Just as there were games, regardless of genre, that suddenly tossed in events coated with a horror gimmick, this quest was one of those events.
It was the kind of event that gave you a set of rules, like a rules-based ghost story, and banished you with a jump scare if you failed to follow them.
What was more, it would disappear at some point after time passed, and all you got for completing it was five gold. There was no penalty like death or a curse, but neither did it feel necessary to do. It was one of those so-called landmine events.
But.
Things changed if you brought holy water.
[Holy Water]
Water personally consecrated by the Holy Maiden.
◈ Grade: Regression
◈ Restores 50% of vitality.
◈ When applied to a weapon, deals 30% additional damage to undead and demons for five minutes.
I gazed steadily down at the glass vial sloshing coolly at my fingertips. Inside the transparent bottle, the liquid, softly radiating divine power, rippled faintly.
Holy water—a potion so absurdly powerful that calling it overpowered would not do it justice. It possessed restorative properties that overwhelmed most healing potions, and when applied to a weapon, dealt additional damage to undead and demonic creatures.
This quest had a hidden piece.
This holy water, which could either be produced as an extra item when Saint-awakened Iris brewed potions or obtained through a certain quest, was the key.
Considering its effects, unless you started as Iris, who could make holy water, it naturally was not an item you could acquire early on.
Moreover, the odds were low and potion ingredients were expensive in the early game, so even if you started as Iris, it was not easy to make holy water before the quest disappeared. Still, there was a way to obtain it early.
By going out and clearing a certain quest.
Then, even if you were not Iris, there was no need to grind holy-water crafting with Iris.
The problem, however, was that the quest for obtaining holy water was an absolute pain in the ass.
Not only did it require going out, but the route needed to complete it was needlessly long and convoluted—enough to use up your entire outing time even on a weekend—and it had gimmicks that looked like nothing more than time-wasting.
So I should have had to suffer a little to acquire even one bottle of holy water...
But did I not have an excellent holy-water-making machine right beside me?
One that could even turn an ordinary silver ring into a resurrection item: an excellent divine-power dispenser.
When I asked Iris, she made it right away.
The Holy Virgin possessed Iris, infused plain water with holy power, and just like that, it became holy water.
Which was why I currently had five bottles of holy water.
And perhaps because it had been made by the Holy Virgin, its in-game effect of restoring 30% had increased to 50%, while the duration of the additional damage effect had risen from three minutes to five. It had become an utterly incredible potion.
Should I ask Iris to make some holy water for me for a while?
Well, I could not use it recklessly, since Asdel or the Holy Kingdom would notice right away.
Dolnesia stared intently at the radiant holy water sloshing in my palm. Narrowing her eyes like a cat, she spoke quietly.
"What is that? Somehow... I feel an aura very similar to Lady Iris’s coming from it."
"Oh, it’s holy water."
"Oh, holy water... What did you say?!"
At my utterly casual answer, Dolnesia’s catlike eyes flew wide open in shock.
"Th-that holy water... Ian, do you mean what I think you mean?"
Dante, too, stared hard at the vial of holy water in my hand, looking as though he could not believe it.
"I’m not sure exactly what you know it as."
I shrugged and added nonchalantly,
"But it’s water made by a Holy Maiden directly extracting her divine power, so it is probably what you’re thinking of."
"How did you... Ah."
Dante, who had been about to ask a question laden with doubt, seemed to finally remember that Iris had awakened as a Holy Maiden. He nodded with an understanding expression.
"...Even if that young lady is a Holy Maiden, she only awakened recently. And she can make holy water that quickly? Even the Holy Maiden currently in the Holy Kingdom can only manage one bottle a month at most."
Leaving Dolnesia behind as she gaped in disbelief, I opened the holy-water bottle.
With a pop, something warm flowed out from the bottle and soon began filling the space around us.
"But what exactly are you planning to do with that?"
Dante looked back and forth between me and the holy water with eyes that said he could not understand at all.
"What else? I’m going to call out the bastard illegally occupying this mansion."
As I lightly shook the vial and calmly answered, Dolnesia could no longer hold herself back and cut in with what was practically a scream.
"You’re going to use holy water here just to earn five gold?! The cost is bigger than the gain!"
She was not wrong.
Even a Holy Maiden took a month to make a single bottle of holy water, and no one but a Holy Maiden could make it.
That was why commoners could not even dream of possessing it, and why holy water was expensive even for Dante, a prince, or for Dolnesia and me, members of ducal families.
So to Dante and Dolnesia, I must have looked like a lunatic burning tens of millions of gold just to earn five gold.
"It’s fine."
I opened my inventory outright and pulled out every bottle of holy water left inside without hesitation.
With a soft clinking, radiant glass vials appeared one after another between my fingers.
Aside from the one I had already opened, four bottles of holy water were left sitting on the floor.
Having witnessed that sight in real time, Dolnesia’s mouth dropped open as if on cue, while Dante smiled as though he found it amusing.
Angelica seemed uninterested, but I could see her pupils widening beneath her expressionless face.
"Because I have five of them."
Leaving the three of them behind, I muttered that and gripped the holy-water bottle in my hand. Without hesitation, I flung all of its contents into the space inside the mansion.
Splaash—!
Iris’s special holy water, suffused with gentle divine power, cut through the air and scattered in every direction.
That was the moment it happened.
"Kieeeeeeeek—!!!"
A shriek loud enough to numb my ears burst out from deep within the mansion, and at the same time, the entire space where we stood began to warp violently.
It sounded exactly like the scream my friend had let out when I poured Albothyl on his toenail after it had come off.
I was sorry then, my friend. What are you doing now?
I miss you, my friend.
As I silently prayed for the repose of the ghost that was probably in that much pain—
"Kieeeeeeeek—!!!"
At last, the owner of the scream emerged from the darkness that had swallowed the mansion.
Bang! Crash, crash!
What came rolling out with a tremendous racket, its whole body smashing into the walls and floor, was a massive suit of iron armor.
The suit of armor that had stood with dignified grandeur in one corner of the mansion was the owner of the scream. Literally twisting its entire body like a doll with loose screws, it frantically scratched the faceplate of its helmet with steel gauntlets.
Then Insight Eye activated, and a clear system message appeared above its head.
[Living Armor Possessing the Mansion]
◈ Level: 35
◈ The target is currently in pain.
◈ The target cannot use teleportation due to holy water.
"You fucking lunatic—!!!"
It must hurt like hell, since it was even swearing.
Along with a shriek like rusty iron plates scraping together, a raw, vivid stream of curses burst from its mouth.
What could I do? I had to take you down to get the hidden piece.
"It’s all right, buddy. Just drink one more bottle, and you can pass on peacefully without any pain."
With a benevolent smile, I gently held the bottle of holy water in my hand to the gap in its helmet.
"You fucking psycho, seriously?!"
As though it could not possibly allow that, the Living Armor writhed violently, its very soul rejecting the idea.
To refuse something so precious.
Well, it could not be helped.
"Wow... Ian, you really..."
"...Honestly."
I could hear sighs from behind me, but I decided not to pay them any mind.
Come on, come over here!
Just squeeze your eyes shut and open your mouth.
You’ll pass on with a nice warm feeling going down your throat, I promise.
Ding!
[Oath of Chivalry has activated.]
[The Stars of Knights watch over your chivalry.]
A notification window announcing the activation of Oath of Chivalry, which I had not seen in a long time.
Seeing it, I briefly loosened my neck and drew Carnwennan.
"Wicked evil spirit occupying this house. I shall personally punish you."
It had been a while since I had done this act, too.
My opponent was a walking tin can wearing knight armor, but since it was a ghost, I did not need to throw a glove, right?
I raised Carnwennan and took my stance.
Level 35.
Among levels for supporting characters, it was on the lower end—a reasonably strong level for an early boss encounter.
But I was level 47, because I had defeated a Sword Master.
Even by level alone, the difference was overwhelming. Once stats were included, the disparity was so great it could not even be compared.
The difference was overwhelming enough that I could send it on its way with a single punch without even needing a weapon.
Besides, in the game, perhaps because of the holy water, it had never counterattacked or defended at all. It had been an easy monster to kill, right?
All right, I’ll send you on with this dagger.
It’s fine, buddy. Once you’re gone, I’ll hold generous memorial rites for you every year on the anniversary of your death.
Offering it my own brand of comfort in my mind, I was just about to rush in and split its head open.
"Wait! Time! Time—!!!"
The Living Armor, which had been rolling around on the floor, jolted in fright and crossed both arms into a T-shape.
Perhaps the holy water’s effect had finally worn off, because it was no longer writhing.
Persistent little bastard.
Should I pour another bottle over it?
"Time, my ass. Do you think this is wrestling?"
"No, you lunatic! Talk! Let’s talk! Just listen to me!"
"Knights do not negotiate with villains."
"I’m just saying, I only need to find something!"
At that moment.
Swoosh.
Just before the blade pierced the eye slit in its helmet, my wrist stopped in midair with not even a 0.1-millimeter margin of error.
Kafka, holding her breath in the shadows, and Dolnesia and Dante behind me all widened their eyes.
They seemed unable to understand why I had suddenly withdrawn my killing intent with my prey already in hand.
‘Ian? Why did you stop? If you just split that scary... no, that tin can open, it’ll be over, won’t it?’
Kafka’s telepathic voice, urgently calling my name and voicing her confusion, struck my mind.
"...Ian?"
At the same time, Dolnesia looked at my back with an incredulous expression and quietly called my name.
No, I did not understand it either.
"How can you talk to me?"
"What kind of bullshit is that...? You just let that slide naturally. How can you understand what I’m saying?"
I did not know why.
But I could hear its voice.
When I encountered this thing in the game, I could not understand its voice.
You could see its actions, but its spoken words were full of static and played in reverse.
Perhaps because of that, there had been no interaction with it. You simply killed it and took the hidden piece it dropped—that was all...
So why could I hear this thing’s voice?
Comments (0)
Please log in to leave a comment. Login or Register