Chapter 149
Yor had visited the Imp Hunting Ground.
Naturally, the news quickly spread through the Community. Although it was only for a day, he had shown so much during that single day. What's more, famous Streamers were on either side of him, so there was plenty of material to watch and dissect. Thanks to this, people were enthusiastically discussing what they had seen on the broadcast.
+ <F1>[This was shot from the sky; the atmosphere is insane]</F1>
(Photo)
Wow, look at the red sky and the red ground.
This game is good for other reasons too, but the incredibly realistic graphics are definitely the best.
+
<F1>[How many graphic designers' wrists must have been sacrificed for this...]</F1>
<F1>[ㄴ Seriously, it's just another world]</F1>
<F1>[ㄴ Seriously, it's just another world]. At this point, I'm starting to think it really might be.]</F1>
<F1>[Whoa, what's that Pit?]</F1>
<F1>[ㄴ Seriously, it's just another world. That's where the Imps come out.]</F1>
<F1>[ㄴ At this point, I'm starting to think it really might be the Imp-birthing hole. Wow, it's disgustingly huge.]</F1>
<F1>[ㄴ That's where the Imps come out. Saying it like that makes it sound a bit weird.]</F1>
+<F1>[The orb Yor picked up seems pretty good]</F1>
If you hold that, you can safely move around avoiding Imps, right? It is good for Investigation, and easy to pick up dropped items. You could even Hunt while wearing that. +
<F1>[That's why the Lemegeton guys are making money with those, they say.]</F1><F1>[ㄴ This is more pathetic than I thought.]</F1>
<F1>[It doesn't seem to be a panacea either. It looks like if you touch an Imp, you still draw aggro.]</F1><F1>[ㄴ Really?]</F1><F1>[ㄴ Yeah, if you watch yesterday's broadcast, the Imps still rush him when Yor attacks. So it doesn't completely ignore them.]</F1><F1>[ㄴ But it's weirder that they ignore him when he's going wild like that.]</F1><F1>[ㄴ The way he mowed down the Imps yesterday was seriously exhilarating.]</F1>
Many stories were exchanged. Most were just impressions like “it was fun” or “it was amazing.” However, a rather significant post appeared in the middle of it all.
+
<F1>[Was that Pit always that big...?]</F1>
I'm pretty sure it wasn't that big when I saw it last.
<F1>[?? What are you talking about?]</F1><F1>[ㄴ I was curious about what the hole looked like, so after a long time, I went inside once, cloaked, to explore the map.]</F1><F1>[ㄴ But it seemed smaller back then... what's going on?]</F1><F1>[ㄴ Oh, what the hell, why are you being so creepy?]</F1><F1>[ㄴ I'm not sure either, it might just look bigger from the sky.]</F1><F1>[ㄴ You must have seen wrong. Our server can't be ruined.]</F1>
It was about the Imp Pit seeming to have grown larger than before. Of course, it wasn't official. It was merely a few Users making that claim. In the end, the Users discussed it a few times, but the topic quickly died down.
+ <F1>[More importantly, I think I have a tattoo fetish.]</F1>
(Photo)
Seeing this just automatically made my lower half react.
It was so hot I almost jerked off right there, but I held back because I was in the study room. Seriously.
If it weren't for the study room, I would've at least gone twice.
+
<F1>[Please don't, please.]</F1>
<F1>[Damn, so it was you they were talking about when they said there was a weird smell in the study room.]</F1>
<F1>[No; I held back.]</F1>
<F1>[I'm not a fan. It makes me depressed thinking about the bully who tormented me in school...]</F1>
<F1>[ㄴ Oh no...]</F1>
<F1>[ㄴ Are you a lesbian...]</F1>
<F1>[ㄴ Were they handsome?]</F1>
<F1>[ㄴ I remember them being incredibly handsome, even if they were empty-headed... There were a few times I went home soaked.]</F1>
<F1>[ㄴ You bitch, that's a reward then!]</F1>
And so, in the end, the conversation inevitably veered towards topics of the opposite sex.
*
After leaving the Imp Hunting Ground, I immediately returned home by carriage.
“Well then, we’ll be going.”
“Alright, see you later.”
It had only been a day, but my familiar home was a welcome sight. I hadn't been away for very long, so there was nothing in particular that needed cleaning.
As I lingered in front of my house for a moment, that was when it happened.
*Gurgle.*
“Ugh...!”
Suddenly, my blood pulsed erratically, raising my skin. Feeling a burning pain, I immediately went into my Cave and drank some holy water. My blood was running wild even though I wasn't in a berserk state yet.
The spreading of the tattoo quickly subsided, but the side effects still lingered. When I overuse my abilities, my body sometimes loses control and acts up like this.
It was as if the Demon that was the Blood Origin was demanding a price for using its power. Of course, it was manageable enough if I just drank enough holy water, though it was a slight problem when my mind occasionally became chaotic.
After drinking the holy water, I felt a languid sensation and rested at home for a while.
As soon as my body recovered, I immediately headed to The Depths.
The reason, naturally, was to meet Barbatos, who was in the center of The Depths. I had something to ask her. Since there was still enough food, I decided to pack just a few snacks that the kids would like.
“...Hmm?”
When I arrived at the Altar, Barbatos greeted me.
“Why have you come so soon? It feels like you were just here a few days ago.”
“Why, is it a burden?”
“No, not that. But you're not one to visit so often, so I merely asked.”
“I just came because I had something to ask.”
I set down the Snack Pouch and got straight to the point. The first thing I asked about was the orb. I showed her the orb and roughly explained what abilities it possessed.
“So... have you ever seen this crystal orb in the Demon Realm?”
“Hmm... I don't know. We have no reason to use such a thing, do we? Why would we need to avoid Imps?”
She tilted her head and replied thus. I immediately understood and nodded.
*Right...*
They're of the same Kin, so there's no reason for them to use an item just to avoid Imps. That means this isn't an item from the Demon Realm. I heard from the Otherworlders that nothing like this has ever dropped from hunting Imps.
Since she didn't know, I moved on. I then asked something else.
This time, it was a personal curiosity.
No matter how I thought about it, this Imp Pit was far too sudden.
I could somewhat understand the Kingdom's downfall due to Beled. His abilities were unique, and he didn't confront the entire Kingdom but rather assassinated the king, which caused the Residents to leave.
But the Imps were different. They said there weren't any particularly strong Demons, but their numbers were simply too vast. If a war were fought against them, most countries would probably be defeated. When I asked about this, she turned her head and replied.
“*This one*... does not know.”
It was the same "I don't know" answer as before. But this time, the nuance was different. If before it felt like genuine ignorance, this time it felt like she knew something but was hiding it.
It happened sometimes. She would speak freely, but occasionally she would hide information.
Because of this, I decided to subtly threaten her.
“If you keep acting like this, I’ll bring less bread next time.”
“Th-that cannot be!”
“Then speak, you rascal.”
Barbatos finally hesitated and then said this.
“It is merely... a natural phenomenon.”
“...?”
“That Beled fellow did not create it by sacrificing something. He merely opened a suitable hole. The wall between dimensions has simply thinned to the point where a hole can be opened with just a few human sacrifices.”
“Dimensions... what?”
“It is best to think simply.”
She said that each World seemed to have a wall protecting it, A thick Protective Veil that prevented one World from interfering with another, blocking them from each other.
But conversely, if that Protective Veil didn't exist, then one could interfere with other Worlds as much as one pleased. And Demons, she said, knew a certain method to pierce it. Unfortunately, she didn't explain this part.
“Hmm...”
Having heard all that, I nodded appropriately.
Honestly, it sounded like a story that was too abstract. Even with talk of Worlds and such, the scale was too grand for me to fully grasp.
Still, I could at least understand the conclusion.
“So that huge Imp Pit opened up? Because the wall thinned?”
“Huhu, that is correct. We Demons worked diligently to pierce it.”
She said it as if she were proud. But to me, who was on the receiving end of the invasion, it was nothing but unpleasant.
Because of this, I gave her a hard flick on the forehead.
*Thwack!*
“Ow!”
After that, I had a brief conversation with Neria and then left the Altar.
*
The next day, I emerged from my cave and set off to meet a Knight Commander. I had business with the Knight Commander.
Fortunately, I was able to meet one of the Knight Commanders quickly. One of the Knight Commanders was working on allocating Residential Areas to the refugees. And as it happened, she was on duty nearby.
“Oh~ long time no see.”
As I approached, Odelia waved warmly. She must be a Noble too... but seeing her act so casually sometimes confuses me. Well, it's not like the other kids draw lines, but they at least try to maintain some dignity. This one, however, has none of that.
Of course, that made her the easiest Knight to deal with. Aside from her unrefined manner, she had quite a decent personality.
“Take this.”
As soon as I saw her, I immediately handed her the orb.
“This is...?”“The news has already spread, hasn't it? This is it. The crystal orb that lets you avoid Imps.”
Thanks to the Otherworlders, who are now spread out like an open secret, there are no secrets anymore. Most news has probably been heard through word of mouth. When I suddenly handed her the orb, she looked surprised.
“You’re just giving this away?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s really unexpected... I was actually planning to ask you for it when we met. I wanted to analyze where the orb came from, and I thought it would be useful for investigations.”
She continued, looking bewildered.
“But didn’t you always demand something in return when you did favors? It honestly feels a bit strange to just give it away like this...” “Because you’ll make better use of it than I would. For public purposes.”
This time, seeing the Imp Pit and talking with Barbatos, I felt something shift in my heart.
My primary goal was still a comfortable life. My purpose was to eventually catch the Demon that was my Blood Origin, escape the berserk state, and live a normal life.
But seeing the recent events unfold... I felt that if things continued like this, the world would be destroyed before I could achieve that.
Like it or not, this was the place I lived. It would be meaningless if the World was ruined, even if I escaped the berserk state.
Still, joining Lemegeton is something I'd rather die than do.
Because of this, I decided to help as much as I could, as long as it didn't cause me too much loss. Giving away the orb I had just acquired without hesitation was a manifestation of that change of heart.
“Thank you. I won’t forget this favor.”
Odelia said that and then left to manage the refugees again.
*
After finishing my business, I returned home.
“Now I can finally rest.”
My tasks were mostly done. My curiosities had been somewhat satisfied after visiting Barbatos, and I had handed over the orb to those who could make good use of it.
I could go back to lounging around as usual. And in this empty Cave, all I could really do was think.
“...”
The moment I was teleported into the air a few days ago still lingered in my mind. It was a very intense scene for me.
*How did she even do that?*
Of course, I knew that Mages who had reached a certain level could perform Teleportation. Sephiroth, for instance, had once turned into ice shards and vanished right before me.
But that was when one was moving oneself. Teleporting four individuals in the blink of an eye like that was something I had never heard of or seen.
If that's the case, who would bother training for hand-to-hand combat? You could just drop your opponent from the sky.
*Could she really be such an exceptional Mage?*
That thought crossed my mind for a moment, but for some reason, it didn't seem right.
She had fought with a rapier, after all.
If she were such a powerful Mage, she would have used Magic to overwhelm us instead.
There would be no reason for her to wield a sword.
Then what could it be...?
“Ah.”
As I was thinking that, something suddenly came to mind.
Come to think of it, I had a way to contact that 2nd Branch Leader. Last time, when the Extermination order was issued against me, Sephiroth had drawn a symbol and told me to contact that leader if things got dangerous.
It was said to be a direct line to the 2nd Branch Leader. Since I was already allied with the Knights, it seemed like a symbol I wouldn't really need anymore.
So I had forgotten about it until now... but it seemed like a good time to try using it.
Because of that, I immediately drew blood and began to draw the symbol. Lately, it feels like I've been drawing blood a lot.
After completing the symbol, I infused it with mana.
Whoosh...
An Ominous Aura, somewhat familiar, began to rise around me.
-*Connection established.*
At the same time, a husky voice came from beyond the symbol. It was the voice of the Person I had met a few days ago.
The moment I heard that voice, a surge of anger suddenly welled up within me.
...Come to think of it, this bastard.
Didn't she unleash Killing Moves on me from the very first moment I saw her? And when she dropped us from the air at the end, it must have been done with the genuine intention of crushing me. Indeed, thinking about that, I couldn't help but get angry.
Who is this? Isn't it customary to state your identity first when contacting? Answer me.
Because of that, my reply was inevitably quite rough.
“It’s me, you son of a bitch.”
-*...!*
Instantly, a voice mixed with surprise came from beyond the symbol.