the forest¡¯s judgment!¡¿ More importantly, they really revered this snake. Whether it was the Serhan, the Jatav, or the Vigabol, they all seemed to have forgotten what had happened not too long ago as they bowed deeply and pleaded to the giant snake. ¡¾You there! Immediately show your respect!¡¿ > [Are you out of your mind? It¡¯s not him who should be bowing, but you guys. Hurry up and show some proper manners.] ¡¾¡­I¡¯m pleased to be in the presence of one acknowledged by the Mountain Lord!¡¿ Meanwhile, the priests of the swamp overwhelmingly deferred to me, and I received a deep bow from them. The Inquisitor, standing right behind me and equally clueless about the situation, also slightly bowed. ¡°Erm, Demon Knight. What exactly is going on here?¡± Good question¡­ I¡¯d like to know that myself¡­ > [¡­You¡¯re not angry, are you?] ¡°¡­Are you kidding me, snake?¡± > [Oh my, it looks like you really are angry. All because of these fools¡­] The Mountain Lord scratched its head with the tip of its tail. ¡°Demon Knight? Were you talking to me?¡± The Inquisitor tilted her head as if she didn¡¯t just hear the serpent¡¯s words. > [Just forgive them this once. I promise to educate them properlyter.] How was I supposed to respond to this? Sometimes, I was a bit confused about how my character would act in some situations, but I¡¯d never been as conflicted as I was now. I was mentally sweating, trying hard to determine what to do in this situation. ¡¾O great Mountain Lord!¡¿ Ironically, the one who saved me was Atarte, whom I desperately wanted to tear apart. ¡¾The Jatav dared to bring Demonic artifacts into thisnd! Please deliver a rightful judgment upon them! Punish them!!¡¿ > [And who¡¯s this guy now?] The snake¡¯s gaze turned toward him. Where had his previous puzzlement gone? Looking down at Atarte, the snake¡¯s golden eyes were extremely cold. ¡¾Great Mountain Lord!!¡¿ > [Aah, what a mess, a right mess. Jeez. Doesn¡¯t think about his own wrongdoings and just whines for others to be judged first.] From the Mountain Lord¡¯s words, I could guess what Atarte must have said. It was probably something like, ¡°The Jatav are in the wrong here. Please punish them!¡±. Whining, basically. > [Yeah, well, he¡¯s not wrong, though¡­ Alright? Get them. Let¡¯s give the Jatav a proper once over today.] ¡¾The Mountain Lord hasmanded the Jatav Tribe to prove their loyalty to the Great Forest.¡¿ > [And tell the Vigabol to stand by, as well. They almost caused the forest¡¯s destruction today.] ¡¾¡­The Vigabol tribe will also face judgment.¡¿ ¡¾Wait, why?!¡¿ ¡¾That is the will of the Mountain Lord.¡¿ In any case, the serpent sure had the Vigabol and the Jatav tightly in its grip. There would be no escaping punishment now for those two tribes. If that serpent was indeed very wary of my presence¡­ their punishment wouldn¡¯t be light, either. > [And¡­] The Mountain Lord¡¯s golden eyes swept over the ground and soon fixed on one particr spot. > [This kid¡¯s smart, doesn¡¯t go against our guests, and gets things done well. Let¡¯s make him the next warchief.] ¡¾¡­Chief of the Serhan, Ekuah!¡¿ ¡¾Yes, those who follow the Mountain Lord¡¯s will.¡¿ ¡¾The Mountain Lord has chosen you as the next Warchief. Please bring glory to this forest.¡¿ ¡¾¡­I, this is a presumptuous question, but¡­ is it true that the Mountain Lord has chosen me?¡¿ ¡¾Yes, it is.¡¿ ¡¾Wait a second, this is unfair!¡¿ ¡¾Chief of the Vigabol, Atarte! You dare question the will of the Mountain Lord?!¡¿ Was it just me, or had the warchief who was supposed to be selected during the Katina or something get chosen quite suddenly? ¡¾I cannot ept this!¡¿ ¡¾You dare!!¡¿ > [Hah, that guy¡¯s real amusing.] The situation suddenly became a lot more interesting. No more people would be dying as the snake would handle everything. While pretending to be angry, I watched Atarte¡¯s downfall, regretting I had no popcorn to munch on. Just from the look on his face, it was clear his life was definitely going to fall apart now. ¡¾The position of warchief should go to the one deserving¡ª!¡¿ But the real fun came right after. aaank! ¡¾ ¡ª! How dare a mere priest!¡¿ White chains shot out to bind Atarte. He narrowly avoided them before a massive halberd came rushing at him immediately after. ¡°Wahaha! They say you¡¯re the strongest warrior here!! Fight Berserk!¡± Atarte grabbed it with four of his arms. He had to use four arms just to block the halberd properly, which made his attacker use even more force. ¡¾Who are you?!¡¿ ¡°Gotcha.¡± And right when Atarte had to use most of his arms to block. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking the child.¡± A presence that even I hadn¡¯t noticed took away the child from Atarte¡¯s remaining hands. A perfect team y. ¡°I.¡± At that moment, my opportunity hade. ¡°Told you.¡± With the child no longer in Atarte¡¯s grasp, there were no more reasons for me not to aim my sword at him. The remaining hostages had also been freed already. ¡°The children¡¯s lives are your life.¡± ¡¾¡­!!¡¿ ¡°Wait, hold on, that¡¯s Berserk¡¯s prey¡ª¡± sh! With a single swift motion, I closed in on Atarte. One strike of my sword severed three of his arms. ¡¾Urgh!¡¿ I didn¡¯t give him any time to issue orders or for anyone around him to react. Before he could lose his bnce, I kicked his chest, driving him to the ground. As he hit the ground, I drove my sword into his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll send you to hell.¡± Refreshing retribution wasn¡¯t far off. Chapter 129: That’s Enough (4) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 129 That¡¯s Enough (4) Should I kill him, or should I not? I pondered for a bit while watching him squirm. ording to my character setting, killing him would be the right thing to do, but that failed skill activation due to an error made me pause. ¡¾P-Please spare me¡­¡¿ [Rage] had indeed been canceled due to an error. That confirmed my hypothesis that the trigger for [Rage] was my genuine anger, and by appropriately venting my anger without suppressing it, I could still express anger without the skill activating. Of course, the error appearing was a slight miscalction on my part, but that was a problem for another time. What bothered me now was that the skill activation was ¡®canceled due to the error¡¯. It wasn¡¯t like the skill didn¡¯t activate; it activated but got canceled due to an error. This naturally raised some questions: did the skill really get canceled, or was it not visible but still active? So, would killing this guy benefit me? Looking back, the Madness Gauge seemed to rise significantly every time I killed someone. Wouldn¡¯t killing him fill the Madness Gauge? ¡¾P-Please wait!¡¿ At that moment, someone came running. It was Akata. ¡¾L-Let me kill him.¡¿ In her hands was a knife with an ominous glint. I didn''t know where she¡¯d gotten it from. The clear intent to kill and rage flowed from the girl''s eyes down her cheeks. ¡¾I know my parents were wrong. I also know that you aren''t to me! But him, that bastard, Atarte¡­!¡¿ I didn''t know what exactly she was saying, but I had a hunch. Would it be strange to put it like that? ¡¾You little¡­!¡¿ At that moment, Atarte began to struggle. Seeing him react so desperately to the girl''s words, my desire to kill him waned considerably. ¡°Damn it, kill me! Kill me with your own hands!¡± Especially when he said stuff like that. I bit my lip slightly. Should I let the girl kill Atarte, or should I kill him first to protect her? But would killing him really protect this child? However, as an adult, could I really just stand by and let her kill someone¡­? ¡°What are you hesitating for?¡± At that moment, Berserk spoke up, still looking pretty sullen about losing her prey to me. ¡°If you''re going to let her do it, do it quickly. Revenge changes nothing, but if she doesn''t get her revenge now, she''ll hold on to this grudge forever.¡± Despite her whining about losing her target, her words were surprisingly quite helpful. After a bit more thought, I finally lifted my foot off Atarte''s chest. Akata''s face instantly lit up, while Atarte''s twisted in despair. ¡°You¡­!¡± Stab! My sword''s de bore right into his heart. ¡®Urgh!¡¯ His dying scream quickly dissipated into the air. ¡¾¡­Why, why?¡¿ ¡°There is no salvation at the end of revenge.¡± A person who¡¯d thrown away their own life for the sake of vengeance had no right to deny another¡¯s desire for it. But still, I didn''t want to see this child taking a life. ¡¾Why¡­¡¿ ¡°So don''t ruin yourself by killing something that can¡¯t even be described as a person anymore.¡± The madness that came with killing to settle a grudge wasn''t something a child should bear. ¡°Live your life.¡± Was this the right choice? Who knows. Maybe it wasn''t. Maybe it would have been better for the child to exact her revenge. Given the times, even if I didn¡¯t kill this man, that girl might still end up with blood on her hands one day. But still. Even so. I didn¡¯t want her to carry the burden of having killed someone in her childhood. Even if she remembered me as the bastard who took away her chance at revenge, at least her young hands would remain free of blood for now. ¡°You''re still a person.¡± Killing someone, even for the sake of justice, meant sacrificing a piece of one''s humanity. ¡¾Why¡­?! Why did you stop me from taking revenge?!¡¿ ¡°If the resentment and hatred left behind are too much to bear.¡± ¡¾Why, why did you take away the only thing I could do?!¡¿ ¡°Pass it on to me.¡± ¡¾WHY?!¡¿ ¡°I will bear it all.¡± I passed by Deb and Berserk, who were holding back Akata whileforting a child¡ªthe one Atarte had taken. I considered confronting the Jatav about the curse, but other people were already handling that. Since it was a priest brought along by the Mountain Lord,munication might not be so easy. So, naturally, I headed toward White Wind. ¡°We¡¯ll need to pinpoint the exact origins of this curse.¡± ¡°Of course, of course. Don¡¯t worry. If anyone¡¯s connected with this, no one will be able to protect them in the Great Forest. And when we catch them, we¡¯ll make sure to hand them over to you.¡± As for where I would go next, hmm, I wasn¡¯t sure. I didn¡¯t have a particr destination in mind. But that wasn¡¯t a big issue. That¡¯s how it always was. * * * The Archmage sighed in relief while looking at the young thief and fighter who¡¯d sessfully carried out his request. Of course, right after that, the Demon Knight killed the Vigabol chief, and in the process, Akata cried out in front of everyone for a chance to kill him, but it wasn¡¯t a big problem. Strictly speaking, it was a serious issue, but since the Mountain Lord hadmanded them to let it pass for now, it wasn¡¯t an immediate concern. That was enough. Given time and the opportunity to exin, he was confident everything would be rified. Although the others¡¯ treatment of Akata, who¡¯d tried to kill the Chief in front of everyone, remained unclear. ¡°Wow, what in the world is going on?!¡± At that moment, White Wind approached him slowly. Despite the tangled mess of a situation, he remained remarkably calm. ¡°I had a feeling something was off, so I followed the chief, and things indeed took a strange turn.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± The Vigabol and Jatav Tribes had shed in an all-out war. The Vigabol chief had abandoned hisst shred of morality, and the Jatav seemed to have made some deal with the Demons to use their artifacts. Amid the chaos, the Mountain Lord intervened, and the Serhan chief was elected warchief. It wasn¡¯t every day one woulde across such a mess of a situation. ¡°But it ended well, at least.¡± Despite all the confusion and chaos, the oue wasn¡¯t bad. With the Mountain Lord¡¯s appearance, the conflict between the two tribes had ceased entirely. There wasn¡¯t any resistance or rebellion. All was calm. Even more surprising, theyplied with this one-sided judgment. At the priest¡¯smand to prove their faith, everyone hadid down their weapons and cooperated with all interrogations. Of course, there was somemotion within the Vigabol tribe since their chief had died. However, thatmotion was due to their need to appoint a new leader after the death of the one with the highest authority. Some called for Akata¡¯s punishment for attempting to kill their chief, and some questioned whether the deceased chief had indeed risked the children¡¯s lives. Had the Mountain Lord not told them to stop their fussing and follow the orders of the warchief¡ªthe Serhan chief¡ªthey would have continued bickering until who knows when. The Serhan chief, who¡¯d suddenly found himself having to act as the warchief, was sweating profusely. ¡°Thank goodness the parents managed to get their children back safely. But what was all that about, the thing with the kid on that guy¡¯s shoulders?¡± Just then, the person who¡¯d snatched the kid away from Atarte returned. He¡¯d sessfully reunited the kid with his parents and was now empty-handed. ¡°Ah¡­ It was a hostage situation. He demanded our involvement in this conflict, or else he would kill all the children.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice that the Demon Knight only intervened after the child was removed?¡± ¡°No, well, I was wondering why Mister Knight hadn¡¯t acted sooner. So, it was because of that??¡± For reference, the Inquisitor was treating the wounded as always, and Berserk was roaming around, looking for some fights with the Mountain Lord¡¯s permission. Anyone who dared resist might find themselves with several broken limbs, courtesy of Berserk. ¡°Then that over there was because of said hostage situation?¡± At that moment, White Wind pointed to a spot in the dense forest where a circr area had beenpletely cleared out. The trees there were significantly shorter, making it very clear that this hadn¡¯t been a natural urrence. ¡°There was an immense surge of Arcane Power earlier. That was the Demon Knight¡¯s doing, right?¡± ¡°¡­Correct. When we were asked to join the fight, the Demon Knight sted away part of the forest as a threat. He warned the chief that if the children were harmed, he would also be killed. Thanks to that, we avoided any further unnecessary conflict.¡± ¡°A wise choice.¡± ¡°¡­Indeed.¡± Although his method was a little rough, the Archmage believed the Demon Knight had chosen the best path. Instead of bing either tribe¡¯s enemy, he managed to save everyone. However¡­ ¡º¡°Kill them! I have already murdered my own blood. What difference would the blood of these children make?!¡±¡» He remembered what that person had said in his rage, the veins in his neck bulging. Despite fearing he could potentially go on a rampage again, the Archmage couldn¡¯t ignore the palpable sorrow beneath that anger. ¡ºYou¡¯re still a person.¡» It was solely the weight of his own sins. The burden that made it impossible for him to ever forgive himself. A burden so heavy that it made even an outsider like him feel solemn, a weight too heavy for any one person to bear. ¡°Hmm. At least he didn¡¯t go on a rampage!¡± Gradually, he started wondering how that man could still stand up so straight. Was his desire for death truly driven by self-hatred alone? ¡°Still, we should put the seal on him just in case, right?¡± Even those seeking their own destruction needed the strength to run to the cliff''s edge. Was he really in any state to take even a single step forward? ¡°¡­I suppose so.¡± The Archmage epted the seal White Wind handed him. Reason dictated that he needed to put it in ce immediately, yet his emotions made him hesitate at the thought. Technically, the Demon Knight was currently in a stimted state where he could get provoked by any possible thing, so putting it on him immediately was the correct course of action. ¡°¡­Erm, is it really okay? Giving it to him now?¡± ¡°Then when? Honestly, I¡¯m surprised he¡¯s held on this long. Wouldn¡¯t this be for the better for the Demon Knight, too? With the seal, he wouldn¡¯t need to suppress his anger anymore!¡± ¡°True¡­ However¡­¡± He caressed the seal. The smooth metal felt cold, much like how the world must feel to the Demon Knight. ¡°¡­Giving it to him now might provoke him even more. He wouldn¡¯t be too happy being treated like a ticking time bomb, would he?¡± ¡°Then what?¡± ¡°I have a favor to ask of you. Keep an eye on him for now. If it seems he¡¯s doing better¡­ or if he bes dangerously unstable, put the seal on him or call the Inquisitor.¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know much about Arcane Power, so I might miss the right timing.¡± ¡°I trust your judgment.¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± In the end, he found apromise between his reason and emotions. This was the best choice he coulde up with under these circumstances. ¡°And White Wind, you¡­ you need to apany me to meet the Mountain King and that priest. We need to find out where the Jatav got that curse jar from.¡± ¡°Of course, of course. I¡¯ve already put the recovery team to work. We helped them for free, so they can¡¯t just ignore us.¡± ¡°¡­Good. Well done.¡± ¡°Do you think their Arcane power-devouring snakes wille up while the Jatav get punished? If so, I¡¯d like the authority to investigate that matter more. I also want to speak with the Mountain Lord.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask about the former. As for thetter, no.¡± The Archmage began listing all the tasks he had to take care of. His emotions were a tangled mess, yet he still had a lot of work left to do. * * * * * * Worried the Madness Gauge might suddenly fill up and trigger the berserk debuff, I distanced myself from the vige as much as possible. Eventually, I found myself at the waterfall¡ªthe ce I¡¯d discovered on my way from the Serhan to the Vigabol¡ªand¡­ Whooooosh! I sat down on the same rock I¡¯d been seated on before. It almost felt like that soft moss-covered rock weed me. There were fewer trees around this ce, allowing some sunlight to filter through. It wasn¡¯t intense enough to hurt my eyes, but I could feel its presence, gently warming me and making me feel rxed and drowsy. The surrounding temperature didn¡¯t really affect my body, so I didn¡¯t feel hot, which was nice. My mood also seemed to improve slightly. ¡¸HP: 2,457 / 2,457 MP: 2,941 / 2,941 Fatigue: 17 Satiety: 84¡¹ However, now wasn¡¯t the time to just sit idly. I debated whether I should drain some of my HP in case of an emergency. I knew the Madness Gauge would increase whenever I killed someone, but I didn¡¯t know the exact criteria for it to rise. In other words, I wasn¡¯t sure whether it would increase even if I stood still. And if it¡¯s the former and not thetter¡­ Well. That would be a bit problematic. I recalled when I was tightly restrained and the sight of the pulverized castle that served as evidence for my actions. If something like that were to happen again¡­ Yeah, I¡¯d probably lose my head for real this time. I absolutely had to avoid that. ¡°Ah, the seal¡­¡± It sure would have been nice if I had one right now. Since I didn¡¯t, I had to find other ways. Deciding I would carry multiple spare seals in the future, not just one, I took out a dagger. I would decrease my HP by exactly two-thirds, no more, no less. I briefly remembered that one game where I had to intentionally keep my character in a near-death state and constantly poisoned to master healing skills. I almost went crazy with the need to carefully maintain that state. Ah, memories. ¡°Uwaaaaah!! Mister, what are you doing?!¡± Thud! It seemed like I¡¯d gotten lost in my memories for a moment. I felt like a car hit me. Ssh! I was sitting on a rock when someone approached me from behind¡ªI was about to dodge but stopped when I heard the voice¡ªand collided with me. Naturally, since I had been sitting on a rock, that collision made me fall off. The rock was right in front of the waterfall. Deb and I both ended up submerged in water. ¡°Glub, glub, glub!¡± Thankfully, wended in the pool right below the waterfall, so the current didn¡¯t sweep us away. It was also quite lucky that the water only reached my chest. ¡°¡­Do you want to die?¡± But regardless of that, this wasn¡¯t at all fortunate for my character! I shook the water off my head and turned around. Deb, whose fur began standing on end like a startled cat¡¯s as soon as he touched the water, let out an audible shriek and stiffened. ¡°M-Mister, self-harm is bad¡­¡± Wait, when did I ever want to do something so outrageous? Before I could think any further, my thoughts came to a screeching halt. From my gamer perspective, all I wanted was to lower my HP, but from another person¡¯s perspective, this was no different from self-harm. Ah. ¡°Y-You should just use the seal instead. Why are youmitting self-harm¡­¡± Erm, this was a misunderstanding. Well, not exactly, but it was. I was trying to lower my HP just in case I went on a rampage, not because of something like self-hatred. Anyway, it wasn¡¯t what you were thinking! I bit my lip, unable to exin theplex and profound reasons for my actions. I hadn¡¯t nned on it, but my character¡¯s low self-worth setting somehow intensified. This was troublesome. ¡°Hah!¡± At that moment, Deb, who had been watching me anxiously, lunged forward to snatch away my dagger. I reflexively pulled the hand holding it behind me. You idiot, what if you end up grabbing it by the de! You¡¯ll cut your hand! ¡°Get lost¡­!¡± ¡°I will, if you give me the dagger!¡± I won¡¯t! I definitely won¡¯t! I pushed away Deb¡¯s head while keeping the hand holding the dagger behind me. Squashed up against my hand, Deb iled his arms, but unfortunately for him, my character was almost ten cm taller. That meant my arms were longer, as well. So, he¡¯d never be able to reach it. Go away, you thief! ¡°Damn it. Mister, why are your arms so long?!¡± ¡°I told you to get lost¡­!¡± You¡¯re going to catch a cold, you idiot! Get out of the water!! Chapter 130: That’s Enough (5) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 130 That¡¯s Enough (5) Given there hadn''t been a reaction so far, it seemed I didn''t need to worry about the Madness Gauge anymore, but I¡¯d have to keep bickering with Deb for a bit. Eventually, I threw the dagger into the riverbed and used my now free hand to toss Deb into the water. While Deb, who seriously hated water, was screaming and iling about, I managed to climb out of the river. My body was soaked. ¡°Urgh, it''s cold.¡± You think you''re cold? I¡­ wasn''t cold, but I¡¯d gottenpletely drenched because of you. Moreover, you started all of this, so just tough it out, cute little meat dumpling. I red at him while brushing back my wet hair. That rascal had sshed around so much water that my hair hung down like limp noodles. My hair had already grown long enough to poke me in the eyes, and I couldn''t let it block my sight, so I slicked it back. Ssh, ssh. Meanwhile, Deb, who¡¯d climbed out of the water, removed his hood and wildly shook his body to dry himself. He then shook his hood and wrung his tail like wetundry, which looked kind of funny. ¡°Seriously, Mister, you scared the life out of me¡­¡± Was he still fussing over that? It was just a misunderstanding. ¡°¡­Please, don''t do that ever again.¡± Still, I couldn¡¯t help but appreciate his concern for me. I turned my head away from the sulking meat dumpling. Instead of getting angry, I just showed that I didn¡¯t feel like talking to him. It was the mildest reaction I could show that still fit my character. ¡°And here. Take this.¡± Deb held something out to me: a ring-shaped object, a seal. ¡°If you¡¯re worried about going berserk again¡­ then just use this.¡± Ah. Seeing that White Wind had joined us earlier, it wasn¡¯t too surprising that Deb had this with him. I looked at the seal Deb cautiously held out before taking it. ¡®If I put this on, won¡¯t the Quest Window glitch again?¡¯ Suddenly, that thought crossed my mind. ¡®If I put this on¡­¡¯ If I put on this seal¡­ Then, what if I don¡¯t? Will the broken System Windows work again? The [Detection] alerts, the Quest Window¡ªnone of them had shown up since I removed the seal, either. Still, if I tried opening the Quest Window or the World Map¡­ Would it work? Would those things that had stopped working be back to normal? ¡®Let¡¯s not put it on for now.¡¯ If I don¡¯t put it on, then maybe. ¡°Mister?¡± Would I be able to find peace? ¡°Is something wrong¡­?¡± As if. How could that be possible? I didn¡¯t try opening the Quest Window or the World Map. Finding out whether they were working properly or malfunctioning because of the seal was something I couldn¡¯t bear to do. If I did, I felt I would be headed down a path of no return. Honestly, just think about it. I was already skeptical due to my familiarity with all these clich¨¦s. Knowing what the seal was made to block and tying that to the missing system features. Who wouldn¡¯t notice the connection? ¡°Get lost.¡± Yet I chose to ignore it. I decided to cover up everything again. No one wanted to be certain that the ce they were treading was hell. ¡°Right now.¡± Instead, I opened the part of the gauntlet that tightened it around my arm. Hesitating at first, Deb stomped his feet twice more before leaving. It was a good decision. Still feeling confused, I quickly applied the seal and put everything back on. Once the seal was in ce, my Arcane Power decreased, but I felt a bit better. Sure, my life motto was to always be open to all possibilities, but even I had my limits. By doing this, I could temporarily avoid thinking about things beyond my control. I could endure for a little longer. And that was enough. It was enough¡­ > [Wow. That''s what people are making these days? That''s quite remarkable.] At that moment, a deep horn-like sound echoed through the area as a gigantic snake revealed its head. It was a bit surprising that something so enormous didn¡¯t knock over any of the trees or make any sound while moving. > [Something so small can suppress Demonic Energy?] No¡­ When I looked more closely at its body, it made sense why the trees hadn¡¯t fallen. The snake, which I initially thought was simply emerging from between the trees, was actually passing right through them. > [But, erm, why are you using that when you have something better at your disposal? It looks like it¡¯ll break pretty easily.] Well, a creature that size would need such abilities to live in this forest without causing significant destruction. Wait, what? ¡°¡­What did you just say?¡± > [Oh my! I angered you. My apologies. Me and my big mouth¡­] ¡°What do you mean by something better?¡± There was something better than the seal?? I had something like that?? But why didn¡¯t I know about that?? > [Huh¡­ You didn¡¯t know?] ¡°I won¡¯t ask again.¡± > [Uwah, okay¡­] The snake raised its tail stiffly, almost like a person raising their hands in surrender, before scratching its head with it. > [Y-You have it with you. The thing that gives off a strong smell of the sea.] ¡°¡­The sea?¡± I quickly went through all the items I had. Sea rted, sea rted¡­ The pearl from the Sea Dragon? The items made from the dead sea dragon were with the two dumplings, so those were out. The only sea-rted item I had left was the pearl the Sea Dragon had given me. ¡°¡­Are you talking about this?¡± I took out the cracked pearl. The snake nodded its head. > [Yes, yes. That¡¯s it. Oh dear. No wonder its energy is leaking out; it¡¯s broken.] ¡­This thing¡­ had an effect simr to the seal¡¯s? > [Didn¡¯t that one living in the sea tell you about this when they gave it to you?] They hadn¡¯t. > [The reason you can even understand me is probably because of that thing. Hmm. Since you have that, you wouldn¡¯t feel cold even if you jumped into water in the middle of winter, and you wouldn¡¯t feel heat much, either. Didn¡¯t you notice that?] The snake scratched its head even more vigorously, perhaps because it vaguely understood my expression or was reading something from my silence. Regarding its words, I didn¡¯t really suspect anything. I¡¯d thought this was just how my game character was supposed to be, but it turned out to be due to an item? Even my ability to understand it was because of this? > [Erm, did you perhaps just take it before they even had a chance to exin¡­?] ¡°No.¡± > [Huh, then why didn¡¯t they tell you?] While I waspletely confused by all this, the snake blinked its round eyes and slowly lowered its tail. > [Anyway, that thing is kind of like, erm, condensed power? A blessing? Something like that. So, having it helps you in some ways¡­ Basically, it can Purify Negative Energies.] Its lowered tail pointed at the pearl I was holding. > [Now that it¡¯s broken, the Purification effect might be weaker¡­ but the blessing was still working well, right? That¡¯s due to the nature of this energy itself.] ¡­It did work well. Ever since getting this, I never suffered from the cold, even when I fell into water, and I wasfortable in the desert without ever suffering heat stroke or anything. I looked down at the pearl with an indescribable expression. It was hard to believe that what I¡¯d thought was a useless trinket had actually been contributing so much to my well-being. ¡°¡­Is there any way to fix this?¡± I felt a strong desire to fix it. I mean, it was leaking energy, right? If left like this, it might lose all its power someday and be useless. I definitely couldn¡¯t let that happen. Besides¡­ If it really had a Purification function, then in its normal state, it might help me better control [Rage] and the Madness Gauge. Although, considering I wentpletely berserkst time, it might not have any effect. Besides, I wasn¡¯t even sure when the thing broke. > [That usually wouldn¡¯t be possible, but since I¡¯m here, it¡¯s not entirely impossible. Give it to me. I¡¯ll fix it for you.] Fortunately, the snake knew how to fix it. It even offered to do so for free. I didn¡¯t know why the snake was so nice to me, but it was a good thing. I ced the pearl on the snake¡¯s tail, which skillfully wrapped around the pearl and took it away. > [Since I¡¯m already fixing it for you, I¡¯ll also add a few blessings. It¡¯s nothing special, just a bit more power to suppress Demonic Energy and help you grow nts. They won¡¯t die and will thrive in your presence. ] It even decided to add some new features. Though they were special, they seemed somewhat useless for me. I wished the real me, not this in-game character, could receive that blessing. I¡¯d even managed to let sulents die. > [Also, if you ever get lost in a forest, you''ll be able to find your way out. Mind you, it won¡¯t take you to your desired destination, so be careful.] After fiddling with the pearl for some time, the snake finally lowered its tail again. Now restored and more beautiful than ever, the pearl fell into my palm. > [Ah, and just because it can purify Negative Energy doesn¡¯t mean it has no limits. If exposed to excessive amounts of Demonic Energy, it¡¯ll break like before, so keep that in mind.] Ooh. It¡¯s fixed. As I rolled it around in my hand, I looked back up at the snake. After hearing its added exnation, I thought I knew why it broke. It might have been when I went berserk. It wasn¡¯t that it hadn¡¯t worked; it had just broken at that time and lost its effect. ¡°¡­¡± Well, it wasn¡¯t that important. Even if I thought about it more, I wouldn¡¯t be able to pinpoint the exact reason anyway. I just needed to be careful from now on. ¡°You.¡± More importantly, why was this snake being so nice to me? Considering it mentioned how the forest could¡¯ve been destroyed had something gone wrong, was it worried I might bring this ce to ruin? I wasn¡¯t that kind of person¡­ I mean, I did create a massive hole in the forest as an act of intimidation¡­ Ah, so that was it. Imented the unintentional misunderstandings I had umted today and opened my mouth to speak. ¡°Are you a Demon?¡± > [Whaaat???] Its answer was very clear, requiring no further exnation. > [No, no, no. No way, that¡¯s a big misunderstanding! Also, that¡¯s offensive!?] ¡°Then what about your ability to consume Arcane Power?¡± > [Ah, that. Erm, well. How should I put this? Erm¡­ It¡¯s a bitplicated to exin.] Still, it would be best to rify this. I would need a good excuse in case anyone asked meter why I left the snake alone. The Archmage wanted me to avoid conflict with the Mountain Lord, but if I did nothing, he might be suspicious. > [Well, it¡¯s true that I was born from Arcane Power that turned into Demonic Energy, and I can both consume and hold Arcane Power as well as Demonic Energy¡­ But I¡¯m still a sentient being capable of thought, so would that make me a Demon?] There it was¡­ The Archmage had already mentioned how it could be possible to coexist, and with how polite and respectful the snake was acting, there was a 99% chance of this ending positively. Talking wouldn¡¯t harm anyone or lead to an incident. Rather than creating suspicions and discrepancies, it was better just to have a good chat. > [Not everyone who gains strange abilities turns into a Demon. Really. Erm, like you, for example? You possess Demonic Energy but aren¡¯t a Demon, right?] Rustle. ¡­More importantly, I could see Deb¡¯s ears and tail popping out of the bushes. If I didn''t have a conversation here, it would definitely raise some suspicion. Absolutely. * * * * * * He knew the Demon Knight disliked showing his arm to others. So, he wanted to avoid this ce, but that didn¡¯t really ease his anxiety. Ultimately, Deathbringer decided to go back and check up on him secretly after giving the Demon Knight enough time to put the seal on. Seeing the snake everyone called the Mountain Lord heading in that direction gave him additional reasons to return. He had to make sure this thing didn¡¯t upset the Demon Knight. ¡°¡­No.¡± Guoooh. Putting aside that the Demon Knight could somehow understand the Mountain Lord, the atmosphere around them seemed somewhat strange. He could only hear one side of the conversation, and that side wasn¡¯t particrly talkative, making it even harder for him to grasp what was happening. Meanwhile, the Demon Knight started muttering in a deste tone. ¡°I¡¯m not¡­ a Demon.¡± Guooooooh. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, shadows falling over his eyes. They wavered between being focused and unfocused several times. It was simr to when he sat on that rock just now, contemting self-harm. He didn¡¯t seem to be in the present. ¡ºThere is no salvation at the end of revenge.¡» Deathbringer recalled these words. Not a single word he¡¯d said was wrong. He¡¯d experienced it himself. Revenge didn¡¯t bring any significant change. The deeper the grudge, the more one was buried beneath it. Seeing one¡¯s enemy disappear for good was satisfying, but what came afterward? Did the grudge disappear just because one¡¯s enemy was gone? Even after he¡¯d gotten his revenge, that hatred and anger didn¡¯t disappear at all. The reason he became the executioner known as Deathbringer was rooted in that very experience. He¡¯d avenged his dead friend, but anger still boiled within him. With no more revenge to pursue, he felt lost. But when he saw the countless people who couldn¡¯t even seek revenge due to powerlessness or poverty, he found a reason to continue, bing an agent of vengeance. He took up the sword, assuming others¡¯ never-ending grudges and using the world¡¯s countless injustices as his new target. Just as the Demon Knight had vowed eternal, unresolvable vengeance against Demons. ¡°Even if one holds Demonic Energy, that doesn¡¯t make one a Demon¡­¡± But then¡­ ¡°Then.¡± At that moment, Deathbringer¡¯s heart inexplicably began pounding. As the Demon Knight crumbled, strangely, so did the convictions he¡¯d upheld. ¡°Then, what am I supposed to do¡­¡± Why? Why did it have to be this way? Feeling a sense of unease, Deathbringer clenched his fist and looked at the Demon Knight again. ¡°I vowed toy the heads of all Demonic beings on your graves¡­¡± Then, a vague realization crept over him. ¡ºKeep an eye on him, kid.¡» ¡ºWhat?¡» ¡ºAnd think carefully about what you want to do from now on.¡» ¡ºSkyley, what are you talking about¡­?¡» ¡ºWatch him and judge with your own eyes whether you really won¡¯t regret it, even if the rest of your life ends up resembling his.¡» That was his future. ¡ºWhat I¡¯m saying is, think hard about whether running toward inevitable failure will really make you happy.¡» Just as the Demon Knight, while trying to kill all Demons, was facing despair due to these variables and exceptions. Deathbringer, who sought to eliminate all evil, would simrly crumble someday due to these unforeseen variables, exceptions, and the limits of his abilities. Therefore¡­ ¡°I intended to offer you my blood as the final sacrifice¡­¡± Deathbringer hated to see him despair, proving his failure. ¡°So, what do you want me to do¡­?¡± However, he hoped, even now, that he would stop this self-torment. There was no reason for someone like him to run toward the cliff¡¯s edge like that. Chapter 131: That’s Enough (6) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 131 That¡¯s Enough (6) Whew¡­ That was quite the performance, if I do say so myself. I slowly lifted my head when I felt Deb leaving first. The snake, having inadvertently also witnessed my award-winning act of despair, seemed a bit awkward. Of course, it didn¡¯t say anything to me. Naturally. If it said the wrong thing here, my character¡¯s mood would take a really dark turn. I might have to swing my sword at its throat. So, if it had even a shred of sense, it would keep its mouth shut. > [Erm, shall we head back now?] Its quaint voice, rising in the middle, suggested this cautiously while observing my expression. There was no reason for me to refuse. I also wanted to head back soon. No matter how clear the waterfall¡¯s water was, the leaves and pieces of wood stuck in my hair were now dry, making me ufortable. > [So, erm. Despite my dubious origins, the ability I gained is actually quite useful, you know? The previous Mountain Lords all had terriblyrge bodies, making it hard for them to roam about, but thanks to this ability, I don¡¯t have such limitations. It¡¯s also quite helpful for avoiding those priests¡¯ eyes.] As I started moving forward, indicating that I¡¯d epted its suggestion, the snake also began moving its body. Given its size, even making a U-turn would be fairly difficult. Without this ability to pass through trees, it would certainly be more of a forest destroyer than a guardian. > [And funnily enough, because I was born this way, I became able to deal with corrupted Arcane Power.] ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡± > [Well, I was born like this because Arcane Power seeped into a swamp and got stuck there. Unable to disperse properly, it became stale and corrupted, which affected my birth. But since I can consume both Arcane Power and Demonic Energy, I ate it all up when I was born. As a result, the swamp returned to its original state.] The snake wagged its tail while exining that although it wouldn¡¯t change since it had already been born that way, because it had entirely removed the corrupt Arcane Power, any creatures born there in the future would be normal. > [Ah, and the area that appeared in the Jatav''s territory isn''t too severe yet, so I left it alone to see if they could handle it themselves¡­ but given recent events, I''ll clean that up as well, don''t worry.] More than anything, it was pretty clear that this snake was trying to justify its actions somehow. I looked around, sensing for others¡¯ presence, and, after some deliberation, finally spoke up. My slightly hoarse voice echoed solemnly through the area. ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡± > [Erm¡­] The snake seemed taken aback. > [Well, I thought you might want to know¡­? Judging by how yourpanions act, you came here to investigate this, didn¡¯t you?] Well, it wasn''t wrong. We dide here to investigate that matter. I¡¯d asked because the snake''s attitude toward me was so weirdly desperate and kind. I posed a question regarding that in line with my character setting. The snake stiffened as though it had been hit over the head. > [Do you really not know why¡­?] I suddenly felt like I¡¯d done something very wrong. > [No, well, you bear immense amounts of Demonic Energy and Arcane Power, and you carry a pearl containing the power of a being on par with my ancestors, someone of much higher rank than me¡­] When I heard that, it started to make sense. The Demonic Energy aside, the pearl I had contained the power bestowed upon me by one of the Primordial Beasts. It seemed this snake had inherited the blood of another. That would be enough to make the snake wary of me. At least, I thought so? > [Honestly, my heart still races every time I think back to the moment you entered the forest. You have such an immense amount of Arcane Power, and you also seem to possess Demonic Energy, but more than that, you have power far exceeding mine.] As I silently agreed, the snake began opening up. It seemed like it had been holding back quite a lot, and now it was all pouring out. > [I even wondered if you¡¯d killed a Primordial Beast and taken its power. So, I decided to stay as quiet as a mouse until you left¡­ but after a few days, I realized you had a decent character and thought everything would turn out okay, but then those crazy fools had to cause trouble, and I genuinely thought, ¡®Ah, the forest is finally doomed.¡¯ Especially when that curse started spreading¡­] Y-Yeah, sorry about that. That was my fault. No wonder it only came out at thest minute. It had been lying low, afraid I might kill it. > [But now, I feel a bit more reassured. I guess the Guardian of the Sea granted you its power for a reason.] So, if the snake had stepped in after thoroughly assessing the situation, it might have chosen the Serhan chief because of me, as well. I might have been overestimating my influence a bit too much here, though, but anyway. At least from what I¡¯d seen, the end result wasn¡¯t too bad. The chief of the Serhan tribe didn¡¯t seem like a trash bastard, unlike those other guys. So, this could be seen as a pretty good oue. With that thought, I returned to the tribe. ¡¾I know you¡¯re trying to help me. I don¡¯t deny that.¡¿ ¡¾So?¡¿ ¡¾¡­But, regardless of whether you¡¯re trying to help me, it¡¯s also true that my parents were killed by outsiders like you.¡¿ > [Urgh.] But what had we returned to? By the time I¡¯d realized that the snake could choose whom it was visible to, I¡¯d found six people gathered together: Akata, White Wind, the Archmage, the chief and priestess of the Serhan, and someone who seemed to be from the Vigabol tribe. ¡¾I appreciate the help, but¡­ even though I feel grateful, I don¡¯t want your help. When I see you, I k-keep thinking about my dad¡­¡¿ Among those six, Akata was weeping bitterly. Hiding behind a nearby building, I felt a pang of guilt. > [Oh dear¡­ That kid¡¯s situation is reallyplicated. Being the child of a traitor and having tried to kill her chief, staying here will be pretty tough for her.] ¡­So, my prediction turned out to be correct. Recalling the hypothesis I¡¯d formed after wondering why the child had pointed a knife at me, I considered the possibility that Atarte had sent her as an assassin. It would have been quite sad if that were the case, but this situation wasn¡¯t any better. > [It looks like the people you brought here are trying to take the kid with them, but it''ll be quite difficult since she hates the thought so much. What to do.] Among those captured because of me, or perhaps among those I killed, might have been her family. ¡¾So, you decided to stay here?¡¿ ¡¾¡­I can¡¯t go with you.¡¿ At that moment, White Wind spoke up. I tightened my fists and gave the snake a look. Trante. Why are you looking at me like that¡­ trante already. After exchanging several nces, the snake finally understood what I wanted. Its ability to trante their words was quite impressive. ¡¾But staying here won¡¯t lead to anything good. Isn¡¯t that right, acting Chief?¡¿ ¡¾¡­Unfortunately, yes. Although you didn¡¯t directly kill former Chief Atarte, everyone saw you try.¡¿ ¡¾¡­Then?¡¿ ¡¾They demand that you be exiled at the very least, if not sentenced to the death penalty. Despite Atarte¡¯s misdeeds, he still has many supporters.¡¿ ¡¾Someone from our side killed him. Would it be that difficult to just send her to another tribe, like the other children?¡¿ ¡¾It¡¯s not impossible, but¡­ you know how it is, right? In situations like this, people often direct their anger toward those they see as easy targets rather than the real perpetrators. Even if we send her to another tribe, there will certainly be someone who will try to kill her. Her situation is a far cry from that of the other children.¡¿ Anyway, that guy was certainly the new tribe chief. I gritted my teeth while listening to the snake¡¯s trantion. If they targeted me, I could handle them, but if they went after the child, there was nothing I could do. I couldn¡¯t protect her forever. ¡¾Then, what if our tribe took her in¡­¡¿ ¡¾¡­I am opposed to it. As soon as this matter¡¯s settled, you should quickly delegate your role as chief to someone else and formally take on the role of warchief.¡¿ ¡¾But Priestess.¡¿ ¡¾This is also for the child¡¯s sake. You, the warchief, will soon be too busy to care for her. Moreover, despite being a bit more hidden, our vige is geographically close to the Vigabol tribe. Due to frequent exchanges, many in our tribe have been influenced by them. And¡­ you know how sensitive our tribe members are about threats to a chief. Even if we try to control it, discrimination will ur.¡¿ ¡¾¡­Still, our tribe would be better than anywhere else. If you simply decided something wouldn¡¯t work out right from the beginning, how many things in this world would work out? We just need to pay a bit more attention to this matter.¡¿ ¡¾¡­That¡¯s.¡¿ ¡¾Wait, wait. I understand both your intentions, but shouldn¡¯t we also listen to the child¡¯s opinion on this?¡¿ ¡¾Ah, right. What¡¯s the opinion of the person in question? What do you think? If you stay here, there¡¯s a high chance you''ll die, or at the very least, you¡¯ll have to lead a very tough life. Are you okay with that?¡¿ ¡¾¡­I don¡¯t know, but I don¡¯t want to follow you just so I can livefortably.¡¿ At that moment, I began questioning whether I had made the right choice. I didn¡¯t regret killing that bastard to save the kid, but maybe there had been a better way. Instead of taking Akata with me to prevent her from being used as a hostage, perhaps I should have just hidden her so she wouldn¡¯t have to witness what I did. ¡¾Hmm. I see. However, it appears you don¡¯t actually want to die, right?¡¿ ¡¾¡­Of course not!¡¿ ¡¾Alright. So, you don¡¯t want to die, but you also don¡¯t want our help.¡¿ However, retrying was impossible. I listened to the snake¡¯s trantions, arms crossed. ¡¾I-It¡¯s not like that¡­!¡¿ ¡¾Just to be clear, I''m neither mocking nor criticizing you. It would be a lie to say I fully understand what you¡¯re feeling, but I do know that epting your family¡¯s murder can¡¯t be easy. So, there¡¯s no need to deny your feelings. No one is ming you for how you feel. That¡¯s just how I speak.¡¿ ¡¾¡­¡¿ ¡¾Besides, there are many who truly care about your safety. Hmm.¡¿ ¡¾¡­Then how about we do it like this?¡¿ ¡¾¡­?¡¿ ¡¾For now, leave the forest with us.¡¿ ¡¾But I¡­¡¿ ¡¾Hear me out. I asked you to leave the forest with us, not stay with us permanently.¡¿ ¡¾¡­Are you suggesting we leave her with someone unrted to us?¡¿ ¡¾Is there any other option?¡¿ ¡¾True, she dislikes us because we¡¯re connected with her parents¡¯ death. Finding someone unrted might indeed be the best solution.¡¿ ¡¾¡­But that person would still be an outsider.¡¿ Despite their best efforts, Akata wasn¡¯t very cooperative. However, it was understandable, considering she¡¯d lost all her rtives and even her chance at revenge. The only ones left were a few people from her hometown who didn¡¯t exactly favor her and the high-ranking members who were heatedly discussing her fate. Her resistance was more pitiable than anything. ¡¾So? Of course, they¡¯d be an outsider. But not every outsider tried to kill your parents, right? Do you want to hate all of them? Well, that¡¯s up to you, but if you want to live, you mustpromise. We¡¯re not going to make any more offers. Why should we care any more about you than this?¡¿ ¡¾¡­¡¿ All her defiance likely stemmed from her belief that she was the only one who could protect herself. * * * * * * ¡¾Akata.¡¿ At that moment, the previously silent chief of the Serhan, or rather, the warchief, spoke up. ¡¾If I understand correctly, it¡¯s not that you want to stay here, but that you¡¯re hesitant about the outside world, hence why you¡¯re choosing to stay?¡¿ ¡¾¡­?¡¿ ¡¾If you truly wish to stay here and endure all the hardship that awaits you, I will do everything I can to help. But to me, it doesn¡¯t seem like you actually want to remain here.¡¿ ¡¾Of course¡­ not. E-Everything¡¯s gone, there¡¯s no more reason for me to stay¡­ there¡¯s nothing left¡­¡¿ ¡¾Understood. Akata, let me ask you another question. Why do you distrust outsiders?¡¿ ¡¾That¡¯s because¡­ they killed my parents.¡¿ ¡¾I heard some from the Vigabol tribe also had a hand in their execution. Then, do you resent everyone associated with the Vigabol? And do you also hold a grudge against those of other tribes who were not involved in this?¡¿ ¡¾That¡¯s¡­! That¡¯s¡­¡¿ ¡¾I presume not. You already know they aren¡¯t to me.¡¿ Just like the Priestess, the warchief¡¯s voice was calm andpelling. ¡¾So let me ask you again. Why do you distrust outsiders who had nothing to do with this incident?¡¿ For a moment, the girl seemed to waver. ¡¾¡­That¡¯s. That¡¯s¡­¡¿ ¡¾Yes?¡¿ ¡¾Because they¡¯re outsiders¡­¡¿ ¡¾Simply because they¡¯re outsiders?¡¿ ¡¾My parents said¡­ the outside world is a bad ce¡­¡¿ ¡¾Ah, so you think outsiders are bad because the outside world is bad. I see. But do you truly believe that?¡¿ ¡¾That¡¯s¡­¡¿ ¡¾Don¡¯t just repeat what your parents and other adults told you. Tell me what you think or experienced yourself.¡¿ ¡¾¡­They don¡¯t seem bad. If they were, they wouldn''t be trying to help me now. It¡¯s just that I¡­ just¡­¡¿ ¡¾Exactly. That is your answer. That is your truth.¡¿ ¡¾But my father¡­¡¿ As Akata tried to argue, the warchief narrowed his eyes slightly and shook his head. ¡¾Akata, this might seem wholly unrted, but I believe there are certain burdens we¡¯re meant to carry from birth until adulthood.¡¿ ¡¾¡­?¡¿ ¡¾And one is that we must someday ept that those we respect may have been wrong. This is our burden.¡¿ The warchief stepped forward and took Akata¡¯s hand. ¡¾It¡¯s difficult to ept. The desire to simply shut your eyes and ears to this truth and live in denial will undoubtedly shake you. It might even feel like you¡¯re betraying them by acknowledging they were mistaken.¡¿ ¡¾¡­¡¿ ¡¾But it¡¯s not. Akata, you aren¡¯t betraying them. It¡¯s just part of bing an adult and bing independent, bing your own person.¡¿ ¡¾¡­I¡¯m not¡­ betraying them? Really?¡¿ ¡¾Akata, no one can always be right. That¡¯s what it means to be a person. And the ones we admire and love are all just people, as well. They, too, can make mistakes, just like anyone else. My mother, who seemed like such a great and amazing person to me, failed as a chief.¡¿ ¡¾¡­That¡­ something like that.¡¿ ¡¾Akata, don¡¯t be blinded by love. Love is good, but those we love aren''t always right. Love makes us want to believe that they are, though. However, the truth is what you see with your own eight eyes and hear with your ears.¡¿ ¡¾That can¡¯t be true¡­¡¿ Tears gradually started to drop from Akata¡¯s eyes in this connective warmth. ¡¾So, instead of being swayed by their words, trust in the answers you find yourself. Don¡¯t let your love for them lead you to abandon yourself and your future.¡¿ ¡¾¡­If that¡¯s really true, then I-I¡­¡¿ ¡¾If you feel constrained by thisnd, don¡¯t hesitate to step out into the world beyond.¡¿ ¡¾¡­I-Is it really true that my survival isn¡¯t betraying them?¡¿ ¡¾Absolutely. It¡¯s not at all, but rather your growth and a choice you made for yourself.¡¿ ¡¾Really¡­?¡¿ Akata burst into tears and hugged the warchief tightly. The warchief didn¡¯t back away but returned the embrace. Seeing this, I also felt tears welling in my eyes since I was especially weak to stories of children oveing their mistakes and growing up brilliantly, particrly amidst all these wed adults. > [I¡­ I sure chose the new warchief well¡­] Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, the snake tranting for me started sniffling beside me, which caused my tears to retreat immediately. This guy seemed even more moved than I was. > [Sob, I chose him to impress you, but it turned out to be an amazing choice¡­!!] Wait a second, it really chose him because of me?! * * * ¡¾I-I¡¯m sorry. I¡­¡¿ ¡¾No, Akata. I¡¯m the one who¡¯s sorry for only being able to do so little for you.¡¿ After crying for a while, Akata stepped back, her face flushed. The warchief simply smiled kindly. I had to say, he didn¡¯t seem like a child at all, more like a saint¡­ Not in the literal sense, but like those people usually referred to as saints, like Jesus. > [Sob. Wise people are the best¡­] Stop crying already. ¡¾Besides that¡­ you do know, right? You need to apologize to them properly. Saving the children wasn¡¯t wrong, now, was it?¡¿ ¡¾¡­I know.¡¿ ¡¾Good. Please do it.¡¿ The snake had stopped tranting for me because it was too busy crying, so I no longer knew what they were saying. I red at the snake. However, that enormous creature was too busy wiping its eyes with its tail to even notice. Well, I guess it didn¡¯t really matter. I unfolded my arms and got away from where I had been leaning. I didn¡¯t feel like joining the others yet, so I decided to head somewhere else. The oue was¡­ somewhat satisfactory, making me feel that this might be the best possible result. ¡°Demon Knight!!¡± Just then, someone came running toward me. With her cheeks flushed, her green eyes sparkling, and her red hair moving about, I was faced with the kimchi dumpling. ¡°Where have you been? I finally get to see you again.¡± True, it¡¯d been a while since we talked like this, but¡­ wasn¡¯t she a bit too happy to see me? I¡¯d also seen her earlier. ¡°How did you earn the approval of the Mountain Lord? Of course, you¡¯re fully qualified to receive it, Demon Knight. Ah! I also heard about you saving the children. As expected of you, Demon Knight¡­!¡± Still, I didn¡¯t hate it. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as the Inquisitor kept chattering. ¡°Erm, wee back, Mister?¡± In the meantime, Deb had alsoe closer, thinking it might be safe toe over after seeing the Inquisitor interacting with me. ¡°Hey¡­ Did you hear? The person chosen as the temporary Vigabol chief said they¡¯d offer you properpensation for the former chief¡¯s wrongdoings.¡± ¡°What? I-I didn¡¯t hear anything about that!¡± ¡°Well, maybe it¡¯s because you¡¯re not doing a good job listening, then.¡± ¡°No! I was busy treating people¡­!¡± These two dumplings were just too cute, bickering like that. Makes people want to smile. ¡°Quiet.¡± But I had to stay in character. I walked past the two, leaving them behind with their mouths shut. ¡°Urgh, I got scolded because of you!¡± ¡°What are you talking about? This is clearly your fault, you know?¡± ¡°He told us to be quiet as soon as you showed up!¡± ¡°At least I shared some useful information with him! Unlike you, who just kept on chattering!¡± Their bickering faded into the background. That was enough for me. ¡°Buddy! I can¡¯t stand it anymore! I need to reim my share of the prey you took from me earlier!! Let¡¯s have a duel!¡± Well, maybe this was a bit too much, though. But then again, I kind of preferred it this way. A Quest that ends on a lively and cheerful note tends to leave a good aftertaste. Wasn¡¯t that how it was supposed to be? Chapter 132: That’s Enough (7) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 132 That¡¯s Enough (7) ¡°You might have heard, but we¡¯ve been granted permission to investigate the area where Arcane Power has turned into Demonic Energy!¡± The day passed while I got caught up in the excitement and bickering of the two dumplings and Bers. When evening came, everyone gathered for dinner to discuss the recent events; it was more of a briefing session about our future actions than a discussion. Especially regarding White Wind, who was leading the Magic Tower¡¯s forces. ¡°Unfortunately, the ce where the Mountain Lord was born has already been Purified, so we can only go to the remaining location in the Jatav territory.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking about where they¡¯re raising these snakes, Jahukaya?¡± ¡°Yeah! Besides, we must investigate where the Jatav got that cursed jar, so it¡¯s two birds with one stone.¡± ¡°So, we¡¯re going to the Jatav now?¡± The Inquisitor raised her hand briefly in response to Wind Wind¡¯s enthusiastic words. She nced at Archmage, exchanging a brief look with him. ¡°I don¡¯t really mind, but¡ª!¡± ¡°I think it would be better if we didn¡¯t go.¡± ¡°He thinks this isn¡¯t the best idea!¡± ¡°Why¡­?¡± Why not? This clearly smelled like a follow-up Quest. Everyone focused on the Archmage, who opposed the idea, except for Bers, who was too busy chowing down on her dinner to care. ¡°There could be Demon Worshippers there, so why¡­?¡± ¡°Because the likelihood is very low.¡± The Archmage gestured to White Wind, who understood him and smiled. ¡°ording to the Jatavmander we¡¯re interrogating, the jar was left behind by an outsider who broke into the chief¡¯s house in the middle of the night.¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t try to kill the chief and just left that behind? Then how did they know how to use it?¡± ¡°Because that outsider didn¡¯t just leave. He talked with the chief.¡± White Wind summarized the relevant points from the Jatavmander¡¯s statement. ¡°The outsider waited for the chief to awaken and then started talking to him. The chief called for help, but no one heard him before the outsider subdued him.¡± ¡°Then¡­ did they strike some kind of deal at that time?¡± ¡°Calling it a deal would be too generous. The outsider essentially just left it there. It¡¯s just¡­ they didn¡¯t kill the chief despite having the chance to, which left him uncertain about the outsider¡¯s true intentions, so he held onto it.¡± ¡°So, they decided to use it now to get rid of it.¡± ¡°Exactly! And apparently, the outsider said to use it if it seemed they wouldn¡¯t get chosen during Katina. The chief didn¡¯t believe his words and just used it now.¡± ¡°¡­Were they trying to kill all the chiefs?¡± ¡°Who knows? We can¡¯t say for sure. But we can''t see a clear connection from what we¡¯ve heard so far.¡± Indeed. From this information alone, it seemed the Jatav had merely been used. They might havemitted some sins, but in this instance, they were more victims than anything else. ¡°But we can¡¯t just blindly trust themander¡¯s words.¡± As the Inquisitor said, was that a reason to step away from this? I fixed my gaze on the Archmage. It was pretty unlikely that White Wind would¡¯ve rejected going there, so I was sure this was solely his decision. ¡°You¡¯re right, Inquisitor. However, this matter doesn¡¯t necessarily have to involve you.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°I have already contacted the Temple. The Magic Tower also has sufficient personnel. But what about us?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the problem with us?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t an immediate issue, but that doesn¡¯t mean it isn¡¯t an issue. Have we even had proper rest?¡± As expected, it had been the Archmage''s decision. His reasoning was very sound as well. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about a day or two of rest. I¡¯m referring to the past few months of our journey. Have we ever had a chance to fully rx?¡± Well¡­ in a game, there was no need to include rest periods¡ªthe game itself was supposed to be a leisure activity during downtime, and the yer could take breaks whenever they wanted¡ªso I hadn¡¯t really considered it, but realistically speaking¡­ Yeah. It wasn¡¯t like it wasn¡¯t about time we took a rest, but rather, we should have taken one a long time ago. Indeed, while brief breaks could help us manage our physical fatigue to some extent, we shouldn¡¯t underestimate the mental strain. Even our usual breaks were often insufficient to recover our stamina. Despite repeatedly risking our lives, we only ever rested for about three to four days at most. Well, I heard I¡¯d been sleeping for two weeks straight, but I couldn¡¯t really count that as rest. It seemed those guys kept working non-stop during that time. Also, there were many times when I actually didn¡¯t get a proper rest, even if we took three or four days off. Whether I was forced to find something to do because of my character setting or an incident urred that forced me to set aside rest. Now, it really was high time for us to take a proper break. ¡°We need to rest so we¡¯re ready to do things only we can do.¡± The only problem was whether my character would cooperate. ¡°¡­I agree.¡± At that moment, Deb was the first to vote in favor of resting. It wasn''t that surprising since he had the most physical limitations. ¡°Berserk isn''t tired. I like fighting better.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better just to clean up the other vige than continue looking for fights? We can even enjoy a nice drink afterward.¡± ¡°Then Berserk will go to the vige.¡± Berserk was easily swayed when drinks were mentioned. ¡°I don''t know about this¡­¡± And the Inquisitor¡­ ¡°Ah, by the way, Inquisitor, one reason I want us to rest is to check if the Demon Knight is suffering any aftereffects from the poison and if the wound near his heart has fully healed.¡± ¡°What?! Poison?!¡± ¡°I-I think resting immediately is the right choice!!¡± ¡°Hey, buddy, when did you get stabbed in the heart?¡± Hey. * * * * * * Resting due to some severe injury rather than apanying the team headed to the Jatav Tribe didn¡¯t go well with my character setting. Right. My character setting. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Demon Knight!¡± With all the Archmage¡¯s threats disguised as persuasion¡ª¡°Did you know that if you get seriously injured, the seal might break because your body needs to draw on too much power?¡±¡ªand White Wind¡¯s firm refusal¡ª¡°What if the Demon takes over again? Let¡¯s rework the seal properly first!¡±¡ªalong with my party¡¯s firm insistence, even my character had no choice but to yield. To be honest, I really wanted to yield, as well. Anyway, we were talking about taking a break here! A real break! How could I possibly refuse when I¡¯d been given no choice but to immerse myselfpletely in my character and not let my guard down even once all year round! ¡¾Are you leaving?¡¿ Thus, by the next morning, we prepared to return to Hudelen. The warchief, the Serhan¡¯s priestess, and the acting Vigabol chief came to see us off. Akata, who had to go with us, was also there. With the important matters resolved, White Wind, saying he had been away from the Tower for too long, also joined our group. > [Huh, you¡¯re leaving already? That won¡¯t do.] The Mountain Lord, who¡¯d returned to its swamp yesterday along with the priests, was also here. It had seemingly snuck out again using its unique ability. > [Hey, you¡¯re the only one I can talk to without using those priests as an intermediary. Can¡¯t you stay just a bit longer? The priests keep going, ¡®The Mountain Lord this, the Mountain Lord that,¡¯ whenever I speak. It¡¯s impossible to have a proper conversation like that.] The wizards, sensitive to Arcane Power, nced toward it but, having roughly guessed the identity of this presence, couldn¡¯t really say anything. Taking advantage of this situation, the snake rolled around before me, appearing bored. For a being titled the Mountain Lord, it certainlycked any sense of grandeur. How could it not even match up to the warchief it had chosen itself? ¡¾I-I still feel sorry that we couldn¡¯t be proper hosts to youst time, and now you¡¯re already leaving again so soon¡­¡¿ Meanwhile, the wise andpetent warchief from before seemed to havepletely vanished. Visibly anxious, cheeks flushed, and now looking every bit his age, the warchief stared at me, which felt a bit weird. ¡¾We¡­ are only going back so early because he needs to undergo a more thorough examination.¡¿ ¡¾¡­I see.¡¿ The boy appeared to have already adapted to his position and even took pride in it, so saying something like, ¡°You¡¯re still far too young to bear such a heavy burden,¡± would probably be an insult to him. Yet, it was hard not to feel a little sad that this young warchief had lost the chance to enjoy his childhood. ¡¾O Great ck Thunder Snake, recognized by the Mountain Lord.¡¿ However, he was already the warchief. ¡¾We will remember the kindness you¡¯ve shown us and the efforts you put forth for our peace. Isn''t that right, acting Chief of the Vigabol?¡¿ ¡¾Of course.¡¿ I turned my back to the warchief and the Priestess, who was tranting for him. My own life was already hard enough. I didn''t have the energy to pity someone who was actually doing really well. ¡°Alright, let''s go.¡± After a while¡ªless than an hour but more than ten minutes¡ªthe Archmage finally turned around, signaling that the conversation was over. It was time to leave. ¡°When we return to the tower, we need to make a lot of antidotes. The poison of the animals here can be quite deadly if not treated immediately.¡± ¡°Wahaha. Berserk would never lose to poison. No need for any antidote!¡± ¡°Stop acting like you¡¯re a different species or something. Know your limits.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true, though¡­ I got bitten by some spider earlier, but I¡¯m fine!¡± ¡°¡­Why are you only telling us now, you lunatic!!¡± ¡°C-Come here quickly! I¡¯ll give you the antidote!¡± ¡°Oh, my. What are you? Can I perhaps have some of your tissue for research??¡± ¡°Why are you suddenly so enthusiastic about research again?!¡± ¡°¡­Indeed. It seems returning to the tower to rest was the right decision. But more importantly, ahem ¡¾Is there anything causing you difort?¡¿¡± ¡¾Ah¡­ N-No, I¡¯m fine.¡¿ ¡¾Alright. Let me know anytime if you need anything.¡¿ Since we weren¡¯t going after a Demon, there was no need for me to take the lead. Besides, I didn¡¯t really know the way, either. So, I stayed at the very back, watching this procession of fools before me. > [But you know, don¡¯t you think our kid is doing quite well? He¡¯s a bit young, but I¡¯ll still be around when he grows up.] Another reason was this snake, who¡¯d tagged along because it said it¡¯d have no one else to talk to if it stayed behind. Even though I never responded to it, it kept chattering. It was obviously quite bored. > [Hmm. But I do worry a bit. The warchief is in a position where he can¡¯t even act like a child. He¡¯ll be fine since I¡¯ll have his back, but still¡­] Then, when the vige was almost entirely out of view, I suddenly remembered something I had left behind. ¡°¡­? Where are you going?¡± ¡°I left something behind.¡± ¡°I¡¯lle with¡ª¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°¡­Okay. I¡¯ll do that.¡± > [Huh? Did you forget something? Should I fetch it for you?] It was intangible, so telling the snake to get it wouldn¡¯t help. I hinted at this by shooting it a nce before swiftly turning back. The others realized I¡¯d left slightly after and tried to follow, but the Archmage managed to hold them back. In the meantime, I hurried back to the vige. It seemed the warchief hadn¡¯t left right after we did, as I could see him wandering around. ¡¾¡­? Huh?¡¿ ¡°ck Thunder Snake. Is there something you need¡­?¡± I¡¯d been thinking about this since earlier, but it seemed ¡°ck Thunder Snake¡± was their nickname for me. It sounded cool, so I didn¡¯t mind. I stepped between the warchief and the Priestess. ¡°If you find a chest protector, bury it in the ground.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure if they¡¯d taken it, but if they had, I should at least give them some advice. After all, that item was created to save lives, not to cause harm. I exined to the Priestess what the chest protector was without mentioning that it was essentially a bomb. It was designed to blow up just my heart, after all, so burying it about a meter deep would be sufficient to avoid any major issues. ¡°And also¡­¡± There was another reason why I¡¯de back. I reached my hand into my inventory. ¡°Take this.¡± Though I had already given away most of the shiny and pretty items, there were still some things worth giving away. I ced the item I¡¯d chosen into the warchief¡¯s hand: a wooden flute. On my way back, I¡¯d quickly etched a snake design into it with a dagger. Since they served the Mountain Lord, I thought they might appreciate the motif. ¡°This is¡­¡± > [Hehe.] ¡¾A flute¡­¡¿ The snake had said this would make for a fine gift, so it should be alright. It was because, erm, I¡¯d overheard that he wanted to talk to me. More precisely, it was more like he wanted to see me in action, wrapped in my Arcane Power, and talk about that. To sum it up, he just wanted to make contact with me. ¡°It¡¯s from the snake.¡± > [Hey. This is from you, not me.] However, would my character even be able to hold a friendly conversation? So, he should be content with this. Of course, to avoid breaking character, I also imed it was from the Mountain Lord. > [Hmm. Well¡­ whatever. Hehe.] I turned away, hearing the snake snickering behind me. This time, I really was going to leave. ¡¾Ah, wait¡ª!¡¿ Boom! The dark Arcane Power surged around me, and I passed through the forest like thunder. ¡¾He¡¯s gone¡­¡¿ ¡¾¡­This is my second time seeing this, but it¡¯s still incredibly impressive.¡¿ Meanwhile, those I¡¯d left behind stood dumbfounded, watching this person who¡¯de like the wind and left just as quickly. It couldn¡¯t be helped. * * * The warrior had significantly impacted this Great Forest in everything he did: his entrance, exploits, and even his exit. They were all unique to him. ¡¾Surely, this is another story to be added to the Legend of the ck Thunder Snake.¡¿ ¡¾Indeed.¡¿ Yes, this only made him seem more mysterious. The priestess watched as this person, destined to be a legend told for generations, became engraved in everyone¡¯s hearts. ¡¾This time, the legitimacy¡­ of the new warchief certainly won¡¯t be questioned. You must be pleased, Priestess Vivia.¡¿ ¡¾Certainly.¡¿ Appearing out of nowhere, the ck Thunder Snake had saved the people of the Serhan tribe, her tribe, resolved the issues of the Jatav and Vigabol tribes, both strong candidates for the next warchief but with various internal problems, and proved them unfit for the role. At that moment, the Mountain Lord had intervened and appointed the chief of the Serhan, whom the ck Thunder Snake had saved, as the next warchief. Moreover, before departing, the ck Thunder Snake left something with the Serhan chief: an item engraved with a snake. A pattern only the warchief could possess. ¡¾Are you pleased?¡¿ ¡¾¡­Huh? Huh?¡¿ The priestess nced at the snake engraving on the flute, which was almost ck due to its shading. Would anyone dare challenge this story once it spread? Would anyone dare ignore the choice of their deity, the Mountain Lord, and the ck Thunder Snake, whom their deity hadmanded they treat with reverence? ¡¾Do you like the gift?¡¿ ¡¾Ah¡­ Yes. I love it very much.¡¿ With this, their current warchief would hold the strongest authority in their history. And knowing Ekuah, he would lead the people more wisely than anyone else. Prosperity would surely follow. An era of prosperity that could finally bring them forward into the future. ¡¾I¡¯m as happy as the day my mother gave me a gift.¡¿ However, even if all of this held no further meaning, it wouldn¡¯t matter. Seeing that child smiling so brightly, as if he could finally let go of everything after such a long time, Vivia also gently smiled. Ekuah¡¯s smile alone made this flute valuable. Chapter 133: Because This Isn’t Fiction (1) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 133 Because This Isn¡¯t Fiction (1) We returned to Hudelen. While not the epitome of civilization to someone from the modern era, at least it wasn¡¯t a barbaric ce where collective punishments were still a thing. ¡°Prepare some water.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± In any case, the first thing to do after returning was, of course, this. ¡°Are all knights like that? Always wiping away sweat, despite knowing you¡¯ll soon sweat again anyway? Berserk doesn¡¯t bother because it¡¯s too much of a hassle.¡± ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t it a problem if you smell too much?¡± ¡°Ah, the young hunter must wash often. But the things Berserk hunts don¡¯t have a keen enough sense of smell to flee from this scent alone. It¡¯s fine.¡± No, please just wash up. It was unpleasant for those around you, namely me. Even though she was covered in dust, sweat, and other grime, Berserk was just sitting nonchntly in the dining hall, making me want to p my forehead in exasperation. Being from the Temple, the Inquisitor always kept her body clean, and the Archmage also bathed quite often. Perhaps because of his focus on stealth, Deb frequently bathed to erase his scent, as well. But Bers. Bers¡­ ¡°Bring some for her, too.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Yournguage is filthy enough already.¡± Since she joined us, I have never seen her bathe even once! I finally couldn¡¯t take it any longer and ordered some bathwater for Bers, as well. Bathwater might be a bit expensive, but we were in the Temple. They wouldn¡¯t charge me. So, there was no reason to hesitate. Just like Deb ended up brushing his teeth after following my example, I would make sure that Bers would bathe whenever we stopped by a vige or city. ¡°Berserk¡¯ll just get dirty again¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ll also get hungry again, so it seems you have no need to eat, either.¡± Bathe, just bathe already. You¡¯re a person, right? Act like one! ¡°Berserk doesn¡¯t wanna. You won¡¯t even fight me¡­¡± ¡°And you think I¡¯d sh swords with you while you¡¯re covered in this filth?¡± I wouldn¡¯t indulge her until she was clean, so she should just go. ¡°¡­So, you¡¯ll spar with me after I bathe?!¡± Thankfully, Bers had enough sense to understand that much. I merely closed my eyes and nodded slightly. ¡°Berserk will go bathe!¡± ¡°They haven¡¯t prepared the water yet.¡± ¡°Hmm, you¡¯ll bathe? Then how about sharing the bath with me? I was just about to bathe myself and have already reserved a bathroom¡­¡± ¡°Good!¡± ¡°Iron wall, you sure have some strong nerves. I could never bathe with such a musclehead.¡± ¡°Do you need something for your stomach?¡± I was worried Bers might not even know how to wash herself properly, and although I had no intention of stepping in myself, thankfully, the kimchi dumpling volunteered to handle it. ¡°Then I shall join you as well, Inquisitor. Akata also needs a bath.¡± ¡¾¡­? What about me¡­?¡¿ ¡°Ah. ¡¾It¡¯s nothing much. I just suggested you join us for a bath. Would you like toe?¡¿¡± With even the Archmage joining in, I could be fully assured that any filth potentially left on her after bathing wouldpletely disappear. I was seriously relieved. ¡°The water is read¡ª What?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Ah, please send the water prepared for that person to my bathroom, miss. And Bers, it¡¯s that way! The other direction!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± With perfect timing, the prepared water was brought to that bathroom. I decided to wait until my water was ready, avoiding the chaos of Bers dragging the others along like a golden retriever would its owner. ¡°Sir Knight, the preparations areplete.¡± It didn¡¯t have to wait long. * * * Soaking alone in a bathtub filled with hot water was a luxury I hadn¡¯t been able to indulge in for a while. While warming my body, I also trimmed my slowly growing hair and washed my clothes. Even though they had an automatic cleaning function, I always felt a bit uneasy relying solely on that. Afterward, I scrubbed off any grime to avoid anyonementing on my smell. That trauma from before was still deeply ingrained within me. But thanks to that, I couldn¡¯t entertain any unnecessary thoughts. I wrapped my warm body in clothes and buried my face in a soft towel. It always felt good when something soft touched my skin. ¡°I¡¯m d I didn¡¯t set my character up to have a beard.¡± As I rubbed my face against the towel, such random thoughts came to me. My hair grew pretty fast, so I had to trim it constantly. If I also had a beard, it would surely have been a hassle. It had been like that even in reality. I recalled those days when I had to shave daily. My beard grew pretty fast, so my chin would get prickly after just a day, so I had to shave every morning. It was really annoying. ¡°I wish Deb could just take my beard growth.¡± Thinking about beards naturally reminded me of Deb. Some people looked like him after forgetting to shave for a day, but he looked like that after seriously trying to grow a beard. Of course, he was pretty frustrated about it. Why didn''t it grow faster? What was wrong with his body? I figured it was because he was still rather young, but, well, we had much bigger problems. If he knew how hard it was to care for a beard, he wouldn''t be saying these things. Anyway, the character I was in now didn''t have much¡ªor any¡ªbeard growth, which was a relief. I touched my smooth chin and headed to the dining hall. We always gathered there, so this was essentially an unconscious action. * * * * * * ¡°Hello! I thought you¡¯de out earlier, but you''reter than I expected!¡± As I reached the dining hall, I saw White Wind, who¡¯d split from us at the town entrance to go to the Magic Tower, waving at me with a clean appearance. ¡°What is it?¡± Did he still have business with me? Didn''t we agree to discuss the results of his Arcane snake researchter? Could it be that he had already finished? ¡°I came to talk to you about yourpensation! These things should be dealt with quickly to avoid hard feelings, right?¡± Ah. Compensation. I hadpletely forgotten about that. ¡°So, in addition to the original amount we agreed to, there''s also an additional fee¡­¡± I stood by the door while listening to White Wind''s energetic voice. I could hear the Inquisitor, Archmage, Bers, and Akata chatting leisurely in the distance. They also seemed to be heading to the dining hall after bathing. We hadn''t nned to meet here specifically, so they¡¯d also likelye here out of habit. ¡°I''ll take it in a different form.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Even hearing them alsoe here unconsciously made me feel a subtle camaraderie. There were times when I would prioritize my character setting over the party, but I guess I¡¯d gotten used to this setup at some point. ¡°First, a chest protector. I want a new one.¡± ¡°That''s not too difficult¡­ Did it break? If it''s just broken, I can fix it for you.¡± ¡°It''s gone.¡± ¡°¡­It''s gone? Weren''t you always wearing it?¡± Anyway, I couldn''t just keep standing there. I chose a random chair and sat down. On top of that, I acted as if I were slightly annoyed about having to reveal my weakness. ¡°¡­It disappeared after I got injured.¡± I hated to admit it, but I had to speak up to avoid anyone else getting involved. I forced these words out with a crumpled face as if I¡¯d been chewing on them. White Wind''s expression became curious. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a bit strange. Maybe the people who treated you took it. Well, if it¡¯s gone, there¡¯s nothing we can do. Got it! I¡¯ll make you a new one! You lost it in the Great Forest, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll also do some tracking while I¡¯m at it. I don¡¯t want any innocent people getting hurt by my invention.¡± Oh, that¡¯s some good news. Gratefully epting White Wind¡¯s offer, I stated my second and final condition. ¡°Second, I want that child¡¯s future to be secured. I¡¯ll take that as the remainder of mypensation.¡± White Wind looked at me with intrigued eyes. ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t that something you don¡¯t really need to worry about? If anything, that kid has been more of a burden to you than a benefit.¡± ¡°And I don¡¯t need to give you a reason.¡± ¡°¡­Well, true. Alright then. Until the child is an adult and can live independently, our Magic Tower will take care of her as yourpensation. Is that good enough?¡± ¡°¡­One more thing. Do it without the child knowing.¡± ¡°Haha. Worried the kid might be ufortable? How considerate of you.¡± White Wind swiftly wrote down the terms on a new piece of paper. Suitable and sufficient protective facilities. Weekly checks to ensure the child¡¯s well-being. Weekly allowance. Additional support when the child bes independent. All this without the child knowing. ¡°Is this enough?¡± ¡°¡­Confirmed.¡± It was far from perfect, but it would do. My character wouldn¡¯t worry over every variable that might pop up during a contract¡¯s execution, and my real self struggled to handle issues that required genuine intelligence. Besides, the voices outside were getting closer. It was about time to wrap up the contract. So, trusting in White Wind¡¯s honesty, I signed it. At least there were no hidden uses, so there shouldn¡¯t be any major issues. The child wouldn¡¯t suffer if the Magic Tower didn¡¯t fulfill the contract. It would only be my loss. ¡°Sometimes I wonder about your kindness. No one will ever acknowledge it, so why bother?¡± White Wind asked. The voices in the hallway were almost right outside the dining hall. ¡°Does this perhaps stem from your trauma, the one you don¡¯t want to talk about?¡± And just as the voices were directly outside the door, I closed my eyes. If I said anything now, they might hear it¡­ but it didn¡¯t matter. Since the Archmage had already heard about me killing my kin, I might as welly it on thicker. ¡°The dead have no use for gold.¡± I deliberately said it in a way that could be interpreted in two different ways. It wasn¡¯t even a lie. ording to the character¡¯s backstory, all my family members were dead, so there was no reason to save any money for them. And the character himself didn¡¯t n to be around that long, so there was no reason for him to save any money, either. As for myself? Honestly, I didn¡¯t really need any money except for appearances. Besides, what use did money have in a single-yer game, not an online one? At most, it was needed to change equipment or restock supplies, and I could easily earn that money. Thinking about my still pretty full wallet, I indifferently leaned back on my chair. ¡°Haha. That''s true.¡± In contrast to my rxed posture, White Wind jumped to his feet. With audible footsteps, he walked over to the door and opened it, revealing the others standing idly in front of it. ¡°Everyone, enjoy your lunch!¡± Oh, was it lunchtime? I supposed it was, considering we¡¯d arrived in Hudelen just before noon. Factoring in the time it took us to reach the Temple and bathe, it was indeed time for a slightlyte lunch. ¡°¡­You''re here early.¡± Clearing his throat, the slightly damp Archmage was the first to speak up. Then Bers burst in, loudly dering her hunger. ¡°Have you eaten?¡± Even the Inquisitor, who was nervously ncing around, asked me something like that. I red at her, conveying that I obviously hadn¡¯t, before closing my eyes again. Akata, unsure of where to sit, hesitated before finally sitting beside me. It seemed she wanted to say something but couldn¡¯t quite bring herself to do so, her lips repeatedly opening and closing. It was a sight I¡¯d seen often during our journey together. ¡°Demon Knight, you promised! Eat first, then we spar!¡± Bers, her hair still dripping, banged on the table. The Archmage and Inquisitor screamed in protest next to her, but she paid them no mind. ¡°You¡¯re as crude as ever.¡± However, that crudeness was starting to grow on me somehow. Perhaps it was because I¡¯d had a lot of strange idle thoughtstely, especially after dealing with that politically charged mess¡­ perhaps because that stuff had been exceptionally filthy. Seeing the straightforward and boisterous Bers actually put my mind at ease. In hindsight, she seemed almost enlightened. Well, anyone would seem that waypared to those bastards who threatened others by holding children hostage. ¡°What? Are you refusing?!¡± I could barely stifle myughter when I saw Bers fall on the table, using me of lying. ¡°Demon Knight, you liar.¡± ¡°Actually, Berserk, the Demon Knight never explicitly promised to spar with you after¡ª¡± ¡°I can¡¯t listen to your whining anymore.¡± Instead, I opened my mouth to hide myughter. Noticing something in my words, Bers lifted her head, her golden eyes shining with realization. ¡°I¡¯ll shut you up.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah, that¡¯s the spirit!¡± Alright. Let¡¯s fight. Considering we were on break anyway and I didn¡¯t have much to do, a good sparring session would be better than being stuck alone in some corner with these idle thoughts. ¡°Wahaha!¡± Bers burst into joyfulughter when I finally agreed to spar with her. It was simple, pure, and infectiousughter. ¡°¡­You do realize it hasn¡¯t been that long since you got stabbed in the heart?¡± Of course, the Archmage, watching this from the side, grabbed his forehead, looking as if he¡¯d aged another ten years. Even if it had beenpletely healed with Arcane Power, I¡¯d had a brush with death not that long ago. Sparring so soon did seem slightly crazy. Well, actually, it was crazy. ¡°¡­! Are you going to back out?!¡± ¡°Do you think I would back down because of something like that? Don¡¯t insult me.¡± But yeah, I usually did a lot of crazy things to begin with. I shamelessly stepped forward, ying the part of the ¡®reckless main character who never takes much care of their own body, much to the dismay of hispanions¡¯. Shout all you want; my character wouldn¡¯t listen to you anyway! ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the spirit!¡± I matched Bers¡¯ enthusiasm. I could practically hear the Archmage¡¯s blood pressure rising like a background soundtrack to our talk. Wahaha, this is fun. Bers might be an unexpectedly goodpanion for me. ¡°¡­You¡¯re also aware that you¡¯ll have to undergo a physical examination tomorrow, right?¡± That was a rather unexpected attack. Hmm. But that didn¡¯t really matter, right? I hadn¡¯t felt any side effects from the poison, and the injury to my heart was just an external wound, not some type of illness. Since it had healed without leaving so much as a scar, wouldn¡¯t that be considered a full recovery? Given the chaos I¡¯d gone through with the Vigabol tribe and how I had been fine the whole way here, I didn¡¯t think anything was wrong with my body. Furthermore, if they were concerned about the hypothesis of the seal breaking whenever I got hurt because my body would instinctively use too much Arcane Power, then this duel was necessary. There was no way I wouldn¡¯t get hurt while fighting Bers, and if I did, it would be useful for verifying that hypothesis. ¡°So?¡± The Archmage couldn¡¯t possibly be unaware of what I was thinking. He sighed at my cold gaze. ¡°Then, at least postpone it until tomorrow.¡± Even though we¡¯d only exchanged a few words, it seemed he¡¯d given up on stopping us. Bers, her face filled with a mix of disappointment and joy, also gave the okay. ¡°If we¡¯re gonna postpone it for a day, then we''ll have to do it properly! With Arcane Power!¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re only hastening your defeat.¡± Oh, it would be great for me if we could use Arcane Power. I was a little worried about my physical abilities being slightlycking when fighting without it. Bers and Iughed¡ªI did on the inside¡ªwhile the Archmage, holding his face, looked like he wanted to cry as we set the conditions for our duel tomorrow. Although we called it a duel, it was practically a real fight, except we weren¡¯t going to kill each other. ¡°I-Is that really okay?¡± ¡°No matter how I look at it, it isn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s this? Am Ite?¡± Just then, Deb walked into the dining room. Judging by his light clothes, he must have washed his usual outfit. His hair, still slightly damp, was clumped together in some ces. ¡°¡­Uhm, is there a problem?¡± That interruption seemed to halt the conversation momentarily. The tension created by Bers and me subtly exuding fighting spirit, the Archmage desperately trying to mediate, and the kimchi dumpling and Akata fidgeting in the middle gradually dissipated, returning calm to the dining room. Additionally, this vibe also seemed to discourage any furtherints. ¡°¡­You¡¯re notte. Take a seat. It¡¯ll be a while before our meal arrives, so in the meantime, let¡¯s have some tea.¡± Haha. The Archmage surrendered. I watched him change the subject and took a sip of the tea he¡¯d poured for us earlier. ¡°¡­!¡± It was the same delicious tea I had in the Great Forest. ¡°It smells good.¡± ¡°Sniff, sniff. What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s tea.¡± ¡°Urgh. Berserk prefers alcohol over tea.¡± ¡°Ah, hot, hot, hot.¡± ¡°¡­Don¡¯t worry, we''ve also ordered some alcohol. And you, it¡¯d be better to let it cool a bit before drinking.¡± Did he brew the tea from what he received before? Back then, it seemed a bit obnoxious of him, but sharing it like this changed my perspective on his actions. ¡°There¡¯s plenty more, so don¡¯t hold back.¡± Hehe, it¡¯s delicious. Chapter 134: Because This Isn’t Fiction (2) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 134 Because This Isn¡¯t Fiction (2) Our duel had been postponed until tomorrow, leaving me with nothing to do. However, spending this rare day off holed up in my room didn¡¯t seem that appealing. Moreover, sitting in my room trying to write a letter only made me realize unnecessary facts. So, I decided to leave my room. I left the Temple quickly, so fast that no one would even notice I was gone, let alone try to stop me. ¡°Mister, where are you going?¡± But of course, Deb followed after me. It was almost as if he thought I wouldpletely disappear if he took his eyes off me for even a second. His behavior seemed a bit different than usual, his eyes having an unusual sharpness to them. The reason? Well, my best guess was that it had to do with him misunderstanding my earlier attempt to lower my HP. I could vaguely understand his feelings. However, my character wasn''t exactly the type to findfort in such actions. Although, given my track record, it wouldn''t seem surprising if I suddenly tried to end it all. I mean, I often made statements and took actions that made it seem like I was ready to throw my life away. But even with all these reasons, this didn''t sit well with me! It¡¯s true that you shouldn¡¯t leave someone with depression and self-loathing alone, but that self-harming stuff really was just a misunderstanding! ¡°Get lost.¡± While I didn''t like being alone, that only applied when I was somewhere I couldn''t talk to anyone, like a dense forest or an empty, quiet room. Right now, I was headed to a ce where being alone would be much morefortable. After all, what I was about to do would be slightly out of character. ¡°I''ll stay quiet and out of your way.¡± No. It wasn''t like I didn''t want him to be around me. I just wanted to do something without having to worry about breaking character¡­! ¡°I won¡¯t say it again.¡± I rested my hand on my sword hilt as I gave him another warning. However, Deb only flinched, showing no intention of leaving. He seemed truly determined. Damnit. Why wasn¡¯t he going away? I debated whether to act even angrier but, after some thought, concluded that it would be better just to give up. Besides, what good would it do to drive him away only for him to follow me secretly right after? If nothing else, he was very capable of doing that. ¡°¡­¡± In the end, I had no choice but to give up. With my annoyance on full disy, I walked ahead without even once looking back at him. Deb, who was at least 10 cm shorter than me, quickly followed. After descending to the lower levels for a while, I found a spot I liked. It was a bridge spanning over ake in the middle of the city. ¡°¡­Wow.¡± Even Deb, who was somewhat emotionally barren, perhaps because of his roots, let out an exmation. It was understandable. The rays of sunlight shining down here made the buildings sparkle like stars, and the streams of water flowing everywhere glistened like thousands of scattered gems. Moreover, there was a strange echo whenever the wind blew, and the trees throughout the city would shake their branches and drop their leaves. What a beautiful city it was, truly. Click. Thus, I wanted to create a permanent record of it that wouldst forever rather than just a fleeting memory. I took out the pen I¡¯d been carrying in my inventory. As for paper, I¡¯d taken¡ªlet¡¯s say ¡®borrowed¡¯¡ªsome from the temple, so there was no need for me to prepare it specially. ¡°¡­?¡± Scratch, scratch. ck ink began to color the paper, slowly creating a world of lines. ¡°¡­Mister, you sure draw well.¡± Yeah, I expected this would happen. In truth, that¡¯s why I¡¯d wanted toe here alone. While drawing didn¡¯t explicitly go against my character setting, it was a rather peculiar hobby that didn¡¯t quite fit my character. However, the truth was that I enjoyed drawing quite a lot, to the point that I¡¯d even made it part of my profession. Sinceing here, I hadn¡¯t had the time to draw, nor had the situation allowed it. Besides, drawing while ying a game was quite absurd, so I hadn¡¯t even considered doing it. With several days of free time, I had no reason not to indulge in this hobby of mine. Furthermore, I genuinely wanted to draw again after a long time. Listening to the bustling of people passing by, I began to draw on the paper I¡¯d ced on a board. I didn¡¯t particrly like starting with ink lines rather than a pencil sketch, but I couldn¡¯t find anything that I could use as a pencil, something that I could erase. In the end, I managed to roughly sketch the surrounding scenery, albeit a bit messily. Unused to ink, I messed up my line control here and there, and since it had been so long since I¡¯dst drawn, my perspective was a little off, making it a rather crude drawing. However, it wasforting. The blowing wind, the pouring sunlight, the ambient noises surrounding me. If I closed my eyes, erasing that fantastical scenery before me, it felt just like being back in Korea. ¡°Mister.¡± ¡­Maybe Debing along was actually a godsend. I came here to escape my idle thoughts, yet they immediately started showing up. ¡°Erm, the ink is spreading.¡± I looked at where Deb was pointing. In that brief moment I¡¯d spaced out, a sizable ink blotch had spread on the paper. Though I didn¡¯t mind it much since I was already nning to discard this first drawing, it was a bit of a shame that I¡¯d wasted this ink. Ink was pretty expensive, after all. Crumple. ¡°Woah! Why are you crumpling it up?!¡± It was a drawing I intended to discard anyway. I crumpled it into a ball and tossed it beside me. Deb, looking shocked, tried to straighten out the crumpled paper, but it wouldn¡¯tpletely smooth out. In that brief moment, the still-damp ink had smudged everywhere. ¡°If you¡¯re going to throw it away, just give it to me.¡± No, why would he want such a poor-quality drawing? It¡¯s useless. ¡°Throw it away.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s so well drawn, why¡­?¡± ¡°I said, throw it away.¡± I had tolerated him following me this far, but not this. I subtly ced my hand on my sword¡¯s hilt. Maybe sensing my determination, Deb finally crumpled the paper he¡¯d tried smoothing out. Rustle, rustle. After a brief pause, I began to draw again on a fresh sheet of paper. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Despite not having drawn for months, it seemed my days of drawing outnumbered my days of not drawing. Fortunately, I quickly returned to my normal skill level. As a result, the drawing Ipleted shortly after had a higher level ofpletion than the previous one. I¡¯d controlled the line thickness more naturally and regained my skills for perspective andposition. I also used fewer lines, making the drawing seem cleaner. ¡°This one is even better drawn¡ª¡± I seemed to be getting back into the swing of things. However, it still looked crude. Having judged it as such, I again crumpled the paper. Deb made another noise to signal his regret, but I didn¡¯t care. Rustle, rustle. Rustle, rustle, rustle. The ck lines consuming my idle thoughts continued uninterrupted. ¡°¡­This.¡± And when those lines finally seemed normal enough, I began to draw two people. The first person had ayered bob with enough volume to give an elegant yet confident impression. The second person had a handsome and striking face, fitting for an active actor. The wrinkles around the eyes, the nasbial folds, the cheekbones that naturally became more pronounced with age¡­ ¡°¡­!¡± Ah. Mom, Dad. I carefully traced the portraits of my parents with my fingertips, careful not to smudge them. Of course, there was no warmth to be felt. But it was stillforting. At least I could still clearly remember their faces. ¡°¡­Family?¡± Unlike my vague-sounding voice, my memory of them wasn¡¯t vague at all. ¡°¡­Erm.¡± Swallowing the lump in my throat, I stared at the drawing in a daze. Though they never cared much for manhwa or novels, they liked my drawings, so I often drew family portraits. Thankfully, that habit kept their image fresh in my mind, allowing me to draw them almost reflexively, even if my memory of them was a little blurred. ¡°¡­¡± Ignoring the silent Deb, I drew a few more familiar faces. A male friend. A female friend¡­ ¡°Demon Knight!!¡± Just then. I heard a loud voice from quite a distance away and reflexively clenched the paper. As a result, the drawing got a bit crumpled¡­ ¡°That clueless iron wall¡­¡± No, considering he knew my temperament and still spoke up to me proved that he wasn¡¯t that perceptive, either. But it was good that he¡¯d turned his head. Carefully ttening the crumpled paper, I slipped it into my inventory when Deb wasn¡¯t looking. Throwing it away would have been more in line with my character, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to do it. I¡®d already been quite the unfilial son, so discarding their portrait would just be too much. And yeah, it would also be pretty offensive to my friends. Since I¡¯d drawn it, I might as well keep it. * * * * * * I stood up as if nothing had happened. In the distance, I could see a redhead waving to me. Akata and Bers were with her. Akata was perched atop Bers¡¯s shoulders, nibbling on a meat skewer, while Bers was munching on apples, devouring them in two or three bites. ¡°Tsk.¡± I crossed my arms and leaned against the bridge railing. Deb kept ncing at my hands, noticing the drawing¡¯s absence, but it was toote. I¡¯d already put away the remaining paper and the pen. And they would never be seen again. The recent events were a rare exception. Typically, I wasn¡¯t someone who would just break character so willy-nilly. Moreover¡­ How could I be so sure they wouldn¡¯t somehow get to see an image of my in-game family? Although the portrait was in ck and white and somewhat impacted by my drawing style, frequent exposure might make them think, ¡®Wait a minute?¡¯ I wanted to prevent that at all costs. ¡°There you are! We¡¯ve been looking for you!¡± ¡°If you were just wandering around anyway, why did you bother looking for us?¡± I nced at the kimchi dumpling, who came running toward us, and Bers, who walked over with enormous strides. As expected, they had stopped by the market. Both had their hands full of food. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we weren¡¯t just looking for you. Ah, would you like some? It¡¯s delicious!¡± ¡°Berserk thinks this is the most delicious.¡± Right. Eating was one way to pass the time. I looked at the wooden cup the kimchi dumpling handed me and the meat skewer Bers held out. The cup contained pickled fruits, and the meat on the skewer seemed to be from a scorpion. The smell of meat went up my nose. ¡°I don¡¯t need it.¡± Although the pickled fruits were tempting, my character wouldn¡¯t easily ept such offerings. I turned away, giving them a look that asked what they wanted. ¡¾Ah!¡¿ Akata, who was fidgeting on Bers¡¯ shoulders, let out a small sound. ¡°Right. This little one said she had something to tell you.¡± Akata? I turned slightly. Akata having something to tell me made me feel both a bit anxious but also curious. Of course, the anxiety stemmed from knowing I¡¯d done something pretty bad to her. ¡¾Erm¡­¡¿ Maybe she was going to ask why I didn¡¯t let her kill her mortal enemy. But kid, no matter how much that guy was your enemy, it was just too hard for an adult to watch a child kill someone. People in this era might not bat an eye, but I most certainly did. ¡¾So.¡¿ Or maybe she¡¯d found out about my deal with the Magic Tower? Was she going to be mad at me for showing her pity? Just because she was a child didn¡¯t mean shecked pride, so the possibility was fairly high. Despite not being intentional, I also harmed her parents. No matter how tough things might get, taking the support offered by someone like that would be a lot tougher¡­ ¡°Th-Thank you.¡± ¡­Huh. ¡°Thank you¡­ very much.¡± She expressed her gratitude rather awkwardly, like it was a phrase she¡¯d just learned, but also in a clear tone, as if she¡¯d practiced the line dozens of times. Akata spoke while standing firmly on the ground¡ªBers had let her down at some point. ¡°And¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± Akata extended something toward me. In her small hand was a white bracelet with a slightly green tinge. ¡¾I¡­ don¡¯t think I will evere to like you. Whenever I see you, I think of my family. But¡­ But I think you¡¯re a good person. I really do¡­ A truly good person.¡¿ As I stood dumbfounded, Akata gently ced the bracelet in my hand. Given my character¡¯s dislike for being touched, I should have brushed her off, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to do that. ¡¾I¡¯m sorry, really sorry. You haven¡¯t done anything wrong, and you¡¯ve helped me so much. And yet¡­ I¡­¡¿ Ah, shit. ¡¾¡­Will there ever be a day when I can look at you properly? I want to truly thank you with all my heart. Will that day evere?¡¿ I¡­ suddenly feel like crying. I bit my lip to regain myposure. I reflexively clenched the bracelet, and Akata withdrew her hand as if satisfied. I felt a little dazed, like I¡¯d been hit over the head. ¡¾¡­I noticed you seem to like tea made from white-hair-ribbon leaves, so I made this bracelet from its stems. I wanted to give you something better, but I heard you need money for that around here.¡¿ If only she¡¯d cried like an ordinary child, asking why I¡¯d taken her parents away, I wouldn¡¯t have been so flustered. If she¡¯d gotten angry, asking why I¡¯d deprived her of her chance for revenge, I would have epted it. Why were the children of this world so mature? ¡°¡¾I should have learned more words.¡¿ Thank you. ¡¾That¡¯s all I can say.¡¿¡± Why did they have to be so dignified, making me even sadder? Suddenly, an inexplicable surge of emotion welled inside me, and I again bit my lip instinctively. The reason? I didn¡¯t know. If I did, I wouldn¡¯t be feeling so flustered. However, my eyes betrayed me. The edges of my vision blurred slightly, and I felt heat rising to my head. Ah, damn it. It was true that when emotions piled up, one¡¯s thresholds lowered, making one more prone to expressing anger or crying. But I thought I¡¯d let out some steam with that giant explosion I¡¯d caused in the Vigabol tribe. Did I still have so much pent-up inside me? Was I that stressed out? Was that why I was having these mood swings?? ¡°Such a pointless gesture.¡± N-No, wait. I definitely cried in my room earlier. I cried a lot. ¡°You.¡± Or was it because I¡¯d just retriggered my sadness by thinking of my parents again? And this kid managed to get in a direct hit?? ¡°You have nothing to apologize for.¡± To hell with figuring out what triggered this. At this point, with my voice shaking like that, finding the cause was no longer important. Escape. I had to escape immediately. ¡°Demon Knight?¡± ¡°Uhm, Mister¡ª¡± But was there any way to get out of here without breaking character¡­? ¡°Hmm! This won¡¯t do!¡± ¡°¡­?¡± At that moment, Bers, whose voice was at least twice as loud as a regr person¡¯s, opened her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m too impatient to wait until tomorrow!¡± No, she didn¡¯t just open it. Grinning mischievously, Bers thrust the food she was holding onto Deb. With all that pped against his chest, Deb bewilderedly found himself holding all of it. ¡°Let¡¯s fight now, warrior!¡± ¡°¡ª?!¡± And then she came charging, so unrestrained that one could almost call it cheerful. ¡°Wahaha!¡± And of all people, she was aiming for me. Bers directly grabbed me. The distance between us was too small, and the unexpected turn of events left me no time to react. ¡°What are¡ª¡± ¡°H-Huh!!¡± And like that, I was dragged away by the arm beyond the railing right beside us. Yes, she dragged me over the railing of this bridge, which had been built above theke and nothing else. ¡°Th-That mad fighterdy!! We¡¯re above ake!!¡± ¡°G-Going over the railing is prohibited¡­! Rather than that, Demon Knight!!¡± This had be an unexpected tandem dive. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± But, well¡­ maybe this was for the best? ¡°Wahahahaha!¡± I failed to reach out and grab the railing at thest moment. Instead, I pped away Bers¡¯ hand. Ah, I¡¯d obviously put the bracelet into my inventory. I couldn¡¯t afford to lose it. ¡°Demon Knight!!¡± ¡°M-Mister Knight!!¡±¡± ¡¾Wh-What?! Suicide? Suicide?!?¡¿ Naturally, because I had missed my chance, my body started falling toward theke together with Bers. ¡°Aah! Mister!!¡± ¡°W-We need to go down there!¡± ¡°Crazy idiot, why are you jumping in too?!¡± ¡¾F-Falling!!¡¿ Ssh! And finally, as my body plunged into theke. Saaash! After reflexively blowing plenty of bubbles into the water, I rose to the surface and took a breath. ¡°You¡­¡± I subtly wiped my eyes as I reflected on the situation. ¡°Aha! How is it, Demon Knight?! Now that we¡¯re clean, we can have a proper fight, right?!¡± ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± Getting carried away by Bers¡¯s provocation wasn¡¯t out of character, and since I was drenched from head to toe, it was hard to distinguish tears from water. In other words, I managed to maintain my character and avoided an emotional breakdown. ¡°I¡¯ll drill courtesy into your bones.¡± This turn of events suited me perfectly! Chapter 135: Because This Isn’t Fiction (3) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 135 Because This Isn¡¯t Fiction (3) Fighting in water was certainly challenging; the water resistance andck of proper footing made it impossible to use my full force. However, where there¡¯s a will, there¡¯s a way. Eventually, we figured out how to fight properly in the water. Ssh! Hmm, theck of footing wasn¡¯t an issue. We just needed to fight by standing on thekebed. Saash, ssh! Familiarizing myself with theke¡¯s depth in various areas while removing all that grass at the bottom really was a godsend. I found a rtively shallow spot where I could exchange blows with Bers. By channeling Arcane Power into our attacks, we could also reduce water resistance to almost zero. Thanks to that, our punches met each other¡¯s guards at nearly the same speed we had onnd. Each collision seemed to produce a burst of bubbles and slight gaps within the water as it got pushed away. It wasn¡¯t just my imagination, right? Saash! Bers grabbed my arm and threw me backward. Despite the lessened resistance during our attacks, I couldn¡¯t roll around like I could onnd, so I didn¡¯t go far. Of course, this wasn¡¯t necessarily a good thing. Because I wasn¡¯t pushed back that much, the time it took Bers to approach me again was pretty short. I avoided the somewhat sluggish punch that came my way and ced my foot against her sr plexus, pushing her away. With a thud, Bers was knocked backward, and the recoil also forced me back a bit. Now was my chance. I exhaled myst breath and headed upward. I could handle this damn underwater stage, but the problem was getting enough air. Had I known it would turn out like this, I wouldn¡¯t have returned that underwater breathing device! With that brief regret shooting through my head, my body soared to the surface. Grab! But Bers didn¡¯t let me go so easily. Grabbing my ankle, she pulled me down. Her face, vaguely visible to me, showed no intention of returning to the surface. She was confident that she had a better lung capacity than me. Thunk! A dull sound echoed as my leg collided with the sandy bottom. Sand spread all around us like a dust cloud. Smack! With her cheeks puffed out with air, Bers threw a punch. My hastily raised forearms barely managed to block it, but my body was pushed back two and a half steps. Slight pain tingled through my forearms. From experience, I knew this degree of pain signified that it would leave a bruise. Bubble! Bers, havingnded a solid hit, smiled and pushed off the ground. She seemed to be running out of breath, as well. However, my character would never just take this lying down. I grabbed her ankle and mmed her into the ground, just as she had done to me before, I was truly at my limit and needed air now. What now? If I couldn¡¯t hold my breath long enough to reach the surface, I could simply clear away the water holding me back. I gathered a massive amount of Arcane Power into my hands and shot it upward. Boom! A ck pir surged straight up, pushing away all the water. The force was so immense that the volume of disced water far exceeded the ck pir¡¯s size, creating a dry zone around me and the surrounding ground. Pushed back by the force of the water, Bers looked stunned. Let¡¯s see how well she could swim out of there on her own. As I pushed off the ground, I squinted slightly as sunlight suddenly entered my vision. Just as the disced water was about to rush back into its ce, my body, enveloped by Arcane Power, shot upward. Phew. Air filled my lungs just as my body, gasping for air, broke through the water¡¯s surface. ¡°¡­!?¡± And as I began to fall back into the water, a dark shadow rose rapidly toward me. ¡°Khak!¡± Ssh! The surface of the water was pierced through as Bers burst out. She was holding a halberd. Weren¡¯t we going to fight with just our fists?! Although we¡¯d agreed on using our weapons earlier, I¡¯d assumed we would stick to hand-to-handbat since she had been only attacking me with her fists until now! I frowned, frustrated. However, that didn¡¯t mean I was unprepared. My hand firmly gripped my Zweih?nder. ng! The two weapons, infused with Arcane Power, collided, sending shockwaves in different directions. The water rippled as we were propelled backward. Saash! The force of impact was so great that rather than sinking into the water, we skimmed on top of it. That meant the force pushing us back was greater than the pull of gravity. Thud! Eventually, my back hit something. With a quick nce behind me, I saw it was the bridge leading to the Magic Tower. Perhaps the Arcane Power enveloping my body had dampened the impact. While I didn''t feel any pain¡­ the heavily dented railing left me with a slight pang of guilt. I also wondered how much repairing them would cost. ¡°D-Damn it.¡± But would worrying change anything? Instead of worrying about the repair bills, I decided to focus on retracing my path. Judging by the marks left behind, we had been fighting over there. Had we pushed each other back that far with just a single collision of our weapons? Impressive. I nced at the foamy, swirling remnants of our fight as I gripped the bridge. My eyes eventually focused on the direction Bers had been flung. While I had been thrown toward the bridge leading to the Magic Tower, she had been hurled to the opposite shore. ¡°A-A person?¡± At this point, it seemed our fight was over. Iid my Zweih?nder on the bridge first before pulling myself up with some strength. ¡°A-A sword!¡± Because of that, the person on the bridge let out a startled yelp¡­ Erm, sorry about that. I wasn''t really a dangerous person. I didn''t really want this to happen. But what was I supposed to say to someone who was already running away? Instead of making excuses, I simply shook off the water on me. For some reason, I felt lighter. Why, though? Was it because I¡¯d gotten out of that situation where I was about to break character? Had the emotions rising inside me been suppressed or evaporated by the absurdity of this situation? Or perhaps it was because theke had washed away the traces of my red-rimmed eyes and the few tears I had shed. Maybe it was because I got a clean hit on Bers, allowing me to vent all my frustration. It could also be that when I was entirely focused on the fight, there was no room for idle thoughts or useless distractions to invade my mind. Maybe it was all these things, or perhaps none. Before I could contemte anymore, I realized it had been a very long time since I¡¯d felt joy from a fight. Well, it wasn¡¯t that strange. This was a consensual fight¡ªIt might have seemed like Bers one-sidedly dragged me into this, but I did agree to it beforehand. This wasn¡¯t a real fight. In other words, I didn''t need to worry about killing Bers nor about Bers potentially killing me. I could approach this with pure sportsmanship in mind. Like I was ying a game. Was there anyone who needed to die in this fight? Was there anything I absolutely needed to protect? No, there wasn¡¯t. Regardless of this fight¡¯s oue, neither anyone¡¯s future nor thendscape would change significantly. In short, there was nothing that could stress me in this fight. It felt like I was enjoying a game for the first time in ages. ¡°¡ªHuff.¡± Of course¡­ Right. Seeing the Bers¡¯s tinum-haired figure sprinting along theke¡¯s edge was a little unexpected. She was moving at quite a pace, making it clear that she wasn¡¯ting here to chat after the end of the fight. I had thought the fight was over. But oh well, I didn¡¯t mind continuing. Really. I didn¡¯t dislike the idea. After all, I enjoyed these types of fights so much that I always picked action RPGs. Initially, I¡¯d avoided these duels with her because it seemed like a hassle, but having already gotten entangled in one, I had no reason to hold back. ¡°De¡ªmon¡ªKni¡ªght!¡± So, I properly gripped my sword. As long as Bers still had the will to fight, my character would never back down, and I had no intentions of dodging this fight, either. ¡°Come at me, you fool.¡± Ah, wasn¡¯t this kind of starting to feel like a PVP (yer-versus-yer) match with a friend? I genuinely felt like I was ying a fun game. ¡°I¡¯ll show you the difference in our abilities.¡± Warm water, heated by my body temperature, trickled down my cheek. * * * * * * Having justpleted an important task, White Wind copsed onto a sofa. The exhaustion from traveling through the Great Forest was something even an Archmage couldn¡¯t shake off easily. Knock, knock! But the world was simply cruel. It hadn''t even been an hour since hey down when a knock pierced through the {Soundproofing} spell ced on the room. White Wind, who¡¯d fallen into a deep sleep, even snoring, partially woke up and iled around before inevitably falling off the sofa. Knock, knock! ¡°U-Uuurgh.¡± Holding his back and groaning, White Wind moved his fingers, to which the door creaked open. ¡°¡­Were you sleeping?¡± However, the visitor still hesitated in the dark entryway. It came as no surprise that White Wind answered in a rather exasperated voice. ¡°¡­Wouldn''t you want to sleep after all that chaos, too?¡± Considering they¡¯d had to set up camp twice on their way and arrived in the city during the day, now wasn''t exactly the best time to sleep. But the route leading them outside the Great Forest over these two days was by no means easy. Even with spells to partially alleviate the difort, camping outside didn''t exactly allow one to fully recover one''s strength. White Wind found the Archmage''s fresh appearance even more astonishing. Sure, he was younger, had more stamina built from adventuring, and there were some racial differences, but this was just too much. ¡°Hmm. Traveling with the Demon Knight made this sort of thing routine for me.¡± ¡°What kind of march were you on? Rather, the Demon Knight made the decisions?¡± ¡°Not exactly¡­ but he does often run off on his own like that.¡± It seemed more like their party was led by one of its members rather than the Hero. Considering the Demon Knight¡¯s temper, though, that wasn¡¯t entirely surprising. The Hero also wasn¡¯t exactly cut out to lead. Honestly, she¡¯d experienced far too little of this world even to hold her ground. ¡°So, what¡¯s the reason for your visit?¡± White Wind clicked his tongue, pitying the Archmage. At this age, he should be leading a guild or running a researchb instead of suffering these hardships. However, considering what happened back then, running ab wouldn¡¯t be an option for him. The situation was the way it was, so whatever. Deciding he should fully wake himself up, White Wind turned on the lights and started boiling water. Tea leaves with awakening properties floated through the air, following his hand gestures. ¡°I just came here to ask you for a small favor. It¡¯s nothing serious or time-consuming, so you don¡¯t need to brew any tea.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± Without hesitation, White Wind set aside the tea leaves and brought out some honey before recing the boiling water with milk. Nothing put someone to sleep like honey milk. ¡°If I knew you were sleeping, I would haveeter.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, I¡¯m awake now. Besides, it¡¯s just a small favor you want to ask.¡± White Wind brushed through his messy hair and pounded on the table with his other hand. ¡°And it might be rted to something I wanted to ask, you know? ¡°¡­You want to ask me something? You?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The milk had warmed up. White Wind then scooped a generous amount of honey into it and let it dissolve into the beverage. The golden liquid fully sank into the white. ¡°It¡¯s nothing major. I gave the Demon Knight a certain item, right? It¡¯s a bit dangerous, though, so to avoid harming ordinary people, I inscribed a spell on it so only Arcane Power users could touch it, you know?¡± ¡°¡­So?¡± ¡°But surprise! While he was down with an injury, it disappeared without a trace. Curious, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The honey hadpletely dissolved. White Wind fished out the spoon, producing a bright clink as it tapped the edge of the cup. ¡°It was you, wasn''t it? You took it, right?¡± In response, the Archmage also let some honey drip into his milk. The liquid rippled. ¡°Why are you asking if you already know?¡± ¡°Ahahaha!¡± The moment he heard the answer, White Wind burst intoughter. Of course. A warrior wouldn¡¯t see its true value, and a wizard wouldn¡¯t need something like a bomb, so he¡¯d suspected something like this, but who would¡¯ve thought it was actually true? Especially since he¡¯d been rather harsh to the Demon Knight until recently. ¡°I thought you might have softened up a bit in the Great Forest, but this truly is something else. My words must have really gotten to you, huh?¡± ¡°Of course. How could they not?¡± ¡°Haha. So, the favor you were going to ask of me was rted to that?¡± ¡°If the Demon Knight requested a new chest te, then yes, it¡¯s regarding that. I¡¯m here to request that you remove the explosive spell from it.¡± ¡°Ahaha!¡± White Wind let out some heartyughter again. Truly, sometimes the Archmage was unpredictable, and other times, entirely foreseeable. ¡°But what should I do? This time, it¡¯s not a gift butpensation for a contract, so I can¡¯t just remove it arbitrarily.¡± ¡°Is that so? Then subcontract it to me.¡± ¡°That would make the Magic Tower seem like a ce that doesn¡¯t properly check its products. We live on our reputation, so that would be difficult, don¡¯t you think?¡± However, it was good that he was like that. The Magic Tower, known as the pinnacle of intellect, desperately needed someone with empathy and benevolence. ¡°Principles beget trust. It¡¯s certainly important. But are they really above a person¡¯s life?¡± Knowledge was a de without eyes, a force without ego, after all. ¡°What if he goes on a rampage?¡± ¡°He won¡¯t. I¡¯m certain after this incident. Here¡¯s what I believe. It¡¯s trust between people that I hold above principles.¡± If someone like the Archmage, who heldpassion within himself, let go of the de of knowledge, where would that de be directed? ¡°You¡¯re asking me to sacrifice my reputation for your trust? That¡¯s a bit too much.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°But¡­ not bad. While I¡¯ve decided not to trust your judgment regarding people, I¡¯ll give you one more shot.¡± Besides, nothing was written in the contract regarding the chest te. Even if the Demon Knightined, there wouldn¡¯t be any evidence. epting this request wouldn¡¯t bring him any harm. With such purely pragmatic thoughts, White Wind agreed to his friend¡¯s request. ¡°In return, give me back what you took. I¡¯ll disassemble it and reuse the materials.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± Moreover, he would save on the material costs as well. It was the perfect deal. Bang, bang, bang! ¡°¡­?¡± However, it seemed karma truly existed in this world. ¡°Where did you learn to knock on someone¡¯s door like that?¡± ¡°My apologies, Great Sage. It¡¯s an urgent matter¡­¡± ¡°If it¡¯s not as urgent as you make it out to be, I¡¯ll cut your department¡¯s research budget. Speak.¡± ¡°Well, erm¡­ The Demon Knight and hispanion, they¡­¡± ¡°They?¡± ¡°They¡¯ve shattered the bridge connecting the Magic Tower to the town.¡± Upon hearing this disastrous news, White Wind, who¡¯d been nning to scam his way through this deal, couldn¡¯t help but spit out the milk he¡¯d been sipping. Chapter 136: Because This Isn’t Fiction (4) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 136 Because This Isn¡¯t Fiction (4) ¡°Wahaha! Buddy! How do you feel after breaking a sweat? Refreshing, right?!¡± I red at Bers, who wasughing heartily. However, she was right; after this game-like fight, I felt more rxed, but¡­ ¡°¡­Are you seriouslyughing right now?¡± Facing the Archmage, who looked exhausted to the point of seemingpletely deted, my conscience, which I¡¯dpletely neglected during this game, started kicking in. I averted my eyes, feeling a bit guilty. Even for someone as shameless as me, this was a bit too much. ¡°Wow. You really went all out on this¡­¡± No wonder¡­ Our fight had practically obliterated the bridge connecting the Magic Tower to the town. The bridge over theke was almost entirely destroyed. There wasn¡¯t a single part left intact, from the railings to the pirs to the deck. Some sections were so thoroughly smashed that they¡¯d even sunk into the water, leaving some gaps. The only good thing was that the Magic Tower¡¯s main building remained undamaged. I¡¯d tried my hardest not to damage it, but still. ¡°And it appears the Temple even sent some people here. Hmph! After seeing all thismotion, I suppose it would have been stranger if they hadn¡¯t!¡± Thanks to our actions, the ce was bustling with not just members of the Magic Tower but also the city guards, adventurers sent by the Adventurers¡¯ Guild to assess the situation, and even priests who¡¯d rushed out to prepare for any emergency. And all of them were staring at me and Bers sitting in a corner. I didn¡¯t really know why they were just watching. Maybe they were scared? Judging by how they were arguing about who should approach us first, it seemed that way. ¡°¡­I can already guess the reason, but I¡¯ll ask anyway. Why did you fight?¡± The first to approach us had been the Archmage. He¡¯d crossed theke by boat and was now looking at us resignedly. However, if I had any shame left, I couldn¡¯t just blurt out that Bers had started it. Not that he would see it that way, but even if he did, it wouldn¡¯t change that I¡¯d willingly participated. Even if it wasn¡¯t my intention, I couldn¡¯t deny that we¡¯d fought and caused this mess. ¡°Berserk wanted to fight right now! So we fought!¡± But unlike me, who¡¯d stayed silent for the above reasons¡ªit actually wasn¡¯t part of my act¡ªBers shouted her answer proudly. She was so confident that anyone listening might think we hadn¡¯t done anything wrong here. ¡°Miss Fiiighter¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not something to be proud of¡­¡± Of course, that wasn¡¯t the case, though. I avoided the gazes of the kimchi and meat dumplings, who¡¯d tried to stop us but ended up helplessly watching the fight after the bridge copsed. I especially avoided Akata¡¯s gaze. I felt so embarrassed, like an adult getting caught acting foolish¡ªbecause that¡¯s what had happened. But see, if I break character, I could lose my life, you know? So, I had no choice but to go along with it, okay? Although I did enjoy it, I¡¯d also tried to minimize the damage, right? Shouldn¡¯t that count for something? ¡°Demon Knight, what about you?¡± Right, probably not. No matter how much I was acting, this amount of damage was inexcusable. Uwaah. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to say anything?¡± I nced at the Archmage, who was questioning me. Naturally, even if I had a hundred mouths, there was nothing I could say. ¡°Demon Knight.¡± ¡­S-Still, I did feel I was being treated a bit unfairly. I truly didn¡¯t think things would end up like this. I¡¯d realized something was wrong when Bers started smashing the railings and tried to move. It was just that Bers was so skilled that I¡¯d failed to escape, and so, as ast resort, I even threw myself into theke! I¡¯d voluntarily plunged into theke to avoid harming others! I even volunteered to be a punching bag every time others were about to get involved in this! Bers caused most of the damage to the bridge, anyway! I hardly broke anything! ¡°Demon Knight!¡± ¡­But yeah. Of course. As the one who fought with Bers, I also bore some responsibility¡­ Especially since I didn¡¯t exactly dislike fighting her. Damn it! If I¡¯d known this would happen, I wouldn¡¯t have allowed myself to get carried away like that¡­! ¡°¡­How much.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°I willpensate you.¡± The problem was that my character would never admit his mistakes. It¡¯s not like I thought money could solve everything, but did he really think my character, with his immense pride, would readily admit to this? Considering the backstory I¡¯d created for this character, it was highly likely he rarely had to admit his mistakes and, therefore, hadn¡¯t learned how to apologize appropriately. I mean, if he¡¯d spent his whole life only hunting Demons, how often would he have caused this type of incident? And even if he did cause trouble, it would have been minor and probably got resolved with either threats or money. So, there was no way he would feel remorse. Showing that here would break character. ¡°Do you¡­ think I¡¯m asking forpensation? While that is indeed necessary, there¡¯s one thing in this world that takes priority.¡± B-But this was so painful! My conscience hurt so much! It was actually killing me! As the Archmage continued to speak in a calm, lecturing manner, I was screaming internally. Of course, I knew that an apology shoulde before offeringpensation! I really, really wanted to apologize as well! ¡°Demon Knight.¡± However, what could I do when my character was supposed to be damn stubborn! I knew what he¡¯d do to me if I broke character here! I kept my mouth shut while crying inside. Being unable to apologize when I really wanted to was incredibly frustrating, but I had no choice. That was the character I¡¯d chosen to act as, and therefore, I had to bear this guilt. I had to endure it with sheer willpower. My eyes started growing warm with all the frustration I felt. ¡°What¡¯s the problem? Berserk will alsopensate! Berserk has money!¡± Meanwhile, Bers was shouting loudly. In that instant, the Archmage¡¯s expression started to shift through a series of emotions. At first, he looked like someone who¡¯d just heard some absurd nonsense, then like someone who¡¯d realized some strange, profound truth. ¡°¡­That¡¯s not the point. In times like these¡­ before discussingpensation, you should first seek forgiveness. That is the right way.¡± I didn¡¯t know what precisely the Archmage had realized in that brief moment, but he spoke in a slightly gentler voice. It seemed he¡¯de to understand that our emotional maturity was less than that of a three-year-old. ¡°Don¡¯t you apologize by givingpensation?¡± ¡°Compensation doesn¡¯t always only consist of something material. Sometimes, you can just atone with heartfelt words. Of course, given the scale of this incident, materialpensation is also necessary.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­? My sister also said that if you make a mistake, you should apologize first.¡± After some coaxing and persuasion from the Archmage, Bers stopped scratching her head and stood up. A few drops of water scattered as she moved, showing she wasn¡¯tpletely dry yet. ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll apologize!¡± ¡°Good. Then go to the guards. Answer all their questions honestly.¡± ¡°Got it!¡± At that moment, my partner, who shared in my guilt, left. I was now alone. ¡°Demon Knight.¡± Sh-Should I just say I¡¯m sorry? Should I?? B-But if I apologized, wouldn¡¯t I be breaking character? Wouldn¡¯t he doubt me if Iplied too readily? I felt my head spin from this Schr?dinger¡¯s apology dilemma. Offering an apology here could lead to my character¡¯s copse, or it might not. I imagined a cat pointing at an apple, muttering an apple-ogy. ¡°Erm, Mister.¡± At that moment, Deb slipped the Archmage a note. Since the paper was high quality, the letters didn¡¯t show through the back, so I couldn¡¯t see what was written on it. I could only see the Archmage¡¯s expression hardening. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll let this slide for now. However, when the guardse to ask questions, be sure to cooperate.¡± Wh-What the heck? What had the Archmage been shown for him to back off like this? Did something happen? I bit my lip slightly as I watched the Archmage disappear into the crowd. I really wanted to apologize for my actions but couldn¡¯t, and I didn¡¯t even know what was going on, either. How frustrating. * * * * * * ¡°¡­Is this true?¡± Meanwhile, the Archmage was verifying the authenticity of what was written on the note. The man with dark green eyes nodded slightly. ¡°I see.¡± Family. So that was what this was about. Was he reminiscing about his family? Berserk had interrupted him, which apparently led to this fight¡­ ¡°I¡¯m not certain, but if that weren¡¯t the case, Mister Knight would have no reason to draw something like that¡­¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± There was no need to think hard about why his family had suddenlye to mind. He might have seen his lost family in Akata, and in any case, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for him to suddenly start thinking of his family for no reason, either. Yeah, but still. ¡ºKill them! I have already murdered my own blood. What difference would the blood of these children make?!¡» After hearing those words, how could he reprimand him further? The Demon Knight wasn¡¯t in the right, but how could he chastise someone who¡¯d confessed to killing kin and was now reminiscing about them so deeply? He couldn¡¯t. ¡°For now, keep an eye on the Demon Knight. He probably won¡¯t cause any more trouble, but you never know.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The Archmage concealed hisplicated feelings and sent the young man away. Given his perceptiveness, he could observe the Demon Knight without provoking him. ¡°Did you talk to him?¡± Instead, he approached White Wind. Of the people he needed to talk to for the cleanup, White Wind was at the top of the list. ¡°¡­First, let me apologize on his behalf. I¡¯ll also take care of thepensation.¡± ¡°Why? Even though you¡¯re in the same party, you don¡¯t have to handle all this for him. It¡¯s not like the Demon Knight is short on money.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s true. I have no reason to do this. He could probably pay for the repairs himself.¡± But, but¡­ The Archmage nced sideways at the person whose eyes had reddened slightly after being urged to reflect. He recalled the face of the man, someone with the power to shatter this whole bridge single-handedly, looking like a hurt boy just from being asked to apologize. Seriously. When looked at without bias, he was still so young and imperfect. ¡°Isn¡¯t it an adult¡¯s duty to take responsibility to protect a child?¡± While his body was already fully grown, his mind remained so immature. However, after piecing together hisments and actions, it became clear that there had to be reasons behind them, which made it all the sadder. The Archmage could no longer be angry with the Demon Knight. ¡°¡­A child?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say this expecting you to understand, so just ignore it.¡± ¡°No, well, he does seem young¡­ but isn¡¯t he a bit strong to be called a child?¡± ¡°The strength of the body and the development of the mind are separate. You know that.¡± ¡°Well¡­ That¡¯s true.¡± How could one be angry, knowing he¡¯d probably lost his family at a very young age, perhaps even killing them himself while possessed by a Demon? It was far too much to criticize him for being immature when his past weighed so heavily on him. ¡°Even so, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s right to care for a fully grown adult like that¡­¡± ¡°I''m not nning to do everything for him. Just this time.¡± ¡°Well. Fine. It doesn¡¯t really matter to me, anyway. We just want ourpensation. But those guys might feel differently about this, you know?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll handle the exnations and apologies.¡± ¡°You¡¯d better.¡± Of course, that didn¡¯t mean he would let this incident slide. Understanding that he¡¯d grown up without learning to apologize properly and simply letting it go were two very different matters. Especially since he¡¯d realized this, he shouldn¡¯t just pass it off. He needed to help fill that void. That was his duty as a person and as someone who¡¯d lived a bit longer. ¡°Uhm, Archmage. About the Demon Knight¡­¡± ¡°Ah, Inquisitor. Don¡¯t worry. What you think will happen¡­ won¡¯t.¡± ¡°Erm, but shouldn¡¯t the Demon Knight be arrested for this?¡± ¡°No, not necessarily. Unless the Magic Tower requests a severe punishment, it¡¯ll likely end with just a fine.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s because I¡¯m a Hero, that would be an abuse of power¡­¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s definitely not that, so don¡¯t worry.¡± He knew it wouldn¡¯t be easy. Just educating the Hero on social norms was already incredibly difficult. But just because it was challenging didn¡¯t mean he could give up. The Archmage began mentally organizing his social education n for the Demon Knight. So far, he¡¯d assumed the other¡¯s behavior was just due to a poor personality and left it alone, but now that he understood the reason, he could no longer ignore it. ¡°¡­Chills.¡± ¡°Yes? What did you say, Mister?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± However, a certain someone getting an ominous feeling akin to a chill running down his spine and breaking into a cold sweat was, unfortunately, something the Archmage would never know about. * * * I suddenly shivered, an ominous feeling running through my body. There were too many potential sources to pinpoint the exact one. ¡°Mister, you don¡¯t look so good¡ª¡± ¡°I said it¡¯s nothing.¡± No¡­ This might just be because of my guilty conscience¡­ I kept my mouth shut as I crouched down slightly. Of course, I didn''t do it in an undignified way. I couldn¡¯t afford to lose any more dignity. ¡¾Uhm¡­¡¿ At that moment, Akata quietly approached me. In her hand was a bracelet identical to the one she¡¯d given me earlier. ¡¾I made two, just in case¡­¡¿ Ah, erm, was she giving me another one? Did she think I lost the first one? I looked at the bracelet she handed me with mixed feelings. After venting properly during the fight by theke, I didn¡¯t feel like crying anymore. I still felt a bitplicated, simr to before, but less intense. ¡°¡­Kid.¡± Despite everything, I managed to ept the bracelet calmly. Wait, but I already had one in my inventory. Still, I wasn¡¯t sure whether she was giving me another one because she thought I lost it. And even if she did¡­ it would be a bit awkward if I suddenly said, ¡°I didn¡¯t actually lose it, I still have it!¡± and showed it to her. ¡°¡­¡± I called out to her and put the bracelet in my bag¡­ or tried to. I would have if the kid hadn¡¯t looked a little hurt. Well, I guess I should wear it now, right? However, wouldn¡¯t putting it on right away be breaking character? Besides, how was I supposed to put it on with just one hand? Unable to put it in my bag or wear it, I kept holding it. Then, the child came closer, her hand out, apparently intending to put it on for me. She secured it around my left wrist. The memory of chains binding my whole body, including my neck, came to mind and left me slightly ufortable, but since it was just on my wrist, I could bear it. Icked the courage to say anything else in this situation. An awkward silence fell over me, the child, and Deb, who¡¯d gotten caught in the middle of all this. ¡°Erm¡­¡± At that moment, someone who looked like a guard approached me. It seemed this was what the Archmage had meant when he said I should cooperate with the guards, and I was actually quite pleased with this development. Come now, save me from this awkwardness! If you ask me for my cooperation, I¡¯ll dly do anything you want, so just get me out of here! ¡°The investigation is almostplete, but there¡¯s still something we need to address¡­¡± Nice!! I stood up, listening to the trembling guard. Since my character wasn¡¯t supposed to be happy about this situation, I adjusted my expression ordingly. Maybe that¡¯s why this guard, who already appeared to be on the verge of fainting, looked even more distressed. But, well, I figured he¡¯d be fine since I wasn¡¯t nning to eat him alive or something. ¡¾Uhm¡­¡¿ ¡°He¡¯ll have to go alone. You¡¯ll stay with me.¡± ¡¾Ah.¡¿ And so, I was led to the investigation room set up by the guards. Fortunately, it was deemed just a big squabble between young people. Given the Magic Tower¡¯s poor reputation, the residents had simply shrugged it off, thinking, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just the Magic Tower being the Magic Tower again.¡± There wasn¡¯t any significant damage to their property, anyway. I resolved the matter by taking on the total cost ofpensation, paying for the damages of those affected, and an additional fine. That was a great relief. Chapter 137: Because This Isn’t Fiction (5) Chapter 137 Because This Isn¡¯t Fiction (5) ¡°What can I say? The punishment seems lighter than expected.¡± ¡°Those full of youthful energy often end up fighting over simple differences of opinion. It¡¯s simr to brawls between drunkards. It looks worse due to the sheer power of those involved, but at its core, it¡¯s actually a prettymon urrence.¡± ¡°True.¡± ¡°Do such incidents usually end like this?¡± ¡°For the most part, yes. So long as those involvede to an agreement, there¡¯s typically no further punishment. They might be subject to punishment should a third party get dragged in and suffer damages, but even then, if they reach an agreement peacefully, that resolves things most of the time.¡± Listening to that conversation, I lowered my eyes. It turned out that not only had the Archmage defended us, but he¡¯d also shouldered part of thepensation we had to pay. Of course, I didn¡¯t want to shirk my responsibility, and considering my character¡¯s high pride, I voluntarily paid about three million Gal. However, the Archmage, who wasn¡¯t even directly involved in the fight, paid two million Gal, iming this happened because he¡¯d failed to manage his party properly. For someone like me, who¡¯d been treated like an adult ever since reaching the age where I should be able to take responsibility for myself¡ªover a decade ago¡ªthis was nothing short of overwhelming. Archmage. You, you really¡­! ¡°Well then, let¡¯s get going. Even if it¡¯s better than prison, staying in the guards¡¯ interrogation room for too long isn¡¯t exactly pleasant, is it?¡± Although unintentional, I did cause trouble that was not only time-consuming but also quite financially burdensome. So, if I had any sense of shame left in me, the right thing to do would be to shut up and follow him. I quietly followed the Archmage. Since the whole group was moving together, it wasn¡¯t too noticeable. ¡°Urgh, the investigation sure took a while.¡± ¡°How surprising. I thought you¡¯d know about this more than anyone.¡± ¡°Why would you think I know about the guards¡¯ way of doing things?¡± ¡°You look like you might have gotten caught by them before.¡± ¡°What did you say, iron wall?¡± ¡°Wahahaha! The air outside is amazing!¡± Sigh, fine. For the next few days, I would act like the Archmage¡¯s dog, within the bounds of my character, of course. If anyone asked me if I wasn¡¯t practically his subordinate already, I wouldn¡¯t really have much of a response. ¡°Haha. By the way, it seems the sun is already setting.¡± The evening glow spread across the sky as we exited the guard station. The Archmage was right. It hadn¡¯t been that long, but the sun was already setting. ¡°We should hurry and get something to eat.¡± ¡°Ah, true. Dinner time is almost over.¡± ¡°Are we going to eat? Perfect. Berserk¡¯s been hungry for some time. This little friend here also needs to eat.¡± ¡¾Did you call me?¡¿ ¡°At this hour, only the taverns are probably open. Shouldn¡¯t we just head back to the Temple?¡± The Temple? That would be a bit awkward. I was thinking about those people who¡¯de all the way down to the lower district because of the fight between me and Bers, only to be sent back. They only came just in case, and since they didn¡¯t really have anything to do, there was no need topensate them, either. However, since this world¡¯s Temples worked like emergency services, this felt like calling 911 and then just sending them back, saying, ¡°Oh, we managed to take care of everything on our own¡­¡± Ah, the consequences of ying around a bit sure were severe. I swore never to fight inside of a town again. ¡°No¡­ There¡¯s no need for that.¡± Meanwhile, the Archmage nced around. As he did, the streemps lining the road flickered on. ¡°This ce stays quite bright even at night.¡± ¡°¡­How beautiful.¡± ¡°Seriously. Wow.¡± ¡°It got brighter!¡± ¡¾There are stars on the ground¡­¡¿ They were fueled by Arcane Power. To someone like me from the modern world, this just seemed like streetlights turning on with electricity. Wait, hadn¡¯t these guys spent a few days here already? I left as soon as we arrived, so I didn¡¯t get to experience this town properly, but didn''t they have more than enough chances to see these things? ¡°If I¡¯d known, I would¡¯vee out here at night even once.¡± I kind of figured out what had happened from those words. Like in other cities, they probably stayed holed up in some building after sunset. Seriously, they sure were unnecessarily principled in that regard. Even Deb didn¡¯t know about this. ¡°Little friend, look at that. The lights are moving!¡± ¡¾W-Woooow.¡¿ ¡°Oh my. Had I known you would like it so much, I would have mentioned it earlier.¡± Bers, carrying Akata on her shoulders, dashed forward. I was somewhat annoyed to see her so carefree and cheerful after causing so much trouble, as did I, but at the same time, it was a bit amusing because it was very much like Bers. And in a way, her mental age seemed simr to Akata¡¯s. ¡°Don¡¯t go too far. That¡¯s the workshop district!¡± ¡°Workshop district?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s where the artisans gather. There are shops selling all kinds of crafts. It¡¯s quite a sight.¡± I see. Then perhaps I shoulde here tomorrow if I have the time. Spending all day just drawing felt a bit wrong, so some window shopping might not be a bad idea. I watched Bers continue rushing ahead. It seemed she hadn¡¯t heard a word the Archmage said. ¡°Uhm, Mister Wizard. Miss Fighter already ran off with the kid.¡± ¡°Hm? Oh dear¡­¡± Deb pointed this out instead of me, who¡¯d kept silent despite realizing it. Confirming Deb¡¯s words, Archmage rubbed his forehead. ¡°Let¡¯s go after them. I¡¯m afraid they might cause trouble.¡± For some reason, my heart ached even more. ¡°Little friend, do you like things like that?¡± ¡¾They use such pretty colored threads outside.¡¿ Fortunately, Bers hadn¡¯t gone too far. Or maybe Akata had shown interest in something, slowing her down. Either way, we managed to catch up to them without any trouble. They¡¯d entered a store filled with clothes, fabrics, and threads. ¡°Why did you run off like that?¡± ¡°Ah, wizard.¡± It wasn¡¯t a big store, and I didn¡¯t especially feel like going inside, so I stayed outside. Meanwhile, the two dumplings poked their heads in, apparently interested in the clothes-making process. ¡°Hmm. I heard there¡¯s a fabric that can reflect a person¡¯s face, but I don¡¯t see any here.¡± ¡°Why are you looking for that? You won¡¯t find something like silk here. This ce is for ordinary people.¡± ¡°Is that what it¡¯s called?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then why wouldn¡¯t silk be sold in a store for ordinary people?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s expensive. Only very wealthy people can buy silk.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± They were also doing some social studies on the side. ¡°Were you going to buy thread for the child?¡± ¡°No. I wanted to, but she said she didn¡¯t want any.¡± ¡°Is that so? ¡¾She says she wanted to buy you some thread, but you declined. Is that true?¡¿¡± ¡¾Ah¡­ Yes. It¡¯s not like I need it, and I don¡¯t want to be a burden. I was just curious about the kind of thread they have here.¡¿ ¡¾You don¡¯t need to worry about being a burden because of something like this¡­ but if that¡¯s how you feel, I understand. Do you want to look around some more?¡¿ However, what exactly was Akata looking at so intently? I observed the thread the child was staring at. It was dyed red. Considering she¡¯d made me a bracelet, did she like this kind of thing? ¡¾No, it¡¯s okay.¡¿ I watched the child put down the thread she¡¯d been fiddling with. ¡°Goodbye.¡± ¡°Thanks for letting us look around. May your business prosper.¡± As everyone left the shop, my gaze briefly lingered on the shop¡¯s sign. ¡°Now then, let¡¯s go get some food.¡± I wondered what time this ce opened. ¡°Berserk wants to go to a ce with good drinks!¡± ¡°That just sounds like a tavern.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really mind a tavern¡­¡± ¡°No, we can¡¯t go there. Taverns only serve meat dishes.¡± After memorizing the store¡¯s surroundings perfectly, I carefully followed the rest of the group. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go somewhere that serves fish. Hudelen is also famous for its freshwater fish, so it¡¯ll definitely be delicious.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°But fish doesn¡¯t taste that good.¡± ¡°Meat is meat. Let¡¯s just give it a try, Miss Fighter.¡± ¡¾Are you okay with having freshwater fish for dinner?¡¿ ¡¾I don¡¯t mind.¡¿ It seemed tonight¡¯s dinner would be fish, which wasn¡¯t a bad choice. Freshwater fish were known for their strong odor, but then again, so was all the food here. ¡°Wooow. The dining district sure is packed.¡± ¡°The sky¡¯s gonepletely dark, but people can still walk around like this¡­ Magic truly is incredible. It would be great if more of these were installed.¡± ¡°Well, their instation cost is still pretty high, so I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s possible.¡± But there really were a lot of people here. I had to be careful not to lose sight of the group in this bustling crowd. ¡°Hey, that ce¡¯s food isn¡¯t that good.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I swear I won''t look at any other woman again. Really.¡± ¡°As you get older, you need less, and it¡¯s really sad that you can''t eat properly anymore because you''ve lost your appetite.¡± ¡°Pasha!¡± Amidst the noise flooding in from all directions, I was reminded of the path I used to take every morning in my original world. My eyelids drooped slightly. ¡°Mister, we¡¯re here!¡± ¡¾So many people¡­¡¿ ¡°Will it be good?¡± ¡°With this many people here, it¡¯s doubtful the food will be bad.¡± ¡°Meat!!¡± But when I lifted my eyes again, the weight I was carrying no longer felt so heavy. This was enough. I could endure for a bit longer. * * * * * * While dozing off on a roof, Deathbringer fully awakened upon hearing a faint noise. Listening more closely, he could hear footsteps quieter and steadier than an ordinary person¡¯s. They had to belong to a trained warrior. But only two warriors were staying at their lodging. Among them, Berserk made louder and heavier sounds due to her build. She had also woken before dawn to train, so it couldn¡¯t possibly be her. Therefore, those footsteps had to be the Demon Knight¡¯s. Deathbringer lowered his body. To follow someone this sensitive, he had to be even more careful than usual. Did he feel guilty about following an ally? Well, once he was certain the Demon Knight wouldn¡¯t harm himself when alone, he would stop. Until then, he wouldn¡¯t be leaving him on his own. That was all he could do. Of course, if he got caught, the Demon Knight would be very¡­ very angry, but surely wouldn¡¯t kill him. The Demon Knight had a surprisingly lenient side. ¡­He really wouldn¡¯t get killed, right? Leaving his wavering faith behind, Deathbringer quickened his pace. It was just before dawn, so only a few people were on the streets. He had to hide himself well using obstacles to avoid being detected by the perceptive knight. ¡°I think I saw that guy yesterday.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°¡­No. It must¡¯ve been my imagination. Are you ready?¡± ¡°Y-Yeah.¡± Thankfully, it was surprisingly easy to tail someone in this town. He stepped on the roof of an inn and carefully moved to the next building. ¡°It tickles!¡± ¡°Haha, sorry about that.¡± During that process, he overheard all manner of conversations, like travelers chatting with each other, couples affirming their love in the early morning, and so on. But¡­ since he was already used to such things, he didn¡¯t feel too guilty hearing all that. If they didn¡¯t want their conversations to be listened to, they should have gone somewhere with better soundproofing. ¡°Hm?¡± Anyway, his tailing went smoothly. He followed the Demon Knight undetected until entering the workshop district. ¡°His sword shouldn¡¯t have broken yet¡­¡± Though he hadn¡¯t been caught, some unanswered questions remained. Had the Demon Knighte here to change out his sword? It wouldn¡¯t be too surprising, considering he broke one every month. ¡°Not all Arcane Power users have it that easy, huh?¡± He¡¯d initially wondered why those swords broke so often, but he now knew the reason after asking the Tower¡¯s wizards. The swords shattering wasn¡¯t the Demon Knight¡¯s fault. It was due to the nature of Arcane Power. Something about it undoing the intrinsic bond of materials. Unlike the body, which could repair itself, materials like iron couldn¡¯t be restored from such damage and end up just breaking. Of course, normal Arcane Power users didn¡¯t break their swords monthly. He¡¯d heard it was because the Demon Knight¡¯s Arcane Power was too powerful. Either way, this situation had to be quite inconvenient for the Demon Knight. ¡°¡­Wait a second.¡± But then, another question came to him. ¡°Then, just what is Mister Knight¡¯s Zweih?nder made of¡­?¡± The wizard had said that a material¡¯s structure weakening due to Arcane Power couldn¡¯t be reversed with magic, so {Repair} spells wouldn¡¯t work. How had that swordsted this long? What could it possibly be made of? ¡°Could it also be made from dragon scales¡­?¡± A thought crossed his mind if maybe that''s why the Demon Knight had so readily offered the dragon-scale items to him and the iron wall¡­ Of course, that couldn¡¯t be the case. This was the first time a dragon had actually been captured. ¡­Probably. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if the Demon Knight had encountered and killed a few Primordial Beasts before they¡¯d met, but still. Clunk. At that moment, the Demon Knight entered a building, snapping Deathbringer out of his wandering thoughts. ¡°Ah, what can I help you with¡ª¡± ¡°I want to buy the thread that kid with six arms was looking at yesterday.¡± The Demon Knight had entered the shop where Berserk and the kid went the other day. ¡°She looked at several¡­ Which one, specifically¡­?¡± ¡°All.¡± So, he went out to buy thread. Deathbringer finally rxed, releasing all the tension he¡¯d been holding just in case. Despite being so strong, the Demon Knight had a knack for making people needlessly anxious. ¡°All of them.¡± Yet, in the end, it was probably because he was such a kind person that Deathbringer worried about him so much. If he were only obsessed with hunting Demons, trampling over others and living ruthlessly, no one would have treated the Demon Knight with any sort of kindness, even if they admired his strength. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have stayed out all night¡­¡± Despite all the assumptions he¡¯d made, it turned out the Demon Knight hadn¡¯t gone out here to harm himself but for the sake of others. Somewhat embarrassed by that realization, Deathbringer turned on his heel, deciding to head back to the Temple before the Demon Knight returned. Since he didn¡¯t get a good night¡¯s sleep, he figured taking a midday nap wouldn¡¯t hurt. > [Hey, you.] But just as he turned to head toward the Temple¡­ > [You with the green hair.] ¡°Huh?¡± Someone called out to him. > [You have a good look in your eyes. I see potential in you.] The figure had a white-and-blue snake draped around their neck, and woreyers of silver silk reminiscent of fish scales. ¡°What are you talking about¡ª¡± Meeting a stranger who imed he had potential right off the bat was hardly pleasant for Deathbringer. Thinking this was just another weirdo, he again tried turning away. > [Don¡¯t you want to get stronger?] Hissss. However, the stranger was already right next to him. > [If you want, I can help you.] Deathbringer narrowed his eyes at the person who¡¯d approached him so quickly and silently. Wuoong. The ursed de he kept in his coat was trembling slightly. It seemed to him like a whale had suddenly appeared in the skies where it shouldn¡¯t be. Chapter 138: Because This Isn’t Fiction (6) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 138 Because This Isn¡¯t Fiction (6) ¡°Where have you been?¡± Immediately after buying the thread, I returned to the Temple. Because the shop was in the lower district, a round trip took roughly an hour, which unfortunately made it impossible for me to slip out ande back unnoticed. The Archmage was in the dining/living room, pouring some tea. ¨C Is someone there? ¨C In front of him was a spherical object, probably amunication device. From it, I could hear White Wind¡¯s voice. ¡°It¡¯s just the Demon Knight, no need to worry.¡± ¨C Aah. You were quite busy this morning. ¨C Despite my worries about being interrogated over where I went, the matter was brushed aside so easily. It was surprising, yet pretty unsurprising. After all, it was unusual to question someone about where they¡¯d been on the morning of their day off. It was just that, considering the incident I¡¯d caused yesterday and other circumstances, I kind of felt guilty on my own. I tried not to show any sign of that while crossing the room. Our lodgings were structured like a typical family home, with the rooms connected around a central living room, so there was no other way to reach my room. ¨C Anyway, let me continue. You know those Arcane serpents we transported over first? It¡¯s about those¡­ ¨C However, it was hard for me to ignore these words. When the Jahukaya were mentioned, I hesitated before my room¡¯s door. Since this could be rted to Demons, it wasn¡¯t easy for me to decide whether to stay and listen or just go inside. Noticing my hesitation, the Archmage silently pointed to a chair. tter. ¨C To conclude, nothing unusual has been found yet. ¨C Instead of refusing, I silently sat in the seat he¡¯d gestured toward. ¨C Since there are only four of them, we¡¯re handling them very cautiously, so we¡¯ve been unable to conduct proper experiments yet. ¨C Despite already having some tea prepared, the Archmage went ahead and poured out some fresh water. He let well-dried tea leaves plop into the water. The difference in tea color suggested he was brewing with different tea leaves this time. ¨C All we¡¯ve discovered is that they can consume Arcane Power fixed in the air but not contained in material, like a barrier. Within a certain distance, they can sense and move toward sources of Arcane Power, regardless of whether it has substance. ¨C Meanwhile, White Wind continued his exnation. ¨C Ah, and unlike the one we caughtst time, which had traces of Demonic Energy, these new ones have none. After observing them for a few days, I don¡¯t believe they hold even a shred of Demonic Energy. It¡¯s still uncertain whether they can transform Demonic Energy into Arcane Power. Sitting here felt like a waste of time, as this information didn¡¯t seem particrly useful. After all, if they didn¡¯t contain Demonic Energy, there was no reason to pursue this any further. Their Arcane Power-consuming nature was something the wizards had to handle themselves. ¡°Not all beings born from concentrated Arcane Power contain Demonic Energy. That¡¯s some good news, at least.¡± ¨C So what? There¡¯s a high probability of them possessing the ability to consume Arcane Power. We¡¯re doomed if that¡¯s true. ¨C ¡°Aren¡¯t we already trying hard to avoid that fate? It¡¯s alright.¡± ¨C Uuurgh, how annooooying. ¨C For some reason, I stared at the brewing tea more intently. White Wind¡¯s whining didn¡¯t concern me much, and there was little else to focus on, so I fixed my gaze on it in a daze. But why did the tea¡¯s aroma resemble the one I liked so much? ¡°Anyway, good work. How about the area in the Great Forest?¡± ©¤ My subordinates are still moving within the Jatav territory, so I¡¯ve yet to receive any reports. The Mountain Lord mentioned something, though¡­ It seems the Mountain Lord itself possesses Demonic Energy. However, it found the energy so unpleasant that it converted all of it into Arcane Power. ¨C ¡°Considering one¡¯s very origins unpleasant. How interesting.¡± ¨C Maybe it¡¯s because it wasn¡¯t entirely born from fully corrupted Arcane Power. After being born, it absorbed all the old Arcane Power, but that power was a bit weaker than pure Demonic Energy. ¨C While pondering whether it was mere coincidence that the Archmage brewed me this tea I particrly liked despite having other tea prepared, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder. Did he notice? But there shouldn¡¯t be any reason for the Archmage to cater specifically to my tastes. ¡°¡­If that¡¯s the case, it might exin why the Jahukaya haven¡¯t any Demonic Energy. Perhaps whether one is born with Demonic Energy depends on the degree of corruption of the Arcane Power from which they were born.¡± ¨C I think so, too. We¡¯ll need to check where the Jatav are raising these snakes to be sure, but it¡¯s highly likely. ¨C After thinking about it for a bit longer, I decided to stop. Whether the Archmage was intentionally or coincidentally catering to my tastes, I chose to simply ept the tea gratefully. ¨C We¡¯ll need to verify that¡­ When are youing today? ¨C ¡°Will you be conducting tests today?¡± ¨C Of course. Did you expect us to dy the tests when we don¡¯t even know when you¡¯ll leave again? ¨C ¡°¡­I appreciate the consideration.¡± The conversation could essentially be summarized as a premonition of the hardships toe, so I didn''t really have to concern myself with it. Given the earlier discussion, it was clear we¡¯d be facing creatures capable of consuming Arcane Power, possibly even some harboring Demonic Energy, in the future. Considering the Mountain Lord, we¡¯d also likely encounter intelligent beings with these traits, furtherplicating the task of distinguishing friend from foe. ¡°Did you hear that, Demon Knight?¡± Meanwhile, having finished brewing tea, the Archmage began to pour it into cups as he spoke. Although I hadn¡¯t exactly paid full attention to the conversation, I hadn¡¯t missed much, so I just narrowed my eyes. ¡°What time?¡± ¨C Come whenever is convenient for you. It¡¯d be better if you came during the day, though. ¨C ¡°Then it would be best to leave after we have a meal. What do you think?¡± That would be good. I nodded, and the Archmage, having settled our schedule, ended the call with White Wind. ¡°Here, take it.¡± Instead, he handed me a teacup. I reflexively reached out to take it. Swish. ¡°¡­?¡± Right before I could take the cup, the Archmage pulled it back. ¡°Take it.¡± Just when I thought he was ying a prank on me, the Archmage held out the cup once more. However, just as I was about to take it, he withdrew his hand again. ¡°¡­What is this?¡± What was this? Seriously. Was the Archmage trying to train me like a pet dog? ¡°Just say ¡®thank you¡¯.¡± ¡­Was he really trying to train me?! ¡°What are you¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard you say ¡®thank you¡¯ before, that¡¯s why.¡± Th-Th-That was true. I¡¯d never actually said it, not even once, due to my character setting. I blinked, caught between the stark reality presented and the constraints of my character settings. It was the only natural reaction I could give, since I couldn¡¯t let my eyes wander. ¡°Just say ¡®thank you¡¯. I¡¯ll give it to you then.¡± But this was just too much! Far too much!! I was thrown into a wild storm of emotions. The sheer absurdity of the situation, which made me want tough, thoughts about why the Archmage was doing this, and the existential crisis of whether I should really be acting like this at my age, even if it was part of my character setting. ¡°Hah.¡± However, what came before these emotions was my character setting. As always. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m your dog?¡± No, I mean, my character wasn¡¯t a small child anymore, and more than anything, he wouldn¡¯t bend his pride for just a simple cup of tea. He wasn¡¯t obsessed with food. Besides, while the real me might be rxed, my character wasn¡¯t at all happy about this situation. From constant Demon-rted issues to our recent encounter with that bastard in the Great Forest, and even being interrupted by Bers while trying to rest in town, it was just one thing after another. Was that all? The Mountain Lord had alsopletely shaken my values, so there was no way I would react positively to this. ¡°Looks like you''re greatly underestimating me now.¡± I deliberately made a loud noise as I stood up, visibly furious. This act would definitely drop the Archmage¡¯s favorability to -100. Of course, it wasn¡¯t like his favorability was positive to begin with, anyway. ¡°You seem to be under the illusion that you leash me, using the Demon as an excuse¡ª¡± Tap, tap, tap! Just as I was about to raise my voice, my lips and eyes twitching in anger, there was a sudden presence outside our lodging. It was moving quickly, as if fleeing from something or preparing to attack. Bang! I swiftly kicked the table away¡ªto clear the space around us¡ªand ced my hand on my sword. ¡°Just what¡­¡± The Archmage had also instinctively raised his staff as he abruptly stood up. At that moment, the door was violently flung open. If the person entering had applied just a bit more force, the door might have been ripped off its hinges. ¡°Huff, huff.¡± However, it didn¡¯t matter how roughly they entered. What mattered was that this person was the meat dumpling. He seemed somewhat pale, at that. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°That¡ª¡± If it was Deb, we didn¡¯t need to be on guard. I released my sword¡¯s hilt and brought my slightly spread legs back together. Deb began to speak, leaning against the door to catch his breath. ¡°That.¡± ¡°That?¡± No, he started but stopped midway. ¡°¡­It¡¯s nothing.¡± Something had clearly happened, so what did he mean by nothing? I frowned deeply at Deb, who¡¯d gone quiet. Since he didn¡¯t say anything, I couldn¡¯t ask anything, either, so this was a natural reaction. The problem was that Deb¡¯s interruption had disrupted the whole atmosphere, making it somewhat awkward to continue my confrontation with the Archmage. In the end, I just walked past the table I¡¯d pushed aside and headed for the door Deb hade through. Since the tea had also been knocked over along with the table, I was careful not to slip on the spilled liquid. Deb, who¡¯d just caught his breath, looked between me and the Archmage. ¡°Erm, did something happen¡­?¡± Oh, it had, but he could hear the details from the Archmage. I walked past Deb, a stern expression on my face. Where should I go? Well, it was almost mealtime, and since I definitely couldn¡¯t eat anything here under these circumstances, I figured I should find a decent ce for a meal and then head to the Magic Tower. I could eat whatever I wanted without worrying about anyone else. * * * * * * ¡°Seriously, what happened??¡± Deathbringer asked urgently, contrasting the Demon Knight¡¯s face, which had been fairly unbothered this morning, with the vastly different one he¡¯d had just now when walking past. Although he wasn¡¯t in a particrly good mood himself, seeing the Demon Knight¡¯s expression made his anger practically vanish. ¡°It¡¯s the usual. I made a little mistake. But it seems like you have a story to tell yourself here.¡± ¡°S-Something just happened.¡± A moment ago, he said it was nothing, but only because the Demon Knight was there. Instinctively, he¡¯d decided not to share this. However,ing face-to-face with the Demon Knight¡¯s fierce expression must have been quite a shock, given how he¡¯d forgotten all the words he¡¯d been nning to say. Deathbringer wiped away the sweat. He had no idea whether it appeared due to his rush here or the Demon Knight¡¯s killing intent. ¡°What did you do to make him that upset? He seemed fine earlier.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious. He¡­ Despite not liking to mingle with us, he tolerates quite a bit, doesn¡¯t he? Whether he does so because he¡¯s aware of the Demon or simply because he considers it unnecessary, I can¡¯t say.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°Still, he seemed to have mellowed out a bittely¡­ So, I thought it was time to take the first step to close the distance and slowly develop a proper rtionship. As you saw, it didn¡¯t go too well. I suppose it¡¯s still too early.¡± ¡°Mister Wizaaaard¡­¡± Hearing this, it didn¡¯t sound like a big deal. He didn¡¯t know what precisely the wizard had done to make the Demon Knight so angry, but this had to be done at some point. Although they¡¯de together with amon goal, it was abnormal for everyone to constantly walk on eggshells around the Demon Knight. Even if getting him to seepletely eye to eye with them was impossible, something had to change so they could at leastmunicate normally. ¡°But are you okay? Did someone attack you?¡± ¡°An attack¡­ Probably not. I think.¡± ¡°Probably not?¡± With his worries settled, only his own problems remained. Deathbringer scratched the back of his head as the Archmage looked at him. ¡°Since I wasn¡¯t directly injured.¡± ¡°¡­Not being injured isn¡¯t the same as not being harmed by something. What happened?¡± Well, how should he exin this? Deathbringer recalled the person he had encountered earlier and the words that person had said. ¡ºHave you ever felt resentful of your significantly inferior level of strength? Following someone you admire so much, yet feeling disgusted with yourself for being unable to help him at all?¡» ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know.¡± He reyed the words that person¡¯s ck tongue had whispered into his ears. ¡ºYou needn¡¯t be so cautious. I¡¯m just trying to help you. Honestly, isn¡¯t it annoying? That infuriating priest, that frustrating girl, being more useful than you.¡» ¡°It¡¯s just, just¡­¡± ¡ºBut I can help you. I can make you stronger than anyone, so long as you desire it.¡» ¡°Just¡­¡± ¡ºYes, I can make you stronger than that Hero. As long as that¡¯s what you want.¡» Those words were more potent a poison than any he¡¯d brought back from the Great Forest. ¡°Damn it.¡± The more he ruminated on this, the more pitiful his situation seemed. Knowing this, Deathbringer shook his head vigorously and closed his eyes tightly. ¡°I think I just got possessed by a Demon. I¡¯m not sure if it really was a Demon, though.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just, it felt like the things it said were exactly what a Demon would say. Like a con artist¡­ something like that.¡± ¡°What did it say¡­?¡± ¡°Nothing much. Just stuff like, ¡®Aren¡¯t you jealous of the Hero?¡¯ or, ¡®I can make you stronger.¡¯ Those kinds of things.¡± Besides, he wasn¡¯t stupid enough to fall for such things or careless enough to hide something like that. Sure, it was pretty dumb of him to have been too shocked to even think of putting a shadow on that thing, but at least he wasn¡¯t foolish enough to fall for such sweet talk and do something rash. ¡°It knew you were the Hero¡¯spanion?¡± ¡°Yeah. If it hadn¡¯t mentioned that, I would¡¯ve thought it was just a regr con artist. But it was so suspicious, you know? My de also reacted to it. And I don¡¯t know if it was just an illusion or whatnot, but it felt like I saw something like a whale.¡± Of course, yeah. There was no way he could admit to anyone that he was even the slightest bit tempted by the proposition. ¡°¡­This isn''t normal. Let¡¯s keep this to ourselves for now. If the others hear about this, they¡¯ll drop everything and go on a wild goose chase despite having gotten barely any rest.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± That natural-born Hero, steadfast and straightforward despite all the obstacles in her way, wasn¡¯t someone a shabby, orphaned thief should be jealous of. Chapter 139: Because This Isn’t Fiction (7) Chapter 139 Because This Isn¡¯t Fiction (7) Although the Archmage was unlikely toe, that didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t do those check-up tests. So, as soon as I finished my meal, I headed down to the Magic Tower to get examined. Since the test wasn¡¯t for something like crafting a custom seal, I didn¡¯t need to go all out with my skills. ¡°We want to see whether Arcane Power is somehow involved in your regeneration¡­¡± ¡°But hurting you is a bit¡ª¡± Stab! ¡°Uwaargh!!¡±¡± ¡°Woaaah!!¡± I simply needed to inflict some wounds on my body. Sure, it might seem strange to do it myself, but since today¡¯s sparring session had been moved to yesterday, there was no other opportunity for me to get injured. So, what else could I do? I had no choice but to do it myself. Before all these wizards, I drew my de across my forearm. I felt it reach my bone, but that wasn''t a big deal. With so many wizards here, there was no way they couldn¡¯t heal me. It was better to do it properly once than make it too small to observe the effect. It didn¡¯t really hurt, anyway. Even though everything else felt so real to me, getting injured somehow felt unreal¡ªmaybe because my senses were dulled or because I still believed this was a game character¡¯s body. Either way, it didn¡¯t particrly scare me. ¡°A-Are you alright¡­?¡± In fact, I found these wizards far more fascinating. Even though members of other branches had made me these proposals, it was still wizards who¡¯d wanted to study me, asked to experiment on my body, and made all sorts of other requests. However, now that they had the opportunity, they were hesitating. I couldn¡¯t tell if it was just that those in this particr branch still had some conscience left in them, or if those who¡¯d proposed those things to me before were just exceptionally shameless. It really made me curious. ¡°Check it.¡± However, my curiosity was one thing, and this wound another. I stripped off my clothes, keeping an eye on my HP bar. As I removed my coat and rolled up my shirt, I found some bandages but just silently unwound them, too. Since I¡¯d stabbed my left arm, exposing this one didn''t really matter. Haha! ¡°Wow, no hesitation whatsoever.¡± Just then, White Wind approached me with light steps. While the other wizards were ncing at my wound in shock, White Wind leaned in for a closer look. Behind him was that businesslike wizard who¡¯d previously been in charge of me. ¡°I don¡¯t see any Arcane Power involved in the healing process yet¡­¡± Well, maybe it was because my HP was still in the safe zone? While severe, the wound wouldn¡¯t be life-threatening once it was treated. ¡°Does your body only draw upon Arcane Power when your life is in danger?¡± I had simr thoughts. I mean, it was pretty obvious. Powers that only kicked in when on the brink of death were a fairlymon clich¨¦, after all. Not that I had any skills like that, though. Swish. I twisted the dagger I¡¯d used to cut my forearm between my fingers. Where was it again, that spot where a slow but inevitable death awaited one if pierced? ¡°Should I stab?¡± ¡°If necessary.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get in trouble.¡± ¡°Are you scared of that?¡± ¡°No.¡± The lung or the liver? I couldn¡¯t remember. Either would be fatal, which should trigger the desired response. I also had a skill that could nullify death once, and with so many wizards around, I wouldn¡¯t die or anything. Thinking that, I unbuttoned my shirt. ¡°If you touch my right arm, I¡¯ll kill you.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± I suddenly thought about how my party members would scream if they saw this scene. For me, this felt like experimenting a little on my game character, so it didn¡¯t really faze me, but mypanions¡­ especially Deb, would probably scream something like, ¡°You¡¯re self-harming again, Mister!?¡± ¡°Lie down over here and do it. It¡¯ll make observation easier.¡± But what could I do? It didn¡¯t feel like I was harming myself or trying tomit suicide; it was more like draining my game character¡¯s HP. Besides, even if I were trying to live like this was reality, unless I solved this now¡­ I stopped my thoughts there. Why pile up more stress when I¡¯d just managed to relieve some? Excessive thinking only drove people mad. What I should focus on for now, or rather, what I should be doing, was emptying my mind and just going with the flow. Just doing my best in whatever way I could, living from moment to moment. ¡°Can I cut the bandages?¡± ¡°Do as you please.¡± ¡°Ah, should I anesthetize you?¡± There was no need for that when my senses were already dulled. I didn¡¯t really care whether my chest was exposed, either. So, instead of responding with words, I showed it through actions. ¡®This crazy bastard, doing that on purpose.¡¯ The white bandages soon began turning a certain primary color. . . . ¡°Are you awake?¡± I didn¡¯t know when I¡¯d passed out. I forced my heavy eyelids open. My body was a bit stiff, but it wasn¡¯t that bad. There was no pain around where I¡¯d stabbed, which made me feel as if I¡¯d just woken up from a sedated endoscopy. ¡°We are done with the verification. Indeed, when your life is in danger, your body draws on your Arcane Power to keep you alive.¡± I absentmindedly touched the skin over my stomach through the opening in my shirt. The bandages had already been reapplied, so I couldn¡¯t feel my skin directly. However, since I couldn¡¯t feel the usual texture of a wound or any pain, I was confident I was alright. ¡°However, there were two somewhat peculiar things¡­ but first, I¡¯ll go out for a bit before telling you! You¡¯ll need to reapply the seal and get dressed properly.¡± Ah. Right. I need to put the seal back on. I rechecked my Arcane Power, whose first digit had changed to 2. Something seemed to be rolling around inside my clothes near my forearm, likely pieces of the seal. ¡°By the way, while your chest was exposed, we also checked the area around your heart, and it¡¯s perfectly fine! No need to worry!¡± At that moment, White Wind gave me a thumbs-up. This now felt even more like a sedated endoscopy. Talking about checking my heart and the like gave off the vibe of a general health check-up. ¡°But the news you''re about to hear won''t be too pleasant!¡± What was that supposed to mean? ¡°Mister¡­¡± ¡°D-Demon Knight¡­¡± ¡°Buddy, you¡¯re awake?¡± It took about ten minutes for me to understand White Wind¡¯s seemingly out-of-ce words. It seemed mypanions had arrived here while I was getting examined. Judging by their expressions (Bers being the exception), they were quite distressed. Akata was absent, probably due to the nature of this ce. ¡°Mister, you promised¡­¡± ¡°Th-This time¡­¡± However, without Akata around, that was it. This wasn¡¯t my character¡¯s first time prioritizing the Demon over his life. With the kid not around to see this, there was no reason to me me here. Even if my decision hadn¡¯t been the right one, it wasn¡¯t necessarily wrong, either. Whatever¡­ How could I have known this careless approach would be such a big disaster? My choice undoubtedly neglected my well-being, but this shouldn¡¯t be something to condemn me for. This world was far from a fairytale, so this was inevitably the best we could do. ¡°You¡­¡± And just like me, the Archmage was also aware of it. Thus, instead of saying anything to me, he just led the other two who wanted to talk to me. ¡°Let¡¯s find a better method next time.¡± But he couldn¡¯t have forgotten about our fight earlier, right? ¡°None of your business.¡± Acting as if I still held a grudge, I followed White Wind. He led us back to the same reception room as before. * * * * * * ¡°Like I said earlier, our hypothesis was correct. You won¡¯t die so easily. The Demonic Energy and powerful Arcane Power within you will keep you alive.¡± As White Wind took his seat, he started his exnation right away. The others entering after us looked even more distressed, except for Bers and me. We weren¡¯t really affected by this. ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re almost immortal, buddy? That¡¯s great!¡± ¡°No¡­ that¡¯s not what that means¡­¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t?¡± I see¡­ So that¡¯s why I kept surviving even after recklessly throwing myself into danger. I¡¯d assumed it was either due to the system or just in luck, but apparently, it was neither. ¡°However, while observing your injury heal, we found one or maybe two issues.¡± A marite put out some refreshments. ¡°Did you, by any chance, make a pact with the Demon?¡± No one else intervened. My face twisted into a scowl, and I heard murmurs filling the air behind me. ¡°You¡¯d better have a good reason for asking this question. If not¡­¡± I was screaming on the inside. ¡°I¡¯ll crush your throat.¡± Waah! This mystery was finally getting resolved! ¡°Hmm. I see. Well, it seemed pretty unlikely that you¡¯d made a pact with the Demon.¡± Despite this very tant threat, White Wind maintained his calm demeanor. He looked more lost in thought than unintimidated by me, though. ¡°I asked just in case because the Demonic Energy exhibited a very peculiar pattern.¡± ¡°¡­A peculiar pattern?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t tell if the Arcane Power used to keep you alive was something you controlled or if the Demon within you intervened to prevent its host¡¯s death. We¡¯re leaning toward the former because the Demon hasn¡¯t tried to take over your weakened body.¡± As the kimchi dumpling behind me murmured softly, White Wind shifted the conversation with a ¡®however¡¯. ¡°The Demonic Power, not your Arcane Power, also did something. It wasn¡¯t just healing your body, but also seemed to be binding and restraining something.¡± Hearing that, I frowned reflexively. Binding and restraining. Words I¡¯d grown to dislike in this game. ¡°I can¡¯t tell what exactly it was targeting. It¡¯s also a method I¡¯ve never encountered before. However, it didn¡¯t seem like something you did unconsciously. If you could suppress the Demon even in life-threatening situations, you wouldn¡¯t be in your current state.¡± ¡°Then the Demon¡ª¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°However, if the Demon did this, that would be just as strange. Despite not having enough power to take over your body, it was instead using it for something else.¡± True. Healing my body was one thing, but doing something besides taking control of this body made it seem like it had some hidden agenda. ¡°In the end, this means that whatever the Demon prioritized over possessing your body must be more important to it. If it¡¯s not bound by some sort of contract, it¡¯s likely for its own gain. The problem is that I can''t clearly exin this behavior, even with the wealth of my knowledge. Therefore, we can¡¯t determine how these actions are affecting you.¡± I thought about the Demon ording to the game¡¯s setting. And I thought about what I would consider the best course of action if I were to be in the same shoes as this character¡ªa Demon. ¡°So, let me tell you this.¡± Trying to take over my body could just lead to another power struggle¡­ so maybe it was looking at this in the long term instead? Corruption, brainwashing, or something like that. Or maybe, it wanted me to¡­ ¡°In the future, don¡¯t get hurt badly enough that you need to break the seal and heal yourself with Arcane Power. If you¡¯re going to get that hurt, just die instead.¡± I stopped my thoughts from crossing into pure spection. I¡¯d decided to prepare for everything but wouldn¡¯t give in to anxiety and despair prematurely. In the real world, it only took three days of steel-like resolution to give up high fructose corn syrup, so this should be nothing. ¡°That¡¯s a better oue for you than being taken over by that Demon, right?¡± I closed my eyes tightly before opening them again shortly after. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± He was saying it would be better for me to die and try again than clear a section in a critical state. Fine, I could understand that. I should remember that! ¡°No, Mister. This isn¡¯t something you should agree with¡­!¡± ¡°In the end, we just need to make sure the Demon Knight doesn¡¯t get hurt to that extent! I¡¯ll do my best to ensure that!¡± ¡°Berserk doesn¡¯t understand¡­ Why would our buddy here get consumed by a Demon?¡± ¡°¡­I exined it when you joined. The Demon Knight houses a Demon within him.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you talking about his hatred of Demons??¡± However, unlike me, who¡¯d just epted it calmly, the people in the back were kicking up a fuss. Lowering my eyebrows, I focused on White Wind. ¡°The second thing.¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, that one¡¯s a bit more ambiguous. It¡¯s more of an anomaly than an issue¡­ When you were injured in the Great Forest, the Archmage said he saw ck Arcane Power, right? But what we saw was closer to gray.¡± Huh? The color of my Arcane Power changed? I fell into thought for a moment. There had to be a reason for this change¡­ I tried to think of what had changed between when I was injured in the Great Forest and now. The environment and attackers were different, but those didn¡¯t seem to be valid reasons for something like this to happen¡­ Ah. Clink. I took out the bead that the Sea Dragon had given me and the Mountain Lord had fixed, cing it on the table. ¡°¡­What¡¯s this?¡± Almost instantly recognizing its value, White Wind¡¯s eyes started to gleam. ¡°It¡¯s a bead containing the energy of the Sea Dragon and the Mountain Lord. The Mountain Lord told me it has the power to Purify Negative Energy. Could this have had an influence?¡± ¡°¡­Possibly. But I really want to buy this. You won¡¯t sell it to me, will you?¡± Not a chance in hell. Before White Wind could drool over it anymore, I put the bead away. Since that could exin the color change, I only needed to be careful about getting injured from now on. ¡°Aaaaah!! Don¡¯t put it away yet! Just take it out one more time, let me see it one more time!!¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing more to discuss, so I¡¯ll leave now.¡± ¡°No, show it to me! Showing me these things is your responsibility! Demon Knight, don¡¯t gooo!!¡± Ignoring White Wind¡¯s cries, I stood up decisively. White Wind threw himself at me, grabbing onto my pant leg¡ªmy shoe and ankle, to be precise¡ªbut I didn¡¯t care. Mypanions behind me looked at me and White Wind with indescribable expressions. ¡°White Wind.¡± ¡°Just once, just once!!¡± ¡°How pathetic¡­¡± ¡°Who cares if I look pathetic?! There¡¯s a one-of-a-kind item right before me here!!¡± ¡°Let go¡­!¡± Damn it, let go of me. I shook my leg a few times to try and shake this clingy person off. However, this seemingly frail individual¡¯s research obsession appeared to have buffed their strength several-fold. He wouldn¡¯t let go of me so easily. ¡°Oh dear, White Wind, let go. You¡¯ll die at this rate!¡± ¡°Please get off. We have more things to discuss, after all.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t okay.¡± ¡°Nooooooo!!¡± In the end, the Archmage, Deb, and the Inquisitor had to escort White Wind away. The Archmage lifted him, arms under his armpits, while Deb and the Inquisitor pried off his arms. ¡°No, my bead¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not yours, White Wind¡­¡± White Wind, now carried by the Archmage, shed bitter tears. ¡°Hey, Demon Knight, are you alright¡­?¡± The Inquisitor cautiously approached me, observing my expression. Obviously, I simply flung open the reception room door with a deep scowl on my face. ¡°Uwaaah! Catch the snake!¡± ¡°We can''t catch it with magic!!¡± ¡°On the count of three! One, two¡ªUwargh!¡± ¡°Uwargh, it''s biting my head!¡± ¡°Uwooaaargh!!¡± And what I saw outside the door was aplete mess, no, a snake pit. ¡°Oh, are they ying with snakes? Berserk wants to join in, as well!¡± ¡°No, clearly, those wizards are getting bitten by those escaping snakes!¡± ¡°Help us!!¡± ¡°Ah, we''reing!¡± There never was a dull moment in Hudelen, huh? Chapter 140: Because This Isn’t Fiction (8) Chapter 140 Because This Isn¡¯t Fiction (8) Like that, a few days passed. Just when I felt the Temple and the Magic Tower¡¯s rtionship had be strangely tense, the report from the wizards dispatched to the Jatav territory finally arrived. The gist of it was that there weren''t any problems. ¡°As expected, it seems very dense Arcane Power must first undergo some degree of corruption for a Demon or a creature containing Demonic Energy to be born.¡± In other words, Arcane Power slowly deteriorated when concentrated in one area. Assuming this deterioration urred over ten stages, a Demon would be born at stages 9 or 10. Simply put, the area with the grass around the Magic Tower had reached that stage. The area near the Mountain Lord''s nest was around stage 7 or 8, and the snake farm they¡¯d just investigated in the Jatav territory was around stage 5 or 6. This wasn''t just my spection but was based on what the Mountain Lord had told me¡ªthe difference between its nest and the snake farm in the Jatav territory¡ªrefined by the information collected by the wizards. ¡°It seems the threshold for an entity possessing Demonic Energy to be born is around stages 7 to 8. The Mountain Lord is a special case, but whether something is immediately born as a Demon at stages 9 to 10 or remains a normal¡­ living being¡­ should I say, an ordinary creature? Hmm. It''s unclear whether they remain ordinary creatures like the Mountain Lord or be Demons.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Separately, no matter whether they are born as ordinary creatures or Demons, I believe they¡¯ll be born with the ability to convert Negative Energy into Arcane Power to conceal themselves from that stage onward. So, keep that in mind!¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you the detailed results once we conduct more experiments and have definite findings. Because this is important.¡± White Wind, holding up a sign that said, ¡®Show me the bead,¡¯ dered, ¡®That¡¯s the end of my exnation!¡¯ Immediately after, the Inquisitor raised her hand. ¡°What do these experiments entail exactly¡­?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to create an artificial environment with ever-dense Arcane Power and observe the birth of Demons!¡± ¡°I-Is that really okay to do?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve spoken with the Temple and agreed that the experiments will be conducted under their strict supervision, so there¡¯s no need to worry.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± The very by-the-book Inquisitor looked satisfied with that exnation and lowered her hand. However, Deb¡¯s expression became rather peculiar. He was probably thinking the same thing I was. For example¡­ the possibility of some wizards secretly conducting their own experiments. ¡°Will this be made public?¡± ¡°Only to the Temple. Within the Magic Tower, only a few of the Great Sages and our branch will be aware of this. Otherwise, the probability of mishaps is just too high. Of course, only high-ranking members within the Temple will be discreetly informed.¡± Fortunately, they appeared to have measures in ce for that. Whether these precautions would be adequate was still uncertain, but it was certainly better than doing nothing. ¡°I¡¯m already kind of regretting this, seeing the res alreadying my way! Ahaha!!¡± If this information still got leaked with these precautions in ce, that would also be helpful. It would make it easier to identify who was coborating with the Demons. If only a limited number of people were in the know, finding the culprit would be far easier. Perhaps they were already using this method. ¡°And the Jatav Tribe don¡¯t seem to have any connections to the Demons, at least based on our information thus far.¡± Anyway, White Wind, continuing his exnation, nced at me with a slight smile. ¡°Too bad, huh?¡± That was likely rted to his promise to hand over any individuals connected to Demons to me. I didn¡¯t give him any specific response. Instead, I simply tightened my crossed arms over my chest, wrinkling my coat further. ¡°Well, although it¡¯s a shame, there¡¯s nothing we can do about it. Here, take this.¡± Ah, it seemed that thing was ready ¡°What is that?¡± I wasn¡¯t sure why he was giving it to me in front of everyone, but since it was inside a box, they couldn¡¯t see its contents. Relieved at that thought, I simply epted the box that likely contained my chest protector. I¡¯d put it on before we left. ¡°Hehe. It¡¯s something our Hero doesn¡¯t need to know about.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Right, right. It was better that the dumplings didn¡¯t know about this. I nodded at White Wind¡¯s words as he waved his sign around. Now, I was truly done with the Magic Tower. ¡°So, there¡¯s no need for us to get involved with the Great Forest anymore.¡± ¡°Not from my perspective. You¡¯re not going to stick around until something happens, right? You¡¯ve more than enough reason to leave.¡± ¡°Then, can I ask you a favor?¡± ¡°No need, no need. There¡¯s no need to say it out loud. It¡¯s something we should be doing anyway, right?¡± I silently avoided looking at White Wind¡¯s sign and pushed myself off the wall I¡¯d been leaning against. We had rested enough, and there was no reason to stay here any longer. I was pretty sure we¡¯d be leaving today. Since we¡¯d already chosen our next destination during this break, the chances were pretty high. ¡°If you feel bad for asking, though, just make the Demon Knight give me the bea¡ª¡± ¡°Aren''t you getting tired of this already?¡± ¡°How could I?!¡± Anyway, I¡¯d heard they¡¯d found a ce for Akata to stay today, so I had to give her the thread before she left. How did I manage to push this back so much? Jeez. ¡°So, are we leaving today?¡± ¡°Berserk is happy! I was dying of boredom, anyway!¡± ¡°If you had nothing to do, you could have helped rebuild the bridge¡­¡± ¡°I''m a bit disappointed¡­ I almost finished perfecting my technique.¡± While the Archmage skillfully shut down White Wind''s whining, we all left the Magic Tower. We didn''t need to worry about how to cross theke since a boat was going back and forth while the bridge was being rebuilt. ¡°I hope we can leave as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Now that you mention it, you¡¯ve been oddly reluctant to stay in this city for a few days now. What happened?¡± ¡°¡­What could have happened? Also, since when were we close enough to ask such things?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± I sat on the boat, basking in the warm sunlight. Even excluding Bers and me, all of us together were rather heavy, so we had to split up and take two boats. ¡°I¡¯m just worrying about you, idiot!¡± Since Bers was heavier than me, she was paired with the lightest of us, Deb, while I paired up with the kimchi dumpling. Despite having shown some concern just then, the Inquisitor, whom Deb hadpletely disregarded¡ªlikely because he wasn¡¯t used to others showing concern for him and became all tsundere about it¡ªwas now fuming on the boat. ¡°Oh! Look, a fish!!¡± ¡°Uwargh! Stay still!¡± ¡°Ooooh!!¡± ¡°The boat¡¯s tipping over!!¡± It seemed the kimchi dumpling was getting her revenge through Bers for Deb being grumpy. ¡°Serves you right.¡± The Inquisitor, also realizing that, stuck out her tongue at Deb, who was clinging to the boat, before returning to her usual demeanor. I had no idea where she¡¯d learned to stick out her tongue like that. ¡°Ah, by the way, Demon Knight, they¡¯ve found a ce for Akata today! Would you like toe along to take a look?¡± Oh, I was just wondering how I should go about this, and now I¡¯d gotten the perfect excuse. Good job, kimchi dumpling. I mentally patted the kimchi dumpling¡¯s head vigorously while thinking about Akata. Even though she could have stayedfortably at the Temple, that girl had chosen the more difficult path. I recalled her saying she wouldn¡¯t want to stay there because she wanted to see and learn more about the world. She said she¡¯d even be willing to be an errand girl if it meant getting to know the world more. Thanks to that, White Wind kept whining about having to go through all sorts of trouble to select and guide her to such a ce¡­ Not that it was any of my concern. What mattered was that the kid was willing to face her challenges head-on and kept moving forward. She would surely grow into a great person in the future. ¡°This way!¡± I followed the Inquisitor without a word. Deb and Bers, who hadn¡¯t heard our conversation, also followed us, looking confused. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Since when were we close enough to ask such things?¡± ¡°¡­! So petty!¡± ¡°Get lost!¡± Regardless, we continued to move together. ¡°It should be around here¡­ Ah!¡± Just as we passed a shop with a sign reading ¡°Grindana¡±. ¡°There it is.¡± Hidden by therge ¡°Grindana¡± sign was a small, barely visible one. There was indeed another shop, albeit quite small. ¡°Chirity. Yes, that¡¯s the ce!¡± Despite its small size, it didn¡¯t seem shabby. People were constantlying and going, and there were numerous carts loaded with goods around. The building might be small, but it seemed very well-established. ¡°What? So, we came to see the kid?¡± ¡°Why are we here?¡± ¡°Oh, here she is.¡± At that moment, someone came running out from between the shop and the stables next to it. Four of her six arms carried empty water containers. It looked like she was already hard at work. ¡°Akata!¡± ¡°Huh? Ah!¡± At the Inquisitor¡¯s call, the child, who was about to enter the building, turned to look at us. Her eight eyes had widened in surprise. ¡°Miss Priest!¡± ¡°Are you already working hard?¡± ¡°Ah, this. Erm. Work. Hard. See?¡± After listening intently to others¡¯ conversations for a few days, the kid had already be somewhat ustomed to ournguage. Though her words were still somewhat awkwardly strung together, she managed to convey the gist of what she wanted to say. It seemed they¡¯d given the kid some tasks to see what she could do. ¡°They said she''ll be epted if she passes a test.¡± ¡°I see. Already preparing to be independent!¡± ¡°But still, carrying four water containers seems a bit too much¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t she just moving empty containers?¡± ¡°Ah, Me. Do it. Said first! Four. This.¡± ¡°You volunteered to do this first, Akata?¡± Her skill in choosing the right words was truly impressive. Seeing the kid trying so hard tomunicate despite being in apletely foreign environment made my heart ache a little. I remembered being in a simr situation, unable to say even a single thing and leaving in aplete daze. That kid was working so diligently, but back then, I¡­ ¡°Amazing. Take care of yourself and stay healthy.¡± ¡°You¡¯re doing well, but don¡¯t overdo it. Being too diligent in this line of work will result in people exploiting you.¡± ¡°Wahaha, little friend. If you¡¯re ever having a hard time, justugh. It¡¯ll make all your hardships fly away!¡± Feeling a bit guilty, I watched mypanions each give Akata some words of encouragement. Although she appeared slightly puzzled, as if finding it a little difficult to understand what they were saying, she soon smiled brightly. ¡°Okay!¡± It was a relief to see that she¡¯d brightened up considerably over the past few days. ¡°You there.¡± There was no benefit in me getting involved in that. Considering my awkward position, I called over to someone standing nearby. He was (presumably) the shop''s gatekeeper. ¡°Are you the gatekeeper?¡± ¡°I am, but¡­¡± Good. I could leave this to them. I took a small bundle out of my inventory. It was roughly packaged because I didn¡¯t want to just hand over the thread without wrapping. ¡°When those fools and I leave, give this to that child.¡± I nodded toward Akata. The gatekeeper looked somewhat reluctant but willingly bowed his head after I added a 50,000-Gal bribe. Money really did solve everything. ¡°If you think of pocketing it¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯ll never happen.¡± Just in case, I added a hint of intimidation to my request by putting my hand on the hilt of my sword, which seemed quite effective. Leaving the now thoroughly intimidated gatekeeper behind, I made my way out. Neither the Inquisitor nor Deb seemed to notice me leaving, and while Bers did, she didn¡¯t care enough to stop me. ¡°Ah, right. The Demon Knight also came to see you. Right¡­ Huh?¡± ¡°Huh? Wait. Where did Mister go?!¡± ¡°The Demon Knight just left.¡± ¡°What? When?!¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t even notice¡­!¡± I leisurely made my way back to the Temple. ¡°We¡¯ll be off, then!¡± ¡°Stay healthy!¡± ¡°Goodbye, little friend!¡± Meanwhile, Akata just watched the unexpected visitors leave, her smile unwavering as she recalled how kind they¡¯d been to her over the past few days. Her arms, which had been aching from carrying these water jugs, regained their strength. ¡°You there.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± She hadn¡¯t fully mastered thenguage yet, but she knew that phrase was used to call someone. The girl looked up at the gatekeeper, who¡¯d never spoken to her before. ¡°Take this. One of those guests left it for you.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Those unfamiliar words she could only vaguely understand sparked her curiosity. However, before she could fully understand them, an item had already been ced into her hands. The smooth fabric it was wrapped in felt soft in her grasp. Whatever was inside, it didn¡¯t seem to be anything hard. Rustle. From the look of it, it seemed to be something for her. Carefully, she untied the top of the bundle. ¡¾Thread.¡¿ It was the thread she¡¯d seen with thatrge fighter at the store not too long ago. There were quite a lot of them, too. Anything she¡¯d touched or even nced at seemed to be inside the bundle. ¡¾¡­How foolish.¡¿ Really foolish. She smirked, pretty much knowing who had left this for her. It couldn¡¯t have been the people who¡¯d chatted with her or that snow-white priest. They wouldn¡¯t deliver a gift in such a roundabout way. That left only one person. ¡¾He didn¡¯t have to give me this¡­¡¿ He must have been with them, but he was the only person she didn¡¯t get to see. The girl smiled but felt tears welling up as she closed the package. This bundle would now be her most treasured possession, something she would never trade for anything. The best gift she¡¯d ever received, giving her strength whenever she felt weak. * * * He¡¯d probably given it to her, right? Surely, he wouldn¡¯t have just pocketed the 50,000 Gal and run? While at the Temple¡¯s stables, I wondered whether the gift had been delivered properly. I should have just waited a little to meet her and handed it to her personally, but it was toote now. I¡¯d already arrived at the Temple, and everyone else had also returned. The Archmage joined us, as well, preparing to depart. ¡°We¡¯re going to leave this ce now.¡± ¡°Do you regret it?¡± ¡°Not at all. There are still many things to be done.¡± Oh well. Worrying about it wouldn¡¯t change anything. I just had to trust it was delivered properly. Everyone had already loaded their belongings onto horses. Once we mounted them, we would be ready to leave. ¡°Oh, I forgot to mention something beforehand.¡± Maybe it was over with. It seemed the Archmage still had something to say, though. ¡°A few days ago, we encountered someone we suspect is a Demon or a Demon Worshiper.¡± Wait, what did he just say? ¡°Erm, are you sure we should tell them?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t we fail to find them in the city? They could be lying in ambush on our way, so now is the best time to bring this up.¡± It seemed Deb knew what the Archmage was talking about. Instead of asking what he meant, he asked if it was okay to talk about it, indicating he knew. This was news to me, though. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°An ambush? Enemies?¡± Judging by their reactions, the Inquisitor and Bers were also in the dark. Only the Archmage and Deb seemed to be in the know. It was an odd, yet not entirely unexpected,bination. Those two often dealt with certain pieces of information by themselves. ¡°Say it, now!¡± Regardless, I couldn¡¯t ignore his mention of Demons and Demon Worshipers, so I raised my voice. ¡°Well¡­¡± Soon, Deb and the Archmage started talking. Apparently, Deb had encountered a strange individual a few days ago. Not just strange, but highly suspicious, actually! ¡°Why are we only hearing about this now?¡± ¡°Since this information wasn¡¯t confirmed yet, we didn''t want to act prematurely. Had anything concretee up, we would have informed you straight away.¡± That our meat dumpling had almost been in serious danger without my knowledge made my blood boil, but I had to hear their exnation. Posing a question in line with my character, the Archmage sighed and began exining the situation. He said they¡¯d conducted investigations to confirm their suspicions but found nothing. He¡¯d kept a close eye on Deb, but again, nothing came up. That was the gist of it. ¡°We even requested cooperation from the Tower and the Temple, but nothing came of it.¡± Ah, that exined it. No wonder the Temple and the Tower had seemed unusually busy over the past few days. So, it was because of this? But why had they kept it a secret from us? ¡°Why did you keep this from us?¡± The Inquisitor asked in my stead. The Archmage¡¯s face suddenly looked ten years older. I had a feeling I knew his answer. ¡°Inquisitor, you were in the middle of training to reach another level. The Demon Knight just recovered from a serious injury. We didn¡¯t want to disturb you with this uncertain information.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Yeah, I thought as much. If it wasn¡¯t a direct attack or someone causing trouble in the city, and if all they did was approach someone and say a few words, interrupting our break would have been a bit much. Especially considering this was our first proper break in months. Moreover, what kind of people were the Inquisitor and I? Weren¡¯t we the type topletely lose any sense of reason at the sight of Demons, neglecting everything else? Bers would probably get overly excited, as well, and start smashing things in pursuit of that person. Ipletely understood why the Archmage had kept this quiet. ¡°It¡¯s not your ce to decide that¡­!¡± However, my arrogant, prideful character would never ept that. I stepped forward, cutting off the Inquisitor¡¯s attempt to respond more mildly, and shouted with veins bulging in my neck. The Archmage let out a deep, weary sigh through his lips. ¡°My apologies. I will be more careful next time.¡± From my perspective, the Archmage didn''t need to apologize for something like this, but this was the best response in this situation. Even though I was still gritting my teeth, I couldn¡¯t find any more fault with him. My expression became even grimmer. ¡°Let¡¯s move on. Just be careful. Judging by theirck of activity over the past few days, it seems they¡¯ve either deliberately gone into hiding or left the city. They might have even prepared an ambush.¡± ¡°Okay, I understand.¡± ¡°Hmm. So, we might get to hunt some Demons on the way? Berserk is very happy!¡± Perhaps because of my overwhelming anger at the Archmage¡¯s actions, the Inquisitor was trying to ease his worries, meaning she calmly epted these facts. Bers was the same as usual, so there wasn¡¯t much to say about her. ¡°Erm, so, we¡¯re heading around the borders of the Great Forest to Camborough?¡± As that storm of tension subsided, Deb carefully shifted the topic. Everyone¡¯s expressions rxed a bit. Except mine. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°¡­So, we aren¡¯t going to Ednium, right?¡± ¡°Since we¡¯re dealing with an issue that¡¯s cropped up in Camborough, we probably won¡¯t be heading there. Unless you want to?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡± Everyone looked to be ready, and after letting my character¡¯s temper re up in the most recent conversation, I didn¡¯t utter a single word as I mounted my horse. ¡°Then, let us depart!¡± Our next destination was Camborough, a city located beneath the Whitecat Ridge and known by the nickname ¡°Blue Nest¡±. Chapter 141: Everything as It Should Be (1) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 141 Everything as It Should Be (1) We traveled around the borders of the Great Forest, taking a route that usually connected the eastern and western parts of this area without disturbing the Forest¡¯s residents. Of course, considering what we did not too long ago, it wouldn¡¯t have been a big problem even if we¡¯d cut straight through the forest. After all, none other than the warchief himself owed us a favor. However, he¡¯d only just ascended to that position. Right now, he¡¯d be busy announcing this news to the other tribes and negotiating various matters. Rather than cause him any more trouble, we chose to take the slightly longer route. This path also served as a precaution against any potential ambushes by Demon Worshipers. Rooaar! ¡°Uwaaah!¡± However, the threat we actually encountered on this road wasn''t an ambush but the inherent dangers of the Great Forest. We hadn¡¯t realized it while traveling with the people of the Forest, but this ce was teeming with wild beasts. There were also many venomous insects and dangerous nts. Of course, this might be because we were now closer to Camborough than Hudelen. ¡°This is the third attack today!!¡± Our very reason for heading to Camborough in the first ce was because of these beasts. Recently, the number of beasts has increased significantly. ¡°Stay still, you bastard!¡± ¡°Are you crazy? How could I stay still in this situation?!¡± ¡°You keep moving, making it hard to hit!¡± ¡°Argh! It¡¯s going to bite me, it¡¯s going to bite me!!¡± ¡°Wahaha! Young hunter, wait!¡± ¡°Uwaaaaah!!¡± While Deb was screaming, the Inquisitor and Bers charged at the beast. Both were already covered in blood from dealing with other creatures along the way. Slice! ¡°Ack, argh!¡± ¡°Silence.¡± But I was faster. I severed the neck of the beast about to bite Deb. Blood poured all over him, but since not a single drop got on me, I didn¡¯t really care. I walked ahead of them, my body dry. The Archmage, who¡¯d avoided this mess by staying in the center, looked somewhat uneasy. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°¡­Do I look alright to you?¡± The meat dumpling gestured to his blood-soaked figure and asked him back. The Archmage didn¡¯t respond. ¡°Panicking over a single leopard. You need more training.¡± ¡°Young hunter, it seems you were caught off guard!¡± ¡°No, I mean, who could possibly take a leopard head-on?¡± He was right. If I were in my real body, I would be in the same situation as Deb, if not worse. I internally nodded in agreement while walking forward. ¡°Huh? You¡¯re already moving ahead?¡± ¡°Ah, Demon Knight! Let¡¯s go together!¡± ¡°Ahaha! Let¡¯s go, young hunter!¡± ¡°¡­Can¡¯t you at least give me a moment to clean off this blood?¡± But so what? Even if I agreed with his statement, we still needed to keep moving. Even though I didn¡¯t feel hot due to my item¡¯s effect, the humidity was still palpable. And on top of that, we hadn¡¯t had a chance to wash up properly in days, leaving me incredibly ufortable! Given there¡¯d been no ambushes by anyone but beasts, it was safe to say that there weren¡¯t any Demon Worshipers in this forest. Since we were already fairly close to Camborough, I just wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible! ¡°Okay, fine. It¡¯s my fault for being weak. Mister, let¡¯s go together! Let¡¯s go, full speed ahead! ¡°Urgh. That¡¯s too much.¡± Luckily, not long after, we found a river just as it was about time to set up camp. It was no surprise that Deb, having been the focus of many predators for hours due to all the blood on him, jumped into the river immediately. It seemed he hated the blood scent attracting those beasts more than he hated water. ¡°Wahaha. It¡¯s been so much fun, so why do this, young hunter?!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the only one having fun!?¡± Deb, soaked to his bones, left his wet clothes out to dry and wrapped himself in a nket while Bers patted his back. Thanks to Deb acting as bait, Bers hadn¡¯t been bored at all, although it had probably been pretty frustrating for Deb. ¡°But did we already get enough food for today?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already prepared everything!¡± ¡°I really should just keep my mouth shut¡­¡± Deb wiggled further into his nket. Curling up on a rock, he looked like an actual dumpling. A somewhat pitiful dumpling. ¡°Come now, instead of feeling down, how about trying this?¡± The Archmage gently coaxed Deb by offering him some candy. Considering that sugar was a raremodity in this world, it was quite a precious gift. ¡°Do you really think I¡¯m just some kid who falls for food¡­?¡± ¡°But you¡¯ll feel better after eating something delicious, right?¡± Though Deb grumbled, he didn¡¯t refuse the candy. His mood immediately seemed to improve, as if the sugar went straight to his head. ¡°By the way, there¡¯ve been a lot of wild beast attacks today. We¡¯ve been attacked seven times already.¡± ¡°Could this be rted to the issues Camborough¡¯s facing, or perhaps the handiwork of whoever that shady character who approached you was?¡± ¡°Both are possible.¡± ¡°Priest, the meat is burning.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Meanwhile, the Archmage and the Inquisitor were diligently making some stew and grilling meat. Usually, the Archmage took turns cooking with Deb, but given his current state, the Inquisitor put in some extra effort. Me? Surprisingly¡­ I¡¯d never been asked to cook. I wasn''t sure whether it was because they thought I wouldn¡¯t help due to my temper or I¡¯d mess it up. Honestly, it was pretty convenient, and since I was actually terrible at cooking, I had noints. Even with the modern convenience of heat control, I always ended up burning my food, so it would have been much worse here. ¡°Ah, young hunter. Your clothes are dry.¡± ¡°Really?¡± By the time the food was ready, the clothes he¡¯d washed were also dry. Deb quickly changed into them. It was quite funny watching him fidget under the nket, likely worried about wild beasts showing up if he went out too far to put on his clothing. Not that I had any intention of setting up some type of screen to make it easier for him to change. ¡°Here, take this.¡± The Archmage smiled warmly as he handed out the food. The stew, which had gradually less meat as our journey went on, was easy for me to eat. ¡°Buddy, I¡¯ve been curious for some time now. Do you not eat meat?¡± Wait a second. I stopped eating the stew and met Bers¡¯ gaze. Her piercing eyes, like those of a wild beast, observed me intently. ¡°None of your business.¡± Well, it wasn¡¯t strange for her to notice that I always avoided meat dishes when choosing meals. Everyone seemed to half-intuitively avoid giving me any meat. ¡°Your body won¡¯tst long without eating meat.¡± Still¡­ I just didn¡¯t want to eat it. ¡°I said it¡¯s none of your business.¡± Due to digestive issues and personal taste, I¡¯d never been very fond of meat. And now¡­ ever sinceing here¡­ I remembered the things that often ended up in my mouth while fighting. I recalled the strong smell of blood, as well. I lost my appetite. ¡°Oh my.¡± The Archmage looked somewhat disappointed as I put down my bowl. However, my appetite had already flown off. I had no desire to continue eating. ¡°You won¡¯t grow taller if you don¡¯t eat meat.¡± ¡°¡­Excuse me. How old do you think Mister is for him to still be growing¡­?¡± ¡°The Demon Knight is already tall enough, isn¡¯t he? Among Middle, I¡¯ve only seen one person taller than him.¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t the Demon Knight still at the age where he could grow taller?¡± ¡°nd grow until they are thirty, but Middle don¡¯t.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so??¡± I left my spot. Since I¡¯d finallye across a river, it was time I washed myself thoroughly. * * * ¡°Ah, I can see the city.¡± ¡°Wow, look at this mist¡­ No wonder they call this ce the Blue Nest.¡± After some more time, exactly two weekster, we arrived in Camborough. Roar! ¡°Uwargh, won¡¯t leave us alone until the end, huh!¡± ¡°Wahaha, die!¡± Fortunately, the ambush by Demons or Demon Worshipers we were expecting never happened. We only had to endure the sudden surge in wild beasts. ¡°They aren¡¯t tainted by Demonic Energy¡­ but this is strange. The fact that most belong to the feline family is also really suspicious. What on earth is going on?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± While it was a relief that they weren¡¯t Demons, the sudden increase in predators wasn¡¯t good news, either. It was strange for them to leave their usual habitats and gather in suchrge numbers, disregarding any territorial boundaries. So, we entered the city with some concerns in mind. After passing the identity check, we entered Camborough. It seemed less beautiful than Hudelen but was a lotrger. Even at noon, the fog drifting through the city gave it an otherworldly feel. ¡°Wow. There are a lot of adventurers here.¡± Many armed people could be seen on the streets. Judging by the vast difference in their equipment, they were probably adventurers. ¡°The city must have put up a bounty on hunting those beasts.¡± ¡°Hunting Demons is a lot more fun, though, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s safer to hunt beasts.¡± Considering that ordinary people struggled even against Goblins and were at high risk of Demonic Erosion, it was understandable that they would flock to the rtively safer beast-hunting requests despite the lower reward. Bers, being an extraordinary fighter, didn¡¯t seem to understand this. ¡°Berserk prefers hunting Demons.¡± ¡°If you stay with us, you¡¯ll have plenty of chances for that.¡± Anyway, we headed to the Temple to unpack our belongings. We could also gather some initial information there. The Temple, where all sorts of people gathered, was as good a ce as the Adventurers¡¯ Guild for gathering information. ¡°Is there any word on the cause of these unusual events?¡± ¡°Unfortunately¡­ We haven¡¯t discovered anything specific yet. We recently noticed that thend was drying up, but that¡¯s not likely the cause¡­¡± ¡°Thend is drying up?¡± ¡°Since the disappearance of the Skyflow Tiger, the mountains and fields often dry up around this time. The air bes arid, and sand blows over from the desert.¡± It seemed the Temple hadn¡¯t found any definite cause, either. ¡°The severity of the dryness seems slightly worse this time, but it isn¡¯t unprecedented. It was like this seven years ago, as well. Moreover, the effects of this phenomenon impact Ednium far more than us, as they¡¯re closer to the desert.¡± ¡°Then, how is the situation in Ednium¡­?¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t experiencing any beast attacks. We¡¯ve been in steady contact with them due to the young lord¡¯s recent marriage, so this information is reliable.¡± ¡°In that case, it¡¯s difficult to judge this dryness as the cause. We¡¯ll have to consider other factors.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Still keep it in mind, even if the possibility is pretty low.¡± ¡°Then, from which direction did the beastse¡­?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, they aren¡¯ting from just one direction¡­¡± I leaned against one of the walls of the room, which was somewhat like a parlor, listening to their conversation. The Archmage, Inquisitor, and Deb were gathered around a table in the center of the room, speaking with the bishop. ¡°This is delicious!¡± ¡°Would you like some more?¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Bers also stayed close to the table. Although she was more focused on the snacks than the conversation, she was still there, nheless. This ce felt increasingly ufortable. I crossed my arms, watching the HP gauge slowly fall. Although my rate of recovery still outpaced the rate of decline, if this continued¡­ > [Excuse me¡­] At that moment, a priest wearing a white veil approached me. He was fairly tall, and his face, visible beneath the veil, looked pale and sickly overall. > [It seems you have much pent-up within you. Please find peace by keeping the glory of the Lord close to your heart.] Just as I felt something off about his appearance, he said those words. It seemed my sour expression had caught his attention. ¡®That bastard.¡¯ Although his concern was severely misced, I, an atheist, thought wearing a piece of cloth wouldn¡¯t bring me any form of peace. > [May eternal rest find you, brother.] Still, the veil let me be less conscious of my expression, which could be seen as a plus. ¡®Kill him. Kill that damned bastard!¡¯ Feeling a strange difort inside of me, I decided to put on the veil. Weren¡¯t veils usually white? Were there ck ones, as well? I set those doubts aside. ¡®You damn idiot!¡¯ I recalled hearing that ck veils were worn during funeral masses, and since the person who¡¯d given it to me was a priest, I had no reason to be suspicious. ¡°Huh? Demon Knight, where did you get that veil?¡± Or maybe not? I withdrew my hypothesis upon making eye contact with the Inquisitor, who had been speaking with the bishop, and seeing that our kimchi dumpling looked horrified. Instinctively, I looked toward where that priest had been, but he was already gone. ¡°The color ck isn¡¯t necessarily¡­ ominous, but the Temple never uses ck veils. How did you get this¡­?¡± It was given to me by one of your people, though¡­ I replied curtly, adjusting my words to fit my character setting. Everyone around me wore expressions showing concern. ¡°A ck veil is what Demons use when baptizing their new contractor. Alternatively¡­¡± ¡°It can be given to someone you deeply despise, to the point of wanting them dead. It means that a ck veil only Demons would wear suits you just fine.¡± At these next words, my own face hardened. Damn it. ¡°Describe the face of the priest who gave you this veil!¡± ring at the ck veil now in the Inquisitor¡¯s hands, I ground my teeth. Then, I slowly spat out some words. ¡°Give me some paper.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure if they knew of facialposite sketches here. If they didn¡¯t, I guess I¡¯d be the first to create one. No one messed with my roleying and got away with it. ¡°H-Here you go.¡± The bishop, intimidated by my menacing expression, handed over some paper. I snatched it quickly and started sketching furiously. ¡°Wow!¡± After drawing webtoons for about ten years, even the slowest artist would get faster. In under three minutes, I had a portrait ready. The features were distinct enough to leave no room for confusion. ¡°This person is¡­¡± But Deb seemed to recognize him. Swallowing hard, he whispered in a slightly hoarse voice. ¡°Th-That¡¯s the guy who approached me.¡± Damn it. This was crazy. ¡°Not satisfied with getting closer to one of us in Hudelen, he followed us all the way here, too¡­?¡± "Wait, if you''re talking about the one who approached the troublemaker... Is this the same one you mentioned when we were leaving Hudelen?" No wonder I had a bad feeling about him! Crack! ¡°That vermin, how dare he¡­!¡± ¡°How dare a Demon trespass on sacred ground!¡± Whatever the case, this incident set both me and the Inquisitor aze. No matter how this episode yed out, if I got my hands on this bastard, he would truly die. ¡®Leviathan, you¡¯re going down, you damn bastard.¡¯ Absolutely. * * * > [Cough!] > [See, I told you. Going directly into the Temple¡¯s territory is too much for you. Concealing your Demonic Energy isn¡¯t exactly your strong suit.] A figure with violet hair, almost ck at the tips, clicked their tongue as they looked at the one coughing up blood. A raven fluttered its wings nearby, cawing. > [Heh, hehe. Well, if you saw what I saw, you wouldn¡¯t be saying that.] > [Yeah, maybe. Since I¡¯d never go inside a Temple. Seems you¡¯re on your own on this, Moby Dick.] The figure, sitting on a low wall with legs crossed in a graceful arc, listened indifferently. Moby Dick, the one coughing up blood, chuckled weakly. > [If you knew he just took the ck veil without recognizing me, do you think you¡¯d be sitting here, Pandemonium?] > [¡­What did you say?] > [Haha, hahaha!] At Pandemonium¡¯s reaction, Moby Dick burst intoughter. The thought of Pandemonium¡¯s greed, enraptured expression and the foolish face he¡¯d just seen made the current pain feel insignificant. It had been worth enduring all that difort to step onto the Church¡¯s grounds. > [Stupid Gretchen. How delightful. He couldn¡¯t even handle a simple vessel, didn¡¯t recognize me, and even just took that insult.] > [Ah¡­ to that extent. I did wonder about the things Duke mentioned¡­ I¡¯m somewhat tempted. Should I take him on this time?] Moby Dick spat out more blood, the pain still lingering. Suppressing his power was like swallowing several cups of poison, so he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape this pain for several days¡­ but it didn¡¯t matter. ?Leviathan? Ignoring the searing heat ring up from the letters on his hand, Leviathan knew his true name had been called somewhere. If the name, manipted so that only their King and Great Demons would remember, was suddenly invoked, it could only mean one thing. Especially since he¡¯d just encountered Wrath and provoked him. Narrowing down who¡¯d called him would be easy enough. Moby Dick, or more urately, Leviathan, ignored the heat on his hand and stroked his snake¡¯s jaw. He couldn¡¯t stopughing. > [This time, I¡¯ll definitely kill you, Gretchen.] > [Aah, no. He¡¯s mine.] > [Hmph. If you want him so badly, you can just go at him first.] That damn Gretchen, who received all sorts of freedoms and rights just because he was as powerful as their King. Always looking down on the others from above as if they were mere insects. > [But know this. I won¡¯t miss this chance.] He¡¯d always wanted to beat him up but couldn¡¯t. A thought that always made him bite his lip¡ª > [Mephistopheles, that bastard, will die for sure.] That damn Mephistopheles. ____ Chapter 142: Everything as It Should Be (2) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 142 Everything as It Should Be (2) I felt a sudden warmth on the back of my hand, which I found a bit strange. It was a distinct heat, not just a figment of my imagination. Or was it? The fact that I felt it through my gauntlet made it difficult to check. While fiddling with the metal tes attached to the gauntlet, I decided to focus on the matter at hand. If I couldn¡¯t verify it immediately, it would be more efficient to address the things I could handle first. ¡°You said it might be a worshiper of Envy or even Envy itself, right?¡± ¡°Yes. The only Demon whose symbols include snakes and whales is that Great Demon. Whether it was the Great Demon itself or one of its worshipers, I can¡¯t be certain.¡± I see. Considering it approached me undetected and then just disappeared, it was likely a Great Demon. The events at Pa Enoch showed us that Great Demons could easily deceive our senses. Or perhaps it was something simr¡ªlike one of those strangely insignificant 72 Knights? ¡°Then, could these animal issues in Camborough be rted¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. ording to the texts, the Great Demon of Envy doesn¡¯t have the power to control animals. Besides, a Great Demoning here itself seems highly unlikely. It¡¯s something to keep in mind, though¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± The Inquisitor, usually soposed, was now deep in thought, wearing the severe expression of an active inquisitor I¡¯d only seen on her shortly after we met. Evidently, she was enraged that the Demon (or its worshiper) had entered the temple and approached her undetected. Her face, which had tanned slightly throughout our journey, had turned ominously pale. ¡°Bishop, does the Adventurers¡¯ Guild have any information?¡± ¡°We¡¯re in constantmunication with them since this concerns the entire city, but they haven¡¯t found anything, either. At least, they haven¡¯t reported anything to us yet.¡± The bishop added that adventurers were being sent to deal with the urgent issues since they didn¡¯t need to know the cause to react to the threat. So, the standard progression for this type of Quest would be sending us to kill the beasts. ¡°Unless there¡¯s any evidence of Demonic involvement in this incident, I¡¯ll remain here and search for that wretched heretic.¡± But would the Inquisitor simply let a Demon who¡¯d infiltrated a Temple go? ¡°I will join you.¡± And the same went for my character as well. ¡°I won¡¯t rest until I cut off that filthy worm''s limbs and tear out its tongue.¡± Audibly grinding my teeth, Ipletely abandoned the current Quest. After all, mere beasts couldn¡¯t take precedence over a Demon. Not unless a Demon or its worshiper was involved in this incident. * * * > [Wow, it seems like they¡¯ve made up their minds to find us.] Pandemonium unfolded the note brought by a crow and read its contents. Before them, the devotee who¡¯d just delivered the information had his head bowed. > [Are you sure it¡¯s not Wrath? Their temperament is identical, you know?] > [Are you blind? If that guy really were Wrath, he wouldn¡¯t just be fuming like that; he¡¯d have blown up the entire city by now.] > [Ah, true. With the right vessel, a city like this would be nothing more than dry kindling to Gretchen, after all.] Satisfied with the information, Pandemonium waved their hand dismissively at the devotee, to which they gratefully left the cave. Now, only they and Moby Dick¡ªLeviathan¡ªwho was lying down to heal his wounds, remained in the cave. And if you cared to include them, the countless minerals scattered on the floor. > [We haven¡¯t found suitable vessels yet, so we¡¯re nothing more than miserable dogs.] > [Hmph.] > [Come to think of it, it must be quite frustrating for him, too. He finally found a vessel worth using but couldn¡¯t control it properly. But then again, several of our ns have fallen through because of him, right?] Watching the other one continue coughing up blood, Pandemonium burned the note. Clink. The burning note didn¡¯t turn to ashes but to sparkling minerals. Very fine, beautiful red gems. > [Hah, frustrating? Isn¡¯t this situation actually quite wee? If we kill the vessel, that¡¯s it.] > [Killing the vessel won¡¯t kill them. You know that.] > [That¡¯s¡­!] > [Or are you nning to go after his physical body?] Just like the countless minerals piled up like mountains in this cave. > [Arthur. You know there¡¯s a reason why He¡¯s left him alone.] Pandemonium picked up the gem, examining its color and light refraction. The crimson of burning mes. It was the best they¡¯d made so far. > [Should you go after his body and merely break his seal without killing him¡­ you know, right? The King won¡¯t spare you.] > [Damn it!] > [How about capturing the vessel whole and taming it? I¡¯ve heard the vessel can handle Wrath¡¯s power quite well. Sure, it might notpare to Gretchen, but even a rotten mackerel is still a mackerel. It should be on par with a decent high-ranking Demon.] But when they recalled a particr me from long ago, this redness seemed worthless in their eyes. Pandemonium shattered the gem, along with the others scattered across the floor. Red gems could never please them. > [Tame it? What nonsense. If you¡¯re going to make that kind of suggestion, bring it to Sarah.] > [How prickly. After I went through all this trouble of providing you a hideout.] > [Hmph. Anyone would think you gave it for free. I traded my tongue for this ce, didn¡¯t I?] > [That¡¯s true, but still.] > [I¡¯m not like you lot. I won¡¯t let him go like Duke did because it was a hassle, nor will I lose him while trying to im him like you did.] Pandemonium quietly looked at their nominal colleague, thinking, ¡®Is that so?¡¯ > [I will kill him.] And as such, they reached a conclusion. > [Yes, if possible¡­ I¡¯ll make sure he dies at the hands of the one he so greatly underestimated.] Envy was, after all, envy. > [It just so happens there¡¯s a suitable person by his side.] Blinded by inferiority, trying to bury something that shone so brilliantly even when covered in mud. > [Well, fine. Do as you like. I¡¯ll keep an eye on things for a while.] Even if it was amusing, Pandemonium decided just to watch on. After all, even if this failed, they still had plenty of cards left to y. * * * Deathbringer stepped into the forest situated between the Whitecat Ridge and the city. ¡°It seems like Mister has no intention of participating in the beast hunt today, either.¡± His objective was to hunt beasts. ¡°Hurry up, young hunter!¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Of course, he hadn¡¯t volunteered for it or anything. Given the choice, would he really have gone with this? He could track animals, but he was utterly incapable of catching them. Simply put, since the Inquisitor and the Demon Knight firmly dered their intention to hunt that Demon, there was little else he and the Archmage could do. Especially with Berserk, who caused trouble wherever she went, going out alone. After a single day, she found investigating the Demon boring and turned her attention to this hunt. Ultimately, someone had to cover Berserk, and of those remaining, the most suitable person was, without a doubt, him. ¡°¡­How lucky for you that you can face those beasts without hesitation.¡± Moreover, excluding himself from this with the excuse that he only specialized in searching for people wasn¡¯t an option, considering plenty of organizations could rece him in that regard: the Information Guild, the Temple, and the Adventurers¡¯ Guild. Yes, countless people could take his ce. Unlike the Hero, the Knight on par with her, or Berserk, who, despite causing a lot of trouble, was assigned someone to manage her rather than getting expelled from the party. ¡°Huh? What did you say?¡± ¡­Unlike them, who could hunt rather than be hunted, even if a massive wild beast appeared. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Deathbringer had been following behind Berserk for two days now, mocking himself over his situation. It wasn¡¯t quite self-loathing, but it was still heavy enough that one could call it self-destructive. It was like¡­ he didn¡¯t consider himself weak, per se, but among these people, he always felt so small and insignificant. And the fact that this feeling wasn¡¯t entirely misguided only made it even more disheartening. ¡°You don¡¯t look so good. Is something wrong?¡± However, he couldn¡¯t afford to show his true feelings. They lived in entirely different worlds and led entirely different lives. ¡°Really, it¡¯s nothing.¡± They couldn¡¯t possibly understand someone like him, who had to crawl on the ground and hide in the shadows to survive. ¡°Got it.¡± Maybe he shouldn¡¯t have gone with them. When the Archmage said he could stay in the city, perhaps he should have listened instead of insisting that this role suited him better and was more efficient. As he watched Berserk turn and continue moving forward, Deathbringer felt a rare pang of regret. No, it wasn¡¯t actually that rare. He often reflected on the past with a deep sense of shame. Not saving his friend, who was like family, not dying with them on that fateful day, surviving and still daring to continue living without them. Despite vowing to be the agent of everyone, there was little he¡¯d ever done right. ¡­And now, following these people impulsively, only to end up doing insignificant tasks. Anyone could do what he was doing now. ¡°¡­Damn it. I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m doing anymore.¡± He had followed Berserk, but he suddenly felt so helpless. This long-held worry only made this feeling of powerlessness more intense. ¡ºI intended to offer you my blood as the final sacrifice¡­¡» ¡ºNone of your business.¡» ¡ºYou needn¡¯t be so cautious. I¡¯m just trying to help you. Honestly, isn¡¯t it annoying? That infuriating priest, that frustrating girl, being more useful than you.¡» Recently, these things had been weighing heavily on him¡­ ¡°Haah¡­¡± Eventually, Deathbringer just sat down. The foggy forest was dense, and if he didn¡¯t hurry, there was a real chance he¡¯d lose sight of Berserk. However, that thought remained just that¡ªa thought. Instead, his mind was filled with the image of someone whose demise he didn¡¯t want but whom he couldn¡¯t save due to ipetence. Someone who was his object of admiration, his mirror, and his future. ¡°What am I even doing here¡­?¡± That was proof that while he could seek revenge for others, he couldn¡¯t be someone who saves others. ¡°Should I just leave?¡± After careful consideration, Deathbringer proposed another alternative to himself. If he couldn¡¯t do anything here, leaving might not be such a bad idea. ¡°Staying here is just a waste of time¡­¡± After all, the tasks he handled in this party could be done by someone else. In contrast, he had something only he could do: revenge. So, if he left this party to someone else and just disappeared¡­ ¡°Hey, young hunter!¡± Just as his thoughts reached that point, a booming voice echoed through the forest. Her tinum hair shone strikingly bright in the sunlight that pierced through the fog. ¡°Take this!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Along with her words, she passed him a handful of wild raspberries. ¡°Young hunter, you like sweet things, right?¡± ¡°Well, I do like them, but¡­¡± Still, what was this all of a sudden? ¡°Then there¡¯s no problem. Take them!¡± Although he was pretty flustered, Deathbringer didn¡¯t have the strength to refuse the raspberries being thrust into his hands. In the end, his palms were filled with berries. Some had gotten crushed in the process and were leaking juice. ¡°¡­Where did you get these?¡± ¡°Berserk always has her ways!¡± Though bewildered, he had no reason not to eat what he was given. With a reluctant expression, Deathbringer popped a raspberry into his mouth. The ripe fruit was sweet and refreshing. ¡°Feeling stronger now?¡± ¡°Yeah, well¡­¡± The sheer absurdity of this situation had blown away all the thoughts that had been making him feel so endlessly helpless. It was unclear whether he could say he was feeling stronger, but at least the thoughts draining his energy were gone, so it wasn''t entirely inurate. Going from neutral to positive was still a plus, and going from negative to neutral was the same. ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. Let¡¯s go!¡± Deathbringer watched as Berserk heartily pped him on the back, hard enough to sting, and finally let out a smallugh. The Demon Knight might not like her, but having such a simple-minded person in their party wasn¡¯t all that bad, even if she was quite difficult to control. ¡°Ah, right.¡± ¡°What now? Did you forget to cut off the beast¡¯s ears?¡± ¡°No, not that, young hunter.¡± ¡°Then?¡± ¡°Try to stay close to Berserk, as much as possible.¡± ¡°¡­? Isn¡¯t that obvious? The wizard also insisted that I shouldn¡¯t leave you alone.¡± Given that the guy who¡¯d intruded into the temple was the same person who¡¯d approached him before and could do so again, he couldn¡¯t stray too far from her. Of course, just the two of them being out here was already dangerous enough¡­ The enemy could enter and exit the Temple unnoticed, which made them dangerous no matter where they hid. Had that guy truly intended to kill him during their first encounter, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to resist at all. The Archmage must have known this, too, which was why he¡¯d been sent to follow Berserk. Hisbat skills were significantlycking, rendering resistancepletely meaningless, and since any contract this guy might want to make was ultimately up to him, hiding was pointless. In any case, for these reasons, he should never stray from Berserk¡¯s side. That moment of vulnerability earlier, when he was alone and felt utterly helpless? That should be counted as an exception since feeling like that was inevitable. As for leaving the party, his value came from being part of it, so he thought that guy wouldn¡¯t target him anymore if he left. ¡°Is that so? Then it¡¯s settled!¡± She sure said a lot of useless things sometimes. Deathbringer scratched his head as he followed Berserk. But, yeah. Given their height difference, which amounted to an entire head, he didn¡¯t notice Berserk¡¯s amber eyes ncing cautiously at the sky behind them, gripping her halberd as if on guard. Ooo-ooh. A whale that had been hiding among the clouds rose back into the sky. ____ Chapter 143: Everything as It Should Be (3) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 143 Everything as It Should Be (3) Where was that damn Demon hiding? We checked all the people affiliated with the Temple, those who visited it, and everyone else. For three whole days, we scoured every corner but found nothing. Even with the description Deathbringer provided, which was quite detailed, not a single sighting had been reported. ¡°Like a rat¡­¡± Even more frustrating was not knowing whether the Demon was hiding and we simply couldn¡¯t find it, or if it had already fled to another city beyond our reach. Honestly, it wouldn¡¯t even need to go to another city. Just leaving this one would put it beyond our search range. Maybe that¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t shake this feeling that we were wasting time. While it didn¡¯t make my blood boil like my acting would suggest, the frustration ofing up empty-handed did mildly irritate me. ¡°Those damnable Demons¡­ They really excel at hiding from the light.¡± It wasn¡¯t just my character who was furious. The Inquisitor was also seething with rage. This morning, she¡¯d spread Divine Power over the entire city, so there was no need for any further exnations. ¡°Have you found anything?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± However, we were the only ones so worked up about this. Bers and Deb, who¡¯d just returned from their hunt today, were busy devouring their food. ¡°Young hunter, eat this.¡± More importantly, those two seemed to be getting along quite well. I watched as Bers pushed food, especially dishes containing fruit, toward Deb. It was quite the heartwarming sight, though less so when you saw Deb¡¯s face turning pale as he smiled. ¡°Th-Thank you.¡± It seemed he was already full yet unable to refuse her kindness. He was clearly caught in a situation that he couldn¡¯t escape so easily. Honestly, it seemed kind of funny. ¡°Really, nothing?¡± ¡°No matter how many times you ask, what could I have possibly found out? All I got to smell was the stench of beasts.¡± It might seem amusing from an outside perspective, but for Deb, it must have been incredibly awkward. His tone, rising in his frustration, made that abundantly clear. ¡°If you¡¯re so curious, why don¡¯t youe along?¡± Deb grumbled as he shoved the fruit into his mouth, seemingly giving up on the sd Bers kept pushing toward him. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± But there was some truth in his words. As I ate my share of soup, I wondered if I should continue searching for the Demon tomorrow or join the beast hunt, as Deb suggested. The more I thought about it, thetter seemed to be the better option. I wasn¡¯t some tracking specialist, but we¡¯d already invested three days into this. Considering we hadn¡¯t found anything even after searching all this time, it might be best just to give up. Instead, we should focus on finding the cause of this situation. Completely wiping out the beasts might be a solution, albeit a rather short-sighted one. ¡°Mhm! Mhmhm mmmh!¡± At that moment, Bers made noises, her mouth full of food. She had so much food packed in her mouth that she couldn¡¯t speak properly. ¡°¡­Berserk, please swallow first before speaking.¡± ¡°Puhah!¡± It was somewhat impressive how she managed to gulp down such arge amount of food with just one swig of her drink. ¡°Berserk thinks I saw something strange in the forest!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t really see it with my eyes¡­ Hrmmmm.¡± She crossed her arms and tilted her head in thought before an exmation point appeared above her head. Metaphorically speaking, of course. ¡°It felt like something annoying was watching me and the young hunter.¡± ¡°Something annoying¡­?¡± ¡°Could it be the Demon?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know! Just a feeling!¡± ¡°Ah, just a feeling, huh?¡± The Inquisitor¡¯s expression became perplexed at Bers¡¯ exmation. She¡¯d apparently lost all confidence upon hearing that it was just a feeling. On the other hand, Deb didn¡¯t lose interest when she mentioned it was a feeling. Instead, he seemed to be thinking something like, ¡®Why didn¡¯t I notice?¡¯ It looked like he¡¯d decided to believe in that feeling since sensing someone¡¯s gaze was always like that. As for me, I felt the same way Deb did. After all, characters like Bers usually had intuition bordering on foresight. Whether it was the Demon or the cause of this beast situation, something was definitely inside that forest. ¡°Are you certain?¡± ¡°Demon Knight?¡± ¡°Berserk doesn¡¯t lie!¡± Alright then, that settled it. I grasped my Zweih?nder, which had been leaning against the table. The sun hadn¡¯t set yet, so we had plenty of time. ¡°We¡¯ll scour the forest and catch its tail no matter what.¡± Well, even if we didn¡¯t have much time, it wouldn¡¯t matter. My character would never tolerate any dys in this. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Wahaha! The forest at night sure has a nice atmosphere!¡± ¡°That nice atmosphere has beenpletely ruined because of you¡­¡± ¡°There aren¡¯t many adventurers in the forest at night.¡± ¡°Of course not. Unlike you, most adventurers aren¡¯t strong enough to hunt wild beasts barehanded in the dark.¡± As expected, once I decided to go, Bers even left behind her beloved alcohol and food to follow. With Bers stepping up, the Inquisitor also resolutely dered, ¡®I cannot overlook the possibility of a Demon¡¯s presence in these woods,¡¯ and joined us. As for Deb, once the Inquisitor decided toe along, he couldn¡¯t help but join as well, clutching his head in frustration. I suspect his true intention wasn¡¯t a genuine desire to be with us but rather an inability to leave us three loose cannons unsupervised. Not to mention, the Archmage, who usually kept us in check, wasn¡¯t around. ¡°Haah. Why am I even here¡­?¡± He always ended up as the meat shield. ¡°Couldn¡¯t we have notified the Archmage beforeing here¡­?¡± Indeed. But wasn¡¯t it the Archmage¡¯s fault for leaving, knowing full well that the three of us left together were like a runaway train? Or maybe he trusted that Deb would join us and act as our voice of reason in his absence? ¡°I left a note.¡± ¡°Who doesn¡¯t know that?¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°Siiigh¡­¡± In any case, it only stressed Deb more. I felt a little sorry for him and prodded Bers for more information.¡± ¡°Where did you feel the gazeing from?¡± No matter how determined I was, I didn¡¯t want to search the entire foggy forest without a single lead. ¡°Was it further in? Or maybe right from the start?¡± Oh¡­ that¡¯s¡­ pretty vague. From the start or deeper in, huh? Was it watching them from inside the forest, and the closer they got, the stronger the feeling grew? Hmm. Should we just go further in? But this forest was huge and connected to the Great Forest. ¡°Which direction?¡± ¡°Hmm. I¡¯m not sure. It felt like the gaze was following us no matter where I looked.¡± ¡°And now?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Hmmmmmm. Did we really have to search the whole ce without even a vague direction? There had to be a clue somewhere. ¡°If you haveints, go back.¡± ¡°Are you crazy? How can I leave you guys alone? And besides, we¡¯re too far in just to turn back now, you know?¡± Suddenly, I remembered Deb¡¯s testimony about feeling like a whale was floating in the sky. He¡¯d dismissed it, saying it may have just been a cloud, but¡­ I don''t know. It didn¡¯t seem like a mistake to me. Moreover, the feeling of being watched from all directions usually meant¡­ ¡°That gaze. Did ite from above?¡± It had to be, right? It had to have been from above, right? Bers blinked at my question. Shortly after, her tinum eyes, shining under the moonlight, widened in realization. ¡°Yes, it was from above.¡± My gaze naturally lifted to the sky. It was a clear night, with stars and the moon shining brightly. I pointed my de upward. * * * Boom! > [That madman.] Leviathan saw the dark energy shoot up into the sky, darker than the night itself. It was such a chilling sight that even Pandemonium, standing next to him, stared nkly with their mouth agape. > [¡­You can say that again. Are you sure that¡¯s not actually Wrath? Never mind his extreme temper, but a mortal vessel handling the power of Wrath that effortlessly?] > [N-No, I swear, the vessel was definitely in control¡­] It would be a major problem if Wrath had regained control, but if the vessel could manage that level of power by itself, that would be a problem in its own right. Pandemonium and Leviathan were caught in quite the dilemma. > [No. That¡¯s definitely the vessel¡¯s doing. Were it Wrath, he would¡¯ve just incinerated the entire area instead of wasting energy like that.] > [Hah. That¡¯sforting news.] > [¡­At best, he¡¯s just throwing around Arcane Power.] > [Yeah. If one looks at it simply. The issue is that a mortal is doing something that should only be possible within our King¡¯s domain.] > [¡­] > [That Gretchen. He sure is something else. Despite not being in his true form or within the King¡¯s domain, thus reducing his power to a quarter, he still managed to do that through a mere vessel? There¡¯s a reason he was selected as the second Wrath despite his origins.] Pandemonium¡¯s words made Leviathan bite his lip. His snake familiar hissed as if trying tofort him, but the grim reality before him remained. Behind his pale expression was a mix of relief¡ª¡®I¡¯m d I removed my main body from the sky¡¯¡ªand burning inferiority¡ª¡®Why am I fearing someone who can¡¯t even control a mere vessel?¡¯ > [Let¡¯s leave for now. I don¡¯t want to face that crazy vessel and the Hero head-on. I also don¡¯t want to raise suspicion from thisnd¡¯s Lord, whom we barely convinced to let us stay.] > [¡­I¡¯ll borrow.] > [Hmm?] > [¡­I¡¯ll borrow from you. I¡¯ll also entrust you with acquiring Nightmare Shards from Sloth.] > [¡­Oh my. Do you even know what the cost of that will be?] > [Hah. There¡¯s nothing as foolish as making a deal with you.] > [And yet you¡¯re going through with it?] > [¡­Yes.] Leviathan didn¡¯t bother with deeply considering whether this was the right choice. > [If it means I can humiliate him, it¡¯s worth it.] Jealousy and envy were the furthest emotions from wisdom. * * * Boom! I finally lowered my sword after unleashing a strike powered by everyst bit of my Arcane Power. Predictably, none of my scattered attacks had hit anything. Whether there was truly nothing in the sky or my technique simplycked the necessary range, I couldn¡¯t tell. ¡°If you¡¯ve run out of Arcane Power, should we continue?¡± ¡°¡­Don¡¯t join in on this madness, too, you damn iron wall.¡± ¡°Why would you call this madness?! Don¡¯t insult the Demon Knight¡¯s actions!¡± ¡°Then you think it¡¯s normal to suddenly attack the sky with that, that, that thing?!¡± ¡°I-If there¡¯s an enemy in the sky, such actions might be very necessary!¡± Seriously, why were they fighting over something I did? I sighed deeply as I watched the two dumplings squabble. I then surveyed the area, which, thanks to my actions, was now a 16-square-meter clearing. The shockwave hadpletely obliterated a tree and blown away the fog, leaving the space wide open. Good grief. If I was going to use this skill, I should have practiced narrowing its area of effect and extending its range beforehand. But here we are. It seemed I was still a long way off from mastering this skill. ¡°Oooh! Impressive as ever. How do you condense your Arcane Power like that?¡± On the other hand, Bers looked rather impressed by my brute-force approach. ¡°I-I want to do that, too!¡± Her simple-minded nature found this direct, destructive attack quite appealing indeed. ¡°Hmm, like this? Like this?¡± If she could mimic this in one go, I might feel a bit offended, right? I watched Bers as she attempted to gather her Arcane Power. Straining with all her might, she sessfully formed a tiny orb of light in her hands. Boom! ¡°Pahah!¡± No matter how hard she tried, it just wasn¡¯t working. I instinctively knew that Bers wouldn¡¯t be able to use this technique. ¡°Don¡¯t have enough Arcane Power¡­¡± She had too little Arcane Power, far too little to even meet the minimum requirements. ¡°Uuurgh.¡± Even though the iplete orb of magic had exploded, Bers acted as if nothing had happened. Her palms showed no signs of injury. I didn¡¯t know whether it was because of her thick skin or because she¡¯d simply used too little Arcane Power. ¡°How can I get as much Arcane Power as you?¡± Well, for me, Arcane Power and Stamina just steadily increased with each level up. I didn¡¯t know how to increase it through regr training. If there was a method like that, I¡¯d like to know, too. Who wouldn¡¯t want free stat boosts? ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the amount of Arcane Power one has is entirely innate¡­¡± ¡°Urgh. Really?¡± ¡°Yes. Although training can help increase it somewhat, I¡¯ve heard it doesn¡¯t lead to any significant changes.¡± ¡­Is that so? Then why did my Arcane Power almost double when I removed the seal? I had some ideas as to why, but¡­ I¡¯d prefer not to think about it. Let¡¯s just say there simply isn¡¯t a way. Let¡¯s just assume this character was born with a ton of Arcane Power. ¡°That¡¯s a shame.¡± Meanwhile, Bers seemed rather disappointed by the notion that Arcane Power was mostly innate. I was worried she might throw a fit, but luckily, she seemed to ept that some things are simply impossible. ¡°So, what will you do now? It doesn¡¯t seem to be in the sky¡­¡± On the other hand, Deb had no time for idle conversations about Arcane Power. He was already worried about what to do next, and he was right; this was the most crucial issue. Based on the clues, I¡¯d guessed it might be in the sky andunched an attack, but nothing seemed to be there¡ªat least, I hadn¡¯t hit anything. So, we were left with two options. ¡°Should we just head back¡ª¡± Admit defeat and return. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving without finding that Demon.¡± Or refuse to give up and continue searching the forest. For the record, my character would always choose thetter. At this point, it felt as though a devil was whispering, ¡®Are you scared?¡¯ in my ear, so there was no way I was backing down, either. ¡°Wahahaha! Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Yes! Let¡¯s keep searching!¡± ¡°Uuuurgh.¡± Wahaha. Let¡¯s go. ____ Chapter 144: Everything as It Should Be (4) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 144 Everything as It Should Be (4) Deathbringer slumped his shoulders as he watched the others continue searching through the night. Although he¡¯d always been morefortable during the night than day and, since joining them, had grown ustomed to staying up all night¡­ it was still exhausting. His body was beginning to feel heavy. ¡°Aren¡¯t they hungry?¡± And it wasn¡¯t just theck of sleep; hunger was also a problem for him. Extended periods of hunger had always been a familiarpanion to him, and moving around all day on an empty stomach was practically a close friend¡­ but that didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t miserable. If they were going to stay up all night, he wished they¡¯d at least give him something to eat. He absolutely didn¡¯t enjoy being hungry. ¡°¡­¡± But what right did he, the most useless member of the group, have toin about food? Back in his homnd, he wouldn¡¯t have even considered it in the first ce, right? Deathbringer swallowed his rising difort. He recalled his past: the days when he went hungry for more than just a day, and the sleepless nights spent solely in pursuit of revenge. Thefort and abundance he¡¯d recentlye to enjoy was only possible because of hispanions¡¯ wealth, so he concluded that he shouldn¡¯t get used to it. When he thought about it like that, he felt a little better. Rustle ¡°¡­?¡± However, it seemed he¡¯d been a bit too lost in thought. He only noticed the beast¡¯s presence when it was practically standing right next to him. There was no way he could dodge. His years of experience whispered this truth into his ears. In that case, he had to minimize the damage, at least. The iron wall could save him as long as he didn¡¯t die. Deathbringer skillfully lowered his body and protected his vital points. He was prepared to sacrifice an arm or a leg if necessary. Squelch! Thud! However, the pain never came. There was only the sound of flesh and bone breaking. The eyelids he¡¯d reflexively squeezed shut fluttered open again. ¡°You let your guard down, young hunter!¡± Berserk, who¡¯d already gone ahead by more than ten meters, was now standing before him. ¡°Yeah¡­ Thank you, Miss.¡± ¡°Hah, you damn troublemaker. How careless. Are you hurt anywhere?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going to scold me, just scold me.¡± The iron wall was also quite weird. He clearly wasn¡¯t injured anywhere, so why did she even ask? As he stood up with Berserk¡¯s help, Deathbringer¡¯s ears twitched as if something tickled them. Unlike the two approaching him, the Demon Knight just continued advancing steadily. True to his word, he was leaving behind anything that would hinder him. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go quickly.¡± Deathbringer shook off his clothes, feeling a peculiar bitterness in his mouth. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go!¡± Then he paused. He nced at the beast that had attacked him but was now lying on the ground, having been knocked away by Berserk¡¯s punch. Funnily enough, there was a hole in its head about the size of a circle one could make by touching one¡¯s thumb and index finger together. A precise strike. ¡°Ah, right. Buddy, Berserk¡¯s hungry. Let¡¯s eat before continuing.¡± ¡°Do you have a piglet in your belly or something?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s roast that beast I just killed!¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± ¡°Ah, food? I didn¡¯t bring any utensils or seasoning, though¡­¡± Deathbringer scratched his head, feeling a little perplexed. He really didn¡¯t know what the Knight was thinking. ¡°Sigh. I figured as much. Come on. I have some seasonings and hardtack, at least.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°By the way, we¡¯ll have to roast everything. I didn¡¯t bring a pot because it¡¯s too heavy.¡± If he truly didn¡¯t want anyone interfering with him, he should¡¯ve been less considerate toward them. * * * ¡°Damn, the mist is making it hard to light the fire. Hey, priest. Can¡¯t you use that piss-colored barrier to clear the mist?¡± ¡°P-Piss-colored?! And don¡¯t even think about using the Divine Barrier for something trivial like that!¡± ¡°What do you mean ¡®something trivial like that¡¯? What¡¯s wrong with using it that way?¡± ¡°Grrr!¡± I offered a silent prayer for the puma that had tried eating Deb but ended up being eaten by us instead. Of course, I didn¡¯t feel sorry for it. It had almost hurt our precious meat dumpling. ¡°Ooh, the fog is clearing.¡± ¡°I-Is it not sacrilegious to use Divine Power for something like this¡­?¡± ¡°Shut up and start the fire. Miss Fighter, please cut the meat as small as you can.¡± ¡°Is this size okay?¡± In the meantime, the meat dumpling showed off his impressive skills. Using wet branches would create too much smoke, so he peeled off all the bark to expose the dry parts. ¡°Wow, Miss Fighter. I¡¯ve always wondered, have you ever trained in butchery?¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°It shows. Give me that. I¡¯ll handle it from here.¡± Just watching him debone and prepare the meat was awe-inspiring every time I saw it. Neither I nor the Inquisitor could hope to replicate his skill, and even the Archmage, who relied entirely on magic, couldn¡¯tpare. ¡°Look, if you slice it thinly and grill it like that¡­¡± ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°It¡¯s cooked already? That quickly?¡± ¡°This is the quickest way to prepare them. The other parts don¡¯t taste as good, and since there¡¯s so little meat in these parts, they¡¯re rarely prepared like this.¡± I always thought, what would we have done without Deb? Even with the Archmage¡¯s magic, our practical skills were severelycking¡­ ¡°Ah, it sure would have been nice to have some alcohol!¡± ¡°Th-That smell¡­¡± ¡°What are you even doing? Of all the pieces, you had to pick the one touching the innards. Put that down and eat this instead.¡± Previously, we either didn¡¯t camp at all or only did so for short periods, but considering we were now doing it more frequently¡­ Yeah, the meat dumpling really was the best. ¡°Buddy, are you really not going to eat any meat?¡± Meanwhile, Bers, who was happily eating the meat, asked me that. I must have looked pretty pathetic chewing on dried fruit instead of meat. We didn¡¯t even have a pot to make soup. ¡°Mind your own business.¡± But I¡¯d rather eat grain powder than meat. I responded dryly while popping a dried berry into my mouth. Since it was super sweet, it didn¡¯t even feel like a meal to me. It was more like a snack. ¡°Hey, Miss Fighter. Come here for a bit¡­¡± After some time, Deb dragged Bers away, saying he needed to go to the bathroom. Suddenly, I was leftpletely alone with the Inquisitor. Fortunately, the Inquisitor wasn¡¯t the type to engage in unnecessary chatter¡ªthough she would just ramble on and on to herself¡ªbut even if she did, that wasn¡¯t so bad. The topics she brought up were usually about Demons, so I could answer those fairly easily. So, I waited quitefortably for Deb and Bers to return¡­ ¡°Uwah, uwaaah! Iron wall, shield, shield!¡± ¡°Wahaha! We¡¯re back!!!¡± Those two who¡¯d gone out to relieve themselves came back with something quite bizarre in tow. ¡°O almighty God, please grant me strength!¡± The flustered Inquisitor hastily gathered her Divine Power. Thud. Even though she might sometimes forget to bring her other gear, she never went out without her massive shield, which she now drove into the ground. ¡°We¡¯re in!¡± ¡°Protect these innocentmbs!¡± Just as Deb and Bers made it behind the shield, a white light spread out. My HP began getting chipped away as usual. Bam! The shield was just barely holding off the charging beasts outside. ¡°What happened?!¡± ¡°Haha, can I kill them now?!¡± ¡°Geez, hold on a moment. At least exin the situation first!¡± They weren¡¯t Demons, just mere beasts. There were simply an overwhelming number of them. Thanks to that, the Inquisitor could more easily maintain her shield and ask about the situation. I also wanted to hear about that. I was curious how they¡¯d managed to draw the aggro of so many beasts. ¡°We were catching fish by the water when they suddenly attacked.¡± ¡°Fish?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the important part here.¡± ¡°Ah, right. So, they attacked out of nowhere?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± That was strange. While it was natural for predators to attack prey, it wasn¡¯tmon for so many different species to attack together. ¡°Berserk wanted to fight, but I couldn¡¯t protect the young hunter at the same time, so we ran.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°But more importantly, can you sense any Demonic Energy from them? This doesn¡¯t seem normal at all.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t sense anything¡­ Oh!¡± We couldn¡¯t continue like this any longer just because we didn¡¯t know the cause of this chaos. Like Bers, I drew my sword to deal with the beasts. ¡°They¡¯re consuming the Divine Power.¡± * * * The sight in front of me made me hesitate. Some of these beasts were scraping off parts of the shield and trying to consume the Divine Power. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Oh.¡± First, there were creatures that could consume Demonic Energy and Arcane Power, and now there were some that could consume Divine Power. That was quite the development. ¡°I-Is this alright?!¡± ¡°They aren¡¯t consuming enough to cause any problems. The shield has severalyers, so it won¡¯t get breached even if one breaks. But, but¡­¡± ¡°How is it possible for these types of beasts to consume Divine Power?¡± Either way, this was an incredibly significant discovery. We needed to capture at least one alive, preferably two or three, to examine. ¡°You.¡± But to do that, I needed a little bit of help. ¡°You called?¡± ¡°Capture two of them alive. You aren¡¯t so stupid that you can¡¯t handle that, right?¡± ¡°Kahaha! Capture them alive? Got it, leave it to me!¡± I was a bit worried about leaving this to her, but there was no other way. Besides, if I stayed here, my HP would continue to fall. I had to move out. ¡°Are you going out? I¡¯ll support you!¡± I stepped out of the Divine Barrier. Boom! Simultaneously, a rectangr golden te materialized, pushing back the beasts surrounding the shield. It seemed to be one of the new skills the Inquisitor had developed after trying out various things at the Magic Tower. It was an excellent knockback skill. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the ones behind us.¡± Moreover, it was versatile enough to pin down enemies. The Inquisitor pressed down on the beasts at the rear, ttening them against the ground. They didn¡¯t explode into a bloody mess, probably because I told them to capture some alive, but they were undoubtedly immobilized, squirming to get free. Swish! In any case, that was what one called excellent support. Utilizing the distance the Inquisitor had created for us, I swung my sword as soon as I exited the barrier. Two beasts¡¯ heads were sent rolling, and the [Arcane Spear] I summoned pierced through the ones attempting to attack me. ¡°Kahahaha!¡± Bers¡¯ approach was simr yet a bit different. She wielded her halberd with a long grip, sweeping it in wide arcs, pushing back all the beasts within range. Those that got too close were met with the full force of her brutal strength, as she seemed utterly indifferent to the possibility that she might sustain serious wounds. ¡°Berserk, capture them alive, alive!!¡± As I expected. I knew she¡¯d forget. I found one of the beasts that had been feeding on the Divine Power and kicked it over. I then stepped on its neck to prevent it from getting back up. Amid the chaos of our surroundings, there was no time for me to feel pity and apologize for man¡¯s cruelty, so I temporarily put my conscience aside. sh! I continued cutting down the surrounding beasts, targeting another that seemed to be absorbing Divine Power. When one lunged at me, it wasn¡¯t too difficult to simply grab its neck with my bare hand. That made two. Including those the Inquisitor had captured, we had around eight. Rooooar! I had to be careful not to get scratched by the leopard¡¯s ws. The one I had pinned down with my foot was quiet, but this one here was highly aggressive. Well, I guess that was normal. ¡°Ah, one of them died.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it strange to expect them not to die when you swing your halberd at them like that¡­?¡± ¡°No. I didn¡¯t hit this one. Look. It doesn¡¯t have any wounds.¡± ¡°Huh, you¡¯re right.¡± Deb, who¡¯d just lowered his bow, stepped out of the barrier, which melted away as the Inquisitor retracted her Divine Power, perhaps no longer seeing a need for it. All that remained now were dozens of corpses and the nine we¡¯d captured. ¡°¡­?¡± But something was off. I checked the beast I¡¯d pinned down and found it dead. That was strange. I had been conscientious not to break its neck, and it had no other injuries, either. Why did it die? As I was about to think more about it, Deb eximed, ¡°Huh!¡± ¡°This one¡¯s dead, too. That one, as well.¡± ¡°B-But I applied just enough pressure to keep them alive, though¡­?¡± I joined the others, firmly holding the one creature that was still alive. It seemed that some of the beasts the Inquisitor had captured also died. ¡°Why did they die?¡± Five of the nine captured beasts had died for unknown reasons. We carefully bound the mouths and limbs of the four remaining to ensure they wouldn¡¯t die. We nned to transport them to the city. ¡°Seriously¡­ What kind of disaster is this?¡± Indeed, they say one shouldn¡¯t disturb even a dog while it¡¯s eating, yet trouble came looking for us during our meal. ¡°I can¡¯t sense any Demonic Energy from them¡­ They might be simr to those snakes we saw in the Great Forest.¡± ¡°Hmm. Could this be a clue?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. But we can¡¯t simply ignore this¡­ so we might as well consider it a clue.¡± ¡°Berserk is hungry again after all that work¡­¡± ¡°Oh, really? But the meat has probably gone cold by now¡­¡± ¡°We have to carry these things to the city anyway, so let¡¯s have a proper meal once we get back, okay?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re not nning on staying here, are you?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not my intention¡­¡± I found myself the focus of everyone¡¯s attention, which left me a bit bewildered. We hadn¡¯t found the Demon, but we did find some clues that might be rted to it. Besides, continuing the search would be inconvenient with these creatures in tow. Of course, the logical step would be to return to the city. So, why were they looking at me like that? Did they seriously expect me to suggest we keep searching with these things in tow? ¡°Are you also going back?¡± ¡­Was that how they saw my character? * * * ¡°There theye.¡± Just how poorly did they think of my character? With such trepidation, we headed back to the city. To our surprise, the Archmage was waiting for us atop the city walls. ¡°Hey, did you guys juste back from the forest?!¡± ¡°What? Adventurers returned from there alive?¡± ¡°Adventurers actually made it out of there alive?¡± As the Inquisitor waved at the Archmage, I noticed something peculiar. Why was the top of the wall¡­ so crowded? Something must¡¯ve happened overnight, as the gates, usually open by morning, were tightly shut. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°Did beasts attack this ce, as well¡­?¡± ¡°Is it a battle? Are we about to fight?¡± While they opened the gates, we had a serious discussion. Most of our thoughts centered around the assumption that something significant had happened. ¡°You guys, did you juste out of that forest?¡± ¡°Yes, but¡­¡± Finally, some people came down to meet us. ¡°Then, did you see that ck pir shooting into the skyst night?¡± Three gazes turned toward me. ¡°I-It was fired five times, apanied by loud roars. Did you see what caused them?¡± Th-Thaaaaat¡­ I saw it extremely well. I¡¯d had a first-ss seat, at that. ¡°So, it really was you guys?¡± The Archmage, who¡¯d hurried down with the guards, whispered quietly. Based on his expression, he seemed to have a pretty good idea of what had happened. ¡°Could it be that the Demon is nearby¡­?¡± ¡°N-No, that¡¯s not it.¡± ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t the Demon.¡± No, erm, so. Wasn¡¯t this a bit much? It hadn¡¯t been that loud, and it was ck, so it should have blended into the night sky. How did they even notice it? ¡°Could it be that you saw it in person?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re asking whether we saw it directly, then¡­¡± ¡°Haha, that guy did it!¡± Before the hesitant Inquisitor and Deb could continue, Bers cheerfully shouted. ¡°I told him I saw a Demon in the sky, so he shot at it! Got a problem with that?¡± ¡°What?¡± Was that the right choice? I wasn¡¯t sure. The guards froze in ce, mumbling, ¡°That man did it?¡± The Inquisitor and Deb hurriedly tried to exin. ¡°There¡¯s quite a bit to say, but first¡­¡± Meanwhile, the Archmage shifted his gaze to the animals we were carrying. It was clear he intended to prioritize understanding the situation over lecturing us. ¡°Are you all okay?¡± ¡°Huh? I¡¯m okay.¡± ¡°And the others?¡± ¡°As far as Berserk remembers, no one got hurt!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief. And those animals¡­?¡± ¡°We encountered them in the forest! They attacked us in packs, so we killed a few and captured some of the rest.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Ah, the priest mentioned that these things were consuming Divine Power. Can animals consume Divine Power these days?¡± ¡°¡­What did you just say?¡± Would he be able to scold us after hearing that?! Having confirmed that the conversation had changed direction, I dropped the leopard I¡¯d been carrying to the ground. The animal, bound tightly with vines, writhed about. ¡°Can I put them down?¡± Bers alsoid down the beasts she was carrying. After checking whether they were still alive, we found them all in seemingly good condition. ¡°¡­We need to examine them immediately.¡± ¡°Ah, right. Mister Wizard, some of those things just dropped dead, even though we didn¡¯t even touch them. Thought I should mention that, as well.¡± ¡°Hmm. I¡¯ll keep that in mind. Thanks.¡± Ah, were the exnations over? With that, I turned and walked toward the inner part of the city, not noticing Deb ncing back at us. The guards eyed me warily, but no one stopped me, perhaps because our exnation had been sufficient. ____ Chapter 145: Everything as It Should Be (5) Chapter 145 Everything as It Should Be (5) ¡°It seems they die when they consume Divine Power.¡± How long had we slept after staying up all night? When we woke up, the Archmage informed us of this. The beasts we¡¯d brought back were simr to the Jahukaya of the Great Forest¡ªthough they were of different species and consumed Arcane Power instead¡ªand could consume Divine Power, but doing so would result in their deaths. ¡°Since there are so few Jahukaya and transporting them to the Magic Tower took some time, the experiments only began two days ago¡­ All the ones fed with Divine Power died.¡± It seemed some of those few specimens had already died because of this experiment. I offered a silent prayer for the wizards who must be screaming right now. Thanks to their sacrifice, we learned this wasn¡¯t a new threat and Divine Power wasn¡¯t ineffective against them. That was a huge relief. ¡°But that¡¯s not the important part. What¡¯s truly crucial is¡­¡± ¡°Finding out where these things came from, right?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°Then, investigating the direction they came from¡­ isn¡¯t feasible, is it? Since they¡¯re swarming from all directions.¡± In the meantime, Deb and the Inquisitor exchanged opinions with the Archmage one by one. As for Bers? She was also present but nodding off. ¡°Snooore.¡± ¡°¡­Perhaps we should¡¯ve let Berserk sleep a bit longer.¡± ¡°Should I take her to her room?¡± No, she¡¯dpletely fallen asleep. Since the conversation began, she looked like she found the whole thing too difficult and iprehensible, and she¡¯d finally passed out. Bang! ¡°Snooore¡ªHuh?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Who¡­?¡± Suddenly, the door to the dining room we were in flung open. Someone had kicked it open. ¡°What the hell? I heard they were staying here!¡± His rapid approach made me think he might have something to tell us, but judging by his attitude, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. But who the hell had kicked open the door to our lodging? Judging by his attire, he didn¡¯t seem to be from the Temple. There was no Magic Tower branch in this city, and his attire didn¡¯t seem to suggest he was a wizard, either. ¡°And you are¡­¡± ¡°Wait, please wait! Didn¡¯t I tell you to wait!¡± ¡°Oh my, second young master!!¡± We werepletely dazed for a moment. Just as the Archmage was about to say something, new figures burst into the room. They were dressed like priests and staff¡ªor should I call them servants, considering this ce¡¯s worldview? ¡°Hey.¡± They grabbed the initial intruder from both sides as if trying to apprehend him. Some even moved to close the open door. However, that person who¡¯d ovee all these efforts looked at us with a crooked gaze. ¡°I heard some Hero came to town. Is it you guys?¡± Setting aside that he knew about us, his luxurious appearance perfectly matched his obnoxious attitude. ¡°Oh my, second young master!¡± ¡°We apologize. We will resolve this quickly, so please, dear guests, show some mercy and overlook this¡­¡± ¡°Get out of my way. I asked you! Are you those Heroes?!¡± While I felt like shifting in ce, I stared at that wealthy young man. With my character setting applied, my personality wasn¡¯t much better than his, so I had no intention of reprimanding him¡­ ¡°Are you mute or something? Why aren¡¯t you answering?¡± ¡°Second young master!!¡± ¡°Stop this! Even if you¡¯re the Lord¡¯s son, we can¡¯t tolerate this any longer!¡± That guy? What was his deal? How could he act like this in front of two nearly 2-meter-tall giants (Bers and the Archmage)? I might not know my exact height, but I was around 190cm myself. That guy had some serious guts. In his position, I would have been so scared that I¡¯d barely get out a ¡®Whoops, wrong door¡±, give a 90-degree bow, and get out of there as fast as possible. ¡°Berserk is amazed! How can a person get so round like that?¡± ¡°Pfft.¡± ¡°Indeed. I find that quite fascinating, as well.¡± ¡°Inquisitor¡­¡± Amid all this, the clueless Bers blurted out her true feelings, and the pure-hearted Inquisitor agreed. I had no intention of making fun of anyone¡¯s weight, so I added nothing to theirments. One of my friends once gained a lot of weight due to stress-induced overeating¡­ Yeah. I¡¯d show my concern, but I never made fun of them. That friend had a really tough time back then. ¡°Wh-What did you say? You dumb musclehead¡­!¡± ¡°Please, let¡¯s just go, second young master!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just leave it at that and move on.¡± Everything aside, this guy would certainly be great at judo or wrestling. Usually, people who gained that much weight struggled to even hold their ground, but he resisted them with incredible strength. ¡°Let go! I can walk on my own! Damn it, I came all the way here for nothing.¡± Of course, he would need to fix his personality first. ¡°Had I known there would be nothing but a young girl, a pale beast, and a dirty half-beast here, I wouldn¡¯t have bothered trying to meet the Hero¡­¡± ¡°Second young master!!¡± What did he just say? A young girl? A pale beast? A dirty half-beast? Was he joking?? ¡°¡­Did you just insult the envoy of God and herpanions?¡± ¡°So what if I did? What are you going to do about it?¡± ¡°Second young master, please¡­!¡± Even to my ears, those were some serious insults. Imagine how those of this world would react. The Temple officials, who were trying to use a moderate approach because he was the lord¡¯s son¡ªprobably?¡ªturned red with anger. ¡°How dare you insult the Archmage¡­!¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Half-beast. It¡¯s been a while since Ist heard that insult¡­¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Our group reacted simrly. The face of the Inquisitor, who usually stayed calm unless dealing with Demons, hardened, and the two who¡¯d been insulted as beasts also wore chilling expressions. ¡°Can I kill him?¡± Even the usuallyid-back Berserk, who¡¯d been yawning up until now, showed apparent changes. Not in her expression but in her tone, which became deadly serious. ¡°What did that musclehead just say¡ª?!¡± ¡°Insulting the representative of God is the same as insulting God himself. We won¡¯t tolerate this any longer. Take him away!¡± ¡°W-Wait a minute!¡± ¡°Wh-What?! You bastards!¡± Whether fortunately or unfortunately, the Temple officials acted before our group could, moving decisively while shouting and exerting force. ¡°L-Let go! I¡¯m the next lord, how could¡ªO-Ow! Let go!!¡± ¡°Hah, not only did you spheme, but you also im to be the next lord when there¡¯s already a legitimate heir? We will report your obvious act of rebellion to the lord!¡± ¡°W-We¡¯re doomed¡­¡± In other words, they¡¯d given up on controlling their strength. Seeing them use Divine Power made that abundantly clear. From what I had seen of the Inquisitor¡¯s power, he was 100% guaranteed to get some nasty bruises. He might even break a bone. ¡°L-Let go of me!¡± ¡°Take him away, throw him in the dungeon!¡± Anyway, the servants who¡¯d been desperately trying to stop him ended up with pathetic looks on their faces. Unable to do anything, they were just fumbling around helplessly. ¡°Stand down. Berserk, you too, put down your halberd.¡± ¡°But! That guy insulted you¡ª¡± ¡°Can¡¯t we just kill him?¡± ¡°If you''re angry because you were insulted, that¡¯s one thing. But there¡¯s no need to do this for my sake, Inquisitor. And you too, Berserk. He¡¯s being taken away anyway, so there¡¯s no need to be a criminal by killing him.¡± Meanwhile, as the man was getting dragged away, the Archmage sighed and pressed down on his temples. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. This was a mistake on our part¡­¡± One remaining priest, trying to make amends or perhaps out of desperation, bowed deeply in apology toward us. Those statements weren¡¯t really this priest¡¯s fault, so he was probably apologizing for not stopping them beforehand. ¡°It alright. How could you have stopped the Lord¡¯s son froming here?¡± ¡°No, this was indeed our mistake. We should have been more careful, knowing what kind of person he is¡­¡± ¡°I said it¡¯s alright. More importantly, are you okay? You were also insulted, yet I just dealt with it on my own like this¡­¡± ¡°Me? Yeah. I¡¯m used to this. Besides, he was properly taken away and won¡¯t be let off lightly. But are you okay, Mister Archmage?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m fine. In my younger days, there were far more intolerant people like this.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯re all idiots. Whether it¡¯s race or whatever, break their necks and they all die just the same.¡± At those two¡¯s words, I felt a surge of frustrationing up. Berserk¡¯sment also nearly made me retort instinctively. Honestly, it was true. Break their necks and, regardless of race, most living things would die. ¡°Don¡¯t get used to insults. The same goes for you, Berserk. No one should be despised for what they were born as, nor should they be ustomed to it.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re saying that after brushing off being called a young girl?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? I am young, and I am a girl, so what¡¯s there to brush off?¡± Did she not notice that it was intended as an insult? That was almost funny. Maybe that¡¯s what one called a true mental victory. ¡°¡­Never mind if you didn¡¯t get it. But if we¡¯re talking about being despised, what about when you treated me like nothing but a criminal?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­! I¡­ I admit I was a bit quick to judge¡­! But still, acting like a thief and being treated like one is very different from being born a Curety and being treated like a half-beast!¡± Maybe people oblivious to such things had an easier time in life. While I was pondering about this, the Inquisitor shouted in her defense. ¡°Seriously. Are you defending or insulting me? You just admitted to thinking I was a mere thief.¡± Deb grumbled as he sighed. He mostly seemed to beining because it was a little ridiculous. He wasn¡¯t actually angry. The Archmage smiled warmly. * * * ¡°Oh, right. Hey, priest. You mentioned he was the lord¡¯s son, but why did hee here?¡± Deb, seemingly ufortable with this awkward atmosphere, changed the subject. I was curious about that, too. Why did hee looking for us? ¡°Well, erm. I¡¯m not entirely sure, but¡­¡± Deb¡¯s question left the priest a bit flustered. However, he didn¡¯t stubbornly insist that he didn¡¯t know. Despite being told that an apology wasn¡¯t necessary, this priest seemed to feel even guiltier. He appeared to be struggling to give us an answer. ¡°Well¡­ He probably came to urge you to hunt the beasts. Because of the sudden increase in wild animals, the youngdy¡¯s wedding has been postponed.¡± That answer was somewhat surprising. Seeing how he was referring to the youngdy and the second young master separately, it seemed the youngdy was probably his elder sibling. Even if he was a brute, did he still care for his family or something? That was odd, considering he imed he would be the next lord. ¡°I can see why he¡¯d want to rush us, knowing there is a Hero among us¡­ but what does the wedding have to do with it?¡± ¡°Well¡­ Sigh. The youngdy¡¯s marriage partner is the young lord of Ednium.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°¡­A marriage between future lords? That¡¯s rather unusual. Even in arranged marriages, they usually don¡¯t link heirs.¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not an arranged marriage. It¡¯s a love marriage.¡± ¡°Oh, a love marriage.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°¡­The second young master probably thinks that after the wedding, the youngdy will abdicate her position and move to that city.¡± I finally understood. It was a very optimistic scenario, but not entirely impossible. ¡°Is he an idiot?¡± ¡°How foolish. To behave like that and believe he can be the Lord.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see what a wedding has to do with stepping down as heir.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ quite the surprising assumption.¡± Still, did he not consider the possibility that the other person mighte here? ¡°¡­It¡¯s not just because of the wedding. The lord and the youngdy have quite the strained rtionship, whereas the lord favors the second young master.¡± ¡°Him??¡± Deb reflexively asked. However, the priest could only nod in agreement instead of taking it as a rude gesture. ¡°We are just as puzzled about that, as well. The youngdy is very wise and intelligent, much like her mother, but for some reason, the lord¡­ Oh, I apologize. As a servant of God, I shouldn¡¯t speak ill of others.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. The Lord will forgive you.¡± Well, I wouldn¡¯t even count this as speaking ill of someone. Discussing other people¡¯s family matters casually wasn''t good, but this much? It could only be considered a warning rather than actual nder, right? ¡°Good grief. Such is the nature of mortals.¡± ¡°At least he¡¯ll receive proper punishment this time. For an insult of this magnitude, he¡¯ll likely be sent to a monastery, so even if the youngdy leaves for another city, there¡¯s no chance of him ever being appointed lord.¡± While I was lost in thought, the Inquisitor spoke with relief. Her tone made it clear that she never wanted to see that guy be lord. The priest¡¯s expression became moreplex. ¡°He probably won¡¯t be sent to a monastery.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°He¡¯s the lord¡¯s favored child. He¡¯ll find a way to smooth this over somehow.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re saying he¡¯ll cover up an offensemitted against none other than mypanions within Temple grounds?¡± ¡°¡­Given the precedent, the lord or the youngdy will likelye to the Temple, kneel in apology, and donate a substantial sum of money, probably in the millions. That amount would help thousands, so we¡¯ve turned a blind eye until now¡­ But this time, we¡¯ll fully adhere to the Hero¡¯s wishes. Yes.¡± The Inquisitor¡¯s and Deb¡¯s expressions twisted in displeasure while Berserk softly muttered, ¡°We should have just killed him, after all,¡± in the background. * * * ¡°My deepest apologies.¡± Unfortunately, the priest¡¯s prediction turned out to be spot on. In less than an hour, the youngdy arrived, carrying an enormous amount of money. ¡°It is my fault for not properly looking after my brother. Please show mercy.¡± She didn¡¯t hesitate to immediately kneel before us, even though it wasn¡¯t her fault. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t because she considered her brother¡¯s mistake her own, but because she was too ustomed to doing this. ¡°¡­Please stand up.¡± At the Inquisitor¡¯s words, the youngdy gracefully rose. Her ck hair flowed smoothly, almost like silk. ¡°We didn¡¯t ask for this kind of apology.¡± ¡°¡­My apologies.¡± ¡°Moreover, an apology from you, someone unrted to this incident, is even less eptable.¡± At the kimchi dumpling¡¯s words, the youngdy closed her eyes tightly, her cherry blossom-colored irises hidden beneath her eyelids. ¡°What I seek is an apology from the one who insulted myrades and a fitting punishment for him.¡± In response to the Inquisitor¡¯s demand, the youngdy opened her eyes again. A troubled look briefly appeared in them before she suppressed it. ¡°¡­I humbly ask of you, as a representative of God, could you please ept my apology for the sake of my honor?¡± ¡°Exin to me how epting your apology would protect your honor?¡± There it was: the Inquisitor¡¯s habit of taking things literally, unable to grasp the subtleties of nuanced speech, and throwing in a direct question. It left the youngdy frozen. Her expression remained calm, but internally, she was probably struggling to find the right words. ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°Why should I apologize?!¡± However, whatever she had been about to say became utterly useless. The culprit, showing not a single sign of remorse, had stepped forward. The youngdy¡¯s gentle eyes momentarily turned cold. ¡°So what if you''re the Hero? You¡¯ll just end up dying to some Demons anyway¡ª¡± With thatment, he¡¯d crossed the line and also inadvertently attacked my character. Bang! ¡°Kuhuk!¡± ¡°Uwargh!¡± ¡°Demon Knight!¡± I¡¯d been waiting for this opportunity, and it was handed to me on a silver tter. I knew violence wasn¡¯t the answer, but the urge to smash his damn head in was just too strong. With thatment, he had forced my hand. ¡°Say that again.¡± I stomped the ground right before him¡ªmore like smashed it¡ªcreating a crater, and drew my sword with less than 70 cm between us. ¡°Who did you say would die to the Demons?¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Maybe because the impact had shaken the ground before him, he fell backward, so I didn¡¯t even use my full height to look down on him. I had raised my sword, positioned such that I could pierce his ample belly. ¡°S-Second young master!¡± ¡°I asked you who. Would. Die. To. The Demons?¡± The sheer ferocity in my voice kept him from looking away. Good. ¡°If you harm the second young master¡ª¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking you.¡± Nice, nice. Since I happened to be standing with my back to the light, this should scare the damn wretch properly, right? ¡°If you don¡¯t want your tongue ripped out, you better shut up.¡± ¡°¡­¡± That guy was kind of funny, in a way. Despite being surrounded by servants and guards, none seemed willing to risk their lives to save him. No one respected him at all. ¡°Well, looks like I lost my prey to you again, huh?¡± ¡°¡­Were you also nning to intervene? Please, just be patient.¡± ¡°But someone like him doesn¡¯t deserve to live¡ª¡± ¡°Uwaah. You¡¯re right, but could you keep it down? He can hear you!¡± Meanwhile, Bers also seemed about to act. However, unlike me, she wouldn¡¯t do so while considering the consequences of her actions but with the full intent to kill. ¡°I-I¡¯m the s-son of the lord¡­¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t answer my question.¡± ¡°I-If you harm me¡­¡± Maybe it was for the best that I had stepped up. At least my n only involved threats. After all, this guy was the lord¡¯s favorite child, right? Threats could be brushed off if followed with an apology, but causing actual harm would be pushing it a bit too far. Even if we had the Hero''s backing, making an enemy of this ce¡¯s lord wouldn¡¯t be wise, especially since what I was doing wasn¡¯t entirely legal. ¡°That¡¯s also not the answer to my question.¡± ¡°Eek!¡± So, I only raised my sword as if nning to stab him. The fact that he thought I would actually do it was a deliberately created misunderstanding. Ssssh. ¡­Though this wasn¡¯t something I¡¯d intended. I saw a certain someone¡¯s pants darken with liquid and discreetly bit the inside of my cheek. Exchanging someone¡¯s dignity for a more natural exit strategy seemed like a fair trade-off. ¡°¡­It would be an insult to my de to dirty it with the blood of a worm like you. Don¡¯t ever show yourself to me again.¡± I sheathed my unswung sword. Then, I quickly stepped back, avoiding the urine creeping toward my shoes. My gears¡¯ automatic cleaning function was one thing, but getting unnecessarily sullied by that stuff was another. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s consider this matter settled, Inquisitor.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°No matter the crime, we don''t have the right to threaten someone¡¯s life. Ending things here is in everyone¡¯s best interest, don¡¯t you think?¡± And with that, the prolonged argument seemed to end. As I left the room, I nced back to listen to the conversation continuing behind me. ¡°I don¡¯t mind at all.¡± ¡°Pfft. Berserk doesn¡¯t mind, either. I don¡¯t want to see that pathetic fool anymore.¡± ¡°¡­If that¡¯s the consensus, we¡¯ll proceed as such. The money I brought will still be donated. And as for you all, take responsibility. Take Hyden back to the castle.¡± ¡°¡­Yes! Youngdy!¡± ¡°Th-Th-This is insane¡­ How could you¡­ do this to me¡­?¡± And just like that, the situation was resolved with apromise. ¡°¡­Originally, I came here to discuss something of more import with you all.¡± ¡°Well, if that discussion is for everyone¡¯s benefit, why would this incident affect it?¡± ¡°¡­Very well, with your permission, may I proceed with the conversation?¡± ¡°That depends on what you have to say.¡± ¡°It¡¯s about a letter we received from Ednium.¡± And so, the resolution of one matter brought about a new development. It felt like our vague and uncertain situation was finally about to clear up. ____ Chapter 146: Everything as It Should Be (6) Chapter 146 Everything as It Should Be (6) I wandered around outside for some time before returning after a couple of hours. I figured that by then, this incident would be resolved, and their conversations would have slowlye to an end. ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± And indeed, I was correct. In exchange for receiving a look that seemed to ask whether I¡¯d caused any more trouble, I got a summary of the situation. Apparently, something hade up with the young lord of Ednium, and we might have to go there. ¡°Under normal circumstances, I would have ignored such a personal request¡­ but the youngdy of Camborough brought some ratherpelling evidence.¡± The Archmage didn¡¯t look particrly pleased with this request. It seemed partly because of the incident I¡¯d recently caused and partly because, on the surface, this request was a personal (romantic) matter. ¡°In the letter, the young lord of Ednium apparently requested help using a coded message, and he even included animal fur with the letter.¡± As for me, I didn¡¯t think much of it. Romantic problems were amon trigger for Quests. Honestly, if you¡¯re a gamer, you¡¯ve probably yed the role of courier at least once. Delivering messages is one thing, but sometimes, you even have to go out to look for the gift itself. ¡°ording to the youngdy of Camborough, the young lord of Ednium has a severe animal allergy. Quite serious, in fact.¡± But knowing the Archmage, he probably disliked such requests even more than I did. His reaction was probably something like, ¡®Why should we have to deal with this nonsense?¡¯ ¡°So, he avoids animals entirely, and the people at his estate are careful to keep birds and cats far away. Doesn¡¯t that strike you as odd? Someone with such a severe allergy, sending a letter alongside the fur of a ¡®cat that has beening by to visit often¡¯ while also using a coded message to indicate danger.¡± In this context, this exnation made sense. This smelled unmistakably fishy. That¡¯s probably why the Archmage epted this Quest. ¡°Do you think the young lord of Ednium has information about the increased number of beasts around Camborough?¡± ¡°We can''t be certain. However, people rarely act so out of character without reason, so it¡¯s quite possible. Even if he doesn¡¯t, it doesn''t matter. We must investigate all directions to find the source of these Arcane Power-infused beasts, anyway.¡± ¡°Berserk doesn¡¯t get it. So, we¡¯ll just go there?¡± ¡°For now, yes.¡± ¡°We still haven¡¯t caught that wretched sinner who showed up before us that time¡­¡± As the consensus started leaning toward heading to Ednium, the Inquisitor slightly furrowed her brow. To me, this didn¡¯t seem like something we had to be overly concerned about. Honestly, in these scenarios, the culprit was highly likely to make themselves known as soon as we arrived in Ednium. Going by the most typical clich¨¦s, the ruling family of Ednium might be corrupt and have allied themselves with the Demon who appeared before us. Alternatively, the ruling family could be innocent, but some manner of underground faction connected with the temple intruder might be involved. ¡°For now, let¡¯s leave this to these people. Didn¡¯t you confirm yourself that there are no traitors within this Temple, Inquisitor?¡± ¡°¡­Yes. Right. We should trust them.¡± One thing was clear. We would only catch a trace of that bastard in Ednium. Not here. ¡°So, we¡¯re heading to Ednium after all¡­¡± As the discussion concluded, Deb, who¡¯d been silent until now, finally spoke up. ¡°Looks like it. Is there a problem?¡± ¡°No, not at all.¡± ¡°¡­If anything is bothering you, speak up. It might be something I¡¯ve missed.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that.¡± ¡­Come to think of it, didn¡¯t they have a simr conversation when we left Hudelen? Deb also asked back then if we were heading to Ednium. Did he have some bad memories tied to Ednium? ¡°Really?¡± I recalled the Thief¡¯s story setting from the original game. I wasn¡¯t sure if Deb¡¯s backstory matched, but if it did, he would naturally be reluctant to go to Ednium. ¡°There¡¯s no need to force yourself because of us. If you don¡¯t want to go, you can just¡­¡± ¡°I-I said, it¡¯s not like that!¡± It must be where he¡¯d lost that one person who was like family to him. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Had Deb ever raised his voice at anyone in our group like that? Thanks to that, the atmosphere around us instantly turned icy. The Inquisitor¡¯s eyes went wide, and even the Archmage seemed rather startled. As for Bers, well, she was an exception. She was just resting her head on her arm, yawning. ¡°¡­I said it¡¯s nothing, so why do you keep asking?¡± Even the person who got angry seemed just as confused. It didn¡¯t seem like Deb had intended to react so emotionally, and he¡¯d hurriedly lowered his voice, stammering as if trying to exin himself. It wasn¡¯t very effective. tter. In the end, Deb hurried out of the room as if fleeing this situation. ¡°¡­Th-That troublemaker!? If it¡¯s nothing, then why did he shout¡­!¡± This allowed the others, who¡¯d beenpletely stunned by this sudden outburst, to speak up again. The Inquisitor snapped out of her shock and started asking things like, ¡®What¡¯s wrong with him?¡¯ ¡°Now, now, Inquisitor. But I also wonder why he raised his voice like that when insisting it was nothing.¡± ¡°Are you saying there¡¯s a reason? Why didn¡¯t he just say it, then¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve exined it before, haven¡¯t I? Everyone has at least one secret they don¡¯t want to share with others.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± What should we do about this? An emotionally mature person would recover after some time alone, but Deb seemed like he¡¯d benefit more from having someone go after him, console him, and pat his back. But the dignified Archmage had triggered all this, and he was already busy enough ensuring the Inquisitor didn¡¯t add fuel to the fire. Then, me? Could I go after him with my messed-up character setting? ¡°Groaaan.¡± Even Bers was dozing off. With her like this, I doubt she could offer anyfort. This party was actuallypletely messed up. * * * Leviathan narrowed his eyes as he looked at the person Pandemonium had connected him with. The snake coiled around his neck and shoulders flicked its tongue, making small, disgruntled noises. It seemed displeased that, despite feeling hungry, it couldn¡¯t devour the tantalizing mortal before it. > [Just be patient for a little longer. If this mortal doesn¡¯t give me the answer I want, I¡¯ll hand them over to you.] Leviathan himself found it unpleasant to have this mortal before him. Acting as if to soothe his familiar, Leviathan issued a subtle threat to them. The mortal, listening quietly, grinned. They certainly had some guts. > [So, the things I want?] ¡°Here they are.¡± Still, if they¡¯d brought him what he desired, he was willing to be lenient. Leviathan epted what the mortal handed over. The first item was securely sealed in a metal container, and the second was a bundle of papers. > [You really brought them.] Although the price demanded was quite steep, obtaining all this in just one day was impressive. Especially the Nightmare Shard, which would have required crossing the desert and dealing with Sloth. ¡°We pride ourselves in our Trustworthiness.¡± > [What nonsense.] Few things were as worthless as trust before desire. Leviathan scoffed as he took the second item. That one was also quite impressive. Despite the limited time, they¡¯d managed to bring such a thick bundle of papers. Although too thin to fully epass a single person¡¯s life, it was thick enough to contain the information he desired. Leviathan¡¯s face showed satisfaction. > [Take your payment.] And if you got precisely what you wanted, it was only right to pay the due price. Leviathan raised his hand to his eyes. Drip, drip. Soon, droplets began falling from his eyes. They solidified as they flowed down, retaining a luminescence reminiscent of pearls. The world knew these tears as those shed by mermaids, but in truth, they were gems created only from the tears of Great Demons. > [This concludes our transaction.] ¡°Confirmed.¡± Once the tears started flowing, they wouldn¡¯t stop so easily, even if he didn¡¯t desire it. Leviathan let the gems continue forming while he collected the container and the stack of paper. Meanwhile, the mortal collected the teardrop gems he¡¯d just shed. ¡°By any chance, was that person chosen to be the next Knight?¡± How many pages had he gone through? The mortal who¡¯d recovered all the jewels cautiously asked a question. Leviathan arched his eyebrows. > [I did not permit you to ask questions. How bold of you.] ¡°I thought you might allow that much ¡®curiosity¡¯.¡± Sssss. There was a thin line between boldness and not knowing one¡¯s ce. The snake flicked its tongue as if asking to devour this mortal immediately, but¡­ > [You are correct.] Leviathan did not dislike such behavior. Jealousy, enviously keeping others in check to protect what is yours, whether it be power or anything else, was a truly base and vividly distinct emotion. > [I¡¯m generous, so I shall allow your trivial attempt.] Of course, this type of emotion often led to frequent cooperation or conflict with Pandemonium over potential talent¡­ but that was good. They¡¯d only gotten so far because so many people were brutally honest about their emotions, to the point ofying everything bare before them. > [Besides, there is no way such a pathetic being would be chosen as a Knight.] ¡°As expected, that was the case.¡± Thus, Leviathan personally gave this mortal an answer. It was just a small gesture of kindness. The mortal¡¯s face showed subtle signs of relief. > [Why? Were you anxious that this worm might be chosen as a Knight over you?] ¡°Anxious¡­? How could that be?¡± > [Spare me your petty lies. Unless you have forgotten what kind of Demon I am.] In those eyes was the tant ambition of someone seeking to be chosen by a Great Demon as one of the 72 Knights. If that were all, Leviathan wouldn¡¯t especially care, but such ambition usually came with envy toward those who¡¯d already seized power before oneself. > [What a pity¡­ Had your envy outweighed your greed, I would have taken you under me.] ¡°It would be an honor.¡± As much as Leviathan wanted to incite more envy, the idea of making someone he didn¡¯t favor a Knight just to toy with a single mortal wasn''t particrly appealing. Nor did Leviathan want to create discord with Pandemonium for such trivial reasons. > [Do your best. I don¡¯t know how far you¡¯ll go, but we¡¯ll keep an eye on you.] With that, Leviathan set aside his possessive urges and put down thest paper he¡¯d been reading. > [However, since you have pleased me, I will give you one piece of advice.] Whoosh. The brazier in the middle of the desk, warming the air, quickly consumed the papers. > [Never forget that your master is also a Demon filled with desire.] Truly, it was fascinating and amusing how they managed to create such interesting things, just as one would expect from a merchant group made up of Greed¡¯s people. * * * Perhaps it was fortunate. By evening, Deb returned wearing aposed expression on his face. Having properly calmed himself, he even apologized to the Archmage. However, rather than just epting the apology, the Archmage expressed that he was more at fault here. Then, evening turned into night, and as the night passed by with the sun rising once more, we departed for Ednium. Our first destination was Whitecat Ridge, where we had spent the night before. ¡°It seems the beasts are appearing more frequently now.¡± As the Archmage mentioned, there definitely seemed to be more beasts around. Thinking back to two nights ago, it was clear. Except for the finalrge wave, we¡¯d faced visibly fewer attacks then. ¡°¡­This is strange. It makes no sense for beasts to be more active during the day than at night.¡± ¡°Were there fewer attacks at night?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°That¡¯s odd.¡± Every event had a cause, especially if it was a natural urrence rather than a man-made one. Rain clouds formed because the sun¡¯s heat evaporated water into water vapor, and winds blew because of convection currents. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s connected to the sudden attack you guys experienced.¡± ¡°Could it be that a Demon is controlling them behind the scenes?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not impossible.¡± The Archmage summoned chains with his fingers, binding several wolves. Behind him, the horses barely stayed calm without bolting. ¡°Or it could be something else altogether.¡± ¡°Erm, that¡ª¡± Thwack! ¡°©¤is true!¡± With the Archmage¡¯s assistance, the Inquisitor swung her mace like a bat. Instead of a baseball, she sent a beast¡¯s body flying through the air. ¡°Woah! What are you doing making them fly toward me?!¡± ¡°Ah, sorry.¡± ¡°Is ¡®sorry¡¯ all you have to say?¡± Deb wasn¡¯t idle, either. He swiftly dodged the wolf carcass hurtling toward him before throwing his daggers, striking vital points like the beasts¡¯ heads with stunning uracy. Crunch! ¡°Kahaha! Die!¡± ¡°¡­Miss Fighter seems to be having a great time.¡± ¡°Wahahahaha!!¡± Well, we seemed to be wrapping things up. I avoided the tree Bers had felled and sliced through thest wolf. To keep things neat and hygienic, I avoided the blood spraying from the beasts as much as possible¡ªafter killing so many, I¡¯d learned where to cut to minimize blood stter¡ªwhich made me particrly cleanpared to the chaos around me. Even so, the horses still seemed to dislike me the most. They were fine at first, but they began to avoid me as time went on. It was strange that predators trying to make a meal of me were fine, but herbivores like horses were a bit reluctant around me. Was it the smell of blood? It probably was, right? ¡°Phew, are we done now?¡± ¡°Yeah! That was a perfect warm-up before breakfast!¡± ¡°Do you seriously think we¡¯re going to eat now?¡± ¡°The sun is high up in the sky. Isn¡¯t it time for lunch?¡± ¡°Hmm? Ah, is it already noon?¡± ¡°It is. It certainly is time for a meal. But shouldn¡¯t we move to a different spot? We can¡¯t eat in a ce soaked with dried blood like this.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the blood? Berserk doesn¡¯t get it.¡± ¡°¡­If the smell of blood attracts animals, it might get a bit troublesome. We might get attacked while eating, and our food could get ruined. The horses could be in danger, as well.¡± ¡°Aha.¡± It seemed like the Archmage had started to get the hang of dealing with Bers. Well, maybe that was just my imagination. Of course, Bers was surprisingly easy to handle. Perhaps it was because of her straightforward way of thinking. If reasoned with using logical arguments, she would usually ept it. The only problem arose when she became fixated on something¡ªusually fights¡ªat which point properly talking to her was impossible. ¡°Let¡¯s find a spot by some water.¡± ¡°Please do.¡± With that, it was almost confirmed that we would be taking a break. I shook the blood off my sword and sheathed it with a click. A faint noise arose when I moved my ankle. Swish. As if in response, the mist that stubbornly lingered around us even until noon swirled around my ankles, pale and opaque. It wasn¡¯t thick enough to obstruct my vision entirely, but it did block anything more than a few dozen meters away. ¡°Urgh, this damn fog is showing no signs of thinning.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t clear it for you this time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to. Just do it when we eat, okay?¡± It was the kind of mist that, if it appeared in a novel, manhwa, or game, would undoubtedly be hiding something poisonous, an enemy, or something equally malevolent. Chapter 147: Everything as It Should Be (7) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 147 Everything as It Should Be (7) It seemed my worries were unfounded. We crossed Whitecat Ridge without any issues. There was no poison hidden in the mist, no enemiesunching surprise attacks, and no traps. Nothing strange happened. Of course, the beast attacks continued, even escting at times. But as soon as we crossed the ridge, they gradually began decreasing¡­ It wasn¡¯t like no animals were around, but they just seemed to ignore us. This assumption was based on our asional encounters with wild animals, which nced at us before just going on their way. ¡°Are you alright, young hunter?¡± That wasn¡¯t to say we were all in perfect condition. Deb clearly had some bad memories associated with Ednium, as hisplexion worsened the closer we got. Considering the groaning in his sleep, he was likely suffering from nightmares. ¡°I-I¡¯m fine.¡± I started to worry, no, I was already very worried. Deb, who could usually maintain a poker face even in critical moments, was struggling to control his expression. Just looking at his pale face was enough. What good was a nk expression when his eyes were so dark and hollow? ¡°Do you¡­ need a blessing?¡± ¡°¡­No, thank you. What¡¯s the point of a blessing when I don¡¯t even worship God.¡± I¡¯d always regretted having to maintain this character, but I especially regretted it right now. If not for my character, I could¡¯veforted our little meat dumpling and made him happy. ¡°God is gracious, even to those who do not believe.¡± ¡°I said no.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Even the Inquisitor failed this time. Considering how she dealt with me, I thought she might push harder, but she looked unsure. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want to help, but rather, she was wondering whether she should, like someone trying to gauge the boundaries of a budding friendship. ¡°Receiving a blessing feels nice, though¡­¡± ¡°Why are you more disappointed than I am?¡± Hmm, I shouldn¡¯t find the sight of the sulking kimchi dumpling amusing, but she was just acting so cute. Seeing the meat dumpling looking all flustered because the kimchi dumpling was disappointed was equally endearing. ¡°I¡¯m not disappointed.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie. Anyone can see you¡¯re upset.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not upset.¡± ¡°Yeah, right.¡± ¡°Aaargh!!¡± And like that, it ended in a fight. Honestly, it was better that way. Squabbling kept them from dwelling on strange thoughts. ¡°You troublemaker!¡± ¡°Iron wall!¡± ¡°Jerk!¡± ¡°Stubborn idiot!¡± ¡°Fool!¡± ¡°Hah, didn¡¯t expect to hear that from a Temple thug!?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a thug!!¡± Seriously, why did it feel like their mental ages just dropped by ten years? Was it just me? ¡°Haha, everyone seems to be in good spirits today.¡± ¡°Wahaha. The young hunter seems lively again.¡± I barely stifled augh, unlike the Archmage and Bers, who wereughing openly. Then, we finally set our sights on the end of the forest, stepping toward the edge where the trees abruptly stopped. Beyond that line, a sloping in came into view. As we reached the in, the horizon opened up, revealing a series of rolling hills and faintly visible, stony mountains in the distance. Nestled within them, we could see a small glimpse of a city. That was Ednium. ¡°There¡¯s the city. It looks like we¡¯ll arrive there sooner than expected. I thought it would take another day.¡± ¡°Oh! Can we finally get some alcohol, then?¡± ¡°The in isrger than it seems, so we won¡¯t arrive as early as you think.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Since camping out had long be second nature for us, arriving a bitter wouldn¡¯t have been a big deal¡­ But I couldn¡¯t help but notice Deb¡¯s heavy breathing. It had grown increasinglybored and shallow, and hisplexion looked pale. I obviously shouldn¡¯t leave him alone in this city. Crunch, crunch. The sound of hoofbeats resumed as we gauged the city¡¯s approximate position. * * * ¡°Thend here really is dry, just as they said.¡± Upon closer inspection, what had seemed like green ins from afar were tinged slightly yellow. It wasn¡¯t because the harvest season had arrived, but rather because thend¡¯s evident dehydration had caused the vegetation to wither and dry out. In some areas, the aridness had gotten so bad that the grass had withered away entirely, exposing patches of soil. With each gust of wind, sand mixed with the breeze sweeping around our ankles. ¡°¡­So.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we need to be careful. If a spark were to fall anywhere in this ce, it could easily be a wildfire.¡± ¡°Ah, true. A fire would be dangerous in these conditions.¡± Speaking in a hoarse voice, Deb gave a quiet warning before urging his horse forward. We were now approaching the city gates, where we¡¯d need to pass through a checkpoint. Deb pulled down his hood, covering his face to his nose. ¡°We¡¯re adventurers from Camborough. As for our travel permits¡­¡± At the checkpoint, Deb was even more subdued. While the Archmage handled the matters with the guards, Deb kept his head down, not even ncing up. His demeanor starkly contrasted with his usual mischievous self when teasing the Inquisitor, indicating he was clearly tense. ¡°Green hair, huh?¡± ¡°Is there a problem with that?¡± ¡°N-No, not at all.¡± Fortunately, the gate inspection ended quickly. Though the guard''s gaze lingered heavily on Deb, it didn¡¯t lead to any problems. At least, they didn¡¯t seem to recognize him. ¡°Berserk¡¯s hungry.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s head to the Temple quickly.¡± ¡°Then we can drop off our things and get something to eat.¡± ¡°But the Temple only has wine. I don¡¯t like wine.¡± I could try giving him something sweet to lighten his mood with sugar¡­ But I couldn¡¯t. Damn it, why did I have to choose this kind of character setting?! ¡°But this city is rather quiet. The streets are clean.¡± ¡°Does this look clean to you? To Berserk, this ce seems even dirtier.¡± ¡°The streets themselves aren¡¯t particrly clean or quiet. You might just feel this way because¡­ fewer beggars or children are trying to solicit visitors, Inquisitor.¡± ¡°Ah! I see! That makes sense.¡± I stopped thinking about Deb¡¯s unease. The city did appear unusually calmpared to others, and there were indeed fewer children around. Usually, the first people you¡¯d encounter when entering a city were children trying to guide you to a good inn or something. ¡°Why are there so few?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that they¡¯repletely absent, just fewer in number, which means their presence here probably isn¡¯t prohibited byw. Plenty of children are still ying in the streets, so it doesn¡¯t seem like the city has fewer children overall¡­¡± The Archmage stroked his chin as he finished his sentence. ¡°Typically, the children who work as guides are either the innkeepers¡¯ children or street orphans. Perhaps there are simply fewer of thetter.¡± Deb was visibly shuddering. Since he was standing behind the group¡ªclose to where I was¡ªthe others couldn¡¯t see his reaction. ¡°A city with fewer street orphans. Then, this is probably a good ce.¡± No, it likely wasn''t that simple. It most definitely wasn¡¯t. ¡°Interesting. Are there really ces with fewer orphans?¡± Bers, you also stop, stop! It felt like I was watching people pouring fuel onto a fire rather than dousing it with water. I screamed internally, feeling my face flush with anxiety. The atmosphere around Deb was steadily worsening, making me even more uneasy. ¡°Well, it might not necessarily be a good sign. It could be due to the lord¡¯s good governance, but there¡¯s also the possibility of someone taking the children elsewhere.¡± ¡°Ah. Could it be Demon Worshipers¡­?!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t be sure of that yet. There don¡¯t seem to be any traces of Demonic Energy around here.¡± ¡°They could be hiding.¡± ¡°Exactly. That¡¯s part of why we¡¯re here. Of course, we also need to deliver the message from the youngdy of Camborough.¡± In the meantime, we still had to deal with our reason for visiting this city. Because of the matter that might be secretly urring in this city, we had no choice but to investigate that, too. I already felt like I was sitting on a bed of thorns. * * * ¡°¡­I¡¯m hungry. Shall we get going? Or do you want to stay here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m hungry! Let¡¯s go!¡± Fortunately, Deb¡¯s directment brought this conversation to a close. I headed toward the Temple, feeling increasingly anxious. The streets, with fewer beggars and orphan pickpockets, gave off an eerie feeling rather than a sense of security. ¡°There really aren¡¯t many beggars here¡­¡± ¡°Can¡¯t we just eat first?¡± That might be because people of a certain age on the streets carried scars. Not just any scars, but the kind typically acquired in battle. ¡°¡­There¡¯s a good restaurant down that alley.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°It might not be there anymore. I heard about it a while ago.¡± At least there¡¯s still some room for conversation. Deb calmly pointed to one side, causing both Bers and the Inquisitor to perk up with interest. It seemed the kimchi dumpling was also quite hungry. ¡°Then, let¡¯s stop by there first.¡± In the end, the Archmage conceded. He could use magic to handle the horses and baggage, and this job wasn¡¯t extremely urgent. ¡°Give me the horses.¡± ¡°To you?¡± ¡°There aren¡¯t any stables there; it¡¯s an alley restaurant. I¡¯m not that hungry, so I¡¯ll take them to the Temple instead.¡± Ah, it seemed he only had enough energy left to talk. ¡°¡­If you leave, how will we find the restaurant?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Really, just enough to somewhat hold a conversation. ¡°Seriously¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just go and check. Didn¡¯t you say it might not be there anymore?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Was this really okay¡­? ¡°Ah, if it¡¯s about the horses, I know of an open area. We can have an errand boy watch them.¡± Fortunately, the restaurant Deb knew was still there, and there was even a ce to leave the horses. However, the Archmage, distrustful of the errand boy¡¯s ability to guard these expensive horses, especially since he appeared too small and weak to fend off any determined adults, set up a protective barrier around the area. ¡°I could have just watched them myself¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to skip a meal for that. It¡¯s not far away, and the barrier should be sufficient to deter ordinary people from stealing them, so don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Alright, here¡¯s a soup made from a secret family recipe handed down through generations.¡± ¡°Oh! Secret soup!¡± If only I could be as simple as Bers, getting excited over a few words¡­ I wouldn¡¯t have to suffer like this, then. Damn it. I took a spoonful of the stew, feeling the rich broth envelop my tongue. It was surprisingly vorful, more than I¡¯d expected. ¡°¡­This is delicious!¡± ¡°The ingredients are very fresh. I expected the quality of the vegetables to be poor due to the arid condition of thend.¡± ¡°Haha, our young lord has quite the skill. Whenever he tends to nts, theye back to life, so we don¡¯t need to worry much about being short on vegetables. We still have a tough time getting meat, though, so there isn¡¯t much in this.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± I liked it even better because it used tomatoes as its base. I slowly filled my stomach by dipping rye bread into the soup. Even Deb, who¡¯d been really tense, seemed to rx a bit after taking a few bites of this delicious food. ¡°Owner, one more bowl, please!¡± ¡°Sure! Looks like you liked it.¡± ¡°I really did!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll have another bowl as well, please!¡± This ce was truly a gem. Deb had said he¡¯d heard about it, but it was more likely he¡¯d personallye here before. It was great that they seemingly hadn¡¯t changed their direction in taste, either. Trends and the like didn¡¯t really exist in this ce, and industries couldn¡¯t easily undergo change¡ªthanks to this, most people considered continuing the family business their fate¡ªso it was understandable. ¡°You all seem to be enjoying our food.¡± ¡°It¡¯s really delicious.¡± ¡°Berserk likes this ce now!¡± However, perhaps because we¡¯d paid an enormous amount upfront for taking care of the horses and meals, or maybe because we were the only customers here at this odd hour, the owner lingered near our table whenever he wasn¡¯t serving others food. He even started conversing with us from time to time. ¡°Come to think of it, there seem to be fewer beggars or kids trying to attract customers here¡­ Is there a reason for that?¡± ¡°You seem like a respectable person, so please feel free to speakfortably. As for why there are fewer of those people¡­ well, it¡¯s been that way for a long time now, haha.¡± ¡°Oh, for a long time, you say?¡± ¡°Yeah. Something happened a while ago.¡± Because of that, this type of information exchange became possible. Of course, Deb, who usually handled such matters, didn¡¯t appear to be in any position to do so now, so the Archmage had to step in. ¡°Oh, by the way. Erm¡­ Sir?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°You all are¡­ adventurers, right? Just arrived in the city?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Well, erm. I hate to say this, but could you please advise that member of your group to be cautious¡­¡± ¡°Is there some sort of problem?¡± While receiving information was generally helpful, I wasn¡¯t sure if hearing things like this was good. ¡°Some people in this city¡­ They don¡¯t particrly like green-haired individuals.¡± Deb put down his spoon. ¡°Green-haired individuals¡­ you say?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± The Inquisitor¡¯s question left the owner slightly ufortable. As he awkwardly scratched the back of his head, a prominent scar became visible on his arm. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not something I should say in front of someone with green hair.¡± Upon closer inspection, one could see that his movements were somewhat unnatural, possibly due to an injury. ¡°In our city, there¡¯s a superstition that people with green hair¡­ bring nothing but blood.¡± I set my spoon down after hearing the owner¡¯s words. The owner didn¡¯t seem to mean any harm, ming it on something that happened in the past. He probably didn¡¯t intend to attack Deb directly, either. Still, if you think you shouldn¡¯t say something in front of someone else, you shouldn¡¯t. ¡°That seems a bit illogical¡­¡± ¡°Is this superstition rted to the incident you mentioned earlier?¡± ¡°Erm¡­¡± tter! While the owner deliberated whether to say more, I pushed back my chair and stood up. I¡¯d noticed Deb about to do the same, so I had to act quickly. ¡°You¡­?¡± ¡°Customer?¡± I knew Deb would most definitely not stay here after such remarks, but it would be disastrous if I pursued him after he left¡­ ¡°I lost my appetite.¡± In that case, I just had to head out first. ____ Chapter 148: Everything as It Should Be (8) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 148 Everything as It Should Be (8) ¡°Buddy, are your taste buds broken? How could you have lost your appetite?¡± Honestly, the food was really delicious, but still, how could I say that? Huh, Berserk? ¡°This food does perfectly match your pathetic self.¡± Urgh, whatever. It was true that the owner¡¯s words hadpletely ruined my appetite, so what I said wasn¡¯t wrong. I knew it wasn¡¯t the owner¡¯s fault, but I still decided tosh out. After all, I couldn¡¯t always be the good guy. I also had my biases. Creak. ¡°¡­Are you also leaving?¡± ¡°Erm, yeah. I should check on the horses. I feel kind of worried about them.¡± Deb''s reply as he stood up was rather awkward. Thanks to me, however, the others didn¡¯t seem to find his departure too unusual. They probably assumed he¡¯d be going after me. Damn, what a relief. But this somehow left a bad taste in my mouth. ¡°Finish your meal first, young hunter.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I even confirmed that Deb left his half-eaten bowl behind. Of course, I didn¡¯t see this with my own eyes, but I knew it based on what I heard. I¡¯d already left the store and was heading toward the horses, so I couldn¡¯t possibly see Deb leaving the shop half a beatter. Not that my character would ever look back in this situation, anyway. ¡°Damn, there are six horses here.¡± ¡°Is some rich person around here somewhere¡­?¡± ¡°Is there only one errand boy looking after them?¡± ¡°No, that wizard also cast a spell earlier.¡± I moved while making sure Deb was following a good six feet behind me. I then came across a group of people eyeing the horses we¡¯d left in this clearing. They were standing on the path and chatting, so it was impossible not to notice them. ¡°Get lost.¡± Normally, I would have simply ignored them, but since they were practically blocking the path, I had to say something. Iined inwardly, trying to make my voice as menacing as possible. Those guys then turned around with a ¡°What are you¡ª¡± before meeting my eyes. ¡°Th-Th-The knight.¡± ¡°W-We¡¯re sorry!¡± ¡°W-We swear we weren¡¯t nning on stealing the horses!¡± Sure, you weren¡¯t. They¡¯d been practically drooling over the horses, but sure. ¡°We¡¯re sooorry!¡± I didn¡¯t intend to escte this situation. Letting them run off, I approached the horses. The young boy standing alert in front of them flinched when he saw me. ¡°Go.¡± I flicked a coin to the boy. Despite my wallet being a bit lighter due to having to spend a good amount on those bridge repairs and my regr expenses for things like toiletries and food¡­ I still had more than enough left to tip the boy. ¡°Thank you!¡± The boy beamed and ran off. Deb, who¡¯d been silently following me, nced at him before approaching me. ¡°Mister, erm¡­¡± Seeing me lean against a wall with my eyes closed, Deb shut his mouth again. Instead, he squatted down and gently stroked the nose of a horse eating hay. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll go buy another cloak.¡± A cloak? But he was already wearing a hooded cloak¡­ Ah. To cover his ears better. I nced at the hair visible through the hood and his pointed ears. Thetter was inevitable, but the former was clearly fatal. Because of his ears, the color of his fur was on full disy. The hair sticking out through the holes in his hood was also unfortunate. That was the downside of havingrge top ears (positioned near the crown of the head). Well, even if one had side ears (positioned near the temples), one look at the nd tribe, who sometimes needed to make holes in the side of their hoods because their ears were too big, showed that the problem might just be having big ears in general. ¡°Please wait here for a moment.¡± Anyway, he took off once again. I¡¯d gotten up first to avoid leaving him alone, but now¡­ Hadn¡¯t he already been targeted by that Demon not too long ago? Was it safe for me to just let him go like that? I felt conflicted. However, going with him would be breaking character. In the end, I decided to trust that Deb would simply buy a hood ande back. He was sharp enough to consider the possibility ofing across the Demon, so this wasn¡¯t just blind faith. So, instead of following Deb, I popped one of the candies I¡¯d bought into my mouth. I had purchased it with the limited amount of money I had. But I couldn¡¯t even give them to the person I really wanted to. * * * ¡°Oh dear, I shouldn¡¯t have said anything¡­¡± The Inquisitor was glumly stirring her soup as she looked at the backs of those who¡¯d just left. The food had been so delicious until just now, but after they left, she felt strangely empty. ¡°Inquisitor, are you full?¡± ¡°N-No.¡± She couldn¡¯t bear to waste the food she¡¯d ordered. That would be sinful. So, she quickly took another spoonful of soup, cutting the meat into smaller pieces to eat them. ¡°My apologies. Did I offend yourpanions¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. You said these things without ill intent, after all.¡± The Inquisitor¡¯s eyes wandered aimlessly around the room as she continued eating. Those two empty seats and the dishes left behind caught her attention. Not only that troublemaker, but the Demon Knight had left nearly half their food on their tes. It seemed it didn¡¯t suit his taste. He was usually the kind of person who¡¯d finish his meals, even if the food was terrible enough to make anyone else grimace. He even ate meals with meat, which he definitely didn¡¯t like, withoutint. ¡°Could it be that the Demon Knight dislikes tomato stew?¡± ¡°But didn¡¯t he eat tomatoes just finest time?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Then what could¡¯ve been the problem? The spices? Its sweetness? Neither was overly excessive, though. ¡°Maybe that guy just has some weird taste?¡± ¡°Th-There¡¯s no way that¡¯s true!¡± There was no way the Demon Knight disliked this dish for no reason, so there had to be something about the food she¡¯d overlooked. The Inquisitor groaned and pondered. It was a truly unsolvable problem. ¡°More importantly, owner, could you tell us about those rumors?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°There must be a cause for them.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Or could it have been because of a Demon?! The Inquisitor nced at the shop owner. She couldn¡¯t feel any Demonic Energy from him. He did have a scar on his left arm and walked with a slight limp, but that wasn¡¯t necessarily proof of him being a Demon Worshiper. ¡°Well, this topic is a bit sensitive.¡± ¡°Please, I suspect it might be rted to why we came here.¡± ¡°Is that so? Ah, right. I heard that adventurers move ording to requests they receive.¡± Tsk. At times like these, it would¡¯ve been great if that troublemaker was around. She felt a mix of regret and jealousy in her heart. There was no helping it. That idiot was incredibly good at analyzing people. It made sense why the Archmage decided to bring him along. Sometimes, his skills made her reflect on her own inadequacies and shorings. ¡°¡­What I¡¯m about to say is a secret.¡± ¡°Of course. We will keep it.¡± She couldn¡¯t glean much information from a person¡¯s appearance like that guy could, nor could she extract information from someone¡¯s attitude using smooth words. ¡°¡­Earlier, you asked why so few people lived on the streets, right? This is rted to that.¡± The Inquisitor swallowed some of the soup, once again reflecting on her own shorings. ¡°Was it nine or ten years ago? Someone with green hair killed the lord at that time.¡± And then she focused on the owner¡¯s words. It wasn¡¯t in her nature not to put in the effort just because she wascking in that area. ¡°But rumor has it that the person was someone from the streets¡­ You know, one of those pickpockets or beggars who roam the streets¡­¡± While not as good as that guy, if she tried, she might be able to acquire simr skills someday. ¡°From that day on, the lord¡¯s family started killing off the beggars and pickpockets wandering the city.¡± Was what she had just heard really true? ¡°They imed it was to get rid of all the criminals lurking in the back alleys¡­ but everyone who knew about it knew this was an act of revenge.¡± The Inquisitor instinctively clenched her fists. The restaurant owner also half-consciously grabbed his scarred arm. ¡°¡­So, what happened to them?¡± ¡°They died.¡± At that moment, the owner¡¯s gaze changed. It wasn¡¯t the look of an ordinary person, but that of a warrior fighting for justice. ¡°They might not have been the most pleasant neighbors, but there wasn¡¯t anyone in this city who thought they deserved death.¡± * * * ¡°Hmm. I think I should pray to God. I feel like I partook in gluttony¡­¡± ¡°Haha. I think even God will forgive this much.¡± ¡°Berserk wants to go there again.¡± Hmm. I absolutely trusted him. I trusted Deb. But why hadn¡¯t that stubborn meat dumplinge back yet? I squinted my eyes at the group that had arrived here before Deb. Staring straight ahead, I could see the Archmage¡¯s lips moving slightly. ¡°Hmm? Why are you here alone?¡± I didn¡¯t know. If I knew, I wouldn¡¯t be here all alone. ¡°Where¡¯s that troublemaker? He went with you, didn¡¯t he, Demon Knight?¡± The kimchi dumpling, who seemed strangely satisfied and plump from having a good meal, also asked me. She pretended not to care, but she was obviously worried. Not that I could give her an answer. ¡°Are your eyes so useless that they can¡¯t ept that he isn¡¯t here?¡± ¡°So, you don¡¯t know.¡± Yup. ¡°Hmm. I brought this along for the young hunter, but it looks like it¡¯s all for nothing.¡± Bersmented over the food container she was carrying. It wasn¡¯t a modern one, but rather one of our pots filled with food. ¡°That annoying idiot. I went out of my way to bring this for him.¡± Bers surprisingly took good care of Deb. Even the Inquisitor had started to treat him like a realradetely. Pleasantly surprised by the rtionship that could be called friendship between Bers and the dumplings, I straightened my body. I put more strength into my back, which had just parted with the wall. ¡°Where are you going?¡± I didn¡¯t know. On the surface, this was just supposed to be a walk, but my real purpose was to find Deb, even if I had to make it look like an ident. If he was hiding somewhere in the city to wallow in his misery, that was one thing, but I had a bad feeling about this. Considering the possibility that he hadn¡¯t returned due to external factors rather than his own volition, there was plenty of cause for concern. The owner wouldn¡¯t have warned us about his hair color for no reason, right? After all, the psychological blow those words had on Deb and the weight of that warning itself were two separate matters. I definitely didn''t take it lightly. It was one of the mostmon and troublesome clich¨¦s. ¡°Be back at the Temple before evening!¡± Fortunately, mypanions didn¡¯t try to stop me. My legs began to stride confidently down the street. ¡°Ah, that fishy smell.¡± However, I then heard someone walking past me mutter those words. To top it off, my right arm suddenly started to itch. Could it be¡­ They weren¡¯t talking about me, right? They said it smelled fishy, so it shouldn¡¯t be me, right? Honestly, why would I smell fishy? ¡­Or did I smell fishy from blood?? I hadn¡¯t gotten the chance to wash up since I arrived¡­!! I groaned, recalling the trauma left by Kankan. Meanwhile, the itching of my arm really started bothering me. Additionally, scratching it wouldpletely ruin my image, so I had to do it secretly, but taking off my gauntlet was so troublesome¡­! And the itchy ce wasn¡¯t even close to the upper arm! If it were, I could have just stuck in a finger to scratch, but why did it have to be the lowest part? I continued to walk in misery, tormented by both that ¡°fishy smell¡±ment and this itch I couldn¡¯t scratch. Despite that, I couldn¡¯t afford to lose my cool, so I kept my expression straight. If I ran into Deb and showed him some weird expression, who knew how he might react. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°¡­Move!¡± ¡°¡­?¡± While trudging along the main street and pondering, I noticed a nearby crowd gathering in the market area. From the sound of it, a fight seemed about to break out. ¡°¡­If you don¡¯t want any trouble, get lost!¡± ¡°¡­Haah! Why don¡¯t you get lost instead?!¡± I approached themotion. The crowd was densely packed, but fortunately, I was tall enough to see over it. On average, the people in this world were at least 10 to 20 cm shorter than me, except the people of the Shaggi Tribe, of course. ¡°¡­And you still call yourself a citizen of this city?!¡± ¡°Hah, of course! I¡¯m a proud resident of Ednium! Unlike you, who¡¯s kicking up an idiotic fuss over some hair color!¡± ¡°It isn''t just that guy¡¯s hair color¡ª!¡± ¡°Shut up, don¡¯t me others without any proof!¡± Two groups, about three or four people on each side, were arguing fiercely. The problem was that, behind one group, I spotted Deb fiddling with his new cloak. Seeing that his face was red under his hood, it looked like he¡¯d been pped. My eyes twitched in anger. Swish. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t push from behind¡ªHuh.¡± ¡°M-M-M-Move out of the way.¡± ¡°¡­A knight!¡± ¡°A-A knight? Isn¡¯t he just an adventurer?¡± Damn, looking at this mess, it seemed our kid had gotten hit for no reason, and a few righteous citizens stepped in to protect him. That¡¯s what happened, right? Just because those guys hated people with green hair, did it make sense for them to beat up someone who was¡ªfrom what it seemedpletely unrted?! And you, meat dumpling, why were you hanging your head like a condemned criminal unable to say anything about the beating he¡¯s receiving?! What did you do wrong here, huh?! Lift your head! ¡°Wh-Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you here before. Be careful. Those guys are ruffians who randomly hit passersby.¡± ¡°What?! Ruffians?!¡± ¡°Yeah, ruffians!!¡± You could tell what kind of characters they were just by how they were being treated. I cut through the crowd, satisfied with their concern for my safety. I moved as if I wasn¡¯t nning to get involved and just wanted to move along. ¡°Don¡¯t get involved in something that doesn¡¯t concern¡ª¡± When they spoke up, I deliberately stopped right in the middle¡ªso they could only see my side profile¡ªand didn¡¯t even move my eyes to look at them. I ced my hand on the hilt of the sword hanging from my waist. ¡°These days, it seems things that can¡¯t even be called people frequently speak as if they are.¡± ¡°¡­Mister?¡± Ah, just like that young master in Camborough and these people before me, why were there so many of these things threatening ordinary folk these days? ¡°E-Even if you''re a knight, if you attack me¡­¡± But these guys were the ones who¡­ ¡°Then?¡± I nced at him sideways. ¡°E-Even if you¡¯re a knight, k-killing someone¡­¡± ¡°How ridiculous.¡± In addition, I turned and slowly approached the guy as he continued to speak. I hadn¡¯t knocked him over like I did that young master, so he stood before me and directly faced me. Although, he had to tilt his head back due to our height difference. ¡°After you ignored thew and struck someone, why do you think you¡¯re protected by it?¡± ¡°H-Hieeek!¡± ¡°Get lost, scum. If you ever block my way and bother me again, I¡¯ll make sure your loose fists be even looser.¡± Still, I refrained from using violence. After all, I was a civilized, modern person. Instead, I red at the guy as menacingly and forcefully as possible. The guy¡¯s legs were visibly trembling, and he and his crew quickly scurried away. My roleying won. Well, as a side effect, the people surrounding me also flinched and stepped back, but that didn¡¯t matter. They were just passing strangers. ¡°Mister¡­¡± Most importantly, Deb didn¡¯t seem scared. ¡°¡­Did youe looking for me?¡± ¡°Ridiculous.¡± I did, actually. I was d I¡¯d found him so quickly. ¡°¡­Erm, I was just about to leave¡­ but then this fight broke out¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Mister.¡± What was he sorry for? This clearly wasn¡¯t his fault. Were his cheeks hurting? Did he bite the inside of his mouth? Ah. Damn it. If only that guy who¡¯d run away just came back. I wasn¡¯t a big fan of the whole ¡°eye for an eye¡± thing, but I sure wouldn¡¯t mind giving him a proper punishment. How dare he do something like this to our meat dumpling? ¡°Mister.¡± What? ¡°Mister¡­ what if you did something you thought was right¡­ but ended up harming a lot of innocent people¡­¡± I walked away from the scene of thismotion, with Deb following me. It wasn¡¯t hard to get away since the people in our way parted like the Red Sea with every step I took. ¡°What would you do then?¡± Our meat dumpling¡¯s question was quite a problem. ¡°A worthless question.¡± But what could I do? This kind of question perfectly shed with my character¡¯s ideals. ¡°If you can¡¯t even take responsibility for what you did, you shouldn¡¯t have picked up your sword in the first ce.¡± Even as I answered, I questioned myself. Was that right? Was that really right? ¡°¡­I guess so.¡± No matter how I thought about it, this didn¡¯t seem right at all¡­!! ¡°Maybe someone like me shouldn¡¯t have picked up a sword in the first ce.¡± Uwaaaaargh!! Archmage, help!!! ____ Chapter 149: Everything as It Should Be (9) Chapter 149 Everything as It Should Be (9) As we returned to the Temple, I felt a strong sense of forebodinge over me. It was a relief Deb hadn¡¯t run away and stayed with me. Actually, I didn¡¯t feel relieved at all. ¡°You came back early.¡± Sir Archmage, please, instead of trying to train me or whatever, take care of him first. Low self-esteem was supposed to be part of my setting, so why was Deb like that?! ¡°You!¡± ¡°Is your cheek¡­ alright?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Fortunately, the party members didn¡¯t miss the bruise on Deb¡¯s cheek. The Inquisitor¡¯s reaction was especially strong. ¡°Did you, uhm, get caught stealing?!¡± Hey. ¡°¡­¡± Meat dumpling, why are you just staying silent? Usually, he¡¯d say something like, ¡®Are you joking, you iron wall?!¡¯ or, ¡®What do you take me for?!¡¯ ¡°Inquisitor.¡± ¡°Ah, erm. I didn¡¯t mean it like that¡­¡± ¡°Inquisitor.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Young hunter, who hit you?¡± ¡°¡­This is nothing.¡± ¡°Ah, did you hit them back?¡± The Archmage scolded the Inquisitor, and Bers casually asked Deb some questions. Deb neither confirmed nor denied anything. ¡°Just what happened¡­? First, let¡¯s treat your wound. Inquisitor, please take care of him. And Demon Knight, do you know what happened?¡± The Archmage turned to me, his face filled with worry. It was the question I wanted them to ask the most but also found the hardest to answer. I had no idea how to bnce not breaking character and giving a detailed exnation. ¡°Why are you asking me instead of him?¡± But I had to answer somehow! In a way that wouldn¡¯t negatively impact Deb! I was desperately wracking my brain. ¡°Because it doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯ll say anything.¡± Ah, right! The important thing here was to rify that it wasn¡¯t Deb¡¯s fault, right? Then¡­! ¡°Then go ask the guilty ones why they hit him.¡± That should at least clear up the Inquisitor¡¯s misunderstanding. He was already getting treated. ¡°The guilty ones¡­¡± ¡°What? You didn''t kill them?¡± ¡°What exactly happened? It doesn''t seem like it was your fault.¡± ¡°¡­I told you, it was nothing. I just¡­ got caught up in something. Anyway, I''m tired. Can I go rest?¡± ¡°Aah, of course. If you¡¯re tired, you should rest.¡± ¡°I''m done with the treatment. The swelling will go down soon, so there''s nothing to worry about.¡± As soon as the Inquisitor finished her sentence, the meat dumpling headed to the inner part of our lodging. ¡°Is this my room?¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± With that, he disappeared into his room. Those who remained in the living room all fell silent. Only Bers seemingly had a question mark floating over her head, while the others broke into a sweat. Me? Of course, I was also sweating bullets. Internally. ¡°Erm, what should I do? I said something bad.¡± ¡°Inquisitor¡­¡± ¡°I really didn''t mean it like that¡­¡± ¡°Apologize to himter.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°But more importantly, I have no idea how this happened. Really. Just what did he get caught up in?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t he just get into a fight with some thugs?¡± ¡°Hmm. Maybe. He was holding a cloak¡­ We did hear that the people here didn¡¯t like those with green hair, but for them to randomly assault travelers?¡± The Archmage quickly regained hisposure. Despite feeling slightly regretful, he seemed to realize there wasn¡¯t much he could do and concluded he¡¯d have to go to the guards for answers. That was the most realistic action he could take. ¡°If I catch those guys, I¡¯ll break their spines.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do that. Turn them over to the guards. What good will personal revenge do?¡± ¡°Berserk doesn''t care.¡± Bers, on the other hand, had resolved to take physical revenge. I felt like I should somehow prevent her from doing that. As the Archmage said, personal revenge wouldn¡¯t do any good. Besides, Deb probably didn''t get beaten up because hecked strength but because his past hade back to haunt him somehow. ¡°Uhm¡­¡± ¡°What is it, Inquisitor?¡± ¡°Aren''t we supposed to meet the young lord after preparing¡­?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°B-But can we just leave him alone like that¡­?¡± The Archmage nced at everyone, his eyes trembling slightly. He seemed rather reluctant to leave Deb alone. ¡°Hmm.¡± However, who in our party could stay behind to look after Deb? Given my character setting, I was likelier to iste myself and brood over my own worries thanfort others. The Inquisitor was inexperienced with personal rtionships, as seen earlier when she scolded him instead of expressing concern. Then what about Bers? She seemed surprisingly considerate, but¡­ Well, hmm¡­ ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Having also reached that realization, the Archmage put his hand against his forehead. He let out the sigh of someone who knew that sending just us three to meet the young lord would spell disaster. For that reason, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to volunteer to stay behind. ¡°It¡¯s just one person missing, and our group¡¯s social skills¡­¡± I-I¡¯m sorry. If I hadn¡¯t decided to y this kind of character, maybe things wouldn¡¯t be like this¡­ B-But this wasn¡¯t just my fault; it was the others¡¯, too. ¡°Berserk, could you¡­ Erm, stay behind and take care of¡­¡± ¡°Hm? Ah! You want me to help the young hunter regain his strength??¡± ¡°¡­Please, just call Weapon Master.¡± ¡°Haha! There¡¯s no need to call my sister! Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll handle it!¡± Ah, right. There was also Weapon Master. I hadn¡¯t seen her since the incident in Pa Enoch, though. Thinking of her, I remembered how she¡¯d given me some pretty good advice. Damn it. I still hadn¡¯t heard the rest of it. So frustrating. ¡°Is this really for the best¡­?¡± Anyway, we had determined who would stay behind and who would go. With a bit of unease in my heart, I took a quick shower¡ªthough only rtively quick, since thatment about something smelling fishy really got to me, so I scrubbed my whole body thoroughly¡ªand headed to the manor where the young lord awaited us. * * * ¡°Hmm. There¡¯s nothing like food to lift one¡¯s spirits!¡± Meanwhile, Berserk, who¡¯d been left behind, was thinking about what she could do for the young hunter. The answer she¡¯de to was clear: alcohol that would lift his spirits and help him express his feelings and food that could fill his empty stomach. And fortunately, she had some incredibly delicious food with her. Though it had already grown cold, she could easily fix that by asking one of the priests to heat it up for her. ¡°No, asking the cook to make a fresh dish would be much better.¡± She wasn¡¯t doing this just because she wanted to eat more of that shop owner¡¯s delicious food or anything. Absolutely not. Berserk quickly ran toward that shop. ¡°Hey, owner!¡± ¡°Y-Yes?!¡± It had been less than an hour since they¡¯d been here, so only one table was upied. That meant asking him to deliver some food would be okay. ¡°Do you deliver to the Temple?¡± ¡°T-To the Temple? Of course, I can do that, but¡­¡± ¡°Then please bring me some food! The best meat dish you¡¯ve got, no matter the price! And something sweet if you have it! The young hunter likes sweet things.¡± Berserk causally ordered some food while cheerfully opening her wallet. As she did, the clinking of dozens of gold and silver coins filled the room. This was money she¡¯d set aside for any potential incidents, like that time when she broke the bridge. It wasn¡¯t really her idea to do this, but her older sister had nagged her into it. ¡°Th-That¡¯s too much.¡± ¡°Take it! If it¡¯s too much, make it taste that much better!¡± She still didn¡¯t fully understand how the world worked, but she knew that the more money she gave someone, the better the result would be. Despite the shopkeeper¡¯s adamant protests, Berserk handed over a generous sum of gold and silver coins. ¡°Make it taste so good that my friend will forget all his sadness and smile brightly again!¡± ¡°¡­! Yes!¡± With that, she had taken care of the food. She quickly ran back to the Temple, not forgetting to remind the priest to bring the food to them immediately once it arrived. Berserk was generally easygoing, but she really couldn¡¯t stand seeing someone else take her food without permission. ¡°So, what now¡­?¡± Should she wait around for the food to arrive? That didn¡¯t seem right. Should she check on the young hunter instead? She recalled the look on the young hunter¡¯s face earlier. He seemed pretty tired. It probably wouldn¡¯t be good to bother someone who looked so exhausted, either. ¡°I have nothing to do¡­¡± Should she really just sit around until the food arrived? That didn¡¯t sound any good to her. And she didn¡¯t feel like training, either. All because of the young hunter. ¡°Uuurgh.¡± Though they hadn¡¯t been together long, she¡¯d grown fond of her currentpanions. That half-and-half-haired guy was so strong it made her shiver. The redhead was also fun enough to spar with. The old man was weak but reminded her a lot of her sister, so she liked him, and she simply liked the young hunter. In particr, his knack for covering her somewhat clumsy words was truly the best. It was a bit weird how hecked confidence despite his skills, but she was willing enough to listen to him when he said not to fight to some extent. Seeing that young one so downcast badly drained her energy, too. Berserk sprawled out on the floor. ¡°Ah!¡± Fortunately, she quickly remembered something she could do. ¡°I can go snap those guys¡¯ spines!¡± She could find the guys who hit the young hunter and do exactly what she said she would. She was sure the young hunter would like that. Would he? ¡°Big sis?¡± Would he really like that? However, her steps halted when she heard a voice echoing in her mind. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t he? Berserk would like it.¡± Your opinion could differ from his. ¡°Do you think he wouldn¡¯t like it?¡± You already know the truth, don¡¯t you? ¡°¡­Berserk doesn¡¯t know.¡± Really? ¡°I said, Berserk doesn¡¯t know.¡± She blinked. The inside of her throat felt hot. She didn¡¯t know why. ¡°Berserk¡­¡± You already know. But she didn¡¯t. ¡°Annoying.¡± ¡®Berserk¡¯ shouldn¡¯t know about this. ¡°You just handle it, big sis.¡± She didn¡¯t even want to argue. She turned her gaze away from her sister, who was looking down at her. She turned away from the figure that was much smaller than her, soaking the snow with blood. ¡°Berserk is going to sleep.¡± Not yet, not yet. I still want to act childish for a bit longer. She closed her eyes and untied her hair, which she¡¯d put into a small ponytail. ¡°¡­I thought you might¡¯ve been stimted by what happenedst time.¡± And soon, ¡®Weapon Master¡¯ opened her eyes. ¡°Do you not yet feel the urgency to reach the next level of power?¡± She twisted her tinum hair, which barely covered her neck even when untied, around her finger. The calluses on her hands, hardened and deformed from training excessively with all sorts of weapons, dulled even her sense of touch. ¡°But, little sister, that won¡¯t do. We can no longer¡­¡± These were hands she could never have. ¡®Real¡¯ hands. She looked down at them before deciding to focus on the task at hand. These long-held worries couldn¡¯t be resolved in just a day or two, so this was the only right choice. So, she tidied up the table, prepared some cutlery and bowls for the food that would arrive soon, and even brought out some snacks the young hunter seemed to like. And just as the food arrived. Knock, knock. She knocked on the door. ¡°Are you sleeping?¡± If he was still asleep, this could be a bit troublesome. Just letting him sleep might be better than waking him up, though. ¡°Pardon me.¡± But there was also the possibility that he was simply ignoring her. She gently opened the door. As someone who specialized in stealth, his breathing while asleep and while awake were perfectly even, making this necessary. It was hard to tell just by his presence whether he was asleep. ¡°¡­This.¡± When she opened the door, the sight before her was anything but good. ¡°Urgh!¡± What did it mean when someone was strangling themselves in their sleep? ¡°Wake up, young hunter!¡± At the very least, it was definitely nothing good. ¡°Young hunter!!¡± The calm amber hue of her eyes instantly changed to one of desperation. * * * ¡°They think people are slowly forgetting! So they came here to deal with us this time?! Do they think I wouldn¡¯t have figured it out?!¡± When we finally arrived at the manor, a group of people was gathered in front of it. At the center was the one who¡ªpresumably¡ªpunched Deb in the face earlier. ¡°I saw it clearly! Clearly!¡± If I told anyone that this was the guy who¡¯d hit our tender meat dumpling, I would break character. I knew that, but¡­ Ah, I just wanted to hit him once. ¡°They seem to be protesting.¡± ¡°So it would appear. I¡¯m not sure of the reason, though¡­¡± I stared intently at the person yelling loudly. Maybe because I put some force into my gaze, he turned his head toward us and then froze. When the loudest person stopped, the others grew confused and turned to look at us. They all kindly shut their mouths. ¡°Um, Sir Archmage, those people suddenly went quiet after looking at us. Is something wrong?¡± ¡°¡­Perhaps they are just being considerate, not wanting to be too noisy?¡± The Archmage seemed to have a rough idea that I was the cause but decided not to exin it fully. After all, ¡®They went quiet because they were intimidated by the Demon Knight behind us¡¯ wasn¡¯t really something he should say, especially in front of this group. ¡°What brings you here¡­?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear about the Temple sending envoys?¡± ¡°Ah! You must be them! Please wait a moment. I will inform those inside.¡± In any case, if we could just enter the manor quietly, that would be enough. As the butler came out to greet us, I took onest look at the protesters¡ªthis was an entirely personal threat, but what was I supposed to do? Our meat dumpling got hurt, after all¡ªand followed the group into the castle. Despite the current drought, a lush garden full of flowers and trees unfolded before us. Compared to the withered grass outside the manor, this garden was almost bizarrely vibrant. ¡°Is it magic?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like it¡­¡± Recalling what we heard at the restaurant, this might be the work of the young lord. We¡¯d been told the fields would flourish after just a single visit from the young lord. ¡°The young lord personally tends to these nts.¡± The butler who¡¯de out to greet us quietly exined this phenomenon. Apparently, the young lord had a hobby of growing various nts, and anything his hand touched would grow beautifully and vibrantly. This corroborated what the restaurant owner had said. ¡°Is it a talent¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think this can be exined by just talent¡­¡± Amazing. With such an ability, he could get andscaping license, start a farm, and easily create a sessful business. I couldn¡¯t keep anything green, even a sulent, alive in my room! Reflecting on my own condition, for which my colleagues had dubbed me the ¡®Hand of Death¡¯, I recalled how one of them kept a cherry tomato nt on one side of his room and would eat its fruit fresh. The young lord of Ednium could probably also do something like that. Haah. I felt so envious, envious, I tell you!! ¡°Isn¡¯t that gilding my name a bit too much?¡± ¡°Young Lord.¡± I couldn¡¯t congratte others on their wonderful talent without feeling envious and jealous. Just as my heart started turning ck with jealousy, someone approached us. It was someone so stunningly beautiful that it made my jaw drop. I had thought Ouw of the Montata Inds was this world¡¯s pinnacle of beauty, but it appeared that someone had surpassed her. ¡°Wee to Ednium. I am Leon of Ednium.¡± Wow, some people really were just born with everything. I decided to cease my petty jealousy¡ªI was only joking, after all¡ªand epted his greeting. I ignored the sudden itch in my right arm. ¡°Greetings, Young Lord.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet you, Lord Leon.¡± Ah, by the way, when I said I epted his greeting, I didn¡¯t mean I did it. The Inquisitor and the Archmage did. ¡°The honor is mine, meeting the chosen Hero and the esteemed Sage of the Magic Tower. And¡­¡± As always, I simply remained silent in the background, not even bothering to acknowledge his existence with a nod. I had never done so before, and no one everined, so it didn¡¯t particrly matter. ¡°He is the Demon Knight.¡± ¡°Ah, I have heard of you. You are the renowned Demon yer, yes? It is an honor.¡± However¡­ ¡°Smells fishy¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Never mind. Wee.¡± I tried to mentally trace the shape of his lips as he muttered those words¡ªit had been so soft, almost like a wind¡¯s whisper. A fishy smell¡­? A fishy smell? Did I still smell?!?!? ____ Chapter 150: Everything as It Should Be (10) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 150 Everything as It Should Be (10) ¡°I¡¯m okay. I¡¯m okay¡­¡± In a ce where sunlight trickled down instead of rain. ¡°As long as you can live¡­ I¡¯m¡­ not afraid to die.¡± In a moment when the ground was covered in puddles of rain that fell the day before. ¡°So, don¡¯t you ever feel guilty.¡± The person, smiling like a white flower, ced a hand on the back of his head and pulled him into an embrace. Crack. With each crack of the whip, the air trembled as leather tore it apart. ¡°You''re not the one who caused my death.¡± The world, faintly visible over her shoulders, was blurred by light. He couldn¡¯t see much. All he could see was that person, enveloped in a halo of light that made her look like some kind of divine being, as she was administered punishment and drops of her blood sttered everywhere. ¡°This¡­ absolutely isn¡¯t your fault¡­¡± However, the voice ringing in his ears was so incredibly clear. ¡°So¡­ So live. Survive. No matter what stands in your way or hardships lie before you, you must¡­¡± Crack! With that finalsh, that warm person embracing him finally lowered her head. She didn¡¯t appear withered or shriveled like a wilted flower, but more like the moment before the stem was separated from the blossom. ¡°Sal¡ª¡± Thud. . . . ¡°Kuhuk!¡± ¡°Young hunter!¡± Deathbringer gasped for air, feeling as if a tight grip on his lungs had finally released. His neck was burning and tingling. ¡°Gasp, gasp.¡± But the real pain wasn¡¯t in his neck. What truly hurt, what tormented him so much¡­ ¡°Breathe. You need to breathe.¡± ¡°Uwaah¡­¡± ¡°Hunter.¡± He wished she¡¯d med him instead. For forgetting her, for not living the way she said he should. ¡°Argh¡­¡± ¡°Hunter¡­¡± For driving countless people to their deaths in the name of revenge for her. He wished she would chastise and me him for everything he¡¯d done wrong. ¡°Emmitte¡­¡± But she never would, would she? Because she was already gone. * * * ¡°We received word ahead of time. You brought a letter from Mia, correct? Thank you.¡± No matter how shocked I was by that murmuredment about a supposed fishy smell, the situation simply advanced. ¡°It was nothing. We were headed here anyway, so she asked us for this favor.¡± ¡°I see. But I do feel quite flustered. I must be the first to receive a letter hand-delivered by a renowned adventurer, the Hero, and a Great Sage.¡± It couldn¡¯t be that he was unhappy about me not greeting him properly, right? But he didn¡¯t even give me an unpleasant look. That would suggest he¡¯d unconsciously muttered that after smelling a fishy scent somewhere. I¡¯d just showered, so it couldn¡¯t be me! But I¡¯d heard something simr on the streets not too long ago. This just left me feeling incredibly ufortable. ¡°Ah, right. It¡¯s impolite to keep guests standing at the entrance. Tom, could you please prepare some tea and refreshments and bring them to the garden pavilion?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Please, this way.¡± Was it me? Was it really me? Could it actually be me? ¡°What a beautiful garden.¡± ¡°Haha, thank you.¡± ¡°I heard you tend to it personally, Young Lord. Is that true?¡± ¡°Yes, though I didn''t do much. It¡¯s not something I should boast about since I¡¯m not the only one tending and caring for it.¡± Th-This couldn¡¯t be happening. With that, I resolved to wash myself even more thoroughly¡ªdespite already scrubbing myself hard enough to leave slight bruises, so I didn¡¯t really know how to do it any better¡ªand use better soap, even if it was more expensive. No matter what, I couldn¡¯t allow myself to smell bad. ¡°For now, let me give you the letter.¡± The host, who¡¯d made an effort to maintain even a minimum level of decorum, took the letter. ¡°Ah¡­ Thank you.¡± But was it just my imagination? For someone receiving a letter from their lover, he didn¡¯t seem particrly happy. Instead of happy, he even seemed rather cold. ¡°¡­Aren¡¯t you going to open it?¡± ¡°Haha, as much as I¡¯d like to read it immediately¡­ I feel rather shy to do so. I appreciate your consideration, but I strive to separate business and personal matters.¡± He even¡­ reacted rather unexpectedly to this question. The youngdy of Camborough had said we shouldn¡¯t consider it rude if he wished to read the letter first and that we should just let him. She¡¯d added that the letter contained important information on their current situation in code. She¡¯d even shown us the letter and taught us how to read it so we could have a proper conversation. She was so sure that Leon, the young lord of Ednium, would want to read the letter right away. Whether it was a promise between these two or something else, I didn¡¯t know, but she had firmly based her instructions on that assumption. ¡°I see.¡± But why didn¡¯t he want to read it now? Did something change? My first hypothesis was that he might be getting coerced or surveilled by Demons or something. However, if a Demon were involved, the Inquisitor would undoubtedly know. If she didn¡¯t, that meant it was concealing its presence well to avoid her detection. More importantly, thinking about it again, he was acting too strangely for someone being threatened or watched. I couldn¡¯t forget his cold gaze just now. I felt I couldn¡¯t dismiss it as just being in my head. Before we arrived, I¡¯d already considered the possibility that the ruling family had already been taken over by evil and would betray us, amon clich¨¦. While unlikely, it could also be that their love had simply cooled. ¡°The refreshments have arrived.¡± At that moment, a servant approached us with a trolly filled with colorful candies, pastries, and tea. ¡°Thank you for your hospitality.¡± ¡°Not at all. Please help yourself.¡± ¡°Th-There are flowers inside the sweets¡­¡± ¡°They are candies with whole flowers encased inside, a specialty of our castle chef.¡± Flower candies. Deb probably would¡¯ve liked them. ¡°The aroma is quite pleasant¡­¡± ¡°Haha, our chef will be delighted to hear that. If you like, I can give you some to take.¡± ¡°Is that alright¡­?¡± ¡°Of course. If the Hero liked these candies enough to take some along with her, our chef would be so overjoyed that he might dance.¡± At least the kimchi dumpling seemed to be enjoying them. I watched Leon instruct a servant to pack us a handful of the candies. The package was soon handed to us. I also noticed that he never once tried to open the letter throughout our exchange, and when the Archmage asked about the beasts, he only said that he didn¡¯t really know anything. Although his actions weren¡¯t directly problematic, once suspicion took root in me, everything he did seemed dubious. ¡°Ah, right. The youngdy of Camborough asked me to check on the cat you¡¯ve seemingly grown fond of¡­¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Yeah, especially when he was reacting like that. ¡°The cat that frequently visits the manor, I mean.¡± ¡°Aah. That one.¡± There was¡­ something off about those dyed responses, as if he needed a moment to remember what we were talking about. Of course, it could just be that he had a lousy memory¡­ ¡°¡­I¡¯ve been so preupied with wedding preparations, so I haven¡¯t been able to y with it as much. Perhaps that upset it. I haven¡¯t seen it aroundtely.¡± But for someone in his position to have such a poor memory was rather strange. ¡°You must miss it a lot.¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s such a cute thing.¡± ¡°How are your allergies, though? The youngdy of Camborough was quite concerned.¡± ¡°¡­Mia was worried about me? That¡­ makes me happy.¡± He was highly suspicious. I couldn¡¯t pinpoint it exactly, but something was definitely off. My instincts, which I¡¯d developed over the years, were screaming that something wasn¡¯t right. ¡°They¡¯re still present. However, that particr cat seems to be an exception. I don¡¯t react as badly to it. Maybe that¡¯s why I grew fond of it.¡± ¡°I see.¡± However, we couldn¡¯t just pull out our swords. * * * In the end, we prepared to leave without gaining any useful information. ¡°Looks like we came up empty-handed¡­ It would have been nice if we¡¯d uncovered something.¡± Ah, not entirely empty-handed, though? The kimchi dumpling did receive that bundle of sweets. But considering our real goal had been to gather information, it seemed this had been aplete failure. ¡°Who knows¡­ we should keep an eye on things a bit longer.¡± It appeared the Archmage shared my suspicions to some extent. ¡°Inquisitor, you¡¯re certain there weren''t any traces of Demonic Energy around?¡± ¡°Huh? Ah, yes. Are you suspecting the young lord?¡± ¡°His behavior doesn¡¯t match what the youngdy of Camborough told us. It feels like there¡¯s something more to this.¡± ¡°In that case¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s investigate a little more. We weren¡¯t nning on leaving the city right away, anyway.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ rather unfortunate. He would have been the perfect fit for this kind of investigation, but he''s currently in no condition to do so.¡± Ah. Right. Now wasn¡¯t the best time to ask our meat dumpling to do something like that. Of course, while Deb might not be avable right now, I still had ess to the Information Guild thanks to the pass Deb gave me. But what good was having the means without the expertise? After all, there were things that came with being a regr customer, such as connections and extra benefits. In short, I wasn¡¯t confident I could gather information as effectively as Deb. In the end, we were at aplete disadvantage. ¡°You mean¡­ that troublemaker?¡± ¡°He¡¯s always been in charge of conducting these types of investigations. He¡¯s the most outstanding among us, after all.¡± Ah. Indeed. It was already a considerable blow when our member responsible for social interactions was out of action, but now faced with needing to gather information, we felt his absence even more painfully. Deb really did a lot for this party. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Nothing. I just feel like I¡¯m not really of any help and need to work a little harder.¡± What was with her now? Was she feeling down because she couldn¡¯t detect any Demonic Energy just now? She did look kind of dejected. ¡°You are doing very well, Inquisitor. Everyone has different strengths and talents. Don¡¯t let it bother you too much.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I guess you¡¯re right.¡± I watched as the Inquisitor lightly pped herself on the cheeks. ¡°I have my own role to y.¡± Seriously, Deb and the Inquisitor¡­ both were giving me strangely precarious vibes. * * * ¡°The guests have left.¡± ¡°Thank you for your work. You may go now.¡± Meanwhile, after hearing the butler¡¯s report, Leon, the young lord of Ednium, took a deep breath. And when the butler was entirely out of sight, he raised his hand. ¡°Ah, that fishy smell.¡± Leon, or rather the being posing as him, grimaced, waving his hand as if trying to clear the air. ¡°This ce isn¡¯t even near the sea, so why must I endure the smell of seafood?¡± But the lingering scent continued to assault his nostrils. Covering his nose with a handkerchief, the false Leon moved back to the garden. Despite the lush trees, flowers, and grass, a strange chill permeated the air. ¡°How oblivious, as one would expect from someone chosen by that creature of the sea.¡± Rustle. As he walked, young sprouts and leaves stretched toward him. It wasn¡¯t unnatural, but as if drawn out by an overwhelming surge of life and energy. ¡°I overlooked the ruckus you caused in my forest as a warning and even sent my children as a sign, yet you still darede to thisnd.¡± As he entered the maze on one side of the garden, trees taller than a person bloomed all at once. The scent of flowers that didn¡¯t match the current season spread in all directions. ¡°Especially while carrying a letter from that filthy creature.¡± As he approached a specific section, the hedges parted as if trying to reveal their insides. ¡°Urgh, urgh.¡± But the surprises didn¡¯t stop there. Between the branching bushes was another Young Lord Leon, his whole body bound by vines and nts. ¡°Have you been waiting long? My apologies. But there was little I could do.¡± Young Lord Leon, or someone pretending to be him, smiled down broadly at the bound Leon. ¡°This was the one thing I didn¡¯t want you to receive.¡± Rustle. The letter in the imposter¡¯s hand shriveled and crumbled into dust. ¡°Urgh!¡± The real Leon¡¯s eyes widened as big as they could. ¡°What? Were you curious about what the letter said?¡± The imposter, still disguised as Leon, smiled bashfully as his white face and body slowly began to change. ¡°What a lovely being.¡± The t chest and waist, which had been nearlypletely straight, became more womanly, the chest swelling out and waist cinching in. Her hair, which had been a medium-length bob, grew down to the tips of her toes and took on a tinum color. ¡°There¡¯s no way I could let you see it, right?¡± The eyes, once soft, became sharp and long with crimson highlights. The same was true for the clothes. The in, slightly soft-looking cloth transformed into a silken material adorned with gold and jewels,yered with a white fur cloak. Jingle, jingle. Earrings, nes, and bracelets that swayed with every move she made sparkled and glittered in the sun. Though still human in form, her clothes and appearance somehow made her seem inhuman. > [I understand that, loving someone else. Humans are often foolish, unable to see the truth.] What truly made her seem inhuman was her voice, now resonating in an otherworldly manner so very different from a human¡¯s. > [But marriage is out of the question.] With that, the vegetation restraining the real Leon¡¯s limbs and gagging him retracted. ¡°¡­You!¡± Yet despite being freed, the Young Lord couldn¡¯t move an inch. The first reason for that was the face, which belonged to that figure made entirely of white and gold, buried in his nape. The second reason was the tight embrace firmly holding him in ce. > [I will never allow it.] And the third, final reason¡­ > [The only one who can stand by your side is this Skyflow Tiger.] ¡­was this person¡¯s true nature, something a mere human couldn¡¯t even dare to handle. > [So, stop denying it and ept the natural order.] Ah. Had he known it woulde to this, he might never have offered food to that white cat shivering in the rain. > [In return, I will gift you life that blooms even during a drought and abundance that will never end.] With a sigh, Young Lord Leon closed his eyes,menting that one simple act of kindness had ruined his life. He so longed to see his beloved. ____ Chapter 151: Unmoving (1) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 151 Unmoving (1) Now that we couldn¡¯t rely on Deb, I decided to use the Information Guild for the first time. Thanks to the ess pass, getting in and out wasn¡¯t all that difficult. However, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what hardships Deb had to endure. I wasn¡¯t joking, I was 100% honest. Experiencing the information so raw and unfiltered was truly eye-opening. ¡°What rude people. They have no manners whatsoever.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± Well, I mean, even in the game, any character associated with the Information Guild was often pretty rude. There were some differences, depending on the city, but they all typically overcharged or deceived the yer, albeit still within eptable bounds. However, it wasn¡¯t just that they did in this ce¡­ ¡°At least we got something out of them, didn¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Are you referring¡­ to the fact that they have no significant new information? Or that the source of their vegetables is unclear?¡± Hah. Let¡¯s not even talk about it. The only certain thing was that our meat dumpling was truly divine. ¡°Sometimes, the absence of information is already information enough, even if our path is not yet clear.¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re right¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be impatient. The Magic Tower¡¯s investigation team, sent to obtain samples from the beasts that can consume Divine Power, just arrived in Camborough. Our search will likely progress much faster from here on.¡± ¡°¡­Yes!¡± ¡°More than that, I¡¯m curious if he¡¯s feeling any better now¡­¡± The Archmage, who was at the front of our group, opened the door to our lodging. Creak. Through the open door, we could see Bers and Deb sitting at the table. Deb was even wrapped in nkets and sipping some soup. ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± I was momentarily speechless at the sight. Was Iining about him eating and apparently regaining some energy? Of course not. A nce at Bers¡¯ stern face and crossed arms, as if she was keeping watch, suggested that Deb was eating half-willingly and half-involuntarily. What truly left me speechless was something else, though. ¡°Good timing, priest. Could you take care of this injury?¡± ¡°Huh? Again¡­ Y-Your neck?!¡± It was because of the fresh marks on his neck, even after the bruise on his cheek had barely healed. ¡°Could it be another attack¡­?¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s nothing like that.¡± Deb, forced by Bers to show us the wound on his neck, averted his gaze while sipping his soup. Those visible red marks indicated that he¡¯d been strangled quite forcefully. The way he winced every time he swallowed was also quite telling. ¡°Enough, just stay still.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t need treatment¡­¡± ¡°Let yourself be treated, hunter.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll treat it.¡± In the end, the Inquisitor put aside Deb¡¯s soup bowl before cing a hand on Deb¡¯s neck, who had been mumbling something under his breath. Perhaps because his neck was a body part that rarely came into contact with others, Deb flinched slightly. Whoosh. A warm, reddish light filled the room, then quickly dissipated. ¡°Who did this?¡± ¡°I told you, it¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°We need to know who so we can respond ordingly.¡± The Archmage immediately started interrogating him. Well, one might argue that ¡®interrogating¡¯ was the wrong word since Deb hadn¡¯t done anything wrong, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that he shouldn¡¯t be telling us nothing was wrong. ¡°It really was nothi¡ª¡± ¡°He choked himself. While he was sleeping.¡± ¡°M-Miss!¡± Fortunately, we had Bers, our loyal watchdog. The three of us were shocked while Deb looked at Bers as if his lover had betrayed him. Naturally, she only picked her ears in response. ¡°What did you just say?¡± ¡°He choked himself in his sleep. Berserk barely managed to wake him up in time.¡± ¡°I-I-It¡¯s not like that! It¡¯s just¡­¡± There¡¯s no way Bers would lie about something like that, so it had to be the truth. What kind of crazy person would choke themselves in their sleep? How severe was his depression? No, could this even be exined away by depression? ¡°Alright, yes! I did it. But people can sometimes do that in their sleep¡­!¡± As Deb tried to defend himself, the Inquisitor, who had been trembling behind him, suddenly stepped forward. She immediately cut off Deb¡¯s weak excuses by grabbing him by the cor. ¡°You idiot!¡± ¡°¡­?!¡± The two were of simr height, so maybe that¡¯s why their foreheads collided as she forcefully yanked Deb toward her. ¡°People do that in their sleep? Nonsense! That¡¯s it, I¡¯ve had enough. If you¡¯re only going to make such excuses, you''d be better off just keeping your mouth shut!¡± ¡°¡­B-But I tried to keep my mouth shut. You guys were pressing me to¡­¡± ¡°Stop making excuses! You troublemaker!¡± Startled by the close distance between them, Deb pulled back his head. However, the Inquisitor followed him and narrowed the gap again. Their noses were almost touching. ¡°I¡¯m not the most perceptive, but even I won¡¯t fall for such obvious fibs!¡± ¡°F-Fibs¡­¡± ¡°Inquisitor, that word¡­¡± ¡°Are they going to kiss?¡± ¡°Consideration has its limits! I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re hiding, but enough is enough!¡± ¡°I-I¡­¡± As the Inquisitor let go, Deb stumbled back a few steps, barely managing to keep his bnce. His shadowed eyes were filled with a mix of emotions, heavily weighing him down. ¡°If you¡¯re not going to speak up, then do something. But stop moping around! Nothing changes if you keep everything hidden!¡± However, those pent-up emotions soon turned into just one. Anger, or perhaps¡­ ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that nothing will change?!¡± ¡°¡­?!¡± ¡°What do you know¡ª!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t! That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking you to say something!¡± ¡°Damn it, if I tell you, you¡¯ll only despise me more!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Like how you despise me now despite not knowing anything. Thinking I''m some kind of criminal! No, probably even worse than that!¡± Deb was shouting, his face bright red. The Inquisitor¡¯s expression immediately paled. It was a truth she couldn¡¯t deny, that this was clearly her fault. ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear your excuses. I won¡¯t listen.¡± With that, the Inquisitor hung her head, and Deb, grumbling, turned around. He was undoubtedly headed for the door leading out of the lodging. Bang! Deb stormed past me, his figure disappearing as he mmed the door shut behind him. Left where she was standing, the Inquisitor bit her lips. With severelycking social experience and peer rtionships, it was apparent that this situation was particrly challenging for her. ¡°¡­This.¡± The Archmage frowned at theplete mess. Despite acting like a daycare teacher these days, even he seemed tock the confidence to handle this situation. ¡°¡­The food I bought for the young hunter has all gone cold.¡± Berserk also showed her own form of concern as she gloomily stared at the food she¡¯d bought tofort Deb. She¡¯did out a whole feast. ¡°¡­¡± What should I do now? I slowly moved while thinking about the room¡¯s gloomy atmosphere and my fleeting glimpse of Deb¡¯s face before he left. ck. The sound of my boots against the floor broke the silence as I crossed the living room. My destination wasn¡¯t the front door but my assigned room. Clunk. I entered the room and closed the door behind me. Click. I also locked it, which should serve as a clear message: ¡®Do not disturb¡¯. Now, it was time for me to head back out. Creak. I opened the window and jumped out. My room was on the first floor, so I wouldn¡¯t make too much noise. Click. I also closed the window behind me, just in case. I couldn¡¯t lock it from the outside, but it wouldn¡¯t be too noticeable just from looking at it. My feet quickly and quietly carried me away from the Temple. * * * Deathbringer wandered aimlessly through the town. He wasn¡¯t walking in the streets. He didn''t have the courage to face them, let alone risk getting into trouble again. He didn¡¯t deserve to face anyone in this city. So, he leaped from rooftop to rooftop, searching for a suitable shadow to hide in. The hood without earholes was extremely stifling, but he didn¡¯tin. It was only right he at least did that much. ¡°Phew¡­¡± And when he finally found a decent shadow, he sat down heavily. A cold wind, unusual for this region, blew around him. ¡°¡­¡± Deathbringer suddenly longed to see Skyley. They were too distant to be family but too close to be merely business partners. He desperately wanted to see her, knowing she¡¯d only scold and reprimand him rather thanfort him. He didn¡¯t needfort right now. He needed someone who¡¯d meticulously point out his wrongdoings and get angry but still wouldn¡¯t abandon him. No, even if he got abandoned, it wouldn¡¯t really matter. What he couldn¡¯t bear, what he couldn¡¯t tolerate¡­ > [Those people who¡¯ve only ever enjoyed privileges and never seen the dark abyss of the world talking about ¡®sin¡¯. Doesn¡¯t it frustrate you?] ¡°¡­!¡± Deathbringer quickly assumed a defensive stance, his body positioned to flee at any moment. ¡°You!¡± > [Why are you so surprised? This isn¡¯t the first time.] When had it approached? He bit his lip as he looked at the being standing before him. The being wore a faint, serene smile, as if mocking his anxiety. > [As I saidst time, I¡¯m just here to help you.] Would he die? Could he even survive this time? As Deathbringer absentmindedly weighed his options, he was startled by his own thoughts. ¡®Survive¡¯? How could he dare think such things? He, of all people. > [Too many people in this world speak without knowing anything.] His thoughts were forcibly interrupted. The being had now approached very close and held his chin. Swish. The silver, silken robe draped over the being floated in the air like a fish swimming through water. > [Of course, it might be different for those who¡¯ve been hurt or in simr positions. But isn¡¯t it so unfair for those who haven¡¯t experienced the same injustices to speak like that?] ¡°What are you¡ª¡± > [Isn''t that right? It¡¯s not as if you don¡¯t know what you did was wrong or don¡¯t feel guilty for those harmed because of it, correct? You epted it when the people cried for justice, didn¡¯t you? It¡¯s just that, despite knowing all that, you had no other choice. Because youcked power.] ¡°¡­!¡± The snake coiled around that being¡¯s neck slithered over to him. It pushed back his hood, letting the blinding sunlight pour over him. > [That¡¯s right! Because youck power! No money, no influence! It¡¯s just so unfair to be criticized by those who can¡¯t understand that you had no other choice!] It was exactly like that moment in the past. The sunlight filled the world, casting a halo of light around the person before him. > [What makes them so clean and noble is their luck in being born into privilege!] Even when he was killing people, it made that noble bastard look so damn sacred. That damn sun. > [You aren¡¯t trying to deny your sins, nor do you wish to avoid punishment. But isn¡¯t it so irritating when those privileged bastards criticize you from atop their high horses? They were just lucky, yet they have the nerve to point fingers without understanding anything.] ¡°¡­What¡­ are you talking about?¡± The light was so bright that he felt like crying. Perhaps he would. Perhaps it was inevitable. Deathbringer spoke in a hoarse, restrained voice. The being smiled softly. > [That¡¯s how you feel, don¡¯t you?] He couldn¡¯t deny it. ¡°¡­You sure go on and on about some useless things.¡± > [That¡¯s my specialty. This silver tongue of mine is my everything.] ¡°So, what do you want me to do? Betray them?¡± > [Betray? Haha, hahaha!] But he wouldn¡¯t sumb to this Demon. That¡¯s why Deathbringer said that, but he was only met with heartyughter. > [It is only betrayal if there was ever a bond between you.] Its words pricked a corner of his heart. > [You know it too, don¡¯t you? That you can only be with them because they don¡¯t know your past. That none of them see you as something special.] Maybe it wasn¡¯t just a prick, but a stab. > [In the end, you¡¯re just a receable puzzle piece.] The snake slithering across his neck was so cold. > [But I¡¯m different. I can make you special. I can give you the power to crush those hypocrites who were simply lucky enough to be born into privilege. You could ughter all those viins you want destroyed without hesitation. All you need is to want it, to desire it.] Deathbringer lowered his head and gazed at his shadow, which waspletely obscured by the shade. ¡°And in return, I¡¯ll be yourpdog, right?¡± > [I don¡¯t treat my contractors carelessly. To me, a contractor is like arade.] ¡°Hah, you really are a Demon.¡± > [Of course, did you think I was a mortal?] Riiip. There was a sound of something tearing apart. > [Think carefully. Yourpanions will never be able to understand you like I do. They can¡¯t truly empathize with you.] ¡°¡­Why not? Why do you think they can¡¯t?¡± > [Are you really asking me that? Do you think that priest, who was born a Hero, or that archmage, who naturally rose to an esteemed ss through innate talent, can truly understand you?] ¡°¡­¡± > [Even if they tried, how much could they truly understand? They¡¯d probably start by saying, ¡®I understand your desire for revenge,¡¯ and end it with, ¡®But that wasn¡¯t the right thing to do.¡¯ After all, how many things could threaten them? And if anything did, they have the power and authority to crush their enemies legally.] Yet, that silver tongue in a white shell kept on going. > [Oh, of course, the fighter who doesn¡¯t care about anyone¡¯s opinion wouldn¡¯t say anything about what you did. She might even praise you. But¡­ you know, don¡¯t you? Your position is so much lower than hers.] It was as if poison coated its tongue instead of saliva. > [Just barely scraping by, crawling in the mud, you managed to kill one person. And after your revenge, you could do nothing but run just to survive, without even a moment of respite¡­ Do you think that strong fighter can understand you? Can you truly ept her understanding?] Those formless words etched themselves into his soul. > [And the Demon Knight? There¡¯s no question there. He¡¯s the most simr to you, the most alike¡­ but he still managed to acquire power. Despite struggling just as much, he can achieve far more than you, exact a deeper revenge.] A poison that nothing in this world could cure. > [In the end, even the two people who might understand you aren¡¯t your equals. They have power. They have the luxury to act as they please without needing to barely scrape by at the bottom like you.] ¡°¡­¡± > [Because they have the strength to do so.] Deathbringer tightly shut his eyes. ¡°¡­How ridiculous. Aren¡¯t you also stronger than me?¡± > [Haha, that¡¯s right. I¡¯m stronger than you. In fact, I¡¯m stronger than most. I, too, am an entity far superior to you.] ¡°Then stop spouting all that nonsense and¡ª¡± > [But aren¡¯t I also the only one who can give you power?] ¡°¡­!¡± > [Though rare, there are some who could take revenge on your behalf, grant you authority, or shower you with enough wealth to dominate everything. But that¡¯s not what you want, is it?] The being released his chin and retrieved the snake, stepping back one or two steps. The shimmering silk, like fish scales, parted to reveal a wondrous sight. > [Strength. The most primal, savage essence of ¡®Power¡¯ in this world. Isn¡¯t that what you want?] Buoooh. He could hear a giant whale cry behind that being. > [God may have turned their back on you, but I¡¯m looking straight at you.] Honestly, it was a sight that he couldn¡¯t help but be tempted by. > [So, make a pact with me. Choose me. Abandon those fools who can¡¯t understand you.] Ah, perhaps even this was evidence of how weak he was. ¡°¡­Before making a contract, I have a few¡­ questions. May I ask them?¡± > [Mortals are always so full of doubt. Sure. Ask them. I will answer if I can.] ¡°First¡­ who are you exactly? I know you¡¯re a Demon, but I want to know exactly who you are. I need to know for certain which Demon I¡¯m about to make a contract with.¡± > [Ah, did I not mention it?] Deathbringer cautiously inquired after that being¡¯s identity. It responded in a dry but casual tone. > [The world knows me as Moby Dick. The position bestowed upon me by the King is Envy. I am one of the Seven Great Demons whom you so fear and revere.] As expected, it was indeed a Great Demon. Instinctively, Deathbringer swallowed hard. ¡°Then, next¡­ Why doesn¡¯t someone as powerful as you just possess my body by force? Like with the Demon Knight, wouldn¡¯t it be easier if you just seized control entirely? And honestly, I¡¯m far too weak to be of much use as your contractor.¡± > [How naive. From my perspective, you aren¡¯t much different from any other mortal. And do you truly think someone powerful enough to matter would bother making a contract with Demons?] ¡°¡­I guess¡­ that¡¯s true. So, you¡¯re not possessing my body because I¡¯m too weak.¡± > [Exactly. There¡¯s no advantage to possessing a fragile, mortal body. That¡¯s something lesser Demons might do if they have no proper form or have lost their physical bodies.] ¡°So, Demons can lose their bodies, huh? If I make a contract with you, could I also survive if I lose my body?¡± > [You have big dreams. But yes, it isn¡¯t impossible. Using great power, you can bind your soul to the earthly realm and breathe it into a new body. One might even call this resurrection.] ¡°Then can I include that as a condition in the contract¡­?¡± > [You can¡¯t.] ¡°Ah, so it can¡¯t be done.¡± Deathbringer clicked his tongue in disappointment. Meanwhile, the being before him raised its hand as if believing it had answered enough. A sheet of paper appeared in its hand, with an after-effect that resembled gathering water droplets. The paper seemed especially high quality. > [Write your name in blood on this contract, and the deal shall be sealed. If you can¡¯t write, just tell me your name. I shall teach you the letters you need.] ¡°¡­Do I really have to tell you my name?¡± > [That is the start of every contract.] The Demon extended its hand, offering the paper. However, Deathbringer couldn¡¯t just readily ept this. ¡°J-Just a little more¡­ give me a little more time to think.¡± > [Hmm¡­ I thought I¡¯d already given you plenty of time, though.] ¡°J-Just a little more, please.¡± > [¡­Fine. I¡¯m very generous, so I¡¯ll allow it. But don¡¯t think you can trick me.] Then, a slithering snake flew toward him. > [While knowing your name doesn¡¯t allow me to force the contract, I can at least make a provisional one.] Bite. The snake''s fangs broke through the skin of his neck. > [While I call it a provisional contract, it¡¯s more of a curse.] At the same time, a bitterly cold chill, like flowing ice, spread through his veins and permeated his entire body. > [I will strengthen your body a little. In exchange, you must not tell anyone about our meeting or the contents of our conversation. You also must not call my name before others. Those are the conditions.] The sensation was excruciatingly painful, as if he was being simultaneously burned and frozen. > [And just so you know, you aren¡¯t even allowed to leave a written note with the intention of dying behind, either. You¡¯re not the first crafty human I¡¯ve encountered.] Ah, damn it. > [Well, not that those Temple guys will treat you kindly when they discover you¡¯ve made a provisional contract with me.] He had tried to sneakily gather some information. > [So, do your best. Call me sooner rather thanter.] It seemed he really wasn¡¯t any good. Deathbringer¡¯s eyelids fell shut. ____ Chapter 152: Unmoving (2) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 152 Unmoving (2) ¡®Hey, Emmitte.¡¯ ¡®I used to think that if I ever fell into despair, it would be because of the limits of my abilities.¡¯ ¡®Or this unchangeable reality and its inevitable exceptions would break my resolve.¡¯ ¡®Just like Sir Knight.¡¯ ¡®But that wasn¡¯t it.¡¯ ¡®What really brings me despair are neither of those things¡­¡¯ ¡°Gasp!¡± Deathbringer abruptly opened his eyes. How long had he been unconscious after getting cursed by that Demon? In this tilted world, the sky visible to him was extremely dark. Had he actually been passed out that long? Panicking at that fact, he sat up. Rustle. Something slid off him. ¡°¡­A nket?¡± Why a nket? ¡°¡­??¡± It wasn¡¯t even cheap. Though not made of silk, it was still quite soft, simr to what the Hero and the wizard used. ¡°Could it be¡­¡± Could it be that the Demon had covered him with this nket after he fainted? Really? Seriously? Who would do something so crazy? Beyond puzzled, Deathbringer stared at the nket with disgust, as though he¡¯d bitten into worms. Then, his hand, which had been resting on the ground, touched something. ¡°What is that now¡­?¡± Where his hand was, he found a small leather pouch about the size of his fist and picked it up. Its opening was slightly agape, so some of its contents spilled out. ¡°This is¡­?¡± Candies. Made from precious melted sugar. ¡°What the¡­¡± It left him a nket and even candy? The Demon? The same bastard who forced him into a temporary contract when he hesitated? ¡°Huh.¡± At that moment, the whole thing felt beyond confusing, almost absurdlyical. Wasn¡¯t it strange for a Demon to show such care? It wasn¡¯t cold enough yet that he would freeze without a nket. However, it was also hard for him to imagine anyone else doing it. If not the Demon, who else would show him such favor? Especially given he was lying on a roof, far out of sight from the streets below. Deathbringer was left with only questions,pletely unable to make sense of the situation. ¡°This is driving me crazy, seriously.¡± He reached out to discard the candy left by that unknown person. He didn¡¯t know if this was meant as a warning or something. Just imagining that Demon bastard, one who¡¯d cursed him at that, had left it behind made his skin crawl. ¡°¡­¡± However, strangely, his hand wouldn¡¯t let go of the pouch. It was almost like it had been cursed. ¡°Ah, dammit. If you¡¯re going to leave something, at least leave a note with it¡­¡± But¡­ these sweets were rare. Far too rare. As rare as a favor with no strings attached. That was why he couldn¡¯t throw them away. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Deathbringer¡¯s hand trembled as he clutched the candy. Eventually, he gave up on discarding it. He couldn¡¯t do it. ¡°Damn it.¡± Yeah. As if that Demon would have given him these things. Maybe, just maybe, some wealthy passerby happened to climb up on the roof, happened to find him, and happened to have some candy and a nket on them, which they left behind. ¡­What nonsense. He knew his exnation was nonsense, but he kept the candy anyway. He was already cursed, so was there even a point in poisoning him, too? It was a very spontaneous decision, he knew. But had he ever had a proper n since joining this party? Even now, if he¡¯d had a proper n, he wouldn''t be in this mess. ¡°¡­What should I do now?¡± However, dwelling on what had already happened was the act of a fool. So, he started thinking about what he had to do next. Unfortunately, he couldn''t return to the party. As the Demon said, his entering into a provisional contract¡ªor rather, having it forced upon him¡ªwouldn¡¯t get past the Inquisitor. Furthermore, they definitely wouldn¡¯t ept him back. Even if he tried to exin to save his life, he couldn¡¯t reveal the reason for this contract. Doing so would spell his death. This was aplete disaster. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s for the best. I was nning on leaving, anyway¡­¡± Then, what else could he do? He had no choice but to turn his back on the Hero¡¯s party and leave. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s probably for the best.¡± As long as he could leave the city without running into them, this provisional contract wouldn¡¯t be a major issue. After that, well. If he was lucky, the Demon might annul the contract, and if not¡­ He had no intention of entering into a full contract, at least. Things might work out if he carefully lived his life while avoiding the Temple. If he researched enough, there was even a chance he¡¯d find a way to break this provisional contract. And if the Demon tried forcing him into a full contract? He would just die. From the instant the Demon forced this provisional contract on him, wasn¡¯t his death already half-certain? The only question remaining was whether it would be at the hands of the Church or the Demon. ¡°It¡¯s probably for the best¡­¡± So, it was only right for him to leave. It was the right thing to do. ¡°Probably¡­¡± This was his fate. Whether voluntarily or involuntarily, he had always been fated to leave¡­ Drip. ¡°Huh?¡± Right. So, why did these tears just keep flowing like this? ¡°Damn it, what did I ever do right¡­¡± How many people died because of him? How many people were harmed just because of his foolish actions? Why was he so sad about giving up something he¡¯d never even had the qualifications for¡­ ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Deathbringer finally sank to the ground. He couldn¡¯t bear to stand any longer, feeling so guilty and sorrowful as he cried. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Had he known it woulde to this, he would have never picked up the sword. Had he known, he would have just suppressed his desire for revenge. Why, why did he ever think he was doing it for her¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± She should have lived instead of him. ¡°Emmitte¡­.¡± She should have lived¡­ * * * Rustle. ¡°Emmitte¡­¡± As the moon slipped behind a building, Deathbringer finally fell into a deep sleep. Or maybe he¡¯d passed out from exhaustion. Either way, he wouldn¡¯t wake up for a while. He showed no signs of waking even when I got closer. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going, meat dumpling?¡± So, I carefully adjusted the nket that had slipped off him. Since it seemed he¡¯d taken the candy, I didn¡¯t bother looking for it. ¡°Seriously. It¡¯s not good to just ept stuff that strangers left for you¡­¡± While it was fortunate that he didn¡¯t throw away what I¡¯d given him, it was a bit too worrying for me to be overly happy about. In the end, there was no guarantee the bad guys wouldn¡¯t try something simr in the future. And they certainly wouldn¡¯t leave behind something as harmless. ¡°Should I be happy about this or not?¡± I wanted to scold him but couldn¡¯t bring myself to do so. Watching him sleep, his face swollen from crying, I sighed softly. Seeing his face like that reminded me of when I first found him, making my heart race all over again. ¡°You¡¯re just making people worry.¡± Not that I had much room to talk, but still. Sprawled out on a roof like that, how would the others feel when they saw it? Given our past encounters with that Demon, I initially thought he was dead. If I hadn¡¯t heard his breathing just then, I would have been panicking. ¡°Meat dumpling.¡± I lightly tapped this annoying guy¡¯s nose before sitting down nearby. There was an alley next to the building where I could quickly hide if needed, and from where I sat, I could see him, but he couldn¡¯t see me. This was the same spot I¡¯d used during the day. Despite knowing he wasn¡¯t dead and was physically okay, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to leave him alone. I¡¯d gotten used tonding silently when jumping down to avoid detection¡ªbecause if I got caught, people would notice I was breaking character. That he hadn¡¯t noticed me when he woke up earlier proved it. Well, it was probably just a coincidence that I hadn¡¯t been caught hiding in that alley yet. ¡°Emmitte¡­¡± Ever since he fell asleep, he¡¯d been calling the name Emmitte. Could it be the name of his deceased friend or someone simr? I entertained a few theories but soon dismissed them. It felt kind of rude to specte about someone¡¯s personal life. However, just sitting around here was boring, and I was getting sleepy, so my thoughts wandered to all kinds of ces. For example, why Deb was nning on leaving, or the information I¡¯d recently gotten from the Information Guild. One particrly interesting tidbit was that the young lord¡¯s parents were newly appointed after a particr incident ten years ago. Perhaps because the townspeople had ousted the previous lord¡¯s family under the pretext of tyranny, their ruling had since been very citizen-friendly. Recently, they¡¯d even been called saintly rulers due to their consistent governance. However, that didn¡¯t exclude them from being the masterminds behind this incident. I had seen enough twists and turns in these kinds of situations. But¡­ As some reports said, ¡®Only the young lord sometimes behaves unusually,¡± I suspected it might just be him. In any case, it was too early to be sure of anything. ¡°Hmm.¡± So, I continued thinking about it. ¡°Ah, dawn is breaking.¡± Finally, morning hade. I could hear Bers shouting for Deathbringer in the distance, hopping around like a puppy with its tail on fire. * * * Deathbringer felt his body floating in his sleep. Something hard and sturdy was supporting him, and he could feel some warmthing from one side. Slightly ufortable but cozy, he blinked his eyes drowsily. He wanted to sleep more, the desire making his eyelids heavy. But¡­ Who was carrying him? At that moment, as if he¡¯d been sshed with cold water, his mind snapped back to reality. His green eyes darted around. ¡°Oh, young hunter. You¡¯re awake?¡± ¡°Uwaaah!!¡± Hisst thought before falling asleep was to leave this town without meeting any of his party members. Yet here he was, being carried by Berserk. ¡°P-Put me down!!¡± Deathbringer thrashed around like a freshly caught fish. However, Berserk was a highly skilled fighter, so her reflexes were excellent. Looking quite puzzled, she carefully held him to prevent him from falling. ¡°We¡¯re almost there, though?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Deathbringer blinked at her words. He reflexively looked in the direction Berserk was heading. It wasn¡¯t the Temple, but their quarters within its grounds, just thirty meters away. The Inquisitor had already kicked open the door, perhaps because she¡¯d heard the screams outside or sensed the Demonic Energy. ¡°There¡¯s Demonic Energy outside¡­!¡± The Inquisitor¡¯s and his eyes met. ¡°You, you¡­?¡± ¡°Uwaaaaaah!!!¡± This was a really, really, really serious crisis. Deathbringer twisted his body with all his might. His movements were more frantic than before, and he managed to shake off Berserk. ¡°What¡­ Young hunter, your strength¡­¡± Thud. His boots hit the ground. ¡°No, wh-wh-why are you¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m out of here!!¡± ¡°Huh!¡± He had to run. He knew running away would only deepen their suspicions, but he had no choice. He couldn¡¯t even make any excuses if he tried. So, since he¡¯d already been discovered, he could only run away to save his life. ¡°C-Catch him, Berserk!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Inquisitor, just what¡­¡± ¡°No, erm, Sir Archmage, ah! W-W-We need to catch him¡­!¡± If anything, it was somewhat fortunate that only the Inquisitor knew, and Berserk had no idea what was happening. Crucially, Mister Knight was also missing. If he was even a little slow and this story reached Mister¡¯s ears? Yeah, that would be the moment he¡¯d have to abandon all hope. The Inquisitor was a little slow, but the Demon Knight could easily overwhelm him even now. ¡°Miss Envoy, there¡¯s a Demonic presence inside the temple¡ª! What?!¡± But why did it seem like this situation was getting increasingly worse¡ªfor him? Deathbringer spotted priests rushing toward him, their faces twisted in anger as they looked at him. Shit. ¡°Catch him!!¡± ¡°Wh-What¡¯s happening? Why are you suddenly trying to catch the young hunter?¡± ¡°Inquisitor?¡± ¡°Th-There¡¯s¡­¡± Fortunately, Miss Priest was still hesitating, likely due to the strange bond they¡¯d formed during their time together. ¡°I can sense Demonic Energying from him.¡± Deathbringer swallowed down the bittersweet emotions rising up when he saw the Inquisitor, who was more shaken than he¡¯d expected. It turned out she didn¡¯t hate him as much as he thought. It was something he realized only now, as their rtionship was on the verge of bing adversarial. ¡°Capture him!¡± ¡°Quick, after him!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let him leave the Temple grounds!¡± However, thanks to their rtionship, he was able to keep his life for now. Whoosh. Now that his body had be a little more agile, Deathbringer easily climbed over the wall. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Unfortunately, the Demon Knight was right on the other side of the wall. ____ Chapter 153: Unmoving (3) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 153 Unmoving (3) In that fleeting moment, Deathbringer thought many things. ¡°¡­?¡± However, all those thoughts disappeared the instant he locked eyes with the Demon Knight¡¯s gray, lifeless gaze. ¡ºBut he still managed to acquire power. ¡» Funnily enough, only those words echoed through his mind. ¡ºDespite struggling just as much, he can achieve far more than you, exact a deeper revenge.¡» Even though he knew just how much he¡¯d suffered because of the Demon, how much despair and countless sorrows he¡¯d endured, envy still reared its ugly head first. Clench. Ashamed of these thoughts, he couldn¡¯t bear to face him. Before the Demon Knight could grasp the situation, before the others could gather here and expose his true nature, Deathbringer quickly fled. As always, the Knight didn¡¯t try to catch him. ¡°Where are you going, young hunter!¡± The Knight. Didn¡¯t give chase, either. ¡°Uwaah!¡± ¡°Berserk doesn¡¯t understand anything! Exin before you go!¡± ¡°Urgh, whatever!!¡± As Deathbringer rushed into the street, narrowly avoiding people, he felt heavy footsteps shake the ground. He didn¡¯t need to look back to know it was Berserk; the weight was unmistakable. She was faster than the Inquisitor and didn¡¯t have to worry about the topography like the priests¡ªwho were just ordinary people¡ªso she would undoubtedly be the first to catch up to him. ¡°Exin before you go!!¡± ¡°I said whatever!!¡± That spurred him on even further. For some reason, even though he should¡¯ve already been caught by now, the distance between them wasn¡¯t closing so easily. For some reason, he felt a lot ¡®faster¡¯. ¡°Young hunter!!¡± So, he put even more strength into his feet. He had no idea why he¡¯d suddenly be faster. Ah, no. When that Demon forced the provisional contract on him, it said his physical abilities would get enhanced in exchange for his silence. That had to be the reason. How was this just ¡®slightly¡¯? His running speed was noticeably faster. Deathbringerughed hollowly and dashed into an alley. He didn¡¯t want any of this, but with these enhanced physical abilities, he could now run at an iparable speed. This was his chance. Aside from tracking, hiding was another of his specialties. He was highly confident that he could lose them in these alleys and somehow disappear entirely from their sight. Deathbringer knew this was his only option for survival. He happened to be born in this city. Ten years might have changed a lot of things, but not everything. He could do this. He could get away from them. Deathbringer¡¯s eyes glinted fiercely. ¡°Hunter!¡± Of course, Berserk was still following him closely. With her superior abilities, she could detect most presences, and her uncanny intuition allowed her to pinpoint even hidden things to some extent. ¡°Are you here?¡± However, she was a fighter, not a hunter. ¡°It feels like it¡­¡± So, despite her sharp intuition, hiding from her wasn¡¯tpletely impossible. After all, he¡¯d once sessfully evaded the Demon Knight¡¯s detection, as well. He also had some items that could tell him the location of others, even through walls. Like that, Deathbringer held his breath even more, ignoring the figure who¡¯d appeared not far behind him. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Berserk ced a hand on the windowsill he¡¯d used to climb the wall he was currently clinging to. Crack. Her grip was so strong that just a small push slightly crushed the windowsill. But in the end, he won. Berserk slowly moved away. Phew. The breath he¡¯d been holding in for some time was finally released. Bang! ¡°Not here, either?¡± Just as he was about to take out the item, the presence he¡¯d felt retreating suddenly returned, gripping the windowsill again. Deathbringerpletely froze, even ceasing the slight shaking of his fur. ¡°Phew.¡± It was a good thing that Berserk never looked down. As the saying went, it was darkest under themp. Deathbringer was relieved at her carelessness. ¡°Her instincts are as sharp as ever¡­¡± However, despite being careless, her instincts made up for it. Although she¡¯d moved away from this ce, she hadn¡¯t gone far enough for him to feel safe enough to leave. She was also circling the ce. ¡°Sigh.¡± Taking risks really wasn¡¯t his style, but in this world, things rarely went ording to n. Berserk showed no intention of leaving this area any time soon, and since others besides her were also searching for him, he had to be extra careful. So, he moved in regr intervals, using the item to track Berserk¡¯s position. Of course, he tried to walk calmly, even if she suddenly went in another direction or began running. If she lost his trail, this would be a game of nerves. Running would create much more noise than walking, and a skilled fighter like her wouldn¡¯t miss that sound. Like that, he took one step, then another. Whenever Berserk made a loud noise, he used that as cover and moved a bit further. He controlled every other sound he made while stepping forward, moving in a way that made his presence almost undetectable, wholly enveloped in stillness and silence. Thud, thud, thud. And when her massive figure finally disappeared in the opposite direction. He genuinely changed his position. Aside from Berserk¡¯s instincts finally seeming to reach their limit, the number of people actively searching for him was increasing. ¡°I don¡¯t need this kind of poprity.¡± Despite the precariousness of his situation, he couldn¡¯t help but whine a little. He left the alley, mocking how his situation had abruptly changed overnight. However, with Berserk, his biggest threat, gone, it wouldn¡¯t be that difficult for him to escape this encirclement. While it was somewhat inconvenient that the priests were persistently tracking him through the lingering Demonic Energying from him, it didn¡¯t pose a direct threat to his life. Moreover, their pursuit would most likely end after he left the city. He just needed to hold on for a little longer. Thud! ¡°Where¡ª¡± However. ¡°¡ªdo you think you¡¯re going?¡± Unexpectedly, the one with such formidable power he¡¯d so desperately tried to avoid emerged from the alley and approached him. The way he¡¯d positioned himself, leaning with his arm against the wall as if wanting to break it to block the path, was just as intimidating. It was almost terrifying enough to stop his heart. He was so surprised that he couldn¡¯t even scream. ¡°M-Mister¡­¡± Deathbringer gulped as he met the gaze looking down on him. Had the Demon Knight always been that tall? He hadn¡¯t noticed when they were allies. Honestly, he was so terrified that his hands and feet were trembling. ¡°I believe I asked you a question.¡± Shiiiiiit. Was this the kind of fear those who¡¯d previously faced the Demon Knight before felt? He stepped back hesitantly, thinking it was a miracle his heart hadn¡¯t already stopped. The Demon Knight had blocked his path by leaning against the wall but hadn¡¯t fully trapped him yet. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Had the Demon Knight heard about him forming a contract with a Demon? Considering he hadn¡¯t immediately struck him down, maybe he wasn¡¯t aware of it. However, if he didn¡¯t know, why was he here? Deathbringer lowered his gaze and bowed his head. The hand he¡¯d slid into his cloak clenched around something. ¡°Even if it¡¯s a misunderstanding, you wouldn¡¯t believe me, right¡­?¡± He spoke with a bit of hope in his voice, but before hearing the answer, he quickly abandoned it. He could never hope for something like that. ¡°¡­¡± So, he held the thing that was in his palm even tighter. ¡°¡­!¡± sh! The corrupted dagger the Demon Knight had once gifted him cut the Knight¡¯s cheek. ¡°¡­Tsk.¡± Even though he¡¯d been aiming for the head, all he could only do was leave a superficial cut. However, he hadn¡¯t expected to seed to begin with. Instead, he kicked the ground to move forward. He didn¡¯t even stop to apologize for fear of losing his momentum. Bam! He squeezed through the gap between the Demon Knight and the wall formed by the arm leaning against it. He grazed it but still managed to fall behind the Demon Knight. He didn¡¯t have enough time to ponder why the Demon Knight hadn¡¯t reacted. Whatever the reason, it was fortunate for him. Even though he didn¡¯t particrly care about his own life, he didn¡¯t want to die yet. That was what went through his mind. It wasn¡¯t because his life was precious or valuable to him, but because he didn¡¯t want those who¡¯d died because of him to have died in vain. Step, step, step. Then, the only thing he could do was run like hell. * * * He¡¯d run out to the main street, not seeing the Demon Knight touch the cheek where the corrupted de had cut him. The people of the Temple were probably scattered around there, but it didn¡¯t matter. Since the Demon Knight could cut down enemies from a distance, he had to blend in with the regr people. Of course, he could only even consider this option because the Demon Knight would never harm civilians just to catch him. Had he been the type to prioritize killing Demons over the safety of the innocent, Deathbringer would never have run out into the main street. ¡°There he is!!¡± Damn, they were so persistent. Deathbringer turned to avoid the people running toward him, realizing he was now heading toward the manor, but that didn¡¯t matter. As long as he managed to escape their sight, he could find a way to disguise himself. It didn¡¯t matter whether he was inside a manor, the main street, or an alley. ¡°You!¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Even the iron wall hade out. He didn¡¯t have time to scout ahead with his item, so he hadn¡¯t noticed the iron wall approaching him until it was toote, though that wasn¡¯t a major problem. It would be a little troublesome if the iron wall decided to block the entire street with her barrier, but he knew plenty of petty and extremely cowardly methods to counter that. Whoosh! So he swiftly took something out of his cloak and scattered it into the air. Swish. ¡°C-Cough.¡± It was pepper he¡¯d brought with him when the three of them had recklessly gone into the forest in search of the Demon¡ªhe¡¯d ground up the leftovers. Well, back then, he never expected he¡¯d be using it like this. ¡°Cough, cough.¡± Anyway, he flung that precious pepper worth more than its weight in gold¡ªhe hadn¡¯t bought it with his own money, so he didn¡¯t feel too bad about it¡ªinto the air and turned. Since it was just a harmless spice, it would only cause one to cough a little if inhaled, so he didn¡¯t feel too guilty. Instead, he threw something else along with it: a colorful powder that scattered into the air. Strike! He then struck the flint he¡¯d taken out alongside it to create sparks in the air. The powder caught fire, causing some small explosions. They were really minor, only enough to sting someone a little if they came into contact. However, his purpose wasn¡¯t to hurt others. He just wanted to cause some confusion by spreading colorful smoke. ¡°Uwah!!¡± ¡°Wh-Wh-What is this?!¡± ¡°Cough, cough!¡± The civilians began to panic. ¡°Wait, please step aside¡ª¡± ¡°Everyone, please calm down¡­!¡± Seeing the civilians inadvertently blocking the priests, he quickly ran to the building on his left. There were fruit vendor stalls set up, but he easily climbed over them, taking to the air with ease. ¡°Cough, you troublemaker. Seriously!¡± His reason for climbing back onto the rooftops instead of following the main street was as follows: that slowpoke had no long-range abilities to intercept him, but she could still obstruct his path with that weird barrier of hers. Since it wasn¡¯t lethal, she didn¡¯t have to worry about the civilians, either. ¡°O, Almighty God!¡± At that moment, a golden barrier formed over his head. Deathbringer¡¯s legs turned diagonally. Whoosh. He jumped down from the building. That way, the building would prevent the barrier from trapping him. However, he couldn¡¯t just go down to the street, so he twisted his body toward the building as he jumped. Grab. His body flew diagonally forward to the next building, and his hands grabbed the edge of its roof. It was just outside of the golden barrier¡¯s range. He then quickly mbered onto the roof before jumping again, even as he saw a barrier forming right in front of him. Deathbringer continued moving forward, rolling around to stay out of the iron wall¡¯s sight. Fortunately, the Inquisitor wasn¡¯t nimble enough to scale these buildings and could only move through the streets. It was also quite lucky that he couldn¡¯t see where Berserk had gone and that, for some reason, the Demon Knight wasn¡¯t chasing him. Alright, now that things had turned out this way, he could simply escape through that hidden hole in the manor wall he¡¯d previously discovered. Deathbringer quickly nned a new escape route and pulled out the item that allowed him to detect the location of Arcane Power users. He didn¡¯t want to experience another of those heart-stopping encounters like earlier. Fortunately, most of them, except for the Inquisitor, were far away. He could rx a little more while running. * * * Physical freedom wasn¡¯t always equivalent toplete freedom. That was why Young Lord Leon, who was spending his time in his office adjacent to the garden, wore a distraught expression. The being, which had taken the form of a white cat, purred on hisp, acting cute. He missed Mia. He repeatedly thought about things he couldn¡¯t speak aloud, tears filling his eyes. He truly missed his strong, steadfast lover. ¡°Sigh.¡± Just what had Mia written in her letter? Thinking back on the pieces of conversation he¡¯d barely overheard when those guests were around, she might have been asking about this ¡®wild beast incident¡¯. He¡¯d written to her about it, and the guests had also mentioned a cat. However, the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s interference had ruined everything. Ah, how desperately he¡¯d wanted to tell someone about what was happening. He nced down at the root of all this trouble. The cat, sensing his gaze, looked up at him. Its pink eyes, which reminded him of his lover, blinked at him. That was what had made him risk his fur allergy to feed it. ¡°¡­¡± He quickly averted his gaze, unable to cry but also unable to smile. Even though it was a beast of legend, it was a relief it didn¡¯t trigger his allergy¡­ But that alone simply wasn¡¯t enough to overlook the great harm it had caused. Well, aside from Mia being his lover, dozens of people have already died. Even if they weren¡¯t part of his town, they were still innocent. However¡­ The problem was that this had no solution. Other than breaking up with Mia and offering himself as a sacrifice to the Skyflow Tiger, to be exact. ¡°Tell me the truth!¡± Was this really the only answer? He pulled out a new piece of paper. He couldn¡¯t keep neglecting the situation just for the sake of his love. He¡¯d been selfish enough already, and with hisst hope¡ªseeking Mia¡¯s aid¡ªcut off, he had to make a decision. A decision for everyone, even if it meant his own unhappiness. A decision that would ensure Mia and her city¡¯s safety. ¡°Catch that bastard who killed the former Lord!¡± Had he known this would happen, he would have broken up with her the moment he realized that the Skyflow Tiger was responsible for the immense increase in wild beasts. Then, Mia might have been a bit less troubled by all this. Unaware that he was shedding a few tears, Leon began to write. As he began, the cat climbed onto the desk as if to monitor his actions. When it saw the content, it made a satisfied expression. ¡°If it really wasn¡¯t your doing, then immediately¡ª!¡± ¡°¡­I told you it wasn¡¯t!¡± Even knowing this was the best decision he could make for everyone, his lover included, he couldn¡¯t help feeling resentful. Due to that damn protest outside, he knocked over the inkwell, spilling ink like teardrops across the desk. > [My dear¡­] The cat leaped off the desk. Sizzle. Its plump form soon transformed into that of a tinum person. The Skyflow Tiger brushed her fingers against Leon¡¯s cheek. > [Are those people outside bothering you? If you wish, I can remove them for you.] ¡°¡­I don¡¯t want you to do that.¡± > [But aren¡¯t they troubling you?] The one troubling him the most was her. Leon swallowed those words as he let his tears flow. ¡°¡­No, they aren¡¯t.¡± Ah, Mia. He hoped she wouldn¡¯t be too distressed by this. No, what truly worried him the most was that she mighte to check the situation herself. If a breakup notice were to immediately follow a plea for help, she would definitely get suspicious. She had always been the active type who wanted to see the truth with her own eyes¡­ > [Then why are you crying?] ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± He liked that about her, but right now, he kind of disliked it. Had he known things would turn out like this, he would have just sent her a breakup letter. Had he known, he wouldn¡¯t have even confessed to her to begin with¡­ > [Oh my.] The Skyflow Tiger suddenly clicked her tongue. Leon¡¯s head instinctively jerked upward. > [I thought it was just a passing beast.] What was it now? He followed the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s gaze toward the garden connected to the office. Thud. Someone fell down from a tree. Dark hair was visible from beneath their hood, but the shade cast by the tree made it rather difficult to make out the exact color. > [But it was a mortal.] One thing Leon knew was that this definitely wasn¡¯t a good situation. His face instantly went ashen. ____ Chapter 154: Unmoving (4) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 154 Unmoving (4) Deathbringer slipped into the manor with ease. Their security was stillx, as if they¡¯d all but forgotten that a mere brat managed to sneak in here ten years ago, so he had no problems entering whatsoever. The route to the secret passage was the same. Despite the change in leadership, the locations of the garden and the annex hadn¡¯t changed, so he wouldn¡¯t get lost. Well, there was one issue, though. A storage shed had been built along the path he originally wanted to take, forcing him to make a detour through the garden. However, that wasn¡¯t much of a problem. The garden¡¯s maze-like hedges and numerous flowers and trees gave him plenty of cover. > [Let memend you. If you hadn¡¯t made this slight mistake, I never would have known.] However, why had they moved the office to the first floor, and why was it connected to the garden? Moreover, why was someone who looked to be the young lord making inappropriate contact with someone who didn¡¯t seem to be family? Didn¡¯t he have a fianc¨¦e? Was he having an affair? Was he actually having an affair? But his expression looked kind of weird. > [For a mere mortal, your skills are indeed quite impressive.] He¡¯d only slightly peeked his head out to understand this bizarre sight. Yet, the young lord¡¯s (supposed) mistress immediately noticed him. Vines suddenly grew out of nowhere and pulled him down to the ground from the tree he was in. That was something only a wizard would be capable of. However, the problem was that before entering, he¡¯d used his detection item to check whether any Arcane Power users were present and hadn¡¯t detected any. So, why did that weird person suddenly pop up? Was she a highly capable wizard who could counter his detection tool? > [But that¡¯s no reason to let you live¡ª] ¡°Wait!!¡± Anyway, the tinum-haired figure, who looked far from ordinary at a single nce, raised a hand but was stopped by the (supposed) young lord¡¯s intervention. ¡°J-Just a moment, please.¡± Then, the (supposed) young lord lowered his gaze, almost pathetically, and smiled. The tinum-haired figure withdrew her hand and smiled back at him. Her expression, dripping with affection, clearly showed her fondness for the young lord. > [Why did you stop me?] ¡°I-it¡¯s just¡­¡± On the other hand, the young lord¡¯s expression was theplete opposite. Despite seemingly trying to humor her, his expression was stiff. He didn¡¯t appear to be acting of his own volition. ¡°H-He¡¯s just a mere thief. I will punish him myself, so please don¡¯t concern yourself with him.¡± Obviously, the young lord was groveling because of this other person''s power or status. Who could this person be to make the young lord so subservient? How many people in this world could make even someone of his status act so undignified? > [My dear, but how can you be sure he¡¯s just a thief and not an assassin? After all, the previous Lord was assassinated only ten years ago, which led to your family¡¯s ascension.] Deathbringer listened to their conversation closely, trying to gauge whether he could escape. Part of what they said struck a nerve, though. Assassination. Deathbringer¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± > [It doesn¡¯t matter whether he¡¯s a thief or an assassin; both are equally worthless, so I will take care of him for you.] However, he was neither a thief nor an assassin. Although he hadn¡¯t exactly gotten permission to enter, technically making him an intruder, he didn¡¯t intend to steal or harm anyone in this manor. He was just passing through. Well, those were just excuses, though. ¡°I-I!¡± At that moment, the young lord shouted. Drip. His tears, which had momentarily stopped, rolled down his cheeks once more. ¡°I¡¯m crying, am I not? Y-You should beforting me¡­¡± The tinum-haired figure widened her eyes slightly. > [Oh¡­ You¡¯re right, I got my priorities all mixed up. Of course, you alwayse first.] Deathbringer wasn¡¯t entirely sure what he was witnessing, but he truly appreciated the young lord¡¯s efforts to save him. However, had there really been no other way? Watching what appeared to be a romantic scene, he felt rather awkward. Pressed for time as he was, he couldn¡¯t hide his dissatisfaction. Was the young lord being forced to feign affection for this superior being? How pitiful, yet also not. After all, he belonged to the upper ss. The world Deathbringer grew up in required one not only to sell their heart butpletely crush it just to survive. To him, the young lord, while perhaps a bit unfortunate, wasn¡¯t someone to be pitied. At the very least, this person should have enjoyed everything that came with his position until now. > [Let¡¯s just call the guards to handle this¡­] Was he still going to be dragged away? Even if he were locked in the deepest dungeons, it still wouldn''t be impossible to escape, but everything was pretty messed up now. If the priests decided toe to the manor and ask around before he could escape, things would be extremely troublesome. > [¡­It seems unwanted visitors keeping one after the other today.] ¡°¡­?¡± But even if the ground copsed beneath him, that didn¡¯t necessarily mean he had to fall. Deathbringer harbored the faintest hopes that he could potentially escape in the ensuing confusion. > [God¡¯s soldiers are here.] Of course, that had to happen. No matter what he did, if the ground copsed beneath him, it seemed he had no choice but to fall. ¡°Why is the Temple¡­?¡± Since their visit waspletely unnned¡ªnaturally¡ªthe young lord was visibly flustered. Even in that moment, a glimmer of hope flickered in his eyes. > [It looks like they are chasing after something¡­] The tinum-haired figure stroked the young lord¡¯s hair, then let out a soft ¡®Ah¡¯. > [So, it¡¯s you. You¡¯re the reason they came.] And then, its gaze returned to Deathbringer. His body instinctively flinched, faced with eyes like those of a beast. It felt as if a tiger was standing directly before him. > [By the terms of our agreement, I¡¯ve let you be, but now that you¡¯ve caused a great disturbance in my precious garden, things are different.] Agreement? That word, intriguing him a little, passed through his mind. > [Seize him immediately¡ª] As he thought, this situation seemed to be leading to his inevitable capture. However, the tinum figure abruptly stopped speaking. Their head whipped around as a frown creased their eyebrows, their face filled with utter annoyance. > [How dare¡­] Deathbringer and the young lord, being ordinary people¡ªor almost indistinguishable from such in their own ways¡ªwere equally puzzled by whatever happened next. Bang! Soon, a corner of the garden came crashing down with a loud noise. The explosion was so powerful that, even from a distance, debris reached both Deathbringer and the young lord. Fssssh. Naturally, a dust cloud arose. > [Are you okay?] ¡°Y-Yes. Thanks to your protection, I¡¯m fine, but¡­¡± Deb quickly brushed the debris from his clothes and looked through the dust cloud. Within it, he could see a dark, inky figure. And then, as the dust began to settle, a gray much clearer than the inky ck grew visible, apanied by skin even paler. He could also see something resembling the color of red wine, also called the blood of God. > [Hoooh.] ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°That person is¡­¡± Flutter. The moment the three-pronged coat fluttered like wings in the wind, its owner emerged from the dust. > [As I thought, trusting Demons was a mistake.] ¡°Found you.¡± Eyes like glowing embers, he drew his sword. * * * > [I should have just killed you the moment you set foot in thisnd, despite giving you two warnings.] While caught in a daze, I ended up losing him after finally chasing him down. Blood trickling down my cheek, I finally got a brief exnation from the Inquisitor. Even then, she only said in a few words that Deb had seemingly been tainted with Demonic Energy. Naturally, that exnation was far from enough, so I decided to continue giving chase. My reason foring to the manor was because the priests had imed they sensed Demonic Energying from this direction. Regarding my trespassing, I figured either the Archmage or the Inquisitor would cover for me afterward. > [Despite your fishy stink and possessing Demonic Energy, I generously let you off, but now you¡¯re foolishly running wild without knowing your ce?] But what exactly was going on here? ng. As soon as Inded, I quickly assessed the situation around me. The one who¡¯d been extremely close to the young lord even attacked me. ¡°W-Wait a moment!¡± > [I won¡¯t tolerate this any longer.] Those two had been clinging together so sincerely, and she¡¯d even been wiping away the young lord¡¯s tears, so the thought, ¡®Huh? An affair?¡¯ briefly crossed my mind. Before I could think about it any longer, however, I found myself crossing des with my current opponent. Technically, I was the only one wielding a sword, while my opponent fought with extended, very long ws. ¡°Hah.¡± I could still ignore thements about trusting demons and smelling like fish, but when the words ¡®Possessing Demonic Energy¡¯ left their mouth¡­ Even amid this whole chaos, they actually managed to throw out some words that I, or rather my character, couldn¡¯t ignore. ¡°Who are you saying doesn¡¯t know their ce?¡± So, what should I do? ¡°You beast, reeking like a filthy animal.¡± When misunderstandings couldn¡¯t be cleared up with words, one had to open the gates to hell and make things worse. > [How dare a mere mortal insult me!] ¡°D-Don¡¯t!¡± Behind them, I saw Deb try to sneak away, take a step back, and then try once more. Deb was definitely my priority, but it seemed I couldn¡¯t bypass this person so easily. It wouldn¡¯t be easy for him to escape, either. Of course, I could tell various things just by looking at that figure. Initially, I¡¯d considered the young lord the pinnacle of beauty, but this one was no less striking. Their attire and colorbination made them appear even shier. However, could someone this shy be just someone passing by? Moreover, at a closer look, they seemed tock humanity. This went beyond simple beauty or ugliness; they just didn¡¯t quite seem like a person. Especially considering they¡¯d just called me a ¡®mere mortal¡¯. They probably weren¡¯t one then, right? ng. Once again, our weapons shed. The problem was my opponent had a second weapon, their other hand, which they swung instead of the one I¡¯d just blocked. Her long ws nearly reached my head. Whoosh. I stepped back to avoid giving them another chance to hit me, then kicked them in the chest. One scratch on my face was enough. [¡­!] They also managed to evade my kick. However, they seemed fairly humiliated that my foot had almost struck their body. Their lips trembled, revealing long fangs. ¡°Skyflow Tiger!!¡± The loud cry of the young lord echoed through the garden. Skyflow Tiger. If my memory served me right, they were the Primordial Beast supposed to rule over the eastern regions. ¡°Young Lord, what¡¯s going on?!¡± ¡°Young Lord, are you alright¡ª!¡± ¡°I-Intruder?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s dangerous here, Young Lord!¡± Wow. So, after the Sea Dragon and the Mountain Lord, I finally got to meet the Skyflow Tiger, as well. Was this boss fight mandatory for story progression or something? I had to go through this, huh? ¡°No, you can¡¯te over here¡­!¡± > [A mere mortal who sold his body to a Demon!] But wasn¡¯t this timing just too much? I still had unfinished business with Deb! I was already stressed enough trying to figure out why Deb wanted to leave so badly and why he decided to get involved with that Demon!? Why did I have toe across them now? Couldn¡¯t we postpone this fight a little? ¡°¡­Don¡¯t insult me!¡± However, ignoring this opponent wouldn¡¯t fit my character in this situation. Besides, it didn¡¯t seem like they would just let me go, either. I gripped my sword tightly, thinking about how all kinds of troubles kept piling up before me when I was already busy enough. ¡°Go back!¡± In all this chaos, the young lord was desperately trying to make the guards retreat. ¡°But there are intruders here!¡± ¡°Pleasee this way!¡± Unfortunately, the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s presence¡ªprobably¡ªmade that quite difficult. These guards¡¯ sense of duty was strong, alright. ¡°Young hunter, stay here. Huh? Buddy!!¡± To make matters worse, Bers shoved the guards aside and rushed in, adding to the mayhem. ¡°More intruders are here!¡± ¡°Young Lord, you must evacuate!¡± ¡°Even if they¡¯re with the Temple, to just barge in here without permission!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll remember this incident¡­!¡± Wow, this was so messy, messy, I say. While dealing with the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s continuous attacks, I kept ncing around to understand the situation. The Skyflow Tiger was pretty fast but not unbearably so. Their attack patterns were quite simple, making them manageable. Unlike the other Primordial Beasts, they weren¡¯t massive enough to cause substantial damage with their every move. Moreover, they seemed unwilling to damage their surroundings, making it appear like they weren¡¯t fighting me seriously. I, too, avoided using Arcane Power to prevent coteral damage, so we were fighting under approximately simr conditions. Neither side was inflicting much damage on the other. They seemed to be just venting their frustration¡­ > [You should have just died quietly instead of putting up this useless fight¡­] But they seemed to be growing increasingly frustrated by this stalemate. My opponent¡¯s face contorted further, and their eyes went wide, spewing malice. Overwhelming energy, possibly their Arcane Power, began to gather before them, whipping the wind all around. Their tinum hair fluttered wildly, almost like a Super Saiyan¡¯s from Dragon Ball. Additionally, their hands and bare feet, visible through the hems of their fluttering clothes, suddenly grew fur and began resembling those of a beast. Boom! Although that was the only thing that changed, the ground suddenly started to sink around them, as if their weight had also dramatically increased. > [Now you¡¯ve forced me to use my power.] And¡­ > [Die.] ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Fall back!¡± As they raked their fingers through the air, an illusion of a tiger¡¯s paw suddenly manifested and swiped at me and everything behind me. While it was amon skill effect, its impact was still immense. ¡°Uwargh!¡± ¡°Argh!¡± Thanks to myst-minute use of Arcane Power and not backing down even a little, along with Bers¡¯ frantic efforts to shove the others aside, only two individuals were caught up in this strike. However, even with just two people, the damage caused by this attack wasn¡¯t insignificant. One person lost an arm, and the other suffered a deep gash from shoulder to hip. ¡°Skyflow Tiger¡ª!!¡± The young lord screamed. > [¡­!] The Skyflow Tiger flinched when they heard the young lord. That overwhelming Arcane Power suddenly dissipated. Their body, which had slightly transformed, gradually reverted to the original form I had seen first. The tinum-haired beauty fluttered their long eyshes. > [¡­I showed you something unsightly.] She seemed a bit embarrassed, but her tone conveyed no guilt whatsoever. The Skyflow Tiger then waved their hand, maintaining their cold and haughty demeanor. Then, the grass around the injured began to grow. Something sprouted from between the des of grass, blooming into flowers. > [Well, this could also be seen as fortunate.] ¡°How¡­?¡± > [Let¡¯s take this opportunity to announce this properly. You belong to only me, Skyflow Tiger.] ¡°How could this¡­¡± They weren¡¯t just ordinary flowers. As soon as they bloomed, a subtle fragrance spread all around us. The injured, who had been coughing up blood and moaning in pain, now wore much calmer expressions. Rather than healing their wounds, it seemed more like an anesthetic or something. This felt far too inadequate to be called first aid, especially since they¡¯d caused these injuries in the first ce. > [I¡¯m feeling rather conflicted right now, soe backter.] What was this bastard saying now? After causing all this trouble, picking a proper fight with my character, they wanted us to leave now that they¡¯d done what they¡¯d wanted to? ¡°Scum.¡± Not only had they picked a fight with my character, but they¡¯d also said some things I couldn¡¯t ignore. Even if I possessed Demonic Energy, wasn''t it a bit strange for them to say they ¡®couldn''t trust Demons?¡¯ Whether they were a direct ally or simply ignored their acts, they were somehow connected to Demons. I couldn¡¯t just let that slide. ¡°Where do you think you''re going?¡± That said, I channeled Arcane Power into my sword. ck energy gathered around the silver de, causing it to emit a high-pitched screech. It seemed to have almost reached its limits. ¡°D-Don''t!¡± But as long as it didn''t break right away, that would be fine. Ignoring the young lord''s shouts, I swung my sword at them. A white hand intercepted my de sheathed in Arcane Power. The impact of my attack wasn¡¯tpletely nullified, as blood began to trickle down her hand. > [Tsk.] Even so, they still managed to block it. They scowled at me, their eyes filled with murderous intent. However, they made no further moves, probably because of the young lord behind them. In the end, the Skyflow Tiger pushed away my de with a force too great for me to resist. > [I''ll let this slide, just this once.] But so what if they did? Although I couldn¡¯t withstand their incredible strength, my grip on my de remained firm. I turned my body to follow my sword as it flew to the side. Using the force of the blow, I spun on my axis once more. Whoosh! However, the Skyflow Tiger stepped back before my sword could reach them. I could have just sted them with the Arcane Power on my sword, but if they chose to dodge, the aftermath would be¡­ > [Leave thisnd immediately¡ª] ¡°Kuhaha! A strong opponent!¡± A boisterousugh suddenly sounded out alongside a thunderous crash as a giant halberd struck the ground. The Skyflow Tiger quickly pulled back in a manner they might consider undignified, eyes wide with anger. The spot they¡¯d been standing in moments before had been shattered by that halberd. ¡°Buddy, I¡¯ll get you back for the prey you stole from Berserkst time.¡± Who actually cared about that? I nced at Bers and moved my hand as if shaking my longsword. ¡°Get lost.¡± ¡°Hmph. Berserk won¡¯t listen to you. I¡¯ll fight.¡± Seeing the young lord grab the back of his neck was probably just my imagination. We stood side by side before the Skyflow Tiger. > [Insignificant mortals¡­] The Skyflow Tiger seemed rather irritated by our actions, their elegant neck bulging with veins. Arcane Power started swirling around them, as if they were about to unleash their power again. ¡°Demon Knight! Berserk!¡± However, the situation changed with the arrival of someone new. The Inquisitor, leading a group of priests, was rushing toward us. And while we were distracted by her, the Skyflow Tiger swiftly waved their hand. Craaaack! Just as flowers had grown next to the wounded earlier, enormously thick vines suddenly sprouted. Some were meant to bind us, while others blocked our path. ¡°Ridiculous¡­!¡± ¡°Oh, what¡¯s this? The grass grew tall all of a sudden.¡± Of course, it wasn¡¯t very effective. I simply cut through it with my sword, and Berserk tore it apart with brute strength. The walls of vines blocking our path were no different. We could break through them even withoutbining our strength. ¡°They disappeared¡­!¡± ¡°Huh.¡± However, that brief moment was enough for the Skyflow Tiger to escape. They vanished without a single trace. We couldn¡¯t even tell which way they¡¯d gone. ¡°So, it ended without any further incidents¡­¡± Unlike us, the young lord was fairly relieved, letting out a sigh. However, his expression quickly grew serious again upon noticing the wounded. ¡°Priests! We have injured here!¡± ¡°What?!¡± He called out to the priests who¡¯d rushed over first. It was a wise decision since their injuries were severe enough to require Divine Power to heal. The Inquisitor widened her eyes, then quickly changed direction when she saw the severity of their wounds. Those who were effectively on the brink of death only barely managed to keep their lives thanks to her touch. ¡°Tsk.¡± It was fortunate that they¡¯d survived. However, we¡¯d failed to capture the Skyflow Tiger. I destroyed the remaining nt walls and checked the situation. While we hadn¡¯t caught the Skyflow Tiger, someone here might know more about them, so we could just question them. On the other hand, Deb, the one we initially wanted to catch, had escaped while we were confronting the Skyflow Tiger¡­ ¡°Buddy, where are you going?¡± I¡¯d lost track of time somewhat while fighting, but it was clear that more than just a few minutes had passed. However, if we hurried, we might still be able to chase him down. ¡°Ah. Demon Knight, that¡­ that troublemaker¡­¡± ¡°Right! We need to find the young hunter!¡± I looked at the Inquisitor. She¡¯d barely managed to keep her patients alive and had just handed them over to the other priests. ¡°Which direction?¡± ¡°¡­! That way!¡± Alright, over there, then. I rushed forward, remembering the wound on my cheek that shouldn¡¯t be hurting but somehow still seemed to sting. I gave up on the idea that it might be better just to let him go, even though getting caught by us could mean his death. I still hadn¡¯t heard a single thing from the meat dumpling¡¯s mouth. Even if I eventually decided to let him go, I still needed to hear his reasons first. ____ Chapter 155: Unmoving (5) Chapter 155 Unmoving (5) Deathbringer ran desperately through the secret passage. He had to move as quickly as possible, especially after seeing what expression the Demon Knight wore before entering. ¡°Urgh, I¡¯m going to die.¡± Still, if there was one thing he could call fortunate, it was that they wouldn¡¯t be able to follow him into the secret passage so easily. After all, how could they possibly know how to enter it when even the current ruling family probably didn¡¯t? Even if they tried getting in by breaking through the wall, the passage was designed so that trying to enter like that would copse its entrance, which would make following him pretty much impossible. He panted heavily, cing a hand on one of the walls of the secret passage. It wasn¡¯t like he was in bad shape, but after sprinting non-stop through this secret passage for two hours, he felt about ready to die. ¡°I sure hope there won¡¯t be any priests waiting outside when I get out.¡± If that were the case, he would just have to give up. This passage was one-way¡ªthe entrance couldn¡¯t be opened from the inside¡ªso he¡¯d have no way to turn back. ¡°Phew.¡± But really, what were the chances they¡¯d be waiting for him right outside? He straightened his back again. If they heard him, a certain someone might have called this ¡®g-nting behavior¡¯. The training he¡¯d put his body through seemed to be paying off, as he felt alive again after resting for a little while. ¡°At least I¡¯m outside the city now¡­¡± He was a little worried about the trail of Demonic Energy he was leaving behind, but he¡¯d also heard it wouldn¡¯tst forever. He didn¡¯t know when it would dissipate, but he¡¯d be fine if he just kept running. With that in mind, he approached the end, which was finally in sight. Since it was hidden under dirt, he¡¯d need to break through it to get out. ¡°Whoops.¡± He felt around for a moment before digging through the dirt wall. He wanted to check whether any priests were nearby. As he lifted the item to check what was happening behind the wall, something familiar yet most unwee came into view. ¡°Shit.¡± A gaping hole seemingly cut out of space. A characteristic unique to the Demon Knight. ¡°No¡­ way¡­!¡± On closer inspection, the hole was sorge that it could be just beyond the earthen wall. And it was still growing, as if it were approaching. Deathbringer¡¯s eyes widened in panic. Bang. He barely avoided the copsing dirt wall. Where he had been was now a pile of stones, sand, and roots. Instead of the dim light given off by the luminous pearl he held, blindingly bright sunlight poured in. ¡°There you are.¡± At the same time, a dark figure stood before him, blocking out said light. Was it because of this stark contrast? The only part of him that could shine so clearly even under the luminous pearl¡¯s faint light¡ªhis eyes¡ªseemed to sh with an extremely eerie light. Deathbringer swallowed hard. ¡°Speak.¡± The Demon Knight, who rarely spoke more than five words per day unless he was hunting Demons, had already spoken several today. ¡°Why¡­ does your body contain Demonic Energy?¡± Any other day, Deathbringer would have teased him with, ¡®Mister, so you can speak more than ten words a day?¡¯ but right then, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to do so. Whether it was because of the contract that Demon had forced on him or out of pure fear, he couldn¡¯t muster the courage to be cheeky. Deathbringer¡¯s gaze dropped almost automatically. ¡°Mister¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t just fear making him act this way. He didn¡¯t want to directly see the murderous intent and hostility the Demon Knight should be holding toward him. And aside from that. Beyond that murderous intent and hostility, he didn¡¯t want to see the potential disappointment in those eyes¡­ ¡°Mister.¡± Ah, how ridiculous. Who had tried to kill whom first? And now he couldn¡¯t even handle seeing the other disappointed? Even a mere beast could differentiate between someone who¡¯d saved them and someone who¡¯d harmed them. So, as a person, he shouldn¡¯t be having these shameless thoughts. He cleared away all unnecessary thoughts. Instead, he reminded himself once more of his ce. No matter the circumstances, it didn¡¯t change that he waspletely useless. Despite belonging to a party that had gathered to defeat the Demon Lord, he¡¯d been utterly, pathetically defeated. Whatever the oue, he could no longer be part of this party. Suppressing his crumbling emotions, he forced up the corners of his mouth into a wry smile. It wasn¡¯t an attempt to appear cheerful, but simply a way to endure this absolutely absurd situation. ¡°I¡ª¡± He just wanted to say onest thing before he went. He tried to smile and speak, but before he could finish his words, he instead raised his hand to his mouth. Drip. His nose suddenly began to bleed. ¡°Cough.¡± And he started to cough up blood. ¡°¡­You.¡± All he wanted to say was that he ¡®couldn¡¯t say anything¡¯, but even that was restricted. He coughed up blood a few more times from the pain washing over him. It didn¡¯t seem to be life-threatening, but it sure hurt like hell. This felt truly miserable. ¡°Heh.¡± But he could stillugh. Maybe the absurdity of his fate had started to be even moreughable to him at that moment. Deathbringer¡¯s lips formed a faint smile. ¡°Mister, just¡­ cut me down.¡± It was a smile too sorrowful to be called jovial, yet too reassuring to be called sorrowful. ¡°I¡¯m too tired to talk. Just¡­ Just cut me down.¡± Deathbringer raised both hands, palms open: a gesture of surrender. Thud. His nose continued to bleed, soaking the inside of his hood. Even though this cloth was dark green, the stains were still visible from the outside. ¡°Isn¡¯t that your job, Mister?¡± The Demon Knight''s breath seemed to grow a little shaky for a moment. ¡°So just¡­¡± ¡°You.¡± The Demon Knight tried to say something but left the sentence unfinished. His face was obscured by shadows, making it impossible to determine what expression he was wearing. ¡°You¡­¡± However, the Demon Knight didn¡¯t move the hand holding the sword so easily. Despite being more than capable of ending Deathbringer in a single strike, he did not. ¡°Mister.¡± From that, Deathbringer was able to realize one thing. His existence held some sort of meaning to the Demon Knight. Perhaps he was even thought of as arade. That was his realization. ¡°If you don¡¯t cut me down¡­¡± Yet, why did this realization make him feel so happy? ¡°I will cut you down.¡± Seriously, why¡­? ¡°I¡¯m not joking.¡± But despite all that, Deathbringer knew. If he was destined to die anyway, it would be better if he was just forgotten. The joy of being acknowledged as arade was fleeting, but the grief of losing one would remain forever. ¡°I mean it.¡± That¡¯s why, instead of protesting, he waited. Thinking over it again, he realized there was no need for the Demon Knight to kill him. Right, he was under a restriction that would kill him if he revealed any information. With such an efficient mechanism in ce, why would he need the Demon Knight to do the deed? Ending his life using that damn restriction meant the Demon Knight¡¯s hands wouldn''t have to be stained, nor would he need to go through the deep sorrow of getting struck down by the Demon Knight. It was good for them both. ¡°So, just let¡ª¡± Whoosh. But before he could even do anything, the Demon Knight swung his sword. It was expected, yet he felt a bit, no, infinitely sad. He didn''t know why. He just¡­ just felt a bit sad. There was no reason for it, really. Thus, he searched for a single memory among those shing before his eyes and knelt before it. If this was thest time he¡¯d be able to recall something, his cherished memories with someone would be better than the heart-wrenching pain of the present. Among all his memories, the only one that stood out was Emmitte. Only Emmitte. Memories he¡¯d had all but banished from his mind for half his life. Emmitte, who represented all he loved in his purest days, was much more worthy of his end than all the viins he¡¯d resented and all the irrationalities in this world that left him seething. Everything was still. ¡°¡­?¡± Yet, even after a long time passed, pain and death didn''te to him. The friend he¡¯d finally remembered after such a long time was still staring down at him with a serene smile on her face, not intending toe any closer. When he opened his eyes again, a de was floating right before him. Deathbringer raised his gaze a little more as he looked at that de, which seemed like it could not touch him or even cut his clothes. ¡°Why¡­¡± ng. The de fell to the floor, ttering against the gravel. ¡°Why do you have that kind of expre¡ª¡± Bam! He felt a decisive blow to his sr plexus, instantly knocking him unconscious. * * * . . . ¡°Urgh.¡± His consciousness returned rather quickly. No, did it really? Deathbringer broke into a cold sweat as he looked down, finding himself bound to a chair and inpletely changed surroundings. The room he was in seemed to have been built with precious marble or at least the whitest stone he¡¯d ever seen. No matter how he thought about it, he was inside the Temple. ¡°Oh! He''s awake!¡± The surrounding area felt unpleasant and made it hard for him to breathe. It felt as though even the air was hostile toward him, pressing down heavily on his entire body, pressing his breath out of him. And when he looked at the people around him, he noticed a few in priestly robes who seemed particrly unpleasant to him. They all appeared to be of high rank, possibly possessing Divine Power. Deathbringer blinked, wondering whether this aversion was due to the Demonic Energy within him. In that case, did the Demon Knight have to endure this every day¡­? He couldn''t imagine just how he managed to bear it. This pressure put aside, just the thought of facing the Inquisitor, who possessed the greatest amount of Divine Power, felt so repulsive to him, like having to look at a corpse infested with all sorts of bugs¡ªlike cockroaches, centipedes,rvae, and the like. Just thinking about feeling like that every day made him sick. ¡°Awake?¡± However, he didn¡¯t get much time to ponder more about these things. With all hispanions looking down on him, how could he think about such things? ¡°Wh-What is this about¡­?¡± They should just kill him. It would have been so much better if they¡¯d just killed him while he was unconscious. He would have died without any pain or these needless thoughts. Or was this an interrogation? Did they bring him here because they had no other choice? But then, what was with that expression the Demon Knight made before he fainted¡­? ¡°What is this about? Is that really all you have to say right now?¡± Amidst this, the iron wall snapped at him as if trying to threaten him. What did she want him to do? If she was going to criticize him, she should at least exin why he was here. If they were going to interrogate him, they should ask some better questions. ¡°What? Isn¡¯t that the most relevant, though?!¡± ¡°You troublemaker!¡± ¡°Enough. Inquisitor, you should also calm down.¡± Still¡­ this was much better than having that damn iron wall ring at him with cold eyes. Regardless of the truth of this matter, seeing the iron wall look at him like that would surely irreparably break something inside of him. Just like he didn¡¯t want to see the Demon Knight look at him with disappointment. ¡°You¡­¡± Ah, in that sense, it really would have been better if he¡¯d simply died earlier. He considered whether he should just forcibly break his contract, taking his own life right then and there. If he had to go anyway, he wanted to carry the memories of the times they¡¯d bickered and spent together, rather than those eyes filled with hurt and her scolding face. Even though, ultimately, thest time he¡¯d seen her before contracting with that Demon, they¡¯d been shouting at each other and arguing. Still¡­ ¡°Did you make a contract with a Demon?¡± At that moment, the Archmage cautiously asked him. It was a question he couldn¡¯t answer. Even if he could, he wouldn¡¯t. Well, the facts he could reveal were extremely limited, and anything he told them, even if truthful, wouldn¡¯t be very convincing. ¡°Answer me.¡± ¡°What do you want me to say? You already know, don¡¯t you?¡± So, he chose to act like a viin instead. Maybe that was for the best. Wasn¡¯t such a death fitting for a filthy criminal who imed to have avenged his dearest friend, only to cause the deaths of dozens, no, hundreds of people? ¡°You really¡­¡± ¡°Just send him to the torture chambers. He isn¡¯t denying it, either. He clearly joined you on the orders of a Demon.¡± A meaningless death, branded as a traitor. ¡°No!!¡± Suddenly, a loud voice split through the room. It was the Inquisitor¡¯s. ¡°He didn''t!¡± ¡°If you n to send the young hunter to the torture chamber, you¡¯ll have to get through Berserk first. I won¡¯t let you.¡± Berserk¡¯s, as well. She sat in the corner of this room with a calm expression, fiddling with her halberd. Everyone knew this was intended as a threat. ¡°But¡­ He¡­¡± ¡°Ah, whatever. Berserk warned you.¡± ¡°Erm, Miss Envoy¡¯spanion¡­¡± ¡°While it might be harsh¡­ I also share the same sentiment.¡± ¡°Envoy?¡± Really, he didn¡¯t understand why they were acting like this. He was so easily receable, someone they could just discard. That would be so much easier. He wasn¡¯t someone valuable enough to warrant such reactions. ¡°I-I don¡¯t have any evidence or anything to make you feel assured, but¡­¡± At that moment, the iron wall stammered some words. ¡°I know him. That troublemaker is rude and less than moral, but¡­ not to the extent of siding with a Demon.¡± What aughable statement. She imed to know him, but from his perspective, she knew nothing about him. She never had, and she never would. ¡°He has genuinely contributed to our quest to vanquish all Demons.¡± And yet, she¡­ Deathbringer gritted his teeth as he recalled what he¡¯d been thinking. He¡¯d thought that if his making a contract with a Demon was revealed, the Demon Knight and the Inquisitor would kill him without hesitation. He¡¯d thought those two, the most inflexible in their thinking, would eliminate evil without any attachments or sentiments. ¡°And from what I could see, there wasn¡¯t a single lie in any of these moments.¡± No. ¡°I swear on it. I have witnessed it all myself.¡± That prejudice was the most mistaken judgment he¡¯d ever made. ¡°But, Envoy¡­¡± ¡°There must be a reason for his silence! That idiot¡­ that idiot has many secrets. But that doesn''t mean they¡¯re harmful to us! At least, that¡¯s what I believe!¡± The two people he¡¯d thought would act the most without hesitation were the ones who¡­ the most¡­ ¡°So please, postpone the torture and execution. An investigation is necessary to resolve this matter, but that doesn¡¯t mean we need to torture him!¡± The most¡­ ¡°Wh-Who are you calling an idiot¡­?¡± While watching the one defending him the most vehemently, he began to shed tears. He also cried because of the one standing behind him, feigning indifference but remaining silent even though he must have heard that he¡¯d made a contract with a Demon. He cried because of Berserk, who¡¯d defended him for no real reason, and because of the Archmage, who was looking at him so warmly. Uncontroble emotions surged up within him. ¡°You¡¯re the idiot¡­¡± If he had to die anyway, he wanted to die as a viin so they wouldn¡¯t feel bad about it, but why couldn¡¯t these guys cooperate with him even now? ¡°Hmph! Wipe away your tears and speak!¡± ¡°Then untie my hands and let me speak, you idiot iron wall¡­¡± Knowing how stubborn these people were, he¡¯d joined them to stop them from just rushing ahead recklessly and crashing. ¡°I don¡¯t believe this person is a traitor, either.¡± ¡°Even Madam Archmage¡­¡± ¡°Think about it. If he truly were a spy, he would have remained by our side as a regr person. That way, he wouldn¡¯t raise suspicion and could stay with us until the end.¡± ¡°But, the contract¡­¡± ¡°On the other hand, he was recently targeted by an entity presumed to be a Demon. Could it be possible¡­ that said entity trapped and forced him into a contract?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of a way to force someone into a contract.¡± ¡°Just because it hasn¡¯t happened before doesn¡¯t mean it can¡¯t happen in the future. You should know this, as well. Recently, curse jars that can spread gue curses were developed.¡± Tears flowed down Deathbringer¡¯s face as he watched the Archmage try to persuade the bishop. Every time they spoke, the tears that were about to stop started flowing again. It was painful. Truly painful¡­ ¡°But if that¡¯s true, why isn¡¯t he saying anything?¡± ¡°As the Inquisitor mentioned, he probably has his reasons. ording to the Demon Knight, he began coughing up blood when he tried to say something. Perhaps a new form of curse is tied to this contract.¡± He was happy. ¡°Excuse me, sirs.¡± Therefore, he resolved to speak up, prepared to die. He didn¡¯t know if this would kill him or if he would sessfully find a loophole to break the contract. ¡°You can believe whatever you want¡­¡± He wasn''t sure if they would believe him. Right now, he was just a suspicious person who kept silent about everything he needed to say. ¡°I¡­ know.¡± Even so, he decided to speak. Spurt. Blood trickled from his mouth. ¡°The¡­ Demon¡¯s location.¡± He spoke. ____ Chapter 156: Unmoving (6) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 156 Unmoving (6) ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°Huh.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°H-Haha.¡± It¡­ it actually worked. This wasn¡¯t information the Demon had given him, nor was it rted to his contract with that bastard. It was something he¡¯d figured out on his own, so it worked out. ¡°Heh.¡± It was so funny, yet delightful. Deathbringer chuckled as he felt where his torn shadowy. The thought of being able to p that sly, arrogant Demon in the face was just too much fun. Of course, to do that, he would first need their trust. Still, just thinking about it was enjoyable enough. ¡°As I said, you''re free to believe whatever you want.¡± He couldn¡¯t reveal which Demon he was contracted with. Nor could he mention that he knew because of his shadow, as that would mean they¡¯d met, which was restricted information. Even saying it was a Great Demon would probably be considered a breach of contract. That much was pretty clear from how he began to bleed when he first tried mentioning that he knew the Great Demon¡¯s location. It was fortunate enough that it didn¡¯t kill him immediately, but it was clear he really couldn¡¯t say anything. ¡°It¡¯s a trap.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not sure about that yet. Which Demon are we dealing with?¡± For that reason, he couldn¡¯t answer that question, either. He mped his mouth shut. Yet, it seemed even silence was being treated as an answer. He felt sick to the stomach, and his vision went red, likely due to blood vessels bursting in his eyes. ¡°You!¡± ¡°¡­Let¡¯s stop the questions.¡± Ah, if possible, he really wanted to hold it in until the end. He vomited out a clot of blood. ¡°Young hunter, are you alright?¡± Berserk rushed over to him, worry evident on her face. ¡°Are you really going to believe him?¡± ¡°I¡­ want to believe him.¡± ¡°It could be one of that Demon¡¯s tricks!¡± ¡°Well. It doesn¡¯t seem like that to me, though.¡± On the other hand, while both the Inquisitor and the Archmage were a little skeptical, they seemingly wanted to believe him. He felt genuinely grateful but started wondering if they might trust him a bit too much. Their trust weighed on him so heavily that it almost felt burdensome. What would they do if he really had gone to the Demon¡¯s side? ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself. You need more rest.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m fine¡­¡± If he had to be picky, it was more strenuous for him to have his whole body tied up like this¡­ Cut. The ropes tightly binding his entire body were suddenly cut apart. Deathbringer¡¯s eyes widened at that sudden liberation that followed. Berserk couldn¡¯t have been the one who did it, as she wasn¡¯t even holding the ropes. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t finished discussing this matter yet!¡± Then, the one who¡¯d cut the ropes was¡­ ¡°Just arbitrarily¡­!¡± That person. ¡°Wahaha, buddy, I knew you couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer!¡± ¡°Demon Knight!¡± Deathbringer looked past theughing Berserk, the shocked people of the Temple, and the cheerful Inquisitor and Archmage, focusing on someone else. Someone was quietly leaving this room, even more quietly than usual. ¡°But where are you going?¡± ¡°Let him be. Don¡¯t say too much.¡± It was the Demon Knight. ¡°¡­Mister.¡± At that moment, the doubts Deathbringer had pushed aside resurfaced. Was it really just a coincidence that the Demon Knight hadn¡¯t reacted to his attack? Was what he¡¯d seen before he fainted truly just a figment of his imagination? Like a doll molded from all the world¡¯s sorrow, grief, and yearning, then coated inyers of wax, but at that moment, a piece had melted and crumbled away. Was that face, covered in shadows, faded and worn, truly his? Thud. But the door had already closed, and there was no one left who could answer that question. Just like always. * * * ¡°We¡¯ll depart as soon as you¡¯re feeling better.¡± Since he¡¯d coughed up blood, Deathbringer underwent a physical examination under the Inquisitor¡¯s supervision. The results revealed he was suffering from internal injuries that would require at least a day to heal. ¡°What about Divine Power¡­ Ah.¡± ¡°You troublemaker, if youe into contact with that, it¡¯ll only make things worse. Just take some medicine.¡± He realized that not being heble with Divine Power and this Temple feeling like a nest of maggots was significantly more ufortable than he¡¯d thought. Well, he¡¯d guessed the former from the Demon Knight¡¯s condition, but experiencing it for himself made it much more real. As for thetter¡­ he seriously wondered how the Demon Knight had endured it all this time. ¡°If we dy this by even a day¡­ I think Mister Knight will have something to say about that.¡± ¡°I don''t know about that. I haven¡¯t seen him since he left earlier. I also haven¡¯t heard anything about him returning, either.¡± So, the Demon Knight had yet to return to the Temple. It was a bit absurd that the man usually so obsessed with fighting Demons had be so reserved. Well, if they were going to talk about the absurd, they should start by addressing their decision to keep him alive. tter. He looked at the shackles ced on him, albeit just for show¡ªthey were only on one of his wrists¡ªand the chain extending from them. The Inquisitor held the other end of the chain as if it were a leash on some livestock. Her expression looked quite stupid. ¡°Hey, Iron Wall.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± However, she was currently the only person he could ask. He posed a question casually as if unconcerned with the answer. ¡°Why did Mister¡­ Why did Mister spare me?¡± From an outside perspective, it probably seemed like he¡¯d willingly forged a contract with a Demon. After all, it wasn¡¯t like he¡¯d been born without free will. So, he should have been the type of person Mister Knight least tolerated. ¡°Wh-Why did he¡­?¡± He recalled the expression the Demon Knight had worn at that moment. His face seemed to crumble away like an ancient ruin, neither grimacing nor shedding a single tear. ¡°You¡¯re asking a lot today. Maybe it¡¯s because he knows what kind of person you really are?¡± Ah, maybe he already knew the answer to his question. He just couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°¡­Hah. What kind of person am I, then?¡± He asked absentmindedly. They wouldn¡¯t be treating him like this if they knew everything he''d done. Heughed self-deprecatingly. ¡°What kind of person would make that man¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯re shameless, stupid, sly, rude, and full of secrets.¡± ¡°Oh my, and that¡¯s enough¡­?¡± ¡°But you¡¯re also quick-witted enough to easily uncover critical information, well-versed in the ways of the world, and very good at analyzing people, so you catch many things we often miss. Those strengths far outweigh your ws.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Ah, and though this might not be too obvious, you¡¯re also exceptional at preparing for camping outdoors, hunting, cooking, and other things. You¡¯ve really helped us greatly on our journey. Without you, we might have faced much harsher trials wandering thesends. That deserves proper recognition, as well.¡± ¡°¡­Erm.¡± ¡°So, how was that? I¡¯m still not quite as good as you, but I¡¯ve been trying to learn from you. I¡¯ll try even harder to catch up to you in the future¡­ What¡¯s with that face?¡± Right, that¡¯s how it should be. ¡°What?¡± What did he just hear her say? What did that damn iron wall just say? Qu-Quick-witted? Caught things they missed? Helped them greatly? Wh-Wh-What was with that? ¡°Are you feverish? Your face is so¡ª¡± ¡°H-How thick is your skin to just say things like that?!¡± He quickly covered his face, feeling heat rising to his cheeks. That crazy iron wall seriously had no shame at all¡­! ¡°What are you talking about?! My skin is perfectly normal! And if you feel hot, let me check. It might be due to your internal injuries!¡± ¡°G-Go away!!¡± She was crazy, really crazy. If what she¡¯d said had merely been empty ttery, he could have justughed it off. But that iron wall didn¡¯t know how to do something like that. Her words had to have been 100% genuine, which made this all the more embarrassing. ¡°Just let me see your face already! I need to check your condition to give a proper diagnosis!¡± ¡°Just go away!¡± Desperately trying to avoid her as she rushed at him to see his face, Deathbringer buried his head into the bed he was sitting on. Despite the iron wall¡¯s forceful attempts to get a look at him, he couldn¡¯t lose here. His pride was on the line. ¡°Can¡¯t you just try to be more tactful or something?!¡± ¡°I-I am! But what does that have to do with this?!¡± That stupid iron wall. Did she not remember their fight earlier? He¡¯d one-sidedly thrown all kinds of insults her way, and now she was acting as if she didn¡¯t remember any of it. ¡°You really are such an iron wall¡­!¡± ¡°Ugh! And here I was answering you withplete sincerity!¡± She had been too sincere: that was the problem. Deathbringer took a deep breath, his pillow hiding the heat that had risen to his face and now refused to go away. He felt embarrassed but also strangely good, which made his head spin. ¡°Enough! I don¡¯t need any of that!¡± At that point, the Inquisitor stood up, grumbling. ¡°Take this, you troublemaker!¡± She threw something at the Deathbringer¡¯s head. Thud. A small but hard bag hit him, which stung a little. ¡°Why are you hitting me with¡­!¡± Rustle. The small pouch spilled its contents. What fell out were small, transparent orbs embedded with flower petals. They were somewhat sticky to the touch, like candy. He became slightly dazed at the sight of them. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s an apology gift! I know I can never apologize enough for my prejudiced behavior, but I can¡¯t just do nothing, so I prepared those!¡± But even after that, the iron wall continued to shout. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry for making you feel bad. I¡¯m sorry for trying to force you to reveal your secrets without understanding anything. I¡¯m sorry for treating you like a criminal without knowing what kind of life you¡¯ve lived! I¡¯m sorry for everything! Got it?!¡± She was such an honest and upright person, to an almost foolish degree. As one would expect from a Hero. ¡°I¡¯ll be going, then!¡± She was so upright and brilliant that he felt even more ashamed for not apologizing to her yet. He thought he could understand now why God had chosen her. nk! As he heard the door open, Deathbringer buried his face in the candy bag. He started to murmur. ¡°If I were¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°If I really were a criminal, what would you do then?¡± For better or for worse, the iron wall had stopped after hearing his words and fell into deep thoughts. ¡°In that case¡­¡± And then. ¡°I would help you. So that you could atone. So that you could be a better person.¡± She gave him a reply in a tone so vastly different from before. ¡°¡­Without putting me in a cell?¡± ¡°What do you take me for?! I might have done so back then, when I was still naive, but not anymore! I¡¯ve learned that sometimes, there are circumstances in this world which make certain actions unavoidable!¡± Deathbringer raised his head. He could see the red-haired priest standing right before the door. ¡°Besides, the you I know tends to somewhat disregard thew and regtions and is inclined to support vignte justice. But that doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯d justmit a crime for no reason. So, there¡¯d have to be a reason for why you did it. I have no intention of condemning or punishing you for that!¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°Of course, that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯d forgive you! As I¡¯m not the victim of your crime, I don¡¯t have that right! However, I will speak out on behalf of those who were harmed and help you atone for your sins. That¡¯s what I believe is right!¡± Her green eyes sparkled brightly. Even though those words were simr to what the Demon had whispered to him, they didn¡¯t feel unpleasant, probably because of those eyes. ¡°¡­Even if hundreds of people died because of me? Would you still try to understand me?¡± ¡°Was it something you intended, actively participated in, or desired?¡± ¡°No, but still¡­¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°If it¡­ if it was my fault that it happened¡­¡± ¡°Huh? Don¡¯t talk nonsense! Why are you responsible for something you weren¡¯t directly involved in?!¡± The harsh words this truly good person offered didn¡¯t even feel annoying to him. It was probably because he could readily tell that she genuinely wanted to try leading him down the path of betterment. ¡°B-Because if I hadn¡¯t done what I did, those people wouldn¡¯t have died¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid! By that logic, are those who rebelled against that corrupt Lord to save people from unjustws also criminals?! Their actions probably escted the fight!¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s a different story.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s very simr. I believe that whenever you decide to act of your own will, it¡¯s always to resist the injustices of this world!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°If innocent victims were harmed in the course of violently resisting these injustices, you should apologize to them. Regardless of your intentions, to them, you are indeed the perpetrator. If you fought against something in a wrong way and caused suffering by disrupting order, you should apologize to those affected, as well. That is also part of your responsibility.¡± However, that made him feel even more ashamed. ¡°However, just keep one thing in mind. Hold your head high and stand your ground for just one reason: you did not remain silent when faced with injustice, and even if the method and approach used was wrong, you were simply that outraged by said injustice.¡± However, he hadn¡¯t stepped forward because he couldn¡¯t stand for some sort of injustice. He¡¯d done it purely out of a desire for personal revenge. ____ Chapter 157: Unmoving (7) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 157 Unmoving (7) Having prepared myself to be found suspicious, I¡¯d brought Deb back alive. If they tried to kill him in the Temple, I was absolutely ready to stop them. I even had several excuses lined up to exin my behavior. However, it seemed there wasn¡¯t any need for it. Maybe they¡¯d decided just to let it slide, thinking I did it out of attachment. Thanks to that, they didn¡¯t even question me, much less suspect me. The kimchi dumpling andpany handled the matter of whether he should be killed, so I didn¡¯t need to intervene. That was quite fortunate. Of course, just in case, I pretended to look at Deb with a conflicted gaze, gripping my arm tightly and pretending to be deeply troubled by this. ¡°To track down the Demon, it¡¯s essential that that troublemaker recovers first. However, we shouldn¡¯t be wasting time doing nothing. So, I invited the young lord to this ce.¡± Meanwhile, the Inquisitor, who¡¯d escaped the surveince room, started talking. It was good that I¡¯d decided to hide on the roof of our amodation without anyone noticing. I almost missed all of their conversation. Of course, the most delightful part I¡¯d eavesdropped on was what the two dumplings had been talking about just now. As I thought, the Inquisitor really was the best dumpling, the best Hero. I¡¯d been pretty worried about how I could restore the meat dumpling¡¯s disastrously low self-esteem. ¡°I also n on discussing the Demon subjugation, but before that, I wanted to ask you something. Young Lord, what exactly happened?¡± Anyway, I should focus on this now. I waited for them to speak, positioning myself at an angle where I could see their faces. ¡°¡­Since you already found out, there¡¯s no point in hiding this any longer.¡± The person who, despite his appearance, exemplified a profound sorrow beyond simple misery finally spoke up. ¡°The being who fought the Hero¡¯spanions was the Skyflow Tiger.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ the Skyflow Tiger¡­!¡± ¡°It seems you understood right away, Madam Archmage. Yes, they¡¯re exactly who you think they are. The former ruler of the westernnds who vanished a few centuries ago.¡± ¡°But why would such a being¡­¡± At the Archmage¡¯s question, the young lord¡¯s expression momentarily became a bit strange. He seemed fairly despondent, or put differently, as if he¡¯d been struck by a realization. ¡°I once unwittingly saved a cat.¡± ¡°A cat?¡± ¡°It was shivering in the rain, so I gave it some food out of sympathy¡­ It turned out that cat was actually the Skyflow Tiger.¡± ¡°...What a strange coincidence.¡± ¡°Yes. But it seems this coincidental meeting left a strong impression on the Skyflow Tiger. Since then, they¡¯ve been¡­ a bit obsessed with me, iming I belong to them¡­¡± The young lord took a deep breath at that moment. The others reacted simrly. The obsessive attention of a Primordial Beast, of all things. And to make matters worse, he already had a fianc¨¦e. The young lord¡¯s fate was thoroughly twisted. ¡°So, the reason why you couldn¡¯t talk to us properly the other day¡­?¡± ¡°Huh? Ah, do you mean the day you brought the letter?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The young lord looked rather troubled by that question. ¡°That wasn¡¯t me. It was the Skyflow Tiger pretending to be me.¡± No wonder he looked so troubled. ¡°¡­That¡¯s surprising. I didn¡¯t even notice anything was amiss.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± I could finally make sense of the young lord¡¯s behavior that day. He hadn¡¯t seemed happy to receive the letter from his beloved because it wasn¡¯t really him. Now, I could fully understand why he¡¯d seemed so indifferent, almost displeased by it. How could they be happy about receiving a letter from the official lover of the person they were obsessed with? And his reason for not talking much about the cat that day was because the ¡®cat¡¯ was actually him at the time. ¡°Then, what about the letter¡­?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I never got to read it. The Skyflow Tiger burned it.¡± Ah, so that¡¯s also why he¡¯d mentioned a fishy scent. I wasn¡¯t entirely sure why the Skyflow Tiger thought I smelled fishy¡ªmaybe because of the Sea Dragon¡¯s pearl?¡ªbut they¡¯dmented on it in both their true form and when disguised as the young lord. Thinking back on it, a passerby also mentioned a fishy smell, so they may have been the Skyflow Tiger in disguise, too. ¡°Hmmm. This might be a bit presumptuous, but is it possible that the recent increase in beasts in Camborough¡­¡± ¡°¡­That was the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s doing, as well. I haven¡¯t known them for long, but¡­ who else could¡¯ve caused such a disaster?¡± Like that, the cause for this beast incident was revealed. I¡¯d naturally assumed it to be the work of Demons, but the true culprit turned out to be something entirely unexpected: a mythical being who, driven mad by love, attacked a whole city. I¡¯d kept the possibility in mind, but it seemed that the Demon messing with Deb and this incident were really unrted. Did that mean this situation was any less weighty or grave? Absolutely not. Well, I didn¡¯t know about anything else, but there¡¯d already been victims, hadn¡¯t there? And even fatalities? Whether they were a Demon or a Primordial Beast, they deserved to be struck down by the hammer of justice. Regardless of species, there was no reason to forgive someone who¡¯d arbitrarily killed people. But wasn¡¯t the Skyflow Tiger helping this ce? That didn''t seem to be the case, considering they¡¯d ¡®vanished a long time ago¡¯. So, wasn¡¯t it only fair that they finally paid the appropriate price? ¡°However¡­ you don¡¯t need to worry about this anymore. I won¡¯t neglect my duties anymore.¡± ¡°What do you mean by duties?¡± ¡°The root of this problem is my engagement with the youngdy of Camborough. The Skyflow Tiger is displeased with this engagement and decided to interfere. If I were to end my engagement with the youngdy of Camborough, wouldn¡¯t that solve the problem?¡± ¡°What?!¡± However, this person apparently had a different opinion. Instead of discussing punishment for the being, he was just discussing solutions. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°I am the young lord of Ednium, its next lord. My granted privilegese with the responsibility of ensuring the safety and better future of the city¡¯s people.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I have no intention of neglecting the duties thate with my privileges. That is the burden of this position. Quite honestly, having already wasted a week just because I didn¡¯t want to break up with Mia, I don¡¯t think I can afford to dy this any longer. Camborough has already suffered tremendous damages¡­¡± The young lord met the gaze of the person who seemed the most upset, the Inquisitor. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± His smile seemed rather relieved. ¡°¡­I-I don¡¯t think this is the right choice. What crime did thedy of Camborough and its residentsmit to deserve this?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. They¡¯ve done nothing wrong. There¡¯s no reason for them to be struck with such cmity. However, natural disasters don¡¯t need a reason to ur.¡± ¡°The Skyflow Tiger isn¡¯t a natural disaster.¡± ¡°No, they are no different from one in that they cannot be held ountable.¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t they be held ountable?!¡± ¡°Because normal peopleck the power to stand against them!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°¡­In the first ce, the Skyflow Tiger has no reason to follow thews of mortals. It¡¯s like how a person wouldn¡¯t apologize to a colony of ants for stepping on a few. In that sense¡­ Mia, the youngdy of Camborough, will understand. Of course, she will be furious, but¡­ there is nothing I can do about this. I must protect the people of my city, and¡­ I also want to protect Mia and her city. I don¡¯t want them to get hurt or killed anymore. Because of my choice, not anyone else¡¯s.¡± Imented his attitude, which reminded me of the youngdy of Camborough¡¯s. The people who¡¯d already been harmed would undoubtedly me him for not making this decision sooner, but still, this was a conclusion he¡¯d reached after putting much effort into it. It wasn¡¯t as if he¡¯d wanted to cause their deaths. Additionally, the young lord looked to be barely in his twenties. For such a young man to willingly sacrifice himself to save others, his devotion deserved acknowledgment. Well, devotion or whatever aside, I really disliked that damn Skyflow Tiger. Of course, this could be called simple noblesse oblige at best, but realistically speaking, this was nothing more than the young lord bing a living sacrifice. Moreover, that couple¡¯s issue aside, many people had still lost family members to the beasts. The young lord of Ednium¡¯s silence meant that he, too, could say nothing because of them. What crimes had hemitted that he must keep silent with no choice but to let it go? ¡°¡­No, this isn''t something that should just be moved on from. You shouldn¡¯t just ept being so one-sidedly sacrificed like this!¡± However, while I was thinking about these things, the Inquisitor spoke up. As expected of our kimchi dumpling. She never disappointed. ¡°Even if it might be difficult, we can¡¯t just let this go! Justice must be served!¡± That¡¯s right, our kimchi dumpling was doing great! Let¡¯s fight that wicked Skyflow Tiger! If we could defeat the Sea Dragon, why couldn¡¯t we handle the Skyflow Tiger?! Let¡¯s take down that tiger who¡¯s acting like a damn thug for no reason! We¡¯re already hunting that Demon, so while we¡¯re at it, why not take down that one, too?! ¡°I just told you, there¡¯s no way we can punish the Skyflow Tiger¡­¡± ¡°Just because they¡¯re a Primordial Beast doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re invincible!¡± ¡°The Skyflow Tiger will never admit to their crimes! And we can¡¯t kill them!¡± The Inquisitor¡¯s eyes darkened at the young lord¡¯s words. ¡°Why can¡¯t we kill them?¡± They were the eyes of an inquisitor who only knew how to do one thing. Or perhaps, the look of someone a little too honest who refused topromise even after being given many reasons. ¡°Punishment shouldn¡¯t vary depending on power, wealth, or strength. And when ites to murder, if there is no room for leniency, execution is the only eptable punishment. Such is the crime of harming someone. So, doesn¡¯t that mean the Skyflow Tiger, who¡¯s killed dozens of people due to simply not liking them, should also be sentenced to death? Am I mistaken?¡± ¡°But Miss Inquisitor. No matter what they did, the Skyflow Tiger is still an object of faith¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen the corrupted Sea Dragon of the Western Sea. It, too, was an object of faith, but when people began to die because of it, they took up arms against it. How is this any different?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ve heard reports about the Western Sea in passing. However, wasn¡¯t that done because the entire Western Sea was at risk of ruin?¡± ¡°Dozens of people have died, all for the sake of their desires. This means the Skyflow Tiger values their desires above mortal lives. What guarantee do we have that they won¡¯t do something like this again?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°There are those whomit evil without harboring any malice. I was taught to be the most wary of such people, and even after all my experiences, my judgment remains the same. Those who¡¯vemitted evil once will likely do so again unless someone intervenes. I¡¯ve learned that nothing else will stop them.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I ask you again. Do you still believe the Skyflow Tiger shouldn¡¯t be killed?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s impossible to kill her.¡± ¡°No, that is not for you to judge, Young Lord.¡± The Inquisitor stared firmly at the young lord. ¡°We are the ones who must deal with that evil, after all.¡± Ah, they definitely can be killed. When we fought earlier, they didn¡¯t really seem like anything much. ¡°¡­No.¡± However, the words that eventually came out of his mouth were a denial. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Even if we managed to kill them¡­ there are other problems.¡± ¡°Other problems?¡± ¡°In the past, after the Skyflow Tiger left, thend began to dry up. We can¡¯t bepletely certain whether those events are connected, but if they are¡­ If the Skyflow Tiger were harmed, thisnd might be in this state all year long.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to take that gamble. Not just my life is at stake, but the lives of the residents, as well. If the entire Eastern region dries up, we¡¯re talking about not just thousands, but potentially tens or hundreds of thousands of lives.¡± Neither the Inquisitor nor I had anything to say to that. Neither of us had the courage to risk hundreds of thousands of lives to punish someone responsible for the death of dozens. ¡°¡­I see. I understand.¡± The Inquisitor finally conceded. ¡°¡­I apologize for not being of more help.¡± ¡°No, this¡­ simply isn¡¯t something we mortals can resolve.¡± ¡°¡­It might not be much, but I can offer a small amount of assistance.¡± It was then that the Archmage stepped forward, filling the silence. ¡°What sort of assistance are you talking about¡­?¡± ¡°The most pressing issue right now is resolving this beast disaster as quickly as possible. For that, the engagement must be canceled immediately.¡± ¡°Right¡­?¡± ¡°So, I will use a spell to ry the message.¡± ¡°Is that possible¡­? I don¡¯t think there are any wizards in Camborough, though¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s a small survey team from the Magic Tower currently stationed in Camborough for research. As it happens, I have a way to contact them. This method would be much faster than sending a messenger.¡± I listened to their conversation, trying to distract myself from that bitter taste in my mouth with random thoughts. Honestly, the other Primordial Beasts were fine¡ªwell, the Sea Dragon was a bit off, but that was because its sessor had be corrupted, not because it was inherently evil¡ªso why was this one different? The Skyflow Tiger was supposed to be a white tiger, right? A tiger? Why was that tiger''s personality like that? Did they not have enough garlic and mugwort to refine their character or something? ¡°¡­Thank you. Thank you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry that this is all I can do to help.¡± ¡°No, this is actually the best way to help us.¡± Seriously, why was this world filled with so much unfairness? * * * Mia, the youngdy of Camborough, remained silent for a long time after receiving that urgent telegram. And after the wizard had finished their report and left, she copsed to the floor of her office. Her longtime friend and aide, Johanna, nced at her. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°They said that they uncovered what¡¯s causing these beasts to attack and that the attacks would soon cease, so I should say yes¡­ but I somehow can¡¯t bring myself to do so.¡± ¡°Mia.¡± ¡°Hah, so everything will be resolved if I just break up with him? Then it¡¯ll be over? Are you kidding me? People died! Twenty-five people died!¡± Mia, still sitting, ced her hand on the sofa. Her nails, deformed from clutching a pen between her fingers for more than eight hours a day, dug into the fabric, seeming as if they were about to tear into it. ¡°Not only must I watch the person I love be taken from me, but my people, the residents of my city, have died, and we can''t even punish the one responsible! How am I supposed to simply let this go?!¡± Wrong. It didn¡¯t just seem like it; her nails were actually tearing through the thick fabric. ¡°Y-You¡¯re going to hurt your hand.¡± ¡°Just¡­ just how did this happen?¡± ¡°Mia, thest time you did this, you couldn¡¯t use your hand for ages. Let¡¯s just talk about this.¡± ¡°How¡­!!¡± Thanks to Johanna¡¯s coaxing, she barely let go of the sofa. Mia, who¡¯d copsed to the floor, was reluctantly helped up and moved to a chair in the office. ¡°How can this world be like this?¡± Even so, she hadn¡¯te back to her senses yet. Mia ced the back of her hand against her eyes. Honestly, she was feeling disillusioned right now. She thought she¡¯d held on pretty well for so long, but in just an instant, everything simply felt meaningless. ¡°I endured it when some woman strutted in out of nowhere and took over the household after my mother passed away. I endured it when my position was threatened by that illegitimate child my father favored, and I was forced to clean up after that damn bastard constantly. But after all that, is this my reward? A sudden disaster causing me to lose the person I love? Is that really how it¡¯s supposed to be?¡± ¡°Mia¡­¡± ¡°Sigh, right. It¡¯s wrong to call him illegitimate. That damn bastard is my stepmother¡¯s son, after all. Despite having him while cheating on my mother before she passed, my father ims the child only inherited my stepmother¡¯s blood.¡± As she spoke, her anger resurged, and she mmed her fist onto the desk. Bang! The sound reverberated loudly through the office. ¡°But even so, this isn¡¯t right. How have I lived through all this, and how much did I endure? I finally secured my position and just wanted to live happily with the person I love. But now I¡¯m told I can¡¯t do that because of some damn beast eyeing my man? And on top of that, residents of this city have died because of that thing, and I¡¯m just supposed to shut up and move on? How does that make sense?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just some beast, it¡¯s the Skyflow Tiger¡­¡± ¡°A beast is still a beast, no matter whether some idiots worship it! If it really wanted to be treated like a god, it shouldn¡¯t have left to begin with, or it should have stayed gone forever for all I care!¡± Meanwhile, Johanna, knowing herdy and friend¡¯s temperament all too well, trembled as she listened to Mia¡¯s outburst. ¡°When I was in so much pain that I wanted to die, it didn¡¯t show its face, but now, how dare it. How dare it¡­¡± However, more than anything, she just felt sorry for herdy. She¡¯d seen how much Mia had to endure between her extremely arrogant younger brother, who was secretly an illegitimate child, and her new stepmother, who just took over everything after her mother passed away, not caring about anyone. The only reason Mia endured all that pain was because of the will her mother had left, asking her to take care of the city. Because of that one will, she¡¯d tolerated her biased father, her controlling stepmother, and her prideful younger brother, and she was eventually praised by everyone as the city¡¯s youngdy. She never even considered her own happiness, all to fulfill that one wish. And it was precisely because of this that she was so grateful to the young lord of Ednium, who¡¯d managed to make Mia truly happy¡­ ¡°Johanna.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What infuriates me even more is that there¡¯s absolutely no way to resist. I want to kill that beast so badly, but it¡¯s just too powerful¡­¡± ¡°¡­Mia.¡± ¡°Ah, and it¡¯s not just its strength. Many people will argue that it would be a lot better to keep that damn beast alive and receive its favor for as long as possible than to harm and kill it. Of course, they would think like that. After all, none of their family members got killed, so it¡¯s clearly more beneficial to them.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­But do you know what the funniest thing is? The moment I realized there was no way to get rid of or punish that thing, the thought actually crossed my mind to just give it all up and run away with Leon.¡± ¡°¡­! You¡­!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that just positively disgusting? How could I even think something like that? Setting aside whether sessfully escaping is even possible, who would take care of those put in harm''s way by my absence? If I left, this city would fall into the hands of that bitch¡¯s bastard. What would be the consequences of that? And what of the aftermath of my escape, with the city¡¯s people suffering from that beast¡¯s wrath?¡± ¡°¡­Mia, that¡¯s just¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s irresponsible. I know. I know that much, as well¡­ But at the same time, I can¡¯t help but think that way. Damn it. Why did my mother leave me such a will? I¡¯ve never onceined about it before, but right now, it just feels so incredibly unfair. I know that the rights we enjoye with a lot of sacrifice. I know that we can¡¯t shirk our responsibilities. But still, I¡­ I¡­¡± Johanna could only hold her friend tightly and watch as she finally broke down in tears. Why was it that someone as capable as her, who¡¯d handled her position so admirably, never received any reward for it? They, who¡¯d lived so much better lives because she was the youngdy of this city, could never truly repay her. * * * ¡°Is it here?¡± After a day, Deb had regained some of his strength. He hadn¡¯t fully recovered, but he no longer felt like he was on the brink of death or needed to be carried around on someone¡¯s back. Moreover, a party to capture the Demon¡ªthough, given its size, it would be more fitting to call it a raid party¡ªhad been formed. With about thirty soldiers given to us by the young lord and forty capable priests¡ªthe wizards would have taken too long to get here, so we decided against bringing them along¡ªthey were ready enough to head out as soon as I joined them. By this point, wasting any more time would be extremely out of character, so I reluctantly set aside my reservations and thoughts of joining upter and showed myself to them. Naturally, the party set off as soon as I returned. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­I can feel the Demonic Energy. I think I can track it now.¡± And then, the moment we reached the deeper parts of the forest after travelling for half a day. ¡°Wait, the Demonic Energy is getting closer¡ª!¡± ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t it actuallying here?¡± > [Hah, mere mortals dare to track me down?] The Demon revealed itself. It looked exactly like the guy who¡¯d given me the veil and whom Deb had described in his earlier testimony. That meant Deb wasn¡¯t a traitor, after all. > [No matter how you managed to find me¡ª] ¡°You¡¯re dead, Demon.¡± And since this bastard definitely did something awful to our meat dumpling, I wasn¡¯t going to let it off easy. ¡®Kill it.¡¯ Get ready, you bastard. You¡¯re dead now. Chapter 158: Unmoving (8) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 158 Unmoving (8) The Hero, Wrath''s vessel, and those weak but pesky dogs of God. Leviathan was caught off guard by this unmistakable encirclement. How did ite to this? However, there was no time to ponder over things like that. ¡°That wasn¡¯t a breach of contract, right?¡± > [How dare you¡­!] At first, when this overwhelming mass of Divine Power came his way, he¡¯d thought it mere coincidence. However, when it continued to follow him even after he¡¯d moved twice, he realized it wasn¡¯t. Somehow, those damn things had found a way to track his location in real time. > [You mortals¡­!] However, he never expected the source of this trouble would be that insignificant mortal he¡¯d nned on using and immediately discarding. No mortal had ever found a loophole in the contracts he¡¯d forced upon them. Of course, the number of mortals he¡¯d forced into contracts was rather small, thus limiting the sample size. There was that. However, as simple as it was, the contract should¡¯ve been foolproof, so how? No, more importantly, how did that mortal know his location? Even he couldn''t pinpoint the location of his contractors with such uracy, so how did they manage it? And those damned fanatics had kept that mortal alive. They usually would¡¯ve just killed him on sight, so why not this time¡­?! ¡°I¡¯ll never let you leave this ce alive¡­!¡± ¡°Kahaha! Berserk will join you. Can''t let you have all the fun, buddy!¡± He¡¯d hoped that even if he couldn¡¯t make that mortal betray them as intended, he¡¯d at least instill his foes with the shock of a supposed betrayal. However, even that seemed to have failed miserably. Leviathan watched as the dogs of God tightened their encirclement from a distance, perfecting their trap even further, while Wrath¡¯s vessel slowly approached him. This was a real crisis. > [Hah, a fool who couldn¡¯t even control a single vessel properly!] ¡°Victory to my de.¡± ¡°Wahahaha!! This is my first time hunting a Great Demon!¡± > [Do you really think I¡¯ll be defeated by just this?!] ¡°Glory to the heavens.¡± ¡°Please entertain Berserk well!¡± A crisis? > [Do you really think I¡¯ll be defeated by the likes of you?!] Leviathan trembled as the thought crossed his mind. He couldn¡¯t admit it. The idea that mere mortals could endanger him. His anger was so intense that he refused to ept it as reality. ¡°Destruction to the Demons¡­!¡± ¡°Here Ie!!¡± So, Leviathan began to summon his power. However, he seemed to have forgotten he wasn¡¯t in his King¡¯s domain or near water, meaning he couldn¡¯t unleash his full strength. He¡¯d also seemingly ignored the reality that the Hero and the vessel of Wrath, both formidable opponents even on their own, were now facing him together. > [I am the throne of Envy, Moby Dick¡ª!] Boom! A sword cloaked in ck Arcane Power and a dark halberd shed against his silken clothes. At the same time, water surged from the ground like geysers, shooting high into the sky. The sky whale, swimming far above the clouds where the air was so thin that breathing was only barely possible, uttered a resounding cry. * * * I silently pondered while watching water surge upward like an inverted waterfall and the Demon disappear, reced by a sky whale¡ªlikely Moby Dick. Why was it that every time I did raid, the enemy was never on the ground? Why did I always have to perform some kind of miracle and surpass a regr person¡¯s limits just to kill them? Sure, if you said, ¡®That¡¯s just how raids are,¡¯ I couldn¡¯t refute it, but wasn¡¯t this still a bit too much? Usually, raids like this at least provided some tforms you could use to reach the target, or the enemy would asionally descend so you could attack it. ¡°I¡¯ll block it!¡± Not just bombard us from above like it¡¯s doing now! Boom! I watched as a golden barrier blocked the stream of water that Moby Dick was spewing out. It was the work of the priests led by the Inquisitor. ¡°Lighten the Hero¡¯s burden!¡± ¡°O almighty God, grant us courage to face this evil!¡± Initially, I¡¯d thought bringing along so many priests might be excessive, but now, it seemed to have been a pretty good decision. Although our n to encircle and wear down the Demon had failed, at least they could help conserve the Inquisitor¡¯s stamina. ¡°It went up. We can¡¯t hit it now! Come down already!¡± Meanwhile, Bers shouted in frustration. Her simplicity aside, I agreed with her, so I wasn¡¯t about to argue. ¡°So, it really was a Great Demon¡­ Are you doing alright?¡± ¡°Y-Yes. I can still manage for now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, but just in case, you should stay back. We can¡¯t be sure what that Demon could do to you.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± After ensuring Deb¡¯s safety, the Archmage began to chant a spell in earnest. Given the unusually considerable amount of Arcane Power gathering around her, she was clearly preparing a powerful attack suited for this kind of raid. However, as she was the only wizard in this party, it wouldn¡¯t be on the level of the defensive spell I saw during the siege of Pa Enoch. Bam! When the water finally stopped hitting us, Iunched [Bombard] at full power, and the Archmage fired a concentrated bolt of lightning. ¡°¡­The distance is too great.¡± However, there was too much distance between us and the enemy. My attack didn¡¯t reach it, and while the Archmage¡¯s spell made contact, it was too ineffective; it might as well have done nothing. ¡°And it¡¯s toorge. I thought it was still within range, but to appear that big even when it is that far away¡­¡± The Archmage pointed out another critical issue. Against something of that size, even if it had been within range, our attacks would have made little difference. It was like trying to stab someone with a toothpick or cut off their hand with a needle. ¡°Berserk wants to use magic, too¡­¡± ¡°Urgh. There¡¯s no way to attack it using Divine Power, either.¡± So, were we just supposed to sit here and take this? I didn¡¯t like the sound of that at all. I started thinking of various ways to attack Moby Dick somehow. Then, when that sky whale shot another jet of water at the golden barrier, which blocked it once more, something urred to me. If that barrier had physical properties, couldn¡¯t I use that as a stepping stone? So, if I did that, couldn¡¯t I reach that guy? ¡°You.¡± ¡°This is just a war of attrition¡­ Did you call me?¡± I briefly hesitated when I saw the kimchi dumpling nkly point to herself, unsure if this n was too reckless. But I absolutely despised the idea of just sitting around and taking that thing¡¯s hits. Judging that it wouldn¡¯t really be out of character, I tried putting my idea into words. * * * Those listening looked at me with expressions that asked if I¡¯d lost my mind, but the kimchi dumpling¡¯s eyes gradually lit up. ¡°That¡­ might be possible! I¡¯ve never created a barrier that far away, but if I go with you, it might work out!¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s too dangerous! You won¡¯t be able to breathe up there with the air so thin¡­!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. We won¡¯t achieve anything if we go on like this, anyway!¡± The Inquisitor shouted while looking up at the sky. Moby Dick was momentarily silent, as if its ability to shoot water jets had a cooldown period. If we were going to do this, now was the time. After all, it was hard to im that a mortal had more stamina than a Great Demon. ¡°However, Demon Knight, in case you¡¯d be taking damage from it¡­¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Ah, of course, if I used that Divine barrier as a stepping stone, I¡¯d take damage every time I made contact with it. However, the amount of HP I¡¯d lose from merely touching it shouldn¡¯t be that great. Instead, the oxygen issue was much more concerning than HP loss from Divine Power: altitude sickness and all that. I wondered whether I was just worrying too much. ¡°So, who is going up¡­?¡± ¡°Berserk¡¯s definitely going!¡± ¡°Th-Then we should also¡­¡± ¡°What about Madam Mage¡­?¡± More importantly, I wasn¡¯t nning to stay up there for long. ¡°Only you, you, and I are going.¡± I mean, just think about it. The main risk of this whole n was that even the slightest mistake by the Inquisitor could lead to us falling to our deaths. Also, if we brought other people, they¡¯d only be dead weight due to altitude sickness, the cold, or other issues. ¡°That¡¯s too dangero¡ª!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll go up and bring that thing down.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Rather than fighting with that constant risk, wouldn¡¯t it be better to try knocking the enemy down to the ground? There should be some way, whether by cutting off its wings or crashing down on it from above with overwhelming force. Even if it didn¡¯t work, we could just continue fighting as is. ¡°Kahahaha! You¡¯re smart, buddy! If the enemy is up there, we just have to drag them down!¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s impossible¡­¡± ¡°¡­Can we really do that?¡± Anyway, the priests, knowing who we were but not what path we¡¯d walked, began to panic. On the other hand, the Archmage was simply assessing the practicality of the n, not even trying to argue whether it was impossible. Deb, who had retreated to the back due to lingering doubts and safety concerns, wore a face that seemed to say, ¡®Here we go again.¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s probably best we stay on the ground, just to be safe.¡± However, in the end, we would be the ones fighting, not the priests, so we were granted permission. Well, it¡¯s more like they were pressed into granting it due to time constraints, but details. The Inquisitor nted her mace into the ground. ¡°I¡¯m not yet proficient in moving the barrier itself. You¡¯ll have to jump!¡± ¡°Kaha, no problem!¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s go!¡± Using her mace like a staff, the Inquisitor created a tform in the air. It wasn¡¯t that high up, probably taking everyone¡¯s jumping ability into ount. ¡°Oooh!¡± However, how long would it take to get up there using steps like this? Wouldn¡¯t her Divine Power run out before we even made it? I closed my eyes, thinking of how I would¡¯ve usually skipped over this part in a game. I began to doubt whether this n of mine was really such a good idea. But the moment I stepped onto the barrier, I dismissed that doubt. Our kimchi dumpling was a very smart dumpling, after all. Whoosh! The barrier pushed us upward. Since the barrier itself couldn¡¯t freely move, it only moved a little bit to give us a small boost into the air. ¡°Hah!¡± Just as we were about to fall, a new tform formed mid-air. It was exactly as I had imagined. The three of us gradually moved higher and higher. Buooooh! Perhaps sensing danger, Moby Dick let out a long cry and began gathering water in its mouth. Although I called it water, it was filled with Demonic Energy, glowing with a sinister light. ¡°W-Will we be able to block that¡­?!¡± ¡°A frontal assault! Good! Berserk can take it!¡± Maintaining the barrier we were standing on was challenging enough, so simultaneously blocking an attack from above would be even more difficult. Even though Bers was acting tough, withstanding that attack with nothing to protect us was honestly impossible. And even if we started hopping around hastily made tforms like grasshoppers, Moby Dick could just change its aim, making it totally pointless. Usually, games wouldn¡¯t resort to such unfair tactics, but this ce had never been fair from the start. So, I raised my sword. There was no particr reason; it just made it easier to visualize. ¡°First, I¡¯ll somehow¡ª¡± ¡°Ignore it.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Your job is to create tforms we can step on.¡± I¡¯d used some Arcane Power earlier but recovered a bit while Moby Dick¡¯s attack was on cooldown. ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± ¡°If you have even a shred of sense, move.¡± ¡°C-Come this way!¡± Recalling the technique I¡¯d used in the Great Forest, I stretched out lines of Arcane Power in all directions, starting from the tip of my sword. My goal was to create a dome constructed from those lines. ¡°Buddy, what are you going to do with those?¡± ¡°Demon Knight, that¡¯s¡­¡± Don¡¯t even think about touching it, and keep your head down, you rascal. I was quite relieved when I saw the Inquisitor pull Bers behind me. I slowly began to channel my Arcane Power. The lines started spinning like a pinwheel. Boooom! And just as those lines were spiraling rapidly enough to resemble a dome, Moby Dick fired his water cannon. My Arcane Power and the whale¡¯s water cannon began a fierce power struggle. It was like trying to drill through the water cannon, or trying to hold it back. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Oooh!¡± ¡°Demon Knight, that¡¯s¡­!¡± Frooshfrooshfroosh! Incidentally, this sound reminded me a lot of those old automatic car washes. They always made that sound when spraying high-pressure water, then applying soap, and finally scrubbing the sides and top with brushes. Urgh. Also, my arm seriously hurt. I clenched my teeth hard when some water droplets that had slipped through sshed me. Not only was my body soaked, but my sword arm was in so much pain that it took all I had not to let out a groan. Well, it made sense, since my arm was bearing all the pressure being unleashed against my entire body¡ªno, against everything. ¡°Hmm! I can do this, too! I¡¯ll do it next time!¡± ¡°T-To think something like that was possible¡­¡± Still, I had to maintain my character¡¯s pride. Showing weakness or copsing right now just wouldn¡¯t feel right, especially after proving I could defend against it like this. So, I gritted my teeth and held on, and finally, the water barrage ceased. Bang! Water droplets, reflecting the light, scattered in all directions as if shattered into pieces. Against the backdrop of the hazy sky, the sparkling droplets filled with Demonic Energy almost seemed like jewels. ¡°We did it!¡± ¡°Ooh, the guys down there are fine, too!¡± Face flushed, the Inquisitor confirmed this matter once again. Bers, using her hand to shield her eyes from the light, checked on the people waiting below. ording to her, those below seemed pretty much unharmed. It was probably because we¡¯d tanked the whole stream. ¡°Let''s keep moving.¡± Let''s hurry up! This attack pattern was killing my arm, and I wasn''t sure I could handle three more rounds of it. ____ Chapter 159: Unmoving (9) Chapter 159 Unmoving (9) Climbing up turned out to be easier than I thought. We seemed to cover about twenty meters with each jump, and after jumping roughly 200 times, we finally reached our target¡¯s altitude. > [For a mortal to¡­!] A simple calction determined that we were now approximately 4,000 meters in the air. Considering that Mt. Everest¡¯s summit was around 8,800 meters above sea level, this height alone wasn¡¯t lethal. ¡°W-We finally made it¡­! I¡¯ll expand our foothold now!¡± > [You dare ascend to the skies with your petty tricks?!] Of course, we were still dealing with strong winds, altitude sickness fromck of oxygen, and bone-chilling cold. However, the Inquisitor could ward off most of it using Divine Power, while I just fitted my teeth and endured. Altitude sickness was essentially just a problem with air pressure, so I thought wrapping myself in Arcane Power might act as a sort of shield. It seemed to be having some effect, at least. As for keeping warm, I managed to avoidpletely freezing by taking the medicine the Archmage had given me. ¡°Wahaha! Finally, I get to see that overblown face up close!¡± Bers¡­ Honestly, I didn¡¯t quite know what to make of her. Was she the literal definition of ¡®Don¡¯t worry! I bounced them off!¡¯? No, was she even mortal to begin with? T/N: This may be a reference to Azumanga Daioh Air pressure aside, it was freezing up here, so how was she enduring it with just oneyer of clothing? Even though she took the same medicine as me, it was still a bit crazy. I wanted to shake my head at the sight of her defying the basic rules of the universe like that, but I kept myself from doing so. Instead, I stepped onto the Divine tform that had expanded from approximately three square meters to several dozen. Beneath the faint golden barrier, I could see the ground thousands of meters below us, but it just looked so surreal, as if it were CGI. And right before us was a whale draped in clouds like silk robes. Its white belly was like that of an ordinary whale, but its upper part looked to be made of waves filled with specks of sparkling light, making it seem like a starry night sky or the deep sea. Had I not known it was a Great Demon, I would¡¯ve mistaken it for a mythical being worshiped by many. > [I¡¯ll drop you back to the ground!] Buooooh! At that moment, Moby Dick cried out again. Its gaping maw, in stark contrast to its innocent appearance, was pitch ck, as if it had bitten off a chunk of the void or something. It was the final proof that it was indeed an evil creature. ¡°It¡¯sing!¡± Even now, the creature didn¡¯t try to flee. Judging by its sluggish actions, perhaps due to its massive size or something else, it seemed escape had never been an option. ¡°Haha! Now that we¡¯re on the same ground, there¡¯s nothing holding me back!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll create a few more footholds every meter or so, just in case!¡± But there was no longer any need to block it by force. Bers jumped to dodge the water-elemental beam crashing down on us as if intending to wipe away the entire horizontal ne. Meanwhile, I grabbed the back of the Inquisitor¡¯s neck with my left hand as she raised her shield. Due to the thickness of the waterspout, the topmost barrier¡ªwhich I was currently standing on¡ªwould definitely shatter. However, another tform was just one meter below us, with additional tforms two and three meters further down. Crash! I felt my body fall as the tform gave way beneath me. As soon as my feet touched the second barrier, I deliberately stomped down to break it. ¡°Why¡­?¡± My body fell even lower. By crouching down just a little, I could now avoid the stream of water altogether. Boom! ¡°Wow¡­!¡± I could feel the waterspout barely grazing over my head as I released my grip on the Inquisitor. Since she wasn¡¯t Bers, I trusted our kimchi dumpling wouldn¡¯t get the stupid idea of raising her head in this situation. As expected, the Inquisitor lived up to that trust, allowing us to dodge the attack with ease. This trick could only be performed in this world where, unlike most games, space wasn¡¯t strictly confined. Craaaash! The stream fanning across the area finally passed over us. It was now our turn to deal damage. As soon as Inded on another tform, I lunged forward, charging ahead. I could see that Bers had also avoided the waterspout and was now rushing toward the whale from the other side. ¡°Die.¡± I swung my sword, careful not to strike the tform beneath me. In games, you usually didn¡¯t have to worry about destroying the tform you were standing on, even if you couldn¡¯t use the trick of dodging by leaning backward. It was just a little annoying. sh! Still, a hit was a hit. I felt satisfied when I saw what should have been a single sh mark on the enemy had multiplied into three. It was thanks to the skill [Triple w Strike], which I hadn¡¯t used much¡ªmainly because it was usually unnecessary¡ªbut since this was a raid and raid bosses often had enormous HP pools, it was worth using. Buoooooh! Triple the attacks meant triple the damage! And Bers¡¯s damage could also be added to that. Moby Dick writhed and cried out. Water droplets quickly gathered in the air and instantly froze into ice before shooting out at us. Some didn¡¯t turn into ice but instead took on the shape of serpents, homing in on me. ng, ng! Because of that, I had to abandon my n to try jumping onto the whale. Instead, I shattered the ice shards flying toward me and disintegrated the water serpents giving chase. Even throughout all this, the tforms beneath our feet grew increasingly solid, with multipleyers appearing below them thanks to the Inquisitor¡¯s power. Still, it wouldn¡¯t be good if our footholds received any unnecessary damage. After destroying all the iing attacks, I swung my sword again. I tried to move in as close as possible, since the nearer I was, the less Arcane Power I needed to use, and the more powerful my strikes became. Babam! However, whenever the DPS and Tank got too close, the boss would often start attacking, so as we got closer, Moby Dick began thrashing around violently as if it was trying to crush us under its massive bulk. The tform we were standing on, which had been identally hit¡ªor perhaps deliberately, since we¡¯d fall to our deaths if our footholds were destroyed¡ªbegan to crack and seemed about to break, but the Inquisitor held on. Bers and I did the same. We avoided Moby Dick''s thrashing, continuing to sh at its white flesh and hack off its fins on either side. Unfortunately, it showed no sign of falling. It seemed something other than its fins was keeping it afloat. > [Mere mortals!] By the way, howe all immortal bosses always have lines like ¡®Mere mortals¡¯, ¡®How could a mere mortal?!¡¯ or ¡®How dare you mortals?!¡¯ Ah, then again, considering my character setting made me look down on Demons and call them pathetic worms while arrogantly certain of my victory, perhaps I wasn''t one to talk? ¡®Pathetic, worthless trash.¡¯ I cleared my mind of all distracting thoughts, stepped back, and then swung my sword just as the bastard paused. I shed upward. As I left a deep cut from its mouth to its eyes, the whale recoiled, its dark Demonic Energy briefly lingering before disappearing into the air. * * * > [This is as far as I let you go!] But of course, being a Great Demon and all, even if it was going to die soon¡ªnot necessarily, I guess¡ªit wasn''t just going to let itself get hit. Instead, it showed off a new attack pattern. Beneath its cover of clouds, the watery scales making up its body began to surge outward. Craaaash! A three-meter-tall wave crashed against the barriers of light, sweeping everything away in its path. There was no room to dodge, no ce to jump or run to. In most games, one usually dealt with this gimmick using invincibility frames or by hiding behind the tank. ¡°Uwargh!¡± Bers, who¡¯d been relentlessly shing at the whale at the forefront while ignoring its patterns, was the first to get swept away. ¡°Idiot.¡± In contrast, thanks to my gamer instincts, I avoided getting caught up in the wave, falling back as I watched the flow of its attack. However, if I kept retreating like this, I would eventuallynd myself in a dead end. I furrowed my brows while heading backward, seeing no obvious escape route. ¡°Gather up!¡± Fortunately, the solution came from the Inquisitor, who was behind me. At the sight of the raging waves, the kimchi dumpling formed a dome-shaped barrier to protect us. I couldn¡¯t tell whether she truly had enough leeway to do this, given that she¡¯d created severalyers of barriers to serve as our tform, or if she was straining herself just to provide us with a ce to retreat. But in the end, it didn¡¯t matter. What mattered was that I now had a ce to take cover behind. I slid behind the Inquisitor¡¯s shield, the waves following behind me like a tail. Watching my HP keep dropping, I wasn¡¯t entirely sure whether I¡¯d actually entered the safe zone or was still getting attacked, but since standing here did hurt a bit less, I probably seeded. Crash! As the waves collided with the barrier, something like steam began rising. Looking closely, one could see that the shield¡¯s surface was continuously cracking and repairing itself. The Inquisitor¡¯s face grew evermore determined as she continued to pray. Ruuuuumble. ¡°Stop acting like a fool.¡± During all that, I could see that Bers was still alive, even after getting swept away. I couldn¡¯t help but be impressed as she managed to turn around, even while caught in the current, and head toward the hand I¡¯d extended outside the barrier. I immediately grabbed Bers by the cor and dragged her inside the temporary shelter. ¡°Phew! That was close!¡± This wasn¡¯t just a simple wave. The brief moment my hand was outside the barrier was enough to tear up my sleeve and leave a small cut on my skin. Bers fared no better, her skin pocked with tiny white and red wounds. A mix of blood and water sttered onto the golden shield. ¡°Wahaha! I almost fell off!¡± However, she was alive, and that was enough. The Inquisitor, who¡¯d been kneeling and praying, surrounded by an intense light, smiled faintly. She was maintaining both the barrier we were standing on and the protective dome around us. Was it because she was carrying all these burdens that we could continue fighting? Beads of sweat formed across her forehead, only to evaporate almost instantly. > [Go!] But even after the massive raging waves passed us by, we had no time to rx. While the Inquisitor was repairing the barrier beneath us, which the Demon¡¯s attacks had nearly shattered, and we prepared to close in on the whale again, Moby Dick made his next move. Bubblebubblebubble. The whale¡¯s surface, which resembled the deep ocean, began to boil before spewing something out. Things that seemed like both stars and shadows. Pure evil. Grrrrr. The white eyes I¡¯d mistaken for stars began to re at us fiercely. ¡°Hah, just a bunch of small fry!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll never allow you to break through¡­!¡± ¡°Vermin.¡± Ah, shit. A minion wave? I tightened my grip on my sword as I watched monsters rise from behind the sky whale. They all appeared to be based on some sort of marine life. They were twisted versions of octopi, serpents, merfolk, crocodiles, crabs, seals, and other such creatures. However, their nightmarish appearance wasn¡¯t the only problem. I watched as more and more monsters emerged, wondering whether this wave would have an end or would continue until the battle concluded. If it were the former, I could simply wipe them all out once, but if it were thetter, I would have to fight while managing my Arcane Power and stamina even more carefully. > [Kill them all!] ¡°Small fry are no fun! Get lost before I wipe you all out!¡± However, I needed to wait a bit longer before deciding. ¡°¡­! They¡¯re trying to break the footholds!¡± What was clear, though, was that they had to be killed. ¡°You, can you hold them off?¡± ¡°¡­Yes!¡± Those things seemed to be trying to break our tform, but the Inquisitor was confident she could hold out, so I decided to conserve my Arcane Power for now. There was no telling how this battle might change, after all. So, instead of unleashing a [sh] flurry to cleave those things, I chose to firmly grip my Zweih?nder. Then, I beheaded the serpent that lunged at me first, its blood spraying across my body as I stomped down on its now headless corpse and leaped over it. I then twisted my body to avoid a merman swimming through the air. Using the momentum from shing the serpent''s neck, I raised my legs and lowered my head, reducing my surface area to perfectly evade the merman¡¯s spear. Whoosh. After dodging its attack, Inded behind the merman. Promptly stomping down on the merman¡¯s fish tail, I stabbed it in the back before it could fully turn around. I drove the long de of my Zweih?nder into its back, exiting through its chest. Next, I poured some Arcane Power into the sword to increase its sharpness. Instead of pulling out the de, I simply cut through the merman¡¯s flesh in a circr motion. The de came out with a squelch, sttering flesh and blood everywhere, before slicing another monster about to attack me. Crack! A crab-like monster¡¯s exoskeleton shattered, scattering its flesh and internal organs. I wiped away some of the blood with the back of my hand and pulled out my sword before running forward again. This time, an octopus-like monster stood in my way, swinging its eight appendages in all directions. Predicting the attack paths of those eight legs was a bit tedious, so I activated [Survival Instinct] for the first time in a while to find the most efficient path through this chaos. [Stinger]. With a swift,nce-like stab,bined with [Survival Instinct] to avoid its eight legs, I pierced the octopus¡¯s forehead. Before I could catch my breath, one of the massive crocodiles lunged at me. I quickly tossed aside my Zweih?nder before stomping onto its lower jaw with my foot while grabbing the upper jaw with my hand. Then, I quickly drew my longsword and cut through the upper jaw horizontally, severing part of its snout. Now missing a significant part of its maw, the crocodile instinctively tried to snap its jaws shut, its eyes immediately widening when it realized something was off. Stab. However, it was toote. My longsword had already pierced its brain and sent the monster flying in one smooth motion. Kick! Right after, I kicked my Zweih?nder up into the air and caught it. I then tossed up my longsword, freeing my hand so I could grip the Zweih?nder firmly and swing it horizontally. The two merfolk charging at me from the front were bisected at the waist, dying instantly. With my Zweih?nder now pointing to the right and held solely in my right hand, I used my free hand to catch the falling longsword. sh. A slightly diagonal horizontal sh from my longsword sliced through the neck of a serpent. Swish. After shaking off the blood with a flick, I returned the longsword to its sheath. ¡°Kahahaha, die, die!!¡± Good. It seemed that side was pretty much cleared. I felt slightly reassured seeing Bers getting even more kills than me. As long as she kept rampaging like that, the monsters could never reach the Inquisitor. With her killing speed, those things wouldn¡¯tst long enough to pose a threat to the Inquisitor. So, now would be the best time to resume attacking the boss. Recorrecting my grip on the Zweih?nder, I stepped on the head of a merman that was stabbing its spear at me and leaped even higher into the air. Thousands of meters in the air, my coattails, dusted with ice, fluttered in the cold wind. And as my breath became white mist in the chill, I stood before the whale as it gathered water into its mouth, raising my Zweih?nder high above my head. My hair, covered in frost, brushed lightly over my eyes. ¡®Kill him.¡¯ Seemingly sensing an imminent threat, Moby Dick shot out water snakes at me, but it didn''t matter. My [Triple w Strike] disintegrated the snakes, and the straight de unleashed a pir of dark Arcane Power, roaring as it surged forward. ¡®Tear that damned bastard to shreds.¡¯ Booooooom! Before Moby Dick¡¯s gathered water-type Demonic Energy could shoot from its mouth, it collided with my Arcane Power, causing a massive explosion. ____ Chapter 160: Unmoving (10) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 160 Unmoving (10) Usually, if an explosion went off inside one¡¯s mouth, one would die. However, my opponent was a Great Demon, so I couldn¡¯t afford to expect such a straightforward ending. For that reason, even as smoke billowed around me, I was already preparing for what woulde next. And that ¡®preparation¡¯ included gathering Arcane Power into my sword, so I¡¯d be ready to counter whatever was thrown at me. Buooooooh! > [You damn mortal!!] ¡®Persistent bastard.¡¯ See? I knew that would happen. If things just kept going like that, the Great Demons¡¯ reputation would be on the line here. There was no way it would simply die like that. Of course, I would have much preferred Moby Dick just whimpering and giving up, but there was no way that Great Demon would ever grant my wishes. Sure enough, Moby Dick eventually emerged from the smoke. However, its size was simply too massive to dodge once I realized what was happening. ¡°Cough!¡± I could hear the kimchi dumpling coughing up blood behind me. The whale must have broken severalyers of her barriers as it rose. However, I had my own problems to deal with. I was in no position to worry about the kimchi dumpling. With the barrier broken, all that remained beneath me was open air and the gaping maw of Moby Dick. ¡°Demon Knight!¡± > [I¡¯ll swallow you whole and digest you!] My body plummeted downward. ¡°Tsk.¡± But I couldn¡¯t just let this happen. That¡¯s why I¡¯d gathered my Arcane Power to begin with. ¡®Cut it down.¡¯ So, I unleashed the Arcane Power I¡¯d gathered in advance in a precise and sharp sword strike. sh! The ck, crescent-shaped [sh] swept away the whale floating in the sky as if it were in the deep sea. However, I couldn¡¯t tell whether I¡¯dnded a serious blow or merely grazed it. Flutter! Anyway, after unleashing that [sh], I still got swallowed by that whale¡¯s enormous mouth. Ah, I hadn¡¯t fallen down its throat yet, and its mouth was still wide open, so maybe ¡°swallowed¡± wasn¡¯t the right word here. Still, this wasn¡¯t a good situation for me. Although I was confident that I¡¯d hit it, it seemed to have been ineffective, given there was no cut, and I hadn¡¯t stopped falling. I couldn¡¯t just let this happen. As ast resort, I plunged my sword into the whale''s smooth, slick, protrusion-free tongue. However, perhaps because of my weight or because the flesh was simply too soft, the de didn¡¯t actually anchor me and just cut through the tissue. The whale was sorge that I couldn''t even wedge myself between the roof of its mouth and its tongue to stop my fall. The distance between the two was too far for my feet to reach. Was I really going to be helplessly swallowed into that abyss-like throat? Even if I was inside of it, I could still raise havoc and tear into Moby Dick¡¯s flesh from within¡­ I¡¯d much rather cause some damage from outside, though. Plus, the thought of making a nosedive from 4,000 meters in the air was still a bit worrying. But the die had already been cast. Rather than despairing over my situation, I decided to tear into that Demon whale¡¯s flesh as much as I could, ensuring it would suffer greatly as I plunged deeper and deeper into its throat. Bubble, bubble. Just then, the [sh] I¡¯d sent out finally left its mark, creating an opening. On either side of me, bright gray lines formed before splitting wide apart, widening the opening even further. > [Y-You wretched¡­] At the same time, everything around me began to boil and bubble as if turning into water. The internal organs, bones, flesh, everything. > [I can¡¯t¡­] And just as everything melted into water droplets, light began seeping into the endless darkness around me, revealing the vast sky. ¡°Demon Knight!¡± ¡°Hahaha, buddy. I¡¯ve got you!¡± I then felt someone grabbing hold of my body. I almost instinctivelyshed out but stopped myself when a sh of tinum appeared before my eyes. Bers had caught me in her strong arms, and clinging to her back was the Inquisitor, emitting radiant light. Thud! Our bodies rolled onto a Divine barrier that had suddenly appeared beneath us. Bers let go of me at just the right moment, so I managed to avoid getting crushed beneath both her (who looked to weigh over 100kg) and the Inquisitor (who, in armor, also easily exceeded 100kg). I¡¯d survived. ¡°Y-You did it, Berserk!¡± ¡°Look! Didn¡¯t I say I could do it, priest!¡± I got up, right next to Bers and the Inquisitor. After falling several dozen meters and mming into a t, hard Divine barrier, my entire body ached. I was really lucky I didn¡¯t end up with a concussion. Still, at least we¡¯d survived. I checked our surroundings withoutining. First, I had to find out what had happened to that damn Moby Dick. ¡°The Demon¡­¡± But where the hell did it go? I continued to look around for Moby Dick as the clouds rapidly gathered and static electricity crackled so intently that the hair on my body stood on end. Unfortunately, the massive whale was nowhere to be seen. ¡°The wind is getting stronger.¡± ¡°A storm?¡± Just as Bers said, a storm seemed to be approaching us. And here we were, standing on a barrier with no ground to anchor ourselves or weapons to hold on to. My frozen hair and clothes fluttered in the intense wind. I could almost hear faint, ominous cackling. > [Right. It was my mistake to take it easy when facing the Hero and you.] Suddenly, a gloomy voice echoed from within the dark storm clouds. Raindrops began to fall, striking our cheeks and bodies. Since we were so high up, they were more like ice pellets, but I could just brush them off for now. > [But I won¡¯t be holding back anymore now.] However, the gradually gathering storm clouds that finally overtook us weren¡¯t something we could ignore. From those dark clouds emerged a merman, which made the surrounding clusters of clouds appear like an inverted sea. > [I will not die alone.] While making that deration, the merman¡¯s fins and ornamental clothes fluttered. Eyes twice the size of my head stared directly at us. The silver pupils within the ck sclera, making the eyes seem like those of a snake, glinted ominously. I couldn¡¯t help but swallow hard. > [Let¡¯s see how long you can endure.] Wow, so that was the transformed Moby Dick? That meant we¡¯d entered this boss fight¡¯s second or third phase, right? But it was a little hard to praise myself for holding out so far when it was about to hurl a spear bigger than its entire body at us. Wasn¡¯t that a bit over the top? > [Die.] And to top it off, the moment it was thrown, the spear got struck by lightning. * * * At first nce, the spear falling slowly toward us looked like divine punishment. ¡°You damn Demon¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make a path!¡± In any case, we had to dodge it. And there was only one way to do it: running outside its range. As such, the Inquisitor hurriedly expanded the barrier in one direction. They say experience was the best teacher, and it seemed she was rapidly growing evermore skilled at manipting the Divine barrier. However, as always, the Inquisitor just wasn¡¯t made for speed. No matter how slow the spear was falling, her pace made it an extremely close call. ¡°Kaha, let¡¯s run!¡± ¡°I-I can run myself!¡± ¡°You¡¯re too slow, priest!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± So Bers threw the Inquisitor over her shoulder and ran off while I took the lead. Grrrrr. As if that hadn¡¯t been enough, deep-sea monsters began to descend upon us, even from areas where the Inquisitor hadn¡¯t ced any barriers. Even without any barriers, those things could just step onto the fog thaty right below us. No, they actually swam through it. They then aimed for the barrier path or tried to leap onto it to attack us. How incredibly annoying. ¡°These pests are seriously annoying!¡± ¡°These worms¡­¡± I left the monsters behind us to Bers¡ªthough I couldn¡¯t really tell how anyone could swing a halberd with just one hand while carrying a fully armored person over their opposite shoulder¡ªand focused on firing [Arcane Spear]s. They didn¡¯t work too well on big bosses, but they were pretty useful for dealing with these trash mobs. I managed to take down dozens of them in no time. And just as we thought we were out of the spear¡¯s range, it plunged into the clouds below. The clouds, pushed aside like soft cream, quickly absorbed the spear¡¯s lightning and shed brightly as thunder rumbled. ¡°Ugh.¡± But those weren¡¯t just visual effects. As thunder roared in all directions, the barrier just above the clouds was also struck. Thanks to the Inquisitor¡¯s efforts, the barrier barely avoided getting shattering. However, she couldn¡¯t avoid taking damage herself. The kimchi dumpling coughed up blood again. Drip. This was the first time I¡¯d seen her bleed from her nose. Craaaack! But we still didn¡¯t have any time to catch our breath. Moby Dick was relentlessly attacking us. Not only had it thrown another spear, but also those homing water serpents and ice pirs to further disrupt our escape. The issue was that we had no way to strike back. Even if we wanted to attack its main body, it was too high up, and every time I forced myself to shoot an [Arcane Spear] at it, Moby Dick would just hide inside the sea of clouds where my attacks couldn¡¯t reach it. Then, did it evere down to give us a chance to attack it? Of course not. That damn boss was just one-sidedly attacking us without giving us a single turn. ¡°Sending out only small fry, how cowardly! Juste down here and face us properly!¡± Bers was the first to reach the limit of her patience. After splitting the heads of countless mobs with her halberd, her body drenched in their blood, she suddenly shouted out. And the Inquisitor? She¡¯d initially fought some with her mace but was now just sitting in one spot. It was already difficult enough for her to maintain our foothold against the continuous attacks and protect us from the strong winds that asionally tried to blow us away. And finally, as for me¡­ ¡®Just hold on.¡¯ I never gave in to despair. Instead, I found myself thinking that this, dying so pathetically, couldn¡¯t possibly be our fate. Of course, this wasn''t just wishful thinking. I mean, there couldn¡¯t be such an unfair and absurd boss in this world, right? Everything had a weakness. Therefore, that boss also had to have one. It just might be something we couldn¡¯t exploit with pure strength alone. ¡®If you just hold on.¡¯ sh! I gripped my sword tightly, smashing through the increasingly fierce attacks. My body had be somewhat battered by the attacks I hadn¡¯t managed to parry or destroy, but none of my injuries were critical. That was enough. ¡®He¡¯s going to die on his own.¡¯ ¡°You.¡± I could sense thetest attack was much weaker than the previous one. ¡°Looks like you don¡¯t even have enough strength to make those spears anymore.¡± > [¡­Die!] So, you really have reached the limit of your Arcane Power, huh, you bastard? > [A mere vessel!!] The corners of my mouth raised, pulling my mouth into a smirk as I looked at Moby Dick, who poked its head out. In my head, I was alreadyposing aplete strategy on how to take that bastard down. ¡°Struggle all you want, you vermin. The world will never move the way you want it to.¡± > [¡­Wrath!!!] I had a hunch ever since noticing our turn to attack never came, but this guy wasn¡¯t the type of boss one defeated by killing it. It was the type that would self-destruct if one held out long enough. Just a few moments ago, I was thinking things like, ¡®Should I just destroy the seal?¡¯ or, ¡®This is just too much, downright impossible!¡¯ but now my thoughts had changed to, ¡®I can do this,¡¯ which was proof enough of that realization. That bastard was starting to grow weaker. ¡°Demon Knight, I¡­¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± ¡°¡­Yes!¡± The only variable in this was the Inquisitor¡¯s stamina. I gritted my teeth as I watched waves of Divine Power, which could even purify blood, engulf the kimchi dumpling. I would¡¯ve taken her ce if I could, but since this was something only she could do, I had no choice but to push her. I felt sorry, truly sorry. > [I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll at least take you with me!] So, I at least had to bring back that damn bastard¡¯s head. I saw Moby Dick, as ast resort, emerge from the sea of clouds and rush toward me, spear in hand. It was like watching a meteor hurtling toward me. ¡°Hah, finally¡­!¡± ¡°Somehow¡­!¡± However, I didn¡¯t intend to dodge. That wasn¡¯t my role. ¡°Moron.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Were you talking to me?¡± ¡°Jump.¡± I tightly gripped my Zweih?nder. ¡°You¡¯re in the way.¡± I injected exactly half the remaining Arcane Power I¡¯d somehow managed to conserve into my legs. ck energy overflowed from them, swirling around me like mes as it strengthened my body. ¡°You¡¯re really mean.¡± ¡°Demon Knight, what are you¡­¡± ¡°Always monopolizing the best prey.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°When we get down, you owe me a sparring match.¡± They were mes undeterred even by the freezing air at an altitude of 4,000 meters. ¡°Berserk, I can¡¯t follow this conversation¡ª¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Waargh!¡± And when Bers grabbed the Inquisitor and leaped off, all the pieces were finally in ce. Right before the barrier dissolved, I kicked off from it with all my might. ¡°You thought I¡¯d exchange blows with you head-on? How foolish.¡± > [¡­!] I narrowly dodged Moby Dick¡¯s spear, using its ded segment as a foothold. As huge as it was, itcked precision. ¡°I¡¯ll cut you down.¡± Of course, being small also had its drawbacks, but¡­ not right now. ¡¸Activating Indomitable Spirit!¡¹ I poured everyst drop of my remaining Arcane Power, even converting thest bits of my HP into Arcane Power, into my de and split the sky. A ck moon appeared in the heavens. ____ Chapter 161: Hasty Excuses (1) Chapter 161 Hasty Excuses (1) Looking up at the sky, Deathbringer felt a fever rising. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Erm, yes, I¡¯m fine.¡± It wasn¡¯t anything unexpected. While his condition had improved, there was no way such severe injuries could fully heal in just one day. Despite that, he¡¯d been walking around outside all day, exposed to the wind and weather. Even if someone had been carrying him, he was still outside. ¡°You don¡¯t look so well. Your face is all red.¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably because I feel a bit hot, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Do you have a fever?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure?¡± ¡°¡­Let me feel your forehead.¡± ¡°A-Aaah.¡± So, how could his condition not worsen? ¡°Perhaps it¡¯d be best if we head back.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a bit¡­ We haven¡¯t enough spare manpower for someone to just leave.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying you¡¯ll endure it?¡± ¡°Please, at least let me watch.¡± However, he couldn¡¯t just back down like this. He wouldn¡¯t be much help even if he werepletely healthy, but wouldn¡¯t it be too miserable if he couldn¡¯t even watch? Even though he was too far away to actually see anything, he still felt that way. ¡°If that¡¯s what you want. But stay out of the cold, at least¡­¡± ¡°¡­So stubborn.¡± So, despite the Archmage¡¯s suggestions, he persistently stayed where he was. Of course, he couldn¡¯t help but be a little annoyed at the sky filled with gray clouds. ¡°A-Aaah!¡± But then, the person with the sharpest eyesight suddenly started shouting. He strained his eyes to look in the direction that person was pointing in, but whether because his fever was clouding his vision or his eyesight simply wasn¡¯t good enough, he couldn¡¯t really see anything. ¡°A dot?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Someone¡¯s falling!¡± However, it didn¡¯t take long for the figure toe near enough for him to see it as well. And shockingly, what he saw were two people falling while clinging to each other, and those two were none other than the Hero and Berserk. The Archmage and priests hurriedly began chanting spells, conjuring a cushion of light andyers of air to ensure those two wouldnd safely. Thanks to their efforts, the twonded on the ground without any injuries. Of course, the injuries they already had were a different matter. ¡°Are you two alright?¡± ¡°M-Madam Archmage.¡± ¡°Berserk is fine!¡± Before he could even ask anything, he was struck by disbelief. What was that Berserk even talking about, covered in blood like that? From the wounds scattered across her body, it clearly wasn¡¯t just Demon blood. Some of her blood was mixed in there, too. Moreover, if you looked more closely at her sturdy body, you could see that her veins were slightly more pronounced and her eyes bloodshot. This meant that, even with the Inquisitor at her side, she was showing signs of progressing Demonic Erosion. She didn¡¯t even have enough energy to cleanse herself of the Demonic Energy she¡¯d been exposed to. Moreover, the iron wall looked even more exhausted than she had during the defensive battle in Pa Enoch. Just how much energy had she expended? She looked about to copse at any moment. ¡°Berserk, you need to take a Neutralizer right away. And you, Inquisitor¡­¡± The Archmage and the priests, aware of the situation, immediately rushed over to take care of Berserk and the Inquisitor. Berserk seemed to find it a bit annoying but didn¡¯t refuse. At the very least, she seemed to understand the dangers of Demonic Erosion. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m fine, but¡­ th-the Demon Knight¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself.¡± Conversely, the Inquisitor epted the treatment withoutint but couldn¡¯t seem to calm down. ¡°H-Hey, wh-what about Mister¡­?¡± Deathbringer also began searching for the one whom the Inquisitor mentioned, thest person who should¡¯ve been there but wasn¡¯t. He still needed to apologize for the wound on his cheek and repay the faith shown to him, but now, he couldn¡¯t even utter a single proper word. The Inquisitor pursed her lips. ¡°Hey, iron wall. Why aren¡¯t you¡ª¡± ¡°He¡¯ll be down soon.¡± Fortunately, he received a response from elsewhere: Berserk. ¡°What?¡± ¡°He¡¯ll being down with that Guby Dog or Bobby Dig or whatever.¡± He found it hard to believe that she¡¯d only gotten the ¡®by¡¯ part right, but that wasn¡¯t the point. ¡°Why is he¡­?¡± ¡°Ah, there he is.¡± Before Deathbringer could even ask how someone could still be up there without the Inquisitor providing any footholds, his eyes instinctively followed where Berserk was pointing. Something enormous was falling toward them, something they hadn¡¯t noticed before while preupied with caring for the other two. At first, it wasn''t wholly noticeable given the perspective, but after watching for a bit longer, its massive size became evident. ¡°¡­We need to get out of here quickly!¡± ¡°We have to dodge it!¡± If that thing fell directly onto them, it would probably crush them, so those who¡¯d noticed it started screaming one after the other. ¡°Ah, there¡¯s no need. It¡¯s going to fall into that forest over there.¡± But Berserk stayed calm. ¡°The Demon Knight isn¡¯t stupid.¡± That statement proved to be true. Despite the people¡¯s panic, the gigantic creature crashed several hundred meters away from them. Of course, due to its enormous size and weight, the ground shook terribly. Even the heavens seemed to tremble. However, the damage was far less than expected. Despite something so colossal falling into it, the forest surrounding where it hadnded didn¡¯t get destroyed, nor was the groundpletely overturned. ¡°Just how¡­¡± However, while the resulting physical damage was fairly minor, the shock the people received wasn¡¯t. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°I-Is that really a Demon?¡± ¡°Is that an actual Demon?¡± ¡°Yeah. Why do you keep asking? Are you all idiots?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s not something you should be saying.¡± Deathbringer, following the Archmage, the priests, and Berserk¡ªthe Inquisitor had fainted midway¡ªslowly approached where the creature had fallen. Neither the feverish heat oveing his body nor its fog clouding his mind could prevent him from checking if a certain someone had survived. ¡°The Great Demon¡­ is dead¡­¡± ¡°Is that really a Great Demon¡­?¡± ¡°My God¡­¡± ¡°Berserk wanted to kill it¡­¡± But when he finally stepped onto the crash site, what Deathbringer saw was the corpse of a merfolk-like Demon¡ªits upper body looked like a person, and its lower half was that of a fish. Its length from crown to tail was so great that it couldn¡¯t be taken in all at once, and even lying t on the ground, its height could rival that of a mountain. However, its torso, having been severed from shoulder to pelvis, was hanging loosely. ¡°Is this that Demon¡¯s true form¡­?¡± ¡°Was the Great Demon of Envy supposed to be this huge¡­?¡± ¡°What terrible Demonic Energy. It will take some time to Purify itpletely.¡± ¡°Was this really the doing of just three people¡­?¡± No, no. This wasn¡¯t what he wanted to see. ¡°M-Mister?¡± Deathbringer barely managed to focus his clouded mind. The heat had now reached his throat, rapidly drying out his mouth, but he still had someone to find. ¡°I think he¡¯s over there.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say that sooner¡­?!¡± ¡°Did you find the Demon Knight?¡± Fortunately, he quickly spotted the one he¡¯d been looking for. ¡°Mister¡­!¡± There sat the Demon Knight, leaning against a sword stabbed between the Demon¡¯s brows. It would have been far more ridiculous if he hadn¡¯t gotten spotted. ¡°Demon Knight, you¡ª!¡± ¡°Wh-What¡¯s wrong? Why isn¡¯t Mister responding¡­?¡± ¡°Huh, did he faint?¡± Covered in sharp wounds, blood pouring from his mouth, nose, and even his ears, the Demon Knight didn¡¯t look so good. ¡°Mister!¡± Deathbringer''s pace quickened as he climbed the Great Demon''s corpse. He couldn''t be dead. The Demon Knight couldn''t possibly be dead. His thoughts, softened and muddled from the heat, were filled with only a single thing. ¡°Mister¡­¡± And when he finally reached the top of the mountain-like corpse and stood right before the Demon Knight, he saw it. His chest, faintly rising and falling. He was alive. At that moment, all the tension left his body, and the world around him suddenly faded to ck. * * * An unprecedented event urred in which a Great Demon was defeated without a single casualty, although three of the four injured were in aa. Meanwhile, Johanna, the aide of Young Lady Camborough, was wallowing in despair. She couldn¡¯t help her dear friend anddy, which was dragging her down. ¡°Give me a drink.¡± And so she barged into a tavern she frequented after work. She felt she would die from deep sorrow if she didn¡¯t drown herself in alcohol soon. ¡°Huh, Johanna?¡± The inside of the tavern was pretty lively, with people gambling in one corner, someone holding a speech in another, and music ying in yet another. It was so packed that just finding an empty seat could be called a stroke of luck. ¡°Here, your usual.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± She took the drink handed to her by a familiar bartender and downed it in one go right from the start. ¡°Another!¡± ¡°¡­Aren¡¯t you drinking a bit too quickly tonight? Did something happen?¡± Despite having ordered her usual drink, the speed at which she was downing it had doubled, which naturally aroused some suspicion. While refilling her ss, the bartender cautiously asked her a question, seemingly reigniting Johanna¡¯s resentment. Bang! She mmed the ss down hard on the counter. Her face went red with mounting anger and alcohol, and she bit down on her lip. ¡°I can¡¯t talk about it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s about the youngdy, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Damn it all!!¡± Fortunately, the bartender was quick to guess the reason. It probably also helped that they knew Johanna would get even more upset than the youngdy herself whenever she was mistreated by that damn lord and his wife. ¡°Our poor youngdy¡­¡± ¡°Oh my¡­ Did that wretched second son cause trouble again?¡± ¡°He did somethingst night¡­¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk. When will that fool ever grow up?¡± Even without Johanna¡¯s venting, they could have easily guessed what was happening. Everyone in this city knew the youngdy had fallen out of favor with the lord. After all, the lord, who¡¯d never even once brought the youngdy to the market as a child, now took his second child to the market almost every other day, showering him with endless gifts. So even the residents who usually paid no attention to the lord¡¯s family couldn¡¯t help but notice this tant favoritism. And was that all? It was no secret that while the young master¡¯s wicked behavior was never reprimanded at all, the youngdy would get severely scolded even for the smallest mistake. This was something the servants in the mansion had been gossiping about for a long time. However, despite all this, the youngdy never onceined or rebelled against her family. As a result, there wasn¡¯t a single person in the city who didn¡¯t feel sympathy for the youngdy. She was the whole city¡¯s soft spot. ¡°The lord needs to open his eyes. How could he neglect our dignified youngdy for that irresponsible fool of a young master? Our poor youngdy¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°When is that senile old man going to retire? The youngdy is so much better at running this ce. He should just pass on the title to her already.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°Wait, was the youngdy mistreated again? Urgh, that stupid lord! He seriously needs a proper wake-up call like what happened in the neighboring city!¡± ¡°Why did you bring that up again, Dad¡­? Be careful. What if someone hears you talking about rebellion?¡± ¡°Well, someone has to speak up, after all! And what¡¯s the worst that could happen if they heard me? It¡¯s not like they could just start a massacre like they did in the neighboring city, right?¡± ¡°¡­Just make sure you never say this in front of anyone from Ednium, okay, Dad?¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯m stupid? Of course, I wouldn¡¯t say that in front of them.¡± Ednium. The mere mention of that city made Johanna¡¯s anger surge once more. Young Lord Ednium and the Skyflow Tiger immediately came to mind. ¡°Our youngdy is so brave when fighting for our rights, but why does she be so weak when ites to her own life¡­? Does she truly see those people as her family?¡± ¡°Exactly. They¡¯re nothing but bastards.¡± Johanna gritted her teeth as she listened to the conversation between father and son. How pitiful her youngdy was. Not only was she born into a family of fools, but now her lover had also gotten involved in some mess. And what did he dare ask for? What about those who had gotten caught in the middle of all this? What had they done to deserve this? ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re heading out. Don¡¯t drink too much.¡± ¡°Yeah. Who will take care of our youngdy if you get sick?¡± ¡°You all really don¡¯t care about me, huh? Damn it. Give me another drink.¡± ¡°Of course. Another rounding up!¡± Ovee with anger and bitterness, Johanna quickly downed her fourth drink and was handed her fifth. She was determined to drink herself into oblivion tonight. ¡°Damn it, all this trouble just because we couldn¡¯t catch a single damn beast!¡± However, just as she was about to finish her sixth drink, a shout, almost like a desperate scream, erupted from a nearby table. ¡°Ah, he¡¯s at it again.¡± ¡°¡­What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Huh? Ah, well, you know how there¡¯s been a huge increase in wild beaststely? They¡¯ve been sending out a lot of adventurers and, of course, soldiers to deal with them.¡± ¡°¡­And?¡± ¡°Well, the daughter of that blond guy over there is an adventurer. The son of the guy across from him is a soldier. The problem is that they both got involved in this mess and¡­¡± The bartender and staff were busy, so the situation was exined by a fellow customer sitting next to her. However, instead of finishing her sentence, the customer simply made a cutting motion across her throat with her thumb. Johnna immediately understood what was meant without any further exnation. ¡°What, you bastard?!¡± ¡°If you soldiers did your job right, there¡¯d have been no need to send out adventurers to begin with!¡± ¡°Are you done talking?! The adventurers volunteered to help and died because theycked skill!¡± ¡°What are you saying right now¡ª?!¡± At that moment, their fight seemed to resonate with her. Without knowing why the beasts attacked, it was only natural for them to vent their frustrations on those before them. It was heartbreaking when onecked a clear target to me for all this mess. ¡°¡­The real cause lies elsewhere.¡± The issue was that the true culprit behind this disaster couldn¡¯t be properly punished. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°God damn it.¡± The truth behind this matter wasn¡¯t even to be revealed. With no way to punish the perpetrator, the youngdy and the lord himself had decided it would be better to cover up this incident and treat it as a mere disaster. Although Johanna didn¡¯t believe that was the right decision, she didn¡¯t oppose it either. If that was her mistress¡¯s will, her duty as a servant was to follow it. Even if that meant witnessing the tragic sight of victims turning on each other, unaware of the true perpetrator¡¯s identity. ¡°Just what are you guys doing, being so noisy?¡± ¡°Shit.¡± ¡°Hey, clean this up. It¡¯s disgusting.¡± And just what was that troublemaker doing here again? Johanna almost instinctively spat out her drink but barely held it in. Wouldn¡¯t it be rather rude for someone serving the youngdy to act like that toward her younger brother? Even if their rtionship was the worst? ¡°Let go of me!¡± Those two drunk and resentful guys about to fight each other were eventually subdued by the soldiers. Since it hadn¡¯te to a full-blown brawl, they were only held in ce to prevent them from moving. It was unclear whether this development could be considered good. ¡°This is driving me crazy. Even here¡­¡± On the other hand, one voice seemed to be echoing her frustration. Johanna nced to the side. The customer who¡¯d exined the situation to her earlier was now frowning deeply. Her gaze was fixed on the lord¡¯s son, who¡¯d just entered the tavern. ¡°Ah, found you.¡± The young master even smiled brightly when he saw the customer beside Johanna. It appeared they knew each other, though she couldn¡¯t say she¡¯d heard anything about this before. ¡°Hey, Adventurer. Why did you refuse my escort request?¡± ¡°As I told you earlier today, I can''t do it due to conflicting schedules. Even if youe to me directly to hire me, I can¡¯t do it.¡± Ah, now she understood why she didn¡¯t know of their rtionship. It seemed he was trying something new today. Johanna cursed inwardly when she saw that the young master, who¡¯d been shameless enough to bother every woman he could find within the manor and city, was now even setting his sights on adventurers. The customer close to her, who¡¯d grown very quiet when the lord¡¯s son appeared, probably felt simrly. ¡°I personally came to hire you, so why can¡¯t you just do it?!¡± ¡°Young Master, that¡¯s¡ª¡± She didn¡¯t want to get involved or talk to him, but she still was employed by the manor. Even if he wasn¡¯t her direct superior, he was still someone she indirectly served. So, Johanna stepped in to stop this situation from escting any further. The young master¡¯s eyebrows shot up as she intervened. ¡°Why are you¡ª!¡± ¡°You son of a bitch!¡± Suddenly, some bean stalks served there as side dishes came flying and hit the young master¡¯s head. Everyone around him widened their eyes in shock. They all seemed to be wondering if they had done it unconsciously. Even Johanna nced down at her hand, wondering if she¡¯d acted without realizing it. ¡°Young Master!¡± ¡°Wh-What?! Who¡¯s the bastard who¡ª!¡± ¡°Well met, you damn bastard! You¡¯re part of the problem, as well! If you and your ilk hadn¡¯t wasted soldiers on your idiotic schemes to undermine the city¡¯s rightful heir, my daughter wouldn¡¯t be dead!¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°You killed my daughter!!¡± Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t Johanna who acted instinctively. However, that didn¡¯t make the situation any better. ¡°What the hell are you talking about, you bastard?!¡± ¡°Die, just die already! You useless piece of trash!! Die!!¡± ¡°S-Stop him!¡± ¡°You madman!¡± It seemed he hadn¡¯t mentioned his adventurer daughter for nothing. The man who¡¯d lost his daughter managed to effectively shake off the soldiers holding him back and grabbed the young master by the throat. His guards couldn¡¯t even properly react. ¡°N-Noo!¡± Johanna sighed as she made a mental note to ensure all these guards would get firedter. This could no longer be resolved peacefully. That fool, so focused on his own suffering, would certainly punish this man. ¡°You, c-crazy bastard¡ª!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just die together. Scum like you deserve to die!¡± ¡°You keep bringing up youngdy this, youngdy that! Do you think anything would¡¯ve changed if she¡¯d stepped in?! Do you really believe she could¡¯ve done anything against that tiger monster?!¡± He would punish the young master. ¡°What¡­!¡± ¡°You fools! She couldn¡¯t have saved your kids, not even if your precious youngdy¡¯s mother came back to life! That beast bastard you worship, the Skyflow Tiger, is the one who killed them all¡ª!¡± ¡°Young Master!!¡± How did that crazy bastard even know about this?! Johanna felt herst bit of drunkenness disappear instantly. ¡°The Skyflow Tiger¡­?¡± ¡°Why did you mention that name?¡± It couldn¡¯t be covered up anymore. The people, who¡¯d been taught at the youngdy¡¯s constant urging to stand up for themselves and im their rights, would never let this pass without a proper answer. ____ Chapter 162: Hasty Excuses (2) Chapter 162 Hasty Excuses (2) sh. The moment I regained consciousness, my eyelids reflexively shot open. It probably was because thest thing I remembered was stabbing my sword into Moby Dick¡¯s head; before my rational mind could take over, my instincts took over, already assessing my surroundings. What I saw around me was as follows: white stone walls and ceiling, blue tapestries hanging on them here and there, each embroidered with a unique pattern in gold, a cozy bed, and nkets. Given my experience from this adventure thus far, there was a 99% chance that I was inside a Temple. Rustle. I pushed myself into a sitting position. Seeing as I only had on some bandages and a light shirt, they¡¯d apparently removed a fewyers of my clothing to make me morefortable. My vest and coat were lying neatly on the side table beside me. Hmm. This gave me a bit of a d¨¦j¨¤ vu. Surely, two weeks haven¡¯t gone by this time, right? I felt a bit uneasy, but sadly, I had no way of knowing what day it was. However, my body felt extremely heavy, and my vision was somewhat blurry, so my condition was pretty clearly not the best. Considering most of my injuries usually healed rather quickly, it seemed not much time had passed. Well, I did find out in Tatara that if pushed to the brink of death, my body still felt heavy even after two weeks, but that hadn¡¯t happened this time, right? I¡¯d followed White Wind¡¯s advice and made sure to suffer only minor injuries, nothing life-threatening. Knock, knock. Just then, I heard a knocking from the door. It was a very soft sound, probably because the person outside thought I was still sleeping. ¡°¡­Who is it?¡± Oh, my voice was cracking. ¡°¡­You¡¯re awake already?¡± I pulled up the nket a little more when they entered. Just enough to cover my right arm, though. It would¡¯ve seemed weird if I tried to cover myselfpletely. ¡°It hasn''t even been an hour since your treatment finished. You should get some more rest.¡± ¡°What about¡­ the Great Demon?¡± It was the Archmage who¡¯d entered the room. Listening to her words, I kept thinking that it always seemed to be her who gave me post-battle reports¡ªeven though I was the one who did the fighting. ¡°It¡¯s dead. You killed it. Don¡¯t you remember?¡± I did, but I wasn¡¯t entirely sure I¡¯d dealt the final blow. Turns out, I had. ¡°By the way, all of you except Berserk ended up copsing, so we had no choice but to return to the Temple. Since two of you couldn¡¯t be treated with Divine Power, I also came along.¡± So that meant that not just me but also the Inquisitor and Deb passed out, with only Bers remaining conscious? But why Deb? Had his internal injuries worsened again? No, no, even if they did, why couldn¡¯t he be healed with Divine Power? The Great Demon was dead, so shouldn¡¯t the Demonic Energy within Deb be gone? Shouldn¡¯t it?? I calmly organized the new information while worrying about Deb and suspecting that Bers might have actually transcended mortality. My first step should be choosing an action that would fit my character setting. ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry. I only had three people carry you here and three guard you. The rest remained behind to guard and Purify the Great Demon¡¯s corpse. Berserk stayed back, as well.¡± However, it seemed the Archmage had misunderstood my silence and hurriedly added this exnation. That wasn¡¯t bad. That Bers stayed back to guard the corpse meant no one had yet to relieve her of that duty, which in turn meant not much time had passed. Considering that my treatment had only ended an hour ago and she¡¯d followed me back because no one else around could treat me¡­ it seemed it had been half a day at most and a few hours at least. Factoring in how the Archmage hadn¡¯t even changed her clothes after returning to the Temple gave this theory even more weight. It meant she hadn¡¯t had time to change because she was so focused on healing me. ¡°I need to see it with my own eyes.¡± So, wouldn¡¯t this be the correct response here? I¡¯d usually just say something like, ¡®Hmm, I see,¡¯ and let it go, but this was one of my sworn enemies. It would be more fitting for my character to want to verify it once more. I wasn¡¯t in the best physical condition, but it didn¡¯t seem like there would be another battle for now. If there were, that just meant something had generally gone wrong, so it wouldn¡¯t be a loss. Probably. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Ah, no, that was a slip of the tongue. Are you still not thinking straight?¡± Sorry, but that corrected statement didn¡¯t seem much better. ¡°Do you have any idea what kind of condition you were in earlier¡ª?!¡± The Archmage, about to raise her voice, calmed herself down by raising her hand instead. ¡°Demon Knight, did you know that your seal shattered earlier?¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Huh. ¡°As I thought, you didn¡¯t know, which means you didn¡¯t intentionally break it because you were overexerting yourself, but rather, you instinctively drew on your Arcane Power to recover again.¡± No, no, why? I wasn¡¯t that badly hurt. ¡°¡­Were you, by any chance, only worrying about your external injuries?¡± ¡­Was I supposed to be concerned about the internal ones, too? I¡¯d been a little worried about altitude sickness before, but did it seriously progress to something like cerebral edema or pulmonary edema to the point where I could have died? ¡°¡­Demon Knight, people don¡¯t just die from being stabbed or having their bones shattered. They can die from internal bleeding in the brain or the heart suddenly stopping for any number of reasons.¡± I realized something. ¡°In cases like these, only Divine Power can usually cure them. Some wizards are working with doctors to expand the horizons of surgical procedures, but unless they¡¯re a specialized wizard, surgery and the like are out of the question.¡± The raid was a perfect example of mepletely disregarding White Wind¡¯s advice whileughing. ¡°Ick the relevant knowledge, as well. You were lucky that normal healing spells worked this time, but I can¡¯t handle anything more severe.¡± Moreover¡­ I needed to be mindful of internal injuries while fighting now, too! ¡°Fortunately, you don¡¯t have such conditions yet, but¡­ this time was very close. So, don''t even think about leaving the Temple for the next two days. Just rest, please.¡± But wasn¡¯t this level of difficulty just a bit too much?! First, I was forced to ascend thousands of meters into the sky, and then they hit me with these realistic illnesses. What did they want me to do? If that¡¯s how this worked, why couldn¡¯t my body be tough enough to just brush off everything like Bers¡¯?! ¡°We¡¯ll take care of the Great Demon.¡± Come on, who''s in charge of bnce here?!! * * * ¡°Achoo!¡± Berserk, who was on night watch, turned her head at the sound. A priest, assigned the toughest shift right in the middle of the night because he was the youngest among the priests, had his ears perked up. ¡°Did you catch a cold?¡± ¡°N-No, it¡¯s not that.¡± Perhaps embarrassed by his sneeze, the priest covered his cheeks, which couldn''t really be made out due to his fur. However, his round ears continued twitching, giving away his mental state. ¡°Berserk feels a bit cold.¡± ¡°Oh! Th-Then I¡¯ll add some more wood to the fire!¡± At her words, the priest quickly shook off his embarrassment and threw some logs into the fire. Consuming the fuel, the mes grewrger, and naturally, the warmth they emitted spread further. ¡°Erm, then, would you like a nket, as well¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯d get in the way, so I don¡¯t want it.¡± She didn¡¯t really feel cold to begin with. In her hometown, the air was so cold that your breath would be visible and your snot froze instantly, so how could she call this ce cold? ¡°¡­I want to return to the Eternal Sanctuary.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± She never thought she¡¯d miss that wretched ce. Home was still home, huh? Or maybe the air she¡¯d encountered high up in the sky while hunting the whale reminded her of her homnd, making her feel a little nostalgic. With those thoughts in mind, she stared at that thing blocking her view: the corpse of the giant merman, which had retained its form even after more than half a day had passed. She didn¡¯t mean rigor mortis or the like. It just didn¡¯t feel entirely ¡®dead¡¯, but not ¡®alive¡¯, either. ¡°Hmm.¡± Despite having repeatedly checked that corpse, she decided to take another look just to be sure. Berserk grabbed the halberd she¡¯d stabbed into the ground and stood back up. ¡°Wh-Where are you going?¡± ¡°To check that.¡± She walked over to the corpse with light steps. Under the moonlight, the Demon¡¯s body seemed to glow faintly, as if covered in silver powder. Considering its bodily fluids were a non-reflective ck, its external appearance starkly contrasted with its internal. ¡°Hmmm.¡± It was pretty yet utterly repulsive at the same time. It wasn¡¯t because it was a Demon. Demons were just something to kill and sometimes a little entertaining as prey, but she¡¯d never considered them in terms of like or dislike. It was just¡­ it somehow resembled freshly fallen snow, which she hated. The white hair, the silver pupils surrounded by ck sclera, its entire body. Berserk hated snow. To be precise, the memories it brought back and the things it had taken from her. All those countless things buried in the snow, frozen in time forever. Rustle. ¡°¡­?¡± After staring down at that enormous head for a long time, she felt something. Ruuustle. It wasn¡¯t just in her head. Berserk gripped her halberd tightly, focusing all five of her senses. Ruuustle. Something wasing. Not from above, the sides, behind, or the front. ¡°Get up¡ª!!!¡± But from directly beneath her feet. ¡°Get out of here quickly!¡± She threw her halberd. Boom! As the earth shook along with her shout, those who¡¯d been sleeping suddenly opened their eyes. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Urgh.¡± ¡°Wha¡ª!¡± They reallycked discipline! Jumping down from the corpse, Berserk grabbed the still-dazed guys by their cors. Their screams filled the air in response, but the effect was substantial. Even if they hadn¡¯t fully grasped the situation, they still managed to sense some danger and began to retreat. And just as they barely escaped to the area pointed out by Berserk. Boooom! ¡°¡ª!!¡± Massive tree roots sprouted from the ground and began engulfing the dead Great Demon¡¯s body. * * * While I was confined to the Temple, the Archmage left before dawn broke, using the excuse of investigating the Great Demon¡¯s body more closely. Of course, I couldn''t say anything about that. She was the only wizard around, and there were some things in this world that only a wizard could do. Clink. But after she left, the soup bowl I was served at breakfast cracked, making it seem like something bad might happen. Since ancient times, hadn¡¯t the breaking of dishes and the like always been used as a clich¨¦, an omen foreshadowing the urrence of something problematic? ¡°Oh. Are you alright?!¡± More importantly, why did it break? Did they pour hot soup into a super cold bowl? Or did the bowl¡¯s natural frequency just coincidentally match the external vibration created when it was set on the table? ¡°I-I¡¯ll bring you a new bowl right away!¡± In any case, what was done was done. As I set down the spoon I¡¯d just raised, I watched the priest hurriedly clean up the broken bowl and the spilled food. After the priest rushed out of the dining room, I was left alone. It had been a while since I¡¯d experienced unintentional solitude, and I was slightly thrown off by it. I was a bit bored, too. ¡°¡­¡± However, as I thought back to how this boredom was caused by the others fainting, my mood quickly turned serious again. Well, the Archmage and Bers had gone out to investigate the Great Demon, but the cause for the two dumplings¡¯ absence was different. One fainted due to the aftereffects of her overexerting herself, and the other fainted due to the worsening of his internal injuries. Moreover, thetter was difficult to treat because of the Demonic Energy in his body. This wasn¡¯t a situation where I could say something like, ¡®Welp, good luck,¡¯ like usual. ¡°¡­Sigh.¡± At least I had some faith that the Inquisitor was strong enough and would wake up soon, but Deb¡­ I didn¡¯t know about Deb. I was sure he wasn¡¯t a traitor¡ªhis behavior was too clumsy for that, and he had been asionally coughing up blood for some reason, so what were we supposed to be suspicious of?¡ªbut that didn¡¯t mean I could fully rx. That¡¯s just how the situation was right now. I defeated the Great Demon, who we guessed was responsible, but this kid was still full of Demonic Energy. Deb¡¯s sincerity aside, I couldn¡¯t deny the possibility that he was forced into something. In that case, I wondered how much longer I could keep up my character like I had. And then there were Deb¡¯s feelings. Even though we¡¯d dealt with its probable cause, the problem hadn¡¯t been resolved, and even the Sea Dragon pearl I¡¯d secretly given him didn¡¯t work, which made me think that Energy might be something he¡¯d have to live with for the rest of his life. If that was the case, just how hard would this be for our meat dumpling? I¡¯d thought he might be okay since he didn¡¯t carry any intense hatred like my character, but I couldn¡¯t help but worry. Especially since he¡¯d always struggled with an abysmally low self-esteem due to his background, this might have just made it worse. At the very least, it wouldn¡¯t have made it better. Thud. I ended up resting my forehead on my hands with my elbows on the table. My head hurt. ¡°Damn it.¡± My head hurt, but my thoughts just wouldn¡¯t stop. Had I known something like this would happen, I would¡¯ve been more suspicious when I found Deb on that rooftop that time. Could Deb stay with us? Could we even solve Deb¡¯s problems? And if we couldn¡¯t, what then? All sorts of questions were swirling around in my head. And at the end of all those thoughts was the image of Deb thrusting his dagger at me. I rubbed my cheek, which was now unblemished. ¡®Does Deb even want to stay with us, with me?¡¯ Again, my head hurt. Knock, knock, knock. Ah, why was I still suffering like this, even after killing one of the Seven Great Demons? Knock, knock, knock, knock. If this was how things ended up after bringing down just the one in the forest, how were we supposed to get the remaining six, no, five? How were we going to kill those five and then Satan? Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock. Damn it. Instead of celebrating our victory, we were just facing one crisis after the other endlessly¡­ Bam! ¡°Ah, Sir Demon Knight!¡± I slowly lifted my head from my hand, then turned my gaze to the person who¡¯d just burst into the room. ¡°A messenger from the group watching over the Great Demon is here!¡± That broken dish clich¨¦ always led to trouble. ____ Chapter 163: Hasty Excuses (3) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 163 Hasty Excuses (3) There wasn¡¯t really a connection between the Great Demon and the young lord of Ednium. However, since the subjugation battle had urred in the forest within Ednium¡¯s territory, he couldn''t help but be interested as its young lord. For that same reason, the young lord provided thirty of his soldiers as a gesture of cooperation, and the Archmage continuously sent detailed reports to both the Temple and the manor. ¡°We would like to ask you for your cooperation.¡± So when news of the Great Demon¡¯s corpse being swallowed by roots reached me, I¡ªor more precisely, the people of the Temple supposed to apany me there¡ªfirst went to request the young lorde with us. No matter how you looked at this incident, the only one who could¡¯ve performed such an extraordinary feat was the Skyflow Tiger. Moreover, the only person who could determine the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s intentions without fighting it (as far as I knew) was the young lord. To uncover the truth behind this matter in more detail, he had no choice but to apany the people of the Temple anyway. ¡°I was nning to ask the Skyflow Tiger about the Demon, as you requested, but¡­ I never thought things would turn out this way.¡± Ah, he was referencing the Archmage¡¯s request to ask the Skyflow Tiger about the ¡°Agreement with Demons¡± thing. However, before he even had the chance to ask, this disaster happened. ¡°¡­Just why did the Skyflow Tiger do that to the Demon¡¯s corpse¡­?¡± Well. I wasn¡¯t a prophet or anything, only pretty familiar with the recurrent clich¨¦s. But if I had to pick the most likely scenario, it¡¯d be that these two had formed some sort of alliance. Even setting the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s attitude aside, I wondered what kind of mutual benefit they gained from this agreement. ¡°¡­Uhm, erm, Sir Adventurer.¡± After pondering how to address me, Leon, the young lord, seemed to finally find a fitting title. I nced at him but didn¡¯t respond, as usual. Deb, who usually covered for me in such social settings, and the Inquisitor, who often smoothed things over with her soothing way of being, were both unconscious in the Temple. However, I now had the achievement of defeating a Great Demon under my belt. So, no one dared toin about my rudeness as expected. ¡°I heard that¡­ you, the Hero, and one more person fought against the Great Demon, just the three of you, before finally iming victory.¡± Anyway, after stating this, the young lord cautiously asked his question. ¡°¡­Was the Great Demon powerful?¡± I didn¡¯t know what brought him to ask this question, but it wasn¡¯t like this was something I couldn¡¯t answer. ¡°It¡¯s meaningless to discuss the strength of something already dead.¡± Because I was the one who¡¯d won! ¡°I see.¡± Of course, we also took some damage¡­ but honestly, he should overlook that much. Most of our injuries weren¡¯t caused by the Demon but by the unusual circumstances of fighting thousands of meters above the ground! Had we fought on the ground, the Inquisitor wouldn¡¯t have fallen unconscious. I wasn¡¯t exaggerating here; this was the full truth. ¡°I heard both the Hero and you, Sir Adventurer, fainted¡­¡± No, what the hell? Wasn¡¯t that crazy nitpicky? Hey, Mister Young Lord! Why don¡¯t you just go up several thousand meters in the air?! Do you think it was easy fighting up there and creating footholds without any help from the System?! Do you have any idea what it¡¯s like dealing with altitude sickness and the unavoidable limitations of a person¡¯s body?! This was seriously unfair! Neither I nor the Inquisitor were weak! I turned to look at the young lord, fuming inside. Was my gaze perhaps too intense? As soon as our eyes met, the young lord started to tremble. ¡°If that thing had been on the ground, severing its neck wouldn¡¯t have even taken ten minutes.¡± That was a bit of an exaggeration, but what was the difference between ten and twenty minutes, right? It wasn¡¯t as if we had to fight another Great Demon anytime soon. With such cunning thoughts in mind, we approached the mass of roots. It wasn¡¯t like something out of Jack and the Beanstalk, but instead, many vines several meters in diameter tangled together to form a huge hill. It was pretty easy to distinguish from the rest of the forest''s vegetation, as they werepletely different. ¡°Then could you kill the Skyflow Tiger as well?¡± Wait, what was he saying right now? ¡°Could you¡­ kill the Skyflow Tiger without harming anyone else?¡± This time, I didn¡¯t just nce at him but turned my head and even hips to face him. The young lord directly met my gaze. ¡°Tha¡ª¡± ¡°My apologies. Please pretend you didn¡¯t hear anything.¡± And just as I was about to answer, the young lord interrupted me. Hah, damn. Was he joking? After saying everything he wanted to, he just told me to pretend I hadn¡¯t heard anything? Excuse me, Mister Young Lord? Can¡¯t you see how infuriating that is?? Since lives were at stake here, I let it slide. ¡°Young Lord!¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here. You¡¯ve alsoe.¡± After that, the young lord and I walked in silence. Fortunately, our destination wasn¡¯t far off, so I didn¡¯t have to endure this awkward atmosphere for long. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making youe to such a dangerous ce.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be. It¡¯s something I must do.¡± ¡°I¡¯d also like to apologize to you. I wanted to let you rest a bit longer, but¡­¡± I mean, this wasn¡¯t even the Archmage¡¯s fault, so why was she apologizing? Ignoring the Archmage¡¯s words, I approached the tangled vines. Bers, wielding her halberd, was chopping through the vines as if possessed by a lumberjack. It seemed she¡¯d cut through some of these vines before we arrived, given the three stumps already at her feet. ¡°These vines are what I called you both here for. I was told they suddenly grew out of the ground andpletely enveloped the Great Demon¡¯s corpse without leaving even the smallest gap.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Bam, bam, bam! Crunchcrunchcrunch. So, that¡¯s why these vines had grown into this oval, dome-like shape. But what was that crunching I was hearing between the sounds of chopping? ¡°Berserk is continuously trying to cut through the vines to check what¡¯s inside, but¡­¡± I felt a bit sorry for the Archmage, but I was far more interested in that crunching noise than her words. If I wasn¡¯t just hearing things¡­ it seemed to being from inside the vines. ¡°Had I known this would happen, I would have brought more soldiers. Cutting through these will be difficult with just this many people.¡± ¡°Erm, that isn¡¯t necessary. If that had been the case, I would¡¯ve told the messenger.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°Move it before it falls over!¡± However, I couldn¡¯t just focus on that. I had to pay attention not only to the information the Archmage was providing but also to the shouts of the priests and soldiers trying to move away from the vines, so my surroundings were far too noisy for that, anyway. It seemed they¡¯d also moved aside what Bers had knocked down earlier, seeing that five vines were piled up at one side. ¡°These vines grow far too quickly, so cutting them down normally is effectively meaningless.¡± ¡­Wait a second. Five? But there were only three stumps? ¡°It¡¯s growing again!¡± My doubts were resolved not a secondter. As Bers was halfway done cutting through a vine, new ones sprouted from the severed sections. They even pushed away Bers as they covered the other existing stumps. ¡°As you can see here.¡± The Archmage shrugged while Bers, drenched in copious amounts of sweat, let out a frustrated ¡°Uwaargh!¡± ng! In her fury, she even threw down her halberd. ¡°Oh, you came at just the right time, buddy!!¡± At that moment, Bers, wildly ruffling her hair, saw me and shouted. ¡°Do that ¡®Whoosh¡¯ thing you usually do!¡± That whoosh thing? My [sh] had gained an extremely undignified nickname. ¡°¡­Demon Knight, I hope you won¡¯t be too harsh. I also thought your abilities would be more useful for this, which is why I called you.¡± I could understand where they wereing from. While Bers¡¯ single-target attacks were much stronger, I had more AOE skills. It made sense that they called me to deal with this in one go to reach the corpse, considering how quickly these vines were growing, constantly throwing them back to square one. ¡°Is it impossible to burn them down with spells? Ah, are you afraid it might damage the corpse¡­?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯ve already tried, but it didn¡¯t work. I couldn¡¯t leave a scratch on them.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± I turned away from Bers, who was waving her hands quite vigorously, and took my position. If I aimed my [sh] too low, I¡¯d end up severing the Demon¡¯s corpse, and if I aimed too high, it might only expose a cross-section of some vines, so I had to choose my position wisely. ¡°Get out of the way.¡± I also considered that the vines might topple over, so I shouted at those around me to move back. There was no doubt in my mind that I wouldn¡¯t be able to cut through them, though. While my body wasn¡¯t in the best condition, it wasn¡¯t to the point where I couldn¡¯t use my skills. ¡°You should cut from around here.¡± ¡­Was she trying to help me? While everyone moved back, I stopped trying to gauge the right height myself and looked to where Bers was pointing. Unlike me, who¡¯d been unconscious and hadn¡¯t even caught a glimpse of the Demon¡¯s corpse, she¡¯d probably watched it all night, so I thought it would be better to follow her advice. ¡°Leave.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± But I couldn¡¯t just leave it at that. After chasing Bers away, I tightened my grip on my Zweih?nder. Crunch, crunch, crunch. Something was continuously making scratching and gnawing sounds beneath the vines near where I was positioned. ¡°I don¡¯t know what this is, but¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t have any idea. However, I¡¯d know for sure once I looked at it, anyway. ¡°I will bring the truth to light.¡± * * * Pushing back my guesses, I swung my sword. The sharpened, pitch-ck Arcane Power extended from my Zweih?nder¡¯s de, stretching into a massive de several tens of meters long. Whoosh! I felt my attack hit. I cut through them. ¡°Is that even possible¡­?¡± ¡°Incredible¡­¡± ¡°But why aren¡¯t the vines falling?¡± I cut through them, but why weren¡¯t they falling? I slowly blinked, looking at the faint sh mark I¡¯d left behind. ¡­Erm, this wasn¡¯t that thing often depicted in manhwa where the cut was so clean that the target didn''t fall into pieces, right? ¡°Hiya!!¡± At that moment, something massive flew over my head. Boom! Bers gave the vines I¡¯d cut through a strong kick. Shake. That did the trick. The vines began falling like dominoes. They were indeed falling, albeit a bit slowly, due to their weight. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Still, since they were falling so slowly, we had more than enough time to get out of the way. While Bers and I kept a safe distance, we didn¡¯t go too far. We needed to stay here so we could look inside the dome¡¯s interior before the Skyflow Tiger grew new bean vines. ¡°Aha, this is fun!¡± This wasn¡¯t particrly difficult. Those vines were copsing much more slowly than the Sea Dragon moved. Bam, bam! After the vines fell to the ground, knocking up dust clouds, I hurriedly looked into the dome¡¯s interior. However, what was revealed was far more serious than I expected. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Oh, the Demon¡¯s body is gone.¡± ¡°¡­It was eaten.¡± I hadn¡¯t been sure, but it seemed I¡¯d guessed right. That crunching was the sound of something being eaten, and that something was the Great Demon¡¯s corpse. ¡°Are the vines not growing anymore?¡± Well, either there was no need to regrow them because they¡¯d already been discovered or because they were already done. Personally, I suspected it was thetter. The only traces of Moby Dick were his hair, some silken strands, a fin, and a bit of skin. ¡°¡­?¡± But what was that? I jumped down, enduring the rancid stench. The overflowing blood soaked my ankles as if I¡¯d stepped into a swamp, but it was bearable. My legs carried me toward the ce where some bones, flesh, and bits of intestines remained. It was where the Demon¡¯s upper body should have been. ¡°Did you find something?¡± Grab. I pulled something out from the middle of all this. ¡°I didn¡¯t know tigers ate corpses.¡± In my hand was the tail of a white tiger, probably the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s. It wasrger than a person¡¯s upper body, evidently belonging to a Primordial Beast. * * * ¡°My apologies, Young Lady.¡± Back in Camborough. ¡°It¡¯s my fault for being unable to stop the young master, even though I was right there.¡± Naturally, the residents who¡¯d uncovered a fragment of the truth wanted to obtain it in its entirety. That they¡¯d only resorted to peaceful protests was probably out of consideration for the youngdy¡¯s honor, not anyone else¡¯s. This was her reputation, earned through years of silently fighting for the residents while covering up the messes continuously caused by the lord and his son. ¡°I will dly ept any punishment.¡± However, that didn¡¯t change how her failure to control this information had led to useless conflict. Johanna deeply apologized to herdy. ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to apologize, Johanna.¡± No. While it might not have been her responsibility, she still couldn¡¯t stop it from happening despite being present, so this was absolutely her fault. Rather than overlooking this matter because they were friends, it was only fitting that she be punished. ¡°No. I should take responsibility for this matter¡­¡± ¡°Ah, this truly isn¡¯t your fault, so stop apologizing.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°I was the one who told him about the Skyflow Tiger in the first ce.¡± ¡°What?¡± Johanna was so flustered that she identally started speaking informally. After pping her cheeks, she looked back to herdy. Was it just her imagination, or did Mia seem a little happy? ¡°I didn¡¯t do it for any particr reason. I was just, just¡­ curious as to how the people would react if they found out the truth.¡± Wait, after giving the people their freedom and rights, she was now curious about how they¡¯d react? Was she joking? Johanna desperately suppressed the emotions welling up in her, thinking that if this weren¡¯t herdy, she would¡¯ve hit her even once. She still couldn¡¯t quite wrap her head around this. ¡°So, am I to understand that this was your intention¡­?¡± ¡°My intention¡­ I wouldn¡¯t go that far. It¡¯s not like I can control what leaves that guy¡¯s mouth. I just¡­ left it up to fate. Whether he went around and talked about this or had enough brains to keep his mouth shut.¡± ¡°¡­And what if he hadn¡¯t said anything?¡± ¡°Then I would have just epted my fate.¡± However, the more she heard, the worse she felt. Johanna ced her hand against her temples, her heart now pounding for an entirely different reason. She really wanted to grab her forehead or the back of her neck, but she didn¡¯t have the courage to do that before herdy. ¡°So, what will you do now?¡± ¡°Well, first, I¡¯ll have to tell the people the truth they want to know: that the Skyflow Tiger is the culprit and why it did what it did.¡± ¡°Are you trying to¡­ incite a hunt?¡± ¡°Oh no. I¡¯m going to leave this up to fate, as well. It¡¯s the Skyflow Tiger, after all. We don¡¯t know just how much damage it could cause, so if the people don¡¯t wish for it¡­ I should just give up.¡± However, no matter what the youngdy wished for, Mia would absolutely respect the people¡¯s will. Even if it meant something within her would break. ¡°¡­Will the people be willing to take this risk?¡± As such, as a friend, Johanna asked her a question. The youngdy, Mia, noticed the slight nuance of her words and smiled. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because, quite honestly, I know they won''t step forward. Even if they wanted to, they couldn¡¯t kill that thing so easily, don''t you think? Who knows what kind of consequences might follow because of this?¡± ¡°¡­Y-You!¡± ¡°I¡¯m terribly twisted, aren¡¯t I? But, please, just let it slide. They say pain and sorrow are halved when shared, right?¡± ¡°...Coming from someone who would usually im it doubles.¡± Mia didn''t respond to Johanna¡¯s reproach. And Johanna also stopped nitpicking any further. The words felt too bitter on her tongue to say anymore. ¡°¡­B-But what if, Mia.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What if the people agree to hunt down the Skyflow Tiger, and no dire consequences are caused by it? What will you do then?¡± However, the taste of regret was even more bitter, so she still asked onest thing. In response to Johanna¡¯s question, Mia pulled out a bottle of alcohol and a dagger from her drawer. ¡°What are you even asking? Of course, I would kill it then.¡± She skillfully sliced through the neck of the bottle with the dagger. ____ Chapter 164: Hasty Excuses (4) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 164 Hasty Excuses (4) > [The agreement will continue.] > [¡­That¡¯s good news, I suppose?] Pandemonium smiled faintly at the being standing before them. Despite being filled with all manner of curses and humiliation, they didn¡¯t let it show. > [I¡¯ll even tolerate you fighting the Hero and her party, so long as it causes no harm to Ednium.] The moment they appeared weak to this being, they would get devoured. Like a certain someone whose bits were still left between its teeth. > [¡­Why would I fight them?] Shit, shit, shit! Pandemonium let every curse they knew run through their mind. Sympathy for the dead Leviathan? It wasn¡¯t because of that. Why would they feel any sympathy for someone who brought about his own death like that? It wasn¡¯t as if they shared any sort of bond. > [Is that so?] However, the situation resulting from that idiot Leviathan¡¯s death was supremely annoying. They didn¡¯t care that those mortals were boasting about killing a Great Demon, which tarnished their honor. What pissed them off was that this tiger was acting up now. That damn Leviathan! If he was going to die, he should have diedpletely! Why did he let that damn beast devour both his name and soul? Thanks to that, this bastard had gotten even stronger! > [How unfortunate¡­] And yet, that damn tiger still didn¡¯t show any satisfaction. Not only had it inherited all of Leviathan¡¯s power by consuming his name and soul, but it was now even coveting Pandemonium. > [¡­Haha. I think I should get going now. There¡¯s nothing left for me to do here, after all.] Usually, they would act smug, but with their life currently on the line, they just cautiously retreated. Pandemonium forced themself tough, cursing on the inside. Fortunately, that damn tiger didn¡¯t press this issue any further. > [Let¡¯s go.] ¡°Yes.¡± Pandemonium hurriedly boarded the carriage driven by their Contractor. Soon, a strange monster, created by grafting wings onto a horse, lifted the carriage into the air. ¡°Can we really just leave like that?¡± The moment there was enough distance between them and the cave where that damned beast was, the Contractor cautiously posed a question. Pandemonium furrowed their brows slightly. > [It¡¯s fine for now. It¡¯ll take some time to fully digest the power of a Great Demon.] The side effects of consuming a Great Demon were a separate matter. After all, a Great Demon was made of Demonic Energy, or Negative Energy; those beasts were the pr opposite of that power. Although this tiger had avoided corruption thanks to its Purification ability and being of a simr level as them, its body couldn¡¯t possibly remainpletely unaffected. And that would continue to be the case until it fully digested the Great Demon¡¯s power and made it their own. > [So, get ready. We must attack it before it fully digests the power and stabilizes.] ¡°Should we kill it?¡± > [No. We just need to attack it enough to prevent it from stabilizing. Once its Purifying powers weaken, it will be consumed by the Negative Energy and be corrupted.] As such, Pandemonium decided to stir up some trouble. If it coveted the power of Great Demons so much, then that damn beast should pay the proper price for it. These business-like thoughts entered their head. > [Just in case, let¡¯s not push for an all-out war. Ensure no one can catch the Skyflow Tiger after it escapes alive. Ah, also, no matter how this ends, Leviathan¡¯s Contractors will lose all their powers, so be prepared to seize their territories.] ¡°Of course. What about the Hero¡¯s party?¡± > [As for them¡­] Pandemonium took a moment to think about their answer to the question. Would the Hero step forward? Rather, would it benefit them if she did? > [Spread some rumors to keep them away.] If the Hero¡¯s party stepped in, they would Purify all that remained of Leviathan. It would be quite a shame to let such immense power simply vanish into thin air. > [Make the people anxious by spreading the idea that if the Skyflow Tiger dies, the entire Eastern region will really dry up. That way, even if the Hero¡¯s party steps up, they will be vehemently cursed out by the people.] They would have to pay a heavy price for letting this precious power disappear into nothing. ¡°Understood. It is a shame, though. It would have been better if you could take it for yourself, Master.¡± > [¡­?] ¡°My apologies, I spoke out of turn.¡± > [¡­No. You said something good.] But perhaps¡­ instead of ying petty tricks like that, it might be better just to pay the proper price and take it for themselves. > [Forget about Envy¡¯s territory. Instead, gather money. As quickly and as much as possible!] * * * A being suspected to be the Skyflow Tiger devoured the corpse of a Great Demon. The moment people heard about this, public opinion was greatly divided. One was saying, ¡®We must kill it,¡¯ while the other side worried, ¡®What if doing so would destroy the whole Eastern region?¡® Me? I wasn¡¯t really sure. From how the situation was progressing, it seemed it would definitely be a Raid Boss. If we just pushed ahead and took it down, what would happen after? I doubted the East would fall just because we took down the Skyflow Tiger¡­ but these people probably felt differently. So, what could we do? All the lords ruling the cities within the East would be gathering for a meeting¡ªsince time was tight, they would likely do this via video call with the help of wizards¡ªso we would have to wait and see. I had also made my preparations, just in case. Of course, not even my character could avoid waiting like this. No matter how impatient he was, he wouldn¡¯t act carelessly when hundreds of thousands of lives were at stake. ¡°The young hunter is still sleeping.¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably because his body hasn¡¯t fully recovered yet. He¡¯s restabilized, so he should wake up in a few days.¡± In the meantime¡­ Deb was still unconscious. He did wake up once, but after saying, ¡°This¡­,¡± he copsed again, coughing up blood. His internal injuries worsened again after that, and he hadn¡¯t woken up for a week now. In total, he had been unconscious for ten days. At this point, I was starting to feel really anxious. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Probably¡­ I believe so.¡± Seriously. Why wasn¡¯t he waking up? Because I had previously been out for two weeks, was this his way of making me walk in his shoes or something? I tore off a piece of rye bread, thinking that if that was the case, he was quite the petty one. For hygienic reasons, I held the rye bread in a handkerchief with my right hand while tearing pieces off it using my left hand. By the way, my left hand was bare. My left arm was only wrapped up to my wrist, so removing my glove would expose bare skin. I had washed my hands, of course. Since stuff like cerebral edema was a thing, why wouldn¡¯t viral and bacterial infections? So I washed them more thoroughly than usual. No way was I going to catch some sort of infection. ¡°So, are we going to kill the Skyflow Tiger?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not decided yet¡­¡± Two loaves of rye bread, a bowl of soup, a te of sd, and a few pieces of roasted vegetables. That had been my meal. I put thest piece of bread into my mouth. Squeak! At that moment, the door opened. Having heard the approaching footsteps, I had sped up my eating pace a bit. Thanks to that, my timing was just right. Nice. ¡°Madam Archmage?¡± ¡°The preparations for the meeting are almostplete.¡± Since this was a very important meeting, they didn¡¯t just set upmunication channels but also provided a reception room where each lord¡¯s image would be projected. It seemed it was almost ready. I wiped my mouth with the handkerchief and waited for the rest of the information while sipping a ss of water. ¡°So¡­¡± ¡°Since we would be the ones handling the Skyflow Tiger if it¡¯s decided that we¡¯ll go against it, we will also participate. Let¡¯s go there as soon as we are prepared.¡± But would the results of this meeting really be favorable? For the cities that hadn¡¯t suffered any losses because of this, wouldn¡¯t this probably feel like someone else¡¯s problem? And people usually couldn¡¯t empathize with misfortune unless it directly affected them. I suspected the oue would be bad. I slightly frowned. In that case, it might be better for me not to go. I had prepared something, but I didn¡¯t have it in my hands yet. If I participated without it, and the situation forced my character to do something rash, then¡­ ¡°E-Excuse me!¡± Just when my thoughts reached that point, someone came running toward us. If I remembered correctly, he was themon priest¡ªsomeone without Divine Power¡ªin charge of Deb. ¡°You¡­¡± But why was he running like that? Was there a problem¡­? ¡°He¡¯s awake!¡± Unexpectedly, the most joyful piece of news I¡¯d heard in recent days came flying toward me. The only problem was that my party members and I probably had to head to the manor immediately. ¡°M-Madam Archmage.¡± ¡°¡­The meeting hasn¡¯t started yet, so paying him a short visit should be fine.¡± Thankfully, the Archmage was a pretty flexible person. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Yes!!¡± As soon as they got permission, the Inquisitor and Bers dashed off to Deb¡¯s room. The Archmage followed them,ughing softly. ¡°Aren¡¯t youing?¡± Shocked, I also followed along. * * * ¡°¡­Did you guys find gold or something? Why are you rushing in here all of a sudden?¡± ¡°You idiot, we came here because you finally woke up!¡± ¡°Wahaha, you slept for far too long!¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t that long¡­¡± Of course, since I only walked, I could already hear those three chattering inside the room when I arrived. Despite the words they used, it was evident from their tone that they were ecstatic, so the Archmage, who was just about to enter the room, smiled slightly at the sound. ¡°You spent ten days in bed, and you call that not long?!¡± ¡°Young hunter, you should build up your stamina. You should wake up a lot earlier starting now.¡± ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not like I wanted this. Also, this isn¡¯t a matter of stamina, either.¡± Ah, by the way, instead of entering the room, I just leaned against a wall in the hallway. There wasn¡¯t any particr reason for this. I saved him because I had grown fond of him and kept him alive to act out my belief in him¡­ That was how I interpreted it, but I felt like doing any more would lead to me breaking character. I mean, I just had to look at the Archmage. Before entering the room, she looked at me when I stopped in the hallway, her eyes almost saying something like, ¡®I understand.¡¯ In her mind, I was probably struggling currently with the copse of my long-held values. That was what I wanted her to believe, after all. So, staying here was the right action to take. I desperately wanted to go in there and hug him, but character-building required one to act carefully, like building a wall by carefullyying each stone so it wouldn¡¯t copse. ¡°You should eat a lot, too. Your face has gotten so thin.¡± ¡°You guys just eat too much¡­¡± ¡°You still need to eat more, so what does it matter if we eat a lot?¡± ¡°Even you¡¯re like this, iron wall?¡± ¡°Hmm, should I get some food?¡± ¡°Even Miss Wizard. Do I really look that bad?¡± Well¡­ erm, I somehow let him slip away that time, but because of that, I felt like Deb would be even more wary of me. By the way, this was just based on what happened before we went to hunt the Demon, so I could be wrong. But, I mean, I was probably right, wasn¡¯t I? From Deb¡¯s perspective, he might think that I might kill him at any moment, considering he had attacked me first back then¡­ So, if I were to go in, this warm and friendly atmosphere would probably get ruined. As I thought, it would be better for me to stay outside. ¡°Well, I guess I lost some weight.¡± Meanwhile, Deb muttered something while touching his face. It was a lot more than just some, but no one bothered to correct him. ¡°¡­Huh, wait a second.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Why is my chin like this?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°No, my beard is gone¡­!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Apparently, he had brushed over his chin while touching his cheeks. I thought back to a few days ago when the priest in charge of Debpletely shaved off his beard. The priest had probably mistaken it for mere stubble that had grown out while Deb was unconscious and decided to shave it. As it turned out, this was apletely unnecessary act of kindness for Deb. ¡°My beard¡­!!¡± ¡°You can just grow it back, right?¡± ¡°Wahahaha. So that¡¯s what this is about?¡± ¡°I worked so hard to grow it¡­!¡± ¡°Just keep it shaved, young hunter. It didn¡¯t suit you anyway.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t why I grew it out!?¡± By the way, I caught the priest in the act when he was already half-done¡­ First of all, stopping the priest would have been terribly out of character, and just leaving it half-shaved would have been really weird, so I just let it happen. A mohawk haircut might be one thing, but a mohawk beard would be very strange. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t pay enough attention.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. What¡¯s done is done¡­¡± However, he wasn¡¯t the type to stay upset over his beard for long. ¡°Erm, is it dead?¡± Deb changed the subject. Although he didn¡¯t directly state who he was referring to, I had a good guess about whose death he was asking after. ¡°As you saw, the Great Demon Moby Dick has died. Though something troublesome happened right after.¡± ¡°Did it really die?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Is it really dead?¡± However, it was rather odd how he repeated this particr question. If he was just asking out of sheer disbelief, his tone wouldn¡¯t sound like this. Deb¡¯s words were extremely stiff. It was like when a TV quiz show host would try to give a contestant another chance by asking, ¡°Is this your final answer?¡± ¡°You, blood¡­!¡± ¡°Are you hurt again, young hunter?¡± That he coughed up blood again even though he should have recovered¡­ ¡°¡­We should check again.¡± ¡­meant that Deb, at the risk of his own health, tried to give us a hint. A hint about the possible survival of Moby Dick. If I couldn¡¯t catch on, I might as well die where I stood. ¡°For now, we need to attend the meeting regarding the Skyflow Tiger matter. You should rest more.¡± ¡°Huh, wait. Wouldn¡¯t it be better if I just came with you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re aware that you just woke up after ten days and still said that? Don¡¯t adopt the Demon Knight¡¯s bad habits.¡± Wasn¡¯t that remark a little too harsh, huh, Miss Wizard? That hurt me bone-deep!! I¡¯d need four weeks to recover from that! ____ Chapter 165: Hasty Excuses (5) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 165 Hasty Excuses (5) Leon, the young lord, suddenly realized the meeting was about to begin. However, he didn¡¯t think about it for long. As a young lord, he didn¡¯t need to be overly concerned about a meeting between lords. Of course, some might have sent young lords or aides in their stead¡­ but in his case, that would have only been disadvantageous. Most of the time, meetings like that implicitly pushed for sacrifices, so it was better that he did not attend. Rather than stressing out about that, it would be more productive for him to deal with the matters that had been postponed due to the meeting preparations. With that thought in mind, he decided to work. There was also something he urgently had to take care of. He had received reports that the beast incident in Camborough had subsided, but no one knew how long that wouldst. While it might tolerate some dy in his actions, it would be foolish to believe the Skyflow Tiger would wait patiently or let him go. With that in mind, he quickly wrote up an announcement on the annulment of his engagement. ¡°Young Lord, are you sure those vines were unrted to the esteemed Skyflow Tiger¡¯s wrath?¡± ¡°Absolutely. It¡¯s just the work of the Hero and her Companions doing their best to protect our people from the Great Demon¡¯s remnants.¡± ¡°The people are growing increasingly anxious. Rumors are spreading that the esteemed Skyflow Tiger is very angry, and if it leaves, the city will fall.¡± ¡°Those are just baseless rumors. Besides, why would thisnd fall into ruin in the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s absence? The Sea Dragon has also disappeared, but the West isn¡¯t experiencing any problems.¡± But what were these new troubles being thrown at him while hisplicated feelings swirled within? He bit his lip as he learned of these new rumors and how they swayed the people. Fortunately, the scandal between him, Young Lady Camborough, and the Skyflow Tiger hadn¡¯t been revealed, but that didn¡¯t mean things looked good. The root of all this trouble was the Skyflow Tiger, but these rumors twisted things in a way that made the people more inclined to defend it. He hated that thought, so he had been trying to shift some of its actions to others, continuously leaking information about the Great Demon¡¯s subjugation so the people would focus on that¡­ However, this trend felt ominous. The people were frightened by the giant vines that had sprouted from the ground overnight, leading them to suddenly find their long-lost faith that had been gathering dust in some corner for ages. Should things continue like this, even if the Skyflow Tiger, who had devoured the Demon¡¯s corpse, transformed into a Demon itself, hunting it down would be difficult. Well, at least until they endured as much suffering as the West. ¡°This is driving me crazy¡­¡± Vowing to conceal all traces of the Skyflow Tiger, he finished writing the central part of the document. He gradually finished the letter without even a mention of the ¡®S¡¯ of Skyflow Tiger. > [Are you ashamed of me? Why is there no mention of me in there? Didn¡¯t I clearly tell you to dere that you belong to me?] A dark, cold breath brushed against his back. The foul stench that often apanied rotting meat assaulted his nostrils. > [Or could it be¡­] The weight pressing down on his shoulders caused cold sweat to gather on his forehead. But simultaneously, he turned his head slightly to fulfill his responsibility. The responsibility of assessing the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s condition. > [Are you nning to ask those mortals who defeated the Great Demon to kill me?] But where did those cherry blossom pink eyes go? The only thing remaining in them was a murky red. > [That¡¯s useless. They cannot kill me. I even ate that vile thing to ensure that.] A giant hand mped over his mouth, lifting him off the ground. > [There¡¯s no need to hesitate any further. Let us return to my nest.] * * * In the end, Deb still followed us. After emphasizing his necessity¡ªhe could provide testimony¡ªand expressing his great difort with staying at the Temple, it was decided he coulde along. ¡°I finally feel like I can breathe.¡± ¡°Is staying in the Temple that ufortable for you?¡± ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t really exin it¡­¡± After pondering for some time, Deb described it using words like staying in a ¡°maggot pit¡± or ¡°a hole filled with rotting corpses.¡± I couldn¡¯t say Ipletely agreed, but I understood what he meant. He probably meant to say that he felt a revulsion simr to how ordinary people felt when faced with such things. ¡°Is it because of the Demonic Energy¡­?¡± ¡°Did the Demon Worshipers you¡¯ve caught never express feeling that way?¡± ¡°The ones we captured would usually get thrown straight into the torture chamber. Do you really think they would feel like sharing how they felt?¡± ¡°¡­Guess I¡¯m lucky I didn¡¯t end up in one then.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As long as you don¡¯t actually betray us, that won¡¯t happen.¡± Deb shook his head in sheer disgust at the Inquisitor¡¯s words. It was around then that the Archmage looked toward me. ¡°How about you? Are you okay?¡± Me? Well¡­ I wouldn¡¯t call the Temple afortable ce for me. At some point, I started to feel like a thousand needles were pricking my body, and like hundreds of eyeballs were floating in the air, watching me from all directions. It also felt like tons of tiny insects were crawling all over my skin. However, to maintain my character, I wouldn¡¯t shy away from anything. So I decided not to avoid this ce. I probably wouldn¡¯t have tried to avoid this ce even if I didn¡¯t have to worry about that. In any case, instead of expressing these feelings, I simply quickened my pace, blocking any follow-up questions that mighte my way. As a result, I didn¡¯t notice the Archmage behind me falling into deep thoughts over something. We soon arrived at the manor, where a guide came out to lead me and my Companions inside. Perhaps because they¡¯d judged the reception room to be too small, we were led to what appeared to be a banquet hall. ¡°It¡¯s pretty spacious.¡± ¡°There¡¯ll probably be many participants.¡± As I listened to their conversation, I briefly hesitated at the entrance. I was hoping my character wouldn¡¯t draw any unwanted attention from the lords and that this wouldn¡¯t lead to an all-out war or something. ¡°Demon Knight, aren¡¯t youing?¡± ¡°¡­¡± But after I hade all the way here, there was no way I could just turn back. Hiding my anxious thoughts, I walked inside. ¡°But just how are they going to hold this meeting?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll scan everyone¡¯s appearance with Arcane Power, then project those images as illusions into this ce. Conversely, this ce¡¯s appearance will also be transmitted to them in the same manner.¡± The Archmage was giving Deb a lecture about something right in front of the entrance, pointing toward the floor. ¡°The surroundings starting from this line will be transmitted to the others. So, if you have something to say, be sure to stand within this area. The same goes for you, Inquisitor.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Then, will I also¡­?¡± ¡°How could there be different rules for you? However, in my opinion¡­ it would be better if you speak up a bitter.¡± ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll step forward when you give me a signal.¡± ¡°Thank you for understanding.¡± This conversation reminded me that science and magic weren¡¯t actually all that different. It seemed like a holographic version of a video conference. ¡°Is everyone here?¡± At that moment, someone entered the hall. It was the lord who had taken care of all this and whom I hadn¡¯t seen before. ¡°Lord Munmund has dered that he won¡¯t be attending. He says a Demon horde just decided to attack at the worst possible time, but he assured us that he would follow whatever is decided in this meeting no matter what. The rest have expressed their intention to attend.¡± ¡°I see. Understood.¡± The lord who¡¯d taken charge of the proceedings didn¡¯t seem in the best condition. He was frail, barely able to walk on his own, despite being of the Shaggi race. It didn¡¯t look like he¡¯d been ill for only a day or two. ¡°Ah, Miss Hero. I see the sage and your other Companions are also here. My apologies for my bted greetings.¡± Despite being so sickly, his spirit didn¡¯t seem to have suffered. The lord¡¯s shirt hung loosely on his frame, and his fur seemed matted and tangled, but his eyes still gleamed with a sharpness akin to a knife. ¡°No need. It seems the meeting is about to start, so let¡¯s save the formalities forter.¡± ¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡± As the Archmage and the lord exchanged brief greetings, the other attendees¡¯ images began to be projected around the great table within the banquet hall. * * * ¡°Now that everyone has gathered, let us begin the meeting. Lord Munmund will not be able to attend, sadly.¡± The lord of Ednium, who presided over this meeting from the head of the table, started it with this announcement. ¡°Let me state upfront that Ednium is prepared to make any sacrifice necessary to deal with this situation.¡± ©¤ What exactly do you mean by sacrifice¡­? ¨C ¡°Exactly what I said.¡± ©¤ Can I take it to mean you¡¯re prepared to fight against the Skyflow Tiger, then? ¨C ¡°If that is what everyone agrees on, then yes. If not, then we won¡¯t.¡± ©¤ So, you¡¯re saying¡­ ¨C ¡°If you want me, as a father, to explicitly talk about sacrificing my son, then just say it. Don¡¯t waste our time by beating around the bush.¡± ©¤ Ahem. ¨C The flow of the meeting was pretty much what we had expected. ©¤ But is this discussion truly necessary? While all of this is rather unfortunate for you, Lord Ednium, I believe just sending the young lord should be enough to cate the Skyflow Tiger. ¨C ©¤ Even the part about it eating the corpse of a Demon¡­ Wasn¡¯t that just to rid it of thisnd? Just what is the Skyflow Tiger, and why is it such a problem that it ate a mere Demon? ¨C ©¤ So, I think we should just wrap things up here. There¡¯s no way this will have any consequences, and we don¡¯t know what dangers might ur should we antagonize the Skyflow Tiger. Why cause any unnecessary trouble? ¨C ©¤ Exactly. There¡¯s no reason to make trouble where there is none. ¨C Most of the lords wanted to just quietly sweep this matter under the rug. ©¤ It seems you all are taking Young Lord Ednium¡¯s sacrifice for granted. Is this really the right thing to do? ¨C ©¤ I do feel sorry for Lord Ednium, but¡­ we can¡¯t let every city suffer just to save the young lord. ¨C ©¤ If Lord Ednium were to step forward to save his son, I could understand his decision. However, even if we understand, Bemurchen will not support it. ¨C ©¤ The Magic Tower of Bemurchen is of the same opinion. Right now, the sea is full of vicious Demons, and we don¡¯t want to add this region¡¯s ruler to our list of enemies. ¨C Young Lord Leon¡¯s sacrifice? It wasn¡¯t even treated as a controversial matter. If one person¡¯s sacrifice could appease the Skyflow Tiger, so be it. That was the general consensus. I knew that sacrificing the few for the greater good wasmon in this world, but the way they acted as if it was someone else¡¯s problem was rather disgusting. What made this matter even more unsettling was that both a father about to lose his only son and Young Lady Camborough, who was about to lose her lover, were also present. ©¤ As for the damages dealt to Camborough¡­ let¡¯s be honest, it wasn¡¯t that bad, was it? It¡¯s not as if the city is on the verge of copse. ¨C ©¤ Are you done talking nonsense? Not that bad? Would you care to say that to our citizens who are currently protesting in the streets? ¨C ©¤ Ahem¡­ Young Lady Camborough, your words are a bit¡­ ¨C ©¤ If you want me to respond like a civilized person, you should have spoken like one first. ¨C Of course, neither showed how they truly felt inside. Instead, they acted so calmly that the other people aware of the situation felt even more uneasy. One of the lords, seeing how the youngdy of Camborough fiercely bit back at others, muttered under his breath, ¡°As expected from the daughter of a knight¡­¡± ¡°Erm¡­¡± Clunk. But just as the Archmage raised her hand, preparing to join in, the banquet hall doors opened. It wasn¡¯t that loud, so the other lords didn¡¯t seem to notice. In the first ce, the doors were outside the area getting transmitted, so they wouldn¡¯t have been able to see this either. ¡°My lord.¡± A knight with a stern expression approached the lord. ¡°The young lord¡­¡± He lowered his voice to a mere whisper¡­ but unfortunately, I could hear everything. It appeared the Skyflow Tiger had already caused trouble. ¡°The young lord has been kidnapped¡­!¡± ¡°Madam Archmage!¡± The Inquisitor, who had been anxiously wanting to interfere for some time now, whipped around to face the Archmage. She, too, was caught off guard by this situation, her expression hardening a little. ©¤ What happened, Lord Ednium? ¨C ©¤ Is this something we should know about as well? ¨C Meanwhile, Lord Ednium, having just received the news of his son¡¯s disappearance, blinked slowly. ¡°I¡¯ve been told that the Skyflow Tiger has taken my son.¡± Perhaps because of the current mood, this middle-aged man¡¯s voice sounded a bit deeper than before. ©¤ Is that even a problem? Weren¡¯t we nning to offer him up anyway¡­? ¨C ©¤ If one¡¯s mind iscking, perhaps it is wiser to restrain one¡¯s tongue, Lord Dwarfmain. ¨C ©¤ Young Lady Camborough! Such insolence! ¨C ©¤ Your intelligence, orck thereof, seems rather insolent toward Lord Ednium, as well. ¨C Even the youngdy of Camborough seemed a little shaken. However, for someone who was shaken, she sure spoke well. ¡°What a mess¡­ I didn¡¯t expect the Skyflow Tiger to act like this.¡± In the meantime, the Archmage softly muttered as she thought. She was probably quite worried not only for the young lord¡¯s safety but also about the manyplications that would apany his disappearance. It would be nice if she could only worry about the people, but for someone of the Archmage¡¯s status, she also had to consider what would happen afterward. ¡°This is outrageous!¡± ¡°Should I go catch that tiger? Berserk is very good at catching tigers.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not time for that yet, so don¡¯t get excited¡­¡± And I was equally worried as well. It probably hadn¡¯t captured and killed him since he was the one it loved, but being alive didn¡¯t always mean that everything was fine. Besides¡­ this might sound a bit cold, but without the young lord, we had no peaceful way of ascertaining the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s condition. If anyone else were to question the Skyflow Tiger, they would have to stake their lives, but things were different for the young lord. The young lord knew that as well, so he secretly promised us that he would try to find out about the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s condition when he called it. Not only what side effects may havee from consuming the Demon, but also what that agreement between the Skyflow Tiger and the Demon entailed. ¡°With things as they are, hmm¡­ things will be difficult. It¡¯ll be very hard to persuade them with the cards we have.¡± However, if things continued like this, it was highly probable that we would remain utterly clueless about the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s condition, bing mere bystanders. I nced at the muttering Archmage. She appeared to have reached the same conclusion, considering how her expression darkened considerably before she stepped forward. ©¤ And you are¡­? ¨C ¡°I am but an old woman who humbly apanies the Hero.¡± ©¤ Aah, the Great Sage. I have heard a lot about you. ¨C The lords, who had narrowed their eyes in displeasure at the unwee and sudden interruption, quickly changed their attitude the moment the Archmage revealed her identity. ¡°While nothing much, I would like to share something that I believe you will find rather helpful. Before making any rash decisions, why not hear me out first?¡± Anyway, she ryed the information Deb had given us: that the Great Demon might still be alive, and that the Skyflow Tiger might have made some sort of pact with said Great Demon. Those were the two main points. ©¤ But I heard that the Great Demon has been killed? ¨C ©¤ Were you mistaken? ¨C ¡°Well, it is rather hard for anyone to imagine that it survived, especially after falling thousands of meters to the ground with a sword embedded between its brows. However, Great Demons have existed on thisnd for a long time. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if they wielded powers we mortals have no knowledge of.¡± ©¤ That may be true, but are you absolutely certain that the Great Demon is still alive? ¨C ¡°We captured someone who has made a pact with it. We can¡¯t dismiss that person¡¯s testimony so lightly.¡± ©¤ But how do we know this isn''t a trap meant to destroy the whole East? ¨C ©¤ Exactly! We can¡¯t trust the words of a being of such vile nature! ¨C However, the Archmage hadn¡¯t kept her mouth shut until now for nothing. Those people would simply continue to nitpick her every word just because they didn¡¯t want to face the Skyflow Tiger. I could understand them, but honestly¡­ ¡®It would be better if we just killed them all.¡¯ Yeah. It was rather frustrating. This was precisely the kind of clich¨¦ where things went terribly wrong because those guys kept hesitating. ¡°¡­? This¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter, young hunter?¡± ¡°Is something wrong, troublemaker?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s nothing. And please stop calling me troublemaker.¡± At that moment, Deb¡¯s ears perked up. He then looked toward the door with a ratherplicated expression before turning and walking toward me. After opening and closing his mouth for a while, he finally managed to ask me a question. ¡°When did you put in a request to the Information Guild?¡± That whispered question seemed a bit sudden to me. But before I could even think the word ¡®What do you mean?¡¯ something shed through my mind. Deb was with the Information Guild as well. ¡°¡­Erm, since I¡¯m also part of the Information Guild, I¡¯m sometimes used as a type of messenger. That¡¯s how I know¡­ so no need to be suspicious.¡± However, judging by how he reacted, it seemed he had just received the information, as well. How was he able to receive a message from inside this sealed room? Curious about this matter, I nced at Deb. He was still trembling, still ufortable with facing me. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen the contents, I swear.¡± Even so, he managed to hand me something. It was a scroll that didn¡¯t look to have been made by a civilized person. It was made entirely out of leaves. ¡°¡­This.¡± But this could be the key to turning this around. I quickly opened the scroll. Unintelligible letters appeared before me, along with their trantion. ¡°What are you two talking about over there?¡± ¡°Is there a problem?¡± By the time Bers and the Inquisitor came over, curious about what was happening, I had finished reading the scroll, by which I meant its trantion. This should do. At least, that¡¯s what I was hoping for. ¡°Demon Knight?¡± ¡°M-Mister¡­¡± I strode forward,ing to a halt right next to the Archmage, who looked as if she was about to say something. For a moment, it crossed my mind that this might be seen as an insolent interruption or earn me the lords¡¯ ire, but I decided it would be worth it. Determined to trust in my judgment, I made my move. ¡°The Skyflow Tiger must die.¡± After all, it was pretty much the rule that you should wash away the frustration stuck in your chest with something as refreshing as cider. ¡°You¡­?¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ©¤ And who are you to suddenly dere something like that¡­? ¨C ¡°Unless you want thesends to suffer droughts forever, that¡¯s what you should do.¡± So, in order to bring this suffocatingly frustrating meeting to an end, I decided to give them a clear reason why the Skyflow Tiger had to be killed. After all, the conclusion they hade to was merely an excuse made because they didn¡¯t want to suffer any losses without gaining anything. ____ Chapter 166: Hasty Excuses (6) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 166 Hasty Excuses (6) ©¤ What¡­? ¨C ©¤ What¡¯s this about droughts? ¨C ¡°Could you exin what exactly you mean by that?¡± Instead of answering them directly, I tossed the leaf scroll to Lord Ednium. ¡°This¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s the response I received from the priests serving the Descendant of the Land Turtle.¡± ¡°¡­! The Land Turtle!¡± ©¤ Isn¡¯t the Land Turtle¡­ a Primordial Beast that dwells in the Great Forest? ¨C ©¤ I heard the Great Forest is so closed off that it¡¯s difficult tomunicate with them, though¡­? ¨C It seemed those present were rather surprised by my answer. ¡°Demon Knight, you¡­¡± The Archmage immediately realized the meaning of my actions. Lord Ednium quickly but gracefully unrolled the scroll. ¡°This is¡­ the writing of those of the Great Forest. I can¡¯t read it; ah, there¡¯s a trantion.¡± He spread the leaf scroll on the center of the table so that everyone could see it and began reading the trantion aloud. ¡°To the benefactor of the Great Forest, the ck Thunder Snake. I heard the news from the messenger you sent. Just as you have saved the Great Forest, it seems you are now saving others as well¡­¡± The letter was quite long, but not too long. Aside from the praise directed at me¡ªwhich made me feel pretty embarrassed¡ªandpliments toward the party members, wishing for their well-being and luck, only a few paragraphs were actually important. ¡°¡­The Mountain Lord told us that the Primordial Beasts are not tied to the natural order of the world. Although they possess immense power, which enables them to interfere in the flow a little, their death or departure would not cause life in that region to cease existing.¡± Yes, that was it. It was exactly what I had been hoping for: confirmation that even if the Skyflow Tiger died, thend wouldn¡¯t face extinction. That was what I had hoped to get when contacting them. ¡°Additionally, a word of caution. We have heard that the westernnds suffer from inexplicable droughts at regr intervals. It had not always been like this and only began after a certain Primordial Beast who had settled in the area left. So the cause of these droughts might be rted to this beast¡­!¡± ©¤ What! ¨C ©¤ Wait, what does that mean¡­? ¨C Although he stopped reading for a moment, seemingly ovee with emotion, Lord Ednium raised his hand to calm the room. He then continued. His voice, stronger than before, reverberated through the banquet hall in a deeper tone. ¡°As mentioned before, Primordial Beasts have the power to interfere a little in the natural flow of the world. Usually, they can either elerate or decelerate the natural course of things. Although they cannot halt it entirely, they can temporarily prevent the birth of new life.¡± His voice slightly trembled as he read. ¡°Of course, this might not be the case. However, the Mountain Lord seems quite certain. So, dear benefactor, please be careful. We are sure that you, protector of the young, liberator of the oppressed, and judge of the unjust, will act ordingly and punish them after learning this truth. But your opponent is a beast who has lived on thisnd since ancient times. It will not be an easy foe.¡± But did you have to read it until the very end, Lord Ednium? I was getting quite embarrassed. ¡°And yet, knowing you will step forward to save everyone, I pray that victory will follow the ck Thunder Snake¡¯s every step. Signed, Warchief Ekuah.¡± Fortunately, he didn¡¯t read out the postscript. The messenger I sent to them¡ªfrom the Information Guild¡ªalso asked whether they could expect some cooperation (in terms of sharing information) in the future. That was the gist of it, anyway. Had he read out that much, I would have seriously doubted his judgment. It was wholly unnecessary for this meeting, after all. ¡°¡­I believe further exnation regarding this letter seems necessary.¡± Did they really need any more exnation? ¡°Th-This is¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s all there is, and no further exnation is required. So decide. Will you resist this unjust and irrational power, or will you submit to it by sacrificing the blood of others simply because you want to avoid spilling your own?¡± Sorry, but I really couldn¡¯t phrase this any more nicely, so let¡¯s just leave it at that. ¡°Let this be a warning: just because the blood shed today isn¡¯t yours doesn¡¯t guarantee it won¡¯t be tomorrow.¡± Ultimately, this left them with some choices. ©¤ H-How do we know this isn¡¯t a lie¡­? ¨C Still, it seemed someone feared the immediate bloodshed so much that they were driven to deny this clear evidence. ¡°It¡¯s true!¡± ©¤ And you are¡­? ¨C ¡°She is the Hero.¡± ©¤ Gasp. ¨C But the Inquisitor immediately shut them down. Those who had been about to side with the lord who spoke up first quickly shut their mouths as well. ¡°We passed through the Great Forest beforeing to thesends and saved its people! At the center of all these events was the Demon Knight, so they have every reason to respond to his message!¡± That confirmed the letter¡¯s credibility. Now, only two choices were left for them. Hesitation or inaction were no longer options. ©¤ If this is true. ¨C At that moment, a voice clearer than anyone¡¯s rang through the hall. ©¤ Then Camborough will fight. ¨C It was the youngdy of Camborough. ©¤ Young Lady Camborough! ¨C ©¤ Camborough will never back down. No matter the oue. ¨C ©¤ Lord Camborough, aren¡¯t you going to say anything?! ¨C ©¤ Th-This is¡­ ¨C ©¤ Sir, please speak! ¨C ©¤ Erm, I¡¯m¡­ ¨C ©¤ Is this truly what the citizens want, Lord Camborough?! ¨C Of course, she was immediately put into a tough position. The lords tried to silence her by using the fact that she was just the youngdy. However, the lord of Camborough, who stood right next to the youngdy, only hesitated and stuttered. Seeing how his eyes were going between the youngdy and the others, it seemed he was trying to gauge everyone¡¯s reactions. ©¤ Ah, I had no idea you all cared so much about our city¡¯s citizens. Seeing how quick you were to suggest offering up the young lord of a city, I thought you would just dismiss this as nothing of import. ¨C The youngdy of Camborough wasn¡¯t going down without a fight, either. She smirked, her body looking like it had been set to about 80% opacity. ©¤ Young Lady! ¨C ©¤ So, I should ask our citizens for their opinion? ¨C ©¤ Th-That¡¯s right! The opinion of the citizens is what matters most here! They will surely be against it! ¨C ©¤ Wizard, can you transmit the soundsing from outside? ¨C ©¤ Ah, without preparation, that¡¯s a bit tricky¡­ ¨C ©¤ I heard you¡¯ve been short on research funding as ofte. ¨C ©¤ But it¡¯s not like it¡¯s impossible. Let me try. ¨C Wait a second, did that opportunist just¡­ * * * ©¤ It¡¯s done! ¨C Fortunately, just before my mood could sour, the wizard of Camborough seeded in their Subquest for research funding. ¡°Now, let¡¯s listen.¡± As soon as those words were spoken, a tremendous roar followed. ©¤ Kill the Skyflow Tiger! ¨C ©¤ What has that damn tiger ever done for us?! ¨C ©¤ The youngdy has given us a future! Our rights are made by our own hands! ¨C ©¤ Primordial Beast or guardian, whatever! I just want justice for my child¡¯s spilled blood! ¨C ©¤ Kill the Skyflow Tiger! No matter whether it¡¯s some type of god, there¡¯s no reason for us to suffer such injustices endlessly! ¨C The banquet hall was filled with thunderous cries. ¡°Young Lady Camborough, this is¡­¡± ©¤ Rumors have spread that the real culprit behind the beast attacks is the Skyflow Tiger. I had no choice but to confirm them, which led to this. Although we¡¯ve tried our best to ignore their cries until now, fearing the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s death might cause other cities harm¡­ if what we¡¯ve just heard is true, I have to wonder if we really must do that. ©¤ Young Lady! How could you, as heir to the city, allow such rumors to spread¡­?! ¨C ©¤ That is our city¡¯s problem. It is not your concern. ¨C ©¤ ¡­! ¨C ©¤ In any case, if the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s death won¡¯t affect the East, and if it truly is responsible for the annual droughts guing ournds, Camborough will hold that wretched tiger ountable for all the damages we¡¯ve suffered because of it. There will be nopromise on this. ¨C And amidst all those cries and roars, the youngdy of Camborough dered as such with absolute rity. ©¤ We will fight for our rights. ¨C As a modern person who had learned the history of fights for dignity, freedom, and rights, this truly was a heart-stirring deration. Of course, we should overlook for a moment that the one making this deration was of noble rank. However, just as a single w didn¡¯t cause a jade to cease being a jade, the meaning of a message didn¡¯t be worthless just because of slightly different circumstances. ©¤ ¡­If it¡¯s really true that the Skyflow Tiger caused the droughts and killing it will result in no further damage, our city will also support this decision. ¨C ©¤ Lord Bemurchen! ¨C ©¤ Every year, the famine apanying the drought ims the lives of dozens of our soldiers. These lives have piled up to over a thousand after all this time. A stitch in time saves nine, as they say. Considering the situation, we can¡¯t afford to back down. ¨C ©¤ This¡­ ¨C Now that she¡¯d metaphorically opened the gates, others also began changing their opinion. While the cities that hadn¡¯t been affected by the droughts remained skeptical, those that had were quickly possessed by Camborough¡¯s burning fervor. ¡°This information hasn¡¯t been fully verified yet, so I was holding it back¡­ I always learn something new from you. I only tried to collect some simr cases from the West.¡± At that moment, the Archmage whispered to me. Without standing very close to us, it was extremely difficult to notice that she was even speaking to me. ¡°Thank you. Thanks to you, we now have a way out.¡± So, the Archmage had been collecting case examples from the western region? Well, she was no fool. She had probably been preparing for exactly this oue. I found it somewhat surprising that she hadn¡¯t thought to ask the Mountain Lord of the Great Forest, but I supposed it wasn¡¯t too hard to understand. Was it because she already knew a lot or because the Magic Tower was a literal treasure trove for knowledge? The Archmage only really sought knowledge from ces other than the Magic Tower. More precisely, she seemed to think there was nothing to gain from doing so. ©¤ But weren¡¯t these just the words of the Descendant of the Land Turtle? The Descendant¡¯s thoughts may differ from the truth¡­! ¨C ¡°Now, now, calm down and listen to me first. I also have something to say about this matter¡­¡± With her gathered evidence adding weight to the discussion, the tide continued to shift in our favor. Of course, ording to the Archmage, the cases she¡¯d gathered from the West hadn¡¯t yet been fully verified¡­ but the Mountain Lord¡¯s letter supplemented thisck of credibility. The opposite was also true. ©¤ Ahem¡­ So, if we were to kill the Skyflow Tiger¡­ how many troops would we need to send¡­? ¨C ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°No need.¡± ¡°I also¡­ Huh?¡± And crucially, they didn¡¯t need to risk anything by capturing the Skyflow Tiger themselves. ¡°Taking down that filthy beast will take just enough time for some tea to cool off.¡± I would be the one to take it down. ©¤ Who is that young man over there¡­? ¨C ©¤ He¡¯s the Demon Knight. A rather famous adventurer in the Northwest. -- ©¤ An adventurer? So a mere adventurer just¡­ ¨C ¡°He is also one of the Hero¡¯s chosen Companions.¡± ©¤¡­So, he¡¯s so bold because he¡¯s the Hero¡¯s Companion. By the way, who was that noble just now? It seemed like he had maxed out his evasive tactics skill. ©¤ But still, he isn¡¯t the Hero himself. How can he be so confident as just a Companion¡­? ¡°Erm, well, about that¡­¡± ©¤ He¡¯s someone who hunts down Demons no matter where they appear, chasing them to the ends of Hell as soon as they crawl out of whatever hellhole spawned them, and whenever a mortal wielding the power of such Demons appears, he cuts off their head without hesitation, creating towers of corpses. ¨C However, I failed to identify that evasive noble, and the Inquisitor, seemingly having trouble finding the right words, was immediately cut off. Because one person spoke up and continued talking, their gaze locked on me. ©¤ He uses cruel methods and shows no mercy, but his clear conviction is shown in how he never harms or kills the innocent. His elusive movements are shrouded in quite some mystery and are heavily spected, but his actions alone are enough to warrant the word ¡®hero.¡¯ ¨C That person even smiled when our eyes met. ©¤ They even dared to bestow upon this mere adventurer the title of ¡®Knight¡¯ in the name of O. ¨C His narrow eyes, so thin that you couldn¡¯t see his pupils, curved as he smiled. At the top of his head were broad, triangr ears like those of a fox. ©¤ It happened during my time in O. Ah, of course, it wasn¡¯t my idea. Back then, I was but a squire. However, for that reason, I had the opportunity to witness your feats with my own eyes during practice. ¨C My mind went nk for a second there. What did he say he saw? ©¤ I had always thought it would be nice to meet you properly someday, but I never thought it would be under circumstances like these. Life certainly is unpredictable, isn¡¯t it? ¨C ©¤ The title of Knight¡­ in O. ¨C ©¤ Well, it¡¯s not that important, right? It seems he doesn¡¯t even remember me, either. But at the very least¡­ it means this adventurer truly deserves to say these things, right? ¨C ¡°¡­He was also one of the people who suppressed the Great Demon. You could hardly call it arrogance for the one who defeated a Great Demon to talk about ying the Skyflow Tiger.¡± ©¤ That is true. It seems I just meddled unnecessarily. ¨C ¡°I-I will join as well!¡± ¡°What¡¯s this? Are we talking about hunting the Skyflow Tiger? Berserk will also join! Let¡¯s go tiger hunting!!¡± ©¤ Since the Hero has made her intentions clear, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything more to discuss. ¨C I barely managed to keep myself from blinking my eyes in confusion and instead just lightly bit the inside of my cheek. The Demon Knight¡¯s past. The bomb I had been trying to ignore using all kinds of hasty excuses had somehowe right at me without giving me any time to prepare. Chapter 167: Hasty Excuses (7) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 167 Hasty Excuses (7) ©¤ So, we¡¯re going to hunt the Skyflow Tiger¡­ ¨C ©¤ But what if the residents be agitated¡­? ¨C ©¤ If you can¡¯t calm your own people, you don¡¯t deserve the title of Lord¡­ ¨C They wouldn¡¯t have to take any risks during the hunt nor suffer any damage after it was killed. Furthermore, once the Skyflow Tiger was dealt with, the annual droughts would disappear. Who would back down under such circumstances? The consensus was inevitably leaning toward hunting the Skyflow Tiger. The only remaining problem was whether to inform the residents to calm them before the hunt or to simply do it and tell them after. This started yet another argument. ©¤ We won¡¯t be able toe to a conclusion like this. How about we take a break to cool our heads and continue this discussion afterward? ©¤ I agree. We also still need to discuss relief measures in case of an emergency. ¨C ©¤ I also agree. Actually, I¡¯ve been needing to go to the restroom since some time ago¡­ ¨C Maybe it was for that reason that the face of Lord Ednium, who¡¯d said he was willing to make any sacrifice, had be somewhat nk. Of course, he didn¡¯t forget to do what he had to. ¡°¡­Then let us resume the meeting in about thirty minutes. What do the others think?¡± ©¤ That sounds good. ¨C ©¤ I believe that should be fine. ¨C ©¤ Well then, let us reconvene in thirty minutes. ¨C After quickly gathering the others¡¯ opinions, he convinced them to agree to a break. Some immediately cut their magical connection as if they had been waiting for this. No, actually, most of them did. After hearing the wizards muttering about wasting Arcane Power, it seemed they felt bad for making them waste their power. ©¤ I hope you¡¯ll get the chance to visit our city someday. ¨C Even the lord with the narrow eyes swiftly disappeared after giving me a wink. I kind of wanted to hold him here somehow and speak with him, but at the same time, I didn¡¯t. It was the height of contradiction. ©¤ Sir. ¨C Meanwhile, the only ones left were those physically in the hall and the youngdy of Camborough. Silent longing and joy red in their eyes. ¡°¡­When Leon first told me about this, all I could think was, ¡®I can¡¯t stop this.¡¯ I believed I couldn¡¯t save that child anymore, and even if I could, as a lord, it wasn¡¯t a choice I could make.¡± The lord grabbed his legs, which he couldn¡¯t use to walk without the help of others. His withered hands tightly gripped his bony legs covered by a nket. ¡°But now you¡¯re telling me I don¡¯t have to make that choice.¡± Instead of staring at his legs as he had until now, the lord suddenly raised his face to look at me. Thankfully, the distance between us was enough that he didn¡¯t have to awkwardly strain his neck. ¡°You¡¯re telling me I don¡¯t have to abandon my son.¡± At those words, I also snapped out of my muddled thoughts. Faced with a parent who¡¯d been more than prepared to sacrifice his child but had now found new hope of saving him, I couldn¡¯t dare get distracted by those misceneous thoughts. ©¤ Sir¡­ ¨C Fortunately, the lord didn¡¯t look at me for too long. He turned his gaze slightly toward the youngdy of Camborough. His aged face seemed to cloud over. ¡°However, I¡¯m not sure my citizens will think the same way.¡± The warmth suddenly disappeared from his expression. ¡°While I do feel sorry for my son and you, Young Lady Camborough¡­ our city is currently full of people who do not wish to incur the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s wrath.¡± ©¤ Simr rumors are also spreading in our city. ¨C ¡°It¡¯s not just at that level.¡± The lord nced toward the window. For security reasons, all the windows inside the banquet hall had been covered with thick curtains, so there was no way that one could look outside. ¡°Ever since the Great Demon was defeated and the gigantic vines appeared within the forest, the faith in our city has risen to extreme levels.¡± Even so, I thought I could still faintly hear noises outside. I still remembered all those muttering people I had seen on my way to the manor. ¡°Of course, given time, I might be able to persuade the people. However¡­ just when exactly would that be? And would Leon remain safe until then?¡± After saying that, the lord closed his eyes. ¡°How ironic that I¡¯m speaking like this now after forcing him to make such a sacrifice.¡± His infinitelyposed expression might have actually been his own way of mourning. ¡°But what¡¯s the problem? Wouldn¡¯t the end of the droughts also benefit the people?¡± ¡°There will always be those who don¡¯t want to ept the truth.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°He¡¯s worried about the bacsh, so¡­¡± ¡°Then he should just crush them with force and go ahead with it, right?¡± ¡°That would make him a tyrant.¡± ¡°Erm, Berserk. Even if the result is good, if the means are wrong, the oue will also lose its value.¡± ¡°Berserk doesn¡¯t understand. The weak who don¡¯t even have the will to fight aren¡¯t worth listening to.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not¡­¡± ¡°My lord.¡± At that moment, the person who had stood silently behind the lord finally spoke up. It was the very strict-looking butler with a white beard and neatlybed hair. ¡°Forgive my boldness, but may I say something?¡± ¡°I always listen to what you have to say.¡± The lord responded lightly. At the same time, he nced our way, but I wasn¡¯t sure whether he did so to check our mood or to seek our permission. ¡°If it¡¯s something we are allowed to hear.¡± However, judging by how the Archmage answered, it was probably thetter. The butler nodded and continued. ¡°Long ago, you once said that it wasn¡¯t right to ignore the sacrifice of one for the peace of all.¡± ¡°You, that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°We chose you as our lord because you were someone capable of saying such words. And I believe your sentiments haven¡¯t yet changed.¡± ¡°That was before I took this position. Standing here and demanding everyone shed blood is¡­¡± ¡°If the person taken by the Skyflow Tiger wasn¡¯t the young lord but another resident, would you have made the same choice, my lord?¡± The lord pressed his lips together tightly at the butler''s words. ¡°That can¡¯t be true, can it¡­?¡± His voice was thick, as if he was suppressing his emotions to the limit. ¡°I know you¡¯re being strict on yourself and the young lord because of what happened to the former lord. However¡­ when the residents learn of this, they will certainly say, ¡®There is no need for that.¡¯¡± The lord gritted his teeth and lowered his head. ¡°¡­So the green hair has brought bloodshed yet again. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Did they just fire an arrow at us? * * * I was focusing on the conversation between the butler and the lord to shake off the unnecessary thoughts in my head, but this sure startled me. Judging from the soft gasp behind me, Deb heard what he said as well. Well, that much was inevitable. ¡°S-Sir Butler, that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Blood that washes away injustice.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± The butler chuckled softly before his expression shifted, realizing his misstep. His gaze fell on Deb, who had now also be part of this conversation. ¡°My apologies. This must have sounded quite strange to our guests.¡± ¡°¡­No, it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°But I hope you aren¡¯t offended by these words. Although it mentions blood, this superstition is by no means negative.¡± The old man smiled kindly. The lord, barely lifting his head, also joined in the conversation. ¡°¡­Yes. It doesn¡¯t mean anything bad. It¡¯s more a signal of change and transformation.¡± It was quite different from anything I had heard before. At that moment, Deb shuddered slightly and lowered his head. ¡°¡­Doesn¡¯t it just mean blood will be spilled again?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not so simple.¡± The lord shook his head slightly and quietly continued. ¡°It stems¡­ from a grave mistake we made a long time ago, when we allowed someone¡¯s death to maintain the illusion of peace.¡± ¡°¡­If you¡¯re talking about the assassination of the former lord, I¡¯ve heard about it. I also heard how, after that, the family of the former lord started massacring innocents.¡± ¡°So you already know. That makes it quicker.¡± Seemingly suppressing his emotions further, the lord stroked the armrest of his chair and whispered calmly. Those were things I hadn¡¯t heard of before. It seemed I missed it when storming out of the restaurant that day and hadn¡¯t had the chance to hear about it since. ¡°After that day, we realized the true faulty with us. The suffering of others is not separate from our own, and ignoring evil is the same as condoning it.¡± However, I somehow didn¡¯t feel like stopping him. ¡°That is why we decided to make green hair, the hair color of the one who caused the previous lord¡¯s death, a symbol. If the one with green hair appears before us again, it would mean we had once again been silent in the face of evil, and blood must be spilled to reverse it.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Probably because I felt the lord¡¯s words wouldn¡¯t impact Deb negatively. ¡°So the blood brought about by the one with green hair is absolutely righteous. It represents the weight of the courage to resist injustice.¡± Or maybe it was because I knew my intervention would be meaningless. ¡°In that sense, the Hero and her Companions have brought us great fortune. Not only have you reminded me of a truth I had long forgotten, but you¡¯ve also lessened the blood we must shed.¡± Wondering why he had forgotten that fact and had even demanded his child¡¯s sacrifice, the lord sighed. ¡°¡­Erm, Lord.¡± At that moment, Deb, who had quietly pulled his hood over his head, quietly spoke up. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Do you not¡­ hold any grudges?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°The person¡­ who killed the previous lord.¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± I couldn¡¯t quite tell what expression he was wearing. ¡°We have no right to do so.¡± But it didn¡¯t seem to be a bad one. ¡°But many people died because of that person¡­ They might also have done it because of some trivial personal feelings, too¡­¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what their motives were when they acted. Whether for survival or revenge, the fundamental reason as to why they could no longer bear it and picked up the sword was because no one stopped the lord.¡± If the assassination that signaled the massacre was truly Deb¡¯s doing, this wouldn¡¯tpletely fill the dark hole inside his chest¡­ ¡°Surely, had we stopped the lord¡¯s tyranny from the start, would they have ever been forced to pick up the sword? If the residents, given their rights, had gathered as one to restrain the lord, would that incident have ever urred? By just standing by to let evil run its course, we essentially signaled: ¡®This is fine. We will just remain quiet.¡¯ A mistake we almost made this time as well. So, that de was ultimately born from our original sin, and the massacre resulting from its swing was ultimately our karma. As such, we have no right to condemn them.¡± At least one shovelful. Surely, this was enough to fill that endlessly deep hole by at least one shovelful. ¡°Some of the ignorant may defend the former lord, and those who suffered too greatly from the losses caused by this incident may harbor grudges despite knowing it¡¯s wrong to do so. But at least those who stood up back then will think differently. We won¡¯t me the one who exposed our original sin.¡± That certainly would mean something, at least. * * * Mia, the youngdy of Camborough, looked at the ce where the illusion had just disappeared from. The ce where the Hero, her Companions, the lord of Ednium who was hosting the meeting, and his butler had been standing. ¡°Wow, being a lord is no joke. Having to sacrifice one¡¯s own son.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just the easiest option.¡± Johanna wasn¡¯t present. After all, there was no reason for her assistant to attend this meeting. Instead, there was a wizard who was quite easy to talk to. Her mind somewhat more rxed, Mia leaned back against her chair. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a fact that you need only consider yourself when shedding blood for others, but when someone else sheds blood for you, you start thinking about the price you must pay for the weight of their sacrifices?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true. You can¡¯t buy anything in this world without money, after all, and you can¡¯t buy others¡¯ blood and lives for free. But you have a lot of money, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°But we¡¯re also the ones who hold power. In incidents like this, power is nothing but poison. If we make just one mistake, we¡¯ll be used of abusing it.¡± ¡°You could just ignore those usations, though.¡± ¡°Normally, that would be the case. However, Ednium has a history of having its lord reced at the hands of its very citizens. Of course, the current lord isn¡¯t acting like this because he¡¯s afraid of that¡­ but still.¡± ¡°He¡¯s too nice. If I were him, I wouldn¡¯t be like that. Living like that sounds too difficult.¡± Mia blinked at the wizard¡¯s words. Difficult? It was indeed difficult, moving forward with only your moralpass to guide you, with no one to lead the way. Constantly questioning and reflecting on yourself was definitely exhausting. ¡°But if the reward for that hardship is the people out there, isn¡¯t it worth it?¡± Yet she did not regret it. She could not. ¡°If the lord and I hadn¡¯t lived like that, neither our people nor the lord¡¯s butler would havee forward like this.¡± How could she regret it when the reward for leading such a difficult life was echoing incessantly outside the manor? ¡°Charlotte.¡± ¡°You called?¡± As Mia rang a bell to call a servant, she closed her eyes for a moment. ¡ºThere are times when the answer is faster than words. It¡¯s the sword in your hand.¡» Her mother, a knight who hadd graduated from the Munmund Knight Academy, gestured to her in her memories of days long gone. Then she opened her eyes again. ¡°Bring me my mother¡¯s sword.¡± ¡°¡­Yes!¡± ¡°No one knows where the Skyflow Tiger¡¯sir is, so finding it will probably take a few days. I will join the others before then as a representative of this city.¡± Although she wasn¡¯t an official knight, she could still hold her own. Even if she couldn¡¯t participate in the hunt directly. ¡°With everyone by my side, I can be a little greedy. Isn¡¯t that right, Wizard?¡± ¡°¡­Even if you ask me, I¡¯m not even from this city, so how would I know? But, well. I suspect that, rather than trying to stop you, they¡¯ll probably happily follow you.¡± If it meant she could see her beloved and that damn beast trying to steal him from her, she would dly head there. . . . ¡°Found you.¡± > [You¡­!] ¡°I won¡¯t let you escape you this time.¡± She would dly witness the downfall of that arrogant beast. ____ Chapter 168: Next Time (1) Chapter 168 Next Time (1) ¡®Wrath ising.¡¯ > [¡­That can¡¯t be.] ¡®Wrath will being.¡¯ > [Why do you think I ate that tainted flesh¡­?!] ¡®It will being to kill you.¡¯ > [I am the Skyflow Tiger! I have even obtained the power of a Great Demon! There¡¯s no way I would lose to a mere mortal!] ¡®A being you cannot possibly defeat ising for you.¡¯ > [There¡¯s no way I would lose¡­!] ¡°Skyflow Tiger?¡± Whoosh! The Skyflow Tiger instinctively whipped around, ws raised. Standing before its hand, which it had barely managed to stop, was the mortal it had decided to im as its own. ¡°¡­Is there a problem?¡± All the blood had drained from the mortal¡¯s face, but his veins, now ckened, were pulsing against his pale skin. He gazed at the Skyflow Tiger with bloodshot eyes. A fresh bleeding scratch had been etched on his cheek. > [Oh no. I hurt you.] The Skyflow Tiger¡¯s heart hurt. It felt strangely satisfied, knowing it had caused this injury, yet also heartbroken, knowing it had almost killed this oh-so-fragile being. And as for the young lord Leon, who was held in its arms¡­ All he could think was: ¡®This is crazy.¡¯ Was that all? It felt as though the stench around him was bing increasingly disgusting, and he even found it absurd how that creature, which could have once been called alluring, was slowly deteriorating. As the Skyflow Tiger held his face in its grasp, Leon numbly turned his gaze to his surroundings. A few more of the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s words reached his ears, but they didn¡¯t seem to register in his mind. All he could see was the rotting earth around him. Maybe killing the Skyflow Tiger was the right thing to do after all. He recalled the once thriving forest. It had been so dense and full of life that he had been shocked it hadn¡¯t remained undiscovered until now. Perhaps the beasts living within it had been affected by the forest''s vitality, as they were all fairlyrge and extremely agile. It was as if¡­ they were beasts from a time before people had developednguage, filled with some mystical power. However, it only took six sunrises and sunsets for everything to copse. In just six days, the beasts that had seemed so mystical revealed the corrupted energy hidden within them, and the entire forest started to rot, filling the air with poison. It didn¡¯t take long for him to realize that if things continued like this, he would soon die. He could tell just by looking at the back of his hand. ck veins. The typical symptoms of Demonic Erosion, something that anyone who¡¯d learned at least a little about Demonic Energy could recognize. His entire body was covered in them. And yet, he actually weed it. The thought of just sitting in the middle of this rotting forest, being treated like a doll, was simply too unbearable. Aside from feeling bored and ufortable, Leon found it hard to breathe, his head was spinning, and his body ached all over as if he had been beaten. So, if he were to die just a second earlier from Demonic Erosion, it would feel like mercy to him. > [Why are you acting like this?] As it interpreted his actions as rejection, the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s eyes grew venomous. It was a familiar reaction. Leon just silently took the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s hand and led it to a patch of grass that still showed vitality. It was a nice spot to lie down. > [Did you want to rest?] Stupid beast. Heid down in the grass, leaving the Skyflow Tiger to misunderstand and resolve the situation on its own. Not even realizing everything around them was rotting, the beast, which showed this gentle side only to him,id down with him. However, even that was painful. The person he wanted by his side had ck hair, not tinum. ¡°Why did you leave?¡± > [Huh?] ¡°You disappeared from this region in the past.¡± > [Aah.] ¡­Meaningless small talk was the best way to distract him from these thoughts. He barely managed to chase away those floating shadows in the corner of his mind. > [It wasn¡¯t anything special. I simply wanted to dy my approaching death.] ¡°¡­What?¡± Even if he hadn¡¯t expected to feel only anger and resentment and anger in return. > [Yes, even that stupid turtle crawling on the earth was granted immortality, so why should I die? I alone deserve to enjoy eternity.] ¡°Then, thend bing barren¡­?¡± > [I merely took some life force meant to flow through the world. They should consider it an honor, too. Bing the blood and flesh of this body would be far more valuable than just meaninglessly fading away.] Leon covered his eyes with his hands as despair welled within him. He could feel his hands tremble. > [Of course, the forest I used as myir umted some Arcane Power, which caused some side effects¡­ but isn¡¯t that fine? After all, that¡¯s how I met you.] But even then, the Skyflow Tiger didn¡¯t cease with these words that provoked him. Leon grabbed a branch lying near him, wondering whether he could kill the Skyflow Tiger by stabbing it in the throat. He knew it was impossible for him, but he couldn¡¯t bear this situation any longer if he didn¡¯t do it. If he didn¡¯t do something¡­ > [You wouldn¡¯t¡­] Boom! A loud explosion rang out. Just as it had once before. ¡°¡­?¡± > [What¡­?] And just like that time, part of the forest was blown away, scattering debris and creating a storm of dust. Amid this dust storm, reddish brown due to the rotten trees, a ck cloak fluttered like a war banner. ¡°Found you.¡± > [You¡­!] It was a moment eerily reminiscent of that time in the manor garden. ¡°I won¡¯t let you escape this time.¡± There was just one difference. ¡°Vermin.¡± The knight wouldn¡¯t let the tiger escape this time. * * * > [Roooaaar!] ¡°Where?!¡± A shield mmed into the ground at the center of the forest, which had turned a sickly red and purple, giving off a foul odor. At the same time, a massive golden barrier spread out from it to block the tiger¡¯s foreleg. Boom! Which created a thunderous noise. Bang! Not only did it block the attack, but the barrier of Divine Power also pushed back the tiger. It was then I struck out with my sword. It shed through the air and the flesh beyond. Had the Skyflow Tiger not immediately changed from its massive tiger form to its human form, the wound would have been deeper. > [Mortals!] ¡°Liar! You¡¯re a liar, buddy! You said you would yield the tiger to Berserk!¡± However, my sword wasn¡¯t the only thing the Skyflow Tiger had to worry about. Bers swung her halberd precisely and hit where the Skyflow Tiger had just been standing. As it leaped backward, Bers quickly redirected the halberd with her overwhelming strength and followed its movements. ng! ¡°Huh!¡± In the meantime, with a sound that stimted a certain someone¡¯s PTSD, pale blue chains snatched Young Lord Leon. Based on my experience, after getting yanked around by with a chain tied around your waist, you would feel like you were about to vomit and be left with some bruising¡­ but it was still better than being over there, right? Well, if an ordinary person got caught between a beast that could shift between a giant tiger and a human and the three other people facing it, it would be a little too thrilling for them, right? > [How dare you! He¡¯s mine!] ¡°Wahaha! Where are you looking?!¡± ¡°Foolish beast! He does not belong to you!¡± Plus, it distracted the Skyflow Tiger. ¡°Now.¡± > [¡­!] ¡°Have you realized your ce?¡± My sword spat out three ck crescents. The Skyflow Tiger, who had been rushing toward us to retrieve the young lord, was forced to retreat a few steps back. The creature, whose appearance looked significantly duller than before, bared its teeth. > [How dare you, mere mortals!!!] It seemed to have forgotten that the thing it was so obsessed with was also one of those mere mortals. Well, if it insisted this guy was special, I had nothing to say about that. ¡°His condition is serious. Quickly, take him to the rear.¡± ¡°Whoa, shouldn''t we give him some medicine first?¡± ¡°If you need Demonic Energy Neutralizer, I have some.¡± ¡°¡­Mia?¡± ¡°You said you¡¯d be a man who wouldn¡¯t need my help, and yet here you are, breaking that promise even before we¡¯re married.¡± ¡°M-Mia.¡± However, the young lord had already been pulled over to our side, and there was no way he would be returning to the Skyflow Tiger. * * * After confirming Young Lord Leon was safe with Deb and Young Lady Camborough¡ª I was quite surprised when she showed up, sword in hand, dering she would fight alongside us. I had no choice but to bring her as the representative of every resident seeking revenge¡ªI swung my sword in a wide arc. It moved in a circr motion reminiscent of an arm exercise, leaving ck streaks in the air. It was as if I had stamped a mark into the air with my sword, leaving behind traces of Arcane Power. And just when my swordpleted a half-turn, now perpendicr to the ground, I raised it horizontally. Whoosh. The ck marks left in the air turned ny degrees, aiming straight ahead. ¡°You¡¯re dead.¡± ¡®Kill it.¡¯ Like someone taking out their anger on something unrted, the resentment that had built up inside me over other things was slowly added to the streaks. ¡®Damn it. If only I were half as enraged as I am sad, by now¡­¡¯ Shing! Dozens of Arcane des shot forward like arrows. One [Arcane Spear] after another pierced the shoulders and forelegs of the massive beast that had been waiting for Bers to show an opening. ¡°Wahahaha!¡± The golden barrier continued to crush down on the Skyflow Tiger, now in human form, and Bers mmed down on it with her halberd, breaking the barrier. The Skyflow Tiger desperately raised its arms to block the blow. The dark de carved through half its forearm. ¡°Good, good. That¡¯s how it should feel!¡± ¡°Haa, here Ie!¡± Ah, we ovepped. I jumped in right as Bers decided to attack, only to see the Inquisitor swinging her golden barrier at the beast like a baseball bat. Should I dodge? No, I shouldn¡¯t do that. Swish! ¡°Demon Knight!?¡± I channeled all the power from my momentum into my sword and shed at the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s leg. In return, I got struck by the Divine barrier the Inquisitor had created¡­ It dealt a lot less damage to me than taking a direct hit from her mace, though. Hssss. So it was fine. My clothes were a bit singed, but they would eventually recover. ¡°Stay out of it! Both of you!¡± ¡°Demon Knight, are you okay? Berserk! This isn¡¯t a game! We must work together!¡± ¡°Errk!¡± More importantly, our teamwork was a disaster. I supposed it couldn¡¯t be helped, considering how rare it was for us to fight side by side like this. Of course, there was that time we three fought together against Moby Dick. But even then, it felt like we were fighting separate things since Moby Dick was so gigantic and pretty stationary. Moreover, the Inquisitor couldn¡¯t even properly fight it because she had been too busy preparing the environment for us. If we¡¯d somehow managed to work together effectively back then, it would have been a straight-up miracle. ¡°I said I¡¯d take it down!¡± As I watched that inevitable mess unfold, I fixed the grip on my sword. Meanwhile, the Skyflow Tiger seemed even angrier. Well, it couldn¡¯t get past us, and waiting for an opening was basically impossible with the three of us. Meanwhile, we kept squabbling over who would get to take it down. If it didn¡¯t get furious, that would make it an absolute saint. > [First, drive away these mortals¡­ beasts of the forest!] And now, even its minions weren¡¯t listening to its orders. Ah, or maybe it wasn¡¯t that they didn¡¯t but couldn¡¯t? After all, we had killed every beast we encountered on the way. They all greedily absorbed our Arcane and Divine Power. Thanks to that, we didn¡¯t need to worry about those Arcane¡­ Demonic¡­ Anyway, those corrupted beasts. Anyone could see that the source of it all was right here. Swish! Oh well, whether the Skyflow Tiger was angry was none of my concern. > [Urgh!] ¡°Hey, buddy!¡± I swapped my Zweih?nder for my longsword and charged it with Arcane Power. ng, ng, ng! A loud noise rang out every time it shed with the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s ws. ¡°I will never trust your words again! You said you would leave this prey to me!!¡± When did I ever say that? She only yelled for me to leave it to her while on our way here, but I never agreed. Besides, wasn¡¯t she doing quite well for herself, getting a lot of hits in? I quickly backed off when I saw Bers¡¯ halberd swinging with both me and the Skyflow Tiger in its attack range. This suddenly seemed like a three-way fight rather than a two-on-one, but whatever. ¡°Wh-Wh-What should I do?¡± The Inquisitor, who had stopped attacking for fear of us getting caught in the crossfire, was stepping from one foot to the other. ¡°Do we have to decide on an attack order as well?¡± The Archmage, who hadn¡¯t found the right timing to join the battle, had beenmenting over this for quite some time now. ¡°Berserk willnd the next blow.¡± ¡°Go ahead, if you can.¡± At my deration, Bers shifted her grip on her halberd to hold it like a tonfa, forming a guard along the outside of her arm. With her shortened grip, the halberd de protruded forward like a normal sword while the shaft extended past her elbow. Boom! A thigh much thicker than mine kicked the ground. The axe-like de then shed diagonally from below. When the Skyflow Tiger took a few steps back, Bers bent her arm, using the protruding halberd¡¯s shaft to strike at the beast¡¯s waist and aim for its sr plexus. She then smoothly changed her grip and continued attacking her opponent with the ax-like de. However, as she didn¡¯t give her opponent even a moment to breathe, it created the perfect opportunity for me to strike. I immediately swung my sword such that I wouldn¡¯t interfere with Bers¡¯ attack nor she with mine. It was right after the Skyflow Tiger dodged one of Bers¡¯ downward strikes. Swish! > [You wretched¡­!] Not wanting Bers to get caught in my attack somehow by shooting energy out of my sword, I instead wrapped it in Arcane Power and shed at our enemy. However, sensing the impending danger, the Skyflow Tiger transformed into a giant beast and extended its front paw, throwing off my calctions. My attack, which would have split it in half if it were still in human form, only cut around 70 cm into the paw of its beast form. It was a deep wound, but considering the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s size, it wasn¡¯t that significant. I didn¡¯t expect to end it with this strike anyway, so I wasn¡¯t too disappointed. ¡°You!¡± On the other hand, Bers was rather furious at my attack, but whatever. I poured more Arcane Power into my longsword as I pulled it back before thrusting it forward again. My [Bombard] skill, which was tightlypressed Arcane Power, as focused and precise as my de, shot toward the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s neck. It didn¡¯t pierce it, only grazing the side and leaving a deep gash, but this should have sent some chills down the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s spine. ¡°This is Berserk¡¯s prey!¡± Bers didn¡¯t sit still, either. She swung her halberd past me, who had to stop my attack momentarily due to the recoil from [Bombard]. She spun her halberd once, then twice, and on the third rotation, she shed at the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s front. Boom! Before Bers could jump away, the Skyflow Tiger extended its paw, which collided with the halberd attacking it. Pierce! The halberd finally tore through the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s paw and split it in two, making it look like a goat¡¯s hoof. Screaming in pain over her torn paw, the Skyflow Tiger stepped back. > [A mortal, by a pathetic mortal¡­!] And then there was its frustration and humiliation from being ignored by Bers and me. > [I won¡¯t forgive you!] Finally, the Skyflow Tiger expressed its fury. Contrary to its bad temper, its tinum fur, once extraordinarily beautiful, gradually became a steely blue. > [Absolutely never!] Crackle. From the center of its belly, a pitch-ck darkness that seemed to devour even light itself gradually began eating away at the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s body. Rustle, crack, snap! Its ability to cause rapid nt growth, which it hadn¡¯t used yet, suddenly activated, causing hundreds of vines to sprout. They started to engulf a massive area, including the ground beneath my and Bers¡¯ feet. > [I will bring death upon you!] What was this? Phase 2? That thought briefly shed through my mind. ____ Chapter 169: Next Time (2) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 169 Next Time (2) I jumped a few times to observe the situation and prevent everyone from getting entangled in the vines. I considered taking a shot at the Skyflow Tiger as it seemed it couldn''t move while using its skill¡­ but after seeing those quickly growing vines everywhere, I gave up. If I tried to cut down those things while airborne, I might suddenly lose my footing and fall. Right now, watching my step amid all those purple vines growing like mushrooms was more important. Craaack. Still, it seemed they couldn¡¯t grow infinitely, given that their growth rate had drastically slowed. Now, I finally had the time to look around. I checked my surroundings to see how far those damn vines that had formed something resembling a wisteria tree had spread. At least they hadn¡¯t pierced through the cloudyer. ¡°¡­Looks like they¡¯re shorter than Jack¡¯s beanstalk.¡± Still, they wereparable in height to a decently sized skyscraper. Based on experience, they gave simr vibes to that 100-floor building I once had to climb. From that, I could assume those vines were about 500 meters tall, right? Well, it was much better than thousands of meters in the air likest time. Still not on the ground, though. I looked down and wondered when a Raid that exclusively took ce on solid ground woulde again so I could properly take part in it. It was so far away, and with the vines covering everything, there wasn¡¯t much I could see¡­ but it was clear the entire forest was now covered in these vines, at least. I was just d the others hadn¡¯t gotten dragged into this. Deb and Young Lady Camborough had retreated to the rear, but since they had Young Lord Ednium with them, they should be fine anyway. No matter how concerned I was about them, I couldn¡¯t check on them right now. If I had to pick someone who deserved my immediate concern, it would probably be those fighting alongside me. While I had caught a glimpse of the Archmage being taken care of by the Inquisitor earlier, I hadn¡¯t seen Bers since losing track of her halfway through the battle. ¡°Uwaah! That¡¯s one massive tree!¡± I took that back. It had been stupid of me to be slightly worried about Bers. ¡°Thank you. If not for you, Inquisitor, this old woman¡¯s life would¡¯ve been over today.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. I couldn¡¯t not do it.¡± ¡°But where are the others¡­?¡± ¡°Ah, I think they¡¯re over there!¡± I also managed to determine the location of the Archmage and the Inquisitor. Seeing them safe a few vines below me, I pulled my sword out from the tree trunk. I had stabbed it in there earlier to stabilize myself. Swish! The silver de emerged, breaking the purple wisteria tree-like bark. ¡°But where did the tiger go?¡± ¡°Berserk¡¯s also over there. But the Skyflow Tiger¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure where the Skyflow Tiger is. I can feel Negative Energy from all directions¡­¡± Hmm. It seemed this was the starting point. I lightly spun my longsword between my fingers, switching from a reverse grip to a regr one. ¡®It¡¯sing.¡¯ My instinct seemed to whisper to me. I quickly turned my sword arm to position the de vertically in front of my body. My right forearm supported the center of the sword. Bang! A massive force struck my de immediately after. Had I not reinforced it with Arcane Power, the sword might have broken. That was how great the impact was for such thoughts to appear in my mind. ¡°Demon Knight!¡± Whoosh. Fortunately, the force only pushed my back and didn¡¯t give pursuit. The blow was so strong that it sent me flying for a bit as well. Spinning my body midair, Inded on a vine that had grown vertically in my path. Thud. My body, feeling light despite jumping forward so heavily, surged back toward the thing that had attacked me. ¡°Did you really think a sneak attack would work?¡± > [I¡¯ll make you regret not having died from that blow¡­!] ng! My sword shed with the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s ws. It seemed the Skyflow Tiger had awakened to ¡®Skyflow Tiger - True Form,¡¯ seeing that its strength had grown significantlypared to before. Its other hand was still free, so it was very eager to strike at me. ¡°Here Ie!¡± Before the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s ws could reach me, Bers charged in. She swung her halberd in a wide arc across from me, attacking from the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s rear. I was also in her range of attack, but thanks to Bers, I managed to avoid the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s strike. I retreated, stepping onto another vine. As for the Skyflow Tiger, it leaped upward, drilling its ws into a vine and clinging to its underside. > [Know your ce and begone!] Just as Bers jumped up to sh at it, the Skyflow Tiger roared, and something translucent surged forth from its body. What emerged seemed like some sort of spirit¡­ However, it appeared to possess substance. The whitish figure mmed into Bers, throwing her off bnce. Unable to achieve what she had intended to do, Bers fell onto a vine below. The figure, in the shape of a tiger, fixed its gleaming eyes on Bers. It looked like a shadow clone or something. Babam! > [Urgh¡­!] Well, that was fine by me. We weren¡¯t exactly specialized for cooperative fights. Rather, we could be called experts in individual battles. Having noticed the [Arcane Spear]s I had thrown at the Skyflow Tiger when it made the clone¡ªI didn¡¯t know what it was doing at that point but fired them anyway¡ªhad hit their mark, I prepared for my next attack. My sword energy cleaved through the ce where the Skyflow Tiger had been. A heavy vine made a creaking sound, barely avoiding copsing entirely as it was entangled with something else. Crunch! ¡°¡­!¡± But that wasn¡¯t the real problem. I frowned as I suddenly saw weeds grow from the vines, wrapping around my ankles. Right at that moment, the Skyflow Tiger came charging at me. ¡°Demon Knight!¡± ¡°He¡¯s too far away for me to help¡­!¡± I didn¡¯t really need any help, though. I tossed up my longsword and drew my Zweih?nder. Was getting the timing right tricky because of the dy caused by switching weapons? That problem was easily solved using my Inventory. Unlike my usual bag-type Inventory, I also had a contact-type Inventory. It drained quite arge amount of Arcane Power, so I didn¡¯t use it often, but doing so once or twice didn¡¯t pose a problem. I touched the Zweih?nder with my right hand, stored it in my Inventory, and then resummoned it in my left hand, which had tossed up my longsword. The Zweih?nder crashed down, embedding itself in the tree trunk. [Ground Crash]. The Arcane Power spread out in all directions, shattering the vine tform I was standing on and pushing back the Skyflow Tiger. Crack. I leaped from my crumbling tform, grabbing the longsword mid-jump and returning everything to how it was before. * * * I dashed across the vine, mindful of the nts trying to grab my ankles. The Skyflow Tiger, who had just been pushed away, was also following me, partially in beast form. ¡°Uwaah! That¡¯s not fair, buddy! You¡¯re hogging the fun one!¡± Bers¡¯s voice was growing more distant, perhaps because the clone was trying to lure her to the other side. At least I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about friendly fire anymore. With the Inquisitor and the Archmage pretty far away, I couldn¡¯t expect any help from them either. > [Grrrargh!] The Skyflow Tiger swiped at me. A massive tiger paw struck where I had been standing. Crack. With just that, the thick vine was split into four pieces. I quickly leaped from the floating pieces of vine and sent out a [sh] flurry in return. The tangled mass of vines, chopped up too finely to hold themselves together, fell to the ground. Tatatak. But that didn¡¯t matter. Both the Skyflow Tiger and I continued rushing forward. This forest of vines was very extensive, with every path leading either up or down. sh! I cut down the next tform the Skyflow Tiger had nned to step on. Then, seemingly in retaliation, the Skyflow Tiger severed the base of all the nearby vines. With their supporting beam cut, they all dangled midair before plummeting down. This really felt a lot different from the fight with the Sea Dragon. It was simr in that I had to fight while stepping on thick, cylindrical, twisted tforms, unable to risk falling, but that was where the simrities ended. I jumped up high, watching the swaying vines. The hem of my coat spread out on both sides like a swallow¡¯s tail, and I saw branches suddenly shoot out as if trying to pierce me. Furthermore, the Skyflow Tiger was behind me, its beastly maw wide open. As I spun my body, shing through the vines, my eyes locked with the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s, to which I thrust my sword forward, forcing it to face me like this. [Bombard]. A beam of Arcane Power pierced through the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s throat. However, it kept moving toward me, as if willing to endure even this much pain just to get me, its fangs getting closer and closer. Thud. Did I really have to dive into the mouth of another monster again? That thought crossed my mind for a second as Inded on the tform I had been aiming for. Boom! As long as there were still some footholds left, there was nothing to fear. When I pushed off with enough force to crush the tform beneath me, my body shot forward like a beam of light. When I activated [Triple w Strike], the [sh] aiming to cut the tiger apart became three. > [Aargh!] Even if the Skyflow Tiger could endure piercing attacks like [Bombard], it couldn¡¯t withstand a [sh] about to split its face four ways. Clinging to a vine, I watched the Skyflow Tiger turn back into its human form. The Skyflow Tiger, whose wounds previously hadn¡¯t carried over from its beast form, was now covering its face with its hands to hide the injuries. Blood dripped from the gaps between its fingers. Craaack. The ck hole in the middle of its chest seemed to have grown evenrger than before. Its cloudy red eyes red at me with rage as it let out a thunderous roar. Its hair, standing on end like a lion¡¯s mane, soon grew long, making it seem like a silken curtain. It looked almost exactly like the Jangsan Tiger. Swiiish. What kind of new pattern did it have this time? I noticed the vine I had been holding on to suddenly withered, to which I hurriedly leaped away. But the next one Inded on was in a simr condition. More precisely, all the vines above a certain height had begun to wither. Craaack! But it didn¡¯t stop there. New vines grew where the old ones had crumbled. Then, they crumbled again. It was an endless repetition of creation and destruction. ¡®It¡¯d be a lot easier if we just burned everything to ashes.¡¯ No way, that was just absurd! Back when I used flying creatures as my tforms, while they did move rather erratically, at least I didn¡¯t have to worry about them crumbling apart the moment I stepped on them! And these vines¡¯ creation and destruction didn¡¯t even follow a consistent pattern! Was it random?! Were these gacha tforms or something?!! I clenched my teeth at this insane difficulty level, which was high enough to make me want to curse. I was a little curious about what had happened to the others, but even that thought was put on the back burner by the immediate crisis before me. The Skyflow Tiger, who alone seemed to enjoyplete freedom of movement, ran toward me like a wild dog. My body spun. sh! Even if the vine tforms weren¡¯t on my side, I still had some ws of my own. I summoned three crescent-shaped, ck des to stop the Skyflow Tiger from advancing before stepping onto a copsing tform. [Survival Instinct]? I activated it as soon as the cooldown was up. I had never thought my spatial awareness wascking, but I wasn¡¯t confident enough to differentiate which vines were withering and which had just grown in this chaotic situation where pieces of vine kept falling like rain. If I only had to run, I might have been fine, but since I had to fight the Skyflow Tiger at the same time, things were different. ¡¸Poison: 7%¡¹ At that moment, a notification, something I felt I hadn¡¯t seen in a while, popped up before me, informing me about this poison gauge. It seemed the flowers blooming here and there were the cause. This ce really had all sorts of things. I clenched my teeth once more as I dodged the tendril-like vines chasing me. I ran along the thickest one. The parts I stepped on quickly crumbled, but luckily, I was a lot faster. > [Die!] I leaped from the vine, shing ws with the Skyflow Tiger. Sparks flew hundreds of meters into the air, while the [Arcane Spear]s I barely managed to create while fighting off my dizziness pierced through parts of the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s body. I won this exchange of blows. But damn it, now I was about to fall. ¡¸Poison: 10%¡¹ Ruuumble. The wind hit my body hard, making my clothes and hair flutter violently. The flowers in full bloom on the purple vines scattered reddish pollen everywhere. The fragrance was so strong that it made my head spin. After I spun a few times and somehow managed to disperse the impact, my legs mmed into a thick vine below. Thanks to being strengthened by my Arcane Power, my body didn''t shatter, but the vine beneath me tilted, causing me to slide down rapidly. It somewhat felt like I was snowboarding, but instead of snow, a storm of vines and wood flew around me. Wham. I must have slid down several dozen meters. I barely made it to another vine and started climbing up again. The Skyflow Tiger was rushing toward me effortlessly, with new vines constantly growing beneath it. > [Mortal©¤!] ¡°Die, vermin.¡± As I ascended and it descended, we momentarily crossed paths and swapped positions. My tightly gripped Zweih?nder shed through the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s side, and its ws scratched across my shoulder. Shrrrk. Blood spurted out in all directions. ____ Chapter 170: Next Time (3) Chapter 170 Next Time (3) Pain slightly brushed over my shoulder, but it only felt like a tickle. I just ignored it and took a step forward. There was nothing around me I could use as a foothold, but that didn¡¯t mean that I had no options. Mybat boots touched the underside of a vine above me, with which I propelled my body back down. A dark current formed around my figure as I caught up with the Skyflow Tiger again. It also opened its mouth wide, aiming for me. sh. Our bodies crossed paths once more, carving new wounds into each other. The Skyflow Tiger¡¯s skin was torn apart like a burst drum, and there were deep w marks across my waist, almost exposing my internal organs. ¡¸Poison: 14%¡¹ In the meantime, the poison gauge was steadily filling up, although it wasn¡¯t happening too quickly. Surrounded by the heady scent of flowers, I readjusted my sword grip. I remembered hearing that flowers smelled strongest right before they withered. Perhaps that statement was true. Rustle. However, now wasn¡¯t the time to rest. I ran once again, avoiding the decaying footholds. There was no real need for me to worry about the wound on my waist. My bandages and clothes would soon restore themselves, serving as a decent substitute for basic first aid. That was enough. > [Roooaaar!] The Skyflow Tiger, which healed its wounds with just a single roar, quickly chased after me. Crack. ck cracks had spread across almost its entire body. Its cloudy red eyes seemed to be gradually getting consumed by madness. However, as if it had exchanged its sanity for power, the number of vines rising around it had increased dramatically. They were also a lot faster, making it difficult for me to ignore them any longer. I could only push [Survival Instinct] so far. Trying to find a way out of this now would only make my head explode. Thud. After exchanging a few more blows, I finally reached a decision. As I could no longer use these thin vines to move, I instead nted my foot on a massive pir of a vine, so thick that even three grown men couldn¡¯t wrap around it. [I¡¯ve¡­ got you¡­!] Craaaaack! ¡°¡­!¡± But at that moment, as if it had been waiting for this, the vine crumbled beneath me. The way it scattered like ashes, or thousands of butterflies flying away, was a strangely beautiful sight. However, the vines gathering around me from its remains were by no means pretty. I almost felt like the little pirate inside that roulette game, and the way they poured over me without the slightest gap left no room for me to escape. That was rather troubling, wasn¡¯t it? Pursing my lips, I spun midair at various angles, shing my sword in all directions. I felt like a spinning top, but this was the best I could do for now. After splitting all the vines trying to attack me, I fell deeper and deeper until finally reaching the innermost part of this vine thicket. It was the ground I had so longed for. Even if it was blocked by tree root-like things on all sides. Squelch! Was this the aftermath of the ground getting turned over? The earth beneath my feet was like a muddy pool of water. It had somewhat softened the impact of mynding, but just the thought of fighting in this mud pit was confusing. Boom! The Skyflow Tigernded on the ground after me. Rustle. At a guess, we had been fifty meters in the air. Vines gathered to form a ceiling as if trying topletely seal off this pit. The tightly tangled vines didn¡¯t let in even a bit of light. The world had been plunged intoplete darkness. I could vaguely make out some things, but at this point, it was much easier just to fight with my eyes closed. > [Tremble¡­ in fear¡­!] A faint presence hovered around me. For some reason, its speech sounded rather clumsy now. > [D¡­ie¡­!] Let¡¯s see. That thing definitely consumed the Great Demon, right? Given the ever-growing ck hole on its body and its strange manner of speaking¡­ Hmm, no matter how I looked at it, it was like Demonic Erosion. As these random thoughts entered my head, the scent of flowers grew even more intense. ¡¸Poison: 20%¡¹ Should I feel relieved that, unlike my opponent, my [Rage] gauge wasn¡¯t what was gradually filling? Or should I feel worse since my poison gauge was slowly filling up? After some thought, I made my choice. > [Kraaagh!] ng! There was no damn use in ranking things like that. I backed away, parrying the ws that came hurtling toward me. Whoosh! As expected, a follow-up attack cleaved through the space I had just vacated. Counterattacking? I decided to wait a bit longer before doing that. No matter how sharp my senses were, I definitely couldn¡¯t see better in the dark than a wild beast. My eyes needed a little more time to adjust to this darkness. Or I might somehow be able to get some clues on the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s movements or even track them just by sound. Anyway, the best approach for now was moving step by step rather than recklessly. ng! However, I had to say that I found my opponent just a bit, a teeny, tiny bit¡­ annoying. I mean, if it was such a strong beast that had even devoured a Great Demon, it should be confidently facing me head-on. It shouldn''t be resorting to such petty tricks as trapping me in darkness, taking away footholds, or poisoning me. ¡¸Poison: 32%¡¹ > [Kuhihihi!] Ah! The rising poison gauge and that stupidughter were really getting on my nerves!! I tightly gripped the hilt of my sword, wondering if the Skyflow Tiger had always been this type of character. Creak. The sword, which had held up even when I killed the Great Demon, slowly creaked as if letting out a scream. I hadn¡¯t changed to another one for financial reasons, but it seemed that had been a mistake. Money wasn¡¯t more important than my life, after all. ng! But what could I do? I had spent too much money on those bridge repairs. I also couldn¡¯t have asked the Archmage or the others for money, lest I risk losing face. I hurriedly checked the sword¡¯s Durability before blocking another attack. Based on experience, this level of wear meant it wouldn¡¯tst much longer. sh! ¡°¡­!¡± > [Die¡­ already¡­!] Though, it looked like I might bleed to death before the sword broke. I was acutely aware of the number of cuts carved all over my body. None were as deep as the gash on my side, but they were great in number. I still felt okay for now, but I didn¡¯t know how long that wouldst. Considering how it went before, I might still be safe. Ruuumble. It seemed the Skyflow Tiger was preparing a more powerful attack from within the darkness. I could feel a shift in the airflow of this space where there shouldn¡¯t have been any wind, and a tremendous amount of energy began to gather in response. Regardless of whether I could see, only a fool would miss that. ¡°There!¡± I focused my Arcane Power into the sword in preparation for this moment. Creak. Alongside a metallic shriek, I unleashed three precise [sh]es. With nothing else to focus on, I fully concentrated on honing these strikes to their absolute limit, making them as narrow and sharp as possible. sh! ¡°¡­!¡± The sensation of cutting through something reached my fingertips. However, it wasn¡¯t the usual heavy sensation, but a vaguely light one, like cutting through cotton candy, something light enough to simply dissipate. > [Kahaha!] ¡®It¡¯s a trap!¡¯ * * * As soon as I realized it was a trap, I tried to react somehow, but the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s eyes were already right in front of me. They shone brightly thanks to their reflectiveyer unique to beasts. Whoosh! ¡°¡­!¡± The Skyflow Tiger¡¯s body ¡®passed¡¯ through me before a cold, damp sensation struck me from behind. Whoosh! The refreshing, crisp sound of rushing water filled the cave. Bubble. Air bubbles left my mouth before I could hold my breath. Had I not instinctively stuck my sword into the ground, I would have been carried away by the current currently pounding my limbs. On another note, when did that damn tiger suddenly acquire water-attribute skills? Did eating that flying whale teach it water skills? What kind of mega-evolution was this? Crack! Meanwhile, its ability to make nts grow was still there. My poison gauge was now more than halfway filled and still rising steadily. I had thought this ever since that thingpletely devoured the Demon, but did that creature even know the concept of fairness? I barely managed to swallow down the curses about toe out when I felt the presence of a tree branch almost piercing my shoulder. I was also gauging whether being swept away by the current would be less dangerous than dealing with its direct attacks. One wrong move and I would be put in immediate and acute danger. Snap! However, I didn¡¯t have much time to think about it. I felt a branch grow rapidly, grazing the back of my neck. Vines had already ensnared my ankle. I might as well throw myself into the waves now. Having made a quick decision, I immediately drew my sword and kicked my legs. Crack. My body was immediately swept away by the current. However, as if it had been waiting for this moment, I felt a presence approaching from one side. My arm moved instinctively, almost awkwardly. sh! It seemed what I had cut through this time was simr to one of those clones. The strike only met minimal resistance. Bubble. I kicked my feet in the water, feeling something closing in on me from all directions. My control and response time were one thing, but ultimately, I was still just a person. Without oxygen, I would die. > [D¡­ie!] However, as soon as my hand touched the artificial ceiling, I realized something. There was no air left in this space filled to the brim with water. ¡®This might be a bit dangerous.¡¯ A chill ran down my spine. ¡°Haaaap!¡± Craaaaaash! Just as my instincts began ringing rm bells, a brilliant golden light burst forth, seemingly shaking the heavens and earth. The ceiling shattered, light poured in, and the water level changed, swirling around the center in concentric circles. Luckily, I had been near the edge, so my body floated up as the water level changed. I tried to hold on to some broken pieces of vines to prevent myself from floating away. ¡°Demon Knight!¡± But there was no need to hold on for long. A pale blue chain shot out, wrapping itself around my arm. Goosebumps ran up and down my spine as every nerve in my body tensed up, but that didn¡¯t stop my mind from analyzing the situation. I gripped the chain wrapped around my forearm even tighter. Swiiish! My body, pulled by the chain, shot up like a fish caught on a fishing line. ¡°Hmph!¡± Soon, I could see the Archmage casting some manner of spell and Bers, who looked rather sullen. I didn¡¯t know how they discovered I was here, but their timing was impable. ¡°Two sparring matches, no, make it three!¡± But someone was missing. That meant the person who had broken through the wooden ceiling must have been the Inquisitor. That thought crossed my mind as I shook off the chain tied around my arm. ¡°Protect us!¡± At that moment, the Archmage formed a small protective barrier justrge enough to shield me alone. Glooow! Before I had time to question her actions, a massive wave of golden light filled my vision. It was a force capable of purging all the evil and corruption of this world. ¡®Shit.¡¯ Even surrounded by an Arcane barrier that blocked most of the Divine Power, I still fell to my knees. Cough. Blood spilled out of my mouth. ¡°Are you¡­ okay?¡± I didn¡¯t think that was something one should ask when the answer was pretty obvious. I wanted to lighten the situation by throwing out a sarcastic remark, but my vision was painted red, probably because the blood vessels in my eyes had burst. ¡°You are covered in wounds.¡± ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve be weak. Berserk will fight from now on.¡± No, this wasn¡¯t because I was weak¡­ Just when I started to deny her statement in my mind, I opted to give up. A true master could fight just as well in the dark, after all. Perhaps myck of skill really was to me for this. ¡°As I said before, try it if you can.¡± However, my character¡¯s pride would never allow me to ept this so easily. Besides, I doubted the Skyflow Tiger, who had just taken a direct hit from that Divine Power, got away unscathed. Furthermore, that power was still flowing from the center over the entire battlefield. Even the nts around us that had turned purple returned to a healthy green, but could the Skyflow Tiger, who had swallowed a Great Demon, still be alive? After pondering that, I wiped away the blood flowing from my eyes and nose with an indifferent attitude. My HP was now hanging by a thread. Without the Archmage¡¯s Arcane barrier, I might have died instantly. ¡°Tsk.¡± Ah, now that I thought about it, didn¡¯t White Wind tell me not to fall into a critical state under any circumstances? I reflexively touched my right shoulder. Feeling the seal under my gauntlet and severalyers of clothes was rather difficult. However, judging by theck of rattling inside my clothes, it didn¡¯t seem to have broken yet. ¡°Do you think Berserk can¡¯t do it?! Berserk can!¡± Ah, sure. If you think you can, then just do it. Who was stopping you? Anyway, with the Divine Power continuing to spread over the area, I couldn¡¯t leave the barrier. While my poison gauge wasn¡¯t rising anymore, it was draining far too slowly. ¡°Now, now, let¡¯s calm down.¡± Before this battle of pride between Bers and I couldst any longer, the Archmage stepped in to calm her down. It was then that the overflowing waves of Divine Power stopped. The world, which had regained its pure and clear color once the corrupted miasma was Purified, filled my vision. Some areas had been Purified such that they had been burned instead of cleansed, leaving gaps for the water to drain. Whoosh. The water rushed out between the roots, revealing the pit it had filled. At the center of it was the Inquisitor, surrounded by brilliant light, just getting to her feet. As for the Skyflow Tiger, there was no trace left of it, seemingly having turned into a pile of ashes. ¡°What? Did you kill the tiger already?¡± Ah, that line¡­! Ruuumble. The moment Bers finished that sentence, the ground began shaking violently. Then, the ground right before the Inquisitor suddenly burst open. Baaang. In the middle of that explosion was the Skyflow Tiger, whose entire body had been charred. > [How, how?] Crack, crack. The cracks running across its chest continued expanding. > [How¡­?!] More and even more. > [Ah!] Until they engulfed its entire body. > [¡­Did you think I would fall just like that, Wrath?] A translucent whale fin manifested along the tiger¡¯s back. ____ Chapter 171: Next Time (4) Chapter 171 Next Time (4) ¡°Could it be¡­? Did it get consumed by the Demon¡­?!¡± ¡°Wh-What? The tiger has turnedpletely ck!¡± I wiped away some more blood while listening to the Archmage¡¯s mutterings. Was I confused? Shocked? Sad, maybe? Not really. The moment the Skyflow Tiger devoured the Demon¡¯s corpse, or rather, ever since the Demon went down more easily than expected, I had thought that something like this could happen. After all, wasn¡¯t it basically a rule that high-level enemies like a Great Demon wouldn¡¯t die so easily? Until you saw their corpsepletely incinerated or Purified with your own eyes, you always had to consider the chance that they woulde back. That chance would be even higher if something consumed its corpse. It would be nerve-wracking if even an ally had done it, but an enemy? It became inevitable. > [This time, I¡¯ll make sure to drag you down with me to the underworld.] However, I couldn¡¯t help but feel frustrated, no matter how much I had anticipated this. Even if that damn Demon hadn¡¯t revived like this, I already had enough on my te. ¡°How dare you even think that¡¯s possible, you wretched Demon!¡± ¡°Be careful, Inquisitor!¡± ¡°This time, you¡¯ll be the only one to meet their end!¡± The only fortunate thing was that the Inquisitor was still fine. She wouldn¡¯t have to waste her energy creating footholds this time. ¡°Whatever¡¯s inside of it, as long as it¡¯s alive, that¡¯s all that matters! Haha! Berserk will take it down for sure this time!¡± Realizing there was still an enemy left to fight, Bers got all fired up. Honestly, I wouldn¡¯t really mind if just those two handled that thing on their own. Being unrted to Demons, Bers wasn¡¯t affected by Divine Power and was naturally extremely tough. She was an incredible match for the Inquisitor in this fight. As for me¡­ Forget being a good match; my body wasn¡¯t exactly in fighting shape right now. ¡°Cough.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get up!¡± But that wasn¡¯t how this worked, right? The Demon I thought I had killed was still standing. There was no way that my character would just sit back. ¡°Get out of my way.¡± At least the bleeding had significantly slowedpared to before. Thanks to the Archmage¡¯s quick first aid, my HP had also partially recovered. So this was the only right move. I shook off the Archmage¡¯s hand and got up. ¡°Just stay lying down, okay? Berserk will kill it anyway!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not even worth responding to.¡± Hmm, good. I could stand without swaying too much. I felt a little dizzy, but it was nothing I couldn¡¯t manage. It wasparable to the ringing I usually heard in my ear, nothing special. So there shouldn¡¯t be any problem, then. I tightly gripped my sword once again. ¡°It¡¯sing!¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­!¡± At that moment, the fusion of Moby Dick and the Skyflow Tiger, let¡¯s call it Moby Tiger, began its attack as well. And it was aimed in my direction, or more specifically, at me. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?!¡± The enraged Inquisitor summoned another wave of Divine Power, but unfortunately, Moby Tiger was one step ahead. It wrapped itself in watery vines and shot forward like a cannonball. Breaking through the overflowing light, it lunged straight at us. The Archmage didn¡¯t have enough time to protect herself, so she instinctively crouched and covered her head with her arms. ¡°Haiya!¡± Fortunately, Bers, not wanting to lose her prey, stepped in first, ensuring the Archmage¡¯s safety. Bers used her strong muscles to swing her halberd like a windmill, striking down Moby Tiger as it approached her. Moby Tiger bounced course and leaped in the opposite direction. It was unclear whether it simply hadn¡¯t been expecting this orunched itself at a speed it couldn¡¯t properly control. After sliding back for a bit, Moby Tiger came to a halt, its two legs firmly on the ground. It was then that I stepped forward. ¡°Urgh, you!¡± While Bers was strong, it seemed she just wouldn¡¯t learn. How many times had we done this already? Didn¡¯t she notice that every time she made the first hit, I would follow up right after? Well, that wasn¡¯t my problem, though. Ignoring her astonishment, I focused on Moby Tiger, who had juste to a stop. My pitch-ck [sh] cut through the newly green vines, shing through Moby Tiger¡¯s afterimage in the process as well. It appeared a little further away, the translucent fin on its back fluttering like an essory. However, this time, it failed to make a cleannding, leaving a long scar on the ground. ¡°You wretched bastard, returning from your hole like a cowardly rat.¡± > [This fat beast actually isn¡¯t such a bad vessel. It¡¯sughable that it couldn¡¯t use such a fine body better.] Well. It did fight a bit sloppily at the start, but by the middle, even I had started having a hard time. Even if I had been in a situation where I couldn¡¯t fully use all my abilities, it still made pretty good use of its powers, didn¡¯t it? Was that Demon really so confident that it could do better? If so, that might be a problem. With that thought in mind, I kicked off the ground. To be precise, I had kicked off the moment I started this small conversation, so Moby Tiger was already right in front of me. ng! My de shed with Moby Tiger¡¯s ws. They were no longer attached to a beast¡¯s paw but to a person¡¯s hand. When its body turnedpletely ck, its fingers and ws merged, resembling the sharp talons of a bird. ck blood trickled down my de. It seemed I had cut its hand slightly. ¡°Hyaah!¡± Bam! Immediately after, it swung its other hand, knocking away Bers¡¯s halberd. A sound like metal striking metal rang out. It then quickly pressed the index and middle finger of itspletely unscathed hand together. Bang! A burst of water shot from its fingertips, hurtling straight at Bers. She tried to dodge, but the vines wrapped around her ankle kept her in ce, forcing her to take the hit on her shoulder. A round mark was left behind where the water had struck her. Bam! Did that mean I hadn¡¯t been doing anything? Of course not. When I realized that my longsword had been blocked, I immediately pulled back and tried tounch a series of follow-up strikes. However, even while restraining Bers, Moby Tiger also sent its vines toward me. They shot up from the ground like spears, aiming directly at my heart, leaving me no choice but to dodge without time to prepare any other attacks. After slicing through the vines with my sword, I tore off the rest by forcefully pulling my ankle and immediately stepped away. I acted like this in preparation for a potential follow-up attack, but fortunately, nothing like that happened. On the other hand, Bers, seemingly also preparing for any counterattacks, ripped apart the vines using only her leg strength and continued her rampage¡­ only to get knocked back quite quickly. After exchanging a few blows¡ªthough I noticed that Moby Tiger¡¯s reactions were slightly dyed¡ªitunched its knockback attack. Anyway, Bers was forced far enough back that she ended up right next to me, ring at Moby Tiger. > [Although outside the King¡¯s domain, my body can move freely. Though using Demonic Energy is still a bit awkward, it¡¯s quite sweet that I needn¡¯t use it to maintain my body. Wrath, I can understand now why you keep using the creations of other gods as vessels. Even if the senses of these bodies are quite different, these advantages make using them as vessels worth it.] Despite how intensely Bers red at it, Moby Tiger remained calm. Rather than calling it calm, it actually felt like something else. Its ted voice sounded as if it was intoxicated by something, which made me feel uneasy. Especially now that, having changed form from a full beast to a Curety, its expression was easier to read. Its flushed face revealed its abnormal state. ¡°What¡­ are you talking about?!¡± Bers wasn¡¯t one to just sit back and watch. She was the first to charge ahead and attack. She beat me to it. > [You lowly wretch!] Moby Tiger, who had been looking rather sloppy, immediately straightened up and unleashed a surge of Demonic Energy. Good thing I didn¡¯t charge in with her; I would have been swept up in that wave and sent flying as well. > [Get lost! This isn¡¯t a fight you can interfere in!] ¡°Those words¡­¡± > [This is a battle between only me and Wrath!] ¡°¡­!¡± But what was it saying now? No matter how seriously it looked at me, there were just some things you should never do. How dare it randomly change someone else¡¯s character like that? In that case, I would just permanently lock in its name as Moby Tiger. ¡°¡­Tsk.¡± However, my bewilderment aside, those words seemed to hold some profound meaning to Bers. Although her face was filled with frustration, she actually lowered her weapon and stepped back. Why, though? Those words almost instinctively left my mouth. I mean, seriously, why? ¡°Why are you backing off?¡± I wasn¡¯t the only one shocked by this. Even the Archmage, who had been casting buffs on us from behind, was equally dumbfounded. It was understandable. Not only did one of the Damage Dealers randomly decide to pull out of the fight, but the Archmage had also just finished casting Haste on her. Anyone would feel quite frustrated after going through the trouble of buffing someone, only for them to suddenly drop out. ¡°This is a fight between warriors. A Norda warrior does not interfere in a legitimate duel between two people.¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t think that rule is applicable to this situation.¡± ¡°Then when would it be applicable?¡± R-Right¡­ but I wondered if I could even call that thing a warrior. Then again, I couldn¡¯t not call it a warrior, either. This was really confusing. I mean, it was a Demon, after all, but it hadn¡¯t acted dishonorably in this battle, right¡­? ¡­Right? The one acting dishonorably was the Skyflow Tiger, who took hostages and pulled some dirty tricks. It¡­ it¡­ Wait a second, this thing did something to Deb as well! Didn¡¯t that count? Or did this rule apply as long as it was a duel, even if one wasn¡¯t a warrior? I didn¡¯t really understand the criteria for this. I tried to somehow figure out the logic behind Bers¡¯s actions but soon gave up. The people who seemed the simplest often turned out to be the hardest to read. So what I had to do now wasn¡¯t to get baffled by her actions but focus on dealing with Moby Tiger alone. ¡°But, even then¡­!¡± ¡°Just watch, Wizard. Or do you not believe in ourrade¡¯s victory?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I mean¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± Actually, it might be better this way. Bers and I couldn¡¯t fight well together, and the Inquisitor¡¯s attacks would also damage me. > [And so, the stage is set. Come, Wrath.] ¡°Don¡¯t pollute my ears with your filthy words.¡± Hmm, now that I thought about it, this wasn¡¯t just better; it was the best. I had always taken down the Boss Mobs on my own anyway, so I didn¡¯t really need help. ¡°Die, Demon.¡± So Ipletely ignored the conversation between Bers, the Archmage, and the Inquisitor and charged straight at Moby Tiger. * * * Screech. My de and Moby Tiger¡¯s ws locked in a brief power struggle. Moby Tiger then stepped forward and swiped at me with its curled right hand. Its awl-like ws lightly scratched my cheek. sh! However, Moby Tiger wasn¡¯t the only one capable of fighting barehanded. With my ws of Arcane Power, I shed upward from below. Moby Tiger quickly retreated. I had anticipated that. I wondered why it was staggering like that even though my attack hadn¡¯t hit it. Feeling slightly uneasy, I thrust my sword forward in time with Moby Tiger¡¯s movements. The [Arcane Spear]s I formed in quick session aimed for every possible escape route it might take. Boooom! However, Moby Tiger wasn¡¯t just going to take this. It slightly frowned, and instead of dodging directly, it caused vines to shoot up from the ground. Avoiding them wasn¡¯t that difficult since the slight trembling of the ground gave them away. I sidestepped to avoid the spiraling vines shooting upward. > [Die!] Ice spears formed in the air one after the other before they rained down on me. Rather than flying straight, they curved midair to fly directly toward me as if they had some sort of homing function. Those weren¡¯t much of a problem, either, since I was faster and could easily smash them with my longsword. They were just a little annoying. ng, clink. Anyway, the ice I had shattered with my metallic sword splintered into tiny shards, scattering everywhere. The vines that had grown from the ground didn¡¯t disappear over time, making them fairly formidable obstacles. So, instead of simply charging at Moby Tiger, I circled it, cutting down the thorny vines and observing it. It was standing slightly crooked,unching one long-range attack after another without moving a single step. This fighting technique seemed quite strange, especially since I knew it was far more dangerous when fighting up close. Swiiish. But my doubts were soon cleared. Moby Tiger¡¯s body, which had turnedpletely ck, asionally showed a bit of white. Every time that happened, Moby Tiger would grimace, which made me think it was struggling to prevent the Skyflow Tiger from reawakening. ng! On top of that, this thing was rather clumsy in closebat. I had thought it strange that it was noticeably staggering, its movements were rather unrefined, and its reactions were sluggish overall, but it really couldn¡¯t handle its new body well. Maybe because this wasn¡¯t its original body, it hadn¡¯t fully adapted to it yet¡­ Well, whatever the reason, just knowing it showed plenty of openings was enough. > [Get away from me!] Moreover, it further proved this theory by using its knockback skill so often. I was struck by arge stream of water and forced to fall back. It wasn¡¯t just ordinary water, either, tearing into my flesh instead of just soaking me. It only left some scratches on me, but with my clothes and bandages shredded and my skin engraved with hundreds of minor cuts, the word tore wasn¡¯t so wrong. But would that make me stop here? How could I? I strongly kicked the ground again right after getting knocked back, forcing the fight back into closebat. > [Tsk!] Reading my tant intentions, Moby Tiger hurriedly prepared its next skill. Water began to surge from under its feet, flooding the ground around us. ng, ng, ng. With a crisp sound, the water pouring down like tidal waves gradually froze into smoothyers. If Inded there, I would absolutely lose my bnce. ¡°How trivial.¡± At that moment, I realized why those thick, thorn-covered vines hadn¡¯t disappeared. It seemed they were meant to be used as tforms. Crunch! Even if that wasn¡¯t the original intent behind their existence, I chose to interpret it that way. So I fired off some of my sword energy with as wide a range as possible, even knowing that would significantly reduce its power output. The upper parts of the spiraling vines were cut off in chunks, creating a safe surface to step on. I leaped onto them. > [You¡¯re nothing but a clown!] I mean, I couldn¡¯t remember ever seeing a clown dressed so drearily, though. Using these makeshift tforms that couldn¡¯t really be called tforms, I charged at Moby Tiger. Ice chunks continuously formed in the air and flew toward me, but that didn¡¯t matter. I could simply break them even without using Arcane Power. Screeeech. Confirming the sound my longsword was giving off, I threw it forward. I was determined to finish this before my de shattered. The sword, fully charged with my Arcane Power, flew forward like a spear. > [That won¡¯t work!] Contrary to its words, it must have felt pretty threatened. Moby Tiger momentarily stopped generating ice spears and focused on blocking the sword. Vines instantly grew, forming a shield before it. Bam! The de sunk deep into that shield. At the same time, I pulled out my Zweih?nder strapped to my back. The silver de, almost boiling with Arcane Power, spat out a sharp three-pronged attack. The wooden vine shield split into three pieces. Unexpectedly, I could see Moby Tiger lying t on the ground beyond it. While I agreed this was the most efficient way to evade that attack, it was still unexpected. I didn¡¯t think its pride would allow it to dodge like that. > [Die.] But, unexpected or not, failing to predict something correctly in a fight always demanded a price. Upon realizing that my opponent was charging at me like a beast, I had to make a decision. I wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid this. ng! But even if I couldn¡¯t avoid it, that didn¡¯t mean I would simply give up. The moment I made my decision, I tossed the Zweih?nder aside and grabbed a piece of the shield that I had cut apart and was about to fall. The part with the longsword I had thrown earlier. The fallen shield fragments got caught between Moby Tiger and me, blocking part of its attack. Of course, even then, it managed to grab my left shoulder, its ws sinking into me. A slight pain and the message ¡¸Poison!¡¹ simultaneously came to mind. > [How foolish.] Moreover, the piece of vine my longsword had been stuck in suddenly grew new branches, entangling my body. ¡°Demon Knight!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go out. The fight isn¡¯t over yet.¡± From behind me, I could hear the Inquisitor¡¯s urgent voice and Bers trying to stop her. > [Die!] What should I do now? Those things had grown too thick to break just by strengthening my body with Arcane Power. There also wasn¡¯t enough space to perform [Ground Crash]. The principle behind it was to condense Arcane Power into my de, then inject that condensed Arcane Power into the ground all at once and spread it in all directions¡­ Wait, didn¡¯t that mean I didn¡¯t actually need space to use it? Was I really that much of an idiot? Trying to find different applications for everything but this? Strictly speaking, that condensed spiraling Arcane Power attack was also an application of this, but¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but feel like an idiot. Feeling a bit empty inside, I poured Arcane Power into the de I was holding. After it had gathered to some extent, I unleashed it. The process took exactly two seconds. It was right as Moby Tiger surrounded me with countless ice spears and shot them at me. ¡°Something like this.¡± I released a torrent of Arcane des from the sword, my arms, torso, and legs in that order, tearing apart my sleeves and the clothes on my back. It was as if sharp des made of wind were blowing around me. ¡°Won¡¯t work.¡± Furthermore, those des weren¡¯t satisfied with just my clothes and the wooden vines. Their next targets were the hundreds of ice spears still aiming for me. Crash. All the ice spears shattered as if being fed through a crusher. > [¡­!] ¡°Ah, Demon Knight!¡± ¡°See? Berserk told you he¡¯d be fine.¡± Thousands, tens of thousands of ice shards scattered into the air, turning the world into a pure white snowfield. The cold they contained momentarily turned my breath into a white mist. And during all that, I swung my longsword through the ice powder. [Breaker]. The shocked Moby Tiger swung its arm in a simr fashion. Slice! Although I couldn¡¯t wholly sever it, I did manage to cut halfway into its forearm. Tainted ck blood spattered over the ground. > [You probably haven¡¯t even a spark of power left!] Ah, I didn¡¯t really need any. Muttering mockingly, I stretched my arm into the space below. My reason for using [Breaker] was to send a shock through the ground and cause my Zweih?nder to bounce up. Of course, it didn¡¯t jump that high because of its weight, but with my body lowered and arm outstretched after striking down with the longsword, it was enough. ng! I grabbed the sword¡¯s hilt with my right hand and quickly pulled it up. I wasn¡¯t nning on swinging it properly for now. I just used it as a makeshift shield. The de, now diagonally before me, blocked Moby Tiger¡¯s w. Was it my turn again? I fired [Bombard] forward using the longsword, sweeping the front while maintaining it. Though my Arcane Power was now truly depleted, I could count the newly formed ice spears with my bare eyes and see spots of white showing on parts of its body. From that, I could tell. This thing was also on itsst leg. > [I-It¡¯s not over yet¡­!] ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± Beam or de. Whatever it was, it silently sliced through most of what Moby Dick and the Skyflow Tiger had summoned. Moby Tiger barely managed to dodge, and some structures outside of my attack range were left unharmed, but it was still a decent harvest. The white parts on Moby Tiger¡¯s body finally spread and took over half its face, calling forth the body¡¯s original owner. > [This Skyflow Tiger is still¡ª] Ice spears I had failed to destroy before grazed my neck, sides, and thighs, but that wasn¡¯t enough to stop me. Observing the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s desperate expression, I swung my sword in the opposite direction of my previous attack. In desperation, Moby Tiger, or perhaps the Skyflow Tiger, transformed into a giant tiger and lunged at me in a mad frenzy, but it was already toote. ¡°Pay them back with your life.¡± sh! This [sh] cleaved the gigantic tiger in half. Having reached its limit, the de I had used didn¡¯t snap in two like usual, instead falling apart into tiny fragments as if disintegrating from the tip. Thud! Now, all that remained was the deless hilt of the sword and the corpse of a tiger, its head cleanly separated from its body. ¡°All those whom you have toyed with.¡± Cough. At the same time, the blood I had barely managed to hold back brought me to my knees. ____ Chapter 172: Next Time (5) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 172 Next Time (5) Pandemonium forced themself to smile as horror spread throughout their body. The death of the Skyflow Tiger, which had consumed Moby Dick? That was so predictable that it wasn¡¯t even surprising. What shocked them so much, however, was the power that Wrath¡¯s vessel had disyed in this fight. > [I thought it would have at least joined forces with the Hero¡­] What was that? Wasn¡¯t that practically the same as taking the thing down by itself? > [I don¡¯t know if this is the right thing to do.] It had been proven that this beast couldn''t defeat Gretchen even after gaining the power of a Great Demon. So, was it right to take the risk and try to smuggle out the corpse? ¡°Should we withdraw?¡± > [No.] The correct answer was ¡®yes.¡¯ If even something with that much strength was no match for it, someone like them, who was weaker than that, would surely be killed without even being able to resist. > [We¡¯ll begin.] They didn¡¯t even expect this to give them the power to defeat it. They just hoped this would make them strong enough to retreat when they next faced it. Swiiish. Right next to Pandemonium, a group of people dragged countless crates and poured their contents over the ground. Gold, silver, and countless jewels covered the ground. And all of them melted in an instant, bing a single mass of moltenva. > [Next time will be different!] A gigantic hand rose from theva, crushing those about to finish off the Skyflow Tiger. * * * Even after the Demon Knight suddenly copsed, the chaos didn¡¯t subside. A colossal hand made of fire appeared, crushing them. The incredibly heavyva poured all over the hastily created barrier, adding to the burden. ¡°Just what is happening?!¡± However, she couldn¡¯t recklessly create a Sanctuary because of the Demon Knight. He had already copsed from poison, and if he were subjected to Divine Power on top of that, his life would be in danger. ¡°A-A Demon¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± ¡°Madam Archmage!¡± ¡°Almost done!¡± Fortunately, the barrier that would filter out the Divine Power was almostplete. The Inquisitor weighed how much power she could safely use. ¡°It¡¯sing!¡± Berserk, who had been sitting around looking disinterested, immediately reacted. The Inquisitor, sensing the approaching Negative Energy, also opened her eyes wide. aang! ¡°¡­!¡± They were toote. The golden barrier shattered, causing theva it had been holding back toe crashing down on them. ¡°O Almighty God!¡± While some corrupted things had managed to invade, that was of lower priority. While she might survive getting swept away by theva, the others would obviously die. As such, the Inquisitor concentrated on creating a new barrier instead of dealing with those intruders. Although the ceiling was lower than before, the new Divine Barrier sessfully blocked theva once again. ¡°How dare you! Berserk is protecting this ce!¡± In the meantime, Berserk was fighting the intruders who had emerged from theva. The Inquisitor wondered how she could fight in this narrow space with such a long weapon as her halberd, but Berserk¡¯s skills were still exceptional. She managed to hold off the enemy. ¡°A¡­ Demon¡­!¡± ¡°Are you trying to get yourself killed?!¡± The Demon Knight tried to stand but copsed back to his knees, coughing up blood in the process. > [For a mere mortal, you''re quite impressive. But in the end, you¡¯re still nothing but a mortal.] ¡°Keuk!¡± > [Is this still not enough?] ¡°¡­!¡± On the other hand, Berserk continued to fight relentlessly. However, after battling fiercely, she was struck by her opponent¡¯s kick, sending her sliding across the ground. Although she somehow managed to tough out the blow and tried to charge at her enemy again, the ground before her burst open, spewingva. Her advance was momentarily halted. ¡°I have to step in¡­!¡± ¡°Inquisitor, it¡¯s done!¡± Fortunately, at that moment, the Archmagepleted the protective barrier. The Inquisitor¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t¡­ worry about me!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Demon Knight!¡± Just then, she was granted permission to act. The Inquisitor chose to forget temporarily that this could potentially hurt the Demon Knight. She couldn¡¯t afford to let a Demon of a simr caliber to Moby Dick just slip away. ¡°O Lord, please hear my prayers!¡± Divine light descended upon thend, incinerating theva and Purifying the impure. Boom! The hand that had been pressing down on them waspletely blown away. While the forearm remained, it was of little importance. It couldn¡¯t hold them back any longer. > [Tsk!] However, while the intruder was clearly shocked by that, it didn¡¯t stop moving. The enemy quickly shook off Berserk, who was trying to charge at it again, by kicking the ground. The intruder grabbed the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s corpse with one hand while gathering a mass of Negative Energy in the other to deal with Berserk and the golden barrier. ¡°Not so fast!¡± She couldn¡¯t let it escape. As the golden barrier started to crack, she rushed forward, conjuring yet another massive barrier. As the intruder tried to break through the barrier, she realized another application of her power she hadn¡¯t thought of before. A barrier that could prevent things froming in from outside could also prevent things from leaving. ¡°I won¡¯t let you go!¡± > [Hoh.] She then ran next to Berserk, raising her mace. The Inquisitor¡¯s green eyes locked on to their opponent. What appeared to be a violet-haired woman was gathering Negative Energy in their hands. > [Pathetic.] However, that Negative Energy wasn¡¯t aimed at her or Berserk. ¡°Ah!¡± The intruder¡¯s true targets were the Archmage and the Demon Knight ¡°No!¡± She quickly moved to block the attack, hoping to make it stop for a moment. ng! The enemy smirked as it took Berserk¡¯s strike. Boom! ¡°Keuk!¡± It wasn¡¯t theva getting shot at them but theva erupting from the ground that pierced through the Archmage¡¯s barrier. Although the Archmage quickly summoned some water to block it, the damage had already been done. The moment the barrier shattered, Divine Power struck the Demon Knight¡¯s body. The Inquisitor reflexively tried to withdraw her power. ¡°I said, don¡¯t worry about me!¡± The Demon Knight, a fierce look in his eyes, raised the Zweih?nder he had been using to support his body. ¡°What?!¡± A powerful surge of Demonic Energy shot out like a sh, striking the intruder¡¯s shoulder. The impact caused it to drop the torso of the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s corpse, which it had been barely holding on to. > [Keuk!] ¡°Cough!¡± But that was all. Whether due to overexerting himself or the Divine Power, the Demon Knightpletely copsed, coughing up blood. After seeing that, the Inquisitor had no choice but to withdraw her power. The Demon Knight, blood streaming from every orifice in his body, looked like he could die at any moment, so she couldn¡¯t risk it anymore. > [How naive. If it were me, I wouldn¡¯t have stopped.] However, that very action led to their decisive defeat. Their enemy, pouringva all over Berserk, broke the barrier again and dashed behind her. Though theva falling onto them from above had been Purified and was no longer a threat, there was no longer a way to catch their opponent. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?!¡± Even covered inva, Berserk gave chase. However, this intruder seemed to have prepared well. Blocking the path just outside the barrier were three more fiery hands, identical to the one that had tried to crush them earlier. Thoseva hands barred Berserk from moving ahead. Even though she was the type to simply endure any damage thrown her way and just continue fighting, this was a challenge even for her. In the meantime, the intruder was getting further and further away. Thankfully, no one had died, but they had let it steal a part of the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s corpse: the head, which contained most of the Demonic Energy. * * * ¡°Berserk, you!¡± ¡°Damn it! I lost it!¡± After several attempts to track them down, Berserk finally lost sight of them entirely and admitted defeat. It was understandable that she would vent her frustration at the opponent she¡¯d let slip away. Her entire arm, shoulder, thigh, and part of her face had been burned byva that spattered on her, her skin even sizzling under its heat. Despite that, Berserk didn¡¯t even mention being in pain. It was as if theva burning her body meant nothing to her. Both the Inquisitor and the Archmage, whom theva hadn¡¯t even hit, were significantly more shocked and flustered. ¡°T-Treatment.¡± There was no denying that she had lost it. She had to ept that. With that in mind, she grabbed Berserk with trembling hands and started healing her wounds. The heat dissipated, and the burned flesh regenerated. After the treatment was finished, the Inquisitor¡¯s gaze naturally shifted to her surroundings. ¡°Cough.¡± She could see the fiery hands and the flowingva surrounding them, sttering in all directions. The forest, already poisoned by the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s corruption, was now also set aze. ¡°This is bad¡­!¡± If they didn¡¯t burn this ce with sacred mes, that poison would spread in all directions and soon reach the nearby cities of Ednium and Camborough. It might even reach the Great Forest, which was only separated from this ce by the mountain ridge. ¡°I-I will Purify the area.¡± If they didn¡¯t act quickly, the suffocating fumes would kill them before the poison could, though. In any case, they couldn¡¯t just stand by and do nothing. She clenched her eyes at the sight of the Demon Knight still coughing up blood. Divine Power began to radiate around them, shielding them from the corrupted mes. The fire and toxic fumes gradually subsided. ¡°That thing¡­ was definitely a Demon, right?¡± ¡°Damn it, damn it!¡± It seemed the Archmage had formed a new protective barrier to let the Demon Knight breathe more easily while also using a healing spell to stabilize him. She thought over the events that had just urred. Honestly, there wasn¡¯t much need for spection. That enemy just then was clearly a Demonparable in strength to Moby Dick, and its goal had clearly been the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s corpse. ¡°At least no one died. It¡¯s also fortunate that we didn¡¯t lose all the remains.¡± The Archmage was right. It was definitely good that no one had died. Berserk and the Inquisitor might have been fine, but had that thing deliberately targeted the Demon Knight, he most certainly would have died. ¡°¡­Although, they might have kept him alive for a reason.¡± ¡°What do you¡­?¡± ¡°Thinking about it objectively, if the Demon Knight had died, the only thing holding you back, Inquisitor, would have disappeared as well.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡­Was that what the intruder meant when it said it wouldn¡¯t have stopped if it were them? Was this some type of exchange? The Demon Knight¡¯s life in return for the Demon¡¯s? No, perhaps this wasn¡¯t even an exchange. The Demon Knight was the host of a Great Demon. Wasn¡¯t that thing forcefully sustaining the Demon Knights¡¯s life? If it just used its power¡­ ¡°Are you doing fine?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t beat yourself up over this. It¡¯s not your fault we lost it.¡± ¡°Berserk isn¡¯t angry because of that¡­!¡± What if she had just done it? Could she have really taken that gamble in that situation? After all, Demons weren¡¯t beings worthy of trust. She didn¡¯t regret her choice. She didn¡¯t regret it. She didn¡¯t. She didn¡¯t regret it¡­ ¡°Enough.¡± The Inquisitor gritted her teeth as she watched Berserk copsing to the ground. ¡°Let¡¯s go back for now. We can¡¯t leave the Demon Knight like this¡­¡± Right, it wasn¡¯t Berserk¡¯s fault that the Demon escaped. It was no one¡¯s fault but the Inquisitor¡¯s. ¡°I-I¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± But just how could this happen? It wasn¡¯t like before, when she had overused her Divine Power and her body had reached its limits. She clearly had plenty of energy left. How could she have allowed the enemy to escape? How could she, whose duty was to punish all Demons, let this happen? ¡°I¡­¡± That was absolutely unforgivable. This was her greatest failure. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on?!¡± It was her indelible shame. ¡°Ah, you!¡± ¡°I saw smoke rising all of a sudden, so I came, but what is all this? Why is everything charred??¡± ¡°Perfect timing. A wizard skilled in healing magic and someone knowledgeable about poisons¡­ No, actually, you can take care of that.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The Inquisitor¡¯s sight blurred against her will as emotions welled up within her. Crying wouldn¡¯t help in any way. She knew that, but she was just so frustrated that she couldn¡¯t hold back her tears. It was just so unbearable for her that she couldn¡¯t even heal the Demon Knight who had fallen due to poison, and even worse, that she had lost the enemy he had risked his life to capture. ¡°This¡­ Dammit! It¡¯s bleeding poison! Did he get bitten by a snake?!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t see him get bitten¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably the White Serpent Flower that the tiger bloomed. Berserk has seen it before. Back in Berserk¡¯s homnd, many people died because of that flower.¡± ¡°White Serpent Flower? Shit, shit.¡± Unlike her, who could only mess everything up, the troublemaker quickly identified the cause and started taking appropriate measures. ¡°Damnit, Mister Knight, if I hadn¡¯t gotten the antidote in the Great Forest¡­ Seriously¡­¡± In the dry air and sticky swamp-like area, the troublemaker worked with his hands as fast as he could. He fed something into the Demon Knight¡¯s mouth and injected something into his arms and legs. ¡°¡­Alright. Quickly use a healing spell now. There¡¯s a high chance that his blood will pool and form blisters, but a spell should take care of that, right?¡± ¡°¡­Will he¡­ survive?¡± ¡°The antidote was administered in under thirty minutes, so¡­ he¡¯ll probably live. Even if you take your time with the healing spell, this poison isn¡¯t fast-acting. Plus, Mister Knight isn¡¯t an ordinary person¡­ Adding in the healing magic, I¡¯d say it would even be more difficult for him to die.¡± And finally, this incident had reached its conclusion. The Demon Knight would live. Although there was nothing she could do to ensure that. ¡°More importantly, could you try to weaken the Divine Power a little? Mister Knight probably wouldn¡¯t admit it, but honestly, it¡¯s not really helping him here¡­ Iron wall?¡± That feeling of helplessness finally brought out tears as small as chicken droppings from her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± ¡°Inquisitor?¡± ¡°What the? Why are you crying, Priest?¡± ¡°I¡¯m useless¡­¡± This wasn¡¯t the only problem. The guilt she felt for evacuating early during the battle against Moby Dick. The helplessness she felt for not being able to do anything to persuade others to hunt down the Skyflow Tiger. The despair she felt for not being able to help at all in the early stages of this subjugation due to her sluggish body, and the harsh reality that she couldn¡¯t even aid in the final battle due to Berserk. Or perhaps this was all just her inferiorityplex and perceivedck of ability that had been piling up since way before now finally erupting. It wasn¡¯t all that important now that all her grief was finally spilling out. ¡°I¡¯m not worthy of being the Hero¡­¡± Sorrow overtook her like a fever, squeezing out everyst teardrop from her tear ducts. ¡°Wh-Wh-What are you talking about all of a sudden?¡± ¡°Inquisitor, if you¡¯re talking about what just happened, no one could have expected something like this. Don¡¯t be too hard on yourself.¡± ¡°Priest, don¡¯t cry.¡± Herpanions tried tofort her, but their words didn¡¯t really reach her heart. It was the same old thing she had always heard others say. However, she couldn¡¯t tell whether they were speaking the truth or merely some empty words to console her. To her, they sounded more like thetter. ¡°I¡¯m unworthy¡­¡± ¡°Inquisitor¡­¡± She wished someone would have just reprimanded her, like back when she was studying at the Temple, telling her she wasn¡¯t even qualified enough to cry. If that happened, maybe she could have held back her tears. However, the Archmage and Berserk were just too kind, and their kindness only made her feel worse. ¡°Someone like me¡­¡± ¡°Shit, what the hell are you even talking about?¡± ¡°Hic.¡± At that moment, the troublemaker unexpectedly let out some crude curses. ¡°Are you mocking me right now? Are you shitting me? I couldn¡¯t even participate in any of the fights because I didn¡¯t have the skill to do so¡­!¡± It was only natural that the outburst of the troublemaker, whom she had been secretly envious of, would stimte her frustration. ¡°Y-You at least figured out where the Great Demon was! You even had an antidote for the Demon Knight with you! On the other hand, I-I¡¯m just getting in the way all the time¡­!¡± ¡°That¡¯s just this time! You¡¯re usually always fighting side by side with Mister!¡± ¡°Just look at this situation! How is this fighting side by side? I¡¯m no help to the Demon Knight!¡± ¡°Shit, you¡¯re seriously off your rocker! You have the power to stop Mister Knight whenever he goes berserk, and when he needs help in a fight, you can actually help him!¡± A torrent of curses she had never heard in her life spewed from his mouth. However, if someone were to ask whether she was bothered or offended by them, well, not really. ¡°The Demon Knight can fight without me!¡± ¡°He can fight without me!Don¡¯t piss me off by stating the obvious!¡± ¡°Y-You¡¯re the one pissing me off! Why are you twisting my words and kicking up such a fuss?!¡± ¡°I-Inquisitor,nguage.¡± ¡°Have you finished running your mouth, you damn iron wall?!¡± ¡°How about you, you idiot! Troublemaker!¡± On the contrary, the more insults she heard him say, the more she felt her sorrow brought on by her helplessness and frustration boil over. ¡°Do you have any idea how it feels to always be left behind, forced to wait for you guys in the rear?! It¡¯s totally miserable, that¡¯s how!¡± ¡°And do you know how it feels to want to help but only be a massive burden instead, and rather than supporting him, just causing him to copse like this?!¡± No. These words had always been inside her. Their shouting had just caused that volcano filled with these emotions to finally erupt. ¡°Damn, how the hell would I know that?! I never even got to stand by his side or have a chance to talk to him!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t stand by his side or talk to him either!! I¡¯m no different from you!¡± All that frustration and anger she had never properly expressed was pouring out like a waterfall. ¡°And in these kinds of situations, I-I feel like my judgment is always wrong¡­! You¡¯ve always been helpful to him, but I just keep messing everything up¡­!¡± ¡°Dammit, what judgment call have I made that was so right, then?! And for your information, I recently almost got killed because I couldn¡¯t open my mouth!¡± ¡°Well, now that you mention it, you idiot! Why did you decide to keep your mouth shut when you were about to be killed?! Did you not trust me, you troublemaker?!¡± ¡°No, damn it, why are you shifting the topic?! And it¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t trust you! It¡¯s just that I¡­ I¡¯m not worth trusting¡­!¡± ¡°Why would you not be worth trusting?!¡± ¡°S-S-Shit! You¡¯re not just an idiot who is only in the way, either!¡± The Inquisitor and Deathbringer, who had been yelling at each other, eventually found themselves on the verge of tears. Their emotions overflowed as theyid their true feelings bare to each other. ¡°I¡¯m useless¡­¡± ¡°Stop spouting nonsense, idiot. If you¡¯re useless, then I¡¯m even more useless¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re useful¡­ I¡¯m not¡­¡± ¡°Stop whining like that¡­ I-I, even this time¡­¡± ¡°You even what¡­ Sob.¡± ¡°Damn, Mister Knight is definitely disappointed in me. That must be why he isn¡¯t even talking to me¡­ Sob.¡± ¡°Kuh, what are you talking about? He never gets disappointed¡­ He never holds any expectations in the first ce¡­ Sniff.¡± ¡°Damn it, you¡¯re the worst, you iron wall¡­¡± At that moment, the Archmage, who had been silently listening to the conversation, instructed Berserk to gather the others here while she opted to just focus on treating the Demon Knight. ____ Chapter 173: For Now (1) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 173 For Now (1) ¡°Sob.¡± ¡°Sniff.¡± After all the crying, yelling, digging their metaphorical graves, and then trying to fill each other¡¯s up again, it seemed they had finally reached a neutral state. They had shared a moment of intense realization. The shame and awkwardness that followed were a bonus. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t me yourself too much, iron wall.¡± ¡°¡­You, too. You¡¯re important.¡± However, despite this awkwardness, they both felt a sense of relief. They stood tall, as if a weight had been lifted from their chests after their unexpected outpouring of emotion. ¡°Miss Envoy¡­¡± ¡°The bond betweenpanions¡­ sure is beautiful.¡± ¡°Heartwarming indeed¡­¡± ¡°Ah, the youth.¡± What awaited them were the lukewarm gazes of the people around them. Both their faces turned bright red again. ¡°Waaaaah!!¡± The first to act was Deathbringer, who had unintentionallyid bare his innermost thoughts. ¡°I think I¡¯ll be fine now, so I¡¯ll just go and see the lord!!¡± ¡°Y-You!!¡± He immediately abandoned his initial goal of figuring out the situation. Of course, his reason for that decision was that the clearing of the area had already begun while they were yelling at each other, and the Demon Knight¡¯splexion had also noticeably improved as the antidote gradually took effect. In other words, he had quickly assessed that he was no longer needed here and chose to run away. A rather shrewd move. ¡°Y-You¡¯re just going to run off like that?!¡± However, the Inquisitor couldn¡¯t do that same. She wasn¡¯t as quick-witted as that traitor, and there was a crucial reason why she couldn¡¯t leave this ce. ¡°The Purification of the forest¡­¡± ¡°It might be good to rest a bit first, Miss Hero¡­¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll do it. I can do it.¡± There was something left that only she could do. With her face as red as a tomato, the Inquisitor began to spread her light. ¡°Well. This was rather unexpected¡­ but it¡¯s good that they¡¯ve brought everything to light now.¡± Meanwhile, the Archmage, who had watched the whole scene unfold, couldn''t hide her pleased smile. Well, she had felt that something had been off about them, but she had been unable to identify precisely what it was and so couldn¡¯t do anything about it. But now, it seemed to have finally resolved itself. She couldn¡¯t attribute it to anything but luck. ¡°Even at my age, I¡¯m still rather clumsy with these worldly affairs¡­¡± How wonderful it would be if one naturally acquired wisdom as they aged. However, worldly affairs, especially between people, were so very elusive. Even though she thought her understanding of people had deepened a little after that incident, it seemed she was still the same. ¡°Had I known this would happen, I would have spent more of my youth outside the Magic Tower.¡± After spending so much time among people utterly obsessed with Arcane theories and forms, she sometimes found herself unable to keep up with the thoughts and actions of ordinary young people. Moments like these made the Archmage regret that every time. Had she experienced more in life and gotten to know more types of people, she might have been able to guide these youngsters down the right path without them needing to wander so much. ¡°If only I had¡­¡± Maybe, just maybe, she could have learned how to help the Demon Knight. Every time she recalled hertest miserably failed attempt, she regretted it. Her intentions were pure, but it had ultimately failed disastrously. That was the first time she painfully felt herck of experience raising or guiding children. Well, she actually felt that more often than she would care to admit. If a certain someone knew that, they would have probably remarked, ¡°Perhaps things turned out this way because a schr who¡¯s been confined exclusively to a desk tried to practice psychotherapy, which is far from your expertise.¡± It was a thought shemented. ¡°¡­No, maybe I would have been of more help if it was the opposite.¡± However, these thoughts didn¡¯tst long, reced by memories of the research she had burned herself. However, remembering that was even more meaningless. It had been too long for her to start regretting it now. ¡°That aside, you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Berserk?¡± ¡°¡­Huh? Did you call me?¡± ¡°Yes, I did.¡± It was a waste of time to dwell too long on what had already happened. The Archmage raised an eyebrow as she noticed Berserk responding more slowly than usual. Now that the matter with their two youngest had been settled, it was time to take care of her. Looking after them all was an unavoidable burden for her. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± But then again, that was why she had chosen to go on this journey with them. The Archmage prodded Berserk a little more. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°Then how about we get some rest?¡± After dealing with the Demon Knight, she had learned a few tricks on how to get someone of that type to open up a little. Asking them directly wouldn¡¯t give you a straight answer. You had to be subtle. ¡°Berserk¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°But didn¡¯t you fight the Skyflow Tiger just now?¡± ¡°Hah, you call that a fight? Norda warriors don¡¯t call that kind of thing a fight. That was a hunt.¡± Then again, yeah. Although she had somewhat developed a knack for these things, getting a real answer out of them still wasn¡¯t easy. ¡°A failed hunt.¡± The Archmage¡¯s gaze became ambiguous. ¡°Still, thanks to you stopping the intruder at the end, the damage was¡­¡± ¡°Wizard, open your eyes properly. That wasn¡¯t stopping it.¡± ¡°¡­Just because you let it go doesn¡¯t make what you did meaningless.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what Berserk meant¡­ Hah, forget it.¡± In the meantime, the same thing happened when they told her, ¡°Don¡¯t beat yourself up, it¡¯s not your fault.¡± Just like before, Berserk, who seemed to be about to say something, ended up keeping her mouth shut. ¡°If that¡¯s not what you meant, then what?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to know, Wizard. It¡¯s Berserk¡¯s problem.¡± If she knew the reason, understanding her would be easier. She sensed that instinctively, but ultimately, she never got an answer. Berserk remained silent despite her repeatedly asking. It was a pretty effective way to avoid this conversation. ¡°I understand. But if there¡¯s a problem, you can speak to me anytime.¡± Pushing her more would only be counterproductive. Judging as such, the Archmage dropped the topic. * * * ¡°Madam Archmage.¡± ¡°¡­Yes?¡± Then, someone else approached. He was a fellow wizard, more proficient than her in healing magic, who had taken over the Demon Knight¡¯s treatment. ¡°We¡¯re ready to move the Demon Knight.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good news. Is he okay?¡± ¡°Thanks to the antidote, it didn¡¯t be too serious. All he needs now is rest.¡± Fortunately, it appeared the Demon Knight¡¯s condition hadn¡¯t worsened. She turned her gaze from the creation of the protective barrier¡ªfor what remained of the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s corpse¡ªshe was supposed to oversee and looked to the Demon Knight. She saw him lying quietly on the ground, ash and embers flying around him. ¡°So, to provide him with a safer environment, we want to transport him to the Temple in Ednium¡­¡± He was just being loaded onto a stretcher. ¡°Erm, Madam Archmage?¡± ¡°¡­Go ahead.¡± However, how he was being transported somehow resembled a monochromatic painting. Even while answering the Temple staff, shepared the scene to old famous paintings in her mind. Was it even appropriate to associate a living person with ssic paintings or scenes from old books? Was it right topare a young man to objects so ancient that they could crumble at any moment? Such fleeting questions came to mind, only to quickly disappear again. This time, it was because another person from the Temple approached her. ¡°Have youe to report on the tracking status?¡± ¡°Yes. However¡­ I think we¡¯vepletely lost them. They said they would look for a bit longer, but¡­¡± ¡°Tell them there¡¯s no need to me themselves. We didn¡¯t expect anything from the start. Also, let them know they needn¡¯t push themselves so hard.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell them to stop and return after their final search.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Their target was presumed to be a Great Demon. Even if it wasn¡¯t, considering how well-prepared it was, it was unlikely to have left any traces. So rather than being disappointed by their failed tracking, the Archmage tried to gauge the impact of this oue. Would they revive the other Great Demon? Or would they absorb the Skyflow Tiger, giving birth to an even stronger Demon? Either way, it wasn¡¯t good news. Even if the Demon Knight and the Hero could handle it, they would still have to take some damage. ¡°¡­Is the young lord we evacuated alright?¡± ¡°Some people we presume are citizens of Ednium came and caused a disturbance, but before we could do anything, the youngdy of Camborough stepped in and subdued them all.¡± ¡°¡­Are they really fine?¡± ¡°Young Lady Camborough is unharmed. Young Lord Ednium has also been cured of Demonic Erosion and dered that he would resolve this matter himself, so it doesn¡¯t appear this issue will escte further.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, then.¡± The Archmage briefly wondered who those idiots who had caused the disturbance were but decided not to ask any further. If they could resolve it themselves, that would be enough. There was no need to interfere. ¡°The barrier isplete!¡± ¡°It seems things are finished on this end as well. Now all we have to do is wait for the forest to be Purified.¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried that we may be cing too much of a burden on Miss Envoy.¡± ¡°We have no other choice. Should this miasma get carried by the wind to the vige, it¡¯ll be disastrous.¡± If not for that, they would have prioritized Purifying the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s remains to ensure it couldn¡¯t get possessed by a Demon as it had not too long ago. ¡°It would take far too long with the priests¡¯ Divine Power.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ashamed.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. Despite being on this journey with them, haven¡¯t I also failed to aplish anything?¡± Of course, even now, many priests had rushed here immediately and were working alongside the Inquisitor. But as she had said, their difference in ability was much too stark. It would take less time for the Inquisitor to Purify the entire forest and return than for dozens of priests to Purify the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s corpse. ¡°Having such irreceable power is truly a tiresome thing.¡± In the end, the Archmage could onlyment this matter. Why hadn¡¯t God allowed everyone to save the world together? Why had He made it so only a few people had to bear the burden of all? ¡°There are so many hands around that could have helped carry this weight.¡± Had that power been given to everyone, those few wouldn¡¯t have needed to do everything on their own. That was hermentation. * * * Fortunately, what remained of the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s corpse wasn¡¯t taken away by anything. There had been no further attacks while the Inquisitor Purified half the Great Demon¡¯s Negative Energy. So the Inquisitor burned the Demonic Energy with great ease, leaving only the enormous corpse of a tiger. ¡°Hah!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter now, iron wall?¡± At that moment, the Inquisitor realized a certain matter. ¡°I-If I do this, the Demon Knight won¡¯t be able to use any part of this corpse, will he¡­?¡± ¡°¡­Ah.¡± ¡°Oh no.¡± Since the Demon Knight could have crafted some equipment with these parts, she should have left some trace amounts of Demonic Energy inside them. Realizing her mistake, the Inquisitor once again fell into self-loathing. ¡°I-I messed up again¡­¡± ¡°No, no one thought of this¡­¡± ¡°¡­But what could he have made of these parts anyway?¡± ¡°L-Like boots, or bags, maybe gloves¡­ Some type of leather product, right?¡± ¡°Well, sure, but doesn¡¯t Mister Knight always end up destroying his clothes while fighting? Unless they have some kind of auto-repair enchantment, he might not even bother using those new clothes because they¡¯re inconvenient.¡± To keep her barely maintained self-esteem from cracking again, desperate attempts tofort her with excuses ensued. ¡°But in that case, there¡¯s also a problem with distribution, right?¡± ¡°Is there really anything to divide up? The Demon Knight almost killed it on his own.¡± ¡°Well, the Temple put in a lot of effort trying to locate the Skyflow Tiger, and then there are those who suffered because of it. Not thatpensating them is our responsibility.¡± But after barely resolving this incident, another problem cropped up: who would get ownership of the remaining corpse? It was a rather important question that needed answering. ¡°Since the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s capture was done entirely by Miss Envoy and herpanions, our city won¡¯t dare to covet it.¡± However, unlike what happened in the West, the distribution went smoothly. Back then, there had been a heated debate over this matter due to the ships, soldiers, and other forms of support provided, but now, there was little reason for anyone to interfere. On the contrary, looking at this whole incident in detail, there were quite a few parts for which they would need payment. Because of that, neither Ednium nor Camborough even attempted to im a share. That was the moment when the Hero¡¯s party had sole im over the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s corpse. Even then, the Demon Knight¡¯s share exceeded half of it. ¡°Berserk declines. I¡¯m unworthy of taking anything.¡± ¡°Me as well¡­¡± ¡°Same for me¡­ I¡¯m to me for not protecting the corpse well enough.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not shameless enough to demand a share either, but¡­ Inquisitor, didn¡¯t we talk about this?¡± With the others giving up their shares, the Demon Knight somehow ended up with the whole corpse, not just more than half. ¡°Though he probably won¡¯t be able to use it because of the Purification.¡± ¡°¡­I-I guess so.¡± ¡°Ah, seriously, don¡¯t start crying! You¡¯re not that kind of person!¡± ¡°I did it again¡­¡± ¡°I was the one who messed up, okay?!¡± Of course, it was still unclear whether this would hold any meaning to the Demon Knight. After all, if he couldn¡¯t even touch it, it was nothing more than trash to him. ____ Chapter 174: For Now (2) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 174 For Now (2) ¡°Hey, don¡¯t tilt it like that. It¡¯ll spill if you do.¡± ¡°Whoa, did it spill?¡± ¡°It did. Completely.¡± ¡°Hey, this is kinda difficult¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you can¡¯t control your strength. How can someone who can draw such precise lines struggle with pouring water?¡± ¡°Does that have anything to do with this¡­?¡± Despite fumbling around, I tried to focus so as not to miss a single bit of my friend¡¯s exnation. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn¡¯t anything tooplicated, but theplete foreignness of this action made me feel exceedingly awkward. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so tense. No one¡¯s going to say anything if you make a mistake.¡± ¡°Yeah, but still, just half-assing it while learning this doesn¡¯t sit right with me.¡± However, few things were as enjoyable as learning new things, especially when it was for research and your friend willingly volunteered to help. I repeated the action of pouring water from the kettle into the earthen bowl a few more times. Pouring itself was easy, but maintaining a smooth, steady flow was pretty tricky. Then my friend, lips twitching slightly, adjusted my hands. That twitch was a habit of his that only came out when he was satisfied with something. As I had thought, it was a good thing I didn¡¯t do it half-heartedly. He wasn¡¯t all that petty, so he wouldn¡¯t have been too upset even if I had, but¡­ since we¡¯re such close friends, it was sometimes even more important to show some respect. ¡°Now you¡¯re getting the hang of it.¡± ¡°Ah, so I got it?¡± ¡°Yeah, you got it. Now you can say that you learned this from me without embarrassing me.¡± We had practiced for quite a while, didn¡¯t we? ¡°Alright, I¡¯m in a good mood. If you can still do this the next time we meet, I¡¯ll show you something I really treasure.¡± ¡°Something you treasure?¡± ¡°It¡¯s really expensive and good: a tea that¡¯s been aged for forty years.¡± ¡°¡­Won¡¯t its aroma have faded by now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been really well preserved. Time doesn¡¯t mean much as long as it¡¯s stored well.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Can I really drink something as precious as that?¡± ¡°When did I say that I¡¯d let you drink it? Didn¡¯t I only say that I¡¯d show it to you?¡± ¡°You maniac.¡± After some light banter, my friend, whose upper face I couldn¡¯t clearly make out, curled his lips slightly. Drip. Tears as thick as rain fell from his face. I had never seen him cry like that. ¡°If you¡¯re that desperate to try it, I won¡¯t keep it from you.¡± It was at that instant that the realization hit me like a truck. ¡°So please¡­ juste back, you idiot. I¡¯m begging you, pleasee back alive¡­¡± This was a dream. * * * ¡°Urgh!¡± The moment I woke up, the sharp scent of a sterile, enclosed space hit my nose. Sssh, ssh. It was ufortable to breathe, yet strangelyforting. Come back. Someone¡¯s familiar voice was ringing in my ear. ¡°Mister?¡± But even that soon faded from memory. Trying to avoid all these distant sensations, I covered my eyes with my left hand. I must have been sweating a lot; the palm touching my face was really damp. ¡°Mister, are you awake?¡± ¡°Did we get it?¡± My memory was a bit fuzzy due to the dream I¡¯d just had, so it was hard to piece everything together, but¡­ I could still remember that someone interfered with the subjugation at the veryst moment. Everything around us was zing red, and the intruder was holding something dark¡ªI vaguely remembered that it was the corpse of the Skyflow Tiger¡ªso I thought it was only right to ask about that first. Judging by the softness I was lying on, we were safe for now. ¡°¡­¡± But why wasn¡¯t he answering me? Was it just me, or was he unable to find the right words to respond with? ¡°¡­We lost it.¡± It seemed I hadn¡¯t been mistaken. Although Deb sounded like he was spitting out a curse, that was probably because of its content. Crack. Now, I had to worry about how to act out my character. ¡°Don¡¯t force yourself to get up! Where do you think you¡¯re going after being unconscious for ten days¡­?!¡± ¡°Let go¡­!¡± Urgh. Of course, seeing how the plot was progressing, it was natural that they would lose it, but it was still a shame! If the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s corpse really had been stolen, that meant I had been robbed of a Boss¡¯ corpse twice now. Once was still eptable, but twice? Were the writers brain-dead or something? They definitely didn¡¯t know how to write a proper scenario! ¡°If you don¡¯t want to shatter another seal, lie down!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± What did he just say? ¡°¡­Please, understand your condition before trying to move.¡± It seemed he¡¯d alsopletely mastered how to handle my character. Fine. If he put it like that, my character would have no choice but to yield. With that thought in mind, I let all the strength drain from my body. Thud. A familiar soft sensation enveloped my back once again. I wondered whether the straw beneath me had been freshlyid. ¡°¡­¡± I found it hard enough to move anyway, so maybe this was for the best. Grateful for Deb¡¯s words, I raised my arm to cover my eyes again. The light streaming in through the window was so blinding that I couldn¡¯t help it. ¡°¡­Erm, mister, about what I just said¡­¡± Ah, but lying down like this made me want to sleep more. However, I should probably figure out what had happened first, including the matter with the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s corpse and that intruder. ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± Knock, knock! Then again, that would be rather annoying. Just as that feeling was about to take over my body, a knocking sound woke me back up. My arm still resting over my eyes, I opened my mouth. ¡°What is it?¡± Judging by the feel of my upper body and the arm over my eyes, I was likely only wearing bandages and a shirt right now, so it might be best to avoid letting others see me like this and keep interactions brief. That was the decision I came to after long consideration. ¡°Erm, I brought a damp cloth to wipe your body¡­¡± The person outside answered. A damp cloth, huh? Well, they couldn¡¯t have left me unwashed while I was unconscious, nor could they have dunked me in a tub of water, so that was probably their only option. ¡°Ah, let me take care of this.¡± Deb quickly jumped up and got the towel while I sat up. ¡°Mister, there¡¯s no need to get¡­¡± ¡°Leave.¡± I might not have fully recovered yet, but it wasn¡¯t like I couldn¡¯t move at all. And as long as he was awake, my character would definitely not let anyone see his body like this. ¡°But, it¡¯s still¡­¡± ¡°I won¡¯t repeat myself.¡± ¡°¡­¡± It was only after Deb put down the cloth and basin and left that I picked it up. When I put the towel soaked in hot water against my face, a gentle warmth gradually seeped into my skin. ¡°¡­Ah.¡± If I could move, wouldn¡¯t it have been better to go to the bathhouse? That thought briefly crossed my mind, but I dismissed it quickly. Calling someone to prepare a bath for me or going there myself seemed like such a hassle to me right now. For the first time in a long while, myziness overcame my desire to stay clean. ¡ºIf you can still do this the next time we meet, I¡¯ll show you something I really treasure.¡» ¡°¡­I want to drink tea.¡± But for some strange reason, I was really craving tea right now. ¡ºSo please¡­ juste back, you idiot. I¡¯m begging you, pleasee back alive¡­¡» I really wanted to drink some¡ªa lot of it. Not just any tea, but that forty-year-old tea you mentioned. Or even just the hot water you usually gave me when you weren¡¯t satisfied with the results of my practice. If only I could just drink something in the ce where I was supposed to be, I would be truly happy. tter. I put down the towel. Something thick rose in my throat, but I just swallowed it down. I already knew the name of that feeling, so I didn¡¯t need to think about it any further. I tried to dismiss it as something as trivial as changing my clothes. I should just wash up properly,ziness be damned. I couldn¡¯t drink tea with a filthy body, so I should just clean it. Creak. I opened the door and stepped into the hallway. Since I had been staying at the Ednium Temple for quite some time, I didn¡¯t need anyone to guide me to the bathhouse. I had perfectly memorized the directions. ¡°This feels unpleasant¡­¡± As soon as I left the room, a persistent, unpleasant feeling almost inevitably overcame me. Judging by how I started feeling this way immediately after going through the door, it seemed they had taken some special measures to keep out that unpleasantness for me. I didn¡¯t know why they did it or what the principle behind this presumed barrier was, though. ¡°Ah, Sir Knight, since when did are¡­¡± Anyway, I made it to the bathhouse. I told the priest I coincidentally met in the hallway just to bring me some hot water and now waited by the entrance to the bathhouse. The priests there seemed somewhat confused but soon returned with buckets of hot water in their hands. ¡°Well then, please call us when the water cools down. We¡¯ll prepare fresh hot water for you.¡± ¡°No need.¡± I didn¡¯t have the mental or physical strength to soak in the bath for long. It would be enough just to wash away these lingering emotions inside me. So, as usual, I kicked out all the attendants and slid into the wooden tub. It seemed the priests had trimmed my hair while I was unconscious, seeing that the hair floating in the water looked a bit shorter than before. The same went for the uneven parts at the back of my head, which looked like rats had eaten away at my hair after trimming it myself. The hair I absentmindedly touched there was smooth. At this point, I contemted whether I should copse regrly to keep my hair in style. If anyone else heard this joke that only I couldugh at, they would scream at me. * * * ¡®How long will you keep looking away?¡¯ And once my head waspletely soaked, theughter I had barely managed to evoke abruptly stopped. Having temporarily removed my eyepatch, my right eye was leftpletely exposed above the water¡¯s surface. ¡®How long can you keep lying to yourself?¡¯ The faded rose hue, devoid of any other color, reflected that this face wasn¡¯t really mine. ¡®Just how long¡­¡¯ Ssh. Most sorrows could be washed away with hot water. Most distracting thoughts, as well. So I just submerged my head below the water. And when I couldn¡¯t hold my breath anymore, I lifted my head back up. ¡°Come to think of it, it¡¯s been a while since I recorded a letter, hasn¡¯t it?¡± The water seemed to cool with my tears. ¡°Hah, if Mom, Dad, and even my friends were to see me like this, how upset would they be?¡± Now that I thought of it, there was this saying. ¡°Crazy bastard, can¡¯t even leave a proper letter regrly¡­ Risking your life as if it were gum stuck to the sole of your shoe, even though you can¡¯t be sure whether you¡¯d really resurrect after you die. Real smart, aren¡¯t you? That¡¯s what they¡¯d say.¡± A strong denial is a strong affirmation. ¡°They¡¯d think I¡¯m the biggest idiot there is. A world-ss moron¡­¡± I was never fond of it because it was typically used when people were acting stubborn, but regardless of my dislike for it, I sometimes couldn¡¯t help but acknowledge that there was some truth to it. ¡°¡­But what else can I do?¡± For instance, right now. ¡°I can¡¯t think of any other way to return, and the only way forward requires me to risk my own life.¡± Even so, there was no reason to stop. ¡°A path too frightening to walk down unless I believe I could start over again if I fail¡­¡± Yeah, I had no reason to stop. ¡°If I didn¡¯t take it this lightly, how else could I possibly bear it¡­?¡± That was the best I could do for now. ¡°My heart always hurts right before a battle. I¡¯m terrified I might actually die, and my heart starts racing so fast that it feels like it might burst out of my chest.¡± The idea that I only had one shot at this was itself nothing but a source of fear and terror. No matter how fearless my character was supposed to be, it didn¡¯t change anything. In the end, the person beneath him was me, and I was just a cowardly, ordinary person. ¡°So, Mom, Dad, you idiot friends of mine¡­ if you ever see this, please don¡¯t think of me as stupid.¡± That was why I was deceiving myself like this. If I just fully convinced myself that I would revive if I died, that retrying was always an option, then maybe I could keep going as lightheartedly as I was without being weighed down by fear. ¡°Please don¡¯t mock my best efforts.¡± Even so, sometimes, fear just crept through the gaps in my mind. Death, loss, oblivion, loneliness. ¡°I can barely hold on with the belief that if I ovee all of this, I¡¯ll get to see you all again.¡± Anxiety. The anxiety that all my effort and struggling might be for nothing. ¡°I¡¯m holding on with the hope that I can hang out with you all again after this is over.¡± Ah, if only this world really was just a game. Even if it was a brutal roguelike with no restarts, how happy would I be if only I could be sure this was just a game? If this world was just part of a game, if it was just following some predetermined scenario. Then, I wouldn¡¯t have to doubt again and again whether a happy ending was awaiting me at the end of all this hardship and pain. I could face it all with a smile on my face. ¡°Please.¡± Therefore, this had to be a game. Even if it was just a lie that I kept telling myself, it had to be a game. Otherwise. Otherwise¡­ ¡°Please, just tell me that I¡¯m doing well.¡± I wouldn¡¯t be able to convince myself to endure these relentless trials. ¡°Tell me that I¡¯ll make it back after all of this¡­¡± If I lost even the tiny sliver of hope I had barely managed to hold on to. ¡°Please, you piece of crap system¡­¡± Even though the weight of this life forced onto me was crushing down on me like a mountain. * * * Yet, while denying this world, I also found myself wanting to know the truth. While it might leave me in despair, at least I wouldn¡¯t have any lingering regrets. * * * Whoosh. After brushing aside the ever-unresponsive system like usual, I poured a bucket of soap water over my hair that felt like it had been drenched in blood. After diligently scrubbing my hair, I wiped my skin as if trying to scrape it off, attempting to remove even the faintest red stain. It was to the point where it felt like I was almost separating my skin from my bones. However, I knew no matter what I did, I could never restore the humanity that had been shattered and broken within me. I never turned away from that truth. No matter how much I escaped reality, I could never deny this. However, even if my humanity was fragmented, that didn¡¯t mean I would throw away my guilt. If I did, I would truly lose an intrinsic part of what made me human. ¡°You¡­¡± Hence, I just wandered aimlessly, burdened with this guilt. These lingering feelings were why I wanted to drink tea after washing up. Of course, if I went to the dining hall, it was very likely that the Archmage would prepare some tea for me, but¡­ I wasn¡¯t really in the mood to be around the others. ¡°You¡¯re awake! I was just on my way to pay you a visit¡­ I¡¯m d to see you¡¯re feeling better.¡± I didn¡¯t hate them, of course. It was just that I wanted to drink tea with someone else, and since they weren¡¯t in this world, there was no one else I wanted to be around now. ¡°What do you want?¡± Anyway, I shook off all my idle thoughts and focused on Young Lord Ednium¡ªit seemed he had just entered the Temple¡ªwhom I just so happened to run into. Young Lady Camborough was next to him, so it seemed he¡¯d been highly preupied with courting her before she left. ¡°Uhm, whilete¡­ I wanted to extend my sincerest gratitude to you. You saved my life.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also greatly indebted to you for avenging my citizens.¡± The two noble heirs gracefully bowed to me. ¡°¡­¡± But their gratitude didn¡¯t really reach me. I was far too drained to feel any sense of aplishment from the people I had saved. More urately, I justcked the energy to feel happy. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°¡­This¡­¡± So I just passed them without a single word. Given what I had done for them, I knew they would overlook this, even if they thought I was being rude. Tak. They might let it slide, but thinking about it more, I found I had some business with them. I turned my body slightly. ¡°I have something to ask you.¡± ¡°¡­! Please, ask anything! As long as it¡¯s within my knowledge, I shall do my best to answer you.¡± ¡°I shall also do my best to be of service.¡± This kind of earnestness wasn¡¯t really necessary for what I would be asking. ¡°Who was that person who acted like they knew me that time?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Although the earnestness was unnecessary, interpreting the Demon Knight¡¯s words did require some skill. Young Lord Ednium seemed confused, while Young Lady Camborough furrowed her eyebrows, appearing deep in thought. ¡°If¡­ you are referring to the meeting of lords, then that person would be Lord Bergard.¡± Fortunately, the youngdy of Camborough¡¯s perceptiveness pulled through. ¡°Got it.¡± Bergard, Bergard. It was pretty easy to remember since it was a bit simr to ¡®Berserk.¡¯ With that in mind, I decided to find someone with a map. After all, I needed to know where Bergard was in order to go there. And once I went there, perhaps I could uncover the truth about this body I was inhabiting. I might even stumble upon some clues about the system as well. It was a prettymon clich¨¦ for the past of the body you possessed to connect with therger events happening in the present. ¡°Erm, Sir Knight.¡± I closed my eyes tightly, torn between wanting this all to just be a game and being unable to ignore the truth any longer. Young Lady Camborough and Young Lord Ednium, who seemed to have ¡®spoken with just their eyes,'' got my attention again. ¡°If you wish to meet the lord of Bergard, I can arrange that. There is a Magic Tower in Bergard, and there are also quite a few wizards in this city at the moment.¡± That was¡­ quite sudden yet undeniably good news. ¡°The price?¡± ¡°Oh, how could I ask for something in this situation? I will send a message to Bergard on your behalf as soon as I return to the manor. Since it¡¯s a message from none other than you, Sir Knight, it shouldn¡¯t take long¡ª!¡± Pinch. ¡°¡­However, the lord may have some matters to attend to, so it could take some time. We ask for your patience.¡± ¡°M-Mia¡­¡± For some reason, the young lord of Ednium suddenly got very excited and rambled on about something, which the youngdy of Camborough promptly corrected, but anyway. ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Thank you for your understanding. When the reply arrives, should we send someone to the Temple?¡± I nced at the young lord of Ednium, who was now holding his side after being pinched by the youngdy of Camborough, and then fixed my gaze on her again. I wondered why she was asking whether someone should be sent to the Temple. ¡°Or would you prefer to wait inside the manor?¡± Ah, did she mean to ask whether I wanted to wait in the Temple or the manor? ¡°I¡¯ll go to the manor.¡± ¡°Very well. Then we shall escort you to the manor.¡± Following my character setting, I answered without hesitation. Even though my mind was torn between not wanting to go to the manor and knowing I had to. ____ Chapter 175: For Now (3) Chapter 175 For Now (3) ¡°The wizards are gathered here, so please wait a moment.¡± The two young heirs quickly headed in one direction as they entered the manor. When they stopped, we were in a ce that looked like a warehouse¡­ full of wizards. Across from them was a white mound I couldn¡¯t clearly identify, and the floor was covered in many intricate magic circles of unknown purpose. I had no clue what I had just walked into. ¡°Could I ask for your attention? I have a favor to ask¡ª¡± ¡°Huh? What? Oh, it¡¯s the young lord¡­ Gasp! Sir Demon Knight!¡± ¡°What? Did someone say Demon Knight?!¡± ¡°The owner of this corpse?!¡± Why the hell were they acting like that? Had their passion to turn me into a test subject been reignited? ¡°Wait, calm do¡ª!¡± ¡°Sir Demon Kniiight!¡± ¡°Uwaaargh!¡± Why was Leon, usually the calm andposed young lord of this manor, losing his cool like that? And what was going on with the wizards? With that in mind, I slightly raised my hand. The [Arcane Spear]s that had appeared midair let out a small creak before mming into the ground right before me, forming a sort of fence. The wizards barely stopped right before it. ¡°If you cross this, you die.¡± The wizards, havinge to a screeching halt, quickly formed a neat line a good distance away. Their coordination was almost like that of a well-trained military unit. ¡°Sir Demon Knight!! Please, give us just a small part of the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s corpse!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him! I have no intention of being so shameless as requesting it for free! I¡¯m more than willing to pay a fair price, so please give some to me!¡± ¡°Sir Demon Knight!!!¡± ¡°Sir Knight!!¡± Of course, as soon as they got a safe distance away from me, they collectively began pleading with me again. At least now that they were a bit further away, I could better understand what they were bbering about. From their words, I realized they weren¡¯t interested in my body or anything. That was a relief. Really. Now, why were they trying to get my permission to take part of the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s corpse? I reflexively looked toward the two noble heirs. ¡°Ah, have you not been informed yet?¡± Just then, the young lord of Ednium, who was currently being held by the youngdy of Camborough¡ªin a princess carry¡ªafter being kicked and tossed aside by the wizards, spoke up. ¡°Well, although that Demon took some parts, it was decided that what remains of the Skyflow Tiger belongs solely to you, Sir Demon Knight.¡± His face turned bright red, though his answer was wellposed. Thanks to him, I could grasp the situation a little better, though I still felt a bit ufortable. I¡¯d thought all of the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s corpse had been taken by that intruder, right? And if some of it remained, why would they give it all to me? I was pretty sure others who had participated in this raid deserved their fair share as well. ¡°All those who participated in the subjugation forfeited their rights, saying they weren¡¯t qualified to receive anything. So it was decided that everything should be given to you, Sir Demon Knight, as you made the greatest contribution.¡± If I could say there was any luck on my side, it would be that Young Lady Camborough was a very perceptive person. If not for her, I would have no other choice but to guess the reason for this. ¡°For reference, the corpse is over there, and thanks to the Archmage¡¯s spell, no one but you, Sir Demon Knight, can approach it.¡± So that was why this seemingly ordinary warehouse was filled to the brim with wizards. It was all because of the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s corpse. ¡°Sob, please, just a single hair!¡± ¡°Sir Kniiiiight!!¡± On a different note, the Archmage sure was an extremely wise person. A spell that prevented anyone but me from getting closer. If she hadn¡¯t cast that, the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s corpse would surely have been stripped bare by now, with not even a single hair remaining. Fssssssh! Well, even if that didn¡¯t happen, it wouldn¡¯t really have mattered much in the end. ¡°Y-Your hand!¡± ¡°Are you alright?¡± I looked at my half-melted glove and exposed palm. As I expected, a fresh burn mark was engraved on it. It was proof that I would never be able to use this thing. It seemed the Temple had thoroughly Purified it yet again¡­ Of course, I could just artificially corrupt it, but I didn¡¯t see the need to go that far. At the end of the day, most of it was just flesh and guts, so what was the point? I was neither a chef specialized in monster parts nor an alchemist. There were also its bones and leather, but¡­ Well. If you wanted to make a weapon out of these bones, they would have to be carved from the whole bone. But would any of the bones actually berge enough to make something like a longsword? And the leather? The only thing I could make with that was clothing. And as for clothes¡­ Even putting aside whether this white tiger leather would suit my character¡¯s style, they would tear and wear out too easily, so it would be pretty meaningless. I mean, just from what I¡¯d experienced so far, I could confidently say that was the truth. I often bought new clothes to escape my life as a single-outfit man, but other than sleepwear, nonested for even a week. I doubt they would make much of a difference, either. Maybe if I was fighting against trash Mobs, but Bosses could easily tear through them. I hardly ever got hit by anything that wasn¡¯t a Boss Mob. Just looking at my past battles, I had only been seriously injured twice by something other than a Boss¡ªonce in the Tatara sewers and once by the waterfall in the Great Forest. I was a bit offended that I wouldn¡¯t get a single rare item for all the hardship I had gone through, but¡­ what was the point in dwelling on it, right? ¡°What is the most valuable part?¡± I mean, right? Even if I decided to change my equipment, it wouldn¡¯t make that much difference. ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Starting with the ws, then the tail¡­¡± So, there was only one conclusion I coulde to. I¡¯d sell it. My wallet was getting rather empty, so this should at least help me out. Slice! Of course, I would first pay the youngdy her due. ¡°Huh!¡± ¡°Y-You damaged it.¡± I chopped off a forepaw with the sword I always carried. I had no idea how much this would fetch, but I was betting at least a million. ¡°This is my payment.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± I tossed the front paw toward the youngdy of Camborough, forgetting for a moment that she was still carrying the young lord of Ednium. I realized my mistake a step toote¡­ Thud! ¡°Urgh!¡± ¡°Wah!¡± The youngdy threw the young lord toward the wizards without hesitation and caught the tiger¡¯s paw. It nearly covered her entire body. ¡°¡­Are you sure I can take this?¡± ¡°I don''t want to owe anyone anything. Do whatever you want.¡± Technically, Young Lord Ednium would be the one to connect me with Lord Bergard¡­ but they were lovers, after all. Seeing how they were willing to risk their lives for each other, I doubted this would ruin things between them. ¡°I will never forget this favor.¡± ¡°No need.¡± Besides¡­ this wasn¡¯t justpensation for that. It was intended for the remaining victims. Though it probably wouldn¡¯t amount to much. ¡­Still, I couldn¡¯t give them everything. I also had my own needs to take care of. Helping others shoulde after helping yourself, right? ¡°Ah, right. You, there. I have a favor to ask of you.¡± Anyway, the young nobles did their part by bringing me here. It wasn¡¯t all that difficult. As she waved the tiger paw and called out, ¡°Is anyone willing to help me contact another city?¡± volunteers lined up before her. Meanwhile, the young lord of Ednium, who had just been abandoned by his lover, seemed incredibly sad. * * * ¡°Erm, mister¡­ Mister?¡± Earlier, around the time the Demon Knight had just been brought to the manor¡¯s storage room by the two noble heirs¡­ Deathbringer, holding a new longsword he had prepared as an apology and a gift¡ªsince the Demon Knight had broken his sword again recently¡ªwas making his way to the Demon Knight¡¯s private room. The Archmage had bought it with her money, and both the Inquisitor and Berserk helped by selecting it with their discerning eyes. ¡°Why can¡¯t I hear anything from inside¡­?¡± However, strangely enough, there was no sign that anyone was inside the room. That was quite disconcerting. ¡°Erm, mister, may Ie in?¡± The fact that he couldn¡¯t feel any presence inside filled Deathbringer¡¯s mind with all sorts of thoughts. He hurriedly opened the door and went inside. ¡°H-He¡¯s gone¡­¡± What greeted him was a disheveled nket pushed to one side and an empty hanger devoid of clothes. He could clearly tell from the sight that the owner of this room had left. ¡°Madam Archmage!¡± He immediately headed to the dining hall, hoping the other might be there. ¡°¡­The Demon Knight has vanished?!¡± But he wasn¡¯t. Seeing Deathbringer like that made the Archmage¡¯s face darken as well. If someone who had just woken up after sleeping for ten days suddenly disappeared without a word, anyone would react like that. Especially since the Demon Knight recently¡­ ¡°Did you check the bathing house? He¡­ does enjoy bathing quite a lot, right?¡± ¡°N-No, not yet. Surely¡­¡± The Archmage recalled how the Demon Knight had suddenly be much quieter following their battle against the Great Demon Moby Dick. He had never been a man of many words, but she still felt the difference. It was as if the distance between them had grown, as if a chasm nowy between them. ¡°Ah, Madam Archmage. We were actually looking¡­ Huh? Erm, Sir Knight? He finished his bath quite some time ago.¡± However, finding this missing person took priority over pondering this matter. The Archmage and Deathbringer lowered their heads at the words of the priest, who had been cleaning the bathhouse. Their guess had been correct, but they were toote. ¡°I see. Erm, Madam Archmage.¡± ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m not sure if I should mention this, but I think it¡¯d be best I do.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°There was a faint trace of blood on the towel that the Demon Knight used. If his wounds have reopened¡­¡± ¡°¡­Thank you for telling me.¡± Moreover, rather than figuring out what to do next, their concern only deepened further. They trudged down the hallway. ¡°¡­Is it because Mister finds me ufortable to be around?¡± ¡°Why would he be ufortable with you?¡± ¡°Because¡­ I made a contract with a Demon¡­¡± ¡°It was a provisional contract that was forced on you. Besides, it¡¯s beenpletely undone now, right? All the restrictions have been lifted.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ but Mister doesn¡¯t know that yet. He also avoided talking to me before we went to defeat the Skyflow Tiger.¡± The Archmage paused for a moment at Deathbringer¡¯s words. It was true that the Demon Knight had conspicuously avoided talking to Deathbringer during the five days before they went to subjugate the Skyflow Tiger. And was that all? If she and the Inquisitor were to count how often they talked to him during that period, they could do so on one hand. That certainly was strange. No matter how taciturn the Demon Knight was, he would usually at least listen to the Archmage. ¡°¡­He was probably just confused at the time.¡± However, she couldn¡¯t let her thoughts show. While pondering why their bond seemed to be growing weaker instead of stronger, the Archmage put on a kind expression. ¡°It¡¯s rare for one¡¯s values to change easily, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Personally, I think you should focus more on how he chose to let you live despite his confusion and only avoided speaking to you.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°You know it as well, right? If he truly thought you were worthless, he would have cut you down without any hesitation.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s true. He always says he¡¯ll leave me behind if I get in his way, but he never actually does¡­¡± ¡°He is a manpletely unfamiliar withplex emotions, having never had the opportunity to learn about them nor cared to understand them on his own.¡± Fortunately, this was a misunderstanding she could resolve. The Archmage gently exined to him what she had observed. ¡°I mean, if his goal is to fight the Demons until his dying breath, what value would emotions hold for him? He just needs to sharpen his anger and hatred toward Demons.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ right.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why he isn¡¯t particrly truthful with himself. He might not even understand his own emotions. He¡¯s never experienced nor learned about them, after all.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°So don¡¯t take it to heart. Hatred and difort ultimately stem from bing conscious of another. What¡¯s truly frightening isplete indifference.¡± ¡°¡­Is this based on your own experience, Miss Archmage?¡± ¡°In a way.¡± She noticed the priest, who had promised to immediately inform her when he discovered where the Demon Knight had gone,e running toward her. ¡°In my case, it was love.¡± * * * ¡°We have received a reply. They asked whether you could wait another thirty minutes if it¡¯s nothing urgent.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll wait.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Based on experience, the chances of us departing today were more or less zero, so it didn¡¯t really matter how long it took. So I just closed my eyes, facing the skilled, tight-lipped wizard. Was it because I could no longer avoid this situation? Myplicated thoughts had slowly settled, allowing questions I wanted to ask to surface in my mind. When was the first time they saw me? What was that character¡¯s mysterious history I could only guess at? When was this existence known as the Demon Knight first recognized as such? And what was the Demon Knight they had apparently encountered in the past like? There were truly many questions I wanted to ask. ¡°You¡¯re connected!¡± ¡°Erm, if I may, I¡¯d like to speak first.¡± And finally, the connection was made. Since this call had been made in Young Lord Ednium¡¯s name, he was the one who took the lead here. ¨C Oh my, Young Lord. I have heard news of your rescue. Truly, an immense fortune for Ednium. ¨C ¡°Thank you, Lord Bergard.¡± ¨C But why the sudden call¡­? Is there something you need my assistance with? ¨C ¡°I would say¡­ rather than needing assistance, it¡¯s more of an unusual request.¡± He carefully exined that I had asked him to arrange a meeting between us. Whether because I was one of the Hero¡¯spanions, my aplishments, or perhaps the Demon Knight¡¯s past, the lord of Bergard readily epted having a conversation with me. ¡°Then, I shall take my leave.¡± Expecting this to be a serious talk, the young lord hurriedly left. ¨C It¡¯s an honor to meet you officially. I¡¯m Julian, Lord of Bergard. I had hoped we would get the chance to talk someday, but I didn¡¯t expect you would reach out to me first. It is truly an honor. ¨C All told, Lord Bergard didn¡¯t seem like an especially formal person. That actually suited me quite well. That would make it easier to get what I wanted, after all. ¨C So¡­ Why did you ask to speak with me? ¨C ¡°I have something to ask you.¡± I murmured, carefully deliberating each word as if I were sighing or letting out a suppressed scream. ¡°I want to hear more about the matter you spoke of at the meeting, about that time.¡± ¨C Erm¡­ Is that all? You should remember all of that yourself. ¨C ¡°I have no memory of that time.¡± ¨C Oh¡­ ¨C I had considered pretending to remember and slowly getting details out of him, but the information I¡¯d get from that would be very limited. So, I decided to change my approach slightly. Gaining more insight about the past far outweighed the risk of breaking character. ¨C Is there a reason¡­? ¨C ¡°I don¡¯t believe I need to share my life¡¯s story for you to answer this question.¡± ¨C Right, of course. ¨C The lord of Bergard, Julian, chuckled awkwardly. ¨C But there isn¡¯t really much to it. A Demon attacked us duringbat training, ughtering the instructors and squires. You appeared and immediately decapitated the Demon. That¡¯s about it. ¨C ¡°What did I look like back then?¡± ¨C Pardon, your appearance? ¨C Since this connection only transmitted our voices, I couldn¡¯t see his expression, but I could sense that Julian was a bit bewildered by my question. ¨C Well, this isn¡¯t exactly something I should be saying to your face, but¡­ honestly, you looked a little, how should I put it, mad? ¨C ¡°In more detail.¡± ¨C Yes, you seemed rather insane. Your long hair waspletely disheveled, and your face was covered by both it and your clothing, so I couldn¡¯t really make out your expression. Your whole body was drenched in blood and grime and, most importantly, enveloped in jet-ck Arcane Power that burned like raging mes¡­ ¨C ¡°And my clothes, what was I wearing?¡± ¨C Your clothes¡­? I can¡¯t quite recall¡­ but not because I¡¯m dim-witted or anything, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re thinking. Most of your body was covered by a tattered, filthy cloak. And you were also too far away for me to see anything else. ¨C ¡°You couldn¡¯t see what was under the cloak?¡± ¨C ¡­Hmm. Ah, now that I think about it, you were probably wearing leather armor, the type that adventurers like to wear. ¨C I found myself a bit confused there. Julian¡¯s description of the Demon Knight¡¯s past appearance matched the official game¡¯s character design. It wasn¡¯t the custom design I had set, but the default look with unkempt long hair, a tattered cloak, leather armor, and so on. ¡°¡­Did you see what color my hair was?¡± ¨C Your hair color? Not really? As I said, you were quite far away¡­ but I would assume it was the same as now, unless you dyed it. ¨C ¡°Any conversations?¡± ¨C I don''t believe you said anything. After beheading the Demon with a single stroke, you ignored our calls and went on your way. You didn¡¯t even attend your honorary de ceremony. Don¡¯t you remember any of this? ¨C I was simply curious whether I had been wearing the same gear as I did now. I never thought I would get this kind of answer. ¡°¡­When did this happen?¡± ¨C Right. I shouldn¡¯t ask. Rather, did you just ask for the date of that day? ¨C However, despite my tangled mess of emotions, I still had some questions. I had asked when this matter happened. I already knew the Demon Knight¡¯s reputation was pretty widespread even before I started ying. That meant the Demon Knight had existed before I appeared¡­ so it was essential to learn when exactly this happened. That way, I could pinpoint the timeline of the things I had no memory of and narrow the scope of my investigation. ¨C It was the year my father passed¡­ So, it was two years ago. Yes, two years ago. ¨C It hadn''t been as long ago as I expected. Only two years ago. ¡­The Demon Knight¡¯s official setting suggested that he¡¯d been active under that name for at least five years, you know? My head was thrown into aplicated mess. Chapter 176: For Now (4) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 176 For Now (4) Initially, I hadn¡¯t really thought much about the Demon Knight¡¯s past before logging in. In games, the yer character¡¯s past was more often than not either just a MacGuffin or progressively revealed within the story itself. But ever since I started to suspect this ce might actually be real, I had been half-preparing myself to be confronted with things that might go beyond the game¡¯s narrative. It would have been fortunate if this body got created when I logged in, but it was entirely possible that I had possessed a pre-existing person¡¯s body. However, despite being aware of this possibility, I had deliberately tried to ignore it. While the former would be fine, thetter would have only raised too many questions than I could have handled, so I avoided thinking about it altogether. But now that the time hade for me to learn about this matter directly, I had no intention of closing my eyes to the truth. As I often said, my life motto was, ¡®There is nothing more useless than saying something is impossible, so it is better to focus on the present.¡¯ ¡°What did you mean when you said my movements were ¡®shrouded in mystery¡¯ and ¡®heavily spected¡¯?¡± ¨C I didn¡¯t mean much by it. Since you always traveled alone without exchanging words with anyone, appearing in ces with no clear pattern, all sorts of rumors started to spread. There aren¡¯t many who have seen you on your travels, either. ¨C But could I really do that? ¨C And, erm, hah. Let me be frank. Those who have seen you all say things like, ¡®He only showed up after hearing about the appearance of Demons or criminals,¡¯ or, ¡®He seems to have some deep grudge against them, which drives him to hunt them down relentlessly.¡¯ With that kind of information floating around¡­ who wouldn¡¯t be curious? Especially those who love to gossip. ¨C Could I withstand the weight that would inevitably bear down on me after facing the full truth given to me? ¨C Is that yourst question? ¨C Could I ovee it this time as well, just like I once did when I faced that one major turning point in my life? ¡°¡­Onest question. How were you so sure?¡± ¨C Uh, I¡¯m not sure what you mean by that. ¨C ¡°How were you so sure I was the same person as the figure you saw back then?¡± ¨C Ah. That¡¯s¡­ because you¡¯re using the title of Knight, are you not? ¨C ¡°¡­?¡± ¨C ¡­? Erm, if you were impersonating a knight, you would have been sanctioned pretty quickly, right? Especially if you¡¯re a registered adventurer, a mercenary, or part of certain orders. And here you are freely using the title of Knight¡­ Also, you are the only adventurer in forty years to have been granted a knightly title. So I naturally assumed you would be the same person¡­ ¨C I couldn¡¯t be sure. Nothing waspletely certain right now. ¡°¡­Understood.¡± Whether the trial was the size of a massive house or a tiny apartment, when directly faced with it, it always felt like you were standing before an insurmountable wall. ¨C Erm, could I ask you just one question? ¨C ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¨C Is there anything you need me to do regarding your unclear memory? ¨C I fell silent at Lord Bergard¡¯s question. Anything I needed him to do? Did he ask because he knew about the Demon in my right arm? Or was he simply showing concern because I was his benefactor? ¡°No need.¡± Either way, there was only one answer I could give. With that, I ended themunication. Having been leaning forward during the conversation, I reclined and stretched. Phew. The soft sofa cushions I was sitting on supported my backfortably. ¡°Do you have any more requests?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± When the wizard left the room, I finally had some time to think. I ced my right hand over my eyes. So many things were buzzing in my mind that it made my ears ring. Yet, it was almost impossible for me to stop thinking. Was everything I had just heard part of the official character¡¯s backstory? A reflection of the character settings I had made? Or was it a recount of someone else¡¯s actions? If the Demon Knight from two years ago wore different equipment, just where did the things I was wearing nowe from? If it was just a reflection of my character settings, what unknown force was behind all this? And if he had been describing someone else, where had the real Demon Knight gone? All these questions kept circling in my mind nonstop. ¡°Hah.¡± But unfortunately, I didn¡¯t have an answer for any of them. Of course, I wouldn¡¯t have an answer for any of this, since I had only gotten caught up in the middle of everything without any kind of clue to go off. Perhaps the system pulling this crap could answer them¡­ Or perhaps the real Demon Knight, wherever he had vanished to. ¡°Sigh.¡± I stayed immersed in the darkness created by the palm of my hand for some time. And then, the moment I moved my hand, I would gather all my scattered thoughts. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t that difficult. The problem was with the countless hypotheses and spections shing through my mind, not with emotions blocking my vision. The reason for that, well. It may have helped that I had already washed away all my anger in the bathroom. I no longer had enough energy to cry,ugh, or get angry. Just as a stove couldn¡¯t burn without fuel, it seemed I had no more emotions to light up. ¡°¡­What¡¯s even the point of all this?¡± And yet, the lingering doubt I had barely managed to put off earlier found its way back into my head quite easily. Well, it wasn¡¯t hard to understand why. I already knew this world wasn¡¯t a game, but I was stubbornly refusing to acknowledge it, clinging to an illusion to endure my situation. But now, with this bomb exploding in the middle of all that without giving me any proper answers, only hazy glimpses at reality, it was hard not to feel this creeping sense of futility inside me. ¡°If it¡¯s like this.¡± If there wasn¡¯t any true ending, if all the battles, bloodshed, and desperate struggles to reach it had been meaningless¡­ I couldn¡¯t help thinking it would be better just to give up on everything and hide in some corner of the world. ¡°If it¡¯s like this¡­¡± Or perhaps, perhaps¡­ I slowly lifted my arm from over my eyes. My right arm was encased in a gauntlet, exposing the dark, inky skin hidden beneath. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t like this just because of some mere character setting. ¡°Damn it.¡± Thud. I shut my eyes tightly again, unable to finish that thought. For the ones I held dear to my heart, I suppressed that final impulse. Yes, no matter how unfilial I was, there were some things I didn¡¯t want to show them until the very end. Even if none of this would ever reach them. ¡ºThen that¡¯s enough. Failing is fine; losing is also fine. As long as you can find meaning in your life, I¡¯ll be rooting for you.¡» Because that was probably the only thing I could give back to them. Creak. With that, I decided to get up again. Although hoping for an ending was pointless, there was a chance it wasn¡¯t, so I kept clinging to it. Or maybe it was just sheer determination to fight even harder to uncover the truth since I hade so far. After all, perseverance was a mandatory stat of any half-decent Korean gamer. My legs, which I had forced upright, trembled a little at first but steadied after a few steps, carrying me forward without a problem. It was now time for me to step back onto the stage. Clunk. ¡°¡­You¡¯re finally out.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± But when I opened the door to leave, the Archmage and Deb were waiting for me. Behind them, the two young noble heirs looked a little uncertain. ¡°What is it?¡± Huh, did theye looking for me? Why? Was it because I left the Temple without telling them? ¡°You¡­¡± Ah, now that I thought about it more, they had plenty of reasons toe here. In fact, even if there weren¡¯t, it was only fitting that they came. When someone who had been unconscious for ten days decided to leave not just their room but even the hospital without saying anything, everyone from their guardian to their attending physician would try to track them down. The priests actually tasked with caring for me would be too nervous to confront me, though. ¡°For now, let¡¯s return to the Temple. I also want to thank you for your hospitality, Young Lord.¡± ¡°I-It was nothing. Feel free to rest here as long as you want.¡± ¡°No, we can¡¯t impose on you any further.¡± On the other hand, the Archmage, who acted like my guardian, practically tried to drag me away with her direct words. Deb stood next to her, constantly sneaking nces at me. He held a longsword loosely in his arms. ¡°Your purpose?¡± I wondered why Deb was carrying this longsword with him despite having never seen him use that kind of weapon before, but I didn¡¯t dwell on it for long and just let it go. Instead, I stood firmly at the entrance to the reception room, portraying my character¡¯s characteristic stubbornness. The Archmage¡¯s face seemed tight as if she was angry but couldn¡¯t bring herself to express it properly. It was an expression that showed how truly hurt she was by my words. ¡°¡­You, do you think that¡¯s appropriate now?¡± ¡°Erm! Mister, we still need to tell you about what is currently happening, and you need to eat as well¡­¡± However, before that pain could explode into proper anger, Deb shouted loudly. He actually had a point there. It was odd that he mentioned it now and not earlier, though. Besides, I had already heard some things from the two noble heirs. Well, I still needed to hear about what we would do next. ¡°¡­Though I don¡¯t know whether that¡¯s the right thing to do.¡± ¡°¡­¡± More than anything, hearing the word ¡®eat¡¯ made me realize how hungry I really was. Damn, I had managed to forget about that up until now! * * * Perhaps to ovee her own weakness, she asked Berserk to spar with her. Once became twice, twice became thrice, and before she knew it, her entire morning had beenpletely spent. The Inquisitor naturally headed to the dining hall when she noticed it was already lunchtime. She was famished from the intense training, and she also expected everyone else would be there. ¡°Wahaha. I¡¯m hungry!¡± ¡°We¡¯re here¡­ Huh¡­¡± But what was wrong with this atmosphere? The Inquisitor nced around the room, trying to pick up anything that could be different. The quiet dining hall seemed mostly the same as usual, but it somehow felt very strange. It was a subtle difference she couldn¡¯t quite put into words. ¡°Oh! Buddy! You¡¯re awake?!¡± ¡°Y-You¡¯re awake? Are you feeling better?¡± Of course, seeing the Demon Knight¡¯s seat, which had been empty the past ten days, filled again felt pretty good. Seeing him eat was also a sign that he was doing better, which was reassuring. And yet¡­ ¡°Berserk came here because I was hungry too. Let¡¯s eat together.¡± The Inquisitor nced between the Demon Knight eating silently and the Archmage and the troublemaker sitting across from him. Additionally, the troublemaker was still holding on to the longsword he had wanted to give the Demon Knight. Something seemed off. She didn¡¯t know why, but this situation definitely felt strange. She blinked. ¡°Erm¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± She couldn¡¯t figure it out. The Inquisitor looked to the chilly Archmage before shooting the troublemaker a pointed re. She seemed to be asking, ¡®What¡¯s going on here?¡¯ with her gaze, to which the troublemaker seemed to answer, ¡®Just sit down and eat.¡¯ ¡°What¡¯s going on? There¡¯s lots of food today!¡± ¡°¡­I thought you mighte here soon, so I had it prepared in advance. The soup will be ready soon, so if you¡¯re too hungry, feel free to eat the things here.¡± ¡°Ooh! Thanks!¡± She stopped thinking about it and just sat down for now. The Inquisitor carefully observed each person¡¯s expressions before sitting next to the Demon Knight as usual. Was it because he had just woken from his ten-daya and only got to eat now? In front of the Demon Knight, there was easily twice as much food as he usually ate. There were also things like fish instead of meat. ¡°¡­Since everyone is here now, let¡¯s discuss what we will do next.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± At least he was eating fish. Thinking of the increasingly gaunt Demon Knight, she prayed that he would take this opportunity to eat as much as he could. ¡°As I told you before, the route from Ednium to the next city is somewhat inconvenient, so we¡¯ll be traveling back to Camborough. Given that we¡¯ll be returning there, we should coordinate our schedule with the youngdy and dy our departure by a few days. She seems quite upied these days.¡± ¡°Wha¡­ what?¡± However, the Archmage¡¯s exnation raised questions in her. It was somewhat different from what she had heard. She was fairly certain the youngdy had offered to adjust her schedulepletely around theirs. ¡°Furthermore, there¡¯s still no news of the Demon that fled with part of the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s corpse.¡± News of the escaped Demon? As far as she could remember, hadn¡¯t they decided topletely abandon the search for that Demon two days ago? ¡°Uhm, Madam Archmage. About that news¡­¡± The Inquisitor tried to raise her hand to confirm this information. If she had misheard, that would have been a serious mistake on her part, but if she had been the only one who wasn¡¯t informed of this new development, that would also be concerning. Stomp. But at that moment, a firm pressure she felt on her foot instinctively stopped whatever she nned on doing. The Inquisitor, who had reflexively shut her mouth, sharply narrowed her usually round eyes as she looked at the person in the seat right before her. ¡®Why did you step on my foot!¡¯ ¡®Just read the room already!¡¯ There was a brief yet fierce whispered exchange of words between the Inquisitor and Deathbringer. ¡°Once this is over, I think we should go to Bemurchen next. It¡¯ll probably take about a month just to get there, but¡­ it¡¯s the city with thergest Magic Tower in the East.¡± In the meantime, the Archmage slowly listed the things they had discussed and decided on while the Demon Knight had been asleep. She spoke as if addressing everyone, but her words were practically meant only for the Demon Knight. ¡°When we get to Bemurchen¡­¡± Moreover, while Bemurchen was the city with thergest Magic Tower, it was also in a heated war against the mermen. So what the Demon Knight especially needed to hear was that he needed to get his body back to peak condition because even more battles awaited them. ¡°¡­I was thinking we could check over your body there once more.¡± At least, that was what she had heard, but for some reason, the Archmage didn¡¯t mention it to him right then. The Inquisitor wondered why she wasn¡¯t saying anything about it. However, figuring there must be a reason, she just kept quiet. There was a difference between giving wrong information or simply withholding some, after all. ¡°So, if possible, try to take care of yourself until then.¡± But she couldn¡¯t help but wonder why they¡¯d been told something else earlier. nkly staring at the table, she decided to ask about itter. She was too hungry right now. The smell of delicious food kept wafting over, making her hungry stomach growl. ¡°Other than that¡­ Ah, the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s corpse belongs entirely to you. Have you decided what you want to do with it? If you want something crafted from it, I can arrange a craftsman for you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll sell it.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll take care of it then.¡± Fortunately, the Archmage didn¡¯t talk for long. As a bonus, her portion of soup had just arrived as well. Now, she only had to grab her spoon in a way that didn¡¯t seem unnatural. ¡°¡­What are you doing?¡± Seeing as the troublemaker was saying that, she was sure it was okay to eat now. After looking around a little longer, she cautiously grabbed her spoon. Although Berserk was already busy stuffing herself with whatever was before her, ignoring the soup entirely, she was d she could finally eat now. As such, their silent lunch began. ____ Chapter 177: For Now (5) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 177 For Now (5) The atmosphere in the dining hall seemed quieter than usual today, but my stomach was far too empty to focus on that. I gratefully devoured the abundant fish dishes. It seemed they had been cooked with my being unconscious for ten days in mind; the food was so tender that it practically melted in my mouth, so I didn¡¯t have to worry about getting indigestion. How delicious. Clink. But still, it seemed I couldn¡¯t eat that much. Despite eating less than usual, I felt full, so I put down my spoon. I was a little concerned about the leftovers, but seeing Bers devouring everything else reassured me. She was the type of person who would eat everything, even things that appeared inedible. tter. Pondering to myself, I slightly pushed my chair back. You should always have a friend with such a good appetite in real life. That way, you could try as many different foods as possible whenever you visited a restaurant. Why were the people around me all such light eaters? Well, they weren¡¯t any particrly important thoughts. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to have some tea?¡± I thought about answering but then decided to remain silent, figuring I had already obediently responded more than my character usually would during our discussion just now. Instead, I started thinking about where to go next. This was a really important matter. After all, there would be nothing to do if I returned to my room. ck. So I pondered this some more as the door to the dining hall closed behind me. Borrowing a book from the Temple¡¯s library felt like a poor decision since I wasn¡¯t in the best state, and more than anything, I wanted to get out of the Temple. After much contemtion, I also decided against going outside to draw since it would only make me feel strange. There was also no point in going to a restaurant since I had already eaten, and there weren¡¯t even any cafes around. ¡°How is the restoration of the burned forest going¡­?¡± ¡°The drought is finally over¡­¡± Suddenly, my ears caught snippets of a conversation as I passed through the hallway. They came from a conversation between priests walking in the herb garden beyond the hallway¡¯s walls. As I listened to their conversation, several things popped into my mind. Considering our departure had been dyed by a few days, now was the perfect time to take care of these things. I decided to visit the Information Guild I still owed a favor to for something they did for me not long ago. *** ¡°¡­What a mess.¡± Meanwhile, in the dining hall after the Demon Knight had left. Deathbringer finally let out the breath he had been holding. His hand patted his stomach, which had twisted into knots. ¡°Was the food bad? It tasted okay to me.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say that because of the food¡­ Urgh, never mind. You just continue being the way you are, iron wall.¡± ¡°¡­?!¡± Deathbringer set down his spoon while the oblivious Inquisitor tried to determine whether his words were intended as an insult. Normally, he would have eaten until his stomach was fit to burst, but today just wasn¡¯t his day. The weight of the longsword still resting in his arms felt far too heavy. ¡°Mmpf mmf mmmf?¡± ¡°¡­Could you at least swallow before speaking?¡± ¡°Are you doing that again today, young hunter?¡± ¡°Yep. Like always.¡± Although there were so many things he wanted to tell and give the Demon Knight, it seemed utterly impossible under the current circumstances. So what other choice did he have? For now, he had to do something else instead. After all, there weren¡¯t many opportunities for him to do this. ¡°Take care.¡± ¡°Will do.¡± Even though he had been going out quite regrly these past few days, they still sent him off like this. He felt a slight tickle in his heart as he turned away from the group. Free from their watchful eyes, he slipped out of the Temple. If he went a little further, he would reach Lord Ednium¡¯s manor. * * * ¡°This ce is seriously hard to find¡­¡± It was disguised as some ordinary bar or store anyway, so did it really have to be so far off the main road? Grumbling a little, I opened the door. The bell above the door chimed. ¡°Wee¡­ Oh, it¡¯s you again? Back already?¡± Perhaps it was because the shop had just opened for the day or because their cooking was horrible since it wasn¡¯t their main job, but the ce was pretty empty. I ignored the owner¡¯s greeting and just sat at the empty bar. It wasn¡¯t like there were people at the other tables or something. ¡°Here, here. Have a drink!¡± ck. In the meantime, the owner ced a drink I hadn¡¯t ordered before me. Judging by its unusual odor and color, this was evidently no ordinary drink. I nced at the owner, wondering what he was hoping to convey with this. The owner, with his short gray hair tied back, opened his eyes widely. ¡°You paid more than neededst time, you see. Consider it a service.¡± Ah, so that was what this was about. Well, I had done them a favor by opening an information route to the closed-off Great Forest, after all. Even if whatever information reached them was highly censored by the warchief and his aides, it would still be quite beneficial to them. If their exchange continued, there coulde a time when the Information Guild recruited someone from the Great Forest. Although the warchief probably wouldn¡¯t just stand by and let that happen, that wasn¡¯t my problem. I had already written a warning regarding that in myst letter, just in case. ¡°Take it away.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t like it? It¡¯s our best liquor.¡± Feeling d to have included some precautionary advice in the letter, I ced my left hand on the bar. Before my palm even touched the counter surface, something appeared. Thud. A rolled-up letter wrapped in well-cured calfskin was ced on the counter. ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a delivery request.¡± ¡°The same ce as before?¡± ¡°No need for a reply.¡± Chances were I would be long gone before the response came. I made that clear and withdrew my hand. The store owner took it from there, cing their hand on the letter next. ¡°The deadline?¡± ¡°None.¡± ¡°Hmm, in that case, I¡¯ll do this one for free as a favor.¡± That was something to be grateful for. ¡°Separate from that, I have another request.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I want to buy all the information you¡¯ve gathered on ¡®me.¡¯ ¡± I probably wouldn¡¯t be getting this free of charge, though. For the first time, I voiced what I had hesitated and given up on countless times. There was no turning back now. That was what I thought. It felt simr to when I had started interrogating Lord Bergard. ¡°¡­Wait, wait. I don¡¯t mind selling it to you, but¡­ why your own information?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t information treated as amodity here?¡± ¡°¡­Ah, that¡¯s right.¡± Unless they wanted to exchange information with me, I had no reason to answer them. Instead of hoping for free service, I took out the payment I had prepared beforehand. ¡°Here¡¯s your advance payment.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Two ws, each about the size of a child¡¯s fist, fell onto the table. As if trying to prove they weren¡¯t anything ordinary, the tinum ws gleamed with an otherworldly light that set them apart from those of ordinary beasts. ¡°What¡­ are those?¡± ¡°The Skyflow Tiger¡¯s ws.¡± ¡°What!?¡± Why was he so surprised? He should already know I had possession of the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s corpse. Or was the Information Guild so ipetent that they didn¡¯t even know that? ¡°No, I mean, I knew you had it, but I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d actually¡­¡± Fortunately, that wasn''t the case. I slowly made to rise from my seat. However, the shop owner grabbed me before I could do anything more. ¡°Wait¡ª!¡± Swish! Alright. I managed to pull away my hand before he could catch me. Nice. ¡°I wasn¡¯t done talking.¡± ¡°So, can you not do it then?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it¡­! Ah, geez.¡± The shop owner scratched his head, striding to the door. He flipped the door¡¯s locks,pletely sealing it shut. nk, nk, nk. He did the same with the four windows. The shop now looked as if it were officially closed. ¡°Let¡¯s be clear about the terms. Only the information the guild has on you, that¡¯s all?¡± ¡°If you have any guesses or opinions based on the data, I¡¯ll buy those as well.¡± ¡°Alright. You¡¯re literally buying everything we have on you, huh? It¡¯ll take some time to gather everything¡­¡± The store owner nced at the w once more. ¡°Do you have another one?¡± How could I not? I had brought all fifteen with me. I dropped one more w on the table. His expression became quite strange. ¡°Should I have asked for two more?¡± To think he actually said he nned to rip off his customer right to their face. Well, knowing they were usually like that, I knew exactly how to deal with him. I thought back to when I went to Camborough¡¯s Information Guild and sighed internally. If Ednium¡¯s were just as bad, I would have postponed this request. Clink. Anyway, I ced another w with the others. The owner¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit too much? This is enough for both the advance fee and the actual payment.¡± ¡°Keep your mouth shut. Even around the Guild¡¯s people.¡± ¡°¡­Ah, right. So, only I should know you brought this information, huh?¡± ¡°Even the fact you know about this can¡¯t be spread. ¡°In that case, the payment is a bit too low for that. Keeping a secret from my workce is pretty hard, you know?¡± Really? Then just take more. ¡°No, sir, don¡¯t you know how to joke?¡± ¡°Just make sure your tongue is as heavy as the amount you received.¡± I added another w to the pile. The shop owner sighed, adjusting his sses. ¡°One w is enough to buy my silence. But instead, could you help calm my curiosity a little?¡± One of the ws returned to my hands. Swish. I quickly stored it in my Inventory before it could touch my palm. I couldn¡¯t afford to get caught doing this. ¡°Is there a special reason you¡¯re buying your own information?¡± Honestly, this whole situation was far from ideal for me. It was natural for money to feel far less valuable than my personal information. But judging by this person¡¯s expression, it seemed unlikely he would let me off with just the ws. ¡°The answer to that question must also remain unspoken.¡± ¡°Ah, of course, of course. It¡¯ll be just between us.¡± I contemted whether I could truly trust this guy but quickly ceased those thoughts. While I was in a situation where I had to urge them to keep quiet, I didn¡¯t actually believe anything they said even though I demanded they keep it between us. How could I trust him to not say anything? In a way, it was just like how you trusted a bank teller not to give away your ount number. ¡°My memories have been somewhat hazy for some time now.¡± And honestly¡­ even if this information spread, it wouldn¡¯t really hurt me. It wasn¡¯t directly tied to mybat power and was far too vague to be considered a weakness. What could anyone do with this information? If anything, if this got leaked, people might just go, ¡°Oh, it must be because of his memory,¡± when I screwed up in the future. Ultimately, it would be good if they didn¡¯t say anything, but it wouldn''t really matter if they did. It would just be a bonus. That was why I could speak with relief in my heart. ¡°Your memories¡­? Why?¡± ¡°That¡¯s all I¡¯ll answer.¡± However, I could never tell anyone why my memories had disappeared. If people started thinking it might be the Demon¡¯s doing, I would be in quite a bit of trouble. ¡°Well, fine. This much should be enough to settle my curiosity.¡± ¡°And the information.¡± ¡°You want your purchase of this information kept under wraps from even the guild, right? In that case, delivering it to you will be quiteplicated. Gathering all the information scattered throughout our various branches will also be pretty tricky. So it will take some time. About a month and a half¡­? Let¡¯s say two months to be safe.¡± Two months? That was longer than I expected, but not unreasonably so. It usually took about four to seven days to travel between cities, but if something happened, it could easily take two to three weeks. After a fight, I usually ended up resting for about two weeks. With that in mind¡­ I would probably get the info after passing through about two cities. I would probably be right around the middle of the Eastern region then. ¡°Wow, the more I think about it, the more of a hassle this sounds like. Give me back that one w.¡± ng. ¡°You¡¯re actually giving it?¡± I gave back the w without hesitation. Since earning money was quite easy while working as an adventurer, I didn¡¯t feel much attachment to it. ¡°The real problem is how to get the information to you¡­ Do you know where you might be two months from now? If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll have no choice but to inform the Information Guild that you bought some information. That way, I can figure out where you are and ensure it gets delivered to you.¡± That part was actually really inconvenient. I really missed the inte at times like these, recalling our recently agreed-upon schedule. I suddenly remembered that our next destination was quite far away. Weren¡¯t we told it would take over a month to get there? And considering thergest Magic Tower in the East was in that city¡­ wasn¡¯t it almost guaranteed that something would happen? In that case, we would probably be there for about two months, right? ¡°I¡¯ll be in Bemurchen.¡± ¡°Bemurchen, got it. Then I¡¯ll send a letter to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild there. I¡¯ll absolutely make sure to send it before two months pass, so you¡¯ll just need to pick it up there.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Whatever. If it didn¡¯t work out, I would just hang around that ce longer. With such thoughts in mind, I left the store. Two months. This newly given grace period made my heart feel both at ease and heavy simultaneously. * * * ¡°When will this hole finally get sealed up?¡± Deathbringer brushed the dirt off his body, wondering whether to tell the manor¡¯s owners about this or keep it a secret. The dirt and dust that had clung to him as he crawled through the hole was now being blown away by the wind. ¡°Well, thanks to it being open, I cane see youfortably.¡± With that, he opened the lid of the leather sk he had brought. Instead of water, it was filled with strong alcohol. ¡°Right, Emmitte?¡± He chuckled and took a sip. He hadn¡¯t touched even a drop of alcohol during his journey, but before that, he had drunk often. It stuck to his lips. ¡°This is alcohol, so like I always told you before, you can''t have any. So here, have this instead.¡± But justing to someone¡¯s grave and drinking all alone was kind of wrong. Deathbringer took out a few candies he had saved and ced them on the grave. He hoped, even dead, she could taste these candies he couldn¡¯t have while she was alive. ¡°¡­¡± But after doing all that, it felt like he had run out of things to say. Over the past few days, he hade here and bbered incessantly about all sorts of things. How he had escaped this ce and met Skyley. The events that followed and the things he had experienced. And finally, how he met the Hero¡¯s party. What they had gone through. Now, he didn¡¯t have anything left to say anymore. ¡°Emmitte.¡± No, was that really the case? ¡°Were you doing okay?¡± He satfortably in front of the grave and took off his hood. ¡°No, you couldn¡¯t have been okay.¡± The green hair he had been hiding for various reasons, but mostly due to what had urred in thesends, entered the sunlight again. The golden light flowed smoothly over his dark green hair. ¡°Because that¡¯s what death is like.¡± The light was so intense that it stung his eyes. Deathbringer squinted slightly at this unfamiliar sensation. ¡°¡­You know, Emmitte. When I die, I probably won¡¯t be able to enter God¡¯s embrace. Some might say my revenge was justified, but it ended up hurting many innocent people. It won¡¯t change the fact that¡­ people died because of me, either.¡± However, he would get ustomed to it someday. ¡°But¡­ I¡¯ve decided not to regret my actions anymore. Yeah. Even if I can¡¯t be with you anymore, even after death, I won¡¯t regret it. I¡¯ve decided that even if I chose the wrong way to go about it, I just can¡¯t remain silent in the face of injustice.¡± At some point, melting into the shadows had be as easy as breathing for him. ¡°So, Emmitte, don¡¯tin if I can¡¯te meet you. This is just my way of life. I can¡¯t stay silent, and I don¡¯t have the brains to find a better way¡­¡± So, there would inevitablye a time when being in the light wouldn¡¯t feel strange for him anymore as well. ¡°If that bothers you, juste back to life. Got it? Just rise from your grave and shout at me to just give up my life if I decide to live like that after you went and saved me. I¡¯ll wee you with a smile.¡± So now, he had only one thing left to do. ¡°Instead, until that happens, I¡¯ll keep living like this. I¡¯ll keep surviving like this.¡± He would live. Carrying the weight of this life on his shoulders. He knew he had done wrong, so he would try to fix it from now on. But he would never forget the weight of the sins he had alreadymitted. He would live, expressing the anger of those unable to do so. ¡°Ah!¡± Deathbringer got up to his feet before the grave. He looked up at the sky, wondering whether it would rain, but the strong sunlight was still pouring down on him. It was so strong that it made his eyes well up with tears. ¡°That¡¯s why I promised toe here in the evening, but I forgot again today. Am I stupid?¡± He put his hood back on, uselessly ming his memory. Regardless of his feelings, the sunlight was actually really strong, and he needed the cover of his hood to see properly. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± But who the hell was that figure walking across the in? That area didn¡¯t have any regr paths, but since it connected to the forest, hardly anyone ever went that way. Without realizing it, he focused his eyes, carefully examining the person. They were too far away for him to make out any details, but¡­ he noticed a few distinct features. Like, the ck and gray colored hair, and something that looked like a sword slung diagonally over his back. ¡°¡­That¡¯s obviously him, isn¡¯t it?!¡± But why was he going outside the city? And without anyone apanying him! ¡°Contact, contact¡­ I can¡¯t do that right now!¡± He wondered whether this was a trap. Lamenting once again that he wasn¡¯t a wizard, he finally came to a decision. He would follow. It wasn¡¯t impossible that this was a trap, but if that really was the Demon Knight¡­ couldn¡¯t some major incident happen if he was left alone? Although their rtionship was still rather awkward, he couldn¡¯t just let someone who had been in aa for more than ten days walk around this ce on their own. Deathbringer quickly hid in the tall grass of the ins and trailed the Demon Knight. ____ Chapter 178: For Now (6) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 178 For Now (6) Deathbringer sessfully trailed someone across the in, which many would consider the most difficult task imaginable. However, the Demon Knight didn¡¯t stop walking, so he had to cross through the forest as well. His fast pace didn¡¯t make keeping up with him any easier, either. Where was he going? He hesitated slightly, wondering whether he should turn back, but decided to continue following for now. After observing with various items, he could tell this man was undoubtedly the Demon Knight. The problem was that he couldn¡¯t figure out why he was going into the forest alone. ¡°This ce¡­¡± Fortunately, the Demon Knight reached his destination before the sun set. The remains of burned trees were scattered everywhere, and the ground was pitch-ck. Deathbringer knew this ce very well. ¡°Could he be hunting that Demon?¡± Deathbringer considered this a usible hypothesis. After all, this was where a new Great Demon¡ªthe Inquisitor had told them it was probably a Great Demon¡ªhad appeared during their battle with the Skyflow Tiger. Considering the Demon Knight¡¯s burning hatred for Demons, it wasn¡¯t strange to think he hade here to track it down. ¡°Mister, please¡­¡± It might not be strange, but seriously, couldn¡¯t he just take better care of his body? It had only been a few hours since the Archmage had advised him to rest! He pped his face and hid behind something resembling a ck pir. Ash clung to his clothes and face, but if he cared about that stuff, he would be the one to lose. Deathbringer¡¯s eyes followed the Demon Knight¡¯s back relentlessly. He maintained as much distance as possible for fear of getting caught, but that made it much harder to see his subtler movements. ¡°¡­?¡± However, he could clearly see the Demon Knight wandering about in odd directions. He first went left, then right, then some distance straight ahead, only toe back and walk in the other direction for a while. Deathbringer had no idea what the meaning behind these actions was. Now, he was just circling the ce. It was to the point that Deathbringer had to quickly run deeper into the forest to avoid getting noticed. Where the Demon Knight had passed, marks that looked to have been etched into the ground with a sword were left behind. Could this be for some spell? No, as far as he knew, the Demon Knight wasn¡¯t proficient in the Arcane arts. Moreover, the lines he had drawn were slightly crooked¡ªnot erratic or frenzied, but straight, with little care for precision. The Archmage had once said that spells were all about precision and consistency, so it probably wasn¡¯t a spell. Then what the hell was it? Deathbringer tilted his head, unable to determine the Demon Knight¡¯s intentions. When the Demon Knight finally proceeded to stand in the center of the scorched ground after some time, a thought crossed his mind: ¡°Oh, was he perhaps trying to estimate the center?¡± But if that was the case, the question remained: why? If his goal had been to track the Demon, there would be no point in finding the center of this burned area. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ He isn¡¯t the type of person to act without a reason¡­¡± With that thought in mind, he continued watching the Demon Knight. ¡°Whoa, he turned around.¡± But before he could ascertain the Demon Knight¡¯s intentions, the man turned around. He appeared to be heading back to the city. Deathbringer hurriedly retreated. His legs were exhausted, he had skipped dinner, and at the end of the day, he had gotten nothing out of it. His biggest challenge now was returning to the city, even though the sun was about to set. * * * ¡°You¡¯rete.¡± By the time I returned to the dorm, the sun had already set. I didn¡¯t really mean to be sote, but it just somehow ended up that way. The ce I went to after leaving the Information Guild was further away than I had anticipated. It didn¡¯t feel that far thest time I went there. ¡°Would you mind staying here with me for a bit?¡± More importantly. Archmage, why haven''t you gone to sleep yet? Was she waiting for me? Sure, I hadn¡¯t notified them that I would bete, but¡­ was going this far really necessary? I wasn¡¯t so incapable of taking care of myself as to warrant a guardian¡¯s intervention, and frankly, it was pretty unlikely some extremely powerful opponent would just pop out of nowhere and attack me. Creak. Although I was thinking, ¡°Was this really necessary?¡± she did wait a long time for me. I sat on a nearby chair, trying to gauge how long this conversation mightst. A few lit candles were ced on the table near us, softly illuminating the surroundings. ¡°Here, have some.¡± Ah, tea. I epted the teacup with a somewhatplicated look in my eyes. Judging by its aroma, it seemed to be the same one I always liked to drink¡­ I parted my lips slightly before quickly closing them again. The hot steam of the tea rose upward, tinted by the crimson candlelight. ¡°It feels like it¡¯s been a long while since west sat down and talked like this, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Well¡­ when you put it that way, I guess it had been a while. Considering how rare an asion it was for just the two of us to drink tea without anyone else joining. ¡°I suppose you won¡¯t tell me what you¡¯ve been up to?¡± Rather, why was she beating around the bush like this? I wasn¡¯t really in the mood to sit here for too long. ¡°What do you want?¡± I ced my hand on the teacup. The smooth, handleless cup felt lukewarm. It was at the stage where its heat was just starting to spread to the surrounding chill. ¡°¡­Did you know? At times like these, you seem more like a wizard than I do.¡± I had been wondering about this, but what exactly were wizards supposed to be like? I mean, sure, I deliberately acted as if I had zero social skills to uphold my character, but the wizards she seemed to be referring to reminded me of¡­ ¡°Sigh.¡± Anyway, the Archmage didn¡¯t give in so easily. It was somewhat funny and pretty sad how ustomed she seemed to have be to my rude behavior over the past few months. Still, the responsibility for all this was only 50 percent mine and 50 percent hers¡ªfor forcing me to act out my character like this¡ªso if she was going to re at someone, she should start with herself. ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± Also, I really wished she wouldn¡¯t ask me such vague and oddly pointed questions. They were too difficult for me to answer. ¡°Please tell me. What¡¯s the problem?¡± I absentmindedly tightened my grip on my teacup, hearing this sudden question, my mind a mess. Crunch. A dangerous sound came from the trembling cup. ¡°I know if I ask this, you¡¯ll probably just tell me to mind my own business. But, Demon Knight¡­ How could you act like that? Lately, you¡¯ve really¡­¡± ¡°Why do you insist on asking me even though you¡¯ve already predicted how I¡¯d react? Is it to prove your stupidity? Or is it for your petty self-satisfaction?¡± Ah, that was a mistake. That wasn¡¯t what I meant to say. ¡°Remember your ce, wizard.¡± But words weren¡¯t something you could just take back. Just as releasing my grip wouldn¡¯t restore the cracked teacup, and as the spilled droplets wouldn¡¯t return to the cup, I couldn¡¯t undo what I had just said. ¡°If not for my goal of killing all Demons along with their King, you and I would never have shared the same space to begin with.¡± I let the rest of the tea pour onto the table without hesitation. If I couldn¡¯t take back these emotions and words that had already spilled out, I might as well make use of them. ¡°Also, what I need is not your pathetic sympathy or understanding, but absolute and merciless judgment.¡± I had been thinking for a while now that it was time to draw a line between us anyway. ¡°Remember, your only job is to kill Demons, and mine is to do the same. That is the sole value we share.¡± The warm tea spreading across the table gave off a faint aroma. The aroma was of the dried remains of nts that had the life squeezed out of them. The reddish glow of the candlelight reflected off the quickly cooling liquid, making it resemble moltenva. *** ck. The Archmage looked at the table, now soaked in tea, and then the door the Demon Knight had just shut. Seriously, that dirty temper of his was something else. ¡°So what he wanted to say was that we should keep our distance.¡± Shaking her head, she jokingly muttered to herself that with how roundabout he was with his words, he would be a failure of a wizard. However, even she didn¡¯t find the joke funny. ¡°¡­Merciless judgment.¡± He always seemed like someone who never even envisioned much of a future for himself. However¡­ the things he had just said were much more tant than before. It was as if he had discarded even the smallest shred of hope. ¡°Just what¡­?¡± What could have made him like this? Just what had changed in him since the battle with Moby Dick¡­? Creak. At that moment, the door to the dorm opened. A young man entered, his paleplexion visible even in this dim lighting. His green ears were drooped, and his lips were trembling uncontrobly. ¡°¡­Did you hear?¡± ¡°¡­¡± He didn¡¯t respond, but the Archmage, assuming he had already heard everything, took his silence as an answer. ¡°Can you drink?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°Good. Then sit down. It¡¯s going to be a long night.¡± She exhaled softly, pulling out a bottle of alcohol she had prepared just in case. There were no snacks to go with it, but that wouldn¡¯t be a big problem. The sadness that seemed to havee with the night was already within their chests. * * * Ah¡­ This is so annoying. Was the erosion too much? I can¡¯t even withstand filtered Divine Power anymore without that orb. I thought the wizard filtered it pretty well, but it seems they didn¡¯t, huh? ¡¸What¡­ have you done¡­?!¡¹ I like seeing you mad, but isn¡¯t this a bit unfair? This really isn¡¯t my fault. You know as well as I do, right? The more aware he bes, the more dangerous it gets¡­ Isn¡¯t that why you ignored his desperate pleas to begin with? ¡¸¡­¡¹ Ah, that expression is nice. It¡¯s the best I¡¯ve seen on you in a while. ¡¸¡­Shut up.¡¹ Are you being rude because you don¡¯t have anything else to say? Young brats are just so¡­ Ah, but we should probably wake him up soon, right? If this keeps up, he¡¯ll die. ¡¸¡­Why should I care?¡¹ ¡­Ah, right. It would be more beneficial for you if he died. But not for me¡­ ¡®If you don¡¯t n on dying like this, you have to get up, you know?¡¯ * * * sh. My eyelids shot open, and my instincts immediately told me I had to go out. Rustle. But as I tried to sit up, something fell on my pillow. It was blood. I hurriedly wiped over my face. Sticky blood came off my upper lip. Judging by the blood stuck to my cheeks, it seemed like this wasn¡¯t all of it. Even my pillow had discolored stains on it, the color of blood left to sit for quite some time. ¡°Demon Knight, you¡¯re up¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, buddy. How about sparring today¡­ The smell of blood?¡± I hastily got dressed and stepped out into the hallway, covering my nose and mouth with a handkerchief. Thinking about it, I should have just followed my gut instinct and gone outside yesterday when I was feeling off. I didn¡¯t realize the impact of losing a seal would be this strong. I felt a little regret. ¡°Huh? What do you mean by the smell of blood?¡± ¡°Buddy, you¡­¡± ¡°Ah, wait. You two,e here for a second.¡± ¡°Huh? But¡­¡± Fortunately, that regret quickly faded. I could see the results of yesterday¡¯s conversation¡ªthe Archmage making those around me keep their distance without me having to do it. Looking back, I might have reacted a bit more harshly than necessary, for which I felt a bit guilty, but there was nothing I could do about it anymore. At least I got them to keep their distance like I wanted. That was enough. This amount of distance was just right. Ah, but that didn¡¯t mean I was nning to leave the party, of course. I had some doubts about this journey of ours, but rashly leaving the party would only cause me more trouble than it was worth. From the short-term need to remain with the Hero¡¯s party to reach the ending¡ªif such a thing even existed¡ªto the long-term concern of handling any emergencies that might crop up, I¡­ ¡­Well, that was the problem. I felt a bit sorry for using the party like that, but I didn¡¯t really have the leeway to be considerate. So just this much distance between us, neither more nor less, was precisely the amount to keep our rtionship from growing any worse than it already was. That way, we might eventually be able to cooperate without caring about each other¡¯s circumstances. ¡°Phew.¡± Not long after I left the Temple, my nosebleed subsided, so I soaked my handkerchief in water and wiped my nose and mouth. At moments like these, I was d I had stored some clean water in my Inventory. The remaining bloodstains on me were cleanly wiped away. Well, at the price of the handkerchief bing too dirty to use anymore. I put the red-stained handkerchief in my Inventory. Grrr. My stomach, which I hadn¡¯t been able to fill because I rushed out after getting dressed, started to growl. I should probably find a restaurant first. And since I no longer had a handkerchief, I should probably buy a new one. And¡­ Where should I go next after that? Should I get another seal? No, that would be a bit much after what I said. Or should I ask the young lord when the work would be done? I could also just sleep outside until everything got resolved. Ah, right. I broke my longsword, so I also needed to buy a new one. I started organizing my schedule while I looked for a decent restaurant. I had more to do than I had thought. I decided to postpone seeing the young lord for now. I wondered if I could finish everything by noon. Then what should I do in the afternoon? If these were modern times, I would have just sat in a cafe or library, sipping coffee while reading a book. But there were no cafes or tea houses around here. There was a square but no park, so taking a walk was off the table. And given the high illiteracy rate, libraries were a pretty foreign concept to these people¡­ It wasn¡¯t like I could just wander into the Temple or the lord¡¯s manor to read books, either. So, if there were any ce I could read freely, it would be a bookstore, but¡­ I wondered whether this city even had a bookstore. I should just look for one for now. ¡°Hear, hear, fruit so fresh, it¡¯s still covered in dew! You won¡¯t get them cheaper than here!¡± ¡°The y that even brought the City of Knights, Munmund, to tears is about to start!¡± ¡°That bastard, I knew he was nothing but trouble. Beating up any green-haired person he came across¡­ Hah, seriously. A rebellion? He should have known better!¡± ¡°When¡¯s the execution going to happen?¡± I wandered through the busy streets, looking at the various stalls and shops. It felt a bit different from what I was familiar with, but there were also many simrities, so it was rather fun to window shop. The restaurant I stumbled across had pretty decent food as well. While I couldn''t find a cksmith, I did manage to purchase a nice handkerchief. There were no signs of a bookstore, though. Since books were fairly expensive, I figured I could find a vendor selling them in a higher-end shopping street. Was this just wasted effort? Should I give up? ¡°I¡¯mte, I¡¯mte!¡± Just as I was about to give up on finding a bookstore, I saw a young man running across the street, carrying a bunch of papers. His destination was a rather fancy-looking restaurant. The papers he was carrying appeared to be their menus. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for beingte!¡± ¡°Seriously! You¡¯re onlying now? If you were even ten minutester, I would¡¯ve really lost my temper!¡± ¡°I¡¯m very sorry!¡± ¡°Take it!¡± I wasn¡¯t sure whether it was my bias toward people wearing sses or the smell of ink I instinctively picked up on. ¡°Phew¡­ d I wasn¡¯tte.¡± I approached the young man. The young Shaggi, who resembled a leopard, looked relieved as he pushed back his wavy wheat-colored hair. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Are you a scribe?¡± I took note of his simple but neat attire and the ink stains visible through the fur on his hands. Given both the menu papers the restaurant seemed to havemissioned and the ink marks, I was pretty sure he at least worked with someone who used ink. At the same time, I hypothesized that if anyone knew of a bookstore¡¯s whereabouts, it would be someone like him. ¡°Ah, yes, yes! That¡¯s correct! Do you have amission for me¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking for a bookstore.¡± So what else could I do? I just had to ask him. Running around the city with sweat dripping down my back was all well and good, but I would much prefer to find a bookstore sooner rather thanter and enjoy reading some books. ¡°A bookstore?¡± The young man adjusted his sses again and smiled brightly at my question. ¡°You must be from a big city. Not many shops only sell books here in Ednium. It¡¯s pretty difficult to make a living from just buying and selling books.¡± So there really weren¡¯t any bookstores? However, going off what he said, while there weren¡¯t any ces that only sold books, there might be ces that sold them alongside other goods and services. Otherwise, that young man wouldn''t have confirmed that he was a scribe. ¡°Of course, there are ces that handle books while also taking scribemissions! Would you like me to guide you to the store?¡± See? ¡°What kind of books do you handle?¡± Modern bookstores dealt with all kinds of books, but based on my experience, this world was quite different. Some ces only handled very expensive books, while others only had poorly bound books. And I usually sought out thetter. The former demanded a fortune just to view the wares, and if I left even a scratch on any of them, the amount I would have to pay would be terrifyingly high. ¡°We handle pretty much anything. Of course, you shouldn¡¯t expect scriptures or proper Arcane tomes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested in those.¡± I could find scriptures in the Temple, and as for Arcane tomes, I could just go to a Magic Tower. Besides, I didn¡¯t have that much interest in those things in the first ce. Although trivial books might not contain much information I wanted to know, they at least provided some insight into this ce¡¯s culture. ¡°Then let¡¯s go! It¡¯s not far!¡± Fortunately, it seemed they had a lot of those. The young man cheerfully guided me to the store. ____ Chapter 179: For Now (7) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 179 For Now (7) Grabbing that young man and asking for directions was a good decision. My expression grew exhausted as I watched him navigate through various narrow alleys. The bookstore¡¯s building didn¡¯t even have a sign. All the windows were covered to prevent any sunlight froming in. If there hadn¡¯t been anyone to guide me, I would have never found this ce. I silently thanked whatever made this coincidence possible and patted myself on the back for making that quick decision. ¡°It¡¯s a bit rare for customers toe here on their own¡­ to the shop, I mean!¡± tter! ¡°¡­It¡¯s a bit of a mess. I¡¯m sorry.¡± After the young man unlocked the door, he invited me inside. After that, he lit a candle, probably because there were no unblocked windows to let in natural light. Candles ced among paper books? That seemed kind of dangerous to me, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. Electricity didn¡¯t exist in this ce, and Arcanemps were expensive. ¡°So, what kind of book are you looking for?¡± ¡°¡­There are more books here than I expected.¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing this kind of work because I love books, after all.¡± The young man chuckled as he pointed at the various piles of books one by one. ¡°These are romance novels, over there are erotic novels, those are books about the Arcane arts, the stack next to it has books about knights, and¡­¡± His exnation went on. Thanks to this neat organization, it seemed that finding whichever book I wanted to read would be pretty easy. ¡°Feel free to look around for what you need. Ah, you can read, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I can.¡± Rather, was he just letting me read without anypensation? Well, none of the other bookstores I¡¯d visited had objected to me reading either, though some did grumble a bit when I left without buying anything. Ting. But that didn¡¯t sit quite right with me. I handed the young man the same amount I usually paid whenever I visited a bookstore. ¡°Oh, if you just want to read, you don¡¯t really need to pay¡­ Whoa.¡± Once I sold the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s corpse, I would have more than enough money again anyway. I silently chose a book. There were a few on Demons, so I grabbed one of those first. ¡°Erm, there¡¯s a spot with a window upstairs. Would you like to read there¡­?¡± Perhaps shaken by the amount I¡¯d just given him, the young man pointed upward with a trembling finger. I epted his offer without objection. I did have my own light source, but nothing beat natural light. Creak. ¡°I¡¯ll be getting back to work now, so feel free to walk around as you please.¡± He went up to the upper floor first after pulling down what looked like adder, simr to what you might use to get into an attic. As I followed after him, I noticed he was busy tidying up some nkets and dishes scattered over the floor. ¡°Hehe¡­ It¡¯s a bit messy, isn¡¯t it?¡± Well, at least the window was clean. I sat down in the spacious area by the window. I had taken a few books I¡¯d skimmed through with me, so I probably wouldn¡¯t need to go down any time soon. I unconsciously pressed the bridge of my nose, right between my eyebrows slightly, as I began turning the pages one after the other. * * * Bang, bang, bang! Jacob was someone who often lost track of time and his surroundings when he started working. He was in the middle of working when he heard a sounding from his door, to which he quickly raised his head. Bang, bang, bang!! ¡°Hey!! Jacob!! Lunch!!¡± ¡°Aaah! Hold on a second!¡± It must have already been lunchtime. That¡¯s why his younger sister was knocking at the door of his store like that. The guest, who¡¯d apparently noticed his sister¡¯s presence before he had, was looking down at the alley through the window. Thud! He felt embarrassed somehow¡ªthere was no helping it, as all siblings inevitably embarrassed each other¡ªso Jacob hurriedly climbed down thedder. ¡°Youzy bum,e out already!¡± ¡°Just wait a minute, I¡¯ming, I¡¯ming!¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t you ever get rid of that bad habit of yours? How can you forget lunch every single day?!¡± ¡°I said, I¡¯ming!¡± Creak! ¡°You seriously¡ª!¡± ¡°Aaah! Eva, please! There¡¯s a guest upstairs right now!¡± ¡°Every single time you¡­ What?¡± When would her boisterousness ever die down? Clicking his tongue, he took the food his sister had brought him. Meanwhile, she was ncing up at the upstairs window. ¡°Wow, he looks cool! How ssy! You idiot, you should have told me earlier!¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t give me any time to talk, did you¡­? No, wait, why would I tell you whether a customer came anyway?¡± ¡°Because he looks cool!¡± Honestly, that bratty little sister of his saw her older brother as nothing more than air. Adjusting his sses, which had gone crooked in all the rush, he shooed her away as if swatting a fly. ¡°Enough with these rude remarks. Just go. He seems like a knight, I think.¡± He even gave her a little warning as a bonus. Between tipping a week¡¯s worth of the store¡¯s earnings, his fancy clothes, and the Zweih?nder strapped to his back, which couldn''t be wielded without formal training, this guest seemed to be someone quite distinguished. In other words, he wasn¡¯t someone you should treat carelessly. ¡°What? A knight?! That¡¯s amazing!!¡± ¡­He hadn¡¯t expected this would only make her even more interested, though. ¡°Can¡¯t I just get a little peek at his face before I go?¡± ¡°Go away.¡± ¡°Ah, just a small peek. In return, I¡¯ll sneak in some extra meat tomorrow without telling the chef.¡± ¡°How much more are we talking¡­ Ah, no, still no.¡± ¡°Has the guest eaten yet? Did he eat beforeing here? Oh, if not, I could bring some up!¡± ¡°Ah, jeez.¡± This was really going to drive him crazy. Jacob smacked his forehead. His willingness to step into such a messy ce without a single word made the guest seem pretty friendly, but Jacob wasn¡¯t sure that meant he would forgive even this level of rudeness. ¡°Eva, knights are a lot more¡­¡± ¡°Whoa!!¡± Dangerous than she thought. Jacob, who was about to finish saying that, shut his mouth as Eva grabbed his cor and jumped around excitedly. Step, step. Meanwhile, he heard the distinct, even footsteps of someone who¡¯d undergone military traininging from behind them. ¡°A restaurant worker?¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± The guest was standing right behind him. The intensity of his restrained, controlled movements was bearing down on Jacob¡¯s shoulders. He was a knight. No matter how he looked at it, this person couldn¡¯t be anything other than a knight. Jacob realized the saying about experienced warriors who¡¯d spent a long time on the frontlines exuding a powerful presence even while standing still was absolutely true. While he never really considered experiencing it himself, it was a unique experience. ¡°Where¡¯s the store you work at?¡± ¡°It¡¯s right at the intersection over there, called ¡®Happy Day¡¯¡­¡± Evaaaaaaa. How could you just talk to him like that?! Worried about his objectively pretty sister, although he¡¯d die before admitting that out loud, he covertly nudged her behind his back. Putting aside that the guest was of the Middle race and they were of the Shaggi, meaning their views on beauty differed, the elegance and sharpness that came from discipline and the liveliness that came from youthful energy were universal appeals regardless of race. Thump. ¡°Urgh!¡± Of course, oblivious to her big brother¡¯s deep concerns, his younger sister elbowed him in the ribs before immediately rushing toward the knight. ¡®You idiot, what will you do if he hacks you into pieces?¡¯ Jacob shouted on the inside. ¡°Do you have any dishes without meat? Fish is fine as well.¡± ¡°Without meat? Hmm¡­ Ah, we have tomato soup with fish.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take that. Do you have sd?¡± ¡°Yes! We have one with cheese and another with fruit.¡± ¡°With cheese.¡± Fortunately, the guest seemed to be someone normal¡­ There were just too many people who lookedpletely different from how they acted. Jacob continued watching the guest warily to protect his little sister, who was still far too reckless. ¡°So that¡¯s one loaf of rye bread, a cheese sd, fish tomato soup, and some stir-fried vegetables. Is that right?¡± ¡°¡­And one meat dish as well.¡± ¡°A meat dish as well? Uhm, which one¡­?¡± ¡°Whatever you rmend. The price doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°Got it! Then we¡¯ll just go with our store¡¯s most popr dish, Bang-Bang Chicken! Then, adding everything up, that will be, erm, uhm.¡± ¡°¡­23,600 Gal. Didn¡¯t I tell you to at least learn how to add and subtract?¡± ¡°Who cares, as long as someone else does it?!¡± He¡¯d memorized the prices of all the dishes at the restaurant where his sister worked. Jacob gave a pitying look to his sister, who was trying to calcte using her fingers, and quickly added up the total in his head. His annoying little sister only gave him a thumbs-up and collected the money from the knight. ¡°Huh, 30,000 Gal?¡± ¡°Keep the change.¡± ¡°Whoa! Really? Thank you so much, Sir Knight!¡± ¡­Still, wasn¡¯t this person actually a really good guy? He hesitated a little, watching his sister receive a day¡¯s wages as a tip. However, he quickly shook his head to dismiss the thought. Sumbing to money like that was very low-ss. ¡°It¡¯ll take some time for the food to be ready, so please wait inside.¡± The knight hadn''t done anything strange to his sister so far. He didn¡¯t appear to be looking at her with any ulterior motives either. Jacob led the guest back inside, leaving his own meal alone for now. It just didn¡¯t feel right to eat while ignoring his guest. ¡°You eat first.¡± ¡°Ahaha, that¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just a sandwich.¡± Moreover, based on experience, his food should be ready in about ten minutes. The sd was pretty quick to make, and the soup could be served immediately after being brought to a boil. The stir-fried vegetables and meat would take a bit longer, but they didn¡¯t have the personnel to deliver everything in one go anyway. His sister would have to make multiple trips to bring everything over. He wouldn¡¯t have to wait that long. * * * ¡°Oops, I almost forgot.¡± It was far too little time for him to dive back into his work, so he prepared a spot for all the food instead. He normally just ate at his workbench, but with a guest here, he decided to bring out a table. ¡°Ah, if you¡¯re finished with any of the books, just set them aside. I¡¯ll put them backter.¡± He also pulled out a chair for the guest to sit on, sneakily checking the list of books the guest had been reading. Books about the history of the East, Bergard, knight schools worldwide, the essence of knighthood, powers wielded by Demons. There were many different ones. ¡°Did I even have books like that?¡± But the title of thest book was entirely unfamiliar. He blinked for a moment as he looked at the book. He just couldn¡¯t remember seeing it before. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Just a moment.¡± Sometimes, when he brought books inrge quantities, one or two slipped past his review. It usually wasn¡¯t much of an issue, but¡­ that book was about Demons. If it contained even the tiniest bit of praise toward Demons and this guest reported it to the Temple, he might get used of heresy. ¡°O-Oh no. Did he read it?¡± Fortunately, it seemed the guest hadn¡¯t opened that particr book yet. Jacob discreetly took a nce at the book''s first few pages. [Demons offer power through contracts and take souls in exchange. They nourish their own souls with those they take¡­] It contained some basic information anyone could quickly find with a bit of research on Demons. Any book regarding Demons and their abilities usually mentioned such things, with only slight variations in their wording. Flip. [¡­Here, the author wants to present a new theory: Demons do not exclusively take people as offerings. They can also ept other Demons as sacrifices.] However, about a third of the way into the book, it started introducing ideas that set itself apart from thosemon books. ¡°Oh¡­¡± [Furthermore, there are actually two types of Demonic Energy: the first is the power we are already familiar with, and the second is a power even Demons themselves may not be aware of¡­] The problem was that the theories presented in the book were just spections by the author unsupported by any sort of evidence. It practically reeked of a forbidden book. This was dangerous. ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Ahaha, it seems I¡¯ll need to check over this book a bit more. Why is something like this even here? Ahaha.¡± The moment Jacob made up his mind, he snapped the book shut with a loud thud. Although the guest was looking at him strangely, there was something more important he had to do now. ¡°Just a moment!!¡± He quickly ran downstairs, unlocked a hidden room, and retrieved a small furnace he kept hidden there before throwing the book inside without a shred of hesitation. ¡°Good, it¡¯s burning well.¡± Roooar! The hastily lit mes engulfed the book entirely. It perfectly destroyed any evidence of its existence. ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Ahahaha.¡± Well, except that the knight was now eyeing him suspiciously when he returned to the upper floor. So, maybe not that perfect. ¡°Lunch is here, Sir Knight!! Jacob, youe down too! There¡¯s a lot!!¡± ¡°Oh, Eva!!¡± For once, that usually unhelpful sister of his did something useful. He avoided the knight¡¯s piercing gaze and went downstairs again. ¡°Why that face? You look like badly kneaded dough.¡± ¡°Pl-Please, just shut your mouth.¡± ¡°What are you on about? Anyway, where¡¯s Sir Knight?¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re fast.¡± ¡°Sir Knight!!¡± ¡°¡­So, she¡¯s your little sister.¡± Any gratitude he felt toward her evaporated in an instant. But anyway. ¡°Just serve the food and leave, will you!¡± ¡°Aw, how can you just send your adorable little sister away like that?!¡± ¡°Did you actually just call yourself adorable? Wow, wooow. Stop ruining my appetite like that and leave!¡± ¡°Someone really doesn¡¯t know how to show their sister any appreciation, huh!!¡± Ignoring his sister kicking up a fuss, Jacob took the trays of food from her hands. While ignorant of many things, he knew he shouldn¡¯t let his guests eat cold food. ¡°I hope you stub your little toe on your way in!!¡± ¡°Are you serious?! You¡¯re impossible!¡± ¡°Bleeeeh.¡± ¡°Just go already!¡± ¡°¡­You seem to get along well.¡± ¡°I-I¡­ What? Huh? Ah¡­ Well, you¡¯re rather positive. Did this look like we were getting along?¡± ¡°If you really didn¡¯t get along, you wouldn''t even be talking to each other.¡± ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s true.¡± He scratched his head. Although he was a bit embarrassed, he didn¡¯t think it was bad that the knight saw it that way. ¡°She¡¯s fifteen years younger than me. I practically raised her while both of our parents were working. Though now that ungrateful brat does nothing but jab her brother in the ribs.¡± Still, he¡¯d rather avoid showing the knight such a scene a second time. Next time, he¡¯d juste down alone and tell the guest to stay upstairs. That was more than enough for that ungrateful sister of his. ¡°Cherish her.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Having your family around you like that is a blessing.¡± ¡°Right¡­?¡± However, why did the guest suddenly make such a serious statement? He scratched the back of his neck again, looking at the guest¡¯s gaze, which seemed to contain indescribable emotions. Embarrassment aside, Jacob didn¡¯t want to make light of this advice. It somehow felt¡­ so desperately sincere. ¡°Take it.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°For providing me with this ce.¡± But just then, the knight ced the meat dish his sister had brought before him, acting as if he hadn¡¯t ordered it for himself, and only took the vegetable and fish dishes. Jacobpletely forgot the knight¡¯s sincere advice at that point. As someone who¡¯d yet to experience the weight of loss, he found a single te of meat he only rarely came across far more significant. * * * ¡ºAlso, what I need is not your pathetic sympathy or understanding, but absolute and merciless judgment.¡» Deathbringer couldn¡¯t hide his bewilderment as those words echoed in his ear, the clearly bloodstained pillow beside him. ¡°I knew¡­ I already knew¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t anything unexpected. He¡¯d witnessed the Demon Knight attempting to stab himself in the Great Forest, so it shouldn¡¯t be anything new to him. However¡­ even if it wasn¡¯t unexpected, it still shocked him to his core. Maybe even more so because of the additional sense of futility. He realized the words he¡¯d kept throwing at the Demon Knight had never reached him, and they probably never would. ¡°¡­¡± But if things continued like this, the Demon Knight would surely copse. That was the problem. There was no way to stop him, but if he didn¡¯t do something, it felt like the Demon Knight would die at any moment, which was the biggest dilemma he was grappling with. ¡°¡­What should I do now?¡± What could he even do? He had no reason, excuse, or means to stop the Demon Knight. Just what was he supposed to do¡­? ¡°What else?! Keep searching! Stop moping around and keep looking!¡± At that moment, the iron wall¡¯s loud voice rang in his ears, which made chills run down his back. He remembered how she¡¯d shouted, ¡°That¡¯s not right!¡± at the Archmage, who had euphemistically expressed that the Demon Knight wanted to keep his distance. Although, those forceful words weren¡¯t exactly enough to lift his spirits at the moment. Deathbringer, feeling a dull pain like an aching bruise, was about to snap back but instead chose to crouch down. His heart was simply too damp to be lit with anger. ¡°¡­And once we find him, then what?¡± ¡°There is no way he got a nosebleed without any reason! We¡¯ll need to check right away whether the injury that caused this has worsened!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t Madam Archmage also tell us not to look for him?¡± ¡°That was before she knew the Demon Knight had been bleeding all night. When I informed her, she told us to find him immediately.¡± ¡°¡­Well, that¡¯s true. But what do we do then? What if he really is sick?¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll cure him!¡± ¡°What if he refuses to be cured?¡± ¡°¡­Why would he refuse treatment when he¡¯s sick?¡± ¡°Exactly. Why would Mister do that?¡± When ordinary people were faced with death, they¡¯d instinctively try to avoid it. So why did that knight ignore that instinct? ¡°¡­It¡¯s probably because we don¡¯t mean anything to him.¡± Ironically, he already knew the answer. ¡ºIf not for my goal of killing all Demons along with their King, you and I would never have shared the same space to begin with.¡» ¡°To him, if our goals didn¡¯t align, he wouldn¡¯t see any value in us being together.¡± The Demon Knight had already stated that clearly. Deathbringer¡¯s eyes darkened. ____ Chapter 180: For Now (8) Chapter 180 For Now (8) ¡°Are you going to give up, then?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°I know he has no expectations of us. Even I think we¡¯re not worthy enough for him to expect anything.¡± Deathbringer almost choked up at the Inquisitor''s words. Seriously, that hopeless idealist could sometimes be more cynical than a pessimist. It was almost impossible to find out what was going on in that brain of hers. ¡°¡­It¡¯s not to that extent. No, why do you even think like that? Didn''t I tell you that you¡¯re not ipetent?¡± To begin with, what he¡¯d said¡­ What he¡¯d really meant with those words¡­ ¡°Thank you for saying that. But if we think about it a bit more, you''re clearly a lot better than I am.¡± Hearing the Inquisitor''s words, he didn''t know whether tough or cry, so he just lowered his head. The Inquisitor couldn''t understand the true meaning behind those words or why he had no other choice but to resign himself like that. ¡°No, I¡­ I really am just an insignificant person. If our goals didn''t align, we wouldn''t even be sharing the same space¡­ That''s the type of person I am.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°And the same goes for you.¡± ¡°¡­?!¡± Deathbringer suddenly remembered something the Archmage had told him. Something about the Demon Knight avoiding him because he was feeling confused. That he, somewhere in his heart, actually cared for him. Yes, that might be true. No, it had to be true. Whether it was just reluctant affection or pity, if not for the affection built up between them, enough for the Demon Knight to want to keep him alive, what other reason would he have to tolerate him like that? In that moment when the Demon Knight couldn''t bring himself to cut him down and had dropped his de, what reason would the Demon Knight have to show that kind of expression other than some form of affection? ¡°You know, iron wall?¡± But¡­ even so. ¡°Mister is a lot more¡­ affectionate than you think.¡± Did enough of the affection that made the Demon Knight tolerate him still remain? If the Demon Knight became aware of its existence¡­ would he even have a reason to let it stay within him? ¡°¡­I know. If he weren''t, he wouldn''t care for the weak like that.¡± ¡°That''s not what I''m talking about. I mean¡­ how he usually treats us.¡± The Demon Knight was kind. Yes, Deathbringer was entirely certain of that. He was kind. It was to the point where even his harsh words, taciturn attitude, and rough behavior couldn''t entirely hide his kindness. ¡°He threatens to leave me behind if I be a burden to him, but when I''m truly in danger, he subtly tries to help me out. Although he seems annoyed with our behavior, he never pushes us away when we stick close to him. I think that''s Mister¡¯s¡­ unique way of showing affection.¡± At the same time, he was someone who¡¯d devoted his life to revenge. In the Archmage''s words, he was ¡°someone who intends to stand against the Demons to his dying breath.¡± But¡­ was affection and kindness really of any value to someone like that? ¡°And for Mister, that affection is probably the most unnecessary emotion he has.¡± For someone whose only goal was to kill all Demons and then die after achieving it, was there any emotion more useless than affection? ¡°Why¡­ is affection unnecessary for him?¡± ¡°Because it''ll just get in the way.¡± Affection would hold people back, bind their wrists, and eventually cover their eyes, ears, and mouths, strangling them. That was what Deathbringer thought about ¡®affection.¡¯ Despite having the power to drive you crazy, it made you want to remain in this world, rendering any resistance futile, even though you had the power to break free, sometimes even driving you to die for another¡­ That was the type of emotion ¡®affection¡¯ was to him. ¡°Normal people findfort in affection and find love through it¡­ but we aren''t like that.¡± It was an emotion you would find in ordinary families who weren''t involved in life-threatening battles. But what would happen if such an ¡®affection¡¯ took root among those who were always fighting with their lives on the line? It was almost guaranteed not to end well. It could sometimes lead to positive results, but more often than not, the oue would be negative. ¡°That''s why¡­ I''m worried about what I should do, iron wall.¡± And if that were to happen, who would suffer more misfortune, them or the Demon Knight? ¡°If I just stand back and do nothing, I feel like Mister Knight will just die, but would I be able to save him if I reached out? Wouldn''t it just make things harder for Mister?¡± Who would end up having to sacrifice more? ¡°Moreover, I-I¡­¡± ¡­Why should the Demon Knight bear the cost of having affection for him? He had almost been forced to join the Demons¡¯ side and betray them, attacked the Demon Knight because of that situation, and was generally pretty useless. ¡°¡­Do I even have the right to reach out to him?¡± Deathbringer''s words left the Inquisitor speechless. She also didn''t know what was the right, or perhaps the better, path in this situation. ¡°¡­I don''t know.¡± And so the Inquisitor admitted it. She didn''t know what she didn''t know, after all. ¡°However, I don''t think what you said is reason enough for us not to try.¡± And that was why she came to that conclusion. Deathbringer furrowed his brows. ¡°How do you know that''s the right answer?¡± ¡°I don''t. I¡¯ve never experienced or ovee anything like this before, so how could I know whether this is the right answer?¡± ¡°¡­If we act too rashly¡ª¡± ¡°Then, can you guarantee acting rashly would lead to worse results than just doing nothing?¡± The Inquisitor, who only wore leg armor, straightened her back with a clink. She also lifted her head, leaving not a single shadow on her face. ¡°Of course, doing something might give us worse results than doing nothing, but can you be sure of that? No, you can''t. Isn''t that why you''re struggling with this so much?¡± On the contrary, she seemed radiant. ¡°I also don''t know. That¡¯s exactly why I want to act. Ignorance isn¡¯t an excuse for me to give up, nor does it justify abandoning the Demon Knight. Besides, running away using ignorance as an excuse isn¡¯t my style. Nor is it to limit my options before I even tried.¡± That radiance spread across her nose, cheeks, and neck, even covering the freckles and blemishes formed due to her extended exposure to the sun. ¡°That¡¯s why I won¡¯t back down. To me, inaction is far more shameful than failure.¡± Seriously, that iron wall was the most stubborn and headstrong fool in the world. ¡°And above all, I don¡¯t want to leave the Demon Knight like this. Why should he have to suffer and die alone? Even if he doesn¡¯t want it, I¡¯m definitely going to heal him. A patient needs to be treated, not left to suffer alone, only awaiting death.¡± She was a Hero. She was just the same as always. ¡°Right, besides, I¡¯m not even trying to understand or sympathize with the Demon Knight! So it¡¯s fine! I just want to stand beside him, catch him when he stumbles, need his help less often, and walk together like that!¡± ¡°¡­Geez. What¡¯s this? Sophistry?¡± ¡°How is this sophistry? The Archmage said the Demon Knight only mentioned not needing our understanding and sympathy, right? So if we just don¡¯t do those things, we should be fine!¡± ¡°Are you actually an idiot, or are you a genius pretending to be one? I seriously can¡¯t tell.¡± ¡°¡­??¡± ¡°Ah, whatever. What did I even think of trying to talk to you?¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?!¡± ¡°Exactly what you heard.¡± Deathbringer straightened his crouched legs. The sunlight streaming in through his hood flowed over his skin as well. ¡°Still¡­ Well, okay. It¡¯s true that a patient should be treated. Although, since Divine Power is like poison to Mister, we can¡¯t have him treated with any clinic affiliated with the Temple.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware of that now.¡± ¡°¡­And I still haven¡¯t apologized to him yet.¡± ¡°Do you have something to apologize for? Why haven¡¯t you done it yet?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s the thing. Maybe because I¡¯ve hardly ever apologized to someone properly, it¡¯s harder than I thought.¡± ¡°What¡¯s so hard about apologizing? Just do it.¡± ¡°I guess it¡¯s because I¡¯m not as straightforward as you are.¡± To be exact, it was because he was afraid of the Demon Knight¡¯s reaction. ¡°¡­Do you think he was hurt?¡± ¡°Him? Well. I can¡¯t really say, considering I don¡¯t even know what you did, but it¡¯s hard to imagine he got hurt.¡± ¡°That may be, but¡­" Deathbringer blinked at the Inquisitor¡¯s words. He had thought so as well. That was why he had swung his sword at him without a shred of hesitation. But now, looking back¡­ ¡°So he probably did get hurt after all.¡± ¡°Just what did you do, you troublemaker?¡± ¡°¡­Maybe it¡¯s just me who Mister finds worthless, not the whole group.¡± ¡°What exactly did you do, you idiot!¡± ¡°Shut up¡­ I feel like dying here.¡± ¡°Suicide is wrong! Confess and repent!!¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± * * * I had been incredibly absorbed in reading after such a long time. I paused, noticing the paper before me was turning red. The sun was already starting to set. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll be going now.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ huh? Ah, are you leaving?¡± Ah, had I known this would happen, I would have booked an inn in advance. I hadn¡¯t even considered where I would be staying now that I couldn¡¯t stay at the Temple. ¡°Goodbye!¡± I wondered whether some rooms would still be avable if I left now. With that thought in mind, I turned my back on the shop owner as he saw me off. It was around dinner time, so I was starting to feel hungry. ¡°Oh my, a customer. Wee!¡± While looking for an inn, I came across something that looked simply too delicious to pass up. It was bread filled with some stir-fried vegetables. ¡°One of those vegetable breads.¡± ¡°One moment!¡± My wallet practically flew open on its own. ¡°Here you go!¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± I knew the bread was part of the dish and the bowl it was served in, but for me, it was far too messy to take directly. It would cover my hands in flour. So I ced the handkerchief I¡¯d bought earlier between my hand and the vegetable-stuffed bread. The bread was so firm that it showed no sign of getting soggy despite being filled with sauce. Crunch. Even when I carefully nibbled some around the edges, it still seemed pretty solid. If I didn¡¯t want to break my teeth, I would have to be careful. ¡°Enjoy your meal!¡± Crunch, crunch. But it tasted pretty good. As I left the stall, I savored the vor of the stir-fried vegetables, which were even more delicious than I had expected. The alternatingyers of beets, cherry tomatoes, onions, and bell peppers gave the dish a crisp texture, while the sauce gave everything a tangy vor that lingered on my tongue. Simply put, it was extremely delicious. I might have to buy one more of these before leaving the city. ¡°Brother, let¡¯s go over there!¡± ¡°Where? Where?!¡± ¡°Over there!!¡± ¡°Leya, wait!¡± ¡°If you run too fast, you¡¯ll fall!¡± ¡°Hehehe! Hurry up¡­ Urgh!¡± Suddenly, a little girl running past me tripped over a rock and almost fell. My right hand instinctively moved forward, but then I stopped. ¡°Whoa, wah!¡± Thud! Thud! Meanwhile, the girl tried to keep her bnce by taking a step, but her center of gravity had already tilted too far forward. She was about to fall overpletely. St. In response, I tossed away the bread I had been holding in my left hand and reached out. I figured I wouldn¡¯t have enough time to switch it to my right. Thud. ¡°Whoa!¡± But in return, I managed to catch the girl¡¯s arm as she was about to hit the ground. I gently pulled the girl¡¯s body, which was tilted forward, back. ¡°Are you okay?!¡± ¡°Leya, are you fine? Urgh!¡± ¡°Th-Thank you¡­ hic!¡± The children, who seemed to be friends with the girl, ran over and froze when they saw me. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°Eek. An adventurer.¡± ¡°W-We¡¯re sorry!¡± No, they didn¡¯t even bump into me or anything, so there really was no need for them to apologize like that. If anything, I felt sorrier about hesitating to help the girl immediately over some personal feelings. However, the kids were already scared stiff. I nced at their trembling figures and silently continued down the road. ¡°H-He¡¯s leaving¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s my first time seeing an adventurer up close.¡± ¡°He¡¯s scary but also totally cool¡­¡± ¡°Was that really an adventurer? Maybe he¡¯s a knight?¡± ¡°A knight¡­!¡± ¡°Urgh!¡± ¡°What? What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Someone took one bite of this food and just threw it on the ground! How rude!¡± ¡°Uwah! Seriously!¡± ¡°What a waste! If they didn¡¯t want it, they should¡¯ve just given it to me!¡± ¡°Wait a sec, I think we can still eat it if we just brush off the dirty part¡­¡± And then I immediately turned back. I knew food was precious, but kids, eating something off the ground was a bit much! ¡°Just get rid of the dirty part and only eat what¡¯s inside the bread¡­¡± ¡°Brother, can I take this handkerchief?¡± ¡°Handkerchief? What¡¯s this? It looks really expensive¡­ Huh?¡± A shadow fell over their round heads. The kids, who¡¯d noticed, raised their heads. Their chubby little cheeks immediately went pale. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t eat things that have been dropped.¡± First, I carefully took the bread out of the kids¡¯ hands. They were frozen in fear, so they couldn¡¯t even react. Thud. The bread returned to the ground. The handkerchief? I just left it in the girl¡¯s hand. I had bought more than one anyway, and even if I hadn¡¯t, I could always buy another one. It wasn¡¯t something I would use much anyway, so it wasn¡¯t like I couldn¡¯t give it to her. ¡°S-Sorry¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t apologize to me.¡± Separately, kids, you should be apologizing to your stomachs for this, not me. There weren¡¯t any hospitals in this ce, so if they got sick, it would be pretty hard to treat them. I let out a soft sigh, looking at the three kids. My heart ached at the sight of those tiny things who were barely half my height. ¡°Follow me.¡± ¡°Eek!¡± ¡°I think we¡¯re in serious trouble¡­¡± ¡°Moooom¡­¡± What could I do? Some coincidences might also be fate. Things might have been different if I hadn¡¯t seen them, but since I had, I might as well help them out a little. I led the kids to the stall where I had brought that bread earlier. The kids were shaking in fear, thinking I was going to punish them, and the people around were staring at us intently, but there was nothing I could do about that. Well, what could I do if my appearance and aura were the way they were? After all, it wasn¡¯t like I could customize my character¡¯s appearance again. ¡°Four of those.¡± ¡°Oh, aren¡¯t you the customer from earlier?¡± Rather than solving this matter directly, I figured it¡¯d be better to let the situation resolve itself naturally. A few coins passed from my hand to the stall owner¡¯s, and at my nod, three of the four pieces of bread I bought were passed from the owner to the kids. ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Huh.¡± ¡°Erm¡­ Are you giving those to us?¡± ¡°Now go.¡± I even changed the filling from stir-fried vegetables to stir-fried meat, thinking they would like that better. They should eat well. Seeing the kids hesitate, still not fully understanding the situation, I left first. I thought it might be easier for them to eatfortably with me gone. Tap, tap, tap! ¡°Hey, Leya!¡± Grab! But then someone clutched my coat. I nced back at my coat tail, which was being gently pulled. A little girl with brown hair was at the end of my gaze. ¡°Thank you, Mister Adventurer!¡± She had a head covered in messy hair, a mouth with some baby teeth missing, and chubby cheeks with freckles sprinkled over her tiny nose. Her small hands were clutching both the handkerchief and the bread. Her smile, more precious than anything that could be bought with just a few coins, filled my view. It felt simr to when I saw the store owner and his younger sister bickering in the bookshop earlier. This indescribable feeling made my heart ache. ¡°¡­Chew well before you swallow.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Still, that faint feeling wasn¡¯t bad. Actually, I felt much better. Today¡¯s outing was a sess. ¡°Bye-bye, Mister Adventurer!¡± ¡°Goodbye!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I swallowed the surge of emotion that was about to wash over me. ¡°Demon Knight!!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± And then, an unmistakable voice I¡¯d recognize anywhere rang out behind me. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you keep your promise to spar with me?!¡± It was Bers. ¡°Ah, Demon Knight!¡± ¡°Mister!¡± The Inquisitor and Deb were also there. ¡°Do you have any idea how long we¡¯ve been looking for you?!¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t feel well, go get tested quickly. It¡¯s much more fun to spar when you¡¯re in perfect condition.¡± ¡°Mister¡­ Erm, h-how are you feeling¡­? You¡¯re not still in pain, right¡­?¡± I stared nkly at those two, who were either smiling brightly or chattering even while acting wary. No matter how I looked at it, they didn¡¯t seem to want to keep their distance like I¡¯d hoped. ¡°Let¡¯s go back, Demon Knight. The wizard told us to bring you back right away.¡± ¡°Come on, buddy, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go. I, erm, I also have something to give you. And there¡¯s something I wanted to say as well¡­¡± Seriously, just what did the Archmage do? Did shepletely fail to persuade them? Even though I made it that clear? Ah, maybe the Archmage didn¡¯t ry my words verbatim. I had used some pretty harsh words, after all. Or¡­ yeah. It might just be that those guys simply didn¡¯t listen. Berserk was tantly doing everything her own way, and the Inquisitor and Deb both had quite a rebellious streak. ¡°Demon Knight?¡± ¡°¡­Buddy, you.¡± I would be lying if I imed not to think it was impressive and quite touching. It was seriously tough to dislike people who were trying so hard to close the gap between us, even though I kept pushing them away. ¡°Get lost.¡± But¡­ this wasn¡¯t what I wanted. No, it wasn¡¯t something I should ever want. ¡°Unless you¡¯re here to inform me that we¡¯re leaving the city.¡± We needed to keep some distance between us. Even if we were walking the same path with the goal of seeing this mission to the end, we needed to maintain enough distance between us so that it wouldn¡¯t leave any scars when we parted ways, no matter how that might happen. ¡°Demon Knight¡­¡± ¡°Mister¡­?¡± To put it more bluntly, whether I realized the futility of this journey and ultimately abandoned it, or I died along the way due to theck of my skills. Or I got in by them as a Demon. I needed to keep a professional distance to keep anyone from getting hurt too badly at any given moment. Clink. As such, with the metallic nking of my gauntlet, I passed by them. I didn¡¯t even spare them a single nce. I had learned long ago that when severing a rtionship, whether by choice or by force, there was no surer way thanplete indifference. Then suddenly, it urred to me that I could no longer tease my character for being a cringey lone wolf or ¡°Dark me Dragon¡± type of character. Things had be dull. ____ Chapter 181: On This Land (1) Chapter 181 On This Land (1) ¡°Wait¡­!¡± ¡°Priest, stop.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The Demon Knight has already refused.¡± ¡°B-But Berserk. The Demon Knight¡­¡± The Inquisitor was looking between the back of the one walking away from her and the one holding her back. ¡°Respect his choice, Priest.¡± Berserk spoke bluntly. ¡°You have no right to interfere with him. Because you''re weaker than him.¡± She couldn''t understand that statement. ¡°¡­I know I''mcking in many ways. However, being weaker doesn''t make me unqualified to reach out to him!¡± A person¡¯s strength shouldn¡¯t dictate their rights. Moreover, hadn''t she already made a promise to that troublemaker earlier? She wasn''t nning on just giving up like this. However, when she shouted out like this, Berserk only tilted her head slightly. The amber eyes, which usually resembled a beast¡¯s or the sun, glowed with a golden hue. It was a gold that had somewhat changed in color after being hidden underground for a thousand years. ¡°You¡¯re wrong, Priest. The weak have neither the qualifications nor the right to act.¡± ¡°The qualifications or right to reach out to another is granted by courage alone. It has nothing to do with strength.¡± ¡°Priest.¡± Under the Inquisitor¡¯s gaze, Berserk seemed to have aged in an instant. Not in the sense of her face growing more wrinkled or her hair turned gray. In a single breath, the weight behind her gaze had changed drastically, as if the thousand-year-old gold had sunk to a depth where its glow could no longer reach the surface. ¡°It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying. I also admire those who can summon the courage to fight. However¡­ there are some things in this world that cannot be resolved through sheer courage, perseverance, and earnestness alone. These things require strength to tie up loose ends¡­ like what is happening now.¡± The hot gold had turned into cold steel. ¡°Why¡­ why is this something that can only be solved with strength? Why? The Demon Knight is suffering¡ª¡± ¡°If the Demon Knight were to lose control and go on a rampage, could you subdue him?¡± ¡°I-I would try. I would find some way to subdue him¡­¡± ¡°Can you put this ¡®some way¡¯ into clearer words? Words that would convince not just you but also the Demon Knight?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Priest, you can try to save someone even with limited strength. Holding their hand and perishing together might even be a form of salvation for some. But protecting someone is different. Protecting someone is a different matter entirely.¡± With each deliberate word Berserk spat out, a chill ran down the Inquisitor¡¯s spine. ¡°When protecting an old woman from a thug, you need strength. When guarding a child chased by loan sharks, you need strength. Even when trying to save someone prepared to die in a duel, you absolutely need strength. Whether it¡¯s financial power, physical brawn, or authority, there are times when only strength can get you the answer you want.¡± Her voice was colder than a de and harsher than the snow on a mountain peak. ¡°That is why neither you nor the young hunter have the right or the opportunity to protect the Demon Knight. With your abilities, you cannot protect him. In fact, you probably wouldn¡¯t even be able to save him.¡± At least, that was how it felt to the Inquisitor. A de could at least be blocked, but even if she covered her ears, Berserk¡¯s words would still reach her, which made them even more unbearable. ¡°¡­Then what about you, Miss Fighter? I know we¡¯re weak, but if it¡¯s you¡­¡± ¡°Young hunter.¡± But the saddest part, what made the Inquisitor¡¯s heart ache the most, was this. ¡°Don¡¯t think you¡¯re the only one pained by the limits of strength.¡± The expression on Berserk¡¯s face as she spoke those words was truly heartbreaking. ¡°If I could have acted, I would have done so. The Demon Knight is a rare, interesting opponent, and I want to keep fighting him.¡± Knowing Berserk also didn¡¯t want to just stand down like that¡­ made the Inquisitor incredibly sad. ¡°¡­Still, I won¡¯t give up.¡± But instead of shedding tears, she shouted, her eyes reddened. ¡°So, in other words, if I be stronger, I can make a difference, right? Then, instead of giving up, I¡¯ll just keep trying harder. That¡¯s what I need to do.¡± Because an inquisitor was meant to break but never be broken. ¡°¡­Do as you wish, Priest. However¡­ No. Just, don¡¯t be toote. Fate won¡¯t wait for you.¡± Berserk encouraged her with a tired expression. Her face still showed doubt, resignation, and regret, but at least she wasn¡¯t trying to stop the Inquisitor¡¯s endeavor. That was enough. She was someone who could act even without another¡¯s support. ¡°Hey, troublemaker, are you going too?¡± ¡°¡­Going where?¡± ¡°To follow the Demon Knight! Regardless of whether he¡¯s willing to rely on us, we should at least check if there¡¯s anything wrong with his health!¡± ¡°¡­Ah, right. We should.¡± However, she decided she would definitely have the troublemaker join her. Seeing him be all gloomy after hearing he was weak, she pped him on his back. Smack! ¡°¡ª!!!¡± And like that, after just one small hit, he fell and flopped around like a freshly caught fish! She looked at his pitiful figure on the ground, forgetting she was used to carrying around an average of thirty to forty kilograms. ¡°We¡¯re just getting started, so don¡¯t make yourself sound so weak! Are you just fooling around when you¡¯re around the Demon Knight?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Answer me!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­Erm, Priest.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I think the young hunter fainted.¡± ¡°What???¡± * * * [Urgently seeking a Demon Knight for a health checkup at the manor] [Looking for a Demon Knight willing to receive a gift and an apology] What was with those two signs? Those were the phrases I saw as soon as I came downstairs to eat some breakfast after waking up from a refreshing night¡¯s sleep at an inn. ¡°Demon Knight!!¡± ¡°Mister!!¡± I was at aplete loss for words as I looked at those two people holding signs outside the inn. Seeing them here in a way I¡¯d never even dared to imagine, I felt so shocked that my hair almost turnedpletely white. ¡­What were those two even doing? ¡°Erm, customer. Do you happen to know those people¡­?¡± As I stood there staring at them nkly, an employee of the inn quietly approached me and asked¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± I really didn¡¯t want to respond to that. Regardless, being shocked was one thing, and being embarrassed was another. This was absolutely mortifying. After sending away the employee with a far fiercer and grimmer demeanor than usual, I gathered my Arcane Power. Crash! ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Whoa.¡± A small [Arcane Spear] shattered the signs held by the Inquisitor and Deathbringer, making them vanish from existence. The people passing by looked slightly surprised, but I had no time to be considerate of them. Phew. Those damn embarrassing things were finally gone. ¡°Demon Knight, since you destroyed our signs, does that mean you¡¯re willing to talk to us¡ª!¡± ¡­No, it looked like it wasn¡¯t over yet. As soon as the signs were shattered, I saw those two burst into the tavern on the inn¡¯s first floor. They almost seemed like wild dogs¡­ no, like madmen the way they rushed toward me. ¡°Your order¡ªUwah!¡± ¡°Urgh!¡± I reflexively kicked the nearest table toward them. I noticed the customer seated at said table and the server about to ce down their food were both clutching their chests in shock, but they weren¡¯t harmed. ¡°Whoa!¡± The table flew straight at the Inquisitor and Deathbringer, about to hit them. The Inquisitor managed to grab it, spun it around, and safely put it down, but anyway. Meanwhile, I slipped into the kitchen. I knew there was a door in there leading outside. ¡°Customer, you¡¯re not supposed to enter¡­ No¡­ Erm, actually, go right ahead.¡± It was truly fortunate that I always kept my luggage in my Inventory. I passed the flustered cook and went out of the kitchen¡¯s back door¡ªshould it be called a side door since it was located on the side of the building?¡ªentering a narrow alley between the inn and the next building. ¡°Ah, Demon Knight!¡± ¡°Mister, wait for us!!¡± Those lunatics. I mmed the door shut and quickly made my way through the alley. Since many people were walking around the main street, I thought it would be best just to merge into the crowd. ¡°Demon Knight!!¡± ¡°Mister!!¡± Stop shouting so loudly! It¡¯s embarrassing! I quickly walked, not ran, through the crowd of people. The reason I didn¡¯t run was because it wasn¡¯t like I was a fugitive. That was all. It wasn¡¯t like I had anything to be guilty about. I was simply trying to avoid them, not fleeing for my life. ¡°Demon Kniiiiight!!!¡± ¡°Mister, I know I¡¯m not qualified to do so, but¡­ I really feel like I need to do this! Ah, hey, just wait a minute!¡± Fortunately, those guys didn¡¯t run either. It was probably because of all the people around us. Tak, tak, tak. Anyway, I went back into an alley. My destination was the bookstore I had gone to yesterday. Originally, I had nned to visit the manor to check if the lord¡¯s schedule had opened up and then search for a decent cksmith¡¯s shop¡­ but I couldn¡¯t exactly do that with those two chasing me around. ¡°Mister, you¡¯re seriously fast¡­¡± ¡°Demon Knight! Where are you going? Are you going to the Temple? Ah, you can get your checkup at the manor! Madam Archmage said she wanted to do it there instead!¡± But eventually, they caught up with me. Although I was walking briskly, they were half-running, so it couldn¡¯t be helped. They stayed a few steps behind me, chattering away. ¡°Erm, so, mister. I mean¡­¡± ¡°Stop stammering and spit it out.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry. I know it¡¯s far toote to say this, and I don¡¯t even think I¡¯m qualified to do this¡­ but I still have to apologize to you¡­¡± ¡°Get to the point!¡± ¡°You, stay out of this! Ah, I¡¯m not trying to joke around here! Mister, I know it¡¯s far toote, but¡­ I really mean it. I¡¯m sorry. For what happened back then¡­ for attacking you. I¡¯m really¡­ truly sorry¡­ I didn¡¯t mean for that to happen, I swear. I-I just¡­ no, not just¡­ What I¡¯m trying to say is back then¡­¡± Then, when that apology I thought would never reach me entered my ears, my mind went nk for a second. ¡°So¡­ Ah, damn it, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really¡­ really sorry¡­ if I hurt you, somehow¡­¡± ¡°Damn it? Stop that ¡®damn it¡¯ already! Do it properly!¡± ¡°Urgh! Could you please stay out of this already?! I-I want to say it properly, too, but the words just aren¡¯ting out right!¡± So it wasn¡¯t that he¡¯d grown to hate me. ¡­It wasn¡¯t that he was afraid I would kill him. ¡°This is my first time actually apologizing like this¡­ S-So I¡­ Urgh, I-I¡¯m not asking you to forgive me or anything! I j-just wanted to tell you that I¡¯m really sorry¡­ Y-You don¡¯t necessarily have to acknowledge it, but I still wanted you to know¡­ I-I really messed up back then¡­ S-So I¡¯m really sorry for having been such an idiot¡­¡± I barely suppressed the urge to turn my head away as I listened to Deathbringer¡¯s trembling voice. ¡°It¡¯s not much, but I-I bought you a longsword¡­ Could you maybe¡­ take it, perhaps? I would never dare think it would mean you forgave me if you took it or anything¡­¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s pretty stupid that he can¡¯t even apologize properly, but Demon Knight! This guy has truly been repentant. While it¡¯s not my ce to interfere in this, and I would never presume to ask for forgiveness on his behalf, would you at least give him a chance to apologize properly?¡± There was no helping it. His apology was a littlete. Actually, it was veryte. Or perhaps it was just inevitable. ¡°¡­¡± I opened my mouth when I realized what the longsword Deathbringer had been carrying for some time was for, then quickly closed it again. There was no point in saying anything anymore. * * * ¡°¡­Mister?¡± ¡°Demon Knight, did you hear us?¡± I concentrated on finding my way, even if it meant tuning out their voices. Soon, I spotted a familiar alley. Knock, knock. ¡°Where is this?¡± ¡°¡­There¡¯s only one window.¡± I knocked and focused on even the slightest soundsing from inside. It seemed I¡¯de here too early. I couldn¡¯t hear anything. Of course, it was still morning, so maybe there was still some time before he opened the store. ¡°Oh, customer?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Luckily, the bookstore owner showed up not too long after. His gaze briefly shifted to the two people behind me. ¡°Erm, why are people from the Temple¡­?¡± Mister Bookstore Owner, were you not on good terms with the Temple? I nodded toward him, noticing his very ce face. ¡°Open the door.¡± ¡°Erm¡­ Customer, I think there might be some misunderstanding¡­¡± ¡°Demon Knight! Who is that man?¡± ¡°Erm, he looks like a scribe¡­ Is that right, mister¡­?¡± ¡°¡­??¡± What should I do about this collective confusion? And why was the bookstore owner acting so strangely today? What was that about a misunderstanding? ¡°¡­Erm, Miss Priest, are you here to inspect the store?¡± ¡°¡­? Not at all?¡± ¡°A-Aah! Is that so? Then are you here for a transcription request¡­?¡± ¡°A transcription?¡± I exhaled slightly and knocked on the door firmly. Thud. ¡°If you¡¯re not opening it, I¡¯ll just leave.¡± ¡°No, no! Just a moment!¡± The store owner, who had been distracted by those two behind me, quickly unlocked the door. Rattle. The old door creaked open. ¡°Pleasee in. I might not have many types of books, but all of my transcriptions¡ª¡± Thud! ¡°Huh.¡± ¡°What, mister!¡± ¡°Demon Knight?¡± The moment I entered the shop, I shut the door before the Inquisitor and Deathbringer could follow. The store owner, who had just lit some candles, and the two left outside made startled sounds. ¡°Erm, are the two outside noting in¡­?¡± Clink. ¡°Do not let them in. Under any circumstances.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± A slightly heavier pursended in the shopkeeper¡¯s hand. Naturally, his face lit up with a bright smile when he saw the silver coins shining through its opening. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll assume you¡¯ll be reading upstairs again today?¡± Of course, this promise could be broken if they offered him arger amount¡­ but Deathbringer was quite stingy, and the Inquisitor rarely carried any money with her. They probably wouldn¡¯t be able to pay the store owner more than me. ¡ºIt¡¯s not much, but I-I bought you a longsword¡­ Could you maybe¡­ take it, perhaps?¡» ¡­Even though Deathbringer was usually so stingy. Grumble. A sound pulled my attention from that thought. Ah, I¡¯d skipped breakfast, so now my stomach was rumbling. After some thought, I took out an additional 30,000 Gal from my Inventory and handed it to the shopkeeper. ¡°And this is?¡± ¡°I wanted to order what was delivered here yesterday again. Could you handle that? You can keep the rest.¡± ¡°Ah, of course!¡± I wondered if it was appropriate to burden this young business owner with such a trivial errand¡­ but he didn¡¯t seem too offended by my request. Feeling relieved, I simply headed upstairs. ¡°Erm, excuse me, but could you leave now¡­?¡± ¡°Um, we¡¯re kind of Companions¡­ so isn¡¯t there some way¡­?¡± ¡°Since when did we start calling a rtionship where a door gets shut on you a panion¡¯? I don¡¯t recall the definition changing.¡± ¡°Now, well¡­¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Look, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on between you guys, nor is it my business, but¡­ I can¡¯t let you in right now. He was the first customer here, and he was also the first to request this of me. If you¡¯re trulypanions, you¡¯ll have to work it outter when you are alone.¡± ¡°Ah, well, actually. That¡¯s why we¡¯re here. To work things out.¡± ¡°I came here because I want to apologize¡­ And also this¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not my concern. Now, please go. Frankly, from my perspective, you''re kind of acting like stalkers here¡ª¡± ¡°A-A request! Right, we¡¯re here to make a request! Yes!¡± ¡°Is that so? In that case, let¡¯s head to the front of the store. It¡¯s too dark inside to hold a proper conversation.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Is there a problem?¡± The shopkeeper sure was doing a great job and was well worth the money he¡¯d received. I¡¯d have to tip him a lot more when I leftter. * * * The Archmage sighed as she looked at the sliced-up remains of the Skyflow Tiger. Despite the Demon Knight telling her to keep a distance between them, he still left these kinds of tasks to her. Could that mean he had some degree of trust in her, even if it wasn¡¯t necessarily a bond, or had the Demon Knight made her do it simply because he considered this task unimportant? It was probably thetter. ¡°Will you buy it?¡± ¡°¡­It probably won¡¯tst long in the Temple.¡± ¡°I see. Then the Magic Tower will buy all of it.¡± Still, considering the dedication he¡¯d shown, her next step was more than clear. The Archmage inspected the butchered remains once more, thinking of a way to sell them for the highest price possible. ¡°Hmm?¡± Then suddenly, a thought urred to her when she looked at the Skyflow Tiger¡¯s thigh bone: it would make a pretty decent sword. Although they¡¯d already bought a longsword for the Demon Knight, it was nothing more than a regr iron sword. It would break in no time. ¡°Perhaps I should buy this one myself.¡± Since she was fairly ignorant about weapons, she would likely have to seek advice from Berserk or the Inquisitor¡­ but she had a hunch they wouldn¡¯t advise against using this. ¡°Now that the forms have stabilized, if I do well¡­¡± She mentally estimated her funds and considered who tomission for this task. Fortunately, someone she had recently been in contact with for some form refinements and crafting was avable. ¡°If the timing is just right, this could work out really well.¡± While she felt slightly guilty for piling even more work on top of her existingmission, she knew there was no better alternative in terms of skill. Thinking there was no better opportunity than now to use this connection, she made her decision. ¡°Madam Archmage¡­¡± ¡°Miss Archmage¡­¡± ¡°¡­Inquisitor? And you too?¡± Of course, whether this gift would reach the intended recipient was another matter. Hearing the two¡¯s report after they came back almost crying, she rubbed her forehead. How could mending a single rtionship be so much harder than hunting a Great Demon? ____ Chapter 182: On This Land (2) Chapter 182 On This Land (2) ¡°I should¡¯ve just told him it would take about three weeks. Maybe even a whole month.¡± Mia, the youngdy of Camborough, muttered as she recalled what had happened a few days ago. She recalled the Demon Knighting to confirm her schedule, even though she¡¯d already explicitly told them she would adapt her schedule to their departure time. ¡°Mia, what did you just say?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Leon.¡± At first, Mia thought there¡¯d been some kind of mimunication, but since none other than the Demon Knight hade to see her, she dismissed that assumption. If this were really due to some mimunication, they¡¯d have likely sent a herald or the Archmage herself, who usually handled these external affairs. Certainly not the Demon Knight. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be like that. I¡¯m curious.¡± ¡°¡­I told him everything would be ready in a week because I was so flustered.¡± She¡¯d cautiously asked, ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard anything?¡± and from his furrowed brows had gotten her answer. She didn¡¯t know why, but for some reason, the Hero¡¯s party was keeping certain information from the Demon Knight. ¡°Ah¡­ It¡¯s about that.¡± To end the conversation somehow, she¡¯d said something akin to ¡°I suppose the message didn¡¯t reach you, but I told the party it would take about a week¡± and left it at that¡­ ¡°What I said wasn¡¯t a mistake, but¡­ it¡¯s still a bit disappointing.¡± Later, when she called the Archmage, she confirmed they really hadn¡¯t shared this information with the Demon Knight. They seemed to think he might actually sit still and rest if someone as high-ranking as the youngdy suggested it, which was rather funny. ¡°I feel the same.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°If he really leaves like this, we won¡¯t be able to see him for a few months, right? Furthermore, our wedding will probably get postponed because of the city reconstruction.¡± She leaned back against him as he came up to her, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. She went to touch his hand, feeling its warmth spread over the back of her own. ¡°Even after we''re married, we won¡¯t be able to see each other much. Are you really okay with that?¡± ¡°¡­Right. I should¡¯ve just nagged my parents more to give me a younger sibling when I was little.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°My mother said she would, but my father kept yelling, saying he didn¡¯t want her to because he couldn¡¯t stand the sight of my mother suffering. That old man, seriously.¡± The warmth he was sharing with her almost tickled, which made her giggle. ¡°Do you¡­ resent your father?¡± ¡°Ah, how could I resent him over something like that? What my father said wasn¡¯t wrong either.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean because of that thing with the younger sibling¡­ but about giving up on you.¡± However, herughter didn¡¯tst long. Mia lifted her head slightly. Most of her vision was filled with the face of the kind person she loved the most. ¡°No. Not one bit.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°The night I told him I might have to offer myself to the Skyflow Tiger¡­ I heard him crying quietly in his room.¡± ¡°¡­I guess you take after your father in terms of how much you cry.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± And because he was a person as strong as he was affectionate. ¡°If there¡¯s anything to resent¡­ wouldn¡¯t it be those rebels you beat up and subdued?¡± ¡°Were you close enough with them to feel any resentment? They did try to kill you, right?¡± ¡°No¡­ Rather than being close, hmm, I wanted to beat them up myself. They were the ones who protested in front of our manor for days, demanding we reveal the real culprit when neither I nor my father killed the former lord. I felt so infuriated back then¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± She pressed her forehead against Leon¡¯s to cheer him up. He then lightly rubbed his forehead against hers and nted a kiss on her, leaving a mark. ¡°Mia, don¡¯t you feel any resentment toward your own family?¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m way past resenting them¡­ I can¡¯t even see them as a bother anymore. That¡¯s how done with them I am.¡± ¡°¡­Did they lose their power over you?¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± She thought of her family, who¡¯d been keeping their heads down ever since the people rose up like that. Only then had they realized she could have their stomachs cut open with just a single order. How truly foolish. ¡°Those idiots can¡¯t stop me anymore.¡± In fact, it was all thanks to this that she could afford to leave her position for a while. Now, they wouldn¡¯t dare scheme against her even if she wasn''t there. The entire city was watching them, after all. ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°Right?¡± Still, she figured she would have to return soon. But she thought it would¡¯ve been nice to have postponed that for one more month. She sighed softly, feeling regret. Knock, knock. Just then, they heard a knock on the door. ¡°Young Lord!¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Ehem.¡± With Young Lord Leon¡¯s permission, his aide entered the room. Of course, upon seeing the two of them so close together, he couldn¡¯t help but awkwardly cough. ¡°I know you¡¯re quite reluctant to leave, my lord, but I¡¯m feeling quite chilly over here.¡± ¡°Then go fall in love with someone.¡± ¡°Then you should actually give me time to do so¡­¡± ¡°Haha. Okay. Once everything¡¯s settled, I¡¯ll give you some time off.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°So, what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing urgent, but¡­ I thought it would be rather odd to dy my report.¡± ¡°What?¡± The aide cleared his throat once more and spoke in aposed and determined manner. ¡°The forest that burned down during the subjugation of the Skyflow Tiger¡­ has begun to regenerate, albeit slightly.¡± * * * Ah, I felt like yawning. ¡°What''s with the mood here?¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t we leaving?¡± ¡°We will. But the route seems to have changed a little. We¡¯ll be taking a detour¡­ I think we¡¯ll be stopping by the forest where we caught the Skyflow Tiger.¡± Feeling a yawn almost escape my mouth due to ack of sleep, I lightly bit my tongue to hold it back. Yeah, I mean, even good-looking people looked weird when they yawned. And what would looking weird mean for my character? That would practically be like asking for my death. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°We heard something unusual was happening there.¡± ¡°¡­The Demon?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. On the surface, it appears to be a positive change.¡± ¡°A positive change¡­?¡± ¡°It seems grass is growing there again.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± ¡°Still, we shouldn¡¯t let our guard down! There can¡¯t be a change without a cause!¡± But right now, the heaviest things in this world were my eyelids. With the warm sunlight pouring down on me and the gentle breeze tossing my hair, I was getting increasingly drowsy. If we were forced to march somewhere to avoid dying, that might be different, but this peaceful atmosphere only made me feel seriously sleepy. ¡°Madam Archmage, it appears we¡¯re ready to go¡­¡± ¡°Ah, everything¡¯s set? Then let us go ahead. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Fortunately, before I actually fell asleep, we received the signal of our departure. It was time to ride. Neigh. My riding skills had significantly improved over the past few months, but that didn¡¯t mean I¡¯d be capable of riding while sleeping. So, I focused on the horse¡¯s tempo. The horse, which initially seemed a little ufortable, soon showed signs of rxing. ¡°Um¡­¡± Alright. Now began my battle against boredom. Whenever we traveled between cities, it always felt like I was driving down to the countryside, but much slower and way less fun. ¡°Erm, Demon Knight. Are you feeling alright¡­?¡± Still, I wasn¡¯t hoping for some kind of incident to happen or anything. All the Quests that might pop up here were pretty annoying since they always tied back to the main storyline somehow. Seriously. All I wanted were trivial Sidequests that could bepleted in a day or two, not Main Quests. ¡°Demon Knight.¡± Of course, the Sidequests I was referring to were things like ¡°Collect Sd Ingredients¡± or ¡°Deliver a Sd¡±. I definitely wasn¡¯t looking for stuff like ¡°Exterminate Bandits: Complete Annihtion¡± or ¡°Cleanly Cut Down Heinous Criminals¡ï¡±. ¡°What are you doing, iron wall?¡± ¡°No, I¡­ Never mind.¡± In the meantime, the person who kept trying to talk to me finally gave up. My efforts to distract myself with random thoughts and not look at her really paid off. Just like the past week, time passed without incident. ¡°¡­¡± I heard the horse that had approached me getting further away again. Once I felt she was a safe distance away again, I let out the breath I had been half-holding in. Seeing that red-haired head drooping down in disappointment made my heart ache for no reason. ¡°Hah.¡± Still¡­ this was for the best. Yes, for the best. I looked up at the sky, letting out a small sigh, so quiet that no one would be able to hear it. The sky, seeming unbothered by my troubles, was beautifully blue. * * * Whooooosh. ¡°Ah, summer snow.¡± ¡°Everyone, cover your mouths and noses with a cloth. I won¡¯t take responsibility if summer snow gets in your nose.¡± Just then, as the wind blew strongly, seeds from wind-pollinated trees scattered all around us at once. It seemed the fruits and seeds had fully ripened during our stay in Ednium. The fluffy seeds fluttered about like snowkes. The term ¡°summer snow¡± fit this phenomenon perfectly. Flutter. I caught one of the seeds. Maybe because I rarely saw this kind of sight where I¡¯de from, it felt quite unfamiliar. It looked like we were trapped in winter in the middle of May. Even though it wasn¡¯t even May, nor was it winter. Still, to me, it felt like winter. ¡°Take this.¡± At that moment, Deathbringer suddenly handed me something: a piece of cloth. ¡°If this stuff gets up your nose¡­ it¡¯s pretty hard to deal with. So, well¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t tell whether I should be happy about this. I opened my mouth slightly before closing it again. Clip, clop. Recognizing my signal, my horse picked up its pace slightly and moved forward. Rustle. In the meantime, I took out my handkerchief and covered my mouth and nose. Oh, this thing was so useful. I was d I¡¯d bought it. ¡°¡­You tried.¡± ¡°¡­What are you saying?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not giving up already, right?¡± ¡°What are you even talking about? Just watch where you¡¯re going, iron wall.¡± ¡°Huh. I¡¯m already doing that¡ªYuck!¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I told you to watch where you¡¯re going.¡± ¡°A-Achoo, achoo!¡± ¡°Geez.¡± ¡°Achoo! Y-You! If one of those fluffballs was flying toward me, shouldn¡¯t you have warned me or something!! Achoo!!¡± ¡°That¡¯s your job, though, right?¡± ¡­Let me just say it again: I was really d I¡¯d bought this handkerchief. It also hid my lips, which had pulled into a slight smile. ¡°You¡¯ve really changed.¡± Anyway, after walking for quite some time through the summer snow, we reached our intermediate destination. Ity right between Ednium and Camborough, in a ce those Demons had burned to the ground. ¡°Moss¡­¡± ¡°The trees have grown back to such an extent since that day?¡± ¡°This started exactly one week ago.¡± ¡°¡­Is that even possible?¡± ¡°¡­One week? If it started a week ago, it was when Mister¡­¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s no point in discussing the possibility of something that¡¯s already happened. Rather, what really matters is whether this is a problem. Madam Archmage, if you don¡¯t mind, I would like to ask your opinion on this, if possible¡­¡± ¡°Please wait a moment. I¡¯ll need some time to analyze the phenomenon myself.¡± Ah, I stayed up all night for nothing. I didn¡¯t think I would end up back here. Thinking that, I looked around. The ground that had been charred ck only a few days prior was now covered in soft moss and grass. Young saplings were growing here and there as well. ¡°Young hunter, why are you looking like that?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter, troublemaker? Do you have any ideas about this?¡± ¡°No, well¡­ I do have some suspicions.¡± ¡°In that case, shouldn¡¯t you tell the Archmage?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just wait a little longer!¡± They only came up to my knees for now, but in a few years, those saplings would form a lush forest. Thud. > [Well, now, didn¡¯t you say you wouldn¡¯t be able to meet me? Seems like you haven¡¯t left yet.] ¡­Or maybe in just a few days. > [Then, would you mind chatting with me a bit more¡­? Would that be alright?] I took a deep breath as I looked at the snake peeking out from one side of the forest, its tail swaying gently beside its head. > [Ah, but I suppose I should first take care of what I have to do. Shall I begin right away? But you know, I¡¯ll need the others to step back a bit.] ¡°¡­Wait.¡± I was worried I might actuallyugh at its familiar tone and actions. ¡°Wizard.¡± ¡°¡­Are you speaking to me?¡± ¡°Young Lord.¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°Move the people back.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Right now.¡± Without taking my eyes off the snake, I made a somewhat forceful request, or rather, a demand. The two exchanged nces, seeming confused. ¡°¡­Well, alright.¡± ¡°If Sir Knight says so. However, might we know the reason¡­?¡± But even though they were somewhat skeptical, neither disregarded my instructions. Their doubts would surely be resolved if they saw this enormous snake in a bit. > [Ah, you don¡¯t have to leave, Sir Knight. Just the others, yes. That should be about far enough. Shall I start?] ¡°Demon Knight, is this far enou¡ª¡± ¡°Do it.¡± ¡°¡ª?¡± > [Hehe.] The white snakeughed frivolously as it shifted its massive body. Rumble. It then plunged its massive head into the ground, stirring up a lot of wind. ¡°Wind?!¡± ¡°Whoa!¡± At that moment, the greenery began spreading like wildfire. Yes, it looked exactly like the mes that had previously engulfed this ce. Vines grew, the stems of tiny buds sprouted tall before blooming, and trees spread their branches as they grew. It was almost like the mes of nature were stretching their heads toward the sky. ¡°¡­It¡¯s growing.¡± ¡°The forest¡­¡± And standing right in the center, I could watch it all happen. It was truly amazing. Swoosh! > [Phew! The forest I live in is already thick and lush, so I¡¯ve never had the chance to do this sort of thing. This felt better than I thought. Are there any more ces that need restoration?] Usually, I would say there wasn¡¯t¡­ but I now thought I wouldn¡¯t mind seeing this again. ¡°¡­Good work.¡± > [Uwhehehe. I worked pretty hard.] I ced my hand on the head of the approaching Mountain Lord. Instead of recoiling, the Mountain Lord subtly leaned into my touch. I could feel its cold, smooth, serpentine body. > [Ah, by the way, Sir Knight. I sensed some oceanic aura in this ce before I arrived. That wouldn¡¯t be your doing, perchance?] Ah. So it could sense something like that as well? I fell silent at that unexpected question. It was true that I had buried the bead here a few days ago to check its effects, just in case the Mountain Lord couldn¡¯te here. In the end, my preparations had been rendered utterly useless by the Mountain Lord¡¯s presence. > [Oh well, if you rather don¡¯t talk about it, you don¡¯t have to.] Still, my actions weren¡¯t entirely meaningless. I had learned that if I separated the bead from my body, Divine Power dealt more dot damage to me, and the bead could also elerate nt growth to some extent¡ªthis was definitely beyond just keeping some nts alive. I had been lied to! > [Moreover, I heard that the punk living here was cking off and only did useless things. So, does that mean the entire Eastern region looks like this? In that case, maybe I should wander around this ce and lend some strength.] Still, it was a good thing. It was pretty nice of this guy to bring it up before I was forced to ask. ¡°¡­Do whatever you want.¡± > [Wow, really? Are you really saying I can just go wherever I want? Uwhehehe. Since you¡¯ve given me permission, I¡¯ll roam around as much as I want.] ¡°¡­¡± Watching the Mountain Lord wag its tail, almost making it seem like a propeller, I clenched my teeth, trying to suppress augh from bursting forth. > [Don¡¯t look at me like that. I¡¯m not a kid or anything. It¡¯s just that if I leave for even a little while, those damn priests start crying and kicking up a fuss, so I¡¯ve been stuck in that tiny part of the forest this whole time. If not for your request, they probably wouldn¡¯t have let me go either.] I wasn¡¯t even looking at it that way, but I still felt a little guilty. Still, it had been so kind to me, so I didn¡¯t feel like teasing it and just let it blurt out its excuses. It was pretty cute and funny. I slightly stroked the Mountain Lord¡¯s chin¡ªmaybe more like its lower lip?¡ªand then took away my hand. ¡°Demon Knight, this is¡­¡± Ah, the Archmage came over at the perfect time. When I saw the young lord standing near her, I turned toward the Mountain Lord, signaling it to show itself to them. ¡°Just what is that snake¡­?¡± Now that I thought about it, it seemed like their eyes had been stuck on the Mountain Lord from the start, not me. I didn¡¯t recall seeing its figure until it began regenerating the forest. Had it already revealed itself? ¡°¡­This is the Mountain Lord of the Great Forest.¡± ¡°The Mountain Lord!¡± This wasn¡¯t a bad development. It spared me a lot of exining. ¡°Why is the Mountain Lord¡­? No, rather than that, you have my deepest gratitude. The youngdy of Camborough greets you.¡± > [Goodness. Are all the people outside this pretty? Ah, could that be your partner, Sir Knight?] There it goes again. Please don¡¯t make me look like some kind of viin. That person already has someone, okay? > [Ah, so you¡¯re not. Oh my. What a shame. You two would¡¯ve been a great match.] Seriously. Why was it trying to pair me up with her when we weren¡¯t even close? Had it always been so mischievous? ¡°¡­You called it here, didn¡¯t you?¡± I shot the snake a pointed look, but maybe it had been a bit too much. The Archmage, who seemed to have figured everything out, sighed before speaking up. Hearing that, the youngdy looked at me with slightly reddened eyes. > [Siiigh. You really would¡¯ve suited each other well¡­] ¡°¡­Give your thanks to the Great Forest. They allowed it toe here.¡± > [But really, you would¡¯ve been such a great match¡­ Are you really not interested in her?] Mountain Lord, please stop. ____ Chapter 183: On This Land (3) Chapter 183 On This Land (3) We finally arrived in Camborough. We¡¯d be leaving this ce again soon, but anyway. ¡°As a token of my gratitude¡­¡± ¡°No need.¡± ¡°Come on, at least talk to me once¡­!¡± ¡°Get lost.¡± But why were so many people clinging to me? I wondered whether they wanted to ride my coattails or were blinded by my reputation as a member of the Hero¡¯s party and wanted to pull something. Either way, I pushed away the lord of Camborough, who was trying to scheme something. ording to the youngdy, he was more or less cornered. Was that why he was acting like this? Either way, it was annoying. ¡°The Adventurers¡¯ Guild would like to award you a medal¡­ Huh?¡± ¡°H-He gave it back.¡± ¡°H-H-He tossed away such a valuable medal just like that¡­¡± ¡°H-How cool.¡± Despite not really being involved in the recent incident, the Adventurers¡¯ Guild still insisted on somehow acknowledging my achievement by giving me another one of their medals. So annoying. I gave (tossed) the medal back to the guild clerk standing by the guild counter and left the building. > [Are you really not interested? Oh, that person already has a partner, right? Then, hmm. Oh, the Hero doesn¡¯t particrly suit you. Still, is there anyone you might be interested in?] Then the Mountain Lord, who¡¯d followed me all the way to Camborough, stuck its head out. I hated to say it, but I had no idea when it would finally go away to revive the Eastern region. ¡°¡­Stop talking nonsense and go away.¡± Of course, it wasn¡¯t like I was genuinely annoyed with its presence. After all, the Mountain Lord was someone who could revive the barrennds of the East. It had even volunteered to do so after I told it there wouldn¡¯t be a reward. It truly was a generous person¡­ no, a generous snake. How could I actually feel annoyed at it? Who was I to do so? > [Sob sob. You know, my dream is to officiate a wedding. I¡¯ve seen the priests do it before, and it seemed like a lot of fun. If it¡¯s Sir Knight''s wedding, I thought I might be able to officiate it.] So that¡¯s why it was so obsessed with other people''s love lives? It seemed more interested in the ceremony than the actual ritual. I was utterly speechless as I realized that absurd truth. The Mountain Lord had been pestering me about whether I liked this person or that person just for that. ¡°Get lost.¡± Like I could even think about dating and marriage. Not here, in this world and situation. > [Sooooob.] Shouldn¡¯t it act a bit more maturely as the Mountain Lord? Ignoring the snake waving its tail while sulking, I bought a round melon from a nearby stall. It felt pretty nice in my hand, fitting perfectly in my grasp. And when I bit into it, the juice that flowed out was just¡ª Its scent and sweetness were mild for a fruit, but it still had a refreshing taste unique to melons, which I really liked. The excess juice dripping onto my hands was quite inconvenient, though. > [I want some, too.] ¡°¡­One box of these. How much is it?¡± ¡°Huh, the whole box?¡± Looking at that snake¡¯s colossal body, how could it be satisfied with just one fist-sized fruit? It wouldn¡¯t even be able to taste it. So I bought a whole box and carried it to a far removed corner away from prying eyes. The Mountain Lord used its long tongue to pick up the gourds and eat them one by one. I¡¯d thought it would just eat the box''s contents in a single gulp, but I suppose it didn¡¯t intend to do that. > [Tasty.] Well, how it ate them didn¡¯t particrly matter as long as it enjoyed them. With that thought in mind, I looked over the street. Those guys should have arrived here already, but I couldn¡¯t see even a single hair of them. Seriously, what was going on? Weren¡¯t we supposed to leave today? Why were they sote? I thought about the people I was supposed to meet at the Adventurers¡¯ Guild. Since I couldn¡¯t¡ªor rather, didn¡¯t want to¡ªstay at the Temple, we¡¯d set a time and ce to meet up¡­ Did they dislike that I¡¯d unterally set these terms without asking for their opinion that much? Had they just decided to ditch me and go on their way? > [Ah, there they are.] Phew. So it wasn¡¯t like that. Thank goodness. > [Then I¡¯ll slowly get going, too.] As I saw the party approaching, the Mountain Lord also rose. I had been wondering for a moment whether it would follow me around the East, but unfortunately, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. > [It would be great if we ran into each other again while traveling around the East, but that might be a bit hard. It''s a shame, but there¡¯s nothing we can do about it. Let¡¯s meet again before I die.] Was this guy actually nting a death g right now? I clicked my tongue at the Mountain Lord¡¯s very clich¨¦ choice of words before taking another bite of the melon, reaching my hand into my Inventory. Whoosh. The Skyflow Tiger¡¯s heart arched toward the Mountain Lord. It managed to catch it with its tail. Some wizards had sealed it in a transparent cube, so it wouldn¡¯t have been much of a problem even if it had fallen to the ground. But, still, nice reflexes. > [Huh, what¡¯s this?] ¡°The Skyflow Tiger grew stronger after consuming a Great Demon¡¯s corpse. If you consume that, something simr might happen to you.¡± > [Just eating this thing doesn¡¯t make you stronger, well, I guess it could somehow work. But¡­ are you sure I can have this?] Ah, so it did actually work. I hadn¡¯t originally saved the thing for this purpose, but I guess I¡¯d gotten lucky. I nced at the heart resting on the Mountain Lord¡¯s tail. Since my wallet was fairly empty, I had no choice but to sell off the leather, ws, tail, and organs¡­ but I¡¯d kept the heart just in case. I hadn¡¯t especially intended to give it to the Mountain Lord. It was more like an emergency reserve. I¡¯d heard the heart contained the most energy, so I¡¯d kept it around in case I couldter use it in some incident or to craft equipment. > [Really? Can I really eat this?] But¡­ honestly, I was pretty sure I¡¯d never be able to create equipment with that thing. In most games, these material-type items were typically used as reinforcement material, but you couldn¡¯t really apply standard game logic to this ce. So, rather than letting it rot in my Inventory, I decided it would be far better just to give it to the Mountain Lord. I¡¯d confirmed yet again that it was my ally. It also possessed many useful abilities, such as restoring devastatednd and consuming both Demonic Energy and Arcane Power. I figured strengthening it now might pay off for meter if I ever needed its help. Like I had just now. ¡°Eat it.¡± > [Hmm¡­] So, instead of needlessly rushing it, I waited patiently. Then, having seemingly grasped my true intentions, the Mountain Lord eventually put it in its mouth. Crunch. The sealing cube broke, and the heart slid down the Mountain Lord¡¯s throat. Its round eyes gleamed slightly darker than usual. > [Sir Knight, just watch how much the Easternnds will change.] Well, would I ever be able to see that? I let that thought drift away without voicing it. Whoosh! With a gust of wind, the white serpent left the city. ¡°Demon Knight!¡± It was now time for me to leave as well. * * * ¡°Bemurchen is really far away.¡± ¡°Well, it is also known as the city of the Eastern end.¡± ¡°The Eastern end¡­ We won¡¯t be encountering any more sea monsters this time, will we? Or be stuck on some ship?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way that¡¯ll happen.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t jinx it.¡± ¡°¡­Let¡¯s just be prepared.¡± Listening to the conversation between Deathbringer and the Archmage, I furrowed my eyebrows slightly. The sea again? Images of my past battle with the Sea Dragon shed through my mind. Hmm. Something like that probably wouldn¡¯t happen again, though. I quickly dismissed that thought. It wasn¡¯t just wishful thinking; I had a reasonable basis for these thoughts. I mean, if we fought on the water again, that would be their third time going with this concept. There was absolutely no way that would happen. A basic rule of all games was that each region needed a unique concept. A simr concept appearing twice might still be okay, but repeating it a third time? That¡¯d just be stupid, so there was no way it would happen. Believing in that theory with all my heart, I urged my horse to move. The horse, about to turn his head toward the grass by the roadside, immediately looked forward again. ¡°I think we should camp here for this night. I saw a stream on the way here.¡± Soon enough, we found a decent spot for camping. The surrounding trees had been cleared away, and some small stones were gathered in a circle on the t grass¡ªprobably to use for a campfire. This seemed like quite a popr campsite. However, too many trees had been cleared from the area for camping. ¡°Do you think it¡¯ll rain?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Ooh¡­ You¡¯re smart, young hunter.¡± ¡°Ah, this is nothing¡­¡± ¡°But I can¡¯t see any rain clouds¡­¡± ¡°You can¡¯t see them yet. But look, the clouds are moving faster than normal, right? You have to take those things into ount as well.¡± Anyway, if it really was going to rain soon, it¡¯d be better to set up camp now. The sun hadn¡¯t set yet¡­ but it would be much better to rest two hours early than look for a proper campsite in the rain. ¡°Hand me the reins.¡± ¡°Here you go.¡± ¡°There, young hunter.¡± After checking that the others had tied up their horses, I also tied mine a little distance away. I¡¯d gotten this horse from Young Lady Camborough as a sign of her gratitude. His name was Frederick. I¡¯d heard something about him belonging to a famous bloodline and her mother getting him for her from Munmund¡­ or something. Since I didn¡¯t know a whole lot about these kinds of things, I couldn¡¯t tell whether this horse was supposed to be good or not. I just assumed he was a good horse because I was told so. Neeeigh. ¡°Wait there.¡± Looking at him, though, he did appear to be a top-notch horse. He was fairlyrge, had clear eyes, and ran very fast. I got a feeling he definitely wasn¡¯t anything ordinary, at least. He did have a bit of a nasty attitude, though. Even if I didn¡¯t tether him, he wouldn¡¯t even try to get along with the other horses¡­ but it was almost funny how well that fit my character. How did I end up with a horse like this? Neeeigh. ¡°¡­Sigh.¡± By the way, his aloofness wasn¡¯t reserved just for other horses but also for me. I took out an apple and gave it to Frederick. I¡¯d heard he would asionally throw off his rider if he didn¡¯t like something, so this was a little bribe to hopefully keep him from trying that with me. Frederick quickly took the apple and ate it. ¡°Erm, mister¡­ Since it¡¯s going to rain, would you like to at least share cover with us?¡± Meanwhile, Deathbringer, who¡¯d persistently tried talking with me despite being answered with silence, approached me again. Behind him, the Archmage and the Inquisitor looked at me expectantly. Rustle. Instead of answering, I sat under the tree where I¡¯d tied Frederick. Disappointed, Deathbringer stepped away again. Tap, tap. Neeeigh. ¡­Right. Asking for another apple, huh? Taking another one out, I wondered whether I should feel grateful to Frederick for not being afraid of me or feel conflicted about how he apparently saw me as nothing more than a snack dispenser. Soon, rain began to fall steadily. By sunset, it had be a heavy downpour apanied by thunder and lightning. ¡°Fire!¡± ¡°We¡¯re saved¡­¡± While Frederick, who hated getting wet, was covered in a makeshift raincoat, I was left to stand in the light rain. Just then, I noticed two figures hurriedly approaching our camp from the direction our party was nning to take. ¡°Someone¡¯sing.¡± ¡°What? Huh, you¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Are they raiders?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­¡± ¡°Aah, we¡¯re just passing peddlers! Please don¡¯t attack us!¡± ¡°We mean no harm!¡± Maybe it was because I¡¯d sat myself a little away from the campsite, or maybe because I hadn¡¯t lit my own campfire. The two men hadn¡¯t noticed me and instead approached the party first. Both of them raised their arms as if to show they were harmless. ¡°Stop right there.¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± They lowered their baggage to the ground within the campfire¡¯s glow before raising their hands again. Deathbringer looked at them with sharp eyes and gestured. Based on experience, it seemed they weren¡¯t particrly dangerous. ¡°Thank you. We got lost in the forest, and then it started raining all of a sudden¡­¡± ¡°In this kind of rain, it would have made more sense to dig a hole under arge tree and spend the night there than try finding your way out of the forest. You must be pretty new to the peddler business, right?¡± ¡°Come on, it¡¯s not like we didn¡¯t know that.¡± They exchanged some light-hearted words before the two men settled down a bit away from our group. They pulled out some cloth from their bundles, fastened it to a tree and the ground, and set up a campfire beneath the makeshift tarp with extraordinary skill. ¡°So, is there some other reason for you to do this, then?¡± ¡°Yeah. But to exin why we ended up like this, I would have to go back in time a bit¡­¡± They seemed pretty eloquent as well. After quickly setting up their camp, they cleared their throats to tell their tale. ¡°So, you remember the rain being pretty light before the sun set, right? Since it was only drizzling, we thought it might be worth braving the rain to find a better resting spot.¡± ¡°I see?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we didn¡¯t stay where we were before! We¡¯re carrying cotton, you see, and if it gets wet, it bes a lot heavier. So we figured we should just keep looking around.¡± ¡°But then, what a coincidence! While rushing through the forest, we spotted a cabin in the distance!¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°Well, we naturally thought this was the perfect ce and headed straight for it. We felt a bit uneasy since we didn¡¯t see any sign of people there, but it was still an empty house, so who cares? Better than getting our goods wet!¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°So we rushed over to the hut and went for the door. Just then, the rain got much heavier, and thunder started crashing around us. Boom!¡± ¡°Then the dark surroundings suddenly lit up, and our view became clear for a moment¡­!¡± ¡°C-Clear?¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s stop for a moment. Do any of you know what¡¯s been happening around here these days?¡± ¡°What? Don¡¯t just stop talking halfway through! Stay on track!¡± Unlike Deathbringer, who had been reacting rather half-heartedly, the Inquisitor and Berserk were fully drawn into their story. They were about to stomp their feet when the peddler changed the subject. ¡°It¡¯s rted to this. That¡¯s why I mentioned it. So, you really don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know much about this area.¡± ¡°Oh my. Then I guess we¡¯ll have to tell you.¡± ¡°Okay, take a look around this campsite. Doesn¡¯t it seem a bit too wide to be just a clearing created by normal travelers?¡± ¡°It certainly is pretty wide, huh?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious¡­ why that is?¡± ¡°¡­Is there a special reason?¡± ¡°Ahh, of course, there is.¡± As the innocent Inquisitor followed along precisely as the peddler wanted, he became even more excited, trying to spread a solemn atmosphere. Even my gaze was drawn to them. ¡°A few years ago, right here at this campsite¡­ several priests and inquisitors lost their lives.¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°The culprit has yet to be found. However, the bodies of the victims found back then were said to be indescribably gruesome. Their limbs had been torn from their bodies, and their remains were distorted and mangled by heat¡­ It was so bad that those tasked with clearing away the corpses couldn¡¯t sleep for several days.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly why this campsite was widened. It seems dozens of trees were uprooted during their struggle, creating this vacant space we see now.¡± ¡°¡­And the culprit hasn¡¯t been caught yet?¡± ¡°Correct! The culprit is still out there! Even now.¡± So that¡¯s why the campsite was so muchrger than usual. However, something about the peddler¡¯s story sounded made up. Of course, I had been fooled by a merchant¡¯s tall tales once or twice before. But evenpared to those times, their story seemed a bit too exaggerated. ¡°Now¡­ going back to where we left off¡­ at that moment, when the thunder crashed down with a boom!¡± ¡°The moment when our vision was illuminated with a white sh!!¡± ¡°A-At that moment?¡± ¡°A skeleton, a whole skeleton, appeared in the gap of the creaking door!!¡± ¡°Gasp!!¡± ¡°A skeleton!¡± ¡°And then, when the sh subsided and we¡¯d fallen back into the embrace of darkness, a pair of gleaming eyes peered out from beyond the gap alongside a slow creaking sound¡­ How could we possibly go inside a ce like that?!!¡± ¡°Was it a murder scene??¡± ¡°C-Could it be the criminal from that incident?!¡± ¡°Come on. It probably was just a fox or something. Why would the culprit of a years-old incident still be living here?¡± Deathbringer seemed to share my sentiments, seeing him interrupt them like that. The Inquisitor and Berserk deted like a punctured balloon when they heard that. ¡°What? So it was a lie?¡± ¡°Is that¡­ really true?¡± ¡°Well, we didn¡¯t lie about the skeleton being there. As for the creaking sound¡­ Well, the instant we heard it, we immediately ran away screaming, haha.¡± ¡°We both get spooked pretty easily. We ran like crazy, screaming like madmen¡­ And then we saw this lighting from your fire. ¡°When we spotted the armor through the campfire, we thought a knight was with you and we¡¯d be safe. Thinking back on it now, that was a bit stupid of us. Haha.¡± ¡°Uuuurgh. That¡¯s not funny.¡± ¡°I see. Well, you should be safe here for now!¡± In the end, Deathbringer¡¯s skepticism was well-founded. If there was a skeleton, it meant they had died here long ago, and any evidence as to why that skeleton was there would already be long gone. The creaking sounds and gleaming eyes¡­ Those likely came from a fox or a simr wild animal. It probably wasn¡¯t there to chew on some old bones but to catch some mice or something simr in the cabin. ¡°From how you describe it, it doesn¡¯t seem that far from where we are, right?¡± ¡°Probably. At most, about a ten- to fifteen-minute walk away.¡± ¡°That¡¯s really close.¡± The peddlers seemed to think the same as they chuckled awkwardly in an attempt to lighten the mood. Still, the story had been quite interesting, enough that even those awkward attempts were amusing. ¡°Hmm. Then how about we stop by the cabin tomorrow?¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± ¡°Is there any need for you to do that?¡± ¡°Just to rify, madam. By skeleton, we mean someone who died quite a long time ago. You won¡¯t be able to catch that culprit now. ¡°I know that! And I wasn¡¯t suggesting this to catch the culprit. I just feel bad for the person who¡¯s just lying there in the open, so I wanted to give them a proper burial. ¡°What would you even get out of this¡­?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mind. I¡¯m fine with that, Inquisitor.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really know what¡¯s going on, but Berserk also doesn''t mind.¡± Thanks to those guys¡¯ story, we now had a slight addition to our ns. Well, it wasn¡¯t a bad oue. ____ Chapter 184: On this Land (4) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 184 On this Land (4) In the end, was spending a rainy night outside without a campfire or some kind of tarp to protect you really only possible in dreams? I woke up in the middle of the night, not because of the chill I felt on my skin, but the cold that seemed to creep out from deeper within me. ¡°¡­So this really won¡¯t work.¡± Seriously. It had also rained on our way from Ednium to Camborough, and I¡¯d endured it quite well back then, so I¡¯d thought it would work out this time, too¡­ but I guess that wasn¡¯t possible. I¡¯d been told the mountain range was rather precarious in a number of ways, but I didn¡¯t think it would make this much of a difference. ¡­No, but I¡¯d still held out for quite some time. I looked through my Inventory. Since I¡¯d organized the things inside it while alone, the items were now neatly sorted by type. That way, it was really easy to find what I was looking for immediately. ¡¸Heated Stone ©¦ A stone heated in a furnace. Retains heat. If you¡¯re not careful, you might get burned.¡¹ These were my preparations for surviving on my own. It used a trick that took advantage of the Inventory¡¯s feature where things stored within it would retain whatever state they were in. Since the stones were rather heavy andrge, I couldn¡¯t prepare many. So I took out a few stones and ced them near a few parts of my body. Of course, I made sure they didn''t touch my bare skin. I didn''t want to end up with burns, after all. ¡°¡­¡± Hmm. Even when I did that, this cold didn¡¯t disappear right away. Well, it seemed like a single piece of cloth could make a surprisingly big difference. I quietly opened my coat. I had a nket in my Inventory, ignoring that those guys didn¡¯t know I was there. If the cold still didn''t go away even after I covered myself with this nket, I¡¯d have to start calling this chill by a different name. Plop. plop, plop. And after the long wintery night passed, the rain finally stopped as well. ¡°Oh my God!!¡± My body waspletely soaked from the rain, but thanks to my Arcane Power and the heated stones, I wasn¡¯t in that bad a shape this morning. But what was with that scream? ¡°Wh-What? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°S-S-S-S-S-S-Someone¡¯s there!¡± Just as the sky gradually brightened, I got up to hear the scream of one of the peddlers, who had apparently also just awoken. It seemed they¡¯d only now realized I was there. ¡°A g-g-g-g-ghost?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Did I really look that scary¡­? When Bers quietly got up for her early morning training, no one said a word¡­ I felt a little depressed. ¡°He¡¯s a person.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­¡± Looking back on my actions, though, I¡¯d suddenly risen from the tree after not making a sound all night. Even my appearance was dark and gloomy. Thinking about it, I realized I couldn¡¯t say anything, even if I did get mistaken for a ghost. Letting go of my mncholy, I reflected on myself. This was entirely my fault, haha. Neeeigh. On another note, Frederick sure was like clockwork. As soon as dawn broke, I fed him some grain as the stable hand had instructed. I also followed their advice about brushing the horse while he ate, as he was pretty temperamental. Thanks to the waterproof tarp, his coat hadn¡¯t gottenpletely drenched, but it was still slightly damp from the moisture in the air, so I evenly brushed it down. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear the horse?¡± ¡°No, erm¡­ I just assumed one of your horses was making noise. Or maybe the wind.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Alright, since it was still dark, I should just leave it at that and get some breakfast. I could give him another brush after lunch. After moderately brushing him, I sat beside Frederick and took out my meal from my Inventory. Not having a fire to cook with didn¡¯t cause even the slightest issue for me. After all, this Inventory was my most powerful, ultimate cheat code! tter. I opened the lunchbox that held my food, my provisions, my lifeline. It was a special lunchbox I¡¯d ordered from the ce where the bookstore owner¡¯s sister worked. Just like the heated stones, the food was preserved in the same condition as when I¡¯d stored it. It was as warm as if it had been freshly made. On a side note, I had thirty of these lunchboxes. Assuming I had three meals a day, five meals would be gone in two days¡ªconsidering the amount Bers and the Inquisitor ate, it mightst them just one¡ªbut now, I had enough tost me ten whole days. Seriously, taking care of only myself without needing to consider anyone else was just too easy. I had so much less to bring with me. I slowly ate the contents of the lunchbox, feeling a bit morefortable and a lot more uneasy for feeling that way. Bean soup, smoked fish, boiled eggs, and bread that served as a temporary bowl. It was quite a luxurious meal for something eaten while camping outside. ¡°Erm, mister, about breakfast¡­ Ah. You¡¯ve already eaten¡­¡± But something was strange. The food was hot enough to nearly burn my mouth, but why did it feel so cold once it reached my stomach? I clenched my fists as I saw the person approaching me retreat again. He, along with the rest of the group, were now staring at their slowly simmering soup. That was the difference between me, who only had to eat, and them, who had to start cooking right after waking up. And since I wasn¡¯t a slow eater, the gap between us seemed to widen even further. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Neigh. So I might as well make use of that time. To somehow mask these strange feelings inside me, I took Frederick by the reins to get him some water. With everyone staying right where they were because they ate, I decided I¡¯d take the time to wash up a little. ¡°Ah, Demon Knight. You¡¯re not going ahead on your own, right¡­?¡± I wasn¡¯t nning to. Had I distanced myself so much that they didn¡¯t even trust me on this? I quickly brushed it off, though. This wasn¡¯t something I could exin adequately. This was a problem only time could resolve until some unspoken rules or norms were formed. ¡°I¡¯m only taking my horse to drink. No need to worry.¡± Besides, the Archmage already knew. ¡°Ah, erm, you¡¯re with this group, right?¡± ¡°¡­We¡¯re traveling together.¡± ¡°Right, Sir Adventurer! There should be a closer stream that way! I almost tripped and fell into it yesterday, so I¡¯m very sure of it!¡± Oh, really? If it was closer, I should definitely go there. I changed direction to where the peddler was pointing. Frederick slowly followed me as I held his reins in my hand. We soon came across the little stream the peddler had mentioned, slightly off the road. ¡°This¡­ won¡¯t work.¡± But there was just one problem:st night¡¯s rain had deepened the stream, which was good and all, but it had churned up the muddy ground in the process, dirtying the water. Should I have just gone to the other one? No, even if I had, I wouldn¡¯t havee across clean water. I quickly washed my face a little before pulling on Frederick¡¯s reins. Maybe the water was cleaner upstream? With that in mind, I held on to some hope. Snort. Stop that already. You wouldn¡¯t want to drink that water either, right? Although, you could say this was my fault for not thinking to collect some rainwaterst night. ¡°¡­?¡± Just then, I caught sight of a small hut at the end of the stream. It was covered in moss and weeds, showing it had been abandoned for quite some time. ¡°I guess that¡¯s the hut the peddlers were talking about.¡± As I approached the hut, the water in the stream started to look much cleaner. I let Frederick drink as much water as he wanted and took a few steps closer to the hut. ¡°¡­It doesn¡¯t seem like this hut¡¯s owner just died.¡± There were some subtle traces that couldn¡¯t simply be dismissed as caused by the passage of time. Even though I wasn¡¯t an expert in this field, I still noticed. For instance, some marks made it look like something had cut into the building, and a wall on one side appeared to have had a hole blown into it. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s been abandoned for decades, either.¡± Sure, the wall could have naturally copsed after some time. However, aside from the signs of destruction, the building was still in pretty good shape. The amount of weeds and dust inside the building was rtively minimal as well. To my untrained eyes, this ce looked to have been abandoned for a few years at most, not ten or twenty. Creak. After checking on Frederick a little, I entered the building through the broken wall. The floor creaked under my feet but didn¡¯t seem unstable enough that it might copse beneath my weight. My gaze wandered in a different direction. The first thing I saw was some broken furniture. This messy scene somehow resembled something straight out of a crime drama. ¡°Did a fight actually happen here?¡± Mimicking the pose of the detective in one of those shows, I traced the remnants of the fight. Thud. Then something hit my foot. It was a skeleton wrapped in old clothes. ¡°May your soul rest in peace.¡± Who could this be? The owner, perhaps? After politely praying for the deceased¡¯s soul¡¯s peaceful rest, I couldn¡¯t help but stare at the skeleton out of curiosity¡­ and then noticed it was clutching a dagger. The initials ¡°P.B.¡± were elegantly engraved on it. ¡®Hah.¡¯ Suddenly, a sharpugh rang out in my mind. It was myughter, or was it? No¡­ I neverughed, so it couldn¡¯t have been me¡­ ¡®The sins carved upon thisnd havee back to me through the ages.¡¯ My¡­? ¡°¡ª!!¡± A searing pain suddenly spread up my arm. Crunch. Something was very wrong. ¡°Argh¡­!¡± I clutched my right arm and bent over. The intensity of the pain was simr to when I was hit with Divine Power, but there was a difference. Divine Power would hit me all over, so the pain was dispersed, but now, the pain was concentrated in one ce: my right arm. In short, if Divine Power hit me in ten different ces with a strength of five, this pain was striking at just a single spot with a strength of ten. While the total damage inflicted by Divine Power might be worse, this pain was far more excruciating. It hurt so very much. ¡°Argh¡­¡± Would it be better if I just cut off the arm? I crouched down, still clutching my right arm. This pain wasn¡¯t something I could shake off with my lowered pain level, nor was I currently in a battle where I could easily forget the pain due to adrenaline and fear, so this was so much harder for me to endure. ¡®Ah, how dull.¡¯ ¡°¡­!¡± Fortunately, the pain faded just as suddenly as it had started. It was then that I finally managed to grip the dagger. ¡°Huff, huff.¡± I slowly got up, gasping for breath, having been unable to breathe properly before due to the pain. My head throbbed, and all my strength left my body. Thud. I tried to get up, but my legs gave out and I fell back down. It seemed it would take me some time to get back on my feet again. * * * ¡°What are you doing, knight?¡± But then, a shadow loomed over me. It was Bers. ¡°Do you need help?¡± She didn¡¯t even need to ask this question to know the answer, but¡­ ever since I¡¯d dered that I would be keeping my distance, Bers had been the one who respected my decision the most. It would have been strange for her not to ask. ¡°¡­No.¡± If it were the Inquisitor or Deb, they would have been much more persistent even if I answered them like that, thinking there was at least some hope, but I knew Bers wouldn¡¯t do that. I quietly answered her, trusting my instinct. I then closed my eyes, listening for the sound of her footsteps fading away. Thump. ¡°¡­?!¡± But what was this? I felt some pressure around my waist and froze in surprise. Meanwhile, she lifted my body with the arm wrapped around my waist. ¡°You¡­!¡± I¡¯d given her an answer, confident she wouldn¡¯t do anything. I truly believed that! So why, out of everyone, even you, Bers¡­?! Creak, creak. With me slung over her shoulder, Bers left the building. I tried to struggle out of her grasp, but my body, tense from all that pain, still refused to listen to me. Bang. The only good thing was that Bers put me down before the stream. She didn''t take me back to the campsite. ¡°Come back after washing up.¡± Thanks to that, I had a chance to clean myself up properly. I red at Bers, who¡¯d walked away without a second thought. I then dipped my hands into the stream, pondering the meaning behind her actions. The only one who¡¯d know what was going through her mind was, of course, Bers herself. ¡°¡­This is so annoying.¡± Here I was, crouched at a shallow stream, about to wash my face. Just what was wrong with me? This was so unsightly. Still, I had no other option. I sighed, wiped my face, and when my legs regained their strength, I removed my coat and sshed water all over my body. I figured just letting myself dry off like this would be better than being covered in sweat. Snort. ¡°¡­Just wait a moment.¡± I washed my face onest time, cating Frederick, who was looking at me as if to ask what we were doing next. Now that the pain had almost gone, my mind started to run haywire with all the questions rushing through it. Why did that pain appear? What triggered it? Would it happen again? And if it would, was there a way to prevent it? But I couldn¡¯t get an answer to any of these questions. At best, I could guess that this ce was somehow responsible for this. And then there was thatugh¡­ I faintly felt the burning sensation from earlier return in my right arm, so I instinctively clutched it again. It was probably just phantom pain, but¡­ even that was enough to make me furrow my brows. ¡°¡­Things are just getting more and moreplicated, seriously.¡± I didn¡¯t have a clue. With much difficulty, I managed to get up, holding the eyepatch I¡¯d removed to wash my face. At least my legs seemed steady now. Neigh. ¡°Don¡¯t make a fuss.¡± I threw Frederick an apple before heading back into that building. I was slightly worried that pain would hit me again, but there was something more important I needed to handle. The dagger the skeleton had been clutching since before it died was now in my hand. This might reveal the deceased¡¯s identity and, if possible, the Demon Knight¡¯s past. Honestly, whatever had happened earlier couldn¡¯t have urred for no reason. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll borrow this for a while.¡± Instead, I dug a hole in the ground with my Zweih?nder to bury this person. This was the best I could offer for this dagger. The stream water I¡¯d poured all over myself was trickling down my body like sweat. Thud, thud, thud. ¡°Phew.¡± Ah, digging with this Zweih?nder was so damn hard. After struggling for about five minutes, I managed to dig a hole big enough to fit all these bones inside. It was indeed fortunate that no flesh or muscles were left on the bones. Otherwise, this would have been a lot harder. Thud. But looking at it now, this wasn''t too shabby. I carved a simple wooden cross, put it on the grave, and piled some rocks on top of it. This makeshift grave was the closest to what I knew. Well, I¡¯d done my best. It didn¡¯t seem like the graves in this world were much different. ¡°Ah, over here, mister!¡± ¡°See, I told you he didn¡¯t leave!¡± ¡°You were actually worried about that as well, though.¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s only because you kept scaring me¡­!¡± ¡°But where did Mister actually go anyway?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Ah, I think he¡¯s over there.¡± ¡°Mister? What are you doing in there?¡± Still, it would be quite a shame just to leave it at that. I covered my mouth, which was pulling itself into a faint smile, with my hand when I heard their chatter outside while wondering what could be missing. I thought back on those scenes from K-dramas and foreign movies of people visiting someone¡¯s grave. Flowers, I was missing flowers. ¡°Oh, a grave¡­?¡± ¡°¡­Did you make it by yourself?¡± But I didn¡¯t have any flowers with me now. It also felt a bit strange to go out and gather some, considering my character setting. So what could I do? I had no choice but to resort to some Korean-style ancestral rites. Thud. I took out the apples, bananas, blueberries, and pears I¡¯d brought as snacks for Frederick andid them before the grave. If I had some alcohol with me, I would have sprinkled some on it, but I unfortunately didn¡¯t have any. Maybe I could steal some¡­ I kind of wished those guys hade a littleter, but since they were here, I definitely couldn¡¯t do that. So, I simply poured water over it as a substitute and left the ce. The two who¡¯d been watching followed me. ¡°It would have been nice if you¡¯d taken us along¡­¡± It certainly would have been easier on me¡­ but they would¡¯ve definitely questioned why I¡¯d taken the dagger. And if they had seen me writhing in pain like that, they would have probably kicked up a fuss again. In any case, it was good that I did this alone. Ignoring their words, I grabbed Frederick¡¯s reins and headed back to the campsite. There was still a long way to go until we reached Bemurchen. * * * ¡°The Hero ising here.¡± ¡°Oh, is it finally time to end the war with the mermen?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. But considering how well the Hero does, I think we can look forward to it.¡± The Great Sage of the Bemurchen Magic Tower, the master of Essence Magic, known as Surging Azure Lake, answered the lord¡¯s question with some indifference evident in their voice. The lord, pouting their lips, threw the bottle of alcohol they were holding. Crash. ¡°Your Lordship, I told you to stop throwing bottles in my chambers.¡± Azure Lake broke the bottle with Arcane Power without looking back even once. The lord pouted their lips even more. ¡°As if it matters.¡± ¡°Someone has to clean up after you. If you¡¯re not going to do it, stop doing this.¡± With a rustle, Azure Lake folded the letter he was reading. The chains attached to the sses on his nose swung slightly. Clink, clink. Meanwhile, at Azure Lake¡¯s gesture, the ss shards scattered across the floor began to melt with a clear sound. Then, they gathered together and solidified into a single mass. It was a small sculpture depicting the lord killing a merman. ¡°How cold-hearted.¡± ¡°Your Lordship, you¡¯re being inefficient.¡± Azure Lake handed the ss sculpture to the Lord. ¡°If you wanted me to make you a sculpture, you could have just asked. I¡¯m not so pressed for time to refuse even this small request.¡± ¡°What? Is that supposed to be touching?¡± ¡°If there¡¯s nothing more important to discuss, you should go back now. I have two rather difficult requests to fulfill.¡± ¡°¡­Right, that¡¯s it, huh?¡± ¡°What did you expect?¡± Azure Lake could only express his iprehension at the lord¡¯s strange remark. Seeing that the lord wouldn¡¯t be going back so easily today, he started bringing up his own workload. ¡°Anyway, this woman sure has a certain knack for bringing in interesting andplicated research topics.¡± He threw some small nonints into the mix as well. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Material for a sword.¡± ¡°A sword?¡± After reading the enclosed letter again, Azure Lake cast a spell to analyze the material more closely. As it examined the properties of the huge bone, precise information emerged. ¡°No matter how I look at it, this looks like a bone¡­ but whose is it? It¡¯s far toorge to be from a regr animal.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± He was already used to the lord¡¯s senseless chattering next to him. Instead of answering, Azure Lake rang a bell using Arcane Power. Soon, the attendant in charge rushed in. ¡°Did you call for me?¡± ¡°Bring my grandson. I need him to make a sword and some essories. He¡¯ll understand when you tell him his dexterity is greatly needed.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The attendant was ordered around as soon as they came in and had to leave just as quickly. ¡°Are you ignoring me? And do you really have to involve that kid?¡± ¡°My lordship. I¡¯m under no obligation to exin to you about the items sent to me for a personalmission.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so petty.¡± ¡°Speak properly. You¡¯re the one being unreasonable here.¡± ¡°Werner!¡± ¡°If you two are going to keep fighting, can I just leave again?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Azure Lake turned his head at the voice interrupting his argument with the lord. The face he saw by the door had arrived much earlier than he¡¯d expected. ¡°You came early.¡± ¡°I just met Sage Carl right outside, after all.¡± ¡°Good. Come and help me with my work.¡± ¡°The payment?¡± ¡°I heard you¡¯re after some materials from Grindana.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll buy them for me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Knowing his grandson well, Azure Lake didn¡¯t drag out the conversation. His grandson was of the same mind. Instead of uselessly haggling, they quickly reached an agreement. ¡°¡­Hey, am I invisible to you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s be a bit tiring to greet someone whoes by every day without a proper reason.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re practically screaming with your whole body that you¡¯re Werner¡¯s grandson.¡± ¡°Thank you. So, what do I need to cut?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need to reevaluate the estimate for the essory-type items, so let¡¯s put that off for now. What we¡¯ll do now is this.¡± Azure Lake pointed at the massive bone on the workbench. ¡°You¡¯ve probably heard the news about a Primordial Beast of the East being in, right? This is one of its bones.¡± At the unexpected identity of the bone, the lord¡¯s eyes widened, and Azure Lake¡¯s grandson furrowed his brows. ¡°This sounds fun.¡± The eyes of the genius, who¡¯d earned the title of Master Craftsman at the tender age of 20, sparkled with interest. ____ Chapter 185: If I Can Remain Here (1) Chapter 185 If I Can Remain Here (1) After parting ways with the peddlers, we arrived at the small but developed city of Dorfmine. ¡°Wow, this checkpoint sure is crowded.¡± Just as Deathbringer said, many people were bustling about the Dorfmine checkpoint. Most of them appeared to be merchants. In other words, they had wagons loaded with goods or worerge bundles and bags on their backs. ¡°Looks like there are a lot of merchants here, probably because this city¡¯s by a river.¡± Moreover, because of that, we had already been waiting outside for thirty minutes. This wait time even broke the record set by Pa Enoch¡¯s cue. ¡°This city has always lived through trade¡­ but even I didn¡¯t expect there to be so many people.¡± ¡°Still,pared to everyone else, aren¡¯t we getting in rtively quickly?¡± At that moment, the Inquisitor dered loudly. She was right. In this kind of situation, ordinary folk usually had to wait at least an hour. Since we were in a rather special position, it was taking us much less time. ¡°Just because we¡¯re in a special position doesn¡¯t mean we should get used to such privileges.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. There¡¯s no need to feel disappointed or anything.¡± ¡°Seriously, who said I was asking to be let in early? I was justmenting about there being a lot of people here.¡± ¡°I mentioned it because you seemed pretty disappointed.¡± ¡°Huh? What? That¡¯s ridiculous. What did I even do?¡± Anyway, there were still two or three more groups ahead of us before we could enter the city. I felt rather bored, so I gently stroked Frederick¡¯s neck. I was worried he might suddenly start acting up, especially given how our surroundings had be as chaotic as if we were in a flea market. Although Frederick wasn¡¯t easily startled, not even by the distant sound of explosions, that didn¡¯t necessarily trante to tolerating this volume of noise. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just worry about yourself, iron wall.¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing that well enough already!¡± ¡°Really? Are you really so sure about that?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who needs to reflect the most, though, you troublemaker!¡± With that in mind, I prayed he would just bear with this. I felt like I was hugging a time bomb as I watched its tail twitch and its ears fold back. ¡°Next!¡± Fortunately, we were called before Frederick had the chance to explode. I stood behind the group, prompting Frederick to move. ¡°Hey, did you hear? About the Skyflow Tiger¡­¡± ¡°Ha, I heard about that ages ago. The Hero, huh? How could she just defeat the guardian deity of the East¡­?!¡± ¡°I heard something simr also happened somewhere else. Actually¡­ could it be that she¡¯s secretly an agent of the Demons?¡± ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t say that! What will you do if someone from the Temple hears you?!¡± Then, at that moment, I heard the group standing close to us talking about the Skyflow Tiger. That wasn¡¯t too strange. This city was close to Ednium and Camborough, so it made sense for news of that incident to have spread by now. ¡°You heard what the nobles said, right? The thing about the guardian deity actually drying up thend, so they had no choice but to kill it!¡± ¡°Ha, who would believe that? It¡¯s not like this would be the first time nobles spouted absurd lies!¡± ¡°Seriously. Even the Temple said the same thing.¡± ¡°Those Temple bastards are no different. All the ones at the top are nothing but liars.¡± However, this is my first time hearing people disy such malice over our actions. No, well, maybe not the first time, but it was my first time feeling their hostility so close. My gaze instinctively shifted to the Inquisitor. She¡¯d probably heard what they¡¯d said as well at this distance. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°¡­No, Inquisitor.¡± However, it seemed the Inquisitor had chosen not to react. The others¡ªthe Archmage and Deathbringer¡ªalso looked at her, but the Inquisitor only looked back at them with a confused expression. ¡°More importantly, let¡¯s get moving! The inspection¡¯s already done!¡± ¡­Well, fine then. If she hadn¡¯t heard their words, it should be okay. As someone who¡¯d imed not to want any close interactions with them, it¡¯s not something I should be concerned about. ¡°Demon Knight, will you be staying outside again this time¡ª¡± ¡°Wizard.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± We finally managed to enter the city. In other words, it was now time for us to part ways. ¡°¡­What is it?¡± ¡°The length of our stay?¡± Still, we should at least coordinate our schedules beforehand. It wasn¡¯t like we were splitting up for good. I looked straight at the Archmage, keeping my gaze as cold as possible. The Archmage, having seemingly realized my intentions, gently stroked her staff. ¡°We haven¡¯t any special business here, so¡­ I expect we¡¯ll be setting off again the day after tomorrow.¡± That was a quick reply. ¡°¡­How about we meet up at the Adventurers¡¯ Guild in two days? Around seven in the morning?¡± She even gave me an exact time, precisely what I was hoping for. Perfect. ¡°Instead, even if it¡¯s just a moment, please¡­¡± ¡°Understood.¡± I replied lightly and left the party. I had no reason to hesitate and stay here any further now that I had the exact time and ce to regroup. It seemed like the Archmage was trying to say something¡­ but if it was really important, she would¡¯ve run after me, stopped me, or called out. The fact that she only let out a groan and stopped talking meant it probably wasn¡¯t anything I absolutely needed to hear. ¡°U-Uhhhm¡­¡± Leading Frederick, I stepped into the city. Behind me, the Inquisitor and Deathbringer let out some puzzled noises, but that was none of my business either. I left that area in an instant. Neigh. ¡°Hold still.¡± I had to be quick if I wanted to find an inn that would also take care of my horse. Snort. ¡°¡­Be patient.¡± Were all horses like this? Always trying to eat something? I opened my Inventory, feeling a certain admiration every time I came across a fact I couldn¡¯t have figured out on my own with just books. The treats I had stocked up on for Frederick in Camborough were running pretty low. Once I found an inn, I should probably restock them. That wasn¡¯t all. I also needed to secure some lunch boxes, get drinking water, and make more heated stones. I mentally organized my schedule, thinking about what I had to do today and tomorrow. Fortunately, we wouldn¡¯t be departing first thing in the morning. ¡°You!¡± Then I heard someone shout. His worn-out Temple armor and his face, half covered in burn marks, instantly caught my eye. The former was a characteristic of an inquisitor, and thetter seemed to be a characteristic of this individual. ¡°How can you, a bearer of Demonic Energy, be here?!¡± ¡®Bearer of Demonic Energy¡¯? The moment I heard those words, my mind went cold. I wasn¡¯t sure whether to be relieved he didn¡¯t call me a Demon outright or rmed at the obvious hostility he exuded. Well, either way, this situation was pretty troublesome. ¡°Everyone, if you don¡¯t want to get mixed up in this, step back!¡± ¡°A-An inquisitor!¡± ¡°What, what?¡± ¡°Now! Get back if you want to live! And you, contact the Temple immediately!¡± So, what should I do now? That person clearly saw me as an enemy¡­ This was the first time something like this had happened since I joined the Hero¡¯s party, so I was a bit shocked. ¡°Ha, are you waiting for something, Demon?!¡± ¡°¡­Be grateful for your affiliation. If not for that, I would have already torn out that tongue of yours.¡± Of course, I hadn¡¯t entirely avoided running into people from the Temple like this, especially when wandering around apart from my Companions. ¡°You¡¯re a Demon, yet you dare act so hypocritically?!¡± ¡°How foolish¡­¡± However, even when I encountered them, it never escted into a fight. That was because every member of the Temple had followed the directives sent from above. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear anythi¡ª¡± ¡°O God, grant me the strength to vanquish evil¡­!¡± ¡°Hah.¡± Something like ¡°Even if you see someone bearing Demonic Energy, if he has gray and ck hair, wields a Zweih?nder, and has an eyepatch over his right eye, avoid showing him hostility and engage in conversation.¡± That was the consideration shown to me as part of the Hero¡¯s party by the Temple¡¯s higher-ups, who knew that I bore Demonic energy but wasn¡¯t an enemy, However, I couldn¡¯t say whether this consideration was more for me or for those of the Temple who might get annihted if they mistakenly picked a fight with me. Anyway, thanks to those directives reaching even the lower ranking members, the most I¡¯d dealt with so far were random inspections¡ªsomething like ¡®Could you please confirm whether you are the person we have heard about? Oh, I see. My apologies.¡±¡ªbut it had never led to a fight. ¡°Die!¡± In other words, this was the first time it hade to this. What a hassle. * * * ng! I quickly drew my longsword and parried the iing de. It glowed faintly, perhaps imbued with Divine Power, and carried quite a bit of weight behind it. Creeeak. But that wasn¡¯t enough to overwhelm me. While holding my sword steady against my opponent¡¯s de, I held Frederick¡¯s reins with my right hand. He shook his head in frustration, clearly not liking this situation. ng! In the meantime, my opponent withdrew his sword. He¡¯d apparently realized he couldn¡¯t beat me in a battle of pure strength. ¡°Tsk.¡± Eyes zing with anger, he swiftly shifted to his next stance. He backed off more than usual, thinking I might strike back. ¡°Just what is going on?¡± ¡°Not sure. Probably a heretic.¡± ¡°A heretic?¡± As someone with absolutely no intention of attacking, I found this rather ridiculous. ¡°You¡­!¡± Perhaps taking it as an insult, my opponent¡¯s gaze red up even more. His light gray hair, a shade paler than mine, swayed in the wind. ng, ng! However, it didn¡¯t seem like he had any ns to stop his assault. I crossed swords with my opponent, who¡¯d rushed at me again. Left, right, below, above. The sword hurtling toward me at unpredictable angles was a bit tricky to handle. You could say it was a unique experience. Not because I¡¯d gotten into a fight over a misunderstanding but more because I was forced to stay in one fixed position while fighting. ¡°Ooh¡­¡± ¡°Is that a knight?¡± ¡°What¡¯s happening? Why are an inquisitor and a knight fighting?¡± ¡°No clue¡­?¡± Since Frederick was right behind me, dodging was entirely impossible. I was holding the reins with one hand, so I also couldn¡¯t move that hand or sidestep. Using Arcane Power wasn¡¯t feasible either. I might be able to strengthen my body with it or channel it into my weapon, butunching a [sh] or [Arcane Spear] barrage was far too dangerous. The civilians might get caught in the crossfire. On top of that, I also couldn¡¯t inflict any serious damage on my opponent, as that could lead to more issuester. For me, someone who usually fought very aggressively with incredible speed, this was certainly something new. ¡°Haaap!¡± And jeez, that kid should seriously keep the horse out of this! Did he have a problem with horses or something? I frowned at my opponent, who took advantage of my inability to act first and didn¡¯t hesitate to userge moves. I didn¡¯t know about the other attacks, but his thrust and overhead strikes were the most annoying. The extended range of those attacks made them nearly impossible to dodge, and blocking them was annoying because of their tricky angles and the amount of force behind them. Still, after working my head a little, I¡¯d grabbed my sword in a reverse grip like a tonfa and reinforced it with my forearm¡­ but it put a strain on my wrist. It was starting to sting. ¡°Di¡ª!¡± ¡°Know your ce.¡± After parrying that thrust three times and that overhead strike twice, my patience finally reached its limit. The Arcane Power I¡¯d infused into my weapon to prevent it from snapping or bending swelled several times, dyeing the de ck. ¡®Die?¡¯ sh! ¡°¡ª!¡± In that instant, my opponent¡¯s shallow resolve disappeared as the de he was striking downward with both hands was sliced like soft tofu. Whoosh. The cut-off piece of the sword spun through the air before embedding itself into the ground behind me. His eyes widened. ¡°Not yet¡­!¡± But even then, he showed no signs of giving up. Honestly, I was a little fed up by this. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet! You damn Demon!¡± Hmm. While his diligence in dealing with Demon Contractors was nice and all, wasn''t this a bit excessive? If I were highly incapable of controlling my anger and had just started attacking him, things would have been very different, but by now, he should have realized I was deliberately holding back. Looking at him, I barely held back a sigh from escaping my lips. Well, he certainly had a strong sense of professionalism. Typically, nothing ever happened, but just as I decided to distance myself a bit from the Hero¡¯s party, this happened. That somehow made me feel even emptier inside. Whether this encounter was coincidence or fate, it still didn¡¯t change how sad it made me feel. tter. And just then, my opponent dropped his sword and clenched his fists tight. I didn¡¯t have much experience fighting barehanded. Anyway, dealing with an opponent who was a bit too determined was more of a hassle than I expected. ¡°That¡¯s enough. You¡¯ve lost.¡± Fortunately, I didn¡¯t have to deal with him any longer. Bers had entered the fray. ¡°Or are you determined to be aplete fool who can¡¯t even admit defeat?¡± I didn¡¯t know how long she¡¯d been watching this fight. Since it had been my first time getting into that kind of fight, I hadn¡¯t paid much attention to my surroundings, so I really wasn¡¯t sure. Plus, when Bers was determined to suppress her presence, it was damn near impossible for me to detect her. ¡°He¡¯s a Demon Contractor! What could you possibly know¡­?!¡± ¡°Are you stupid? If he really wanted, not just you but everyone around here would already be dead.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t about strength¡­!¡± ¡°If it¡¯s not about strength, then what is it?¡± Anyway, Bers simply strode forward and stepped between us. The gazes of those surrounding us were now entirely focused on her, but she seemedpletely unfazed. Her cold, stern eyes were fixed on my opponent. ¡°Whether he possesses Demonic Energy, Arcane Power, or Divine Power, strength is strength. Just like swords and maces are different, and spells and des are different, but they all have one thing inmon: they can kill people.¡± ¡°That¡¯s mere sophist¡ª¡± ¡°Which means no matter the source of that strength, the fact that the powerful can show restraint should be evidence enough of their character, you weak and petty thing.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± What could I say? This sure was unexpected. She was usually prettyid-back and generous, so I never expected she could exude such a chilling aura. ¡°Wh-What do you even know¡­?¡± ¡°Demon Knight!¡± Then, another voice cut through the air¡ªa loud and sincere voice. ¡°I heard there was some sort ofmotion¡­!¡± It was the Inquisitor. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Snort. With the Inquisitor here, the matter was basically resolved. Nothing held as much weight as the Hero¡¯s words. Besides, since our fight didn¡¯t cause that much of a mess, there wasn''t any coteral damage. As for the bystanders who¡¯d witnessed all this, there wasn¡¯t a lot I could really do about them. With that in mind, I figured I should just go. I also didn¡¯t forget to grumble under my breath about how rotten my luck was, either. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?!¡± ¡°Ha. You¡¯re no warrior.¡± ¡°U-Unhand me!¡± ¡°Wait, Demon Knight, huh? Berserk? What¡¯s going on? And who are you¡­?¡± ¡°That uniform¡­ An inquisitor¡­ Sister, perfect timing. Arrest this person immediately¡­!¡± ¡°Huh? Has the Demon Knight done something?¡± The only good thing was that as soon as people met my gaze, the crowd split like the Red Sea before Moses. With that, I could peacefully walk through this crowded area. All I really wanted now was to find an inn and get some rest. I was exhausted. Chapter 186: If I Can Remain Here (2) Chapter 186 If I Can Remain Here (2) ng! Berserk curled her fingers unconsciously as she watched the two des sh against each other. Could she win? She instinctively questioned herself like that. ¡°There must be a reason why the Temple officer is doing this¡­¡± ¡°Hmm. Is this right, though? No matter how I look at it¡­¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t it seem like that guy¡¯s holding back?¡± ¡°So I¡¯m not the only one who thinks that, huh?¡± Of course, this question wasn¡¯t something she could answer easily. The Demon Knight was someone of iparable strength, after all. ¡°Didn¡¯t they¡­ mention something about a Demon?¡± ¡°Did they? Doesn¡¯t really look like it, though.¡± ¡°Maybe this adventurer just said something to offend the inquisitor?¡± However, did she feel defeated by the difference in strength? If asked that question, she could only answer: not exactly. To her, the Demon Knight¡¯s overwhelming strength didn¡¯te from some manner of battle sense or the technique he¡¯d trained in, but the vast amount of Arcane Power he possessed. ¡°That¡¯s probably it, but¡­ it¡¯s a bit hard to see that guy as just some adventurer, right? His clothes look like those of a noble, and his fighting style¡­¡± ¡°Seems like a knight¡¯s.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying.¡± Ah, that didn¡¯t mean the Demon Knight relied solely on Arcane Power to fight or would be nothing without it. In her experience, even without that insane volume of Arcane Power, the Demon Knight could probably defeat most powerful opponents. ¡°If he¡¯s not a knight, who is? Even an inquisitor known as the Grim Reaper of the Temple can¡¯t stand up against him. There¡¯s a reason Munmund still stands tall.¡± All she wanted to say was this. What made the Demon Knight so out of the norm was his exceptional Arcane Power, but if they were to fight with pure skill without any Arcane Power, she might win. No, she would definitely win. ¡°Scary¡­ We should make sure to stay far away from that guy.¡± ¡°But seriously. Why are a knight and an inquisitor fighting here?¡± ¡°No clue. Maybe that knight is a Demon Worshiper¡­ or something?¡± ¡°¡­That can¡¯t be.¡± But what about now? Was she still sure she could win? He really was a true genius. He changed his posture in a single breath and corrected his sword¡¯s trajectory in the next. ¡°¡­¡± Was the reason his swordsmanship had stagnated up to this point due to the convenience of Arcane Power? Could ¡°Berserk¡± win? ¡°¡­Step aside.¡± ¡°Huh¡­? Y-Yes.¡± ¡°Move aside, get out of the way.¡± ¡°Ah, why are you¡­ One second, I¡¯ll step away.¡± Berserk swallowed hard as she heard the voice echoing inside her mind and watched his sword be freer and lighter with every passing moment. She couldn¡¯t win anymore. ¡°Out of the way!¡± ¡°Uwargh!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that woman a nd?¡± ¡°S-She¡¯s a giant.¡± And when that sword finally moved withposure, when it effortlessly sliced through the opponent''s weapon as if trying to leave without any regrets¡­ She stepped forward into the empty space the crowd had steered clear of. ¡°That¡¯s enough. You¡¯ve lost.¡± It was an utter defeat. For her. For ¡°Berserk.¡± ¡°Damn it, Sister! Why aren''t you stepping in?!¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, Brother!¡± ¡°That Demon Contractor over¡ª!¡± After she had stepped in, the Inquisitor followed suit. With that inquisitor subdued, the Demon Knight turned away without any regrets. It was as if what just happened had no effect on him. It made sense. To him, this was just amon urrence, a trivial disturbance unworthy of his attention. ¡°¡­¡± He wasn¡¯t wrong. No, that was definitely the right way to go about it. Words with no power behind them were merely empty echoes. ¡°A Demon Contractor? Are you talking about the Demon Knight?¡± ¡°Who else could I mean?! Sister, you can surely feel all that Demonic Energy, right¡ª!?¡± For that reason, Berserk threw that still-ranting man to the ground. ¡°Urgh!¡± Since he was only wearing a cuirass and not full te, he likely wouldn¡¯t be able to get up from that so easily. Not that she had any reason to let that guy off lightly. ¡°Berserk?¡± ¡°I¡¯m leaving, Priest.¡± After all, courage and mere recklessness werepletely different things. While the resolve to fight to the end and the stubbornness to not admit defeat came from the same ce, they were subtly different, crucially different. It was an unbridgeable gap that could never be closed. Which was why¡­ she hated thetter with all her heart. It was just so foolish. ¡°Y-Yes.¡± ¡°Hold on, you seem to be that man¡¯s aplice. Where do you think you¡¯re going¡­?¡± ¡°Erm, Brother. Let¡¯s just talk about this first¡­¡± ¡°What good does talking do?! There¡¯s evil walking among us!¡± Just as she¡¯d once been. ¡ºYou think what you¡¯re doing now is right, don¡¯t you? You probably think this is the best you can do.¡» Berserk stopped walking without even realizing it. ¡ºYou¡¯re wrong. What you¡¯re doing right now is one of the most foolish things you could ever do.¡» Then, the teaching of the one she most hated and was the most grateful to echoed in her mind. That was what made her stop in her tracks. ¡ºRemember. The reason you couldn¡¯t protect anything was because of your weakness, and the reason you¡¯re still alive is because I, a strong person, showed you mercy.¡» Her enemy. ¡ºWhy did I show you mercy? Well, first of all, because I¡¯m kind-hearted, and second, because you¡¯re useful.¡» And her mentor. ¡ºWhat? You don¡¯t believe me? Then what are you going to do about it? Do you really think reality will change just because you don¡¯t believe something? Cut the nonsense. I¡¯ve proven my mercifulness enough by the fact I¡¯m tolerating you.¡» Someone long dead. ¡ºGot it? The ability of the powerful to show restraint should be proof enough of their character. Whether it¡¯s innate goodness, ulterior motives, or whatever!¡» They were the teachings of the one she¡¯d killed. ¡ºSo drop that pathetic attitude and focus on bing stronger. Get strong enough to kill me before I run out of patience and kill you.¡» But as she recalled these words, a question appeared in her mind. She still remembered that person¡¯s teachings clearly, so why, just why was Berserk still so weak? Even after killing her enemy and mentor and being given the honorable title of Berserk, why was she still so very weak, not much different from back then? Because you never epted that contradiction. ¡°¡­I.¡± You can still remember the anger, but you forgot its source. That¡¯s why you¡¯re still so weak. ¡°Berserk isn¡¯t weak.¡± Really? Do you really think that? The truth was always painful, more than cutting your stomach open with a sword or slowly grinding your bones to dust. ¡°Berserk¡­ isn¡¯t weak.¡± ¡­Just how long will you keep this up? ¡°If you have anyints, do it yourself. Berserk won¡¯t budge.¡± With that, Berserk rubbed her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m never going to budge.¡± And then, she closed her eyes again. She saw a face she knew all too well. * * * After wandering around for quite a while, I finally found an inn with a stable. It seemed many merchants frequented it. ¡°Look at that horse¡­¡± ¡°Whoa¡­ That¡¯s definitely no ordinary breed¡­¡± ¡°¡­If I asked that guy to have it mate with my mare, he¡¯d probably say no, right?¡± ¡°Of course. It¡¯s not even breeding season yet.¡± However, with so many peopleing and going, and Frederick being quite conspicuous, I couldn¡¯t help but worry someone might try to steal him. Snooort. ¡°¡­Seems I was worried for nothing.¡± Well. If anyone did try to steal him, they¡¯d probably get kicked into oblivion. I felt like I could let go of some of that worry. ¡°If anyone other than me or the stable hand approaches you, kick them. Kick them as hard as you can with your hind legs.¡± Neeeigh. Still, just in case, I offered him some apples, carrots, and blueberries while earnestly instructing him. A kick from a horse could break multiple ribs or even lead to death, but there was nothing I could do about that. The security here was a bit toox for my liking, and if someone actually stole him, I had hardly any way to recover him. ¡°Alright.¡± I tipped the young stable hand quite generously and warned him firmly. I even told him I¡¯d pay him double if Frederick was satisfied when we left. Hearing that, he eagerly promised that I could leave it to him with sparkling eyes. For some reason, he seemed far more dependable than some adults I¡¯de across. ¡°Right. Do you perhaps know of any decent restaurant with affordable food around here?¡± ¡°¡­It would be a bit strange to rmend the inn that employs me, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± I guess so¡­ The room rates were also pretty expensive¡­ ¡°Hmm, there is one spot I know of¡­¡± Fortunately, the young stable hand was keenly aware of the value of the coins in his hand. It seemed he knew a ce that was both decent and cheap. ¡°Thank you.¡± I added a little bit to his tip as payment for the information. If the first tip was to ensure he took good care of Frederick, this one was for the rmendation. ¡°Ah, again¡­! I-If you have any other questions about the city, feel free to ask! I¡¯ll find out everything you want me to!¡± The stable hand looked as if he was about to die of joy. Money really was the best motivator after all. ¡°Have a nice day!!¡± It would be good if I did. With the most urgent matter taken care of, I could finally wash up and get a bite to eat. It would be even better if I could order some lunch boxes at that ce as well. ¡°The fruits and vegetables here have been unusually fresh recently. The dry season hasn¡¯t even ended yet.¡± ¡°Really? They look the same to me.¡± ¡°How do you even manage to stay alive with those poor observation skills?¡± ¡°Is it that big of a deal? Why are you nagging me¡­?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to marry that greengrocer¡¯s daughter, you idiot!!¡± Then, while I was on my way back to the inn, I caught sight of a womannding a flying kick on a guy who took it directly. I didn¡¯t know whether they were siblings or friends, but they certainly seemed close. ¡°Wow, this is the first time I actually feel bad for Sasha.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ why are you bringing up Sasha now¡­?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? The only vegetable stores with a young girl around our age are ours and Sasha¡¯s.¡± ¡°¡­No, well, hah.¡± ¡°Wait, or is it Marlene? In that case, you might want to think it over. She¡¯s not a bad person, but¡­ well, her personality is a bit¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m about to lose it here¡­¡± Ah, so they were friends. Though, one of them might be hoping for a rtionship a bit deeper than friendship. ¡°Enough of that. Come on, I¡¯ll show you how to pick good quality fruits and vegetables. No matter whether it¡¯s Sasha or Marlene, do you think anyone who works at a vegetable store would want to marry someone who doesn¡¯t even know the basics?¡± ¡°¡­You too?¡± ¡°Of course! I absolutely wouldn¡¯t be able to stand that!¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯lle along, okay?¡± I figured if I discreetly followed those two, I might be able to score some quality fruits and vegetables. As they practiced differentiating the good from the bad, they¡¯d probably point out the best ones, so I would only have to pick those. Pushing aside the difort I felt¡ªhonestly, I wasn¡¯t doing anything that bad by this world¡¯s standards¡­¡ªI followed the pair closely. My goal was to get some snacks for Frederick. ¡°Urgh, how would you even manage without me?¡± ¡°No idea. I might as well die, right?¡± ¡°Are you kidding right now? You should be thinking about bing more independent, not about suddenly dying!¡± ¡°Why are you nagging me again¡­?¡± Their banter reminded me, unconsciously, of my parents. ¡°Geez. Seriously. When will you finally be more independent?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I just stay with you forever?¡± ¡°What? Do you want me to spend my whole life just taking care of you? Why would I want that? I also want to start dating properly!¡± ¡°¡­Dating?¡± ¡°Yeah, dating! With someone handsome! Strong! And knowledgeable about vegetables!¡± The reason they reminded me a little of them wasn¡¯t anything spectacr. The way that man whined and the girl unintentionally shot him down was a lot like my parents. To me, my father might have seemed rather strict and stoic¡­ but in front of my mother, he turned into the world¡¯s clumsiest romantic. ¡°¡­I have a pretty good build as well.¡± ¡°You? Yeah, sure. But I¡­ want to meet someone at least bigger than my brother. It would be nice if he were at least as well built as Uncle Jean.¡± ¡°Uncle Jean is a Shaggi, though¡­!¡± ¡°So? You need to be at least that strong to carry things properly.¡± And what about my mother? She was the kind of person to notice immediately if my father ever forgot so much as a scarf, but she somehow could never catch on to a single hint he dropped. It made her seem as if an unbreakable barrier was around her. But whenever my father started to feel upset about it, she would always surprise him with various gestures to lift his spirits before he even had a chance to sulk. The most amazing thing about all this was that she never even nned on doing that. It all just happened by chance. ¡°¡­I guess I¡¯mpletely hopeless then.¡± ¡°What? Did what I said discourage you? Don¡¯t worry! Sure, you might be a bit scrawny by my standards, but¡­ you¡¯re definitely the best-looking around these parts. Be confident!¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± ¡°Really, really! And you know I have quite high standards, right?¡± ¡°I do. So¡­¡± Feeling lost in nostalgia at the sight of those two young people bantering, I eventually came to a stop. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to follow them any further. ¡°¡­Maybe I should just confess already.¡± ¡°Huh? Confess?¡± ¡°I mean, if you still don¡¯t get it after I dropped so many hints, I¡¯ll just have to whisper it into your ear¡­¡± ¡°What? What hints???¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m seriously about to go crazy.¡± ¡°Ah, What? Tell me already!!¡± I¡­ couldn¡¯t follow them any longer. Looking at those two was enough to make me realize how much I missed my parents. ¡°Schutz! You¡¯re only allowed to y in front of Dad¡¯s shop! Don¡¯t wander off, okay?!¡± ¡°Yesss!!¡± ¡°Louise! Stop cking off and help out at the store! You¡¯re old enough to help us out!!¡± ¡°Ah, Mom,e on. I was supposed to meet Lenny today!¡± No, actually, I was always missing them. Especially in these moments when I noticed a child being seen off by their family or a grown adult still clinging to their parents simply because they were family. Every moment I saw these kinds of scenes. I felt it even more distinctly these days. ¡°Erm¡­ mister. Are you crying?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± At that moment, a child came running down the street and approached me. That was quite unexpected. Both the kid approaching me and the question he asked. ¡°Why are you crying? Did something sad happen?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± I was about to say I wasn¡¯t crying when I felt something rolling down my cheek. A tear. ¡°Don¡¯t cry. My mom says that crying scares all the good luck away. And if your luck runs away, you won¡¯t be able to eat any yummy food, and, erm, get presents, and, uhm¡­¡± ¡°Schutz? Schutz?¡± ¡°Ah, Dad!!¡± ¡°What are you doing here?! This isn¡¯t in front of the shop, urgh!¡± How embarrassing. And aplete character break. I slowly lowered myself as I looked at the tear that had fallen into my palm. My eyes then met the child¡¯s. He briefly looked back at his father before turning back to me, his grayish-brown hair fluttering. ¡°Dad, this mister is crying¡­ Erm, mister, there are even more tears now. That¡¯s not good¡­¡± Tap. The child¡¯s soft hands touched my cheeks. Behind him, his father hurried over, his facepletely pale, as if afraid his child might get hurt. ¡°Please don¡¯t cry.¡± ¡°¡­Okay.¡± It was so warm and soft. ¡°Wait, wait. I¡¯m sorry, did my child make some sort of mistake¡­?¡± ¡°Nuh-uh. I didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Right, mister?¡± And maybe because of that¡­ I wanted to cry even more. ¡°¡­No, he didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡± ¡°See! Dad is a dummy!¡± ¡°I-Is that so? That¡¯s a relief, then¡­¡± I wished I had parents who¡¯de running over to me like that. Even though I was already in my thirties, I still desperately wished for that. ____ Chapter 187: If I Can Remain Here (3) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 187 If I Can Remain Here (3) The Archmage looked at the person dragged in by the Inquisitor and some priests who¡¯d been responding to an urgent request, then looked at the Inquisitor, and then looked at the other person again. ¡°It seems you mistook the Demon Knight for a Demon Contractor¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°As expected¡­¡± Although they¡¯d ryed the Demon Knight¡¯s appearance to the Temple, it was a far from perfect measure. There was an inevitable discrepancy between just hearing his description and meeting him in person. ¡°I¡­ still find it hard to believe. How can someone possessing Demonic Energy¡­¡± ¡°The Demon Knight is different from those Demon Worshipers!¡± ¡°How can you be so sure of that?!¡± Of course, in the Demon Knight¡¯s case, his hair color alone was already distinct enough to identify him¡­ but there were some who, like that inquisitor, had neither the will nor focus to remember even that detail. Even when given a list of unique characteristics or told about someone¡¯s most striking features, there were some who couldn¡¯t keep those things in mind until the person was standing right in front of them. ¡°Even God has warned us to be wary of the Demons¡¯ cunning!¡± And when you factored someone¡¯s hatred and contempt for something into that, talking to them any further was pointless. For such people, no amount of exnation could expand their vision. ¡°How could we let someone like that¡­!¡± ¡°Enough! That¡¯s enough, Inquisitor Daniel.¡± ¡°Bishop!¡± ¡°I said, enough.¡± Only those of higher authority or greater power could restrain them. ¡°But¡­!¡± The Archmage let out a weak sigh at that point. This was why she¡¯d tried to bring the Demon Knight directly to the Temple. She felt a little regretful. ¡°Inquisitor Daniel, do you think I¡¯m doing this because I don¡¯t understand your circumstances or feelings? If you believe that, I¡¯d suggest you spend some time in the confessional.¡± ¡°¡­Bishop.¡± ¡°Take a moment to calm yourself. You are far too emotional right now, Inquisitor Daniel.¡± Improving rtions and learning their schedule aside, the fastest way to inform the parish of the Demon Knight¡¯s existence was simply to bring him here in person. They would just show the Demon Knight to everyone and urge them not to be hostile toward him. ¡°I assure you, I¡¯m perfectly rational.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call someone who refuses to ept a suggestion or even pretend to be persuaded rational. So I¡¯ll ask again: are you sure of your answer?¡± ¡°¡­I will take my leave.¡± Moreover, doing this helped quickly identify those who prioritized their personal convictions and emotions over the Temple¡¯s decision. While the Demon Knight was unpacking, they could always preupy that inquisitor by sending him to the confessional like they had now or on errands so he wouldn¡¯t cross paths with the Demon Knight. Even if they sent him out on an errand, they could always call him back¡ªsince the Demon Knight always took a bath after unpacking, there was plenty of time. ¡°¡­I apologize. Daniel is quite unyielding¡­¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I can understand his actions. I¡¯ve been like that before as well¡­¡± However, if they parted ways the moment they entered a new city like they did today, these kinds of incidents might happen more frequently in the future. But they couldn¡¯t force him toe to the Temple when he felt ufortable there, either. ¡°I would like to ask¡­ that you make sure the same thing won¡¯t happen again, Bishop.¡± ¡°Yes, Madam Archmage.¡± In the end, there was no perfect solution. The Archmage sighed repeatedly as she watched the bishop apologize to the Inquisitor. ¡°If there are any other issues, please don¡¯t hesitate to call me.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°The same goes for you, Inquisitor. And you too.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Yes, understood.¡± At the very least, she believed that by saying these things, they could prevent such incidents from happeningter on. After leaving the bishop and the others with her reminder, she turned to leave. She was heading back to the room she¡¯d been assigned. Should she have done something more? She tried to push those thoughts aside. If nothing else came to mind right away, there was no use thinking about it even longer. ¡°I¡¯m exhausted¡­¡± Shey down on the bed, her staminapletely drained. Compared to the start of her journey, her body had be noticeably sluggish. ¡°I can¡¯t even imagine how I managed to move around so much in the old days.¡± But as if out of habit, her mind didn¡¯t stop. She recalled the days when she toured through several cities, trying to find a location for her own researchb. She remembered the moment she finally found the perfect spot to build it, and the person who¡¯d been at her side all that time¡­ ¡°¡­This.¡± The Archmage¡¯s thoughts now turned to those bittersweet, painful memories deeply engraved in her mind. She¡¯d long ovee that incident, so there shouldn¡¯t be any need to bring up these sad memories. Instead, she redirected her thoughts toward someone else. So¡­ she began picturing the Demon Knight and the path he must have walked before they¡¯d met. ¡°Hmm?¡± Suddenly, a thought urred to her, something she¡¯d been missing all that time. ¡°¡­How did he even manage to get around like that?¡± He couldfortably travel now because of the Hero¡¯s endorsement and support. But just how had he evaded the Temple''s watchful eye in the past? If he somehow ended up killing an inquisitor, he would¡¯ve been wanted for murder. Even if he¡¯d just subdued them and run away, many people would¡¯ve been chasing after him solely because of the Demonic Energy he exuded. In that kind of situation, just how had he¡­? ¡°¡­I must be getting old, realizing this only now.¡± It was a trivial matter, but it was something she could have thought of much sooner. And yet, it had only crossed her mind just now. She rubbed her head, feeling as if her mental acuity had deteriorated along with her physical strength. She then tapped her fingers against the bed as she pondered. ¡°Registering as an adventurer is easy enough. He just had to pass the test¡­¡± If you had at least the minimum required skills and no bounty on your head, the Adventurers¡¯ Guild would readily allow you to register. They didn¡¯t even require details like your name or age. What the Adventurers¡¯ Guild valued was the ability toplete requests, not a person¡¯s past. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t just overlook someone¡¯s wanted status, would they¡­?¡± Of course, if they discovered someone was wanted, they would immediately revoke the person¡¯s registration and issue a pursuit order. This wasn¡¯t only because of something like moral responsibility that came with the guild¡¯s immense size¡­ but because it was fundamentally quite profitable. One mustn¡¯t forget that the Adventurers¡¯ Guild was an organization that made a lot of money on the side through bounty hunting. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± So, had the Demon Knight just been lucky enough to have never encountered a single priest while traversing cities throughout his entire career? But was that even possible? Certain cities even stationed people of the Temple at the city gates. Vrrr. Just as her thoughts started to deepen, she received a call. Should she just not answer? The Archmage¡¯s conscience and deep annoyance shed against each other. ¡°¡­What is it?¡± ¨C You outside? ¨C In the end, her conscience won out. She couldn¡¯t deny that the name of the one who¡¯d contacted her hadn¡¯t yed any part in her decision, though. ¡°I¡¯ve just arrived in the city¡­ Is there a problem?¡± ¨C It¡¯s nothing much, but it¡¯s about the form you sent mest time. I think this is going to lead to something a lot bigger¡­ ¨C ¡°¡­?¡± ¨C You probably didn''t intend as such¡­ ¨C However, the annoyance and fatigue her conscience had barely suppressed soon vanished. ¨C This could change the world. If we take this a little further, we could even turn Zombies, or¡­ perhaps even that knight of yours, back to normal. ¨C The Archmage sat up instantly. * * * ¡°Erm, are you alright?¡± While the situation was absurd, I had been invited into their house. The child refused to let go of me as I continued to cry, the child¡¯s father was worried about leaving us alone but couldn¡¯t leave his store for too long, and I didn¡¯t have the presence of mind to sort out the situation, so things ended up like that. One of the decisive factors was that the child¡¯s home was right around the corner. ¡°¡­I¡¯m fine.¡± Andstly, if I had to choose between ¡°Crying on the busy main street¡± vs. ¡°epting a kind stranger''s consideration,¡± thetter seemed far more appealing, right? Of course, some might disagree, but for my character, this was absolutely the right choice. The fewer witnesses seeing me break character, the better. ¡°I¡¯m afraid this is all I can offer you¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°This is more than enough.¡± Anyway, I epted what the child¡¯s mother had handed me. It was Vin Chaud, a mulled wine with floating bits of fruit. ¡°I want some too, Mom, me too! Give me some too!¡± ¡°No. I told you. You can only drink this when you catch a cold.¡± ¡°But he doesn¡¯t have a cold, and you gave it to him!¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s because he¡¯s a guest¡­¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll be a guest, too.¡± ¡°What¡¯s this kid even saying?¡± Well, despite being called ¡°wine,¡± it was technically closer to a simple juice. Most of the alcohol had probably evaporated when it was heated. ¡°¡­Come here, I¡¯ll share some with you.¡± ¡°Wow!! Mister, you¡¯re the best!¡± ¡°Oh my, you really don¡¯t have to¡­¡± With that in mind, sharing a little with the kid shouldn¡¯t cause any issues. I sat the child who¡¯d excitedly run toward me on myp¡ªsince he¡¯d already climbed up halfway, I didn¡¯t have much choice¡ªand carefully handed him the cup. The warmth of the Vin Chaud was already gone, but the warmth from the child made up for it. With that little bundle of heat on myp, my fingers started to fidget without me noticing. ¡°So, erm. Are you by any chance¡­ an adventurer?¡± Meanwhile, the child¡¯s mother had taken a seat across from me. She only had one ss of cold water. ¡°Since you¡¯re carrying a weapon with you¡­¡± ¡°An adventurer!¡± But we didn¡¯t get very far with that conversation. Just when I thought the kid was focused on the Vin Chaud, he suddenly reacted to what was said. The little legs that had been resting on myp started to bounce, and the face that had been tilted down to drink properly was now looking straight at me, eyes wide. ¡°Mister, are you an adventurer?!¡± ¡°Schutz!¡± The Vin Chaud in the ss rippled because of his quick movements. Just like my heart. ¡°¡­I am working as an adventurer.¡± ¡°Reall? That¡¯s sooo cool!!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t with this kid, seriously.¡± I calmed my startled heart and wiped the few drops of Vin Chaud that had spilled onto the table with a cloth. The mother gave it to me earlier to wipe away my tears¡­ but now I was using it like this. Good thing I hadn¡¯t returned it yet, I guess. ¡°Oh my, you really don¡¯t have to wipe it up.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°So, mister, is that a real sword too?¡± ¡°Schutz!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a real sword.¡± ¡°Woooooow!¡± I knew what the mother was worried about, but it really was fine. After giving her a reassuring gesture, I answered the child¡¯s question. The little bundle of warmth bouncing on myp was very endearing. He was so small and delicate that it was almost scary. ¡°Can I touch it?¡± ¡°Slowly, and only if you promise to touch where I tell you.¡± ¡°I promise!¡± Trying to suppress the kid¡¯s curiosity would likely only backfire. So, I allowed him to touch it under my strict supervision. ¡°Mister?¡± ¡°¡­Here. Just slide your hand gently along it like this.¡± I suddenly wondered if it was right to let him touch a sword stained with so much blood, but it was already toote. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°This part here is called the grip, and this is the de.¡± ¡°de!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t touch the edge. It¡¯ll cut you.¡± ¡°Okay¡­!¡± As I exined each part to him in a calm voice, the child reached out to the sword. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t try to grab it in his excitement. Was it because I¡¯d limited where he could touch, or had he be serious after realizing this was a real sword? Either way, he only carefully brushed his fingers along the t side of the de just as I instructed him. Only after seeing that did the child¡¯s mother, who had been watching anxiously, finally rx. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°The guard.¡± ¡°Why is it there?¡± ¡°It¡¯s there to prevent the hand holding the grip from slipping toward the de.¡± ¡°Does that really happen?¡± ¡°Kid, have you ever held a¡­ a broom handle or a long stick?¡± ¡°Uuuhm. Yeah!¡± ¡°Then have you ever swung it really hard?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ but Mom told me not to because it might break, so I¡¯m not doing it anymore.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s good. But after swinging it, didn¡¯t you sometimes end up gripping a different part than in the beginning?¡± ¡°Eeerm¡­ I think so! Does that happen with swords, too?¡± ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s why there¡¯s a guard. Unlike a stick that''s smooth on all sides, a sword has sharp edges, so you could get hurt.¡± ¡°Uwaah! And what about this part?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the pommel. It helps bnce the sword¡¯s weight.¡± ¡°Bnce?¡± ¡°¡­Have you ever tried or seen someone try to bnce a spoon on your finger, such that if you ce it just the right way, it won¡¯t tip to either side?¡± ¡°No!¡± If he hadn¡¯t seen it before, I should just show him. I reached into my Inventory to pull out a spoon. ¡°Erm¡­ Will this work?¡± ¡°¡­It should.¡± But before I could do that, the mother handed me a wooden spoon. When I nced at her face, I could tell she was also secretly enjoying my exnation, even though it was just some random knowledge about swords. ¡°Now, look. It¡¯s tipping to one side. That¡¯s because the bowl part is heavier than the handle, so it tilts in that direction.¡± ¡°It really does!¡± ¡°But if you do it like this¡­ supporting it closer to the bowl end instead of the middle¡­ See? Now, it doesn¡¯t tilt. That¡¯s what we call bnce.¡± ¡°Uwah, uwaaaah!!¡± ¡°Going back to the sword, this is also why it has a pommel. Without it, the de side would be heavier and keep tipping forward, so the pommel bnces it out.¡± Anyway, since he was responding so enthusiastically, I couldn¡¯t help but also get really into exining it. Using simple examples, I satisfied the child¡¯s curiosity, and each time I exined something new, his eyes would sparkle. ¡°You¡¯re a good person, mister. My older brother never exins these kinds of things to me!¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°He¡¯s talking about his cousin. He also uses a sword.¡± ¡°He¡¯s really mean. I asked him to show me once, but he never did!¡± I see. I nced at the boy¡¯s light brown hair and slowly lowered my left hand, which I had raised. Although I¡¯d let him sit on myp, I couldn¡¯t really pat him. ¡°The sword he uses is smaller than yours, though¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. My brother¡¯s sword is about this big. Even the soldiers I saw a while ago used swords this big. Why¡¯s yours so long, mister?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s because this is a two-handed sword.¡± ¡°Is that better?¡± ¡°Well.¡± A two-handed sword might be more powerful than a one-handed sword, but if youcked the strength, stamina, and skill, it was probably better not to use one. ¡­But that wasn¡¯t an answer you could give a child. I chose my words a bit more carefully. ¡°A two-handed sword is heavier than a one-handed sword, so fewer people can use it. It¡¯s pretty hard topare.¡± ¡°It¡¯s heavier?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s bigger.¡± ¡°Ahh. Then it¡¯s better, right? Since it¡¯s heavier and bigger?¡± ¡°Well, maybe.¡± ¡°Wow! Then I have to tell my brother! That two-handed swords are better!¡± As expected, he came to that conclusion. Indeed, at this age, kids thought that the bigger and heavier something was, the stronger it was. ¡°¡­Two-handed swords must be expensive, right?¡± ¡­Well, even as an adult, it might be easy to misunderstand these things if you didn¡¯t have any particr interest in swords. ¡°¡­Rather than changing your weapon, it''s better just to polish and master the one you already have.¡± ¡°Ah, is that so?¡± To prevent the boy¡¯s mother from even considering buying that ¡°cousin¡± a two-handed sword, I tried changing the subject. Fortunately, it worked. ¡°He may not be my biological child¡­ but I continued taking care of him after my sister and brother-inw died. I can tell he¡¯s not taking care of himself¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Brother never takes a break and is always off working somewhere. Dad said people who do that will die early!¡± Ah¡­ So his parents have passed away. I unconsciously clenched my fingers, silently paying my respects to this person I hadn¡¯t even met. ¡°His work is also quite dangerous¡­¡± Given that this cousin used a sword and had a dangerous job, he seemed to be a professionalbatant, like an adventurer or soldier. He was unlikely to be a hunter, since they used bows or traps, not swords. ¡°Is he an adventurer?¡± ¡°No¡­ Erm, he¡¯s an inquisitor.¡± That wasn¡¯t the answer I expected. I wondered if asking that was a bit too much, but then I thought it would be fine to break character a little more after thoroughly breaking it earlier, so I rxed. Well, and even if that inquisitor caught wind of what happened here, surely this wouldn¡¯t reach the ears of the Hero¡¯s party, right? ¡°I want to tell him to quit, but¡­¡± ¡°If we tell him to stop, he gets super mad. He¡¯s really scary then.¡± ¡°Well, erm. My sister and brother-inw¡­ Uhm. They passed away while working as inquisitors, you see¡­¡± As she spoke, the mother¡¯s voice wavered slightly. Her gaze fell on the child on myp. It seemed she¡¯d decided what she wanted to say next wasn¡¯t meant for this child¡¯s ears. ¡°Huh?¡± I briefly covered the child¡¯s ears and mouthed, ¡°Revenge?¡± to which the mother nodded. ¡°Mister, let me go.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ He¡¯s determined to track down the Demon and¡­ get revenge.¡± That¡­ certainly was a solid reason. Few reasons were aspelling or difficult to dissuade as avenging one¡¯s parents. ¡°Miiiister.¡± ¡°But¡­ after so many years, I wish he¡¯d just let it go. Especially since¡­¡± The child¡¯s mother scratched her cheek and leaned closer, speaking very softly so the boy absolutely wouldn¡¯t hear. ¡°He was there¡­ the day my sister and brother-inw were killed.¡± What could I even say? ¡°He barely managed to survive on his own¡­ How could that child have ever hoped to take on such an opponent?¡± The more I listened, the more I thought of my own character settings. ____ Chapter 188: If I Can Remain Here (4) Is It Bad That the Main Character¡¯s a Roleyer Chapter 188 If I Can Remain Here (4) Deathbringer stifled his irritation as he sat on the roof of the Temple. The fact that he¡¯d just been rolling around the Temple while the Inquisitor and Berserk went to help out the Demon Knight didn¡¯t sit quite right with him. Had he known this would happen, he would¡¯ve just gone along with them. Deathbringer swallowed his difort over that irreversible decision once again. It was still frustrating, though. ¡°Inquisitor Daniel, are you heading home?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Yes.¡± However, the most irritating thing wasn¡¯t himself, but the person responsible for this. Hearing a familiar name, Deathbringer slowly sat up. A burn scar covered half of that gray-haired person¡¯s face. It was the guy from earlier. ¡°I¡¯m sure your family will be happy. It¡¯s been a while since you¡¯vest gone back, right?¡± ¡°¡­I hope that¡¯s the case.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡± Of course, he had no intention of harming the man. It had already been resolved, after all, and it had been a situation that¡ªhe silently apologized to the Demon Knight¡ªwas bound to happen. Did the Demon Knight get hurt? Or were there casualties among the innocent civilians? Neither had happened, so Deathbringer couldn¡¯t bring himself to harm that inquisitor. As much as he disliked the man, he wouldn¡¯t dare do anything. Doing so would go against all his beliefs and break the oath he¡¯d made before Emmitte¡¯s grave. ¡°¡­It¡¯s been a while since Ist wanted someone just to mess up.¡± Still, out of spite, he couldn¡¯t just leave the guy alone, either. He was torn. Plenty of people in the past had indirectly refused to acknowledge the Demon Knight, but this guy was the first to do so directly. ¡°Then I could just p him over the head.¡± Was that all? He¡¯d promised the iron wall that he would never back down, but the multiple rejections to hear him out were honestly wearing him down. He wasn¡¯t thinking of giving up, but he was just so stressed out. To the point of feeling like he couldn¡¯t just let a chance to vent his frustration escape so easily. So he prayed. He prayed that damned hardhead would give him some sort of reason to step in. He didn¡¯t want anyone to get hurt either, so at least something small that would let him trip the guy up. ¡°Danny, you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°Daniel! How long has it been?¡± ¡°Haha¡­ It¡¯s been a whil¡ª¡± ¡°Brother! A two-handed sword! I heard a two-handed sword is better than a one-handed one!¡± ¡°Ah, Schutz, it¡¯s been a while, huh? What was that about a two-handed sword¡­?¡± ¡°Ah, today, an adventurer showed Schutz his sword. And that sword happened to be longer than yours, so¡­¡± ¡°¡­An adventurer using a long sword?¡± ¡°Brother! A two-handed sword, you hear?!¡± It was a somewhat unreasonable wish. Wanting to vent on someone who was only strict on Demons and their worshipers but was so very kind to his family wasn¡¯t justifiable. ¡°Hmm. It was a lot longer than yours¡­ About this much, maybe?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ unusual. Those types of swords are quite hard to use, so adventurers typically don¡¯t wield them.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Brother, a two-handed sword!¡± ¡°He must have been a highly skilled adventurer then.¡± ¡°Well, he did look quite unusual. He had two-colored hair, and the clothes he was wearing¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. I only saw him for a moment, but¡­ he really did seem interesting¡­¡± ¡°Aunt, Uncle, hold on a second. What color¡­ was his hair again¡­?¡± ¡°Huh? I said it was two-colored, didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°¡­What colors?¡± ¡°Hmm. One side was ck, and the other light gray.¡± ¡°¡­That damn Demon!¡± But it seemed he hadn¡¯tpletely wasted his time. Even Deathbringer hadn¡¯t expected this oue. * * * ¡°How dare he, how dare he!¡± ¡°¡­Danny?¡± ¡°How dare he touch my family!¡± Daniel¡¯s eyes turned red with rising anger. The back of his head seemed to throb. ¡°Wait, Danny. Why are you¡­!¡± ¡°Daniel?¡± ¡°Aunt, Uncle, stay here with Schutz! And no matter what, absolutely do not open the door for anyone until I return! Especially not for that two-tone-haired adventurer!¡± Well, he could hardly believe it, but it had only been a few hours since he¡¯d resolved himself to believe. He¡¯d let go of his anger and contempt because the others insisted he wasn¡¯t a Demon, and the Hero surely wouldn¡¯t ally with a Demon. He¡¯d fought so hard to let go of his prejudice and narrow-mindedness. And how was he rewarded? With a p over the head. And in the form of meddling with his family, no less? Unforgivable. This was absolutely unforgivable. As he thought, Demons couldn¡¯t be trusted. Daniel surrendered to his rising anger and turned around. ng. The worn armor he had yet to take off rattled noisily. ¡°Brother, where are you going?¡± ¡°Daniel!¡± ¡°Brother??¡± Of course, his family was extremely confused by his sudden actions, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. Right now, he didn¡¯t have any time to exin the situation to them. It wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t want to spend time with his family, but he just couldn¡¯t waste a single second to hunt that wretched Demon. ng, ng. But unfortunately, his steps were soon brought to a halt. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Someone was blocking his path. ¡°Step aside. I have somewhere I need to be.¡± Feeling no Demonic Energy from the person before him, Daniel instinctively responded as such. The stranger was standing with his back to the sun, cloaking his body and attire in shadows, which was probably why he¡¯d mistaken them for an ordinary citizen. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking you. Where are you going?¡± However, he soon realized the question wasn¡¯t being asked out of curiosity. And their attire, covered in shadows, also made him reconsider his opinion. That dark green cloak woven fromtles seemed perfectly designed to conceal things. The same went for their boots, which appeared to have beenden with something, and the weapon, hidden in the sleeve of the raised arm adjusting their cor. These all pointed to the same thing. ¡°¡­You.¡± This person wasn¡¯t an ordinary civilian. Perhaps not even a simple adventurer. The moment Daniel reached that conclusion, he widened his stance and ced a hand on the hilt of his sword. While rare, this kind of ambush wasn¡¯tpletely unheard of, so he didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°Identify yourself. Who are you to question me like this?¡± Could they be someone with a grudge against him? Someone from the back alleys who simply despised those of the Temple? An assassin hired by the kin of some vicious criminal he¡¯d executed? Or¡­ the most obvious answer, a Demon Worshiper? ¡°You saw me earlier. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve already forgotten?¡± His spiraling thoughts were abruptly cut off. He¡¯d seen them earlier? When? He¡¯d spent most of his afternoon in the confessional, so the only possibility was the morning. ¡°At the Temple.¡± The Temple. Upon hearing that word, Daniel¡¯s mind started working quickly. But even then, had he ever seen someone dressed in such dark clothes inside the Temple¡­? Ah. ¡°¡­The Hero¡¯s Companion.¡± ¡°What an atrocious memory you have. I¡¯m surprised you can track anything down with that potato of a brain.¡± ¡°I admit it¡¯s my fault for not recognizing you promptly, but I believe I have every right to ask why you, the Hero¡¯s Companion, are here and why you¡¯re blocking my path.¡± His sarcastic tone was quite annoying, but Daniel held back and showed him courtesy. After all, the Hero must¡¯ve had a reason for keeping someone like him so close. Even if he seemed suspicious. Even if he seemed strangely hostile toward him. As long as he was the Hero¡¯s Companion. As long as he was someone the Hero had chosen¡­ But could he really be trusted? ¡°If you can¡¯t answer, you don¡¯t have to. But in that case, just step aside. I have urgent matters to attend to.¡± While he¡¯d been in the confessional, the being whom the bishop had assured him wasn''t a Demon had sought out his family. As if to mock him. Or to threaten him. Was this the result of his trust and faith? And was the person before him any different? He was clearly someone who lived in the shadows, and although he was a Companion of the Hero, he likely associated with that Demon. ¡°So, where are you going?¡± ¡°I said, step aside.¡± ¡°Are all you inquisitors like this? So stubborn.¡± ¡°If you don''t move or even exin yourself¡­¡± ¡°At least that iron wall has the will to learn about things she doesn¡¯t know about.¡± ¡°Then I will force my way through you.¡± Perhaps his thoughts could be seen as sacrilegious. Perhaps he¡¯d misunderstood the person before him entirely. However, Daniel chose to reject the possibility of being wrong. He couldn¡¯t risk losing his family again. Anything that harbored Demonic Energy and all those who defended them deserved to die. * * * ¡°Are you actually trying to oppress a civilian right now?¡± ¡°I clearly gave you a warning.¡± He pressed forward resolutely. Of course, he hadn¡¯t drawn his weapon first, just to be on the safe side. So long as the other person didn¡¯t attack first, he wouldn¡¯t either. ¡°Mister Knight isn¡¯t a Demon.¡± But the moment he was about to pass by the other person, he gave a remark that lit a fuse in Daniel. ¡°What do you know!¡± ¡°Well. A lot more than you. I¡¯ve known Mister for far longer, after all.¡± Snap! In that instant, his opponent blocked his path again with agile movements. Did the man know he would retaliate if attacked? His opponent didn¡¯t even touch him. ¡°Get out of my way. I have to go kill that Demon!¡± ¡°Not happening. As long as you¡¯re hell-bent on going after Mister Knight, I will never get out of your way.¡± ¡°I told you to move!¡± ¡°Bleeeeh.¡± That piece of trash¡­! Daniel twisted his body, trying to force himself past. He still hadn¡¯t raised his weapon. It crossed his mind that his opponent might want him to draw his weapon first. ¡°I can¡¯t do that though.¡± However, whenever he moved, the other person would match his steps perfectly. His reaction speed was so fast that slipping past him seemed almost impossible. ¡°Out of my way!¡± ¡°I already told you I wouldn¡¯t, right?¡± ¡°Move!¡± ¡°Ah, why not try hitting me, huh?¡± ¡°You insufferable little troublemaker¡­!¡± Using proper force to get his way would only give his opponent an excuse to retaliate, but trying to somehow move past him seemed futile. All of this made Daniel even angrier. ¡°Hah. Is everyone in the Temple taught the same insults? The iron wall uses the same ones.¡± ¡°This is yourst chance¡ªget out of my way this instant! If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll ssify you as a heretic!¡± In the end, he had no choice but to y his final card. The other person¡¯s expression turned cold as ice at that remark. ¡°Me, a heretic?¡± ¡°If defending a Demon doesn¡¯t make you a heretic, what does?!¡± ¡°Wow. You sure have a talent for twisting the truth to make yourself sound in the right.¡± ¡°This is yourst chance. Cease defending that Demon and step aside.¡± ¡°And it seems you¡¯ve even built a solid wall over your perfectly good ears, huh?¡± The person¡¯s hand disappeared beneath his cape. ¡°Also, could you stop calling Mister a Demon?¡± ¡°So you choose to face punishment¡­¡± ¡°Mister doesn¡¯t need you also calling him a Demon. He¡¯s already beating himself up enough as is.¡± The cape shook slightly. Here it came. Daniel raised his arms instinctively, or maybe as a learned reflex. In such situations, stones or daggers would usually fly at him. Swish! But what came flying wasn¡¯t a dagger. ¡ºSometimes it¡¯s not a de, but sand or¡­ ash, or even worse, poison dust. So, rolling away might be better than just covering your face.¡» Just as his senior¡¯s advice shed through his mind, a cloud of white powder covered his eyes and nose. ¡°Cough, cough!¡± Despite having shielded his face with his forearm, he ended up coughing non-stop. He rolled to the side, rapidly blinking his eyes in case the substance was poisonous. Tears welled up, a physiological reaction to gradually clear his vision. Fortunately, it seemed like the powder wasn¡¯t poisonous. ¡°Choke on that.¡± Also, the first thing he saw when his vision cleared was his opponent flipping him off. He was also slowly backing away, expecting a blow would soone his way. A vein bulged on Daniel¡¯s neck. ¡°In the name of God, I shallmence the execution!¡± He briefly chanted the deration that inquisitors used tomence a heresy trial. Only then did his opponent decide to run away. Daniel, having shaken off the lingering effects of the white powder, immediately gave chase. ¡°Stop right there, you scum!¡± ¡°Would you stop if you were me?¡± He felt like this guy would keep running his mouth even if he were drowning. Daniel tried to regain hisposure after hearing those goading remarks, putting more strength into his legs. Strengthening his body with Divine Power, he somehow managed to keep up with that person¡¯s speed. Tap, tap, tap, tap. Clink, clink, clink. Two sets of footsteps echoed through the streets, hidden by the night¡¯s darkness. ¡°Stop!¡± ¡°I told you I won¡¯t, didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°You damn Demon Worshiper¡­!¡± ¡°You serious? I¡¯m not a damn Demon Worshiper! Are you trying to make me mad?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re not, what do you think you¡¯re doing right now?!¡± As the person scurried into an alley, Daniel turned to follow. He¡¯d also drawn his sword, keeping it before him defensively. Swish! ¡°¡ª! ¡ª!!¡± As something dark crossed his vision, another cloud of white powder followed. ¡°Cough, cough.¡± Judging by its distinctive ashy smell, it was probably just powdered ash. It wasn¡¯t poisonous, fortunately, just really annoying. Whizz, thud. ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t even know what Demons truly are!¡± ¡°Hah, I¡¯d wager I¡¯ve seen more Demons than you¡¯ll ever see in a lifetime.¡± Daniel swung his arm to clear the air and twisted his body. His opponent, who¡¯d just jumped over him using a wall to propel himself forward,nded back on the street, still talking to him in such an aggravating manner. ¡°If you know what they are, just why are you doing this?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I know. Did it never cross your mind that that¡¯s why, you idiot?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°The Demon Knight isn¡¯t a Demon, absolutely not.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been bewitched by that Demon!¡± ¡°Hah, if I¡¯m bewitched, then you¡¯ve been blinded by your damn beliefs.¡± However, what enraged Daniel even more was the firmness with which he spoke. If that person truly wasn¡¯t a Demon Worshiper, then what he disyed might just be his loyalty and trust toward apanion. Trust born fromplete ignorance about the true nature of Demons. It made him fall for the Demon¡¯s silver tongue, leaving him utterly blind to the betrayal lurking in the shadows! ¡°You don¡¯t understand. You¡¯ve no idea what Demons are capable of!¡± As he thought, all Demons must die. Everyst one of those corrupted beings who couldn¡¯t help but betray even that unshakable faith. None of them must live. ¡°And you know what you don¡¯t understand? How a person can shine so brilliantly, even when tainted by a Demon.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all a lie! That light is nothing but an illusion!¡± ¡°Hah. If that were the case, there¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°You just don¡¯t understand Demons!¡± ¡°And you don¡¯t understand people!¡± They all needed to die. ¡°You have no idea what kind of person Mister is, how much he¡¯s endured, and what kind of determination it takes for him to continue standing on thisnd!¡± The Demons who¡¯d killed his parents and all the seniors who¡¯d guided him. ¡°You don¡¯t understand him, who despises Demons so much that he even turns his de on himself, treating himself as evil, yet keeps standing to kill all those Demons, not even caring about his own life!¡± They had to die. ¡°You truly don¡¯t¡ª!¡± ¡°My parents died because they answered a child¡¯s cry for help.¡± Perhaps because his emotions finally reached a breaking point, an eerie calm settled over him. Daniel opened his mouth again, his mind clear. ¡°They died because they followed a child calling out, ¡®Help me. Please help me.¡¯ ¡± He could vividly remember the day he went out for his first field training to be a full-fledged inquisitor and, at the same time, the day his parents died. ¡°Who could¡¯ve imagined a high-ranking Demon would be in a ce so far from the frontlines, where it¡¯s much moremon to stumble across some bandits.¡± ¡ºA child? Did anyone hear a child¡¯s voice just now?¡» ¡ºWe¡¯re in the middle of a forest, though¡­?¡» ¡ºListen carefully. Over there¡­¡» ¡ºIs it really¡­?¡» ¡ºJust in case¡­ Danny, you stay here. Carl, stay with Danny.¡» ¡ºUnderstood.¡» ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t understand Demons. I¡¯m not talking about low-level Demons like Goblins, Gnolls, or Zombies, but real Demons. You can¡¯t even fathom how far those beings can go.¡± ¡º¡­Can¡¯t Ie with you?¡» ¡ºNo. We¡¯ll be back soon, okay¡­?¡» ¡ºHey, Danny, are you already disobeying orders? Don¡¯t try to pull the family card now.¡» ¡ºExactly. We make these decisions for a reason, so just wait patiently, okay?¡» ¡º¡­Okay.¡» ¡°Demons are cruel, cunning, and abominable.¡± ¡º¡­A-An explosion?¡» ¡º¡­That¡¯s the direction Mom and Dad went.¡» ¡ºThis isn¡¯t good. Danny, hide somewhere nearby! I¡¯ll check on what¡¯s happening!¡» ¡ºNo! I want to go too! Let me go with you!¡» ¡ºNo! You stay here and hide!¡» ¡º¡­But!¡» ¡ºThis is an official order from a formal inquisitor to a trainee! There¡¯s no ¡°but¡±!¡» ¡°Demons, without exception, are worse than you could ever imagine!¡± ¡ºAargh!¡» ¡ºUwaaaargh!¡» ¡ºD-Damn it¡­ Run away, Dan¡ª¡­!¡» ¡°The only solution is to kill all of them.¡± ¡ºRun away, huh¡­ So, there¡¯s one more?!¡» ____ Chapter 189: If I Can Remain Here (5) Chapter 189 If I Can Remain Here (5) > [There¡¯s one more. One more¡­] Feeling his parents¡¯st words, the boy, on the cusp of adulthood, trembled as he pressed his body between the tree roots and dense brush. The voice he heard was gradually getting closer. > [¡­You damned brat!] Then suddenly, that voice became filled with fury. > [Are you still struggling¡­?] He could hear only one voice anywhere around, and he couldn¡¯t sense the presence of any other person. Yet, it raged at something. ¡°Do you think¡­ I¡¯ll lose to you?¡± Then the voice changed. > [Ha, as if a snot-nosed brat like you could ever defeat me¡­] No, it was the same voice. ¡°No¡­ more.¡± But it sounded like an entirely different person. ¡°No more¡­¡± Someone else¡­ ¡°No more killing people¡­¡± Someone else¡­? > [Alright.] At that moment, the tree the boy had been hiding under shattered as fire erupted in all directions. ck¡­pletely ck mes. So dark they felt like the night itself. * * * ¡°The only solution is to kill all of them.¡± The moment Deathbringer heard those words, he understood. This bastard was someone he couldn¡¯t reason with. He was someone who wouldn¡¯t believe the truth even if it stabbed him in the eye. ¡°This is seriously driving me nuts.¡± That didn¡¯t mean that he couldn¡¯t understand this guy¡¯s feelings. If his parents had been killed like that¡ªwell, he didn¡¯t really remember having parents, so he imagined Emmitte in that role¡ªwho wouldn¡¯t end up with that kind of paranoid fixation? But that didn¡¯t give him the right to vilify the Demon Knight. Deathbringer was so incredibly frustrated by this deadlock with no room forpromise. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°¡­Miss Hero.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true that Demons are irredeemable beings, and they¡¯re far crueler than you can imagine.¡± At that moment, the Inquisitor appeared. An outsider who could break up this situation. ¡°There are Demons that disguise themselves as weak people like children or the elderly to lure others into their traps, or that bewitch people by appearing as their lover or family member. Such Demons are quite umon and rather weak in power, so they¡¯re not regarded as high-ranking Demons.¡± He didn¡¯t know how she¡¯d found them, but her timing was impable. Suppressing his surprise, Deathbringer stepped aside for her to take over. ¡°But Brother, the Demon Knight isn¡¯t a Demon. Therefore, none of these examples apply to him.¡± ¡°Miss Hero, that belief is¡­¡± ¡°Brother.¡± The woman with antern hanging from her waist lowered her gaze. ¡°If he truly were a Demon, I wouldn¡¯t be standing here today. He is far stronger than I am.¡± That admission carried a hint of bitterness. ¡°Miss Hero, how can you say that¡­?!¡± ¡°Because he isn¡¯t a Demon. As paradoxical as it may sound, he really isn¡¯t.¡± ¡°¡­How do you know he isn¡¯t actually targeting you, Miss Hero?!¡± The Inquisitor blinked her eyes at his sharp shout. Even Deathbringer couldn¡¯t stop himself from asking, ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± without realizing it. It was almost a reflexive action. ¡°Brother, I may still be quite ignorant of the world¡­ but even I cannot imagine a Demon far stronger than I would tolerate the great difort thates from joining me on this journey.¡± ¡°That¡¯s!¡± ¡°He¡¯s even coughed up blood several times because of my Divine Power, and every time we arrived in a new city, he would stay at the Temple, and there¡¯s also the seal¡­¡± Instead of mocking him, the Inquisitor simply counted off several legitimate reasons on her fingers. If the Demon Knight truly was a Demon, there was no way he¡¯d tolerate all that. ¡°But still¡­¡± ¡°Brother.¡± Even so, he still raised objections. Ironically, Deathbringer thought this inquisitor was quite simr to the Demon Knight. Both had a tendency to deny truths they didn¡¯t want to ept. ¡°You know the truth, don¡¯t you? The Demonic Energy aside¡­ there¡¯s nothing to criticize about his actions.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Right. Could it be that everyone who¡¯d lost pieces of their lives acted like that? Deathbringer muttered to himself internally, not caring how it might make him appear. However, he tried to avoid thinking about it for too long, lest he end up thinking something disrespectful about the Demon Knight. ¡°Try looking beneath the surface. If you do, you¡¯ll see he¡¯s someone very much deserving of respect.¡± ¡°I-I¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°I was like that at first as well. But after letting go of my stubbornness and prejudice, I could see the bigger picture. I¡¯m sure you can do the same as well, Brother.¡± ¡°B-But if he really isn¡¯t a Demon, why did he touch my family?¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Ah. So that was it. ¡°Did the Demon Knight harm your family?¡± ¡°¡­He didn¡¯t. But out of everyone in this city, he went out of his way to spend time with my family. Even though they had no prior rtionship and wereplete strangers! Are you telling me there¡¯s really no meaning to this?¡± That¡­ that really was hard to dismiss as a mere coincidence. Even Deathbringer, who knew the Demon Knight well, momentarily had some doubts. ¡°Tell me, Miss Hero. Was that really just a coincidence¡­?!¡± However, the Demon Knight seeking to harm the inquisitor¡¯s family was iprehensible. The Demon Knight had sworn vengeance on all Demons because he¡¯d lost his own family, so there was no way he would ever do something like that. He was pretty sure of that. He hoped so, at least. ¡°Hold on a second¡­¡± Right then, the flustered Inquisitor clung to him. ¡°What do you think? I can¡¯t think of anything to say to that¡­!¡± It was a cry for help from the clueless iron wall. ¡°The Demon Knight couldn¡¯t have possibly met them to do something like that¡­!¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know either.¡± The problem was that Deathbringer honestly didn¡¯t know either. If he did, he would have already countered those usations. ¡°Th-Then what should we do? It couldn¡¯t have actually been just a coincidence, right?¡± ¡°Who knows? Personally, I think it¡¯s far more likely that it was a one-in-a-billion coincidence.¡± I mean, how could the Demon Knight have possibly known about this guy''s family beforehand? While it might seem far-fetched, even if the Demon within the Demon Knight had surfaced, it wouldn¡¯t have changed anything. Unless the Demon had some weird ability to dere, ¡°Ah, this person is XXX¡¯s kin!¡± after looking at someone¡¯s face, it was simply quite difficult to believe either it or the Demon Knight had deliberately sought out this inquisitor¡¯s family. ¡°Or¡­ could the child have approached him first?¡± That was a lot more likely. While plenty of people mistook the Demon Knight for an adventurer because he didn¡¯t wear proper armor, some did mistake him for an actual knight. That mister, while usually very stern with adults, was incredibly kind to children¡­ If the kid had mistaken him for a knight and asked to see his sword, he might have just indulged that curiosity. It wasn¡¯t entirely impossible that this was what happened. ¡°A child? What child?¡± ¡°Forget it.¡± However, instead of exining all this to the Inquisitor, Deathbringer kept his silence. It would be pretty troublesome if either of them asked how he knew that yet-to-be-mentioned information. He might even get hit over the head with a shield while being told to respect others¡¯ privacy or something of the sort. It was better just to keep his mouth shut. ¡°Miss Hero?¡± ¡°Ah, right!¡± Anyway, it seemed the inquisitor¡¯s patience was running out. The Inquisitor moved her eyes about and soon blurted out some nonsense. ¡°Then let¡¯s just ask him! If we ask him whether it was just a coincidence, wouldn¡¯t we get a clear answer?!¡± That was a refreshingly straightforward solution. Apart from requiring that they figure out the Demon Knight¡¯s lodging and disrupt his night¡¯s rest. ¡°¡­It¡¯s obvious he¡¯ll deny it.¡± ¡°Even so, there¡¯s a difference between not asking and at least getting some sort of answer, right?¡± The iron wall seemed rather pleased with the answer she¡¯de up with. She mindlessly pushed forward. Well, it wasn¡¯t that bad an idea. Even Deathbringer had to admit he couldn¡¯te up with a better solution. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°¡­Do you know where he¡¯s staying?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you, Mister Inquisitor?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t.¡± If this continued, they might be up all night trying to find him, especially given their circumstances. ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯re a parade of idiots or something¡­ There are only a few inns that can amodate horses, right? We can start looking based on that.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°Right¡­ He did have a horse.¡± However, it still meant they¡¯d have to disturb his sleep. Letting out a sigh, Deathbringer agreed to cooperate. Was it because of the Inquisitor¡¯s presence? That other inquisitor had be awfully quiet. The authority the Hero wielded was just that great¡­ Still, it kind of pissed him off a little. The inquisitor hadn¡¯t even bothered listening to a word he said. ¡°Why is your expression like that?¡± ¡°Should I look happy, then? Seriously, this is so annoying¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Rather, how did you know toe here, iron wall?¡± ¡°Ah. That¡¯s thanks to Berserk. On her way back from training, she saw you following Inquisitor Daniel.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°Wait, you were following me?¡± ¡°Yes! Right! Why were you following him?!¡± ¡°¡­No, well, you see.¡± Deathbringer¡¯s irritation quickly vanished. Now wasn¡¯t the time for him to get angry. * * * I organized my Inventory with the mor of the tavern ying in the background. Items I rarely needed or were inconvenient to take out from my belt pouch got stored in my bracelet-type Inventory, and things I used frequently or were small got stored in my leg pouch Inventory. ¡°The lunchboxes will be ready tomorrow. Drinking water, Frederick¡¯s snacks, salt, willow leaves, and then¡­¡± By the way, my leg pouch Inventory always needed me to y some Tetris to keep its insides presentable and its contents easy to locate. I sat on the floor of the inn, stacking and rearranging my freshly replenished supplies. ¡°Ah, heated stones.¡± In the meantime, I remembered something that hadpletely escaped my mind. It wasn¡¯t too urgent. As long as I didn¡¯t forget to prepare them tomorrow, I still had plenty of time to make some. ¡°Tsk. Usually, I only realize I missed something once I¡¯m already on the road.¡± However, nothing else came to mind. I furrowed my brows at this vague feeling I always got when packing my bags. There wasn¡¯t anything I could do about that, though. ¡°Phew.¡± Still, from what I¡¯d noticed whileing to this city, there wasn¡¯t much else I would really need. With my bags fully packed, I dusted off my clothes. The clothes I was wearing right now didn¡¯t have a self-cleaning function, so I actually had to brush off the dust manually. Thud. After that, I let myself fall onto the bed and slowly untied my shoces, only to tie them again. ¡°Is this really where he¡¯s staying?¡± ¡°The owner said he¡¯s here.¡± Guests had arrived. ¡°Still, is it really okay for us toe here like this¡­?¡± Bang. ¡°Huh.¡± How did those guys manage to find me? Well, seeing as Deathbringer was with them, there was no need to think any further. Someone from the Information Guild would have no trouble tracking down someone as conspicuous as me. ¡°Demon Knight! Sorry foring here in the middle of the night, but we have an urgent matter to discuss!¡± But I wondered why they¡¯de. I looked at the people before me, distorting my expression as best I could. There was the Inquisitor, Deathbringer, and one unfamiliar face¡­ No, wait. I felt like I¡¯d seen that guy somewhere¡­ Ah, right. Wasn¡¯t that the inquisitor I¡¯d fought earlier this afternoon? ¡°Your business?¡± ¡°How could you just¡ª¡± ¡°Ahem.¡± I was a little puzzled as to why thatst person was here, but I didn¡¯t really want to ask. So I simply stared at the person who¡¯d spoken first. Deathbringer¡¯s expression didn¡¯t seem too panicked, even though he¡¯d said this was about something urgent, which only made me more curious. ¡°Erm, Demon Knight.¡± It suddenly struck me that it had been a long time since I¡¯dst had a proper conversation with these people, but the thought vanished as soon as it came. It wasn¡¯t anything important, after all. ¡°Have you¡­ visited a civilian home today?¡± The real issue was how they¡¯d found out about that. ¡°By the way, before you say, ¡®I don¡¯t need to tell you anything!¡¯, this has nothing to do with our party issues. We¡¯re asking for apletely different reason!¡± Before I could even open my mouth, Deathbringer jumped in. His interruption made me frown even more. ¡°I did.¡± But why was this so important? I quickly tried to figure out what was happening right now. Did something happen at that house¡­? ¡°Do you know them?¡± While my mind teetered between worrying about that family and wondering whether I should even report these kinds of things, I tried to choose my words carefully. If not for the Inquisitor quickly adding, ¡°Please, this is really important,¡± I might have just snapped at them. These were the only circumstances under which my character would y nice. ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t know them. Is that enough?¡± ¡°How could it have been a coincide¡ª¡± ¡°Hey. You promised you would hear him out first, right?¡± ¡°Are you sure? You really didn¡¯t know them?¡± However, I couldn¡¯t tolerate it a third time. I hadn¡¯tmitted any crime, and I certainly didn¡¯t owe them an exnation, especially since they hadn¡¯t even exined the reason for this interrogation. ¡°You came here unannounced, without any exnation, and are pressing me for answers on something you¡¯re brushing off as important?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s¡­ I¡¯m sorry! It¡¯s just my habit as an inquisitor¡­!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t listen to your excuses. If you¡¯re unwilling to give me a proper reason, get out. You¡¯ve already overstepped by digging into my movements.¡± I stepped back slightly and began to close the door again. Bam! The hand of that gray-haired inquisitor blocked me from doing so. His zing gaze pierced through Deathbringer¡¯s attempts to calm the situation and reached me. ¡°No, you have to exin yourself. Why did you meet my family?!¡± That was rather unexpected. When did I ever meet that guy¡¯s family? ¡°This crazy bastard, how is he so damn strong¡­?!¡± ¡°Brother, you¡¯re getting too worked up! Demon Knight, please don¡¯t misunderstand! We¡¯re not trying to antagonize you here¡­!¡± ¡°Tell me right now! What did you n on doing to my family when¡ª¡± ¡°Such worthless words¡­¡± Then, at that moment, something clicked in my mind. ¡­Didn¡¯t the kid I¡¯d met earlier say his cousin was an inquisitor? ¡°You¡¯re nothing but a Demo¡ª!¡± Was this how everything tied together? ¡°Brother!¡± ¡°Hey!¡± I was left speechless at this absolutely insane coincidence. H-How did this even¡­? ¡°Demon Knight, are you really unacquainted with Inquisitor Daniel¡¯s family? If you have some reason for meeting them despite not knowing them, would you please tell us? We just want to clear up this misunderstanding. Please.¡± R-Right. I had to clear this up. It was only right to tell them, given how big a misunderstanding this had caused¡­ In his shoes, I also would¡¯ve been extremely upset if the person I¡¯d fought with earlier that day suddenly went to visit my family¡­ But how should I exin this to them? I was crying in the middle of the street when some little kid came up to me, and that kid happened to be the cousin of this inquisitor¡­ ¡°Demon Knight, was this really¡­ just a coincidence?¡± I recalled thinking at the kid¡¯s house that even if the inquisitor cousin heard about me, it surely wouldn¡¯t reach the Hero¡¯s party. ¡°Demon Knight?¡± ¡°¡­It was a coincidence.¡± I had no idea it was some crazy g. Damn it! ____ Chapter 190: If I Can Remain Here (6) Chapter 190 If I Can Remain Here (6) There were often times when reality was stranger than fiction. It couldn¡¯t be helped. In the end, nothing was more erratic and chaotic than the real world. ¡°Do you really think just saying it¡¯s a coincidence would make this okay?!¡± The problem came when you were forced to somehow exin it. When you were forced to somehow assign cause and effect to situations that had simply unfolded like fate or an inevitability, essentially trying to exin the inexplicable. ¡°If you could exin the reason for a coincidence, would you still think it''s a coincidence?¡± But could you really exin such things? Was it possible to exin something that had happened for no reason, something without cause but still had an effect? ¡°Come back when you''re properly prepared. I¡¯ve no intention of talking to someone who¡¯s unwilling to listen.¡± Demanding a reason for a coincidence was almost like asking why the word ¡°Why¡± exists. In other words, a foolish act. It was like saying God¡¯s wrath was what led to natural disasters, even though they happened without intent or purpose. ¡°You¡­!¡± So, in that vein, let¡¯s not me me for everything, okay? As creepy as this might seem to you, I was just as shocked. ¡°He said it¡¯s a coincidence.¡± ¡°You expect me to believe that?!¡± ¡°Brother, you promised to talk this through.¡± ¡°You just don¡¯t want to admit it, so you''re being stubborn.¡± ¡°I''m not being stubborn¡­!¡± Geez. Had I known it would turn out like this¡­ Well¡­ Wait. No matter how much I thought about it, there really wasn¡¯t anything I could¡¯ve done differently to avoid this. Well. If you said it was my fault for crying in the street, that would be a bit much, wouldn¡¯t it? I wasn¡¯t the one who¡¯d approached the kid. Anything that happened afterward was beyond my control, too. ¡°Let¡¯s just go back to your family! We should hear their side of the story as well!¡± ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s do that. We must hear all perspectives in these kinds of situations, after all.¡± ¡°¡­What would be the point of that?¡± ¡°The point? What? Do you think you¡¯re always in the right? If you¡¯re just going to be stubborn anyway, why don¡¯t you just leave?¡± ¡°¡­¡± So, none of this was my fault. It was just that the situation and everyone¡¯s position were less than ideal. ¡­Probably. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°The longer this drags on, the harder it¡¯ll be on your family. So let¡¯s hurry!¡± Wait a second, if they went back to hear the whole story from his family¡­ wouldn¡¯t that mean they¡¯d find out that I cried? That would be troublesome. ¡°Once we hear their exnation, I¡¯m sure your misunderstanding will definitely clear up, Brother!¡± No, that would actually be really troublesome¡­! I was so doomed! * * * ¡°Danny! How could you just run off like that all of a sudden?! I was worried!¡± ¡°Just what was all that about earlier¡­ Ah, guests?¡± Daniel slowly opened the door. He then saw the people who¡¯d been waiting for him, even going so far as to light precious candles. They were the only family he still had left in this world. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry for making you worry.¡± ¡°As long as you weren¡¯t hurt, that¡¯s all that matters. I know that your work is dangerous, but¡­ Please, try not to do something like that again, okay?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± To him, their concern felt bitter but was incredibly gentle. Daniel couldn¡¯t help but smile slightly at the warmth of their affection. It was soforting. ¡°But who are those people behind you¡­?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ They are¡­¡± From this point, he was clueless as to what to do. He had no idea how he should introduce those two. One was too high a rank to just casually reveal her identity, and he didn¡¯t know the other well enough to say anything about him. ¡°Good evening. I¡¯m an inquisitor like Daniel. I¡¯m very sorry foring to visit you sote at night.¡± Fortunately, one of them stepped forward before he could say anything. Daniel simply let her take the lead here. ¡°Ah, I cannot reveal my name due to the nature of my job, so please understand. Please refer to me however you prefer!¡± ¡°Ah, that makes sense if you¡¯re an inquisitor. We understandpletely.¡± Demon Worshipers sometimes used people¡¯s names to curse them. Of course, curses cast only by using someone¡¯s name were incredibly weak¡ªalmost negligible¡ªand could very easily be traced, making them pretty rare¡­ but you never knew what would happen in this world. For someone like an inquisitor who dealt with Demons directly, there was nothing wrong with a little extra caution. It wasn¡¯t a rule that had to be followed, and there were some people¡ªlike Daniel¡ªwho decided to reveal their name to use for their advantage. ¡°We¡¯re not usually like this. It¡¯s just that we worry about that boy so much¡­¡± ¡°Thank you for your understanding.¡± ¡°You can just call me¡­ Adventurer or something.¡± ¡°Understood, Adventurer.¡± Knowing their circumstances, Daniel¡¯s family didn¡¯t pry any further. That was the end of their brief introductions. ¡°Well, pleasee inside.¡± After that was over, they led the group into the house. After hearing that they¡¯de to ask some questions, the couple offered them a seat. The already lit candle and some cups with Vin Chaud were brought to the table. ¡°Let¡¯s use this light instead.¡± At that moment, Deathbringer reced their light source, cing down an Arcane Lantern instead of the candles. Although the couple was quite happy at this subtle consideration, they pretended otherwise. Even for them, who had multiple candles at hand due to their nephew¡¯s job as an inquisitor, candles were still precious. ¡°Erm, so what did youe to ask about¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing much¡­ Uhm, do you remember the guest who visited you today?¡± ¡°Yes, of course. But, is there a problem¡­?¡± ¡°Our boy also ran out after hearing about him. Could it be that this adventurer is a criminal or something? He didn¡¯t seem that way, though¡­¡± ¡°No, no! That¡¯s not it.¡± ¡°Then¡­?¡± The Inquisitor and Deathbringer exchanged nces at the couple¡¯s questions. Then, they slowly started to speak up, being careful with their words. They asked how they happened to meet the Demon Knight, what they¡¯d talked about, whether the Demon Knight had disyed any strange behavior, etc. They were careful with their choice of words to avoid prejudiced assumptions. ¡°Please tell us in as much detail as possible, Aunt. This is important.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nothing too difficult, but, well¡­¡± But really¡­ the two seemed to find the couple¡¯s gray hair rather simr to a certain someone¡¯s. Their facial features werepletely different, but that gray hair, very rare in most regions, felt oddly familiar. Deathbringer and the Inquisitor kept ncing at it. ¡°Schutz approached that adventurer first. Ah, Schutz is my child. He¡¯s still quite young and fast asleep, so I didn¡¯t call him over.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Well, anyway, it seemed the adventurer was crying on the street, so Schutz approached him¡­¡± ¡°What? What did you just say?¡± ¡°Crying??¡± What they heard was somethingpletely unexpected. The Inquisitor¡¯s and Deathbringer¡¯s jaws dropped. Daniel was equally shocked. The revtion that the Demon Knight had cried was so incredibly shocking that it stunned both those who knew him well and those who didn¡¯t alike. ¡°I-In what way did he cry¡­?¡± ¡°He wasn¡¯t crying noticeably. I only realized he was because Schutz got close to him. His expression waspletely nk with just a few tears falling down his face¡­¡± Oh, so he wasn¡¯t actually crying. No, but he did shed tears. They¡¯d thought he would only ever shed blood, never tears. Their image of the Demon Knight was in utter dissonance with what they just heard, throwing their heads into confusion. ¡°D-Do you know why he was crying¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either¡­¡± Well, they hadn¡¯t expected the couple to know. The two of them, feeling rather gloomy, waited for their next words. * * * The rest was fairly predictable. The Demon Knight had epted their invitation, talked with them a bit, and left before the sky turned red. That was all. It seemed like too much of a coincidence for any of that situation to be intentional. Of course, the Demon Knight described by this couple was extremely gentle¡­ unusually gentle¡­ so gentle that it bothered them. ¡°So the Demon Knight actually exined all that¡­!¡± ¡°Well, erm. He is rather kind to kids, right? So maybe it¡¯s not entirely impossible¡­ Right¡­?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± They desperately tried to calm their confused minds, putting their heads together before trying to persuade Daniel. However, that wasn¡¯t easy. What they¡¯d heard just now was so different from the Demon Knight they knew. ¡°But has he ever been like this before¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either. There were times when he treated people other than us surprisinglyfortably¡­ like when he received a request or visited the guild¡­¡± ¡°S-So, it¡¯s just with us¡­?¡± ¡°Probably, yes¡­¡± ¡°As expected, we¡¯re¡­¡± So, in the end, they stopped thinking and spiraled into self-loathing. Even Daniel, who was still struggling with doubts about the Demon Knight, was taken aback by their sudden mood change. ¡°Wh-Why are you suddenly like that?¡± ¡°Erm, did the adventurer do something wrong¡­?¡± ¡°N-No, it¡¯s not that! He just¡­ well, he didn¡¯t do anything wrong¡­¡± The Inquisitor stopped talking in the middle and slumped her shoulders again. She wanted to help him, just as the Demon Knight had helped her¡­ but she couldn¡¯t even ask why the Demon Knight had been so sad. ¡°We¡­¡± She¡¯d also never received the level of kindness this couple had. It was probably for the same reason as before¡­ It was karma brought about by her ignorance, foolishness, and weakness¡­ But even so, it still hurt. The Inquisitor¡¯s face became even gloomier. ¡°Well, just to confirm, the adventurer didn¡¯t do anything to harm you two, right?¡± ¡°Of course not. Rather, he got along so well with Schutz ¡­ and he was also incredibly polite. But are you sure there isn¡¯t some kind of problem?¡± ¡°Absolutely. Well, he¡¯s someone who travels with us. It¡¯s just that this insa¡ªI mean, this person was highly suspicious of Mister¡­ so we came here to rify.¡± ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡± Meanwhile, Deathbringer, wearing the same gloomy expression as the Inquisitor, managed to bring the conversation to an end. No matter how dense he might be, this much should dispel his doubt. Even amidst his confusion, he nced at Inquisitor Daniel. ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of misunderstanding you had, but let it go. I might not know much about what¡¯s going on, but¡­ he didn¡¯t seem like someone dangerous to me.¡± ¡°Yeah. I didn¡¯t interact much with him because I was watching the store, but¡­ I got a simr impression of him. He didn¡¯t seem like the type to start trouble, although he might end up on the receiving end.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Hearing these defenses and testimonies, Daniel also had no intention of doubting any further. He still didn¡¯t want to believe it, but¡­ that was just his own stubbornness. That was something he had to solve on his own. ¡°¡­Yes. I think it was just my misunderstanding.¡± So, suppressing his instinctive disgust and anger, Daniel gave that answer. It was at that moment this incident, which had urred due to a collision of circumstances, came to an end. ¡°Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, we¡¯ve no more reason to stay. Sorry for taking up your time sote at night. We¡¯ll take our leave now.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡­ also want to thank you for your cooperation, and I¡¯m sorry for disturbing your night. I hope you have a good night.¡± ¡°It was no trouble at all. More importantly, are you sure you¡¯ll be alright heading back like this? It¡¯s prettyte. Do you have anywhere to stay¡­?¡± ¡°We¡¯re staying at the Temple, so we¡¯ll be fine.¡± Anyway, with the conversation concluded, they had no reason to stay any longer. Deathbringer was preparing to leave while also taking care of the Inquisitor. Although Berserk must have told others about this, staying out toote was never any good. ¡°Goodbye.¡± ¡°Feel free to visit us anytime, Inquisitor.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll see you off.¡± The two left the house as Daniel¡¯s family saw them off. Daniel, out of a sense of responsibility, followed them a short distance away. ¡°I apologize for today.¡± ¡°Save your apologies for Mister.¡± ¡°¡­Okay.¡± ¡°By the way, I won¡¯t apologize for making the first move, you know?¡± ¡°¡­That doesn¡¯t matter to me.¡± Courtesy like that wasn¡¯t necessary for him. Once a grudge had taken root, it was pretty difficult to uproot. Daniel also hoped that they wouldn¡¯t cross paths in simr circumstances again. ¡°¡­That person.¡± However, Daniel still seemed like he had something to ask. Deathbringer pouted his lips and picked at his ear. It was apletely disrespectful attitude, no matter how you looked at it. ¡°You told me you didn¡¯t know what kind of person he is. Or how he¡¯s able to hold himself up, or what kind of emotions keeps him standing.¡± But Daniel wasn¡¯t one to back off so easily, either. No matter what attitude Deathbringer showed toward him, he continued stubbornly pressing for an answer. ¡°What did you mean by that?¡± He sought to uncover something with this question¡­ something that might resolve his stubborn doubts. ¡°Why should I share someone else¡¯s situation with you?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s true.¡± But it wasn¡¯t something he absolutely needed answered. He was also aware that his question was somewhat crossing the line. So Daniel just nodded quietly and tried to back off. He didn¡¯t realize just how much that bothered Deathbringer, though. For him, this was something that shouldn¡¯t be discussed lightly, something very painful¡ªsomething that might be called a hardship. ¡°But¡­ what I can tell you is that you¡¯re not the only one who¡¯s lost his family.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Also, you still have rtives left¡­ but some might not even have anything left.¡± ¡°¡­I see. You¡¯re right.¡± At those words, Daniel lowered his gaze, realizing he¡¯d refused to face and overlooked this information. He¡¯d experienced loss, but he couldn¡¯t grasp the weight someone felt the moment they lost everything. He couldn¡¯t say anything in response. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°I told you to save your apologies for Mister, didn¡¯t I? ¡°Right.¡± Daniel slowly exhaled as he looked up at the dark night sky. ¡°I will definitely¡­ apologize.¡± What they¡¯d told him before, about how abandoning his stubbornness and prejudice would broaden his perspective, finally made sense to him. ¡°¡­There¡¯s one more thing I want to tell you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°This whole incident was certainly my mistake. But don¡¯t just think that everything I said was wrong.¡± ¡°Are you still telling me not to trust Mister? Seriously?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that¡­ I just want you to remember that Demons are far more cruel, cunning, and abominable than you can imagine.¡± He cleared his throat before continuing. ¡°I just¡­ sincerely hope you won¡¯t underestimate them.¡± At those words, both the Inquisitor and Deathbringer, who¡¯d been feeling down, looked at him. One¡¯s eyes were sparkling, while the other looked at him with disdain, as if he were thinking, ¡°Urgh, what a stuck-up bastard.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I know that well enough!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know that better than you do, trust me.¡± ¡°Right. Then I¡¯ll¡­ see you next time.¡± He was uncertain whether his advice had reached them, but even if it did, there was little that they could do themselves. Just as Daniel only understood after seeing all the evidenceid out before him, they wouldn¡¯t be able to fully grasp his words without having faced it themselves. ¡°I hope you stay safe.¡± He simply wished they would realize their mistakes before making them or, at the very least, could safely fix their mistakes aftermitting them. Daniel prayed for those with less experience. It was a prayer from someone who¡¯d lived in this world for a bit longer. ____ Chapter 191: If I Can Remain Here (7) Chapter 191 If I Can Remain Here (7) By now, the Inquisitor and Deathbringer probably heard what had happened. They¡¯d probably heard all about how I¡¯d cried. Just recalling that matter made me nervously rub my eyes. I had no way of figuring out where exactly it all went wrong. ¡°Should I have taken the initiative¡­?¡± Should I have asked them beforehand to keep the fact that I¡¯d cried a secret? But then again, it would have been kind of odd for me to ask for that when I didn¡¯t even expect anyone to ask. And there was a child among them who could easily forget having promised something like that as well. ¡°Or maybe I should have gone back to the family before the others reached them¡­¡± Should I have just rushed out the back door the moment those three left and paid them a visit first? Should I have perhaps told them that someone woulde by sooner orter to ask about me and then requested they keep the fact that I cried a secret? ¡°¡­Ah, forget it. How could I have anticipated something like this?¡± ¡­Even my vivid imagination had its limits. Rather than clinging to the impossible, I had no choice but to let it go. Even if I continued dwelling on this, I couldn¡¯t turn back time or make that situation disappear as if it had never happened. If it wasn¡¯t something I could undo anyway, I¡¯d rather face it with humble eptance. That was far less stressful. ¡°¡­But still, I want to hold on to at least some hope.¡± It was definitely a lot less stressful¡­ but people¡¯s minds weren¡¯t so clear-cut. I quietly allowed myself to believe in a small glimmer of hope. In the unlikely event that I was that lucky. They¡¯d been such intelligent, considerate people. What if they just left out the part about me crying¡­? That was the kind of hope I held. ¡°As if that would ever happen.¡± However, if you thought about it even a little, it¡¯s pretty easy to predict that something like that wouldn¡¯t happen. Well, even if they hadn¡¯t said it for fun, weren¡¯t these the same people who¡¯d shared their nephew¡¯s tragic past with a total stranger? There was no way they¡¯d forget to mention that I had cried. All hope was now lost. All that remained was confusion. ¡°Surely they won¡¯t think I¡¯m the Demon again, right?¡± The Demon Knight cried?! That guy only sheds blood, not tears! If he ever shed tears, it must have been the Demon¡¯s doing! Crocodile tears, I say! Or something like that. Or maybe that family would recount what I¡¯d said in exact detail, to which those two would definitely say something like: He talked that much? Using honorifics and everything? That must have been the Demon! Or something like that. I was terrified something like that might actually happen, especially since I¡¯d have no way to respond. ¡°¡­A damn disaster, that¡¯s what this is.¡± I finally grew weary of this absurd development. I ced a hand over my eyes. Just thinking about the aftermath of this raised goosebumps all over my body. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s just sleep.¡± In the end, I resorted to my emergency measures. I concluded that if I kept agonizing over this, my thoughts would be increasingly tangled and I would be even more frustrated. Therefore, it¡¯d be better just to get some sleep ande up with something with a clear mind. There was no way that I could solve this right away, anyway. And fortunately, I had something that made this quite easy. If this were reality, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to sleep even if I wanted to. Closing my eyes would only make me angrier, filling my head with thoughts like ¡®No, but first I have to do this!¡¯, but in this ce, all I had to do to sleep like a baby was press a button. I thought this every time I used this, but this sleep system was a literal godsend. Thinking that if I could choose one ability to take with me to reality, it would definitely be this, I activated the system. ¡¸ ¡ø Sleep for 7 Hours 00 Minutes ¨‹ ¡¹ Just then, I could hear a loudmotion from the tavern beyond the room¡¯s door. ¡°Even though you¡¯re such azy husband, I still love you, Cleor! And my darling daughter ra, I love you too! Thanks for being born as my child!!¡± ¡°Wahahaha! Drinking right after finishing postpartum care!¡± ¡°Look at Cleor! He¡¯s the real mother here, huh?! Who¡¯s the real parent here, huh?¡± ¡°Ah, who cares! Let¡¯s drink to celebrate ra¡¯s birth!¡± At that moment, my vision was enveloped by darkness. Like raindrops pooling together, the dark slowly seeped in. * * * ¡°Why does this thing keep¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to¡­¡± ¡°Keep your voice down¡­ or the kid¡¯ll hear us¡­¡± I could hear my parents¡¯ voices through the slightly ajar door. It seemed I still hadn¡¯t gotten rid of this habit from when I¡¯d lived alone and didn¡¯t need to close my doors properly. Now that I was back home, I should really fix that. ¡°Did you find it?¡± ¡°Hold on. This, erm, so¡­ Is that the right one¡­?¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re doing it right?¡± On another note, I wondered what those two were up to¡­ Usually, when they had a problem with something, they¡¯de and ask me for help. But today, it seemed like they didn¡¯t intend to do that. I just quietly stood near the door, eavesdropping on their conversation. My concentration was already broken anyway. I figured I might as well watch how things unfolded, whether they would call me for help, and if they didn¡¯t, how they would handle this. ¡°But aren¡¯t scripts and scenarios usually simr to this?¡± ¡°¡­When do you ever even look at scripts, let alone things like these?¡± ¡°Urgh.¡± ¡°Ahem. Still, it seems I got it right this time. Look.¡± ¡°Are you sure this is really it¡­?¡± But seriously, what were they doing? I opened the door a little more. Luckily, neither of them seemed to have noticed. ¡°No, but it does say webtoon there. Web. Toon. So it has to be the right ce, right?¡± ¡°That seems to be the case¡­ but are all these really manhwa?¡± Webtoon¡­? Why were they talking about webtoons? I was baffled. I never thought the thing I considered my new career path would pop out here all of a sudden. Especially since neither of them had ever shown even the slightest interest in manhwa and the like. ¡°There are so many¡­¡± ¡°Right.¡± Why were these two, who¡¯d never had any interest in manhwa, suddenly acting like that? I couldn¡¯t hide my curiosity and kept on focusing on their conversation. ¡°Which one¡¯s the most popr?¡± ¡°Erm¡­ There are so many, so¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just pick one from the top.¡± ¡°Okay, just a moment¡­¡± After some time, the two of them somehow decided on a popr one to read. I couldn¡¯t see the screen, but from their conversation, I could tell they¡¯d just chosen one of the manhwa at the top of the list. ¡°Let¡¯s read this one.¡± ¡°Hold on¡­¡± Why were they doing this, though? Were they curious because I told them I was nning on making webtoons? ¡°¡­Hm.¡± ¡°¡­Hmm.¡± I slightly shifted my body, wondering which one they were reading. However, judging from how they furrowed their brows more and more, it seemed they¡¯d picked one they didn¡¯t particrly like. ¡°¡­Am I just too old for this?¡± ¡°I know young people like¡­ erm, well, provocative things¡­ but this is just¡­¡± Seriously, which one did they pick? Did they choose an R-rated one or something? I scratched my head,menting whether I¡¯d have to check their browser historyter. ¡°¡­Erm, honey.¡± ¡°Yes? Go ahead.¡± ¡°I want to support everything he wants to do, but¡­ no matter what, this is just¡­ shouldn¡¯t we try to stop him?¡± Wait just a second there. It was then I realized the path I¡¯d finally found for myself might be in jeopardy. A chill ran down my spine. ¡°¡­Hmm. But he really wants to do this¡­¡± ¡°But still¡­ this content is just a little¡­¡± ¡°I mean, even I¡¯ve been in a few crime movies. Just as movies differ based on genre, wouldn¡¯t there also be different kinds of manhwa?¡± ¡°But those are censored, right? This one doesn¡¯t even have any age restrictions. It¡¯s far too easy to ess, as well¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just wait and see. Besides¡­ you know, right? There¡¯s no way our kid would ever draw something like this.¡± ¡°¡­Right?¡± Fortunately, my father came to the rescue. Of course, hearing him say, ¡®There¡¯s no way our kid would ever draw something like this,¡¯ made me feel quite disappointed, but anyway. I let out a sigh of relief. ¡°But just in case¡­ should we ask him about this?¡± ¡°Yes, yes. That would be for the best.¡± Then, after hearing those words, I hurriedly closed the door. Of course, I was very careful not to make any sounds, as I didn¡¯t want them to find out that I¡¯d been eavesdropping. Once I¡¯d properly closed the door, I quickly ran to my chair. The reference materials for my croquis practice I¡¯did out were pushed to one side, and a half-finished drawing I¡¯d been working on was instantly ced on my desk. Knock, knock. Right then, I heard a knock at the door. ¡°Come in.¡± I pretended to set down the pencil I was holding and spun my chair around. That was when my mother and father opened the door and came in. ¡°Son, I have something to ask you¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°By any chance¡­ the job you want to do¡­ it doesn¡¯t have anything to do with drawing¡­ violent things like this, right?¡± One of them then handed me an e-notebook, on which was a manhwa that had narrowly avoided the 18+ rating. It was a morally questionable story mainly centered around the hedonistic violence of the young protagonist. While those used to seeing such things might have some understanding of it, this content was quite provocative to these two who¡¯d had no prior contact with manhwa, especially my mother, who was deeply interested in promoting children¡¯s rights. ¡°¡­Not all manhwa are like that. Don¡¯t worry.¡± There were plenty of slice-of-life or romance manhwa out there, so how had they managed toe across this one¡­ I burst outughing and reassured them. Only when I showed them examples of other types of manhwa did their serious expressions seem to ease. ¡°Right?¡± ¡°Ahem¡­ Yes. That¡¯s good, then.¡± It really had been an absurd day. ¡­Except for the minor issue that the genre I was trying to get into was fantasy crime drama. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for barging in all of a sudden and saying something like this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Scratching the back of my neck, I slowly began to ponder¡­ whether I should hide what story I wanted to draw. ¡°Son.¡± After my mother left the room first, my father spoke to me before following her out. His face, which had only grown more dignified with age, carried a faint smile. ¡°No matter what she says¡­ if you truly want to pursue this, your mother will be the first to support you. You know that, right?¡± ¡°¡­Of course.¡± ¡°But still, don''t just draw overtly violent things. If it¡¯s just violent and provocative without any proper narrative or meaning¡­¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be art, just something that evokes shock and nothing more. I know.¡± ¡°Yes. I thought you¡¯d understand.¡± But was it just my imagination, or were his features a little blurred around the edges? ¡°Hang in there. As I said before, Dad will always support you. Mom, as well. We¡¯re always on your side.¡± Even so, faced with that kindness that felt as deep as the ocean¡­ ¡°Yes.¡± I reluctantly smiled. Because I couldn¡¯t bear to cry when receiving so much love. * * * ¡°Ah.¡± Why did I always wake up feeling so unsettled? It was the same thing yesterday, and it was the same thing waking up today. I had this strange feeling, like I had dreamed about something but wasn¡¯t entirely sure of it. Since today was the day we¡¯d be departing for the next city, I had no time to just sit here and procrastinate. Swish. My hand unconsciously went up to my eyes, wiping away some tears. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Neigh! I didn¡¯t really feel like eating anything. I checked out as nned and went to pick up Frederick, who¡¯d woken early in the morning and had quite the shiny coat thanks to the stable hand¡¯s care. ¡°Thank you! Pleasee again!¡± Leaving behind the stable hand, who was quite happy with the tip he¡¯d received, I headed toward our agreed-upon meeting spot. By the way, this would be my first time meeting the group since that night. No one hade to visit me since the matter with that inquisitor and his family, so I assumed everything had been resolved. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what happened back then.¡± Ah, I should take back the part about there being no visits. None of the party hade to me, but the inquisitor from that time had. Although I had no idea how he knew I¡¯d be leaving at this time. Maybe he¡¯d heard from the party? ¡°I also want to apologize for dying it so much. Thanks to others, I was able to remove the things covering my eyes¡­ but I still needed some time to think. I¡¯m deeply ashamed. I¡¯m truly sorry. But what¡¯s done was done. Instead of wondering how he¡¯d found out, I had to focus on his apology. It was rather strange hearing that from him. After what happened, I didn''t really expect to receive an apology from him. In his position, I¡¯d have probably acted simrly. ¡°There¡¯s no need for an apology.¡± ¡°¡­Even if it isn¡¯t, I still want to apologize. That¡¯s the right thing to do.¡± So even though I had been quite dumbfounded by that insane coincidence, I¡¯d already forgotten this inquisitor¡¯s disy of malice toward me¡­ I had already let go of myst remainingints, thinking all inquisitors might just harbor this much stubbornness. It actually felt quite pleasant. Snort. ¡°Be patient.¡± Well¡­ It seemed Frederick didn¡¯t feel the same way. He appeared to recognize the person who¡¯d tried to attack me. How smart. ¡°Erm¡­ This is a small token of my apology.¡± Noticing Frederick was still wary of him, the inquisitor carefully held something out to me. It was a round wooden container. ¡°There¡¯s no need¡ª¡± ¡°My aunt and uncle told me I absolutely had to deliver this to you. Even if you don¡¯t want to ept my apology, please ept this as their gift.¡± Did he seriously just y the ¡°no chance to refuse¡± card? ¡°¡­If I return with this, my little cousin will also be really disappointed.¡± And adding that on top as well? Scowling, I snatched what the inquisitor offered me out of his hand. Although it was wrapped in leather, I could still feel the warmth of the wooden container. ¡°It¡¯s a lunch box. Even if you¡¯ve already had breakfast, you can still have it for lunch.¡± I¡¯d already stocked up on lunch boxes, but¡­ I guess today¡¯s lunch had already been decided for me. I stored the container in my Inventory. The person before me raised his eyebrows when he noticed the box suddenly disappeared. As if he¡¯d just realized I might have used some kind of spell, his expression soon rxed again. ¡°Is there anything else you need?¡± Rather, why hadn¡¯t he left yet? I¡¯d already epted his apology, so what else did he have to say to me? ¡°¡­I heard you specialize in hunting Demons. I also heard that you¡¯ve taken down quite a few.¡± The inquisitor was speaking quite cautiously, watching my reaction. Was he about to pick a fight with me again about being a Demon or whatever? My eyes sharpened. ¡°A Demon that wields ck mes and has a young-sounding voice¡­¡± But it seemed that wasn¡¯t his intention. The inquisitor shut his eyes tightly as he talked. ¡°Have you ever encountered a Demon who speaks as if it is two different people?¡± That was quite a sudden question. At least, it would have been had I not overheard a certain something a few days ago. ¡°¡­Not that I recall.¡± It seemed he was looking for his parents¡¯ murderer, so I wanted to answer him as honestly as I could. However, I wasn¡¯t sure whether the Demon Knight had encountered such a Demon before I possessed him. So, I gave him a vague answer that technically wasn¡¯t a lie. His expression became slightly hollow. ¡°I see¡­¡± However, that hollowness didn¡¯t stay for long. ¡°If you ever¡­ happen to encounter a Demon with such traits¡­ If you happen to kill it, could you please keep some sort of proof and send it to me?¡± This might sound a little rude considering his tragic circumstances, but¡­ no matter how I looked at it, this sounded like a Quest. ¡°I know it¡¯s an unreasonable request. But¡­ please. Even if I can¡¯t avenge my parents with my own hands, I¡¯d still like some sort of proof that their murderer is dead.¡± No, I shouldn¡¯t joke about this under these circumstances. Suppressing the urge to p myself on the forehead out of guilt and self-loathing, I focused on the person before me instead. ¡°I¡¯d prefer to kill it myself, but I can¡¯t just ask you to spare a Demon because of that¡­ Ah, of course, if you don¡¯t want to, please forget I said anything. I¡¯m not forcing you or anything.¡± Okay, fine, I had to do this. Even if it was because I felt sorry for him, I wanted to do this. Moreover, I could ept this request while still staying in character. It would have been different if he simply had no will to fight, but despite very much wanting to avenge his parents himself, the inquisitor asked this of me after ounting for the possibility that I might fulfill his revenge before him. It wasn¡¯t a kind of request that harmed me in any way, and it was also something I¡¯d be able to grant. ¡°Leave, if you have nothing more to say.¡± However, that didn¡¯t mean I¡¯d offer him kind words or the like. Leading Frederick by the reins, I moved forward. The inquisitor parted his lips slightly before simply bowing in my direction and offering a farewell. ¡°Once again, I apologize¡­ May the blessings of God follow you on your journey, adventurer.¡± Compared to our first meeting, this was a pretty good farewell. I exited the inn, my legs feeling lighter, and headed to the designated meeting ce. ¡°Demon Knight!¡± And when I got there, a new problem arose. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll work harder! So that you can rely on me, Demon Knight! I¡¯ll get stronger so you won¡¯t have to bear all this sorrow alone! Please look forward to it!¡± Right¡­ Of course, they wouldn''t have left out the fact that I¡¯d cried. That was obviously why she was telling me this. ¡°I¡¯ll never give up!¡± As such, I also steeled my own resolve. From here on out, I would stick to my character setting perfectly, even with passersby. From now on, I would never, ever cry again. Got that, me? Chapter 192: Even If I Shout (1) Chapter 192 Even If I Shout (1) A little over a monthter, we arrived in Bemurchen. Yes, I¡¯d finally reached this city. The city where I would finally learn part of the truth. ¡°¡­They¡¯re really strict.¡± ¡°They¡¯ve been at war with those Merfolk for the longest time, after all.¡± However, perhaps because their main concern was fighting off enemies from the sea, Bemurchen was very different from other port cities. For starters, it didn¡¯t even have a dock, let alone any docked ships. Furthermore, the walls were higher and thicker on the sides facing the sea than those facingnd. Beyond those walls were several intricate levees and breakwaters outfitted with quite intimidating cannons. These were all precautions against foreign invaders ¡°Let¡¯s head in.¡± Even the city¡¯s interior was built to prepare against an enemy invasion. ¡°¡­The streets here are reallyyered.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. I wonder what those lower roads are for?¡± ¡°Berserk''s hungry. Let¡¯s go to a restaurant.¡± I snuck a nce down toward the lower street. It was hard to tell whether they¡¯d deliberately dug out waterways or simply built the city this tall, creating additional roads and entrances that divided the ce into two floors. But since no water was flowing below, it seemed closer to thetter. Those paths were far too deep and narrow to be proper roads, though, which was strange. ¡°On rare asions, Merfolke in with tsunamis. That¡¯s why it¡¯s built like that.¡± ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s a countermeasure against flooding?¡± ¡°That¡¯s part of it. There are also other reasons.¡± ¡°Hrm¡­ I heard that when the city gets flooded, the Merfolk ride the waves to maneuver about and kill people, right?¡± ¡°You''re well informed. Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡± ¡°There¡¯s some water down there even now. Wizard, is that because Merfolk came here recently?¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably because it rained yesterday.¡± So that was how it was. Thinking of how nothing was created without a reason, I walked over the upper road. This bridge-like road was made of stone, so there was no need to worry about it copsing. Considering that most cities used dirt roads, this was quite interesting. Bemurchen was a city made entirely out of stone. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s head to a restaurant first.¡± Hmm. The solid feeling beneath my feet felt nice. Appreciating the sturdy texture of stone as I walked, I followed after the party, changing directions. ¡°¡­Meet me at the Magic Tower tomorrow after lunch. I will then give you an estimate of how long we¡¯ll be staying here.¡± The Archmage¡¯s voice rang out behind me. It was a rule we¡¯d established based on how it had gone in the three cities we¡¯d previously visited. We¡¯d decide on a departure date as soon as we entered a city, and if we couldn¡¯t decide immediately, we¡¯d at least schedule a meeting to figure it outter. Personal schedules wouldn¡¯t be shared during this time. Except for traces of Demons, hunting Demons, or setting a departure date, we wouldn¡¯t discuss any other matters. On the surface, we seemed to have just the right amount of distance between us. ¡°Erm, Demon Knight! Please get some rest!¡± ¡­Well, except the Inquisitor, who stubbornly insisted on talking to me even after her deration that day. ¡°¡­Rest well.¡± Deathbringer didn¡¯t act particrly differently, either. He was growing more timid and discouraged by the day, but¡­ he clearly hadn¡¯t given up yet. Seriously, those two were pretty tenacious. ¡°¡­¡± However, after making up my mind, I wasn¡¯t one to give in so easily, either. I once beat a Soulslike game with a trash weapon just because it fit my character setting. When it came to perseverance, I wouldn¡¯t lose to anyone. I would absolutely never give up. ¡°Let¡¯s go already! I¡¯m hungry!¡± ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go.¡± I continued to press forward through the city in silence. Mindlessly rushing into a city I¡¯d never been to was the perfect way to get lost, but that didn¡¯t matter. If I kept wandering long enough, I would eventually find my way. ¡°Do you have any idea how much this costs? Huh?!¡± Well, I¡¯de across something a little more interesting than that, though. Neeeigh. I soothed Frederick as I turned to check out the fight that had broken out on the street. A small crowd was already gathering around themotion to watch. ¡°How much do you think this costs!¡± Well, they did say the most entertaining things to watch were fires and fights, so I could understand their actions¡­ Still, my eyes drifted to the inn/tavern across that street. I was more interested in going there than watching some fight. But that probably wouldn¡¯t be so easy, right? I might have managed if I were alone, but not when I had Frederick with me. ¡°This thing¡¯s expensive enough to make you drop to your knees and apologize¡­!¡± Neigh. ¡°Be patient.¡± So by happenstance¡ªor perhaps by necessity¡ªI was stuck watching that fight. That troublemaker¡¯s absurd words kept grating against my ears. ¡°Whew.¡± The next thing I heard was a sigh. It seemed toe from the troublemaker¡¯s opponent, a nd. Her brown hair, streaked with pink, swayed in the wind. ¡°What¡¯s with that sigh!?¡± At that moment, not believing my eyes, I took another good look at the nd. Her face was as refined and graceful as a sumi-e painting¡­ That wasn¡¯t the important part, though. Just who in the world had given this person two-toned brown and pink hair? And even pulled it back into a ponytail? Such trivial thoughts were floating in my head. Swish. Adding to that, the sses she¡¯d pushed up had a red frame, and her exposed arms¡ªshe was wearing a sleeveless shirt¡ªwere covered in tattoos. At this point, the overwhelmingbination of features left my head spinning. Thatbination sure was awesome. ¡°Anyway, poor people like you¡­¡± ¡°How strange.¡± But why were these absurd characteristics so oddly familiar to me? It was as if something was tugging at a memory from ages ago. Was it just my imagination? ¡°You were already lucky enough to be born as a person, so shouldn¡¯t you act like one? Why do you insist on acting like a beast?¡± Hadn¡¯t I seen someone like that with the nerve to insult someone without actually cursing before? ¡°What? You trash! Did you really just say¡ª¡± Smack. I watched as she smashed her fist right into her opponent¡¯s face as I kept racking my brain. And then, something finally popped up. ¡°I heard the more intelligent you are, the more perceptive you are¡­ If you can¡¯t even perceive that much, how can you expect to get anypensation? How annoying.¡± ¡­By any chance, did that new ss introduced during the second-anniversary patch also exist? ¡°Wow¡­ As expected, he never disappoints. That¡¯s Bemurchen¡¯s Mad Dog for you.¡± ¡°Did that guy even look at who he was picking a fight with? What¡¯s that idiot even using his eyes for? Is he an outsider?¡± ¡°He must¡¯ve thought they were an easy target because he didn¡¯t see a wizard¡¯s robe or badge.¡± ¡°¡­But that outfit doesn¡¯t make him look particrly weak, does it? Anyone can see he¡¯s some kind of craftsman, at the very least.¡± ¡°If he has eyes, shouldn¡¯t he have seen that hair color first? Only one great master has two hair colors like that, and everyone knows the name of a great master carries much more weight than that of an ordinary wizard.¡± ¡°Yeah, but¡­ Eek. He¡¯s looking this way.¡± I was dumbfounded. Since I¡¯d only seen five people in the trailer, I¡¯d unconsciously assumed those were all the sses in the game. But there was another one? And not just any ss, but the one thatpletely destroyed the bnce? The ss that didn¡¯t quite fit into the lore of the established world? Was this really happening? Rustle, rustle. While I still stood there in shock, that person finally found their opponent¡¯s wallet of her opponent and emptied out its contents. Several copper coins and a single silver coin fell into her hand. ¡°Hah, you don¡¯t even have any money.¡± Obviously dissatisfied with her loot, she grabbed the bag she¡¯d put down for a moment and firmly stepped onto the unconscious person before her, leaving clear, dirty footprints on the cloak that looked practically new. ¡°Truly a mad dog¡­¡± ¡°Shh. What if he hears you?¡± Wow. That ss must have left quite an impression on me. I¡¯d only ever yed it once, but I could still remember it so vividly. Mostly, I remembered wondering whether it was really okay for this character¡¯s personality to go on like this. For a game that sold characters, throwing so many personality traits onto a single character seemed a bit much. This character didn¡¯t even joinbat directly, so why did she keep throwing punches in the script? And so on. Those were the kind of trivial memories I had of them. ¡°Let¡¯s leave, it looks like it¡¯s over. Also, could someone get the guards to scrape that guy off the road? It¡¯d be kind of pitiful if even his clothes got stolen.¡± ¡°Even if it happens, it¡¯s his own fault for picking a fight with the wrong person.¡± However, despite having those memories, I didn¡¯t remember her story quite well. That made sense. Back then, I¡¯d only yed the original sses until I was sick of them. However, this ss had so many buffs and such high raw damage (meaning damage that wasn¡¯t associated with any skills or added buffs) that I ended up quitting halfway through. It just wasn¡¯t fun because the monsters kept dying too quickly. ¡°Ah, excuse me. Hey, move aside.¡± ¡°Why are you¡­ Ugh. Sorry.¡± Anyway, none of that mattered now. Whether or not that person really represented that ss, it wasn¡¯t anything I should get involved with. If she joined us, so be it, and if this was just a passing encounter, it would end up just passing by. With these thoughts in mind, I moved past the people blocking the way. The fact they immediately got scared and stepped aside, well¡­ that wasn¡¯t something I could exin either. As I had said many times before, looking like someone dangerous wasn¡¯t something I could really fix without recustomizing everything. ¡°Wait.¡± Ah, more importantly, I was getting hungry. I really hoped the restaurant in front of me had some decent food. ¡°Wait, you.¡± But why was that person calling out to me? I nced in the direction the resonant baritone voice wasing from. A pair of purple eyes, like blooming violets, came into view. ¡°That¡¯s some interesting equipment you have there.¡± * * * ¡°As I said earlier, I¡¯m the second Great Master of Bemurchen and an officially recognized wizard registered with the Magic Tower. Wee to my workshop. Oh, and since I invited you here first, there¡¯s no need to thank me. When addressing me, call me ¡®Meister,¡¯ not ¡®Wizard.¡¯ ¡± It was quite an unexpected offer, but it was ultimately not a loss for me. I¡¯d already been meaning to find out what this equipment of mine actually was. ¡°I warn you, don¡¯t go around touching anything in the workshop carelessly. Some of these things might burn or shred your hands.¡± This person I was dealing with right now, ¡®Meister,¡¯ was¡­ aside from a few controversies¡ªbreaking the game bnce, defying the lore, etc.¡ªa verified genius. I realized that from the moment she introduced herself as the third ss advancement of the new ss: Mechanical Engineer. Moreover, the Mechanical Engineer ss description mentioned something about them bing a craftsman at thirteen and inventing things that could shake the world. My memory was quite hazy, so I could only recall the general nuance of it, but anyway, she was definitely a genius. So what did that mean? It meant I needed to ept her offer no matter what. How many chances would I get to have my items inspected by a certified genius? ¡°Don¡¯t even think about going deeper inside. There are a lot of dangerous chemicals there.¡± Even if I excluded the meta reasons, there were enough other reasons to trust him. Of course, this person had volunteered to show me proof of her skills before I could even ask. However, she had sighed dramatically while rummaging through her clothes, saying, ¡°I forgot my badge again,¡± before asking, visibly annoyed (at herself), whether it would be okay to show me proof that she was a masterter, saying there was also proof of it in her workshop. Anyway, it didn¡¯t seem like she was acting or anything. The workshop she¡¯d led me to was located among various forges and Arcane tool shops, which made me trust her words even more. Crucially, she told me I didn¡¯t have to give her all my equipment and that just showing her my gloves would be enough. She wouldn¡¯t pry into how I¡¯d gotten my equipment or why I didn¡¯t know their properties, either. Furthermore, in exchange for being allowed to inspect the items, she offered to share whatever information she discovered for free. At this point, it would have been more foolish not to ept these terms. Even if I lost those gloves for whatever reason, it would be a loss worth taking. ¡°That¡¯s all the warnings. Remember, any damage you suffer from not following these rules will be entirely your responsibility. I won¡¯tpensate you for them.¡± And so I hade here: Meister¡¯s workshop, a ce filled with the smell of oil and the nking of metal. ¡°If you got all that, give me a second to prepare. Ah, don¡¯t touch the papers on the workbench, either, unless you¡¯re curious about how the workshop owner tortures people.¡± Hmm. I didn¡¯t n on touching or messing with anything here, so those warnings didn¡¯t concern me much. Judging by the smell, eating beforehand had been a pretty good call. I praised my decision to decline Meister''s suggestion¡ª¡°You didn¡¯t eat lunch yet? My inspection will take some time, so why not eat in the workshop? Oh, about the horse? Well, I guess there¡¯s nothing I can do about that.¡±¡ªwhen she made it earlier. Good job, me. Meister had stared a bit too much at the food I¡¯d been eating, which made me think she probably hadn¡¯t eaten either, so I ended up ordering something for her as well. It had cost a little more¡­ but spending a bit extra sure beat eating in a ce that reeked of oil. While I knew Meister was quite the ¡°my way¡± kind of character, they were so shameless that it actually jogged my memory a little. Swish. But why was she suddenly taking off her clothes? ¡°What are you doing¡­?¡± I was a little taken aback by the sudden removal of her top, only to regain myposure again when I saw the t chest. ¡°What? Did you think I was a woman?¡± ¡­He wasn¡¯t wrong, so I couldn¡¯t really deny it. However, the reason I¡¯d mistaken Meister for a woman wasn¡¯t because of his appearance. He was a female character in the original game, so I¡¯d naturally assumed he was here as well. After all, none of the major characters I¡¯d met so far had deviated from their settings. ¡°I¡¯ll let that slide for now since you promised to show me your equipment.¡± No, I really didn¡¯t mean it like that¡­ While I grumbled on the inside, I realized thating up with any excuse would just make me look even more ridiculous. How unfair. ¡°You take your stuff off too.¡± Meanwhile, Meister, who¡¯d changed into his (probably) work clothes, held out his hand toward me with a calm expression. He hadn¡¯t done anything unreasonable, but for some reason, I couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°Is it okay if it gets torn?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter.¡± I handed him the half-palm glove on my left hand and leaned against the wall of the workshop. Meister¡¯s eyes lit up when I told him that. ¡°I won¡¯t hold back then.¡± Meister cut the glove with a pair of scissors without hesitation. Snip, snip. The cut-out piece of fabric was dipped into some mysterious liquid. ¡°My sses are enchanted with a spell that allows me to see the essence of inanimate objects. My grandfather made them for me.¡± Cutting off more scraps, he proceeded to dip them into different chemicals. As ayman, I had no idea what he was doing or why he was doing it. ¡°This a high-ss enchantment, so it doesn¡¯t react tomon items. It only activates for things that have never been discovered before, are officially ssified as rare, or when I want it to.¡± It was quite fortunate that he at least exined some things as he continued. I listened to Meister¡¯s exnation as I watched him. He was now using some items to burn or freeze the scraps of cloth. ¡°Your equipment falls into the first category, even though, at a nce, it looks just like ordinary clothing made of cloth or leather. Were you aware of that?¡± ¡°¡­Partially.¡± ¡°So you don''t really know. Well, that exins why you agreed to my request.¡± Then, the glove started to regenerate without a moment''s notice. The scraps that had been cut off earlier had already vanished. I knew my clothes could automatically restore themselves when destroyed, but this was the first time I¡¯d learned that torn-off pieces would just disappear. ¡°¡­So that¡¯s why you said it was fine if it tore. Interesting.¡± Meister, too, seemed really excited. He looked at the restored glove from different angles before turning his gaze to me. ¡°Those as well?¡± ¡°¡­If you¡¯re asking whether all my clothes have this restoration function, then yes.¡± ¡°Incredible.¡± He removed the gloves he was wearing and adjusted his sses. ¡°And at the same time, strange. This isn¡¯t an Arcane item¡­ How can it automatically restore itself?¡± This time, it was my turn to be surprised. The Archmage¡­ hadn¡¯t mentioned anything like that. She¡¯d simply said it was a high-level spell called {Automatic Restoration}. ¡°¡­That sage didn¡¯t say anything about that.¡± ¡°If you didn¡¯t hear it from the Great Sage of Bemurchen, forget about it. When ites to analyzing items, no great sage can beat a wizard who can see the essence of things.¡± Erm¡­ So, it seemed it was just a difference in expertise. Even scientists were divided into fields like biology, physics, or electronic engineering. If asked about something they didn¡¯t specialize in, they probably wouldn¡¯t give you the best answer. ¡°So, what essence did you see, then?¡± ¡°¡­Well, my sses aren¡¯t omnipotent. If it¡¯s something I haven¡¯t analyzed before, they won¡¯t give me a clear answer.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking about your sses.¡± Anyway, if he was an expert in this field, I should probably listen to what he had to say. I fully focused on Meister. It was then I noticed he was slightly biting his lip. ¡°¡­I-I can¡¯t use magic.¡± Huh? That was his answer. ____ Chapter 193: Even If I Shout (2) Chapter 193 Even If I Shout (2) ¡°I can¡¯t use magic.¡± How could a member of the Magic Tower not be able to use magic? Or was he just part of the theoretical branch? Rather, did Meister have that kind of backstory before? Putting aside my confusion, I started digging through my memories. There must have been a mention of this setting¡­ or maybe not. However, I did recall that he was a character who used only science and technology rather than magic. I could still vividly remember a scene where he suddenly pulled out some artillery gear and shotser beams as soon as I clicked his skill button. So maybe he had that kind of backstory after all. But then, how had he managed to figure out the essence of my items? Had he used some scientific method? Was it really like that in the end?? ¡°You¡¯re not caught up in the narrow-minded and foolish notion that I can¡¯t analyze something just because I¡¯m unable to use magic, right? If so, that would be pretty insulting.¡± At that moment, Meister interrupted my thoughts, anticipating what I would say. Despite his bold words, his face looked somewhat stiff, as if he¡¯d had to defend himself against this more than once or twice. ¡°By the way, I don¡¯t care if you doubt me, but I won¡¯t tolerate you doubting my aplishments.¡± I was only curious about what method he¡¯d used. I didn¡¯t intend to doubt him¡­ I mean, just looking at all the medals and certificates lined up on one side of the workshop and the various expensive-looking machines on the other, how could there be any room for doubt? Not to mention the prime location of this ce and all the people who¡¯d recognized Meister on our way here. Once a scam reached this level, it became art, the kind I, a regr person, could only appreciate and do nothing about. So I just crossed my arms and watched Meister. I then picked my words carefully to avoid any further misunderstandings. Looking back, I realized what I¡¯d said initially could have easily been misunderstood. ¡°I never doubted you. I was simply considering how you¡¯d go about analyzing without magic and how much time you¡¯d need.¡± To be honest, if there was anything I was more familiar with, it was science rather than magic. I started thinking back to all those forensic methods I¡¯d seen in crime dramas. That actually made me more excited. Magic wasn¡¯t all that fun to watch because it was usually just a sh of light and the results just appearing. But forensic science¡­ that was a lot more interesting, right? Especially when it came to the science of this world, which I didn¡¯t know anything about yet. In the game, it just suddenly went sci-fi, but that shouldn¡¯t be the case here. It didn¡¯t look like it would, at least, just judging by the equipment gathered here. ¡°¡­Really?¡± While I was caught up in my thoughts, Meister¡¯s expression turned somewhatplicated. I couldn¡¯t quite tell whether he liked my answer. Still, it didn¡¯t seem like the worst reaction, so I allowed myself to rx a little. ¡°At least you¡¯re not stupid. As for the analysis, it¡¯ll take about half a day to a full day. Maybe¡­ even several days. Even for someone like me, who prides himself in having seen a lot thanks to my grandfather, this is a first.¡± That made sense. Under normal circumstances, this might have been a problem. ¡°Doesn''t matter.¡± However, I nned to stay in Bemurchen for about another month. The letter with my information was supposed to arrive around that time. ¡°I''ll leave the gloves behind.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± So, waiting for this long wasn¡¯t an issue. Thinking I might as well purchase a new pair of gloves in the meantime, I pushed my back off the wall. I also grabbed my Zweih?ndet, which I¡¯d left leaning against the wall beside me. ¡°I can''t exactly call thispensation, but¡­ I''ll give you ess to this workshop. You cane here any time, even if it''s not just to check my progress on the gloves. Ah, of course, only when I''m around, though.¡± Right, that was only natural, though I couldn''t tell whether this could really be called a good reward. ¡°You can also give me a request to make something if it''s simple. Consider yourself lucky. Not many can request something from me directly, especially during super busy periods like now.¡± Still, this was undoubtedly a good opportunity. Even if I didn''t have anything to request right now, it was never bad to have some connections. ¡°Don''t break anything.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Anyway, there was no reason for me to stay here any longer. I hadn''t even checked out the inn room I¡¯d been nning to stay in yet because I¡¯d rushed here immediately. ng. Leaving Meister, who didn''t even nce back as his guest left, I exited the workshop. The thick iron door closed behind me loudly. * * * ¡°This is it?¡± The Archmage stroked her chin as she looked at one of the items she¡¯d requested. Surging Azure Lake, standing beside her, then spoke up. ¡°Yes. But this is just the prototype, not the finished product. The guy in charge of making it said that he couldn''t tolerate some ill-fitting design, so he opted to postpone itspletion until the intended recipient arrived.¡± ¡°¡­As expected of a Great Master, he''s quite particr.¡± ¡°Still, the forms you sent in have all been revised, and the trial-and-error process has also beenpleted. Once we take his measurements, it wouldn''t take too long to make it.¡± ¡°Hmm. I see. So, should I take him to the workshop to have his measurements taken?¡± ¡°That would be best. He doesn''t really likeing to the Magic Tower unless it''s for his own business. Oh, and don''t expect him to take the measurements the day you go. It¡¯d be better to consider your first visit as just going to set an appointment.¡± ¡°Thanks for the advice. I''ll keep that in mind.¡± Just by looking at the enchantments on this prototype, she could tell that her forms had been sessfully refined. Seeing as the forms had be simpler and more effective than those she¡¯d initially created, she truly felt leaving this to him had been the right decision. He was the most expensive, but his service was worth every Gal. ¡°What about the others?¡± ¡°They¡¯re here.¡± Satisfied, the Archmage checked her othermissioned item. She unraveled the silk wrapped around it one by one. ¡°By the way, I haven''t enchanted those yet.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± A month had passed, but he still hadn''t done anything? That was the thought she had in mind when asking her question, only to be met with Surging Azure Lake''s cold gaze in return. If you had to put that gaze into words, it would be something like, ¡°Are you seriously asking me that because you don''t know?¡± ¡°I mean, I thought you''d have been able to refine the forms instantly.¡± ¡°While I appreciate that you hold my skills in such high regard, I must ask you to stop overestimating me. Even for me, refining and revising forms isn¡¯t exactly easy.¡± Moreover, the scope of the research had expanded far too much. Surging Azure Lake snapped, asking if she had any idea how many great sages were involved in refining these forms. Those words struck the Archmage right in her conscience. She¡¯d been unable to do any research due to her travels, so she¡¯d always handed off her ideas to other wizards. ¡°I heard a bit about itst time¡­ but directly hearing how much the scope has expanded does make me feel a little guilty.¡± ¡°As long as you understand.¡± ¡°Hmm. Still, you¡¯ll be able toplete it, right?¡± ¡°Seven great sages and forty sages are currently working on it. It should be done within two weeks at most.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± The Archmage epted those facts and continued to untie the silk cloth. Then, a strikingly beautiful longsword revealed itself. ¡°Is that it? The reason you called Berserk?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± At the same time, Berserk, who¡¯d been yawning behind them, stepped forward. The Archmage handed her the longsword, knowing full well that, if nothing else, Berserk had a far better eye for weapons than she did. ¡°So, how is it?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Instead of answering immediately, Berserk swung around the sword she¡¯d received with her left hand a few times before trying it with her right. The white de sliced through the air, leaving behind faint shing sounds. ¡°Not bad. This is closer to a ready-made product than a custom-made one, though.¡± ¡°¡­Does seeming like a ready-made product mean it''s not good?¡± At the Archmage¡¯s question, Berserk shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s nothing more difficult than keeping to the basics. In that regard, it could be said this sword is the most standard and universal. It¡¯s not optimized for just one person, but anyone who holds this will be able to wield itfortably.¡± That was a pretty good evaluation. That included her follow-up statement: ¡°As long as their build is simr to the Demon Knight¡¯s, that is.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Since this was a gift to the Demon Knight, there was no need to consider anyone else using it. The Archmage took the white de back. Was it perhaps because it had been forged from thoroughly Purified materials? Despite not having a single enchantment, the sword seemed to exude a faint yet noble power. ¡°Just so you know, the scabbard is still being made.¡± ¡°Yes, I see.¡± ¡°¡­Is there a problem?¡± ¡°Erm, well. This sword.¡± If there was just one minor problem, it was the sword''s appearance. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a bit over-decorated¡­?¡± She pointed out what had been bothering her since earlier. Even the calm Surging Azure Lake couldn¡¯t easily give her an answer. ¡°¡­It¡¯s just the preference of the one who made it. Still, it shouldn¡¯t interfere inbat.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Even setting the sword¡¯s functionality aside, its appearance alone was enough to consider it a work of art. That was also why the Archmage found herself so conflicted. Would the Demon Knight really use such a mboyant and beautiful sword? Perhaps it would be better to coat it in something ck or at least remove all those decorations? ¡°Anyway, I¡¯d like you to give me the remaining payment for the sword right away. If possible, I¡¯d also like to request payment for the form revision and refinement, as well as the work done on the essories.¡± ¡°You¡¯re asking for payment for the essories that are still in production?¡± At his urging, the Archmage set the sword down. Surging Azure Lake, who had been smoking a pipe, then furrowed his brows. ¡°Are you suspecting I might run off with your money right now?¡± ¡°Not at all. I¡¯m just surprised you''re asking for money upfront. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re in sudden need of money, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°¡­Unfortunately, your assumption is correct.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Sigh.¡± The Archmage was quite bewildered by Surging Azure Lake¡¯s affirmation. Due to the nature of its associated wizards, the Bemurchen Magic Tower couldn¡¯t possibly be struggling financially. After all, more than half of this world¡¯s enchanted items were produced here. It was only natural that they¡¯d be rolling in astronomical sums after every sale. But the leader of this Magic Tower was now saying he was short on money? How did that make any sense? Unless something happened. ¡°To be precise, I haven¡¯t any liquid assets right now.¡± ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s what you meant. Just what in the world happened?¡± ¡°Grindana released a flood of rare materials that had been stashed away in their guild.¡± ¡°¡­Ahh.¡± But if it was for something like that, she could somehow understand. Still, it was quite difficult to ept that someone as wealthy as him would find himself in such a desperate situation. ¡°By the way, that also includes the materials needed for your request.¡± ¡°Then it seems I¡¯ll have to pay you. But¡­ if things are that urgent, couldn¡¯t you have just settled it by trading them an item you made? Oh, I don¡¯t mean I won¡¯t give you any money. I¡¯m just curious.¡± ¡°I understood what you meant. As for settling it with an item¡­ I wanted to do that, too, but they outright refused anything that wasn¡¯t cash or gemstones. So what can I do?¡± ¡°¡­Why? It would be far more profitable for them to sell one of your items in the West than to receive a lot of cash immediately.¡± ¡°No idea.¡± But since it was like this, there wasn¡¯t much else that could be done. After checking the spell that would be engraved onto the sword one more time, she made her payment. It now made sense why he¡¯d been so insistent that she bring cash when they first spoke. That realization was a bonus. * * * ¡°Ah, Archmage!¡± ¡°So you''re here, Miss Wizard.¡± With that, she¡¯d done all that needed to be done here. The Archmage descended to the lower floor alongside Surging Azure Lake, who was carrying the sword, his destination being his workshop. The two they came across, who¡¯d been eagerly looking at various Arcane items, lit up upon noticing them. ¡°¡­Just by looking at you, I can tell you¡¯re the Hero. And your Companion isn¡¯t too shabby either.¡± ¡°Hehe. Right?¡± ¡°Ah, hello.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet you.¡± ¡°Yes, nice to meet you. I¡¯m Surging Azure Lake, the master of this ce.¡± Surging Azure Lake was a master of essence magic. His eyes could even see through a person¡¯s essence. As such, the Archmage was quite relieved by his words. If nothing else, Azure Lake¡¯s evaluations rarely missed the mark. ¡°But what¡¯s that you¡¯re holding¡­?¡± ¡°Could it be¡­ the item you said youmissioned?¡± ¡°It¡¯s very beautiful.¡± ¡°It¡­ looks expensive.¡± The Inquisitor gave a sincere reaction when she noticed the de¡¯s white color, which represented divinity, purity, and the beginning of everything. On the other hand, Deathbringer seemed a bit less enthusiastic when he saw the luxurious design. ¡°It looks like a Divine sword¡­ Are you sure it won¡¯t end up Purifying Mister or something?¡± ¡°I surely wouldn¡¯t prepare a gift that would ultimately harm its recipient¡­ Don¡¯t worry, measures have been taken.¡± Considering the possibility of it harming the Demon Knight, the sword handle would be coated with a special substance. The same would be done to the custom scabbard. Once the scabbard wasplete and the sword was sheathed within it, it wouldn¡¯t cause any harm to the Demon Knight. ¡°But Archmage, there¡¯s something I wanted to ask about this. Even if the Demon Knight can hold this, wouldn¡¯t there be a problem with channeling his power through it? I remember you saying before that charging it with Arcane Power could cause it to explode¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ve also taken that into consideration, so you can rest easy.¡± The issue that the Inquisitor just pointed out was something the Archmage had already considered. Among the requests the Archmage made to Surging Azure Lake, improving the forms was specifically given in preparation for that. ¡°There¡¯s still some time before it¡¯spletely finished¡­ but it won¡¯t be too long now.¡± Thinking back to how Deathbringer had felt before, she considered that the Demon Knight might also suffer harm by simply staying near a Temple. Then, the spell that started with that in mind¡ªfiltering Divine Power¡ªhad now developed into filtering Negative Energy. This improvement was derived from the information White Wind had discovered while investigating the Arcane Power-consuming snakes and the Sea Dragon¡¯s bead that the Demon Knight had once shown them. ¡°Once it¡¯splete, I¡¯m convinced something incredible will happen.¡± Their original goal with this research was to allow the Demon Knight to infuse Arcane Power into these materials, but things had changed. Onceplete, the spell would make life significantly harder for Demons and their contractors, because this research would give birth to a new power capable of Purifying any Negative Energy different from Divine Power. Just a single moment had been enough to create such side effects. ¡°Is that¡­ even possible?¡± ¡°It has to be, or else we wouldn¡¯t have considered it. It¡¯s just that none of us had thought of this possibility before.¡± In the past, such ideas had never even crossed anyone¡¯s mind. However, after experiencing many different things and making many new discoveries, the situation had changed drastically. She smiled faintly, picturing the finished product in her mind. ¡°I see! That¡¯s fortunate.¡± ¡°It is both a fortunate thing and somewhat regrettable, seeing as it¡¯s taken so long to develop something like this.¡± ¡°¡­I apologize for the dy.¡± ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t trying to me you, Miss Wizard.¡± The Archmage shrugged as she watched Deathbringer scramble to soften his words somehow. During the development period, she¡¯d thought countless times, ¡°Why am I onlying up with this now?¡± so she believed his criticism was entirely fair. ¡°But do you think the Demon Knight will ept this? Berserk doesn¡¯t think he will.¡± ¡°¡­Be quiet, Miss Fighter.¡± ¡°¡­E-Even so, he would definitely ept something this impressive, right?¡± ¡­What Berserk pointed out was a quite reasonable concern as well. The Demon Knight still hadn¡¯t epted the longsword they¡¯d bought for him before. Would he really ept this gift now? Despite all the effort and thought that had gone into preparing this gift, the Archmage sadly still felt skeptical. ¡°If you¡¯ve seen enough, I¡¯ll be going now.¡± ¡°Right. See you next time.¡± At that moment, Surging Azure Lake left. He was likely heading down to his workshop now to begin the next steps in producing the sword. ¡°¡­Erm, Miss Wizard. Do you think Mister Knight is resting right now?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I suppose so?¡± The Archmage gave Deathbringer an uncertain response as she watched Azure Lake¡¯s back. There was no helping it. Ever since they¡¯d started acting separately, it had be exceedingly difficult for them to track the Demon Knight¡¯s movements. It was to the point where they couldn¡¯t even tell whether he was resting somewhere or working. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. He didn¡¯t look unwell or anything, right?¡± The only clues they could go off of were the moments when they met for official business or when they traveled between cities. Fortunately, when they¡¯dst met, the Demon Knight didn¡¯t seem to be¡­ didn¡¯t seem to be in poor condition. Right. If you could call what came from giving up all aspects that made someone mortal ¡°peace,¡± he was doing pretty well. If the stillness of being buried in an endless winter, crushed by heavy snow, and slowly suffocating could really be called that, he seemed pretty peaceful. ¡°So, in the end, this will¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give up yet.¡± But could she really just leave it at that? ¡°Although I¡¯m in no position to say anything, given that I¡¯ve done nothing much since that day¡­¡± Probably not. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think what you and the Inquisitor are doing is wrong.¡± But could she step forward and take action herself? That didn¡¯t seem possible either. The Archmage had reached an age where she tremendously feared failure. ¡°¡­Really?¡± She thought back to the distant past, as well as to recent events. Failure, failure, failure, nothing but failures. There were so many that she didn¡¯t even have the courage to step forward anymore. She¡¯d realized she was actually tremendously untalented in these matters. ¡°Really.¡± So she thought it might be better if she just took a step back. Perhaps it would be better to support them quietly from behind. Just like she had for the past month. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Archmage! I won¡¯t give up!¡± ¡°¡­Yes. That¡¯s good, Inquisitor.¡± And so, the Archmage decided to give up on any thoughts of leading them and took on the role of supporting the Inquisitor and Deathbringer from the sidelines. She wondered whether this was indeed the right decision. She had a feeling the answer to that would soon be revealed. Now, all that was left for her to do was wait for the results. * * * There was nothing left to do now. I¡¯d checked the inn room I¡¯d managed to rent, confirmed that Frederick was cared for, and headed to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, checking the quests on the board beforeing to a devastating conclusion. I had nothing left to do. ¡°Grindana is looking for some transport personnel¡­¡± A transport mission meant I would have to go to a different city, which would be quite difficult. I declined the clerk¡¯s suggestion and made a request instead. It was to notify me at the inn I was staying in if they received a letter in my name. ¡°For a small fee, this shouldn¡¯t pose an issue.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pay.¡± The Adventurers¡¯ Guild readily epted my request. Now I didn¡¯t have to worry about missing or forgetting the letter. ¡°Safe travels!!¡± After that, I no longer had a reason to stay at the guild. As I stepped outside the building, I found myself unconsciously straightening my back. My left hand, outfitted with a new leather glove, rested on my waist as I stretched. What now? Without any Quests to do, not only was I gued by boredom, but I couldn¡¯t refill my wallet either. Did I really have toe to the guild every morning to check? I scratched my ear, which was particrly understimted because I didn¡¯t have those two kids chattering behind me anymore. I was in quite the dilemma in many ways. I needed money, and I only had an opportunity to earn some during times like these. ng, ng. But at that moment, I could hear bells ringing in the distance. Rather than heavy and solemn, their sound was sharp and deafening. My eyes instinctively turned in that direction. ¡°Get inside!¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Come in!¡± ¡°Come in first!¡± At the same time, the people wandering the streets started running away in a flurry. Those inside buildings flung the doors wide open but shut their windows tight, while those walking outside either hurried into a nearby building or ran off in one direction. ¡°Get inside!¡± ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯ll take shelter here for a little!¡± Whether they knew each other or not, it seemed that once that signal rang, everyone around was let in without any hesitation. But what exactly was that signal for? ¡°Hey.¡± I approached a woman who was busy closing her windows and gesturing to people. ¡°You too, you should¡­ Ah, an adventurer?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that signal for?¡± ¡°Huh? Ah, you¡¯re an outsider.¡± She scratched her head a little and pointed to the wall. That¡¯s where the bells were ringing from. ¡°It¡¯s a warning signal that something¡¯s invaded the city, so civilians are to evacuate into any nearby building. If you don¡¯t want to fight, you¡¯d bettere inside, too.¡± ng, ng. The sound of bells gradually spread from one side of the city to the other, until they could be heard from every wall surrounding the city. Whoosh, whoosh. Beacon fires were also being lit. ¡°¡­I will not.¡± If something really had invaded the city, how could I just sit still? Setting where the bells had first sounded as my destination, I put some strength into my feet and propelled myself forward. ¡°If you¡¯re concerned that you¡¯ll be a burden on us, you really don¡¯t need to¡­¡± Bang! ¡°¡­worry. Huh? A ghost?¡± Ah, I used a bit too much strength and cracked the floor a little. Unlike dirt roads, stone pavement would be difficult to repair. Despite feeling a little guilty, I put even more strength into my legs after gaining some momentum. Most people had already taken shelter indoors, so there was no need to worry. Soon, the city gate we¡¯d passed through when we first arrived came into view. ¡°Fall back! Further, further!¡± ¡°Those inside the buildings, get to the upper floors immediately! Don¡¯t let that ck water touch you!¡± ¡°Uwah, uwaaaah!¡± What happened? A curse? I frowned as I realized this scene was quite familiar to me. I then started pushing aside those who couldn¡¯t escape or at least seemed like they¡¯d be unable to. ¡°Y-You can¡¯t let it touch¡­!¡± ¡°Stand on something and hold on.¡± My boots wouldn¡¯t allow the curse to seep through, so I stepped into the cursed water without a shred of hesitation and kept moving. I couldn¡¯t help those the curse had already swept away, but I could still save those who¡¯d avoided it by hanging onto crates or simr objects. ¡°Th-Thank¡ª¡± ¡°Not necessary.¡± ¡°Uwaaaargh!¡± There were far too many people in peril for me to carry them all to safety. Many of them were also barely holding on. So I suddenly smashed a nearby cart. The moment my leg, reinforced with Arcane Power, scraped the side of the cart, the upside-down U-shaped roof was ripped to pieces and flew away. Crash! Of course, some of the cargo inside also got damaged, but right now, it was far more important that I had something to carry people in. Thud! ¡°Urgh.¡± As soon as I had secured a safe zone, I started to throw people into it. The cart wasn¡¯t that spacious, so people often bumped into each other, but that much was tolerable. No one flung out of the cart or made to lose their bnce. That was enough. A little difort from rubbing elbows with others was the price they had to pay for their lives. ¡°U-Uwargh!¡± Just then, a child standing precariously on the railing of a bridge lost his bnce and slowly fell forward. ¡°I got you.¡± Phew, that shaved ten years off my life. I barely managed to catch the child and held him in one arm. The cart was too far away for me to throw him into. ¡°Hey, Sir Knight! This way!¡± Then, the wizards arrived. I turned at the shout of a wizard who¡¯d just conjured a fluffy cushion before looking back to the child. ¡°Close your eyes and count to ten in your head, okay? Can you count?¡± The child, with tears welling up in his eyes, stared at me a little before nodding. ¡°Good. Exactly ten seconds. No matter what you feel during this time, don¡¯t open your eyes. Only count to ten in your head.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± The child closed his eyes tightly and started counting. At the same time, I tossed him toward that Arcane cushion. Poof. ¡°Okay, got it!¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Alright, luckily, the child didn¡¯t cry. Relieved, I moved my newly free hands again. ¡°Uwargh!¡± ¡°Quiet.¡± ¡°Hup.¡± Finally, all the people were saved. Thanks to the wizards summoning that fluff, I no longer need to throw the people into that cart. Not long after, everyone who¡¯d been holding on for dear life in this cursed area, including those beyond the walls, was quickly rescued. ____ Chapter 194: Even If I Shout (3) Chapter 194 Even If I Shout (3) ¡°Thank you. Thanks to you, the damage was minimal.¡± I put on an indifferent expression as I listened to the guards thank me. ¡°I just did what needed to be done.¡± I then extended my foot toward the person who had just approached me. The priest quickly Purified the curse clinging to the underside of my boots. The ck substance vanished, making it seem like part of my boots slightly shrunk. ¡°The cause.¡± Anyway, the goal of my character¡¯s actions was never gratitude. I looked over the area the other priests had just finished Purifying. The section of the wall they¡¯d passed through was littered with the corpses of people and their things. They were the ones who¡¯d been caught by the curse and died without a chance of getting saved. ¡°¡­Demon Worshipers, of course.¡± Although I¡¯d managed to save quite a few people, it was still just a handfulpared to the total number of casualties. Feeling rather guilty for that, I rose from where I was seated. With a higher vantage point, I could see the grim scene unfolding before me. ¡°Those damn Demon Worshipers.¡± The most notable things in sight were the bodies of dead soldiers and adventurers lying at a checkpoint. Scattered around them were wooden crates and dozens of sks that appeared to have once been their contents. Seeing as they were all broken, the curse had probably been inside them. ¡°May God grant peace to these poor souls¡­¡± A guard spoke a prayer as he collected the soldiers¡¯ bodies. Everyone present lowered their heads in respect as well. The air was heavy with reverence. ¡°¡­Does this happen often?¡± ¡°Not often, but it¡¯s not that rare, either.¡± The priest who¡¯d prayed beside me gave me an answer. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that several cities in the north also suffer from these kinds of attacks.¡± He followed it up with some truly grim news. I hadn¡¯t received any such news from the South, though. I¡¯d heard the battles at the Front Line there were especially intense, so I supposed they concentrated these types of attacks to the North. ¡°At least the damage this time was rtively small. We managed to stop it from entering the city, after all.¡± Huh. Could this amount of damage really be called small? Had this stuff been transported into the city, there would¡¯ve undeniably been much more damage, but calling this amount small just didn¡¯t seem right. ¡°¡­The gates will probably remain closed for today. Maybe even tomorrow as well.¡± I narrowed my eyes as I looked at the corpses ced in neat rows on the ground. ¡°Stay back!¡± ¡°But my goods¡­¡± ¡°Fall back! We will return your belongings after we¡¯ve thoroughly inspected them!¡± ¡°Th-Then how long is that inspection? How long will the gates remain closed?¡± ¡°The gates will stay closed until the situation has been resolved!¡± ¡°Hold on, so when can we go in¡­?!¡± ¡°Stand down! We will provide you with further details at ater point!¡± Unfortunately, this was just the beginning. * * * ¡°What in the world is this?¡± ¡°¡­I have no excuses.¡± ¡°Is that all you have to say?¡± A woman who was a head taller than the average Middle man stood up from her seat, unable to suppress her rage. ¡°If the investigation shows something to be a potential threat, crack down on it in advance to ensure those bastards don¡¯t interfere with our business. How many times have I told you this? Huh? Haven¡¯t I told you multiple times?!¡± ¡°Y-You have¡ª¡± ¡°And yet you still couldn¡¯t do that one thing? Huh? You couldn¡¯t even drill that one thing in your subordinates¡¯ heads, and now look at what¡¯s happened!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°Sorry? Sorry? Is that all you have to say to me? Is that all you could think of after all this time?¡± The man was already staggering, but she didn¡¯t let him off so lightly. Smack! Already barely remaining upright, he finally fell to the ground after another p. ¡°Because of the trash you picked up, we had to shut down the checkpoint. So, what do you n on doing now? How do you intend topensate for the damage we¡¯ve suffered and will continue to suffer because of the tighter inspections?¡± Even waiting for him to get up was annoying. She grabbed the man by the cor and lifted him up. Because of their height difference, the man¡¯s toes barely touched the ground as he let out gasping breaths. ¡°I made it very clear that this operation is a matter of life and death for the tradingpany. I told you to handle this with extra care. And what did you do? How dare you? How dare you make this mess??¡± Thud! And just as the man was about to take his final breath, she threw him to the floor. Her fluffy ash-blue hair bounced slightly with the motion. ¡°You chose that piece of trash, so now you will go out there and take responsibility by cleaning up this mess. Never let me see that damn face of yours again!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Confiscate all his assets! I have to somehow make up for the damage he caused our tradingpany! Dock his sry, too!¡± Finally, she kicked the man¡¯s shin before kicking him out for good. She then bit one of her manicured fingernails in frustration. She was so going to get in trouble for this. Worse still, she might even be told she was a disappointment. Her mind was filled with nothing but anxiety, rage, and insecurity. ¡°Damn it.¡± With this incident, the position she¡¯d been eyeing for so long was slipping further and further away. All because of her stupid subordinate. ¡°Aaargh!¡± Was that idiot blind? How could he pick such utter trash like that?! ¡°Assistant! Demote that fool immediately after his job is done! I don¡¯t need someone who can¡¯t even educate his own subordinates!¡± ¡°Understood.¡± There was no better method for venting anger than violence. Her face filled with annoyance, she flipped over the table in front of her. The heavy table of solid wood crashed to the ground with a bang. ¡°Urgh, this is going to hurt¡­¡± Of course, even at that moment, her mind was calcting how she could resolve this situation. Her anger aside, the cool pragmatism of a merchant forced her to focus on dealing with the crisis. ¡°¡­This is fine. I¡¯ll take this chance to uproot all of Envy¡¯s followers. Without their leader, they¡¯ve lost all their strength anyway, so this much should be enough topensate for theircency.¡± Jingle. Hanging from her ear, a round jewel resembling a pearl sparkled in the light. * * * I stayed at the scene until evening, just in case something unforeseen¡ªlike a hidden Demon Contractor suddenly appearing¡ªhappened. The Inquisitor had also arrived some timeter, but we didn¡¯t really talk much. To be exact, the Inquisitor seemed pretty eager to talk to me whenever she had a chance, but I ignored all of her signals. Other than that, nothing happened. No Demon Contractor appeared, and the dead were properly retrieved along with their belongings. The bodies of those presumed to be Demon Worshipers were also dealt with. Furthermore, the gates remained closed, and those still outside wouldn¡¯t be allowed entry until the next day. The only exceptions were those who¡¯d witnessed and could recount the whole incident. However, even they were treated like criminals under strict surveince. Knock, knock. Anyway, since this wasn¡¯t something I should intervene in, I decided just to head back. I was a little curious about the current status of my gloves, though, so I stopped by Meister¡¯s workshop on my way back to the inn. Knock, knock. But why wasn¡¯t he opening the door? Did he get off work already? I knocked on the door once more, but it didn¡¯t seem like anyone was there, so I decided to give up. But then¡ªClink¡ªthat¡¯s when the door finally opened. ¡°Perfect timing. I had something to tell you.¡± This ce must have an automatic door function. I stepped through the open door with no one else around and quietly closed it. ng. Even though I¡¯d tried to shut it as quietly as possible, it still made a rather loud sound that echoed through the room. Tap, tap. Meanwhile, Meister carefully put down the item he was holding after engraving something into it. His face looked significantly darker than it had just half a day ago. ¡°Let me just tell you this in advance. This isn¡¯t my fault.¡± However, those opening words made me incredibly uneasy. Our eyes met, his purple ones darting about nervously. ¡°Your glove is gone. Without a trace. Just like that.¡± I furrowed my brows at that. My glove? Gone? Why? ¡°Again, I didn¡¯t do anything. Well, it¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t do anything, but nothing that would make them disappear, at least.¡± Immediately after, Meister offered me some hasty excuses, his pupils shifting slightly to the side, hinting that he did feel rather guilty. Still, thinking a bit further, this really didn¡¯t seem to be his fault. If it was just damaging my gloves, then sure, that could¡¯ve happened, but making them disappear without a trace was a different matter entirely. ¡°rify what happened.¡± ¡°¡­First, I¡¯ll exin what experiments I did on your glove.¡± Still, I needed to hear him out to understand what had happened. ¡°I first wanted to analyze the materials. I wanted to determine whether it was made of leather or something simr. Surprisingly, it turned out to be perfectly normal leather. So, I next focused on figuring out why normal leather was regenerating like that. For that, I used this tool and¡­¡± Fortunately, despiteing from a genius, Meister¡¯s exnation was pretty easy to follow. Even ayman like me could understand his words to some extent. However, I could only understand why he¡¯d conducted certain experiments, not how they worked. It wasn¡¯t surprising that it was difficult for me to understand, seeing as his experiments involved not just science but also the Arcane. ¡°What exactly happened when they disappeared?¡± ¡°It was almost the same as when the piece cut off from the glove disappeared. It seemed to just melt away.¡± After finishing this sentence, Meister hastily added to his exnation. ¡°For your information, the experiment I was conducting back then shouldn¡¯t have caused it to dissolve like that.¡± On a different note, I felt a bit like an investor watching a struggling businessman failing to deliver satisfactory results. Even though all I did was give Meister one of my gloves. ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡± But why had it vanished? It¡¯s not like it was a bound item that automatically returned to its owner, right? Yeah, it wasn¡¯t, right? ¡­Wait, a bound item? As the sudden absurd possibility crossed my mind that it might actually be a bound item, I opened my Inventory at my waist. ¡¸Half-Palm Leather Glove (ck, Left Hand)¡¹ As expected, the glove was there. ¡°¡­I see. That¡¯s what happened.¡± I pulled it out with a weird mix of feelings. If I had to describe it, it was a blend of curiosity and anxiety about the origin of this equipment. ¡°¡­?¡± Meister, his eyebrows raised when he saw me putting my hand in the pouch, soon widened his eyes. ¡°Why is it in there?¡± I had no clue, either. I didn¡¯t know it had that kind of function. ¡°Are you messing with me?¡± ¡°I have never done that.¡± Fiddling with the glove in my hand, I tossed it onto Mesiter¡¯s workbench. ¡°¡­You didn¡¯t know about this either?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How¡­?¡± Meister was sharp enough not to let this misunderstanding drag on for too long. I crossed my arms, leaving the other person to resolve this misunderstanding through simple deduction and begin entertaining other thoughts. My mind was also spinning. ¡°Okay. Looks like this will take a while.¡± Meister appeared to have reached a conclusion. He removed his work clothes and put on his outdoor clothes that were hanging on one side of the workshop. His thin but muscr arms, characteristic of the nd tribe, were covered by the robes often worn by wizards. Judging by his expression, he was only wearing them to avoid a repeat of the event from earlier that day. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the tavern. I think I need to hear more about how you just ¡®identally¡¯ got these gloves for my analysis.¡± So, it seemed I had to exin this to him after all. I followed Meister, trying to suppress my worries. Since I hadn¡¯t had dinner anyway, I might as well eat something now. These thoughts were the only small constion I had. ¡°Then, shall we get to it?¡± At least it wasn¡¯t me who¡¯d be paying for dinner. Not that Meister was going to, either. With that in mind, I didn¡¯t hesitate to order more food. ¡°No need to waste time here.¡± That was the moment when Meister started our conversation. ¡°First of all, where did you get this equipment? The Magic Tower? Or is it some sort of family heirloom?¡± I wiped my mouth with a handkerchief¡ªmore food wasing, but the stuff around my mouth was quite annoying¡ªand took a sip of water before looking straight at Meister. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to tell me, then don¡¯t. Spare me the whole ¡®I came across it by chance¡¯ shtick¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I just came to have it at some point.¡± Hmm. Now that I thought about it, this excuse¡ªamnesia¡ªwas quite versatile. I folded the napkin, hiding the part stained with sauce, and leaned back in my chair. Tap, tap. Meister drummed his fingers on the table. ¡°¡­Why did you lose your memory?¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯d know that?¡± ¡°Fair enough. If you knew, we wouldn¡¯t be doing this.¡± Meister looked unusually serious as he put his hand over his mouth. ¡°So, is the only thing you¡¯ve forgotten the moment you acquired this equipment?¡± However, conversations with him required quite a bit of mental power to keep up with. It wasn¡¯t like he was leaving out some words, but more like he was skipping over entire steps in reasoning. Well, these gaps were still things I could fill in for, so I didn¡¯t need to ask him about these things and risk looking fairly stupid. I shook my head. ¡°Then it¡¯s rather unlikely that obtaining the equipment is what caused your memory loss.¡± Tap, tap. Meister kept drumming his fingers on the table, apparently a habit. ¡°Your food is here.¡± The bouibaisse and caponata I¡¯d ordered had arrived. Well, I called it bouibaisse and caponata, but in reality, it was more like a simple fish soup and a vegetable dish with some sauce. It wasn¡¯t as fancy as our modern version. Still, it tasted pretty good, so I ordered more. ¡°Does every piece of your equipment have simr functions?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That bag, too?¡± I nodded slowly at the question as he pointed at my Inventory. ¡°And each piece has the same abilities as well?¡± ¡°¡­Only the bag has the added ability to store more items. Aside from that, yes, they¡¯re the same.¡± But just where had this equipmente from? Did it automatically materialize when I logged in? Or did this body have them beforehand? The questions I had shoved aside, thinking they were things I couldn¡¯t answer, started spinning around my head again. Beeeep. My ears rang slightly, everything around me growing muffled. ¡°So the reason you¡¯ve been wearing it all this time is practicality, I take it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡­Still, it wasn¡¯t like I hated the gear itself. I would have suffered a lot if not for it, so that was only natural. ¡°Well, if I had something that functional, I would wear it too, even if it meant putting up with some difort. Considering you¡¯ve apparently been wearing them for quite some time, it doesn¡¯t seem like they¡¯re cursed or have any side effects.¡± Meister¡¯s affirmation also made me feel a lot better. See? Anyone would want to wear these clothes. I might think differently had I never worn them in the first ce, but after unwittingly experiencing the plethora of conveniences they provided, how could I not? ____ Chapter 195: Even If I Shout (4) Chapter 195 Even If I Shout (4) ¡°Looks like there¡¯s nothing to be gained from this after all.¡± After some time, Meister finally came to that conclusion. His face, calm and monotonous, was unchanged from the first time we met. ¡°So, to get some insight, it appears I have no choice but to study these items directly¡­¡± No, one thing seemed to have changed: his purple eyes were practically sparkling with interest. ¡°How interesting.¡± To earn the title of craftsman at such a young age, you apparently had to find enjoyment even in situations like these. Well, as someone highly curious about this equipment¡¯s identity, I only stood to benefit from this. ¡°Anway, you. If you ever regain any of your lost memories regarding the equipment, let me know. I¡¯m not really expecting you to, but just in case, alright?¡± Meanwhile, Meister took out a piece of paper and a pen from inside his clothes and began to scribble something down. ¡°Also, since this thing will just keep returning to you, I think I¡¯ll need your cooperation on this.¡± ¡°Cooperation?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t force you if you don¡¯t want to. It¡¯s not like I bought your equipment off you, nor do I have the money to buy your cooperation or something.¡± However, I couldn¡¯t really read what he had written down. Normally, a Korean trantion would just appear above the text so I could read it¡­ but this time, the trantion wasn¡¯t showing up properly. ¡°But you¡¯ll do it, right?¡± I wasn¡¯t sure whether it was because the letters were upside down or because they were simply uninterpretable. It also wasn¡¯t like the trantion function wasn¡¯t working altogether. It just looked like¡­ ¡°@$%#@HaESEo#[email protected]@#¡± and so on. ¡°¡­You have to share the results with me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a given.¡± Why was it showing up like that? I narrowed my eyes and stared at the text, trying to make out the letters beneath the trantion. ¡°Alright, then next¡­ Let¡¯s align our schedules.¡± And then it hit me. Compared to the writing I¡¯d read thus far, this one was much more smudged and sloppy. Could it be he just had bad handwriting? Was that why the system couldn¡¯t interpret it? That was just ridiculous. ¡°Are you free tomorrow?¡± ¡°In the morning.¡± ¡°Then, could you meet me at the Magic Tower tomorrow morning?¡± At the Magic Tower? Not the workshop? I raised my eyebrows slightly before nodding. I had an appointment at the Magic Tower after lunch tomorrow anyway. I figured going there a bit earlier wouldn¡¯t be a loss for me. At least it wouldn¡¯t be a waste of time. While I wasn¡¯t all too happy about visiting the Magic Tower, that was only because of the¡­ entric¡­ nature of those wizards, so it wasn¡¯t that big a deal. ¡°Then, let¡¯s meet tomorrow morning at the Magic Tower.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± So I smoothly made an appointment with him. Meister¡¯s clear-cut way of doing things was strangelyfortable. ¡­Or maybe I just felt morefortable because he didn¡¯t know me, or rather, the character I was ying. I couldn¡¯t even hold such a long, straightforward conversation with my own party members without feeling ufortable. Well, not that it mattered much. Ever since the Dorfmine incident, I no longer allowed myself to drop the act entirely, even in front of strangers. Bang! ¡°Just what did you bring here?!¡± ¡°Wait, Sage Karl. Calm down¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go to the research wing right now¡­!¡± ¡°Sir Sage!!¡± On another note, just because making an appointment was easy didn¡¯t mean the following day would pass just as smoothly. As expected of the Magic Tower¡­ no, the Weirdo Tower. * * * ¡°The Demon Knight is running prettyte. Do you think something happened¡­?¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be. He¡¯s probably just a littlete.¡± ¡°Still¡­¡± ¡°Maybe he just overslept?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way.¡± Even the Archmage, who was quietly listening to their conversation, couldn¡¯t help but furrow her eyebrows at Berserk¡¯s words. While the idea of the Demon Knight getting knocked unconscious for two whole weeks due to some injuries was quite believable, it was hard to imagine the Demon Knight ever oversleeping. ¡°Why, though? The Demon Knight can oversleep like anyone else.¡± ¡°I mean, yeah, but¡­¡± Of course, as Berserk said, it wasn¡¯t entirely impossible that the Demon Knight had simply overslept. No one could be perfect at every moment of their life. Furthermore, hadn¡¯t the Demon Knight also secretly shed some tears in the middle of a city before? Even if it seemed unfitting, it could still happen. Given his history, she had no choice but to ept this as reality. ¡°Knowing it could happen and being able to imagine it are two different things¡­¡± ¡°Right.¡± But, well¡­ it still felt off. It was like trying to imagine the Demon Knightughing. It just didn¡¯t fit. As a result, they all grew worried and unsettled. ¡°Ah, he¡¯sing.¡± ¡°Rather, why is heing out of the Magic Tower¡­?¡± Fortunately, before their minds ranpletely wild trying to imagine him oversleeping or something else, the Demon Knight appeared before them. But he looked slightly different than usual. ¡°Mister¡¯s clothes¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t like the Demon Knight had never worn different clothes before. While he always wore his usual equipment in battle, he often wore something else when resting. Even then, it was usually just a different inner shirt, or some manner of corset instead of a vest, or a swapped-out coat. ¡°Demon Knight, have you decided to join the Magic Tower?¡± But right now, he was wearing a loose gown fit for a wizard over his shoulders. None of them could understand the meaning behind that. ¡°¡­Looks like you went ahead of us, huh?¡± Who would have thought she would ever see the Demon Knight wearing these robes? The Archmage nced at the Demon Knight, feeling slightly bemused. She could see a visitor¡¯s pass dangling from his gauntlet, flitting through the folds of the wizard robe. ¡°¡­Well,e in first.¡± Judging by the presence of that pass, someone must have lent the Demon Knight this robe¡­ Recalling the Magic Tower¡¯s unspoken rule conveyed by this act¡ª¡°This person is my guest, so if you mess with them, I¡¯ll kill you¡±¡ªthe Archmage tried to look at the robe more closely. Wizard robes usually had their owner¡¯s name embroidered on them somewhere. ¡°¡­How did you end up wearing Karl¡¯s robe?¡± To her surprise, the Archmage recognized the name she found. It was the name of Surging Azure Lake¡¯s proud apprentice, who was often mentioned as a potential next Great Sage. However, he was also known as quite the entric who only knew how to research. He was the type of weirdo who¡¯d never lend anyone his robes, even if they begged him to. ¡°Did you call me here just for some trivial small talk?¡± ¡­Well, there was no way the Demon Knight would readily exin these circumstances to them, though. Sighing, she led the party forward. The Demon Knight followed right behind them, obviously ufortable and annoyed. ¡°Demon Knight, are you nning to learn magic?¡± ¡°Come on, there¡¯s no way, right¡­?¡± ¡°But he¡¯s wearing these robes!¡± ¡°But for that to be the reason¡­¡± And so, the endless chatter of those two¡¯s tireless attempts to get closer to the Demon Knight echoed through the halls yet again. ¡°Ah, Madam Archmage!¡± ¡°Hmm? Ah, Liam, it¡¯s you.¡± At that moment, someone hurriedly approached them. His gray hair, almost an afro, bounced to and fro. ¡°Due to a sudden request from the city¡¯s lord, the Great Sage had to leave immediately. Thus, I¡¯ll be guiding you today.¡± ¡°I see. Well, it can¡¯t be helped then.¡± Sage Liam pushed back his curly, puffy hair and offered them a light apology. The Archmage felt a twinge of disappointment. If Azure Lake himself had overseen the Demon Knight¡¯s examination, nothing would have been more certain. That was what she thought. ¡°So the person examining him today will be¡­ that person, right?¡± However, that they were examining him was already a grand gesture of goodwill from the Magic Tower. Azure Lake¡¯s time was notoriously valuable, even among the many great sages. So, rather than expressing her disappointment, she chose to proceed with today¡¯s task. ¡°Yes, right this way.¡± Liam began to guide the group. * * * ¡°Could you remove the robe for a moment? It¡¯s imbued with interference spells, which couldplicate the examination.¡± While the location where they carried out these examinations differed, the process was always quite simr. I slowly removed the robes as instructed. Sage Karl had given me these robes in exchange for lending him not only my gloves but also my coat. I still didn¡¯t know how this exchange worked. ¡°¡­Unbelievable, I never thought I¡¯d ever get to touch a sage¡¯s robe.¡± ¡°Maybe taking just a little peek inside¡­ probably won¡¯t work, huh?¡± ¡°Who is that guy anyway for Sage Karl to lend him his robe?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know? That¡¯s the Demon Knight.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want to be torn to pieces by Sage Karl, you¡¯d better stop.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Still, with everyone staying back and just watching, it was a little easier for me to move around. But seriously, what kind of wizard was that Karl guy for them to retreat at the mere sight of his robe? With that thought in mind, Iy down on the examination table. Not long after, several wizards gathered around me and started casting some kind of spell on my body. ¡°Here, take a look at the results from Hudelen as well.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t really have many wizards specialized in essence magic there, though, right?¡± ¡°True, but the Great Sage White Wind led the examination, so it should be fairly reliable.¡± ¡°Oh, in that case.¡± Ah, just lying here and listening to those people talk made me sleepy. ¡°There doesn''t seem to be anything wrong with him physically. However, the Demonic Energy level in his right arm seems higher than what¡¯s recorded in the data.¡± ¡°More importantly, how did it end up like this? I heard he was wearing a seal crafted by the Great Sage White Wind himself, right? Could it be because of that?¡± ¡°Who knows? This seems a bit strange¡­?¡± But I couldn¡¯t just sleep now, right? I desperately tried to keep my eyes from closing, forcing myself to stay awake. I hoped I might catch something useful from the conversation between these wizards. ¡°Doesn¡¯t this structure seem closer to a Demon Contractor than a Zombie?¡± But this was a bit much. ¡°If you move¡ª!¡± Crunch. ¡°Gasp.¡± As I was trying to sit up, I identally put too much strength into the hand holding onto the edge of the bed. A gauntlet-shaped dent was left in the metal frame. The wizards, who were much softer than steel, collectively fell silent. Compared to those I met in Hudelen, these guys seemed far less tough. ¡°Did you see that? The Demonic Energy shifted.¡± ¡°I saw it.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± ¡°Did he Purify it into Arcane Power just now? I couldn¡¯t get a clear look.¡± ¡°Erm, from what I saw, it didn¡¯t really seem that way.¡± ¡°Hrm. So when he used it instinctively, the Demonic Energy automatically reacted?¡± ¡­Correction. It seemed they were actually even tougher. Just look at those eyes. ¡°Just one more time! Please, demonstrate what you did just now one more time.¡± I debated whether I should pressure them a bit more for calling me a ¡°Demon Contractor¡± or just go along with their demands. In the end, I chose thetter. After all, I¡¯d heard simr things in Hudelen, so I thought it would be better to let it go just this once. ¡°¡­¡± Still, I at least made sure to look very annoyed. Pretending to be extremely angry, I obediently followed their request. I swung my right arm once, then my left. First weakly, then stronger. The wizards started huddling together, locked in fierce discussion. ¡°Hey, this is really strange. If he didn¡¯t make some sort of contract, how could all that Demonic Energy be concentrated in just his right arm?¡± ¡°If the right arm were the core¡­ but there¡¯s no way, right? There¡¯s no way the Great Sage White Wind wouldn¡¯t have noticed.¡± ¡°If the right arm were really the core, they would have ordered it to be amputated long ago. That clearly means the Demon is just possessing him. For some reason, it seems to be directing all of its power into his right arm.¡± Then, I heard something that sounded familiar to me. It wasn¡¯t anything particrly significant. To summarize, cutting off my right arm wouldn¡¯t make the Demon inside of me disappear, so there was no reason to do something that drastic. That was also precisely why I hadn¡¯t considered cutting off my arm either. ¡°If it¡¯s not because of the seal¡­ It also seems like the Demonic Energy was concentrated in his right arm before that, so it can¡¯t be that either.¡± ¡°Are you saying this can¡¯t be some side effect of a contract? Couldn¡¯t he have just offered his right arm as a vessel for the Demonic Energy while making the contract?¡± ¡°¡­Ben, watch your mouth. Unless you want to be killed by the Demon Knight.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Rather than that, was that guy really trying to pick a fight with my character or something? I red at the one who kept mentioning contracts and whatnot, making sure my veins were visibly throbbing with irritation. Lucky for him, he¡¯d only said the distribution of the Demonic Energy was simr to that of a Demon Contractor. Had he actually called me a contractor, following my character setting, I might have been forced to stab him. ¡°¡­So is it just instinct, then, that he automatically directs all the Demonic Energy to his right arm?¡± Still, despite his passion for research, it seemed he still valued his life enough to backpedal his words. ¡°But that doesn''t really fit either, right? Contractorspartmentalize their Demonic Energy to give it higher purity, but¡­ if he were going to use it as Arcane Power anyway, there¡¯s no need to gather it in just one ce.¡± ¡°¡­No, maybe this has some significance. ording to the Archmage, over time¡­¡± Their voices gradually became quieter and quieter, as if just out of reach. Well, it couldn¡¯t be helped, but it was still a bit disappointing. I¡¯d hoped to glean at least something new from their words this time around. Bang! At that moment, the door to the examination room mmed open. The rest of the Hero¡¯s party waiting by the entrance¡ªexcept for Bers, who seemed to have already anticipated it¡ªsprang up in surprise. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Meister! Even if you¡¯re a wizard, you can¡¯t just barge in¡­!¡± ¡°Well. Normally, I would respect your protocol, too, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s really necessary anymore after you dared to mess with one of Sage Karl¡¯s guests, right?¡± More importantly, just why was Meister here? ¡°Sage Liam, you know the rules. Touching someone wearing Karl¡¯s robe is equivalent to dering you have a death wish.¡± ¡°This is a misunderstanding. And this is something Karl shoulde tell me himself. Why are you¡­?¡± ¡°Who do you think would get here faster, Sage Karl or me? That¡¯s why I¡¯m here. And if this is a misunderstanding, why is the robe emitting a strong signal?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even touch the robe, so why would it emit a signal¡­?!¡± Yeah¡­ about that. I certainly saw something touching it. Still standing by the door, Meister turned his eyes from side to side, and I couldn¡¯t help but follow his gaze. Naturally, Liam also turned his head to do the same¡ªthough, since I was standing behind him, he couldn¡¯t see that I was doing the same. ¡°Ah, hahaha¡­¡± A wizard in the corner was holding Sage Karl¡¯s robe,ughing awkwardly. It was obvious he was the culprit. ¡°You¡­!¡± Liam clutched his head. ____ Chapter 196: Even If I Shout (5) Chapter 196 Even If I Shout (5) ¡°I-I just wanted to check what kind of magic was cast on it¡­¡± ¡°Die!¡± Did Liam just hit the guilty wizard in the sr plexus? Watching this, Meister opened his mouth with a sigh. ¡°Fine. I guess that solves the matter with the robe. But are you really not messing with our guest? To me, it certainly looks like you are, though.¡± ¡°¡­This examination was requested by the guest himself.¡± At Liam¡¯s words, Meister turned to look at me. It seemed like he was trying to ask me whether that was true. I closed my eyes and gave a slight nod. I didn¡¯t do it too confidently, but I knew from Meister¡¯s expression that he¡¯d recognized it as affirmation. ¡°¡­Okay. I got it.¡± And like that, the misunderstanding that wasn¡¯t really a misunderstanding was resolved. ¡°Rather, how do you know hi¡ª¡± ¡°Workshop customer.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± ¡°Anway, you there. Give me the coat.¡± ¡°Coat¡­?¡± It appeared the Hero¡¯s party still hadn¡¯t figured out what was going on. They grew even more flustered when Meister asked me for my coat. The gazes they directed at me clearly read: You¡¯re not actually giving it to him, right? Whoosh. However, Meister and I had already made a deal. ¡°Come back here once you¡¯re done. Don¡¯t hand this robe to anyone else either.¡± I tossed him the coat, which had returned to me again without me noticing. It seemed their n to seal its return function for further observation had failed spectacrly. Thud. Anyway, Meister, who¡¯d stormed into the room, stormed out in the same way. The people left looked like some sort of disaster had hit them¡ªperhaps that wasn¡¯t so wrong, actually¡ªwith dejected expressions on their faces. ¡°¡­Erm, Demon Knight. Do you know him?¡± ¡°Uhm, Demon Knight. Did you happen to meet him somewhere¡­?¡± On another note, it seemed Meister¡¯s skills really were that good. That ¡®sage¡¯ Karl didn¡¯t even attempt to confront him when he just showed up¡­ but he¡¯d even acted like this toward another sage, Liam, and no one even tried to stop him. ¡°Is the examination over?¡± Well, not that it mattered. The more capable Meister was, the better it was for me. ¡°N-No, there are still some things left to check.¡± ¡°Then go on with it.¡± Ignoring the words of the Hero¡¯s party, I urged the wizards to finish their examination quickly. Both the bewildered sage and the wizards hurriedly got back to their work. * * * Even using spells and whatnot, you¡¯d never get results without following due process. It could only shorten the time neededpared to standard methods. That was why Karl and Meister waited patiently for their experiment to conclude. In the meantime, they each kept busy with their own matters to avoid wasting time. ¡°Are you still fiddling with that?¡± But as Meister was tinkering with one of his personal projects, Sage Karl couldn¡¯t help blurting that out. Meister¡¯s hands paused for a second. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m still fiddling with ¡®that.¡¯¡± While Sage Karl was helpful in many ways, he couldn¡¯t be said to be the most understanding person. Meister clenched his fist as he reflected on that fact once more. ¡°I have no idea what you even see in it.¡± However, he didn¡¯t let this lead to anger. Meister had realized long ago that others simply couldn¡¯t understand him. So, instead of getting hurt by these words, he just brushed them off with the determination that he would one day illuminate their dim minds. ¡°More than that¡­ just what is this? I can¡¯t even see its essence.¡± ¡°Even your mighty magic can¡¯t figure it out?¡± ¡°Yeah. What about you?¡± ¡°How could I even start to investigate when it keeps disappearing before I get a reaction?¡± ¡°What? So even that thing you believe in so much is useless in the end.¡± Meister bit his lip at the sage¡¯s stinging words. He wanted to refute somehow, but he had nothing to refute with. Ultimately, wizards lived and died by the results they produced, and he¡¯d yet to produce anything decent. Even though nine years had passed since he¡¯d taken the title of Meister, this was still the case. Rattle, rattle. Even as he resigned himself to that, Meister found his irritation ever increasing. He put even more strength into his hands working on his project. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just give up?¡± ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Honestly, nine years is a lot of wasted time. Making magic essible? That¡¯s simply impossible. So¡­¡± ¡°For a wizard to even utter the word ¡®impossible¡¯? That¡¯s not very sage-like. Should I tell Grandpa?¡± ¡°You know I didn¡¯t mean it like that.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s interesting. So the word ¡®impossible¡¯ has a new meaning the world has never heard of? How about we share that revtion with the world right now?¡± ¡°I was just joking, damn it.¡± It was almost funny, hearing a wizard talk about cracking jokes. Meister flipped him off for good measure and finally put down his project. The object, whose purpose was still entirely unclear, waspletely covered in Arcane forms. ¡°Ha, if your research seeds, I promise to crawl around the outer perimeters of the Magic Tower on my bare knees.¡± ¡°And what would I gain from that, Sage Karl? But sure. It¡¯s no loss to me, so I¡¯ll just ept that promise.¡± No matter the anger he felt momentarily, he would seed. Fervently praying for sess yet again, he reached a hand out to Karl. In theory, to activate these forms smoothly, a bit of Arcane Power was required at the initial stage. ¡°Inject some of your Arcane Power.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so shameless.¡± ¡°Then give back the coat.¡± ¡°You¡¯re seriously shameless!¡± Karl shrieked at Meister¡¯s threat and took the item while grumbling. ¡°Take it.¡± He returned it shortly after. Since all he had to do was inject a bit of Arcane Power, it didn¡¯t take long. But for someone like Meister, who didn¡¯t have any Arcane Power within him¡ªwell, except for the bare minimum all people were born with¡ªthis was an eternally impossible task. ¡°Alright¡­¡± In any case, he still infused the Arcane Power that would act as its starter fuel. Now, the only thing left for Meister to do was check whether it was working properly. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± As Karl and Meister watched, the motionless object remained as such. ¡°¡­It doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s gathering any Arcane Power.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± While Meistercked the ability to sense or manipte Arcane Power on his own, he had an item that could show him its flow. However, even with those sses, he couldn¡¯t see anything. Karl¡¯s confirmation made it certain. ¡°Another failure, huh?¡± Yes, it was a failure. ¡°Damn it!¡± He¡¯d thought this time would be different! Meister threw the item onto the floor. This marked his 2250th failure. ¡°I told you so.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± ¡°The oue might have been different if you¡¯d used rare and expensive catalysts, but with thesemon materials? It won¡¯t happen.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± He didn¡¯t want to hear it. He simply couldn¡¯t bear to hear it anymore. Grinding his teeth, Meister fought to keep the heat from rising to his head after barely managing to cool it down earlier. It was a familiar struggle, but it was by no means an easy one. Crouching down, he messed with his hair in frustration. ¡°¡­Even just the function to autonomously gather Arcane Power would require some really precious materials to pull off.¡± ¡°Shut up before I take back the coat again.¡± ¡°¡­¡± With a deep breath, Meister brushed back his bangs and swept away the loose hair that had fallen to his face. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s gone,¡± Karl muttered behind him. It seemed the coat had vanished again. ¡°Aah, this is so damn annoying. Do I really have to continue experimenting with that guy standing right next to me?¡± Well. Perhaps. Meister started thinking to himself. Although he¡¯d been researching persistently for nine years, it never got any easier to continue working on something that yielded no results. Especially right after another failure. ¡°You¡¯re not going to get the coat?¡± ¡°Get it yourself.¡± ¡°¡­Are you upset?¡± ¡°So what if I am?¡± Still, he had to keep on trying hard. He couldn¡¯t give up on this dream he¡¯d held ever since realizing he would never be able to use Arcane Power himself. Having steeled his resolve, Meister grabbed the item he¡¯d thrown to the floor. He then pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and put it between his lips. It was an attempt to relieve his frustration. ¡°You crazy bastard! Don¡¯t smoke in theb!¡± Sage Karl shouted loudly. ¡°Ah, so uptight.¡± ¡°If you want to smoke, go outside!¡± ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Well, it wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t understand where Karl wasing from. He just didn¡¯t want to be considerate right now. Creeeak. Anyway, Meister slowly left theb with his cigarette hanging from his lips. He was headed for the terrace connected to the hallway. ¡°What are you looking at? Keep your eyes down.¡± At the sight of him, the wizards passing him by hurriedly left with pale faces. The acridness of his cigarette was one thing, but they knew anyone unfortunate enough to get caught by Meister right now would find out exactly why he was nicknamed ¡°Mad Dog.¡± ¡°Light it.¡± And then, one unlucky soul was given no choice but to act as a fire starter before hurriedly scurrying away the instant the cigarette was lit. ¡°Erm, mister. How did youe to know someone like that¡­?¡± ¡°Why did you give him your coat earlier?¡± Anyway, there were still some people here who didn¡¯t know why those people were running away from Meister. ¡°Mister.¡± ¡°Demon Knight!¡± The one wearing Karl¡¯s robe over his shoulders slowly but surely approached from the other side of the hallway, followed by two chatterboxes. They weren¡¯t heading directly toward Meister, but since the terrace was open, they inevitably spotted each other before long. ¡°Quite the uniquepanions you got there.¡± ¡°No.¡± The knight with a Demon sealed in his arm, the members of the Hero¡¯s party following him, and some half-baked wizard and master craftsman who couldn¡¯t use any magic stood together at the border separating the terrace and the hallway. ¡°Never mind, then.¡± * * * I¡¯d been wondering why Meister was crouching near the hallway like that, but then I saw the thing he held in his mouth and stiffened. To unt a cigarette before some who¡¯d barely managed to quit smoking at twenty-seven. How inconsiderate. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± On another note, Meister seemed a little prickly right now. He was speaking in a strangely sharp tone. Or was it just me? ¡°Erm¡­ First of all, it¡¯s nice to meet you. It really is an honor to stand before a great master.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah, sure. Hello.¡± Meister answered casually with a different impudence from my own and continued smoking his cigarette. Cough, sniff. Unfamiliar with cigarette smoke, the Inquisitor, who was standing nearby, had to take a step back, coughing as the smoke hit her. ¡°So, do you have any business with me?¡± ¡°Ah, erm. There¡¯s something I need to discuss with you regarding the previous request.¡± ¡°Ah, so you were the client.¡± It seemed even Meister didn¡¯t dare continue smoking in front of a client. He stubbed out the half-burnt cigarette against his robe and stood up. He sure acted pretty tough. ¡°Let me see the request form first.¡± ¡°Here it is.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The Archmage handed him a scroll-shaped document as if to prove she really was the requester. Meister unrolled it carefully before speaking up. ¡°You should head inside first. Besides, the coat disappeared again.¡± Well, that would be better than just standing here awkwardly. However, it was a bit disappointing that my coat had disappeared again. ¡°Got it.¡± Still, if this continued, wouldn¡¯t I have to wait somewhere nearby all the time? That would be pretty boring. Sure, I could read some books or something¡­ but still, it would be nothing but a waste of time. And I wouldn¡¯t be making any money from that either. ¡°Wait. Don¡¯t head in yet, Demon Knight. There¡¯s still something you need to hear.¡± But the Archmage stopped me from heading to theb. I wondered why she¡¯d held me back. Ah, could it be that? Scheduling? ¡°Hmm, ah. Is that it? Is he the other person?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± However, judging by their reaction, that didn¡¯t seem to be the reason. I looked at Meister as he pointed at me, the request form still in hand. I tried to nce at the paper, but I couldn¡¯t make out the writing from where I was standing. That only made it harder for me to understand the situation. ¡°Well, fine, I guess.¡± What? Seriously, what? They shouldn¡¯t just keep it between the two of them. They should tell me, too. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s about your equipment.¡± Fortunately, before my eyebrows could arch any higher in annoyance, the Archmage exined the situation to me. However, what she said was also rather confusing. What did my equipment have to do with anything right now? ¡°We developed a spell to filter Divine Power. If you wear an item enchanted with it, wouldn¡¯t that make battles easier for you? At the very least, you¡¯d take much less damage from the Inquisitor¡¯s attacks.¡± Ah, they weren¡¯t talking about my current gear but something new they nned to give me. And it would be enchanted with a spell to filter Divine Power? ¡­But when did she even develop such a spell? What was the point of filtering Divine Power anyway? It wouldn¡¯t be of any use unless you were a Demon or a Demon Worshiper. ¡°However, to make that item, we¡¯ll need to take your body measurements. Well, Meister was the one who requested it, so¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do the measurements. All that¡¯s necessary.¡± But why would the Archmage develop something beneficial for a Demon? So, in the end¡­ this spell¡­ was developed for me alone. Even while I was trying to keep my distance and draw lines between us out of fear, the Archmage had still chosen to prepare this for me since who knows when. ¡°Please don¡¯t refuse.¡± And having realized that, I felt my heart ache even more. Could I¡­ even ept this? Could I really wear equipment that reduced damage from Divine Power, theplete antithesis of my existence? ¡°This is, yes¡­ Just an investment to make it easier for you to fight.¡± What would she do if I became an enemy? ¡°Demon Knight?¡± An investment, huh? That word should only be used in conversations involving business. However¡­ this didn¡¯t feel like an investment to me. Not with how the Archmage spoke¡ªanyone who heard her could tell she didn¡¯t mean it¡ªbut I couldn¡¯t help but consider the consequences this would have. If I wore that Divine Power filtering equipment, my life would get easier, but preparing for the worst-case scenario, should it happen, would be a lot harder. And there was no way the Archmage didn¡¯t know that. In the end, she was aware of this, yet she still decided to hand me this gift under some usible excuse. She¡¯d obviously done that purely out of consideration for me. ¡­Consideration that should never appear in business dealings. ¡°Are you trying to mask your cheap sympathy behind some flimsy excuses?¡± I tightly clenched my fist, trying to suppress the tightness in my neck somehow. Crunch. The friction of my gauntleted right hand produced a grating sound. ¡°Or are you perhaps just that foolish?¡± I had anticipated the Inquisitor and Deathbringer not giving up their attempts to get closer to me. They were still young and ignorant. That blind dedication was precisely why it was so overwhelming. ¡°¡­Demon Knight.¡± ¡°This is yourst chance, Wizard.¡± However, even that blind dedication had its limits. The more you learned, the more you grew, the harder it became to remain blind and deaf to the truth. Growth made one¡¯s youthful ignorance and blind dedication fade away. ¡°Do not cross the line.¡± However, while rare, the trust of the elderly was as heavy and unchanging as stone. Even more so because it formed despite their years of experience and cautious wisdom. ¡°Never.¡± Which was why this could never happen. For even the Archmage to act like this. ¡°Wait¡ª¡± I was also only human, after all. If someone extended kindness to me while knowing everything about me, I would be tempted to lean and rely on them. ____ Chapter 197: Even If I Shout (6) Chapter 197 Even If I Shout (6) Thud! The Archmage shrugged as she turned to watch that person¡¯s back. Yes. She¡¯d been overly optimistic in thinking she could get through the Demon Knight like that. ¡°I thought this would be a reasonable attempt¡­¡± She hadn¡¯t tried to interfere in his circumstances, nor had she tried to somehow change the Demon Knight¡¯s way of thinking. She just wanted to give him something that would make life more convenient for him, but¡­ Was it perhaps not the right call for her to step forward? Would it have only stood a chance of working had it been done by the Inquisitor or Deathbringer? ¡°Looks like I¡¯ve been caught¡­¡± ¡°C-Caught¡­?¡± What was certain was that the item she¡¯dmissioned for the Demon Knight had lost its purpose. The Demon Knight, having caught on to her true intentions, would only continue refusing to ept it. She clicked her tongue, feeling regret. ¡°So what should we do about this?¡± Then, the one who¡¯d been silent all this time finally spoke up. ¡°Just so you know, refunds take some time.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. We don¡¯t have any money right now.¡± It wasn¡¯t like they were really short on money, but¡­ was this person actually the adopted son of Surging Azure Lake? Not his biological son? The Archmage blinked, surprised by his unusual manner of speech that shed with his fragile-looking face, reminiscent of a forget-me-not. Though their faces didn¡¯t bear any resemnce, he behaved exactly like Azure Lake. Although it was normal to pick up the habits of the person who raised you, this degree of simrity was almost scary. ¡°¡­Whether or not it takes a while, don¡¯t we have any choice but to request one? I don¡¯t think Mister¡¯s going to ept this. Besides, if Mister won¡¯t cooperate, even starting production would be impossible.¡± Was it perhaps because he was a wizard? Or was there some unspoken rule that people with two-toned hair always had troublesome personalities? While the Archmage was momentarily wondering about such things, Deathbringer spoke up, to which Meister¡¯s eyebrows raised slightly. ¡°Who said it¡¯s impossible without his cooperation?¡± ¡°¡­What.¡± ¡°Of course, it might be impossible for someone like you, but I¡¯m not you.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Next time, try using your brain a bit before pping your tongue about. Just seeing your utterck of intelligence is absolutely pitiful.¡± At that moment, the Archmage, the Inquisitor, and Deathbringer became one in heart and mind, sharing a single thought. ¡­Was he the Demon Knight¡¯s more talkative twin? ¡°Are you done wi¡ª¡± ¡°Let it go, let it go.¡± However, them finding it familiar didn¡¯t mean they would tolerate it. Just as Deathbringer, who was usually very quiet when dealing with the Demon Knight, was about to pick up the fight this guy was throwing down, the Archmage also stepped forward. There was no benefit in ruining their rtionship with a great master, especially when he was like that. ¡°More than that, can you really make it without the Demon Knight¡¯s cooperation?¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯ve seen him once.¡± Meister responded, slightly irritated, saying that measuring him would¡¯ve yielded more urate results, but it wasn¡¯t like he couldn¡¯t craft it just because he¡¯d done it by eye. His pride was at least as immense as the Demon Knight¡¯s. ¡°Then I¡¯ll ask you to proceed with the request.¡± Because of that, the Archmage already knew how best to deal with Meister. Instead of asking whether he could really do it, she simply conveyed her request. To that, Meister nodded, saying he understood. ¡°Also, if there are any additional details to the request, send someone over today or tomorrow. Otherwise,e to the workshop in five days. It¡¯ll be done by then.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll be here today, so send them to the Tower instead of my workshop. Starting tomorrow, I¡¯ll be back in the workshop. Anything else?¡± ¡°Erm¡­ We have no other requests, but I do have a question.¡± The best way to deal with these types of people was to get straight to the point. After choosing her words carefully, the Archmage finally posed her question. ¡°How did you end up meeting the Demon Knight?¡± ¡°Client information is confidential, so don¡¯t ask.¡± It was immediately rejected. ¡°Then leave. I¡¯ll go as well.¡± ¡­Azure Lake had really managed to pass on his character. Archmage watched the retreating figure, reminded of a younger Azure Lake. ¡°What the hell is wrong with that guy?!¡± The moment Meister entered theb and was out of sight, she released Deathbringer. The Inquisitor didn¡¯t say anything but also looked slightly displeased. ¡°He might be a great master, but he¡¯s just so¡­!¡± ¡°Why are you so angry, young hunter?¡± ¡°I get that he became a great master at a fairly young age, but this is just too much! Did he eat his manners for breakfast or what?!¡± ¡°¡­Aren¡¯t most craftsmen like that?¡± ¡°Not at all. The great master at our Temple didn¡¯t act like that!¡± As the Inquisitor spoke, her thoughts turned to the great master who¡¯d made her armor. Berserk simply scratched her head. ¡°Then why not leave this to someone else? Sure, craftsmen like this might be rare, but there should be one or two around if you look a bit harder, right? Ah, and maybe look for someone older. Age might not be everything, but the experience thates with it cannot be ignored.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s true that experience matters, and there is another great master in Bemurchen, but¡­¡± The Archmage wondered if it was truly necessary to go that far. However, it seemed Berserk had a fundamental misunderstanding. ¡°Do you know the difference between a craftsman, a master craftsman, and a great master?¡± ¡°¡­Is there a difference?¡± Berserk tilted her head at the Archmage¡¯s question. It was clear now that this wasn¡¯t just a simple misunderstanding but apleteck of understanding of the general concept. ¡°The title of master craftsman can only be obtained by being recognized by at least one prestigious organization, like the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, the Temple, the Magic Tower, or the Knight¡¯s Academy. Think of them as officially certified craftsmen.¡± ¡°Is that so? Then what about great masters?¡± ¡°They are simr to master craftsmen, except that you need the recognition of three organizations instead of just one.¡± You might think it wouldn¡¯t be too hard to get the recognition of two more organizations if you were already recognized by one, but that wasn¡¯t the case. Each organization demanded a different skill set. ¡°And that person just now¡­ became a master craftsman at fifteen and a great master at twenty. He¡¯s someone whopletely shattered the notion that talent can¡¯t rece experience.¡± For that reason, great masters were even rarer than great sages throughout the continent, and their value was that much higher. Even if he had such a personality, no one could say anything. ¡°On top of that, he¡¯s also a wizard. At this point, there¡¯s almost no one who canpare to him.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ So I guess it¡¯s fine that he threw out his manners with the garbage.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really agree with that elitist way of thinking, but that¡¯s how most people think.¡± As for his role as a wizard, quite a few within the Magic Towers looked down on him for being a wizard without a shred of Arcane Power¡­ but there was no need to mention that. The Archmage swallowed those words before they left her throat. ¡°B-But he still went too far!¡± ¡°Right, right!¡± ¡°¡­Well, I don¡¯t really want to say this, but even if his personality leaves a lot to be desired, he¡¯s a pretty good young man at heart. Don¡¯t be too quick to despise him.¡± ¡°That guy?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going to judge him just by his actions, remember that the Demon Knight is far worse in that regard.¡± ¡°No, well, that¡¯s¡­¡± The Archmage added to her exnation, bringing out facts they couldn¡¯t deny. Then the Inquisitor asked, ¡°How do you know he¡¯s good at heart?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ because of what he¡¯s currently researching. If his character were truly as bad as his behavior, he wouldn¡¯t be researching for the sake of people unable to use Arcane Power.¡± ¡°¡­Research for people without Arcane Power?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± While the personality of this great master and grandson of a great sage was rtively unknown, his research was known far and wide. ¡°He¡¯s working to create something he calls a ¡®Battery¡¯ that can absorb and store the Arcane Power circting through the air so that even people without Arcane Power can use magic as long as they have this device.¡± Which meant the democratization of magic. It was a vision dreamed of by a wizard who himselfcked Arcane Power. * * * Some friends of mine always said that workces sometimes felt like family, but in the worst way¡ªentirely detached and distant. Why couldn¡¯t this party be that kind of workce? Was it because I¡¯d messed up right at the start? Because I foolishly gave in to their affection without knowing how this would end? But that¡¯s just how I thought of it. Those guys didn¡¯t need to be so kind to me. ¡°Damn it!¡± I feltforted by how they kept steadily approaching me and the warmth from their subtle goodwill. But my circumstances were too dire for me to return those feelings. It was just too much. ¡­I didn¡¯t have the confidence I could endure if the worst-case scenario really happened. ¡°I was wondering why it wouldn¡¯t work, but I engraved it all wrong!¡± So I tried to distance myself, but the loneliness that filled the gap always ended up stabbing me in unbelievable ways. Nothing ever seemed to go my way. ¡°Shit.¡± I watched nkly as Meister, who had been inspecting some brick-shaped object, mmed his fist against his workbench before clutching his head. Maybe he¡¯d made some mistake, like identally drawing on the sketchyer while doing line art. The thought somehow lifted my mood a little. ¡°Cigarette¡­ cigarette¡­¡± ¡°I told you to go smoke outside!¡± ¡°Screw you.¡± And then what crossed my sight was Meister shoving a cigarette into his mouth and flipping off Sage Karl, who¡¯d juste back in, grabbing the back of his neck in frustration. ¡­Cigarettes. Cigarettes? I unconsciously followed after Meister. It was an instinctive reaction, perhaps because I remembered how I once turned my whole room into a roon den. ¡°What? Why are you following me?¡± However, since I¡¯d acted without any logic, I had no idea what to say now. ¡°You want one too?¡± I thought abouting up with someme excuse, like needing to go to the bathroom or something. While I was busy contemting what kind of excuse would do the trick¡ªone I wouldn¡¯t regretter¡ªMeister, instead of waiting for an answer, made a new suggestion. It was quite a tempting offer. But wouldn¡¯t it be a shame to break my smoke-free streak like that? It would just be too pathetic. And out of character. What if it ends up reaching the ears of the party again? But well, for now¡­ I wasn¡¯t exactly in a position to worry about those things. In contrast, cigarettes were a luxury here and definitely stress relieving. Swish. So, instead of making up some excuse to decline, I silently epted the cigarette. It was made from hand-rolled tobo leaves. ¡°Hey, light.¡± I should be thankful he didn¡¯t hand me something like a pipe or a hookah. I looked at the hand-rolled cigarette curiously, as I¡¯d never seen anything like it before. Meanwhile, Meister familiarly grabbed a wizard passing by in a tone that, while calm, strangely made him seem like a thug. I¡¯d wondered how he nned to light these cigarettes in a world without lighters or matches, but it seemed he was just using the lighters with legs crowding this ce. Fwoosh. Under the wizard¡¯s touch, the cigarette was lit. ¡°This one too.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± I was a little worried since I¡¯d never smoked a cigarette in this body before, but¡­ this was a world without proper alcohol, coffee, and hobbies suitable for relieving stress. Smoking a little should be fine. While Meister had his cigarette lit, I cleverly held the smoke in my mouth. It was a bit stronger than modern cigarettes, but it wasn¡¯t too bad. Maybe it¡¯s because I was something like a ¡°veteran rookie.¡± Unlike when I smoked my first cigarette, I didn¡¯t end up coughing or have my chest hurt. ¡°Whooo.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯ve smoked only once or twice.¡± Still, I thought I might actually cough, so I held my breath. It seemed he found it quite surprising. Meister raised his eyebrows. That was actually pretty funny. If he knew I¡¯d spent over seven million won on cigarettes during the time I smoked heavily¡ªI think it was for two years?¡ªhe wouldn¡¯t have reacted like that. But I couldn¡¯t exactly tell him that. I simply exhaled the smoke, which was familiar yet unfamiliar and awkward. Meister did the same. We crouched or leaned against the wall, gray smoke drifting up in the open air of the terrace. ¡°You don¡¯t have toe to the Magic Tower tomorrow. Come to the workshop. Seeing what Sage Karl did, I doubt magic will help us uncover anything about the equipment.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± Then, there was silence for a moment. Meister muttered something Sage Karl would surely have cried over had he heard. Pretty cold, really. ¡°If Grandpa gets involved, we might be able to figure something out, but¡­¡± Taking a deep drag from my cigarette, I looked at Meister. He was tousling his hair, looking like he was suffering from a headache. He didn¡¯t seem frustrated just because of the matter concerning my equipment. ¡°Tsk. Thinking about people who can¡¯te here is pointless.¡± But it wasn¡¯t yet time for me to ask him about it. I couldn¡¯t do it while still staying in character. And I shouldn¡¯t either. So I just focused on my cigarette. The rising smoke reced the sigh I couldn¡¯t openly let out, clearing my throat. It was quite contradictory: inhaling smoke into my throat somehow managed to clear my throat. ¡°Come back when you¡¯re done. I¡¯ll head out first.¡± But by the time the cigarette had burned down to just under half, Meister got up. At the same time, something fell out of his robes. It was the object that appeared to have angered Meister earlier. ¡°Sigh. Just how long will it take to seed¡­¡± Maybe because the hallway and terrace were carpeted, the sound of it hitting the floor was quite muffled, so Mesiter didn¡¯t seem to notice. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± I picked up the object that had fallen to the floor in Meister¡¯s stead. Huh. I could feel some weak vibrations from it. It felt simr to an electronic notebook with the notification sound set to vibrate. ¡°Why are you calling me¡­ Ah.¡± At a closer look, it was beginning to emit a faint light. I handed it to Meister as I thought about what it could be. ¡°Thanks¡­ Huh?¡± Then, Meister¡¯s eyes suddenly went wide as he was about to take it from me. ¡°What is this? Why¡­?¡± Huh? What? Was there a problem? Just as I was about to look away, feeling confused, the weak vibration I was feeling stopped. The light also went out. ¡°You¡­¡± Mesiter¡¯s eyes became seriously scary. ¡°What did you just do?¡± Wait a second, I think there¡¯s a new stack of misunderstandings starting to umte here. I only picked it up and nothing else! ____ Chapter 198: Even If I Shout (7) Chapter 198 Even If I Shout (7) ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything.¡± I quickly answered while putting out my cigarette. Meister, who¡¯d taken the item from me, softened his gaze. ¡°Yeah, I guess so. You wouldn¡¯t have had the time or reason to.¡± I briefly thought it strange that he trusted me, but he¡¯d probably just reached a logical conclusion using that sharp mind of his. That was actually a lot easier for me to handle. Trust was much too burdensome for me. ¡°¡­But why did it activate?¡± While I was interpreting Meister¡¯s words, he was already lost in another line of thought. As someone with no idea what was going on, I had no choice but to watch him nkly. So, was that brick-like thing not supposed to light up just then? ¡°The form must have been wrong. No, rather, how is it suddenly working now¡­?¡± How should I describe this scene? He looked like a programmer wondering, ¡°Why the hell is it working?¡± because an incorrectly written piece of code suddenly ran correctly. Yeah, that was exactly it. I could immediately understand his confusion. ¡°You saw that just now, right?¡± Why did he even bother asking me? I just gave him a quick nce. ¡°The glowing just now, I mean,¡± Meister added, clearly frustrated. ¡°I saw it.¡± If it were my character, he usually wouldn¡¯t have answered¡­ But I nodded slightly upon seeing the look in Meister¡¯s eyes. Not only had he given me a cigarette, in a way, but his desperate attitude was quite pitiful. More importantly, it didn¡¯t seem he would be joining our party either. I mean, who would join us after hearing a certain someone shout, ¡°What the hell is wrong with that guy?!¡± loud enough to pierce through even the soundproofing magic? Meister definitely heard that. He¡¯d justughed it off, but still. ¡°You saw it too, huh? Ah, did you notice anything else?¡± Anyway, if this was going to be thest time we interacted, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to be a bit more candid with him. I mean, I¡¯d been burned by that mindset multiple times before, but this time I was certain. To be honest¡­ even if Meister joined our party, he didn¡¯t seem the type to just tell the others about our conversation. Yeah, there was no way he would. Absolutely. ¡°¡­It was already vibrating and glowing before I picked it up.¡± So I willingly, if a little curtly, answered his questions. After a long period of serious self-justification, I ended up having a normal conversation for the first time in a while. Even though it was entirely business-like, it was one of those rare moments where interacting with someone made me feel better about myself. ¡°And?¡± ¡°The vibrations got weaker when I was about to hand it to you. I¡¯m not sure.¡± ¡°¡­Alright. Anything else?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± ¡°Did it feel warm, or did you feel wind gathering around it?¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t really feel¡­ warm. I also felt no wind¡­¡± After that, I answered each and every question Meister asked me. Of course, there wasn¡¯t much I could give him. It had been too brief, and I hadn¡¯t gotten many clues. ¡°Okay, got it. If you don¡¯t know more, that¡¯s fine.¡± However, even those meager clues made Meister¡¯s eyes light up. His usually calm and prickly purple eyes now gleamed with the brightness of a dreaming youth. ¡°Thanks.¡± I still had no clue what all this was about, but¡­ if I had managed to help him, that was enough for me. I returned to theb, letting Meister¡¯s joyfulness partially alleviate my gloominess. ¡°What¡¯s with that face? Did something good happen?¡± ¡°Ah, absolutely. Looks like we¡¯ll get to see Sage Karl crawling around the Magic Tower on his knees. That¡¯s a good thing, don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°¡­What? Did you seed?¡± ¡°Feeling nervous?¡± But as soon as he entered theb, Meister unleashed his entire attitude on Sage Karl. If it were me, I¡¯d probably be especially kind to the people around me due to all the joy inside me. Obviously, Meister wasn¡¯t that type of person. Or maybe those two were just too close for this sort of thing to matter. ¡°So, you got any results yet?¡± ¡°¡­No.¡± ¡°Ah, really? So, in the end, the magic you put all your faith in turned out to be useless, huh?¡± ¡°Urgh, you bastard.¡± But judging from Karl¡¯s expression, thetter seemed more likely. Looking back, Meister never treated my ¡°character¡± like that before. Perhaps it was because there was the medium that was my equipment between us, maintaining a certain boundary. In any case, I quietly watched these two people happily teasing each other and just remained where I was. Before long, it was dinner time. Time for me to leave. ¡°No, the research still isn¡¯t done!!¡± There was just one person still clutching my pant leg, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that I had to go. ¡°What? You¡¯re also going there?¡± Meister ended up apanying me all the way back to my inn from the Tower. There wasn¡¯t any special reason behind it. Our paths just happened to ovep. ¡°Do you have any business with me?¡± ¡°I should be the one asking. I¡¯m just going there because the food is delicious. And you?¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s my lodging.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± While we were at it, we also shared a meal at the restaurant. Neither of us suggested it, but it just happened. ¡°Are you two together?¡± ¡°No, we¡¯re separate.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ But there¡¯s only one table left. If you don¡¯t want to wait, you¡¯ll have to share it¡­¡± ¡°Then there¡¯s nothing we can do about it. No need to waste time. Should we share the table?¡± ¡°Do as you like.¡± That was how we ended up eating at the same table¡­ Nothing more, nothing less. It was something brought about by the fantastic coboration between two people who had no affinity for each other nor any interest in others. My character and Meister fit surprisingly well together. This was probably only possible because neither of us really cared about the other. ¡°What would you like to order?¡± ¡°Porridge will do.¡± ¡°The menu.¡± ¡°Well, we have porridge, bean soup, and potato soup. For the main course, there¡¯s boiled meat¡­ Oh, we can also grill it for you. And then¡­¡± ¡°Vegetable stew.¡± ¡°Erm¡­ I think we can do that too. Would you like that?¡± Ah, but we ordered our food separately, obviously. Just because we were sitting at the same table didn¡¯t mean we were part of the same group. ¡°That¡¯s quite a lot. Looks like you¡¯ve got a lot of money.¡± As a result, Meister¡¯s order was practically the pinnacle of simplicity, while mine was theplete opposite. Regardless of the price range of the food or the ingredients used, the difference in our dishes was clear. There was a whole four-te difference: Meister had ordered one, and I had ordered five. ¡°Well, to maintain that physique, you¡¯d need to eat that much, huh?¡± Still, I couldn¡¯t understand why Meister had only ordered the bare minimum. He said he¡¯de here because the food was delicious, so it shouldn¡¯t be that the meal was bad. He¡¯d also eaten a whole ton yesterday, so it couldn¡¯t be that he usually only ate that much. So, the only conclusion I coulde to was that it wasn¡¯t as if he didn¡¯t want to order more, but he couldn¡¯t¡­ Was he broke? ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡­Well, considering how he¡¯d conducted his research earlier, that may be the case. He seemed to be getting a considerable number of requests, but he also seemed to be just pouring all his earnings back into his research, which kept failing. Maybe that¡¯s why he didn¡¯t have anything left to spend on things like food. Thinking back, he¡¯d been about to skip dinner yesterday until I offered to pay for it, so my theory was entirely usible. ¡°¡­Waiter.¡± What could I do? As a Korean, I simply couldn¡¯t ignore such a pitiful gaze. ¡°One more of the same.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Sure, I¡¯d gotten more ustomed to stubborn stares thanks to my party members, but¡­ those guys looked at me like that because they wanted to talk to me, not because they were hungry and desperate to eat. So I couldn¡¯t just ignore him. This pitiful, starving gaze differed greatly from the bright, pleading eyes of those two seeking my attention. ¡°¡­You.¡± Of course, thinking about it now, if my party members were actually starving, I would still have to ignore them. Not that I could ever imagine them starving, though. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to do this, but thank you.¡± As Meister realized the meaning behind my actions, he expressed his gratitude in a reserved manner. However, those unnecessary words before me irritated me a little. ¡°Why do you think it¡¯s for you?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± However, that irritation immediately disappeared when I saw his face stiffen after I teased him a little. As I had thought yesterday, this guy really reminded me of my friend. The way he shamelessly took advantage of me, the moments when he became unbearably irritating to me, and the expression he made when I used his shamelessness to prank him. They were so simr that it made me want to cry. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m joking. Go ahead.¡± ¡°Do you think I have no pride?¡± ¡°Then throw it away.¡± ¡°¡­ That¡¯s a waste of money and the cook¡¯s effort. Completely inefficient.¡± ¡°Not my problem.¡± I set down my spoon as this meaningless argument ensued. A wave of loneliness overcame me. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m only eating this because I don¡¯t want it to go to waste, got it?¡± Ah. I should have just ignored him. I should have pretended not to notice him staring at my food. At that moment, my head was filled with nothing but regret. ¡°You got that? I wanted to see my friends. ¡°Tsk. If my research had seeded, I wouldn¡¯t need to ept these handouts¡­¡± The friends who¡¯d waited for me when I was at my lowest, almost rotting away, and helped me get back on my feet. ¡°¡­ I¡¯lle see you in the morning.¡± ¡°Do whatever you want.¡± I forced down the rest of the food and got up from the table. Meister, looking a bit sulky, didn¡¯t even bother looking up as I left. Well, he wouldn¡¯t have acted any differently even if he wasn¡¯t irritated, so I didn¡¯t particrly mind. I didn¡¯t really want to think about Meister right now. * * * ¡°Sia, one more drink!¡± ¡°I wrote you a whole fairy tale!¡± ¡°Eliiiise! I love you!¡± ¡°One, two, cheers!¡± I fixed up my disheveled appearance on my way out. My feet continued to move as I did, the tavern growing more and more distant behind me. If you were wondering why I was heading out sote when it was time to sleep, I would call this a nighttime walk before bed. I needed to check on Frederick. Horses were quite precious, after all. ¡°Are you here to see your horse?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I walked to the stables near the inn. Since horses were pretty expensive, keepers guarded the stable in shifts. The one currently on duty weed me warmly. ¡°Just a moment¡­ Your horse, Sir Knight¡­ Right, he¡¯s here.¡± Since Frederick was quite the exceptional steed, I¡¯d given the stable hand a lot of money and strict instructions to take good care of him. Was it because of that? Or had I perhaps left quite the impression? The stable hand didn¡¯t even bother checking for some manner of ID and immediately guided me inside. I couldn¡¯t tell whether to take this as excellent service or feel uneasy over thispleteck of caution. It hadn¡¯t been like this in the other cities I¡¯d been to before. ¡°Geez, your horse is seriously picky¡­ No, I mean, he has quite refined tastes. But rest assured, there were no major problems.¡± Neigh. Still, it seemed my horse had been well cared for. He gave off an air that suggested he felt slightly uneasy but was otherwise okay. Seeing him like that, I opened my Inventory. ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you from now on as well.¡± ¡°Rest assured!¡± The stable hand nearly snorted at the generous tip I handed him. Creak. I opened the stable door and left. The stable had beenpletely silent from the moment I¡¯d entered, aside from the sounds of the horses¡¯ breathing and the confused mutterings of the stable hand I¡¯d left behind. ng. And the moment I opened thest door and went outside, I met someone very much unexpected. ¡°You¡¯re finally out, huh?¡± It was Berserk. ¡°The Archmage said she has something to discuss, yaaaawn. She sent me here to tell you.¡± Yawning, Berserk tried to ry a message to me. Knowing she¡¯d woken up very early, I wasn¡¯t bothered much by her yawning. ¡°Berserk isn¡¯t so great at remembering things, so I brought a note.¡± However, the question was why she was the one who came here. Did she think sending the Inquisitor or Deathbringer might cause problems? ¡°Here you go.¡± Well, from my perspective, this was pretty good. While Berserk was walking pretty close to the line, she never actually tried to cross it like the others. Rustle. Alright, let¡¯s see what¡¯s written on that note. If it said we were departing soon, I would have to reply that I wouldn¡¯t be going. ¡°I¡¯ll check it.¡± But it seemed that wasn¡¯t necessary. Rather than providing a specific date, the note only consisted of sentences like ¡°It seems our departure will be dyed¡± and ¡°It¡¯ll take at least two weeks at the earliest.¡± After reading it, I folded the paper back up. At this point, I might end up receiving the letter I was waiting for long before we left. ¡°Demon Knight.¡± But just as I nodded in confirmation and began to turn away, Berserk grabbed me. Was she trying to pull a fast one on me, just like the Archmage had? I felt fairly uneasy for a moment. ¡°As a Norda warrior, I would like to formally request an honorable duel with you.¡± But what came out of her mouth was something entirely different. ¡°Will you ept my challenge?¡± Her usual cheerfulness, boldness, and light-heartedness were nowhere to be found as she looked at me solemnly. Her gaze, slightly higher than mine, resembled that of a carved falcon¡ªor maybe it was more like the glow of molten gold just before it hardened. Intensely hot, but still metal; valuable, yet unfinished. ¡°If you refuse, I will also step down.¡± This was Berserk¡¯s essence, hidden beneath all theyers of bravado she wrapped herself in. To be honest, this essence reminded me of Weapon Master, whom I¡¯d only met a few times, rather than Berserk, whom I¡¯d consistently observed. ¡°I understand.¡± That¡¯s why I epted her challenge. It was just a whim. Had it been the Inquisitor or Deathbringer, I might have refused. But Berserk wasn¡¯t someone who would suddenly try to get closer to me after just one duel. I also sensed that Berserk wasn¡¯t trying to get closer to me, but she genuinely only wanted to spar. Also, I remembered sparring with her being¡­ fun. So¡­ I thought it would be okay to do it one time, just once. That was an excuse I could live with. ¡°The time.¡± ¡°The one challenged has the right to set the time.¡± So she was leaving the time up to me? That made things easier. ¡°In that case, tomorrow at 4 a.m., theing dawn.¡± I made my decision without hesitation. Dying this kind of thing wasn¡¯t really my style, so I chose the earliest possible time. By the way, the reason I didn¡¯t choose morning or afternoon was because of the equipment research. We wouldn¡¯t be able to duel in the workshop after all. Also¡­ fighting at dawn would probably draw less suspicion from the party. Berserk usually went out to train around four in the morning. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°Outside the city. Near the gate we entered through.¡± ¡°Understood. Thank you.¡± It was just a fight¡ªa sparring match¡ªso no lives were at stake. So I ignored Berserk¡¯s thanks and headed back to the inn. Despite thete hour, the tavern was still rather lively. It wasn¡¯t until Iid down on my bed and set my sleep timer that it began to bother me. ¡¸ ¡ø Sleep for 7 Hours 00 Minutes ¨‹ ¡¹ Ah. If I had nothing to do at the workshop tomorrow, I would probably sleep there, too. Since there was no wind or rain right now, the only ce that was warm and protected was probably the city. ¡®I¡¯m going to drown in sadness. Damn it.¡¯ My eyes slowly closed, my consciousness flickering out. ____ Chapter 199: In the End (1) Chapter 199 In the End (1) ¡°Oh, what a mess. It looks like you¡¯ve proven that the venttion system can¡¯t keep up with your cigarette smoke. I bet if you report this, thepany might actually apud and invite you to help improve their system.¡± A friend with dyed blond hair burst into the room without a shred of hesitation. I¡¯d upgraded the system so that no one could enter without my permission, but it seemed they¡¯d resorted to brute force this time. ¡°By the way, your parents gave me permission.¡± ¡°Man, where else can you find such good friends?¡± Pushing aside the door they¡¯d removed, that guy and the others kept spouting nonsense like that. ¡°¡­Get out.¡± ¡°Since you¡¯re not denying it, I guess you also think it¡¯s impossible. So how about you finally cut down on smoking, huh? For the sake of us cheeky nonsmokers who drop by now and then?¡± ¡°Ah, Shoes, why¡¯s that idiot acting up again?¡± ¡°Leave him be. He¡¯s just trying to rile up Big Dipper to energize him somehow.¡± They were annoying. I chewed on the cigarette I had been smoking and focused my eyes on the game I had been ying. Swish. The wide leg of someone¡¯s pants blocked a part of my vision. ¡°Yo¡ª¡± ¡°A cute nonsmoker just asked you something, right? Don¡¯t you think you should do it then?¡± But before I could even get mad about not being able to see the screen properly, my cigarette was suddenly snatched out of my mouth. Bam, bababababam. On top of that, my character also died. It happened because I made a bad judgment due to my vision effectively being blocked. With that, my no-death, no-glitch speedrun was ruined before I even got close to the ending. It was my very first speedrun ever, but I guess people just shouldn¡¯t try things they¡¯d never done before. ¡°Ooh, Big Dipper¡¯s super pissed-off face. It¡¯s so damn cute.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re not mad after that, you¡¯re practically a living Buddha. Seriously. Wow, I¡¯m also getting pissed off now.¡± Shit. As soon as the death sound effect yed, I threw the controller and covered my face with one of my hands. How could those guys do this to me? Anger and sadness bubbled up, smacking me over my head. And then my eyes started feeling hot for no reason. ¡°Are you crying? Crying?¡± ¡°What? Big Dipper¡¯s crying?!¡± ¡°How could you ask someone if they¡¯re crying while they¡¯re clearly crying, guys? Just open a window already. This cigarette smell is so suffocating that I feel like I¡¯m about to die.¡± ¡°Lee Jang-hwa, you¡¯re the absolute worst piece of trash, so don¡¯t act as if you¡¯re being considerate and just keep your mouth shut. Kim Tae-kyun, Kang Jeong-hee, you also stop your teasing.¡± ¡°Wow, the Schr has arrived!!¡± ¡°The boomer¡¯s here! Run away!!¡± ¡°Wait, Seon-rim. I¡¯m being treated unfairly here. What did I even do?¡± At that moment, yet another person joined in. Shoes, Fried Chicken, Tea Leaf Fanatic, and Schr. All the guys I usually hung out with had gathered here. ¡°Kang Jeong-hee, go open the curtains and windows. Kim Tae-kyun, go pick your clones off the ground. Lee Jang-hwa, stop messing around for one second and help Tae-kyun clean up the trash.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Wait a second, if that trash is supposed to be my clones, am I trash as well?¡± ¡°Messing¡­ I was not messing around! Park Seon-rim, it turns out you¡¯re a master at framing people, huh?¡± ¡°Jang-hwa, that¡¯s exactly what messing around looks like. So just shut up and pick up the trash.¡± Their noisy voices were so familiar, but they were also very irritating. No, I was grateful. I really was, but I still didn¡¯t like it. I was embarrassed that they were seeing this side of me, and I hated that they were trying to forcibly prop me back up. I just wanted them to leave me alone. I couldn¡¯t understand why they were bothering me like this. ¡°Wow, this is so unfair. I picked up this cigarette pack waaay before you even told me to, so why are you saying I was messing around?¡± ¡°Nope, Shoes, even I think you¡¯re messing around.¡± ¡°Fried Chicken, even you?¡± ¡°Stop fighting and look at this. Look at this trash. Looks like this guy hasn¡¯t even bothered to empty his vacuum cleaner.¡± ¡°Where? Wow, for real. I¡¯ve never seen so much dust piled up like that. So this is what happens when you don¡¯t empty the vacuum on time.¡± The dark room brightened after they opened the curtains and turned on the lights. The stale air, filled with cigarette smoke, also cleared away. The floor and furniture, covered in dust and trash, were also liberated. ¡°You didn¡¯t even do yourundry. What have you been wearing all this time?¡± ¡°Schr, there¡¯s nothing decent in the fridge either, so cooking is probably off the table.¡± ¡°¡­Well, we were going to head out anyway, but we at least have to clean out the fridge. Throw out everything.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Seon-rim, this guy¡¯s almost out of toilet paper. Should we buy some more?¡± ¡°Yeah, good job. Find out what else is also missing. Might as well get everything while we¡¯re at it.¡± Theundry basket, overflowing with dirty clothes because I didn¡¯t bother washing them. The fridge, filled with instant noodles and no cooking ingredients. The other necessities, mostly depleted because I paid no attention to them. ¡°Leave¡­¡± ¡°Friend, if you¡¯re human, you should try speaking like one. Sure, you may have abandoned the whole concept of human dignity by this point, but that doesn¡¯t mean you have to regress to a beast to the point of evenmunicating like one.¡± ¡°Damn it, you bastards, leave¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, nah, we¡¯re people, so we can¡¯t understand beast talk. So we¡¯re not going. Not in a million years. If you really want us to leave you alone, Big Dipper, you¡¯ll have to turn back into a human first.¡± ¡°Schr, can I hit Jang-hwa just once?¡± ¡°Do it when we¡¯re leaving.¡± My body, which had been curled up and crying, was forcibly raised. ¡°If you can¡¯t ask us properly, then let¡¯s go.¡± The hand gripping my arm was so strong that I couldn¡¯t shake it off. I felt even more frustrated and unendingly bitter due to my inability to put any strength into one of my legs since I wasn¡¯t wearing a brace. ¡°You damn bastards¡­¡± ¡°Oh, what¡¯s that? You¡¯re so grateful to have such kind, cute, and lovely people as your friends? Don¡¯t worry. All the things and food we¡¯re buying today will be paid for with none other than your own money.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t Lee Jang-hwa just utter trash?¡± ¡°But, well¡­ it¡¯s not like we¡¯re actually paying for all of it. We¡¯re using the card his parents gave us.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. But before that, let¡¯s get you changed first. I don¡¯t care whether your reputation will end up in shambles, but what crime have Imitted to walk around with you looking like that?¡± ¡°¡­On a separate note, Jang-hwa really is trash.¡± ¡°Haha. Tae-kyun, you should help too, you know?¡± ¡°Ah, why me?¡± ¡°Are you expecting me to change him by myself? Or should I ask Fried Chicken and Schr for help? You¡¯ve got such a great personality, really.¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Then, another one joined in. In the end, my hair was forcibly washed, my clothes were changed, and I was finally dragged outside. ¡°This bastard, trying to escape even after we¡¯ve done so much for you? Punishment time. Eat more, eat it all. You need to gain some weight.¡± ¡°Hey, while we¡¯re at the department store, let¡¯s buy some nkets, too. The ones at his ce looked so dirty, way beyond saving.¡± ¡°Agreed. If we¡¯re going to do that, let¡¯s buy something super nerdy, something with a character on it. It¡¯ll be so embarrassing that he¡¯ll have to go out to buy another one himself.¡± ¡°You think that¡¯ll work? He¡¯s already aplete nerd, right?¡± This was my first outing in a year. At the time, I was really angry, irritated, and frustrated. But looking backter, it was probably one of my happiest outings. ¡°¡­Didn¡¯t you have fun? Why are you suddenly crying?¡± ¡°Ah, Fried Chicken. You were supposed to stay close to him and make sure he wasn¡¯t thinking about anything else, right?¡± ¡°He just started crying.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did we go too far?¡± I shed tears as I looked at their hazy faces. ¡°Sorry. We just wanted you to keep going¡­¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t youing now?¡± My vision grew even hazier, and the faces I couldn¡¯t see before became even blurrier. ¡°Is it because I was mad at you back then?¡± I didn¡¯t want this. I wiped away my tears. ¡°Sorry. I won¡¯t ever get mad at you again.¡± But the tears just kepting. ¡°So, can¡¯t you juste here andfort me this time too?¡± I shed tears because I was lonely. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be alone¡­¡± I was so very lonely. * * * ¡°Great Master, I would like to request something¡­¡± The Sleep System I¡¯d been using so far always gave me the sensation of ¡°I close my eyes, and when I open them, I¡¯m all refreshed in the morning.¡± Buttely, sometimes, I¡¯d wake up feeling kind of strange. Still refreshed, but strangely depressed and sad. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The only good thing was that I had nothing to do today. Even if the restless morning had left me dazed, there were no pressing matters to attend to. I sat in a corner of Meister¡¯s workshop and rested my dazed head. Since the seat Meister had offered me was a type of couch, I also didn¡¯t need to worry about looking uncool. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure the delivery quota has already been met.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right, but¡­ the Merfolk have been strangely quiet.¡± ¡°¡­Ah, well. It¡¯s about time the Merfolkunch another attack.¡± Meanwhile, Meister was attending to a client who¡¯de by as I lounged about. Judging by the clicking sounds that asionally interrupted the conversation, it seemed Meister was working even while speaking to that guy. ¡°So, like before?¡± ¡°Yes, yes. Just like before, every five days, that¡¯s how much extra they seemed to need.¡± ¡°How annoying¡­¡± On another note, the Merfolk¡¯s behavior was strange, huh? I finally understood why the Archmage had dyed our departure in such a vague way instead of just giving a definitive schedule. Clearly, she¡¯d also been aware of this and hadn¡¯t set an exact departure date for that reason. She was expecting something to happen while we were here. ¡°Got it. Now leave.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± But I really didn¡¯t want to deal with another Sea Boss anymore. Wouldn¡¯t any Ground-Bound Bosses make an appearance any time soon? Really? If this was another Sea Raid, that would just be crossing the line, honestly. ¡°Phew, will it work this time¡­?¡± I was seriously praying. Meister, who¡¯d promptly kicked out his guest, looked to be doing something simr. Seeing how earnestly he was praying to the sky, he must have finished engraving the modified enchantments onto that object. ¡°Do it.¡± What followed was Meister tossing thepleted item at me. It was also a signal for me to imbue it with Arcane Power. The first time, it was ¡°Could you do me a favor?¡± then the second time, ¡°I¡¯ll leave this to you,¡± and now it was just ¡°Do it.¡± This was seriously absurd. Thud. Regardless, I caught it without even looking. I infused my ck Arcane Power into it. ¡°Damn it. Still no reaction¡­¡± Of course, there was no reaction this time either. No light and no vibration. ¡°Put it on the shelf.¡± Still, just in case something happened like before, we ced it on the disy rack. No matter whether Meister cursed under his breath or not, I simply ced the item on a nearby side table. One arm rested over my eyes while the other carried out the task. ¡°Phew¡­¡± Quite some time passed like this. Meister, either working on a new request, his own research, or something else entirely¡ªI wasn¡¯t quite sure¡ªstretched. Crack. A satisfying sound echoed through the workshop. Click, click. Still stretching, he got up and moved to one side. It looked like he was going to recheck my equipment. His presence shifted toward the reagent bottles containing my coat, gloves, and vest. Zzrp, zzrp. The sound of air flowing and something getting torn tickled my ears. ¡°This is driving me nuts. What kind of clothes are these? How were they even made¡­?¡± But it seemed like he didn¡¯te to any sort of conclusion this time either. Meister let out a groan. ¡°What¡¯s most frustrating about these things is that they restore themselves automatically without any cost. Do you really not know why they¡¯re like this?¡± As a bonus, he ended up shifting the me to me. Not that I could answer him, even if he kept pressing like that. ¡°I could understand if this material had some inherent regenerative properties, but no matter how I look at their structure, they¡¯re just ordinary materials¡­¡± Well, then, they had to be materials with inherent regenerative abilities disguised as something else. Perhaps they could alter their molecr structure at will or something. ¡°¡­What did you just say?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Ah, wait. Did I just say that out loud¡­? ¡°Disguised? As something else?¡± ¡°¡­I just thought that might be possible.¡± Unbelievable. Seriously. I knew I wasn¡¯t in my right mind, but actually saying my thoughts out loud? I must have really been losing it. ¡°Shut up for a second. Altering the molecr structure at will¡­¡± However, Meister immediately dismissed my efforts to somehow cover up my earlier clumsy character break. Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t well-acquainted enough with my character to even notice that I¡¯d broken character just then. ¡°Molecr structure¡­!¡± Instead, he just kept muttering the words I¡¯d said as if trying to retrace them. He looked almost maniacal, to which I pressed my arms down on the couch¡¯s armrest to sit up. ¡°For a musclehead, that¡¯s a pretty good idea. Let me praise you!¡± That was the exact moment when Meister shouted, ¡°Eureka!¡± Although it was a bit unpleasant that he¡¯d called me a musclehead, I couldn¡¯t really criticize him while seeing him so delighted. Unlike me, who¡¯d just blurted something out without thinking, he seemed to havee up with a solid hypothesis. ¡°Here.¡± At that moment, Meister threw something at me. ¡°You must be pretty smart if you understand what molecr structure is. Don¡¯t waste that brainpower sleeping; read some books instead. Stuff that decent brain of yours with knowledge.¡± It was a stack of books. From magic tomes to books on alchemy bordering on scientific texts, encyclopedias about various materials, manuals on tool usage, countless crafting guides, and so on. Since I couldn¡¯t sleep all day, it wasn¡¯t too bad to have something to read, but¡­ this was just ridiculous. Well, I had some time to kill anyway. ¡°Alright, if they¡¯re actually made of different materials, then the experiment I should do now is¡­ Oh, wait. This will lessen the time I have to handle these requests. Hmm.¡± I was about to vent my frustration as befitting my character but gave up after seeing that Meister was lost in his own world again. Of course, if Meister were in my party, I definitely would haveined if only out of necessity, but he was still just a temporary acquaintance, and our rtionship would soon end. I didn¡¯t want to waste more energy on him than I already had. Thud, thud. Instead, I looked at the books he¡¯d given me. This massive stack really seemed to consist solely of books meant to impart knowledge. ¡°¡­?¡± However, among them was one book, just one, that was different. The title, The Broken Horn, and the writing style I¡¯d noticed while leafing through it made it seem like a novel. Considering how thin it was, it might have just been some sort of a fairy tale. Judging by how it was obviously different from the other books, it seemed less like he¡¯d given this to me intentionally and more like it had somehow gotten mixed into that pile of books¡­ Well, whether or not it was intentional, I was rather grateful. I was already busy enough as is. It would be simply too difficult to cram all that knowledge into my head on top of everything else. Rustle. So I opened the cover of The Broken Horn. [On a night when the moon hung high above the roof of the highest tower and the only thing chasing away the darkness was the glow of the tavern¡¯s lights, a boy stepped out onto the streets¡­] The cover, whose condition made it clear this book wasn¡¯t particrly old but nearly brand new, opened to reveal inky text, slightly different from modern-day writing, that unfolded into a story. ____ Chapter 200: In the End (2) Chapter 200 In the End (2) On a night when the moon hung high above the roof of the highest tower and the only thing chasing away the darkness was the glow of the tavern¡¯s lights, a boy stepped out onto the streets. p. With each step the boy took, the hem of his shabby cloak moved, and blood flowed endlessly from his shoeless feet. ¡°What is this?!¡± a man shouted, seeing the bloodstains on the street. ¡°What is it?¡± hispanion asked in surprise, lifting hisntern. Its light cast a round glow over the dark street. ¡°What are these marks?¡± The man and his friend followed the trail and soon came across the boy wandering about all alone. Dirty, ash-gray hair and bony limbs were visible from beneath his cloak. ¡°A-A person?¡± The two men, now terrified, brought themp closer. Just then, half the boy¡¯s face, which had been hidden in the darkness, was revealed. Drip. A wound ran diagonally across the boy¡¯s face, from his forehead to his chin, and was constantly spurting blood. ¡°That wound¡¯s severe!¡± One of the men cried as he approached the boy. But the moment he approached, the shadow that had enveloped the boy¡¯s body rippled. No, it wasn¡¯t a shadow. The darkness that was pretending to be a shadow seeped out from beneath the boy¡¯s cloak, behind his feet, beyond the reach of thentern¡¯s light. It was as if half the boy was made ofplete and utter darkness. His hair, sticking upward, looked exactly like horns. ¡°A-A Demon!¡± The man immediately drew his sword to save his friend. At that moment, the boy shuddered violently and retreated from thentern¡¯s light. As the boy entered the realm of darkness, his eyes shone eerily. ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± The boy seemed to be trying to say something. ¡°There!¡± But the moment he heard the cries of others who had freshly discovered the blood stains, the boy¡­ ¡ªExcerpt from Herto Rinser¡¯s The Broken Horn * * * Berserk sat cross-legged before the battle. It was the posture Norda warriors took when meditating. ¡°Sss¡­ Huuu¡­¡± In this state, she repeatedly inhaled and exhaled. With each exhtion, stray thoughts disappeared, and with each inhtion, her fighting spirit swelled. Her fighting spirit was as pure as freshly fallen snow atop a mountain yet as cold as the ancient ice crystals lying beneath. She was going to lose. ¡°¡­¡± However, there was no such thing asplete liberation. At least, not for her. You know, right? He cut down what you couldn¡¯t. ¡°¡­The amount of Arcane Power doesn¡¯t determine victory or defeat.¡± A voice seeped into her mind as she tried to keep herposure. Berserk bit her lip. Hahaha. A voice identical to hers echoed in one corner of her head. Usually, yes. But is Arcane Power the only thing he has? That¡¯s not it, right? You can¡¯t beat him. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Why? How can it not matter when you challenge someone you can¡¯t beat? ¡°Because in some battles, even defeat has meaning.¡± Maybe¡­ You¡¯re not wrong, but does this apply to the battle you¡¯re about to fight? ¡°It¡ª¡± You don¡¯t intend to learn anything from him, nor do you want to settle your ranks, and it¡¯s not as if anything¡¯s at stake here. The voice pierced through to the truth with painful precision. Or do you simply want to ascertain your shorings again? Why? You already know these things but chose to turn a blind eye, yes? If you¡¯re going to turn away again this time, what value do your actions hold? ¡°¡­I, Berserk is¡­¡± If you¡¯re going to pretend not to know, then just keep pretending. Or finally make up your mind and face it. She didn¡¯t want to hear this. Berserk really wanted to block her ears somehow. If she could just erase that voice that tore through her skin, ripped apart her muscles, and exposed every single w she wanted to hide, she would give anything. Thirty years of wandering with the answer always right behind you should be enough. ¡°Stop!¡± ¡­No. She couldn¡¯t. If she could, she would have done it a long time ago. ¡°Stop it.¡± Drip. Berserk let her head droop forward, her tears falling to the ground. Her chest, her heart, ached as if it was getting ripped apart. It felt as if she¡¯d lost half of herself. ¡°Please, stop¡­¡± She stared at the one who remained frozen in that time, unable to grow any further. Someonepletely withered and twisted, staining the pure white snow of the mountains with blood. ¡°You did the same, so don¡¯t me me.¡± Of course, this was something she didn¡¯t want to see either. ¡°You chose to fight despite knowing you¡¯d lose, and you didn¡¯t listen to me at all when I tried to stop you, so don¡¯t act like this now.¡± She wasn¡¯t ready to face it yet. ¡­It was to save you. ¡°Berserk never wished for that.¡± Then do you think I did it for my own sake? ¡°It wasn¡¯t for Berserk¡¯s sake either.¡± Absolutely not. ¡°If you truly cared about me, you should have stayed with me.¡± She would never ept it. * * * 3:40 a.m. I left earlier than I needed to because I liked arriving at appointments at least ten or twenty minutes ahead of time. ¡°Hmm.¡± And then I found myself face to face with the closed city gates. I¡¯dpletely forgotten that the gates only opened after sunrise. ¡°What should I do now¡­?¡± Seriously. There wouldn¡¯t be any open space inside the city¡ªto be exact, there wouldn¡¯t be any area spacious enough for us to fight without damaging our surroundings¡ªhence why I had purposely set our meeting outside the city. I never thought the gates would be an obstacle. Was this what they meant by knowing one thing but not the other? ¡°Waiting¡­ doesn¡¯t seem like a good option.¡± I couldn¡¯t just sit here waiting and postpone my appointment with Berserk. Now that I thought about it, leaving the city might actually be quite difficult even after sunrise. After all, a certain something had happened our first day here. ¡°Can¡¯t be helped, I guess¡­¡± Should I endure the stricter inspection because of those Demon Worshipers, or should I just sneak out, fight, and quickly sneak back in? After a fierce debate with my conscience, I finally chose thetter. Honestly, I would have much preferred to wait, but due to my character¡¯s personality, I didn¡¯t really have a choice. My character was someone who, while aware and conscious of morality, prioritized his own standards overws and rules. ¡°Yaaawn. When¡¯s the shift change¡­¡± I was really sorry about that, but please don¡¯t notice me. If I get caught, it would be bad for both of us. Whoosh. ¡°Huh?! A gust of wind¡­?¡± I wrapped my whole body in Arcane Power and ran vertically along the wall. I then leaped as high as I could, avoiding the guards¡¯ eyes. Was it because my Arcane Power was ck, or was it because the moon was hidden behind clouds? None of the guards noticed me floating through the air. Even though some of them nearly had their hats blown away because of the wind I created when kicking off the wall. Whoooosh. Meanwhile, my body, floating dozens of meters up in the air, slowly began to descend. Since I¡¯d jumped straight up, mynding spot wouldn¡¯t be that far from the wall. Tap. ¡°Huh? Did something fall just now¡­?¡± ¡°Were you dozing off or something? What are you talking about?¡± At least I managed to stay out of lit areas. Listening to the guards¡¯ chatter, I silently thanked my Arcane Power for being ck. Then I slipped into the forest. It was currently 3:47 a.m. ¡°Phew. Sess.¡± Yet again, leaving early had proven to be a very good habit. It allowed me to handle these kinds of unexpected variables. ¡­Well, the only problem now was Berserk. But seriously, what should I do? I didn¡¯t really need to worry about her, but¡­ wouldn¡¯t she absolutely get caught trying to get out? That would get me in trouble as well. ¡°¡­Maybe I should have designated the Temple as our meeting spot.¡± Oh, of course, I knew that would¡¯ve been impossible. The whole reason for doing this at dawn was to avoid being caught by the Inquisitor, Deathbringer, and the Archmage. But I wanted to do this at the Temple around this time? That was like deliberately trying to get them toe after me. Hoot, hoot. In the meantime, the hooting of owls echoed from the dark forest where I¡¯d stopped. It was 3:57 a.m., just a few minutes from the time we¡¯d agreed on. Thud! Just as I was starting to wonder if Berserk might be unable to make it, I sensed arge but concealed presence approach. ¡°Sorry I¡¯mte.¡± 4 a.m. on the dot. * * * ¡°Are we doing it here?¡± ¡°No.¡± I was only standing here because I wasn¡¯t sure whether she would show up. I had no intention of fighting here. If we did, the guards would definitely notice. ¡°We¡¯ll go further out.¡± In that sense, I decided to put more distance between us and the wall. Berserk agreed. The two of us ran side by side through the dark forest. ¡°In Berserk¡¯s opinion, this ce seems fine. The city people won¡¯t notice us from here.¡± After running for about twenty minutes, Berserk spoke up first. ¡°If we go any further, it might be difficult to return to the city.¡± She even seemed to have considered what would happen after the fight. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s do it here.¡± Of course, while it was surprising that Berserk had thought so far ahead, her words weren¡¯t wrong. So I nodded in agreement and stopped my feet. If I remembered correctly, the sun would rise around six. As long as the fight didn¡¯t drag on for more than an hour, we should be able to return to the city before the darkness receded. This thought was very much a g. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Anyway, what remained was the promised duel. As if we¡¯d nned it in advance, a heavy silence filled the space between me and Berserk. For me, it was because this was my first formal duel, while Berserk seemed to be lost in someplicated thoughts. Swish. However, the wait didn¡¯tst long. Berserk made the first move. ¡°In my homnd, the honorable title I wear is Berserk, the one who proves their bravery with blood.¡± Thunk. She ced an oilmp on the floor and grabbed her ck halberd with her now empty hand. Her strong legs spread an appropriate distance apart to firmly support her body. ¡°With the weight of that title, I now wish to challenge you.¡± This didn¡¯t seem like a formal deration or a salute to her opponent. If I had to describe it, it looked more like a posture to ready someone for action right before they rushed into battle. ¡°While this challenge will be sharp as the edge of a de, no one will be buried beneath the falling snow.¡± And yet, it still seemed like a gesture of respect. It was unembellished and primitive, but it seemed even more sincere precisely because of that. ¡°Honor to the victor.¡± Her golden eyes shone brightly without a trace of lightness. ¡°Enlightenment to the defeated.¡± And as I met her gaze, I found myself speaking without even realizing it. ¡°¡­May the duel be fair.¡± Was it just my imagination? Berserk¡¯s eyes seemed to bend slightly as she looked at me, as if she was smiling. However, before I could confirm it, the halberd in her hands was thrust forward. ¡°It¡¯s an honor to fight you.¡± The halberd¡¯s tip, whose de more resembled that of a spear, pointed directly at my heart. This was the beginning. My instincts, not my ears, recognized the signal marking the beginning of the duel. Bang! Berserk charged at me, her grip on the halberd wide. The moment she kicked off the ground, a sound like a thin metal te getting hit was heard. The crimson glow of the oilmp made the ck halberd appear coated in moltenva. Ting. I, on the other hand, didn¡¯t rush at her. Instead, I stayed where I stood and steadily raised my sword. The Zweih?nder I¡¯d already drawn and held such that its tip was grazing the ground bounced off the toe of my boot, rising upward. aang. My Zweih?nder perfectly locked between the halberd¡¯s spear tip and axe de, forcing it to a halt. The impact from their collision caused both weapons, now stuck at an angle, to vibrate violently. Even though I¡¯d prepared for it, I still felt a sharp pain running through my wrist. However, I couldn¡¯t stop there. Her wrists and mine moved flexibly, spinning the halberd and Zweih?nder in a circr motion. We were trying to free our trapped des, but since we moved simultaneously, all we aplished was carving a half circle through the air. Screeeech. I then decided to pull back. Berserk and I stepped back, disengaging our weapons. In the process, the metal of our weapons rubbed against each other, giving off an unnerving sound. Whoosh! After that, we attacked again. Berserk, gripping the halberd¡¯s shaft at both the end and midpoint, charged toward me again. Her attack path was so straightforward that even an ordinary person could see and dodge it. However, if that were all there was, she wouldn¡¯t be called Berserk, right? The spear tip she¡¯d thrust forward instantly withdrew, shifting its attack path. My Zweih?nder responded in kind. It was huge, but it was still just 5 kg. It rotated fluidly, intercepting the spear tip. Boom! With a heavy sound, the halberd and Zweih?nder pushed themselves away from each other. Whack! If I couldn¡¯t use this momentum, I might as well hand in my title as an action game veteran. I twisted my ankle, pivoting my body. At the same time, my de followed suit, spinning around my body like the des of a windmill, gaining speed as it aimed at Berserk again. ng! The halberd and Zweih?nder collided with each other once again. If the previous sh had been a nearly perfect cross, this time, it formed an uneven X-shape. The angle at which the de and halberd intersected was toorge and too narrow. Both weapons slipped. Whoosh! The de of my sword that had struck the polearm slid down without a struggle while the halberd naturally slid up. ¡°Haaah!¡± The real problem was the halberd¡¯s reach. My Zweih?nder was around 1.6 meters in length. Berserk¡¯s halberd reached about 2.5 meters. If she thrust forward now, it could stab straight through me, but I couldn¡¯t even reach her. And Berserk also knew that. [Survival Instinct]. This skill I¡¯d hurriedly activated showed me possible escape routes. I had to step back or block the attack with my sword. ¡°¡­!¡± Of these, I chose thetter. With the system¡¯s correction strengthening my arms, I pulled up the de previously buried in the ground in one sharp motion, resting it diagonally before me to act as a shield. My right hand held the ricasso of the Zweih?nder as I braced myself for subsequent impact. Of course, if Berserk retracted her halberd again and struck from a different angle, I would easily get hit¡­ Screech! How could I let that slide? Following the trajectory suggested by my skill, I maneuvered my de again between the halberd¡¯s spear tip and axe de. Clink. With the twist of my wrist, the angle of my de changed once more, locking itself perfectly in the upside-down ¦¸-shaped groove of the halberd. Now, Berserk couldn¡¯t pull back her halberd until either I allowed it or she gave up on this thrust and attempted to twist it out. That de also couldn¡¯t reach me anymore. So, what was she going to do now? How would she respond? ¡°As expected, you¡­!¡± Berserk let out a sharpugh at my unspoken challenge. She chose thetter, of course. So what should I do next? How should I respond? Observing Berserk, I started imagining my next move, anticipating what she would do. It was almost like solving a type of riddle. Fierce, but without the need to worry about dying or killing. Honorable, yet bold. Presenting just enough pressure to feel a sense of pleasure from solving it. That¡¯s the type of riddle it was. ¡°Berserk will do her best!¡± ng! In the meantime, our weapons shed again, at which point Berserk¡¯s shout pierced my ears. Her words felt more like a firm order not to let my guard down ever. ¡°So you should do your best as well!¡± Actually, I didn¡¯t feel too bad about that. ____