Kapitel 28: The Underground Potion Shop (1)
I've said it time and time again: Inner Lunatic is a game. It has a very large world and a lot of different units that live and interact in concert.
What does that mean?
Even the shadowy villainous groups.
It means there are too many of them to count.
The Lunatics are a prime example of this.
They're a group of people who are expanding their power, including a vast black market that is eating away at the Arkheim Empire, the setting of the game.
They'll play a major role in the main story, "The Case of the Empress," which will take place later on.
These are the moguls that we thought would be redeemed in Part 2, even if they were a bit underdeveloped in Part 1.
Also.
'They're also a group with deep ties to the Reinhafer family.
But of course, this isn't the only black market in the world.
There are plenty of hidden places.
That said, there are certainly skilled merchants out there, selling things where no one would expect to find them.
One of them is the [potion-making genius] Elinada, whom I'll be visiting.
"So… you're telling me that there's actually a potions genius hiding in this shabby place?"
Zitri asks in disbelief.
It's a natural reaction. We are in front of an underground waterway. Or, more accurately, on top of a manhole cover.
But I nodded with a nonchalant expression, completely unfazed.
"Yeah."
"I don't understand. If you're as talented as you say you are, there's no reason for you to be hiding out in such a remote place. Why would you…."
"Well, she has her reasons. And it's the key to breaking the Chasers."
My words are no leap of faith.
Chasers.
There are several ways to do this, but the most important is to save the town.
If you're wondering why we're talking about this when the mission was to capture the demon, you're not alone…
In fact, the whole point of the Chasers episode is to uncover the corruption in the area.
The most important thing is to find the horde that is eating the town, eliminate it, and then kill the demon.
This makes the Hidden Object route many times harder.
But the rewards are definitely worth it.
"If you don't get the Chasers via the Hidden Route, you won't get Elena here. There are very few characters with the Genius trait that don't have a significant impact on the world… except for her.
Elina would go on to operate outside of the Arkheim Empire.
It's a distant exclave in the east of the country that isn't really explored in Part 1, and since Elena dies before the middle of Part 1, her presence feels out of proportion to her characterization.
Players saw her performance as a throwaway character and made many attempts to recruit her....
I was the only one who actually succeeded.
The reason for this is the sub-quest you have to beat to get her.
This is because the difficulty level of the Chasers showdown is ridiculously high.
Technically, the difficulty of the Hidden Clear is hard.
"This way. Follow me while being careful not to fall."
"Okay."
I led Zitri around the back roads until we came to a darkened waterway.
What a great hiding place. Elina.
I sighed at the thought.
I scanned the area. A manhole cover and a few other things lying around.
It's all a trick of the eye to hide her lair.
Well, I guess I'll have to use my strength.
* * *
Outside, Grine, escorted by the Knights of Ron, ranted and raved on his way back to the inn, unable to win over his frustration.
Naturally, it was due to the altercation with Nox earlier.
"This bastard… how dare he crawl up on me, my youngest subject?
Grine had just lost four knights.
Among them, Schultz, his right-hand man.
'Of course, I didn't expect the mission to be without casualties.'
In truth, this fact did not weigh heavily on him.
He figured someone was going to die in a battle of attrition anyway.
He just hoped it wouldn't be him.
When his father first left him with his brother, he thought.
It was an added hassle, but having his support would make this mission easier.
It would be the least of his worries.
But once they set out, things weren't quite what they expected.
Such was the case with Ron.
He was supposed to be a long-time Knight Captain in the region.
He was clearly recognizable, and his skills were apparent.
But how could he be any more ignorant of the surrounding geography than the bookish Nox? He had paid a high price for his services.
He deserved better.
He should get what he paid for, so that he would feel worthy of his gold.
"Master Nox is very different from what I've heard through the grapevine."
Templar Ron spoke up from the side. I was in a bad mood, but I had no choice. Business.
Right now, Ron and I have an alignment of interests and we need to use each other.
For example, Ron has the gold.
You need proof that you've done your job perfectly.
"Take care of the bandits and demons in the neighborhood."
"Of course."
Ron replied dryly, but he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. He had a bad feeling about this. Not that it mattered much…
"Huh. I'll get through this, but let's get over it, especially you guys. If you see Nox crawling or acting strangely, report it immediately."
"Yeah. Understood."
Grine locked eyes with his henchmen as he instructed them to do so.
He didn't know, at that moment, that Grine was lying in an inn room many times smaller than his home. On the other side, the secret story of the Knights of Ron had begun.
The first to speak was one of Ron's men.
"So, what did you think of him, Grine?"
Ron smirked.
"Stupid asshole. He fell for what we said without questioning it. He may be making a name for himself as a trader, but he's still just a kid, so that's to be expected, haha."
Ron, the Knight Captain, sneers at Grine while openly ignoring him.
Even the most ignorant person could tell from this.
Ron had clearly brought Grine here with ulterior motives.
"Taking him hostage and making a big deal out of it would be pretty delicious. A hostage from Reinhafer. Don't you think?"
"Of course. Haha, you're being a bit of a dick this time!"
The knights were talking to each other.
One of the members of the Ron Rogue Bandits, a large, muscular man with a cautious expression, interrupted.
"But is that okay? Is there really a bandit group that survived after messing with the shadowy Reinhafer family...."
Bam!
Ron slapped his subordinate's forehead.
"You little shit, that's why you're not allowed. We're going to take them hostage, get the money, and then head east. Do you think any family, no matter how prestigious, can find us in that vast expanse of land, Tahalin?"
Tahalin was part of the Arkheim Empire, but it was too vast, too desolate, too ungovernable.
Neutral territory, practically a wasteland.
Ron added with a sinister grin.
"Besides, we've got Taigan, the head of the Chasers' guard, watching our backs, so what are we worried about? They'll be fooled, no doubt."
They chattered on, oblivious to the fact that they were raising their voices.
They did.
Now it was Taigan who had their backs.
The captain of the town's guard, the one with the real power.
He was also the one who had requested this mission from the imperial family.
The bandits were generally in good spirits.
But there was one bandit who had a lot on his mind.
"But this Knox fellow seems a bit dangerous."
Ron paused for a moment.
"…Well, he is, for sure. He's younger than Grine, but he's got a powerful tongue. We'd better be careful."
Even he had to agree. Nox wasn't even in their plans in the first place.
They'd simply conspired with Taigan, the captain of the guard, to wait for the weaker Grine to graduate and trick him into helping them with their imperial mission.
Along the way, Nox caught up with them, but at first, they weren't worried.
Nox von Reinhafer, he's a famous scumbag.
It was odd that he would suddenly accompany his brother on a mission, but he chalked it up to the eccentricities of an idiot looking to make a name for himself.
But then it hit him.
From the very beginning, on the road to the Chasers, Nox seems to be playing the role of Pathfinder better than he is.
Not only that, but when the dead Grine's lackeys send ogres to attack him, he easily handled them, and since we found their blood on the ground, Nox must have killed them.
At first, he was skeptical, but…
'After what happened at the inn, it's not impossible. That intangible energy… it's dangerous.' {1}
It was hard to believe that he had just come of age.
An aura he exuded.
It was far beyond that of any knight older than him.
"First, let's take care of Griffin, and then we'll extort as much money from the Imperial Family and House Reinhafer as we can! That's all we need to think about. Everything else is a luxury."
"Yes!"
The other henchman grinned at the thought of the money they would receive.
"By the way, Mr. Taigan, you're a good craftsman. It's bad enough that you're still alive after receiving the annual subsidy from the Imperial Family, but how did you manage to get even a griffin to raid the village?"
"He said he used an artifact."
"What?"
The subordinate replied, dumbfounded by Ron's words. Ron crossed his arms nonchalantly.
"He said there was an artifact hidden near this village that could control demons, and it gave him the power to do so. He deliberately let it attack the Chasers, killing all the men who opposed him and selling off the women. He's a vicious bastard, but that's none of our business."
"Well, yeah, that's true, haha! Well, then, I guess Knox doesn't have much to worry about, either, since he's got something that can deal with demons, but what's he going to do about it on his own!"
At his subordinate's nonchalant laughter, Ron decided not to care anymore.
No matter how strong Nox was, he was only one of many. He wouldn't be able to take on dozens of bandits and a guard captain.
Griffin could use the artifact to break down the barrier just enough, then send them back. The Imperial Family will only want to collect the money anyway.
Nothing to worry about.
Up until that point, Ron had been thinking positively.
Meanwhile, Nox von Reinhafer had opened a manhole in a waterway in the Chasers slums and started descending.
Naturally, Zitri was with him.
It wasn't long before he found himself near a sewage treatment plant that looked like it had been opened quite often for a waterway.
'Here it is. Thirty-fourth from the left, just like in the game. About three hundred meters in a straight line… No problem with my memory.
It was an old man's saying, but Nox didn't care.
Squeak.
A long tunnel soon revealed itself.
Nox and Zitri began to make their way through as cautiously as possible.
At first glance, the area appears deserted.
However, the heavily scorched footprints and junk scattered throughout the tunnels were a clear indication of human habitation.
Nox began to trudge a little further in.
About half an hour passed.
Late at night.
He spotted a warehouse-like space, dimly lit with smoke leaking out.
'Found it.'
Nox was sure the NPC he was looking for was there. {2}
Without hesitation, he headed into the warehouse. The faint light brightened, settling on his eyelids and blinding him for a moment.
With it, the figure of an indecipherable, but cheerful-looking woman emerged.
Her dark purple hair, which fell to her waist, glistened in the naked light. The woman's hazel eyes and graceful curves reflected the watery color of her body.
A beauty that could be felt even underground, where light rarely reaches.
Elena, naturally cheerful and seemingly free of worry.
Nox nodded, realizing he had come to the right place.
Even at that moment, Elena's eyes were somehow slightly slack.
One of her negative traits.
That would be [Drunkard].
'So I've been thinking for a while about whether or not I should have her join my squad....'
This was a minor problem that Nox had thought about before.
They say to be careful with people who are close to alcohol… Is it okay?
After taking a short breath, Nox leaned in closer.
"Hehe…."
Meanwhile, Elena was drunk and her gait was unsteady.
It was definitely that of a drunken woman.
Nox felt his head begin to throb.
"Hiccup, who… is that?"
The woman, Elena, said.
"Nox," he said, removing the hood he'd worn through the channel.
"Nox."
Snap.
That was the moment. Suddenly, Elena clenched her jaw, narrowed her eyes, and began to glare at him.
Nox, she thought.
The name sounded vaguely familiar.
"Nox… Nox… I think I've heard of him before... or maybe even...."
Zitri watched in horror and prayed that Elena would survive.
No matter how surprisingly (?) kind her master was, it was unlikely that he would let her live after being grabbed by the throat.
Just in time. As if on cue, Elena released her grip on Knox's throat, clapped her hands, and stammered.
Zitri immediately stepped forward and clamped his hand over her mouth.
Between my master's generosity and the girl's rudeness, I was almost certain that the latter had gotten the upper hand.
Indeed, a line of blood stood out on Nox's forehead.
If she hadn't stopped herself, she might have gotten a few, like Rona.
"Elena, I'm here to see you, the alchemist."
"...me, hiccup."
Nox thought.
Apparently, in order to talk to her.
It would take a long time.
Somehow, she smelled like Rona and her kind.
{1} : this might be magic energy or aura
{2} : author uses "unit" like a unlockable character
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
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Rangliste 
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Stein