Chapitre 121: Demon of Honesty and Heartbreak (3)
"Ooohhh, that's quite high, haha, even I would have felt quite sick if I didn't have a shield, but who am I! After all, as a member of the Black Sword Knights of the Reinhafer Family, only a true knight can endure this much pain as part of his training...."
"Christopher. Shut up. It's motion sickness."
"Chung!"
Christopher grunted as he fell.
I told him to shut up because I was seriously getting motion sickness....
Luckily, he seems to be a good listener.
Sometimes excessive loyalty gets the better of me… but I wonder if I would have abandoned it if I didn't have it.
Anyway, the bottom line remains the same.
The units around me are a bunch of crazies.
Kushan nodded and continued. To my surprise, he kept his arms crossed as he fell.
"You always seem to be in such good spirits.... It must be because you have a good monarch after all. He's not even comparable to me. You, Nox-nim, are a true monarch."
'What? Is this a new way of doing things, or am I out of date?'
Kushan is spouting nonsense, and I'm tempted to shoot back, but I hold it in.
I realized that this was the first time I'd ever seen it, so I figured it might be a little weird. ....
I guess you could say I was being generous.
"Hmph!"
Elena has a strand of her windswept hair halfway to her mouth, falling rapidly downward.
Her purple locks cascade downward, showing off her lilac dreadlocks.
Despite this, she is still trying to fulfill her duties... unnecessarily drooping, creating a feeling of guilt.
Falling(?) down a dune after a gnome is not something most people have the courage to do. Anyway, it means that she has truly become my unit.
But she didn't give me a pat on the back.
I'm sure some people thought it was because I'm an asshole, but that's not necessarily the case.
Boom!
(kkwaag!)
Because she was clutching my hand and sobbing.
I think it was intentional.
I don't have proof, but I'm pretty sure it was intentional, and I'm the kind of asshole who can punish a unit based on intent alone. Just try to get this back.
'I'll have to pursue this later.'
Mulling over the punishment in my mind, I activate my magic as I approach the ground.
Ziing!
The magic power stretched out from the top and spun into a sphere, forming a giant defensive shield about four meters in diameter.
This was also something I had learned from Professor Lars.
It's a type of mana shield that is formed by releasing mana.
It's a common spell used by high-level mages and can be cast freely. However, it is notoriously difficult for lesser mages to control.
Even I hadn't mastered it.
'I'm not yet skilled enough to use it in combat... but it should be fine for this.'
Thud!
The shield met the ground.
With a loud bang, a cloud of sandy dust rose up to envelop us.
I didn't feel much of an impact. The effectiveness of the [Mana Shield] was incredible.
It didn't take any damage, and it didn't consume much mana. It seems that magic is best learned from a good teacher.
'Professor Lars… your skill is obvious.'
I dusted myself off and surveyed my surroundings.
Christopher was pinned to the sand. I wondered how his shields had gotten him into that position, but the sight of him upside down made me want to say no more, so I kept my mouth shut.
As for Kushan, he's been living in the desert for a long time, so it's no problem.
He landed steadily, like a nimble cat, without a care in the world.
Elena was the problem.
She had switched positions with me and was now almost on top of me.
....
I hope she's getting off.
"I hope you're gonna get off."
"Ugh, yeah…."
I blurted out without realizing it.
For a moment, I felt a little sorry for her, wondering if I was being unfair to her after she had worked so hard to learn Elementalism for me.
"Even the cold master... is cool…!"
I decided to stop thinking about it, and began to take in the sights around me.
The place where I broke through the boundary under the dunes.
It was the same place I remembered, the one that sealed the [Gremory]. I was relieved to see that not much had changed from the game, and I could finally catch my breath.
"I guess this is the right place, Young Master! Your insight, as is typical of the Reinhafer family, is brilliant. I, Christopher, am deeply impressed and shall bow to your wisdom...."
"Enough."
As I cut Christopher off, I heard a voice on the other end of the line. This time it was Kushan, and unlike Christopher, he had something important to say.
"Something is coming. Nox-nim, you'd better be careful."
"Yes…. An insectoid."
Shiing.
(seuleung.)
I unsheathe my sword, then immediately begin to transmute magic energy into Stormbringer.
Black Magic. The emblem of House Reinhafer, the dark elemental power, begins to blaze.
A power that reminds Kushan of a nightmare from his past, perhaps a disaster.
But he is unfazed, and draws his own kukri.
"There seems to be quite a few of them."
"Yes."
I tugged on Elena's wrist, forcing her to come behind me.
I take a step backward, sizing up the distance between us and the monsters.
Kushan's back is to me. He seems to have had the same idea.
This is a good combat unit after all.
Christopher's sword is already drawn, and he squares his shoulders proudly.
"How dare a worm dare to approach our young master of the Reinhafer family. What a rude bunch! Don't worry, he'll be fine. This Christopher, even if you don't step up to the plate, I'll take care of them in no time and bring their heads before you...!!!"
"No. I will fight."
I said, negating Christopher's comment.
The reason was simple.
'Even if it's only for a short amount, I'll take the vitality.'
Longevity is a multifaceted thing.
I had learned this the hard way in my recent battle with Paimon.
…For reasons I can't tell anyone, of course.
* * *
[Player's lifespan has been restored to 14 days].
[The negative trait is still in effect].
[To remove the effect of the trait 'Dead Count', please restore your life to 30 days or more].
Ouch.
Too bad my lifespan didn't increase from 14 days.
But what can I do?
The problem is that I've become too strong now.
'By the way, so is Kushan, but Christopher's sword… it's strong. So it's Theo's favorite knight's sword? That's amazing."
Frozen Sword.
Christopher's sword, like the others, had a total of nine formations. First, middle, and second halves, three in total.
Each was just as destructive as the next, but the delicacy of each was shocking.
'It was like a sculptor carving a statue out of ice. It was a sword that could only be described as beautiful. …unlike Christopher's.'
A sword that spits out cold air to consume its foes.
It was not as beautiful as Theo's, but it was just as out of my reach. I couldn't help but see him anew. He wasn't just a man of words.
A Knight of the Black Sword, after all.
He looked like he had risen to the rank of Knight Commander.
"Looks like it's sorted."
Kushan said dryly, wiping the blood off his kukri with a handkerchief. {Hemolymph}
"Yeah. Elena, you've had your work cut out for you. You've helped me in so many ways this time, including learning Elementalism."
I pulled Elena aside and praised her as well. Aside from navigating via gnomes, she had been quite useful, throwing potions to attack enemies and helping me and my companions whenever she could.
She blushed and replied.
"It… It must have been effective that I practiced with Mei in my spare time to help Seo-Bang-nim… !"
"...?"
Mei helped you?
Thinking for a moment, I raised a brief tribute to Mei.
'She must have been hit by Elena's potion, recovered, hit again, recovered again. It's a shame, but it's the way it is.'
I was quickly convinced.
Amazing Mei....
( 녀석- nyeoseog)
She's a saint, really.
She sacrificed herself to help me.
Now, wouldn't it be okay if I gave her a little raise?
I even thought about it.
"Hey, this way...."
Elena led me in the direction of the gnome.
At the end of her direction, a huge iron gate awaited us. It was quite an alien sight in this sandy place.
The iron gate made an unpleasant clanking sound.
Squeak.
(kkiig.)
Once we stepped through the slightly rusted gates, we were greeted by a very familiar sight. A statue, cold and unmoving, and a group of sphinx-like cats perched nearby.
And in the deepest recesses, an abandoned skeleton that looked like it had been there for quite some time.
Is that all?
The area was littered with venomous scorpions, many of which I'd hunted down earlier in the day.
But I know.
That very little of this is real.
Slash!
(seogeog!)
Christopher stepped forward and slashed at the first one.
A sphinx statue. But it hasn't even moved, so I'm pretty sure I know how Christopher fights.
I'm going to make it as heavy as possible.
Christopher's sword slashes quickly returned to its original form.
"Oh, no! How could this happen? I clearly saw the enemy being slashed by this Christopher's sword, and I must have felt it too...."
"Be still, all of you, for much of what you see here is illusion."
I quickly cut him off before he spoke any longer.
Then, a dazed voice leaked from Christopher.
"...? What do you mean....?"
"Technically, it's pretty much everything."
"Indeed… illusionary magic… that's what you want to call it."
Kushan agreed.
Kushan and Christopher. And Elena, looking a bit nervous, took up her own weapon and assumed a combat stance.
It was an urgent situation, where you never know when or where something will appear.
However, after hitting the tuk-tuk {sic} with a calm face, I found my way.
I opened a giant door, stepped through it, and three more doors appeared.
This is where my knowledge of the dead would come in handy.
I continued walking in the direction of the fallen skeleton.
"Young Master, how do you find your way so well?"
Elena asked, as if I thought my path was always the right one.
I'm comfortable with it, but...
I wonder if she trusts me too much.
'It doesn't matter. It's because I'm easily skipping the path I should have wandered in the first place. So it's kind of like cheating.'
This dungeon.
That said, there are a couple ways to make the Northern Tahalin Ruins less challenging.
The first is to continue traveling in the direction of the skeletonized door, as you are now.
In the ruins, you'll encounter three different paths, with the skeleton serving as a signpost to help you find your way.
The second is the hunting of demons.
"Prepare for battle. This is not an illusion."
It's easy to tell if a demon is real or not.
Deep in the ruins, check to see if the skeleton is wearing a ring on its left index finger.
If the skeleton is wearing a ring, then the creature is real and not an illusion.
Why?
Because the ring itself is a special magical device that can summon demons.
That's why this dungeon is so difficult.
It cuts off your connection to the outside world.
The Archduke Gremory designed the ruins with the intention of using them to torment humans and eventually steal their life force.
The Trials of Honesty and Heartbreak are what you get for going in the wrong direction… but they don't really mean anything. You won't have to go through them because you'll be on the right path.
At least for now.
And just like that, after about five turns.
I finally reach the last room.
"Be careful from here on out."
I say bluntly.
At the same time.
Soon, I hear a bizarre laugh coming from somewhere.
Kkyahahahaha―!
If I knew what this being here was like.
A laugh that would make me nervous if I had any idea how powerful she is.
However, I was completely unperturbed and continued to walk over.
"Young Master!"
"Kushan. Be still."
I shook off Elena's grip on my sleeve and began to slowly approach the ruins.
As I do, I can feel the poisonous scorpions crawling up my body, stinging me.
But.
[The player realizes that what they are seeing is an illusion].
[Does not take damage].
[I ignore the poisoning].
I straighten up.
I draw my black sword, point it at a fallen skeleton, and speak to him.
"You're not going to get up, then I'll cut you."
Creak.
(kkigig.)
The skeleton's neck turns, and before I know it, blue flames are in its eyes.
I don't panic when I see his pupils.
I'm expecting it.
Then, I get a pretty interesting response back from him.
"You've got an interesting ... kid in here. I don't think it's a coincidence that you killed Kramsar, do you?"
"Young Master, it's not...."
Kushan and Christopher ask, puzzled by the talking skeleton.
I blurt out.
"Gremory."
A smile tugs at the corners of my twisted mouth, and magic begins to surge from the tip of my sword, a warning to the obvious enemy.
"One of the 72 demons, the one who will mark the beginning and end of the tragedy of the Kingdom of Tahalin."
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone