Chapter 29 - Before the Fruits of Choice (4)

"It is serious. I haven't seen the Adventurer's Guild yet, but I doubt it is much different from the Temple."

Saying so, the Inquisitor quickly hastened her pace.

"That is likely the case."

The Archmage agreed with her.

"First, I think we will need to talk with the Demon Knight once we meet him. He will likely suggest going to the sewers as well, but... Hm? You?"

Then, she paused. She had run into someone she still found loathsome to look at.

"Why are you alone—."

"You'd better hurry up and follow him."

"... What?"

"Sir Knight went into the sewers alone."

It was a statement she could not overlook.

"Oh no..."

"You let him go alone?!"

"Then, what, was I supposed to follow? That wasn't my job in the first place, you know."

"Hah, right. What else would I expect from a criminal!"

"You've never even seen me commit a crime, yet every single time it's criminal this, criminal that...!"

"Then if you aren't a criminal, what are you—!"

"Enough!! That is not what's important right now!"

"...!"

Only after the Mage's reprimand did she realize her mistake. The priority at hand was not to bicker with that thief, but to catch up to the Demon Knight who had gone on ahead.

"Knowing his personality, he must have left without even taking a rest, let alone properly resupplying. We must find him at once."

She was right. If possible, she had wanted to take minimal time to restock before heading down into the underground passage, but as things stood, catching up to him took priority.

"... Once this matter is resolved, I will be sure to hold you accountable for your sins."

"Hah, and do you even have any sins to hold me accountable for?"

That was also an undeniable point.

She merely called him a Thief because she had met him in a place filled with thieves and robbers, and his first appearance seemed exactly like an ambush; she didn't actually know if he had committed any crimes.

The only criminal act of his she had witnessed was private revenge. Even then, since the target was a Demon Contractor, it was somewhat a moot point.

But, but even so, she did not want to acknowledge it. He was a different case from the Demon Knight.

The Demon Knight only harbored a 'demon' in his body, but the man himself was incredibly pure and upright. It meant that despite being in the easiest position to commit sins, he endured it through his own willpower.

On the other hand, what about him? What about the alley he came from?

Even without containing a 'demon', even without contracting with them, humans could still commit sins. In a way, that was even more malicious. Because even though they could live righteously, they chose evil for their own convenience and pleasure.

That was why she could not accept that man, yet she was confused because nothing was certain.

While she could judge clearly proven sins, she had not learned how to deal with someone who only might have committed a crime.

"... I will remember this."

Thus, in the end, she could only leave it at those words.

The world outside the Temple was still so very difficult.

* * *

"They're weaker than I thought..."

Honestly, I had been a bit spooked since everyone was warning me it was dangerous. I guess you could say I was a little anxious because it wasn't just one person, but all of them trying to scare me.

Even so, the reason I entered was, as always, for meta reasons. Unless they completely botched the balance patch, it was rare for the monsters' levels to spike so drastically.

Even if their levels did go up a lot, up until now, most of them were handled in one or two hits. It shouldn't be to the point where I couldn't kill them.

Not that this made diving in headfirst a wise move, though.

"Finding the way is even harder..."

Fortunately, the hunting itself was no problem at all. It was just finding the way that was the issue.

"Phew..."

How many hours had passed? Three, four? Or maybe five?

My fatigue gauge had hit 100 a long time ago, and other than that, there were no items or systems to gauge the time. I could only assume it had been a long while.

The map was the same. Unlike last time when I only explored a single sector, this time I was searching the entire city's underground, so even though I advanced while marking the map, it was hard to narrow down the area.

On top of that, these damn demon bastards had dug new tunnels too...

Still, I couldn't stop. To give up here, the distance I had come was too much of a waste. At this point, I was getting confused whether I was playing a game or just paying to suffer, but anyway, I didn't want to waste the progress.

For that reason, I erased my stray thoughts and wiped the drops of blood off my cheek.

The clothes didn't matter since they automatically became clean over time, but blood on the skin was excluded from that, making me feel incredibly filthy.

It was even worse since I had endured for hours with my crotch dripping wet with blood.

「A hostile target exists within a 20m radius.」

But once the enemy detection skill rang, I had to toss aside such discomfort.

I reflexively swung my weapon.

CRUNCH!

The black-stained sword severed the ghoul's neck halfway, and my foot kicked the ghoul's stomach. Doing so created distance from the enemy and pulled out the blade wedged in its neck.

SLICE!

What naturally followed next was the act of slicing its belly in half. Only then did the ghoul fully die and turn to ash.

「A hostile target exists within a 20m radius.」

As the closest enemy was detected and dealt with, the next target was subsequently displayed.

Three steps ahead, at the corner. It would pop out soon. Judging by the sound of its running, was it a Three-Eyed Hound?

In that case?

I pulled my shoulder back as if drawing a bowstring and held my sword horizontally. In an instant, streaks of black energy stretched across the bloodstained blade.

「Stinger | Envelops the weapon in mana to perform a forward thrust with the dark attribute.

Effect: Consumes 6 mana. Attacks enemies within the forward range with 270% damage.」

Since realizing I could use unlearned skills, this was the first skill I mastered, even before the slashing attacks. Mostly because the motion was the most comfortable.

GRRR!

CRACK!

The Three-Eyed Hound that sprang out couldn't even finish barking before its head was smashed and it died. Thanks to that, there was no need to double tap.

"Ptooi."

Well, having chunks of flesh constantly flying into my mouth was something I had to endure. Ugh, so nasty.

I kept moving my tongue as I flicked my sword, shaking off the flesh, grease, and sticky bodily fluids. Then suddenly, a splashing sound wedged itself right into my ear.

'It's coming.'

「A hostile target exists within a 20m radius.」

Sometimes, the enemy detection skill activated late. Or perhaps there were moments when my intuition and instincts took precedence over the skill.

I hurriedly positioned my sword in front of me just as my body instructed. I tilted it diagonally, in a stance meant to block something.

CLANG!

groups that were far too smooth to belong to a demon—iron weaponry—were blocked by the blade.

"Ha!"

"Tch."

A person? Is it a person?

I checked the figure retreating amidst black smoke. They were humanoid overall, but their appearance wasn't exactly normal. Indeed, the blackened blood vessels, the bloodshot whites of their eyes, and the cataracts clouded in their pupils honestly looked more like a corpse's than a living person's. Or perhaps it looked like when demonic energy erosion reached its limit.

「Vampire | Those who willingly accepted demonic energy erosion, turning into demons rather than humans. They extort the lives of others to maintain their rationality.」

As if resolving my curiosity, a window popped up with information. Those who had given up on being human. Exactly the type my concept would despise.

"A maggot who gave in to demons...!"

Thus, I gladly acted out my fury. *SPLASH. * The enemy that had retreated across the way stepped through the filthy water and lunged at me. Spilling black mist all around, it felt somehow familiar, and at the same time, irritating.

"Die, traitor!"

Traitor my ass. It's funny for them to bring up betrayal when I hadn't received a damn thing from their side.

If you're going to say that, at least drop a good item first! Even though this is an RPG, I have zero memory of ever looting a single piece of equipment here!

Of course, even if they gave me one, I wouldn't equip it just to maintain my concept's aesthetic!

CLANG! CLAAANG! CLANG!

The enemy, equipped with claw-like weapons, aimed sharply and tenaciously at my vitals. It was a more agile movement than any enemy I had seen so far.

But no matter how fast they were, it wasn't to the point where I couldn't see and react to them.

That was enough.

By moving my sword in subtle ways, I blocked all the claws and slipped my hand into my jacket. Quickly drawing a dagger from its sheath, my hand threw it forward.

"...!"

The enemy's pupils dilated for a split second, and the hand that had been aiming for me hurriedly covered their own vitals. *TING! * The knife bounced off the iron plate wrapping their hand.

However, that caused their posture to collapse. I reached out with my right hand, which wasn't holding the longsword. *GRAB! * Slipping cleverly past the enemy's raised guard, my hand grabbed them by the scruff of the neck.

"Gah!"

A sharp gasp echoed for just a moment. While holding the enemy in place, I brought my blade down.

STAB!

With the sound of flesh being pierced, the longsword skewered the area around the enemy's heart. Even if the heart wasn't struck directly, based on the angle, all the major organs would have been ruined. They could never survive.

"You, traitor—!"

However, the enemy, resigned to death, tried to struggle to the bitter end. Gripping my arm, they attempted to dig their claws beneath my skin as if determined to leave even the slightest wound before dying.

CRUUUNCH!

"GAAAAGH!"

But why would I go easy on them when I could clearly see what they were trying to do?

I forcefully pushed down and slashed the blade sideways. The sound of bones crushing and muscles tearing mixed together, until finally, the blade emerged from their flank.

THUD.

I tossed the instantly deceased enemy aside. Then, I checked my right arm. Fortunately, there were only marks left on the gauntlet, and no injuries. I hadn't set my outfit with this in mind, but it was a real relief.

I had already used up a bandage for my leg, so using another one would have been a waste.

"Alright, then now the path is..."

I pondered as I retrieved the very useful dagger.

Having judged that the path would be wherever the enemies were, I had only chased after where their presences were concentrated, leading to this situation.

And just now, an Elite-class monster had appeared for the first time. There was no way a higher-tier mob would spawn in a useless area, which meant my intuition had been right up until here.

"It's probably here."

Also, the Vampire had just jumped out from the right corner. There was a high probability that the next path was this way.

SCRAPE.

Still, just in case, I scraped my longsword against the wall to leave a mark. It would have been impossible if it were a stone wall, but right now it was covered in black strands—whether they were plant roots or something else—so I could carve marks into it as much as I wanted.

THWIP.

"Gotcha."

At that moment, something lodged into the back of my neck. Given the small radius of the stinging sensation, it didn't seem like I was impaled or slashed.

「A hostile target exists within a 20m radius.」

More importantly, what was wrong with this game that the enemy detection skill activated so arbitrarily? Sometimes it rang like clockwork the moment they entered the 20m radius, and other times it didn't ring until they caught my back.

Did the enemy have a counter skill? Or was my skill level insufficient? Whichever it was, I wished it would make up its damn mind.

"Gretchen, I don't know why you betrayed us, but..."

I checked my rapidly rising poison gauge and gently rolled the dagger I hadn't yet put away between my gauntlets. Because my body was blocking their view, the enemy behind me wouldn't be able to see this trick.

"Now, return to His embrace—."

And the moment my poison gauge hit 90, I spun my body around and swung the dagger.

"Gah!"

I had roughly estimated their height based on where the voice came from and swung, and bingo. I slit their throat perfectly.

CLINK!

With the hand holding my longsword, I quickly pulled out what was lodged in the back of my neck. A poison dart bounced onto the floor before sinking under the sewage.

"Ga, gah...!"

Then the only thing left is finishing off the bastard who shot the poison dart, right?

Seeing the enemy clutch their neck in an attempt to stop the bleeding, I gripped my sword properly. Reflected in the lantern light, their pupils were steeped in terror as they reached out a hand as if begging me to stop, but I didn't care.

"Rot in hell."

I took the enemy's head. It was too gross to keep as a trophy, so I just tossed it away, but anyway.

「A hostile target exists within a 20m radius.」

"... Fuck, they sent us out here with just one Vampire and one assassin to deal with a monster like that?"

"Stalling for time has its limits...!"

But in the meantime, new enemies had been added. Seeing as they weren't wearing gloomy robes, they weren't Demon Contractors, so were they just bruiser-type melee enemies? It was both annoying and welcoming at the same time.

"Have you come to offer your necks."

After all, with them swarming out like this, I could be absolutely certain I had found the right path!

"Good. I will sever all of your heads, you insects!"

Thanks for the welcome committee, you bastards!

* * *

"Priest, you are safe!"

"Hey, put your weapons away!"

"Make way for them right now!"

"Yes..."

The Inquisitor emerged from the sewer pipe to the welcoming reception of the people. The Archmage was already being supported by others and had made her way past the defense line.

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

"I am fine. However, the Archmage is..."

"It is not a major injury, so please do not worry, Priest."

Was that so? However, the situation was already grim simply from the fact that she had been injured.

"I apologize, Inquisitor. If only I had reacted a bit faster..."

"It is not your fault, Archmage. It was an unreasonable breach from the start."

The Archmage was not originally the type of person to do physical labor.

Furthermore, what had their itinerary been like over the past few days? She couldn't remember taking a proper rest even once over the past week. They had rarely slept at proper times at night and had constantly stayed on the move while hastily scarfing down meals.

An ordinary mage would have long since collapsed from illness. It was only because the Archmage's race was Shaggy—a race naturally endowed with superior stamina and fast reflexes—that she had managed to hold out until now.

"Rather, I am the one who should apologize. If I had moved just a little faster..."

On the other hand, what about her? While divine power brought a little pain, in exchange it granted her nearly limitless stamina and the martial prowess to never yield to a demon.

It meant that as long as her will didn't break, she could fight even at the moment when everyone else in the world collapsed.

And yet, unable to overcome mere mental fatigue, she had allowed an attack to reach the Archmage. She was disqualified as both a Hero and a Heresy Inquisitor.

"... Um, what about the knight you went to find..."

Moreover, they hadn't even achieved the objective that caused their unreasonable entry in the first place. The Inquisitor gritted her teeth tightly and shook her head.

"We could not find him."

They had found the traces of his advance itself. There was no need to even resort to tracking magic; the slaughtered corpses of demons were laid out like signposts, so it would have been stranger if they hadn't seen them.

"He went too, too deep inside."

It was just that. His speed of advance had simply been far too overwhelming.

And the number of enemies had simply been so great that even after he cleared them out and moved on, other demons filled the space.

"This old woman should have stayed outside. I have held you back, Inquisitor."

"No. Even if I had gone in alone... I would have ultimately come out alone."

The purpose of their entry this time was to catch up to the Demon Knight, persuade him, and bring him outside. It was because they were far too exhausted to explore the underground passage right away.

Thus, they had intended to propose taking some time to resupply before conducting a proper search... Hah, but as it turned out, they didn't even get the chance to persuade him. Now, there was only one choice left for them.

"Please rest, Archmage. We will go in in five hours."

Rather than forcing their advance and taking more damage, they would at least rest among themselves and recover their stamina before going in.