Chapter 15
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Elijah Crisanax could sum up her impression of Dowd Campbell in one word.
A strange person.
He was impossible to figure out, from beginning to end.
Not only was he like an onion, with one suspicious thing after another the more you peeled back the layers, but he always did the opposite of what she expected.
‘...Is he angry?’
That was probably what she thought now, as they walked around the freshman welcome party in silence, his lips pressed tightly shut.
Until yesterday, he’d accepted her request to be partners without a single complaint, so she’d thought they’d be able to talk about this and that while they spent the day together.
But he wasn’t saying a word. Even when she finally managed to speak to him, all she got were short answers like ‘Yeah’ or ‘Let’s do that.’
Under normal circumstances, she might have found that a little strange, but she had no idea that some ‘options’ had been applied to him, preventing her from seeing things that way.
‘...How are you supposed to deal with an angry guy?’
Fortunately for Dowd, when it came to interacting with men, she had the social skills of a primate.
If it were a work relationship, she could put on a brave face and approach him. But tell her to be friends on equal terms, and her brain would just shut down.
Even if he really was angry, she couldn’t exactly blame him. Hadn’t she tried to beat him up the first time they met?
It would be a little strange to get angry about that now, but she couldn’t deny that he might feel that way.
‘But I’ll need to dig a little deeper if I want to learn anything about House Tristan...’
As she walked along, thinking about it, she eventually found herself in the basement of Berkeley Hall.
She must have headed somewhere empty without even realizing it. At the moment, they were the only ones around.
“Whoa...”
Frowning, she looked around at the cages scattered everywhere.
The creatures inside were live magical beasts. They had clearly been brought in to serve as research materials for the academy.
‘There are even medium-sized magical beasts mixed in. Good heavens.’
A medium-sized magical beast was strong enough that at least a squad from a regular knight order would have to be sent to deal with it. It was absolutely not something you should keep alive inside an academy packed with students.
“The faculty really are irresponsible. Even with specially reinforced cages, how can they act like keeping things like this is no big deal...?”
Clicking her tongue, she approached one of the cages and leaned down to look inside.
Perhaps it was thanks to that.
She spotted a magical compound attached somewhere it would never be visible from the outside.
“...”
Before she could even consciously register it, the mind of someone who had seen countless similar objects in actual combat had already finished calculating.
This thing.
It was going to explode in a few seconds.
“Sir, you need to get away—!”
As she said that, a blast of fire surged up before her eyes.
As the flames that had blazed across her vision rushed right up to her, Elijah’s body froze in place.
Normally, she would’ve dodged with considerable agility, but...
The pure white flames rushing toward her from point-blank range...
...were setting off memories that had been gathering dust in the back of her mind.
-Elijah, hide here! Don’t come out, no matter what!
-You goddamn demon worshippers! Over here! Come on, try and kill me!
Explosions. Flames. Screams. Footsteps. A metallic stench. A family portrait burning. The flash of a blade reflected in a pool of blood. Corpses.
“...!”
But before she could shake off those images, the flames racing toward her were already bearing down on her.
‘This is bad...!’
And while that thought barely crossed her mind...
Someone slammed into her with their whole body.
Then came a violent collision with the floor. Elijah tumbled across it several times, and a groan escaped her lips.
“O-ow...”
Fortunately, perhaps thanks to the sharp pain, her consciousness had cleared enough for her to think normally.
That was probably why she realized that Dowd Campbell was sprawled over her, battered and bloody.
“...”
A hideous burn covered his entire back. His limbs were broken. Cuts from shrapnel ran across his whole body.
He’d suffered those injuries shielding her from the explosion. They were severe—severe enough that he’d die if he wasn’t treated right away.
“S-sir. Wait. Just a moment. Why... Why did you do that?”
She spoke in a trembling voice as she realized what had happened.
Why? Why on earth?
Hadn’t this man been acting like he was angry with her just a moment ago? She was well aware that he had reason to be.
More than anything, hadn’t he said that he liked Lady Tristan?
There was absolutely no reason to go this far for someone who’d made it abundantly clear she’d fallen out with that woman.
“...”
Dowd Campbell—or rather, the clone—strained to lift his head and look back at her.
If the clone hadn’t had any options applied to it, it would’ve somehow explained that its original purpose was to draw attention by taking the most dangerous hit in a fight.
That was what the clone from the point shop was meant to do, after all.
But the clone with the ‘Cool Gentleman’ option decided that wasn’t very cool.
One sentence would be enough. Better than giving a long-winded explanation.
“Because it’s what I have to do.”
“...”
While Elijah’s eyes trembled and she couldn’t manage to answer, Dowd’s clone gave a satisfied smile and collapsed onto the floor.
In his own mind, he’d probably made a very cool, gentlemanly exit...
-!
-!!
But hearing a series of roars that were anything but gentlemanly, Elijah’s expression stiffened.
The explosion had damaged the cages, freeing every magical beast inside them.
“...I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean, but...”
Elijah muttered as she got to her feet.
She checked her condition.
Several of her joints were swollen. She wouldn’t be able to move the way she normally did. She had no weapon, either. All she had was a metal rod with a length of rebar stuck through it.
Her opponents weren’t the magical beasts she’d faced in a mock battle. They were real, and there were six of them.
Considering that even a single small magical beast was a monstrous creature capable of tearing apart several grown men with ease, this was enough to make even a regular knight panic and run.
“...”
If Margrave Kendrick, who’d taught her how to fight, saw this, he’d be horrified.
She had always been taught to avoid fights she couldn’t win. There was nothing shameful about running away. Hadn’t he stressed that over and over?
But...
“Ha.”
Her gaze shifted to the man lying in one corner.
What a ridiculous man. Did he have some kind of compulsion to rescue anyone he saw in danger?
‘Because it’s what I have to do.’ What a ridiculous thing to say.
She pulled a vial of medicine from her belt.
It was a top-grade potion Margrave Kendrick had given her, telling her to save it for an emergency. Apparently, even finding one a year was difficult.
Normally, it would’ve been better to use it on herself and keep fighting.
“...”
But without hesitation, she poured it over Dowd Campbell instead.
“You know, saving people is what heroes do, right?”
So...
I hope you won’t die here.
“Ugh...”
Six magical beasts, while injured...
“This is nothing.”
If there was someone she needed to protect...
For her, that was nothing at all.
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<System Message>
[ The main quest has been updated! ]
[ Main Quest ]
[ Magical Beast Outbreak! Contain the situation! ]
[ If too many people die, there will be a severe penalty to the scenario! ]
[ Reward: Exclusive Equipment Material ]
Just kill me instead, you bastards.
You let a whole pack of magical beasts loose where a ton of freshmen are gathered and expect me to keep casualties to a minimum?
“Wait! Where are you going?”
“There’s something I have to do! President, go find a priest!”
I shouted that at Elnore as she cried out after seeing me hurry off.
“You need to protect the students first!”
I shouted as I took off running.
‘Priorities first.’
I’d have Elnore bring a priest to reduce the casualties. The most important thing was the initial response. We needed to cut down the number of beasts as much as possible before they escaped the basement, or there’d be more casualties.
With that in mind, I dashed downstairs, and the first thing I found was...
“...Huh.”
Elijah, fighting like a demon amid the corpses of the magical beasts, while my clone lay limp on the floor, its durability depleted.
She’d already taken down five of the six. She was just about to land the finishing blow on the last one.
“...”
She’d beaten five real magical beasts to death with nothing but a metal rod? Not the artificial beasts from the mock battle, but actual ones?
Is she even human?
No, to begin with, Elijah wasn’t a character who directly took part in this kind of fight in the scenario. Until she fully awakened as a Hero, she tended to act with a certain degree of calculation.
Before that, the only time she’d fight like this... Well, it was when she had someone she absolutely wanted to protect.
“...”
But wasn’t my clone the only one here?
Why do I have a bad feeling about this?
‘...I don’t have time to worry about that right now!’
I retrieved the limp clone before she noticed it. Anyone would find it strange to see two identical people.
In the meantime, Elijah delivered the finishing blow to the last beast, then sighed and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
“Phew...”
Her eyes met mine as I sat there awkwardly, having retrieved the clone.
“...!”
Her face lit up. Even though she was so exhausted she couldn’t lift an arm, she smiled at me with a look of unmistakable pride.
“...Thank goodness.”
[ The affection stage of ‘Elijah Crisanax’ has changed! ]
[ Her affection stage has risen from ‘Curiosity’ to ‘Interest’! ]
[ Additional rewards are now available to claim! ]
[ The chance of unlocking your second Gift has increased! ]
[ Important character. The main scenario will change! ]
“...”
Then a string of windows appeared, all of which I’d rather not see.
I had no idea what had happened for something like this to pop up out of nowhere, but...
“Are these all the magical beasts that escaped?”
I asked that first.
She answered with an air of disbelief.
“That’s the first thing you ask as soon as you come to?”
“...?”
Come to? I’d only just arrived.
“If any of them got out, people could die! Hurry!”
The main quest came first. I didn’t know exactly how severe the scenario penalty would be, but this was definitely the kind of situation I’d been trying so hard to avoid.
When I urged her, Elijah looked stunned and pressed a hand to her forehead.
“You really are the same no matter what. Are you always like this?”
With a sigh, she slumped to the floor. Apparently, she’d hit her limit after beating six magical beasts while injured.
“One medium-sized magical beast got away. It’s probably heading for the first-floor hall by now. If you hurry, you can stop it...”
She didn’t even finish speaking before she passed out, which confirmed it.
“Thank you!”
She couldn’t hear me anyway, but I left her with those words and hurried back upstairs as fast as I could.
My cursed stamina made even going up and down the stairs feel like hell, but I ran until my breath came in ragged gasps, just barely making it in time.
The students were gathered inside the ‘containment barrier’ that activated in the event of an emergency in an Elphante building.
The nearby faculty had managed to lead the students inside the barrier, where they were barely holding it together.
It was a wise decision.
The academy’s combat personnel would likely be on their way after being alerted to the chaos. That was much better than fighting and increasing the number of casualties. If they just held out, even the medium-sized beast would eventually be subdued.
The problem was...
-!
-!!
-!!!
Every time the bear-like medium-sized beast roared and brought down its forepaws, cracks spread across the barrier.
They’d thrown everything they could into reinforcing it, and it was still in this state.
A medium-sized magical beast was the kind of creature even a regular knight order had to prepare itself to face before attempting to subdue. It was amazing the barrier was holding up this well at all.
‘The priest...!’
It’d be all right if Elnore brought a priest back soon.
A priest could reinforce a barrier on their own, thanks to the nature of their class. With even one of them there, they could buy plenty of time.
I desperately searched the area, and Elnore caught the edge of my vision.
She was with someone in clerical robes. Looks like she really did bring one. She’s capable, too.
“So you’re saying you can’t reinforce the barrier right now? What do you mean...!”
“I told you. We need an angel’s blessing to stop that thing, and producing one without proper preparation would be suicide.”
“But people will—!”
“Are you asking me to die in their place, then?”
But from the way they were arguing, it didn’t look as though things were going well.
‘...They won’t use a blessing?’
A priest qualified to work as a member of the academy faculty could call upon a blessing of similar strength through prayer, even without meeting an angel and receiving one directly.
But they had to pay an equivalent ‘price’ in return. That was probably why they’d called it suicide.
That was why I’d deliberately put the blessing into Ultima instead of receiving it myself, too.
It was an obscure trick in this world, not yet known at this point in time. If you put a blessing into an ‘object,’ its effect was weaker, but there was no backlash at all.
‘But that priest’s attitude is kind of shitty, isn’t it?’
Thinking that, I glared at the priest, who was still arguing with Elnore.
To begin with, it made no sense that the priest hadn’t even brought the sacred relic that was practically a priest’s heart in an emergency like this.
Was the priest just making excuses to refuse on purpose?
Even as Elnore unleashed her anger, the priest in clerical robes remained unmoved with folded arms. There was even a faintly mocking smile on the priest’s face.
‘Honestly...’
What was wrong with this academy? It was full of lunatics. Grumbling to myself, I approached the priest.
“You’re still dragging political interests into this, even now? This is an emergency! People’s lives are at stake!”
“Ha. This is why House Tristan...”
“Then give it to me.”
I dropped those words into the middle of their argument.
Elnore and the priest both turned to look at me.
“...What?”
“Even if you don’t have a sacred relic, you must have emergency equipment. You look like the kind of person who knows to worry about your own life, so I’m sure you brought that much. If you can’t put up a blessing, I will.”
Silence fell for a moment.
“...Listen. You’re just a student. What do you know about blessings—”
I was too annoyed to hear any more, so I roughly snatched the small rosary from the back of the priest’s robe. If I wasted more time, the barrier would really break. Every second counted.
Before the priest could say anything else, I turned and ran toward Berkeley Hall.
As I ran, Elnore looked at me with wide eyes. There was something about her expression... How should I put it?
It made me uneasy,
<System Message>
[ A change in the state of ‘Elnore’ is imminent. ]
[ You will not be able to turn back after what you are about to do! ]
[ Prepare yourself! ]
“...”
And when a message popped up before my eyes, multiplying that uneasiness several times over, I broke out in a cold sweat.
‘Whatever! I’ll deal with it later!’
There’d already been plenty of ominous signs. More importantly, the main quest came first. If I didn’t clear this right now, I’d be in serious trouble!
I got Ultima ready. I jammed the rosary into my left arm, drawing blood.
Along with a searing pain, a blue light began to shine from the rosary. Emergency equipment carried by all priests could be mixed with blood and used as a tiny mana battery.
“Good.”
With a sigh, I put the rosary inside the incense burner. The incense burner, imbued with mana, responded to it and began to glow blue as well.
[ Skill ‘Penance’ is now available! ]
[ Skill ‘Divine Shield’ is now available! ]
I checked the successive windows that appeared before me, then threw myself between the medium-sized beast and the barrier.
“W-What?”
“Student! What are you doing? Get out of the way!”
I heard the startled voices of faculty members from behind the barrier.
They were saying that because it was clearly a crazy thing to do, but it wasn’t as if I had nothing to rely on.
[ A crisis has been detected. ]
[ The threat has been judged to pose a direct danger to your life. ]
[ Skill: Life-or-Death will be applied at EX rank. ]
Then the other skills activated as well.
[ Using skill: Penance. ]
[ All bonus stats converted into Durability. ]
[ Using skill: Divine Shield. ]
[ Creating shield. ]
A translucent blue barrier appeared before my eyes.
The shield had swallowed up all the bonus stats granted by Life-or-Death. I didn’t know how strong it was, but at least even a medium-sized beast wouldn’t break through it easily.
“Student! What do you think you can do with just that? Get out of there! Leave this to us—!”
“...I came because I can’t leave.”
“...What?”
“Get the students out of the building. I’ll hold it off with this.”
Right. Well...
All I needed to do was buy time with this. I wasn’t trying to kill the beast.
I could manage that much, somehow.
“...”
The bear-like beast’s gaze fell on me. Its yellow eyes burned fiercely with murderous intent.
I met its eyes and took a deep breath.
I calmed my mind and body.
If I made a mistake, I’d die, but... well.
“Come on, you bastard.”
I just had to not make a mistake, right?
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