Chapter 16
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First, I need to check the objective.
I turn my thoughts over while watching the magical beast before me, panting heavily and drooling yellowish saliva.
‘I can’t kill it.’
With that in mind, I wave to Elnore, who’s drawing her sword from a distance and preparing to join the fight, signaling her not to come any closer.
No, that woman’s way too strong. If she comes over, she’ll take down a beast like this in minutes.
‘But...’
I mustn’t get confused.
The main objective of the quest isn’t ‘kill the magical beast.’ It’s ‘minimize casualties.’
Medium-sized magical beasts usually come with one or two special abilities on top of their basic combat strength.
If it has an ability like ‘acidic blood’ or ‘rapid decomposition upon death,’ people nearby could die even if we win.
It’s better to leave the actual subjugation to the regular knights, who are dispatched with even those possibilities in mind.
Besides, in this case, it’s actually better if I don’t kill the thing.
Because this just appeared before my eyes.
< System Message >
[ !Emergency Mission! ]
[ Current casualties: 0. An incredible achievement! ]
[ Since no one’s died so far, why not try keeping the magical beast alive, too? ]
[ Successfully hand the magical beast over to the academy’s knights! ]
[ Successfully completing this mission will increase the tier of the main quest reward, ‘Exclusive Equipment Material’! ]
“...”
What, am I supposed to save it because even cancer cells are alive?
Still, the reward on offer is definitely tempting.
The materials used to craft exclusive equipment determine more than half of its performance, in a manner of speaking. They set the upper limit of how powerful the equipment can become.
‘Well, then.’
For now, I’ll just try to hold out.
Thinking that, I look at the beast as it raises a forepaw menacingly, and give a wry smile.
If one of those blows landed, it would crush me to a pulp.
I’d already proven this back in the mock dungeon, but for someone like me, who’s poured countless hours into this game, reading a ‘magical beast’s’ attack patterns is like reading a book.
I’m not even fighting it. I’ve got a sturdy shield up and all I have to do is hold out?
‘I could do it with my eyes closed.’
From here on, it’s just ‘repetitive work.’
Not a fight.
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House Tristan is undoubtedly one of the Empire’s most venerable noble families, dating back to its very founding. The title of duke alone is enough to intimidate most people.
But, put another way, a history that long also means they have no shortage of enemies they’ve crossed over the centuries.
Even without the Margrave of Kendrid, who’s managed to keep up with them on relatively equal footing, there are people everywhere who’d love to see the ducal house fall.
And the priest brought here at Dowd’s request was one of the nastiest among them.
“Didn’t I say I’d left my sacred relic behind? Were you not listening?”
Suppressing the urge to punch the middle-aged man grinning nastily right in the nose, Elnore calmly spoke again.
“...I sincerely regret what happened to Marquis Riverback. House Tristan will take the necessary measures—”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about~.”
At the taunting reply, sparks flew from Elnore’s eyes.
He was making it quite clear there was no room for negotiation.
All the professors who’d been most adamant about bringing live magical beasts in to use as research materials belonged to factions under House Tristan.
The more casualties this incident caused, the wider the net of people who could be held responsible would become.
And this damn priest belonged to Marquis Riverback’s faction, one of the most prominent anti-Tristan groups.
‘You piece of trash...!’
In other words, this man was wearing priestly robes while calmly saying he’d sacrifice other people’s lives for political leverage.
Listening to him made anger boil up inside her.
-...
Elnore bit her lip and clutched her chest.
Her heart was noisy. Again.
Whenever her negative emotions grew intense, a sinister force surged up from within her. It was the madness shared by the entire family.
‘...Back off.’
So she cooled her mind and regained her composure.
It was a discipline she’d practiced her whole life.
Follow the rules. Cloak yourself in righteousness. Always be perfect. Never let yourself be swept away by dark emotions.
They were principles she’d learned from a truly despicable man, but at least they helped when that force threatened to emerge.
Perhaps thanks to that, her next words came out just as coolly as before.
Though they were tinged with icy anger.
“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.”
The words cut off the priest, who’d been about to say something sarcastic, and Elnore’s eyes widened.
Dowd Campbell.
It was him again.
-...
-...!
Her heart grew even noisier. Much more so than when she’d felt angry a moment ago.
But what surrounded her now wasn’t a sinister emotion. How should she put it?
Blood rushed to her face. Her body felt as if it were floating. It was a feeling she’d never experienced in her life, and she couldn’t help but be wary of it.
‘I told myself to back off.’
Even so, what she needed to do right now was the same as ever.
Don’t waver. Never let a feeling like this take control.
It had been getting worse lately, every time she saw that man, but she still instinctively resisted the idea of handing control over to something like this.
Her emotions were never something she could afford to let grow excessive.
‘...Back off. I won’t lose.’
So she had to suppress them.
Seeing Dowd run toward the magical beast with the priest’s emergency equipment only made those feelings intensify, but she kept them locked deep in her heart all the same.
That man’s presence had been growing far too quickly lately. Even Elnore was sometimes startled by her own unexpected behavior.
It was dangerous to let herself get pulled in any further—
“An angel’s blessing...! How can that lunatic use something like that when he’s only a student?”
As the priest muttered those words, Elnore’s gaze snapped toward him.
A blessing?
Even a certified priest needed a long period of prayer to use one, yet a freshman was just casually using it like that?
‘...No.’
By now, it wasn’t even strange that he could do something like that.
He’d already shown her time and again that he seemed to have dozens of hidden talents.
As she stood there, lost in thought, an aghast voice came from beside her.
“...He used a blessing and he’s still fine? How...!”
Hearing the priest say that, Elnore’s eyes widened too.
If you activated a blessing without a sacred relic, it was only natural for it to place an enormous strain on your body and mind as a price.
But what trick had that man used this time to remain standing there perfectly fine?
“Wow. How does he even know about that?”
Turning toward the voice that suddenly spoke, she saw Elijah knock the priest unconscious with a blow to the back of his head.
“...”
“Don’t look at me like that. From the looks of it, he’s a piece of trash, so I hit him.”
“...Where have you been?”
“I was unconscious until just now. I only just came around and made it up here.”
Elijah answered nonchalantly, then slumped to the floor, all their strength leaving them.
“That’s a method combat priests use all the time. They implant a blessing in their body beforehand, then draw it out when they need it. You’d need nearly ten years of studying that field before you could use a technique like that. How did he even know about it?”
If Dowd had heard that, he probably would’ve been bewildered and said he didn’t know how to use such a complicated, troublesome method. All he’d done was take the blessing out of an object.
But hearing that, a new hypothesis began to take shape in Elnore’s mind.
Nearly ten years of studying blessings...
-There’s something I want to learn in Theology.
He’d studied blessings for all those years, and still wanted to study them even after enrolling in the academy.
In the very field that was the most direct means of breaking House Tristan’s curse.
-There’s something I’ve wanted to protect for a long time.
Because...
There was something he wanted to protect.
-I’m protecting you. There’s no need to overthink it.
And who that person was—
-...
-...!!!!
Her heart gave another painful throb.
So painful it hurt.
“...”
No. No, that couldn’t be right.
She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed both hands firmly to her chest.
She couldn’t let herself be consumed. She had to push it away.
She knew nothing about that man. She wasn’t even sure what he meant when he said things like that.
‘Elnore, get a grip—’
Before she could repeat all those vows to herself, Elijah’s voice cut in beside her again.
“You’re lucky.”
“...What?”
“Even a blessing implanted in your body still puts a strain on you. That man’s pushing himself right to his limit.”
It was another explanation that would’ve left Dowd thoroughly bewildered if he’d heard it.
As far as he was concerned, the only pain he felt was the discomfort from the scratch on his left arm where he’d cut it with the rosary.
But Elijah couldn’t have known that, and continued calmly.
“He’s doing something that insane and taking on all that strain because he thinks you might get hurt. Even though he could finish this in no time.”
-...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now her heart was aching, beyond a mere throbbing. It hurt like a stabbing pain.
Elnore lowered her head slightly. Her breathing was growing ragged.
“...What are you talking about?”
“If anyone gets hurt, you’ll be affected too, so he’s deliberately dragging this out instead of killing the beast. Look.”
Elnore barely managed to open her eyes and look toward Dowd.
And there, the one-sided mockery unfolding before her could hardly even be called a fight.
He read the course of every attack the magical beast made, dodging, blocking, and deflecting them all with the bare minimum of movement.
It was exactly like what he’d shown in the mock battle before. Movements only someone who saw through everything about their opponent, even the tiniest details, could make.
“If he can fight like that, he could’ve killed it ages ago. Don’t you agree? There’s no point in helping him.”
She was right.
But even so...
“...He has no reason to do that.”
“Doesn’t he?”
Elijah replied with a faint laugh.
Her answer made Elnore, who was biting her lip hard enough to draw blood, remember something too.
-I like that guy quite a bit.
But Elnore bit down on her lip and barely managed to force the thought away.
Instead, she took a step forward, ready to draw her sword.
“What are you doing?”
“...If everything you said is true, then that man is putting himself through pain. I need to go help him.”
That was what she’d been thinking.
Until Dowd gestured for her not to come closer.
‘...Why?’
As she stood there, dumbfounded, Elijah snickered.
“Wow, what a romantic. How did you get so thoroughly hooked?”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s telling you not to come because you might get hurt.”
Heat surged up from her heart.
It wasn’t a sinister force, but a warmth so intense it surprised even her.
It felt as though someone had poured flames into her veins.
“...What you said could all be, just, speculation.”
Elijah looked back at her with an incredulous gaze.
Her eyes seemed to ask, You can still say that after seeing this?
“Medium-sized magical beasts don’t exactly die quietly. Sometimes you get a crazy one that explodes when its mana goes into overdrive. He’s probably putting himself through all that strain so he can account for that, too.”
“...”
Elijah ran a hand through their hair and let out a long sigh.
“For your sake.”
-...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Her breath caught. Her heart pounded like crazy.
‘I have to control it...’
No.
No, Elnore.
She repeated that to herself over and over, with all her might, but...
-!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The heat she couldn’t control finally spread through her entire body.
She’d lost it. She’d lost control.
She’d been conquered.
‘...’
At that moment, she realized it instinctively.
From now on, whenever she looked at that man, she’d feel this way.
She sank to the floor where she stood.
She drew her knees up and tucked them into the crook of her arms, shrinking into herself.
“...What are you doing?”
“Shut up. Don’t talk to me.”
“...”
Elijah looked at her as if she were some kind of lunatic, but Elnore couldn’t even bring herself to look back.
A shard of glass, kicked loose by the chaos around them, reflected her face.
Her entire face had turned bright red, wearing an expression she’d never seen on herself before.
So much so that she looked like a stranger.
“...”
Elnore stared at her reflection in silence.
Even when the regular knights finally arrived, their footsteps drawing near and the uproar breaking out all around her,
she remained spellbound by the sight of her own face.
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<System Message>
[ Emergency mission successfully completed! ]
[ The main quest reward tier has increased! ]
It was a satisfying message that appeared after I somehow finished the fight and successfully handed the magical beast over to the regular knights.
But I couldn’t exactly smile at the message, because of the log beside it.
[ Skill: Deadly Charm activates! ]
[ The villain resists! ]
[ Resistance lowered due to the ‘Pheromones’ option! ]
[ Resistance failed! ]
[ The villain can no longer control themself! ]
[ The villain falls head over heels for you! ]
“...”
Cold sweat poured down my face.
[ The affection stage of ‘Elnore Erinarize la Tristan’ has changed! ]
[ Affection stage upgraded from ‘Trust’ to ‘Fondness’! ]
[ Additional rewards are now available to claim! ]
[ Important character. The main scenario will change! ]
[ Your second Gift is close to unlocking! ]
[ Target ‘???’ has taken an interest in you! ]
“...”
I felt twice as desperate as I had when I was facing off one-on-one against a medium-sized magical beast.
The message was so thorough, it might as well have summed up exactly how screwed I was.
Like Elijah, Elnore’s affection had caused a change to the main scenario, and I had no idea what the Gift was, but another one would be opening soon.
And now some mysterious target had taken an interest in me, too.
‘I’m fucked...!’
That was the only thought I could come up with.
Perhaps he’d misunderstood my expression, because one of the knights came over and handed me a bottle of water.
“Good work. You look worn out, don’t you?”
He was one of the knights dispatched to subdue the beast.
‘...They really were monsters.’
Watching just three of them take down a medium-sized magical beast cleanly in a matter of seconds had been downright terrifying.
It was a perfect demonstration of why regular knights were the object of students’ admiration.
“Student, no amount of praise would be enough for what you did today. Who knows how many casualties there would’ve been if you hadn’t stepped in?”
He gave my shoulder a few pats as he spoke, so it seemed he thought pretty highly of me.
It was a big deal in itself for a regular knight to praise a student this much.
“With a talent like that, every department would be fighting to recruit you. Are you hoping to join Theology?”
“...Yes. As someone hoping to join Theology, I’d like to ask you a favor.”
I answered and pointed toward one side.
The Hero and the final boss were there, insisting that the priest who’d refused to use a blessing earlier deserved to have his head taken off.
“Could you stop them over there? If we leave them alone, they really might kill him.”
“...Well, he does seem like the sort of guy who deserves it. I guess talented students really are good people, too?”
No. My intentions weren’t that pure.
If my guess was right, that priest had a use, after all.
Yeah.
A use that would make him wish he’d been killed instead.
“Oh, I almost forgot. Here, take this.”
The knight said that and handed me a letter.
“I don’t know why, but I was told to make sure you opened it alone.”
After that, the knight disappeared, saying he had to go help with the cleanup, and I let out a sigh.
What’s with this letter now?
As I mulled that over, another window appeared in front of me.
[ Main Quest Complete! ]
[ Go to the designated location to claim your reward! ]
[ Location: Atalante Swansong’s Office ]
Atalante Swansong was a name I knew, too.
She was currently the president of Elphante Academy.
An immortal said to have lived for over a thousand years. She also played a central role in the main scenario.
“...?”
Wait a second.
The president?
Eyes wide, I tore open the letter I’d been given.
After reading it, there was no doubt this was a letter from Atalante.
Or rather than a letter, it was an ‘invitation.’
This woman...
wanted to meet with me alone.
“...”
What the hell?
What on earth was going on?
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