Chapter 40: What Happened in the City of Water (1)

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Level Up!

Lv. 4 → 5

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The moment the ‘first encounter with Luce’ event ended and the possibility of any more battles in this location (map) completely disappeared, this notification popped up.

I first took out the mask I had taken off and put it back on, and then, just as I was about to invest a point in the ‘Intelligence’ stat.

“Hey.”

I was suddenly grabbed by the collar.

“Why don't you explain what all that nonsense was about earlier?”

While Miki reacted with a startled flinch at Ibi's sudden action, Rine just stood by and watched.

Even though in a similar situation before, she would have immediately raised her staff.

Living together for a while, Rine must have realized it too.

“What's it to you?”

That she wasn't someone who would actually try to harm me.

At that, I spread my hands and replied.

“How would I know?”

Though I actually did.

“What… Hey, you acted all buddy-buddy like you knew everything, so what do you mean you don't know now?”

“It would look like I was losing.”

“What?”

“If I showed that I didn't know anything, I would have looked pathetic to that bastard, wouldn't I?”

In fact, while dealing with him, I had deliberately maintained a stronger attitude.

“Putting everything else aside, you of all people should know that once you start looking like a pushover, you've got nothing but losses coming your way, right?”

“That’s…”

Sure enough, Ibi couldn't really argue with my words.

--

[Persuasion]

Difficulty 5

Success

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Of course, that was the law of the streets.

“……Tch.”

In the end, Ibi roughly let go of my collar.

“So, are you that Malevolent Star or whatever?”

“Well… seems like it.”

“Seems like it?”

Then she let out a dry laugh as if she was dumbfounded.

“Didn't you say you don't believe in that kind of stuff at all?”

“Who knows? If a f*cking Demon King's army commander suddenly pops out and starts spouting off in front of me, the story might change a bit, right?”

“Hmm…”

This time, it was my turn to be unable to argue.

Seeing this, Ibi let out a small sigh, then shook her head and continued.

“At first, when you were talking about raiding the Demon King's Castle, I just thought some crazy bastard was spouting nonsense.”

That was probably true.

No matter how you look at it, who would believe someone who suddenly says they're going to raid the Demon King's Castle?

As I think I mentioned at the time, the reason Ibi had joined the party in the first place was because she really needed “guys she could throw away as bait in a pinch”.

“But, you were serious?”

“Yup.”

“Because you’re that Malevolent Star or whatever?”

“…….”

Now that Luce had revealed himself, it would be impossible to just gloss over it.

It was time to address it.

“…Actually, I have no memory.”

“……What?”

It wasn't just Ibi who was surprised.

“…!”

I could see that even Rine's eyes, who had been quietly looking at me, widened slightly.

“Except for my name and the fact that I was a bard, I don't really have any memories of my past.”

It wasn't a lie.

What I had were the memories of ‘Yubin’, and what could be called the memories of a bard, like the songs of this world and how to play instruments.

I had no memories of being the ‘Champion of the Malevolent Star’, who would have existed in my place.

No, if I had to find one, there was just one.

Since I had found the ‘first fragment of memory’ today.

“What is that again… Hey, then what about the Demon King's Castle?”

“That was my only clue.”

“Clue?”

“I couldn't remember who I was, but… I knew instinctively that I had to go to the Demon King's Castle, no matter what.”

I paused for a moment, then added for emphasis.

“And that if I didn't, a great disaster would befall.”

In essence, I was admitting that Luce was right.

“……Hoo.”

Ibi, who let out another deep sigh, began to press her furrowed brow.

“Sh*t.”

In the end, it was a companionship that had started without any particular goal, more by chance.

It was a light, if you will, a light beginning.

But the first ‘goal’ that was presented was a story that she could have never imagined at the time of joining.

She was carrying around a bomb that could destroy the world, whatever its identity, and on top of that, she had to go all the way to the Demon King's Castle beyond the Wall?

“The scale is getting way too big… you crazy bastard….”

Is what she was saying.

The only one who had clearly heard my goal of defeating the Demon King from the beginning was Rine.

In other words, it was because only Rine could handle this truth without batting an eye.

In fact, Rine was more of the type who didn't care what my goal was.

She probably would have followed me even if my goal wasn't to defeat the Demon King, but to ‘conquer all 12 cities and become the king of humans’.

Her situation was a bit… special.

But for the other two, who were not in that situation, it was certainly not an easy story to accept.

Therefore, as expected, a silence continued for a while.

“──Sir Yubin.”

The one who broke the silence and spoke first was Rine.

“No matter what anyone says, to me, Sir Yubin is Sir Yubin, my master…… my benefactor.”

In her usual composed tone.

“I will follow Sir Yubin in any situation.”

Seeing Rine speak so resolutely, a smile unconsciously formed on my lips.

“Thank you, Rine.”

Rine nodded her head without a word.

“──I-I too!”

Following that, Miki, who had raised one hand high, spoke.

“It would be a lie to say I'm not scared, but… Teacher Yubin is the first person in this world to treat me as a knight.”

Then, just as he had when he first joined our party, he knelt on one knee.

“Therefore, as that one knight, I have a duty to repay the trust that Teacher Yubin has shown me.”

As if he were taking an oath once again.

“My vow will not change.”

“Thank you, Miki. …No, Sir Miki.”

“…!”

Miki, who had been looking up at the hand I held out with emotional eyes for a while, finally took that hand and slowly stood up.

On the other hand, Ibi, who saw the two of them and let out a bitter smile, just shook her head.

“These kids are dying to die.”

As if she couldn't understand them at all.

“…Whether you guys do that or not, I don't care one bit, but don't you dare mistake me for being like you.”

Then, she continued in a tone that seemed to mock their decision.

“In the first place, the reason I was with you guys was because I needed people I could throw away as a shield at any time, you know?”

“Yup, that's right.”

“…So, it doesn't matter to me at aaall where you guys are going. I can just leave at the right time.”

Got it? If I were to translate Ibi's question, as someone who has completed a doctoral course in ‘Ibi-ese’── it would mean something like, “I will be with you until the end of the world” (with some liberal interpretation).

“If it's the Demon King's Castle, well, I guess you could call it the ‘end of the world’.”

“What nonsense are you talking about now?”

“I understood your heart well, Ibi. Thank you.”

“This f*cking bastard doesn't seem to have understood a single letter, is it just me?”

Miki, who was not yet familiar with ‘Ibi-ese’, looked a little flustered, but he too would soon get used to it and understand.

“Ah, enough. Let's just sell off that piece of junk and go get a drink.”

“Hand it over.”

“Ah, whatever.”

That Ibi was not the type to abandon her companions.

“What are you doing? Stop dawdling and let's go.”

It was the moment our party's goal became clear.

--

Main Quest

「Malevolent Star (Infortune)」

With your companions, go to the Demon King's Castle.

--

We are going to the Demon King's Castle.

* * *

“This is……”

As soon as we returned to Stout, we immediately went to the great temple.

And to Aqua, who had been waiting for us, we handed over this 「Trident of Stareon」.

Swallowing nervously, he at first slowly reached out to the trident in front of him, then immediately flinched and pulled back.

Then, instead of grabbing it directly, his hand, which was trembling at a slight distance, began to glow with a blue light.

And soon after.

“──!”

For the first time since we had met, we saw Aqua smile brightly.

“On the outside, it just looks like an old trident, but I can feel an indescribable amount of divine power dwelling within it.”

As he said that, Aqua's always-tired face began to light up.

“It is undoubtedly the trident of Lord Stareon.”

It was a sight that made me want to smile along with him.

“To think you really found it… Thank you, everyone.”

The more he showed such joy, the heavier one side of my heart became.

“…Mr. Aqua.”

But I had to tell him.

“Yes? What is it?”

We had a duty to do so.

“About Sir Marin… there is something I must tell you.”

“……!”

The moment I mentioned Marin's name, Aqua gasped and showed a look of surprise.

“As a matter of fact, I have received a report that Sir Marin has been missing for some time now.”

It was the reaction of someone who definitely had a hunch.

“…You know something, don't you?”

At that, I first quietly nodded, then calmly continued.

“Sir Marin has fallen in battle.”

“……Pardon?”

“In a battle with the 7th Corps Commander of the Demon King's army, Luce… I am sorry.”

“Corps Commander, you say… what in the world is that……”

Aqua hastily looked over my companions.

And seeing them, who were quietly paying their respects with an attitude not much different from mine, he seemed to have realized that I was telling the truth.

“…….”

For a moment, silence hung in the air.

The gentle trickling.

Only the sound of the water flowing to prevent the conversations in this room from leaking outside, cried mournfully.

How much time had passed?

Aqua, after taking a deep breath as if to swallow his overwhelming emotions.

“……What, exactly, happened?”

Finally managed to part his trembling lips.

“When we found the trident in the old temple and came out…”

Here, I could make two choices.

One was to tell the truth.

That a person who looked like Marin had tried to take the trident from us, so we fought, but it turned out he was a shapeshifter who had been disguised as Marin all along, and the real Marin had been dead for a long time.

That the Corps Commander Luce, the one who had killed Marin, had appeared before us and told us the truth.

And the other was to tell a lie.

“Luce appeared and tried to take the trident, and Sir Marin saved us.”

In other words, to [Deceive].

Instead of saying that the recent Marin was not the real Marin but a puppet.

“Thanks to him, we were able to protect the trident from Luce, but Sir Marin……”

Naturally, the reason Aqua always looked tired was because he was overworking himself alone.

In such a situation, to tell Aqua about the shapeshifter?

Aqua would never be able to trust people again.

So he would refuse the help of even the few people around him and choose the path of overworking himself even more.

And as a result, he would collapse.

“I am sorry.”

No matter how much you tell the truth out of goodwill, or because it is the right thing to do, it doesn't always lead to a good result.

That was the meaning of ‘choice’ in this game… no, in this world.

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[Deception]

Success

--

“……A fitting end for Sir Marin, to the very last.”

Not long after the notification that the [Deception] had succeeded popped up, Aqua spoke again with difficulty.

“This matter……”

His voice cracked, and he had to clear his throat, but.

“For the time being, I would like you to keep it a secret between us.”

He continued to speak nonetheless.

“The situation is… very chaotic right now. If the news of Sir Marin's death were to spread now… Stout would be thrown into great chaos. Not just here, but it would also have a great impact on the morale of those who have left on the expedition.”

“I understand.”

“To the knights… I will speak to them myself. That Sir Marin has left on an urgent special mission.”

I quietly nodded instead of answering.

“And when the day comes that we can accept this truth…… then, we can honorably let him go as a hero.”

Thank you.

Aqua said, bowing his head politely.

“In many ways, we are greatly indebted to you.”

Then, he took something out of a small pouch that was on the desk.

It was an insignia.

“I solemnly swear in the name of Lord Stareon. ──We, Stout, will always be your allies.”

In the shape of the symbol of Stareon, the same as the one we had seen in the temple.

“This insignia is the proof of that.”

And he handed it to me.

“Show this insignia. Whether inside or outside of Stout, our people of Stout will always help you.”

“It is an honor.”

I replied, holding the insignia I had received tightly in my hand.

Those who knew, knew well how much power this small insignia, the size of a finger, held.

“May the blessing of Lord Stareon always be with you.”

And I was one of those who knew.