Chapter 33

Chapter 033

I had a dream.

Of the days before I flew to Ebla.

It was a memory of me, who had always lived only in a hospital room, and of one person who came to visit me there.

‘Why do you always only play games?’

That was the question he always asked whenever we met.

The one who asked that same question until the very last moment we saw each other.

Back then…… what did I answer?

I.

Back then, to that child……

***

“……Ah.”

When I opened my eyes, what I saw was the inside of some tent.

Judging by the signs of people outside, I could tell it was the Guard camp in front of the Boss Room.

It seemed they had carried me outside after I fainted from using my Unique Ability.

‘I feel like I had a dream…….’

I could not remember the contents very well.

Considering how unpleasant I felt, it seemed to have been a dream about the past……

After blinking a few times, I suddenly raised my hand upward.

Then, with a clatter, the sword flew over with a whir and was caught in my hand.

“Okay, I am relieved.”

Only then did I let out a sigh of relief, feeling as though the other half of my soul had finally been filled.

“Ishara. We had a hard time, did we not?”

WOOOONG─

“So you think so too.”

As expected, I only had Ishara.

While stroking the softly trembling blade, I suddenly noticed something I had never seen before embedded in the sword.

“……What is this?”

A blue jewel was embedded in the crossguard.

It had not been there before, so when had it appeared?

As I touched the jewel, I finally remembered the moment when I had defeated Vormir.

‘Come to think of it, the boss spoke.’

Please, reach the end.

Vormir, who should have forgotten both his self and language, had clearly said that.

And he had handed something to me……

“Do not tell me…… this is it?”

I had no memory of using it, so why was it already inside the sword?

Just in case, I scratched at it with my fingernail, but it was firmly attached and would not come loose.

Was this perhaps the reward for using the Engraving Stone?

Why did it suddenly embed itself in the sword─“Ah.”

As I slowly traced back through the past, for some reason, I felt an obsession that made it hard to stay still.

My whole body itched as though I had to move immediately.

I sprang up from my seat with the sword in hand, and belatedly realized what that sensation was.

‘The swordsmanship from my Unique Ability…… I remember it.’

The swordsmanship Ishara had used remained in my memory, even though I was not using my Unique Ability.

Thinking it might just be my imagination, I swung the sword.

“……It works.”

It was not a misconception.

Although it was incomparably pitiful and clumsy, the memory and sensation of the swordsmanship had definitely remained.

‘How did this happen?’

Originally, techniques performed through my Unique Ability evaporated the moment the ability ended.

That had been the case when I caught Aragos, and it had also been the case when I Sparred with Gordon.

Aura and swordsmanship alike disappeared as though I had suffered memory loss once my Unique Ability turned off.

The reason Gordon had not viewed my Unique Ability very favorably was likely because, aside from the burden it placed on my body, it did not help my growth at all.

‘But…… now it is different.’

I still could not grasp Aura at all.

However, I remembered the swordsmanship.

Although bone-grinding practice would have to follow if I wanted to catch up to the level from that time, this was as different as heaven and earth from before, when I could not remember it at all.

THUMP- THUMP-

My heart pounded fiercely.

I could make the realm I had only glimpsed through my Unique Ability my own.

The world of lines and trajectories.

And beyond that, the entirety of that vast realm I had seen for an instant!

At that fact, my swollen heart began to pound like mad.

‘Did some kind of knowledge get transmitted?’

While I was overwhelmed by surprise, I suddenly realized that this transmission of knowledge felt familiar somehow.

This was like…… yes.

It was similar to when I had handed power over to Ishara during the time when I was a fairy.

“Could it be because of this jewel?”

The only difference from before was this jewel.

What exactly was this?

I had never obtained a reward like this on the first floor before…… Could it possibly be related to the increased difficulty?

While I was lost in thought, someone peeked their head into the tent.

“What, you are awake?”

“Huh?”

“If you woke up, you should have said something. I was waiting.”

The one who opened the tent and came in was Persica.

And not alone, but with a middle-aged man I did not know.

“Who is this?”

“He is the one who treated you. He is an Archbishop of the Golden Order.”

An Archbishop of the Golden Order was a high-ranking Priest directly beneath a Cardinal.

He was someone whose status was high enough to rival a great noble, so why was a person like that here?

As I stared blankly for a moment, he smiled benevolently.

“I am Elos Kashiria. As Lady Ortanis said, though I am lacking, I hold the position of Archbishop in the Golden Order.”

“Ah…… yes. I am Isran…….”

“Seeing that you are moving without difficulty, it seems your wounds have healed?”

“Yes, thanks to you.”

I had thought my body felt much lighter than usual, so it had all been because of this man.

Well, if it was a blessing at the level of an Archbishop, there was nothing strange about it.

When I bowed my head, Elos laughed heartily and waved his hand.

“If you wish to express gratitude, do not thank me, but the young lady. I came at the request of Ortanis.”

“Ortanis……?”

“That is right. The Head of the House asked me to take a look at the young lady’s condition.”

If he was the Head of House Ortanis, then that meant Persica’s father, Robert Ortanis.

Originally, he had come to see Persica, and had treated me in passing.

Then I supposed this really was thanks to Persica.

Though she herself was avoiding my gaze, perhaps because she felt uncomfortable.

“In any case, thank you.”

“It is nothing. In truth, I also wished to see you once. It was the first time I had ever seen Sir Gordon praise someone like that.”

“You know Captain Gordon?”

Persica answered that question.

“……He was a member of the expedition party Gordon led.”

“Oh…….”

So he had been Gordon’s companion.

As expected, once one became a 6-Star Adventurer, one went around with an Archbishop as a party member.

Of course, that was in the past tense. Now, he had retired from adventuring and was staying at the Temple, but after receiving contact from the Head of the House, he had briefly come here.

“On that note, may I ask you a few questions? We happen to be investigating the Downfall Order.”

“Ah…… yes.”

Seeing him approach while placing a hand on my shoulder, I swallowed dryly.

‘Saying I do not know…… will not work.’

He was smiling benevolently, but Priests also had the ability to detect lies.

If I told an awkward falsehood, I would be exposed immediately.

‘I would like to avoid questions that might make him suspect I am a Possessor.’

Since I had heard things from Gordon, people from the Temple side made me rather uncomfortable. Fortunately, however, he was more interested in the reason Jakol had appeared than the process by which we defeated him.

To be precise, his reaction was that nothing mattered much aside from the Downfall Order.

‘It seems this is more important than searching for a Possessor.’

Was it because, unlike a Possessor, this was a clear threat right in front of them?

It was a part that made me realize anew just how great a public enemy the Downfall Order was in this place.

“He was looking for the Great Master…… Did he perhaps say who that was?”

“He did not say that much.”

“Hmm…… So they do not know who the Great Master is either.”

Perhaps because he was an Archbishop in name as well as fact, his intuition was quite sharp.

He seemed to have some guess in mind, but did not say anything more.

“Thank you. It may not be much as a token of my gratitude, but take this.”

He held out a small Seal.

It was an Archbishop’s Seal used by the Golden Order.

“This is a Seal that can exercise an Archbishop’s authority once. You are going to perform the Mana Stone Absorption Ritual, are you not? If you show this at the Central Temple, they will do it for you free of charge.”

“Ah…… thank you.”

Mana Stone Absorption referred to absorbing Mana Stones.

I had to do it once before going to the second floor anyway, so this was good for me.

“I will take my leave, then. And young lady, you should return to your House at once. Lord Robert seems extremely angry.”

“Urgh…….”

Persica made a deeply displeased expression.

When I asked why, apparently she had insisted that she did not need the escort they had offered to attach to her and had come out anyway.

Since someone like that had encountered the Downfall Order and nearly died, it made sense that her father would be angry.

‘Why would she shake off an escort they offered to attach to her……?’

I truly could not tell whether this girl was smart or foolish.

“Then, let us meet again someday.”

Elos left.

Only then were we able to return to Ebla.

***

After returning to the square, we finished the settlement and gathered at the cafe we always went to.

It was a fairly expensive place, but because Persica always paid for everything, it had somehow become our fixed meeting place.

“Somehow…… we returned safely.”

Persica opened the conversation in a voice that made her exhaustion obvious.

“First, I will thank you. I survived thanks to you.”

Persica bowed her head.

Then she struck the mage bastard beside her, who was looking at the menu.

“Ahem! Ah…… I am grateful as well.”

“……It was nothing.”

This was gratitude for defeating Jakol.

It meant that they would not have been able to defeat him if not for me, but in truth, that was not necessarily the case either.

‘If I had been alone, I would have died helplessly too.’

In the end, we had all taken him down together.

It was not something I deserved thanks for.

“I adjusted the ratio for this settlement a little. Dividing it equally by headcount felt a bit inappropriate.”

As she said that, Persica laid out the Mana Stones that had been settled this time.

First, the harvest we had gained from this expedition was fairly considerable.

The Mana Stone that came from defeating the boss.

The equipment of Pellon, Serien, and Jakol.

And Vormir’s unique equipment, the “Watchman’s Short Spear.”

Among them, Persica gave me most of the Mana Stones, including the Watchman’s Short Spear.

Her reason was that I was the greatest contributor in this expedition.

“Are you really allowed to give me all this?”

“It may not look like it, but I calculated it honestly. To be honest, if you had asked for everything, I was prepared to do that.”

“……I am not that arrogant.”

Even considering only the Mana Stones, it was an enormous sum well over five hundred thousand Runes.

On top of that, the Short Spear had not even been calculated, so in effect, I was taking seventy to eighty percent.

“You are fine with this too, Bernard, right?”

“Well, I was in a position where I was not receiving a settlement anyway. It is pocket change too…… I do not care.”

“…….”

So it was pocket change.

Well, to a Mage or a noble, it must not be a very meaningful amount.

The reason Persica received a settlement at all seemed to be not because she needed it, but simply because that was the custom.

‘Somehow, I feel a little empty.’

So this was what it felt like to live in different worlds……

“That concludes the settlement. There is nothing left.”

“Is there not one more thing? Did the boss not give something?”

“If you mean the Short Spear, I gave it to you.”

“No, not the Short Spear……”

At my words, Persica tilted her head as though she did not understand what I meant.

What was this? Could she not have seen it?

I told her that Vormir had spoken and that he seemed to have handed something to me, but Persica’s reaction was rather lukewarm.

“A conversation? I did not hear anything. Bernard, did you hear anything?”

“I did not hear anything either.”

“Did you just dream it?”

“…….”

For some reason, the two of them seemed to know neither Vormir’s voice nor the jewel he had handed over.

They said only that a light had flashed, the boss had vanished, and I had collapsed on the spot.

‘What is this? Was I the only one who saw it?’

It was definitely not a dream. I had confirmed the reward with certainty.

I was about to tell them about the jewel embedded in the sword, but for now, I kept my mouth shut.

I had already drawn enough attention.

If it had already become known, that would be one thing, but I did not want to voluntarily reveal something special.

“Then it is my turn.”

The mage bastard held out a contract.

“What is this?”

“Is this your first time seeing one? It is a Contract of Oblivion.”

A Contract of Oblivion was a contract used when issuing a gag order.

It was a fairly powerful contract that erased the contents included in the contract from memory.

“I will remain silent about what you did this time. For one thing, you are my lifesaver…… and for another, I feel that getting involved with you will become extremely troublesome.”

“…….”

So he did not want to be connected to me.

Well, from this person’s point of view, I must have looked like a massive land mine entangled with the great nobles of Ebla, the Temple, and even the Downfall Order.

As expected of a Mage, there was not even a trace of loyalty to be found…… but his honesty, at least, was worthy of praise.

“……I will gratefully accept the favor.”

At least he was not trying to use this as a weakness against me.

When I readily signed the contract, bluish light seeped into the mage bastard’s head.

Now, he would completely forget what I had done during this expedition.

“Hmm…… At this point, I suppose I can say I have shown enough sincerity?”

“Since you are already showing sincerity, could you go with us to the third floor?”

“No. It is troublesome.”

The mage bastard flatly refused, then hurriedly left the cafe, as though afraid he might be caught.

His attitude practically dripped with the fact that he did not want to be involved with us for even one more second, to the point that it made me laugh hollowly.

“……Shall we go too?”

“……Yeah.”

The two of us also stood up from our seats.

“Thank you for this time.”

“How many times are you going to thank me? Enough. Call me again later if you need me.”

“……You will come again?”

Perhaps she had not expected that we would continue forming an expedition party, because Persica’s eyes widened.

“Then were you planning to throw me away immediately? That hurts a little.”

“N-No! I was really clumsy…… and the very first expedition was extremely difficult, so I thought you would rest for a while.”

Did she think I would be sick of it after this expedition?

Well, she was not entirely wrong, but I was not the kind of bastard who would collapse over something like this.

“For you, that was excellent.”

It was not a lie.

Considering that she was a complete novice, Persica’s sense was quite good.

The clumsy aspects would probably be resolved quickly once she spent a little time acting as a leader.

‘And there is that event later too.’

Persica’s fate.

I still had not discovered the Trigger that would decide whether she became a friendly force or an enemy force in the future.

She was someone I would inevitably become involved with someday.

In that case, watching from her side would be much better.

‘And someone like her is perfect to put up as a figurehead leader.’

A party leader who listens to me and distributes rewards well? You could not find someone like that anywhere.

On top of that, her growth potential was high, and more than anything, she was a noble, so I did not have to worry about getting caught up in disputes.

The foolish choice would be to cut her off.

“Could we not say we are friends now?”

“Friends?”

“Yeah. Even if not, I am a fairly useful person. Do not forget to call me when you go to the second floor later.”

“…….”

At those words, Persica looked blank for a moment.

Then, soon after, she gave a small smile and nodded.

“Understood.”

Perhaps it was the first smile she had ever shown me.

***

After parting with Persica, I headed straight for the Central Temple of the Golden Order.

It was to use the Seal Elos had given me.

“Welcome, brother. What brings you here?”

“I would like to undergo Mana Stone Absorption……”

I was about to take out Elos’s Seal, but suddenly realized there was no need.

‘Come to think of it, is Mana Stone Absorption not free with the Platinum Token too?’

I remembered that one of the benefits of the Platinum Token was an exemption from the commission fee for Mana Stone Absorption.

Instead of the Seal, I took out the Platinum Token and showed it to the Priest. The Priest’s eyes widened.

“My goodness, a Platinum Token! Welcome, Adventurer. It is an honor to serve you!”

The Priest, who had become far friendlier than before, politely guided me inside.

While walking after the Priest, I toyed with the Seal in my pocket.

I felt sorry to Archbishop Elos, but if a chance to use this separately came later, I would save it for then.

“We will use this chapel. This way, please.”

Normally, one only had to give the Mana Stones and a donation to the Priest at the entrance, but the Platinum Token even assigned me a dedicated chapel.

It certainly was effective.

And so, the moment I put the Platinum Token away again and stepped into the chapel.

THUMP─Without warning, my heart throbbed violently.

As though time had stopped, the colors of the world turned gray, and the sword at my waist floated gently into the air.

“Ishara……?”

A strange light was pouring out from the jewel embedded in the sword.

The jewel’s light pulsed as though resonating with my heart, gradually emitting an even brighter radiance.

And as though responding to that light, I felt something enormous approaching this place.

[I have waited long.]

A sacred voice burrowed into my head.

Bright radiance filled the chapel where time had stopped, and soon, from within it, a single human silhouette walked out.

[Welcome, bearer of a fragment of God.]

And that voice was one I could never forget.

How could I forget?

The voice of the person who had called me to this world.

“……Herman?”

It was Herman’s voice.