Chapter 34 - Before the Fruits of Choice (9)

How should I start? Well, since I usually keep my gameplay recordings running, someone might see this, so I'm leaving a message just in case.

The background is a bit gruesome... but please overlook that. There weren't many opportunities to be alone. And if I wait to leave this later... I'm not sure if that chance will ever come.

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The reason I'm leaving this video now is... nothing special. As I said earlier, I rarely had time alone... but mostly, I felt like if I left these words, it would make the fact that I'm really going to die feel too real. I was too scared of that.

But... thinking about it differently, this might be my last chance.

So, from now on, whenever I'm alone, I plan to leave videos like this from time to time. I still have... some time left, after all. Come to think of it, there's a lot I want to say...

Ah, right. If it's alright, could you please let my parents know about this video? There's a lot I want to say to them too. Like how I'm sorry I haven't visited often lately, or how I'm sorry for committing the unfilial sin of passing away before them...

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... Lastly, I know I look ridiculous. Putting on some bizarre act right before I die is a bit much, right? I must look crazy.

But Mom, Dad. I'm not crazy. I just... I just want to live.

See, Mom and Dad, you hate novels and comics so you probably don't know... but tropes like this show up often in those. Like, you think you're trapped in a game, but it was actually another world... and so you keep on living.

That's why. I know it's foolish, but still... I thought maybe, just maybe, doing this would actually let me live. Hoping I really did fall into another world and could keep living, I...

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Hey, if I die, will it hurt?

Or will my thoughts just cut off at some point, without me even realizing I'm dying?

I'd prefer the latter if possible. I don't really like pain...

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I don't want to die.

Why do I have to go through this?

I still don't want to die.

I hate dying. I don't want to die. I still want to live more.

I just want to live, just a little longer...

* * *

I opened my eyes blankly. The letter I left when I sat down for a brief rest while rummaging through the sewers had come to me in the form of a dream.

It was meaningless.

I am not the one who needs to see this.

"Demon Knight!"

And this was not where I should be, either...

"Are you coming to your senses?"

Blinking my blurry vision, I chased the sound.

A familiar, now well-accustomed face came into view. His facial features looked somewhat squashed due to my vision issues, but that red hair was impossible to mistake.

"Are you awake, Sir Knight?"

'Looks like DeB is here too.'

I blinked slowly and opened my mouth. I wanted to ask what had happened with the situation.

However, that wish failed as a rather severe thirst took over my throat. Dry coughs and gasps came out instead of words.

"You didn't even give him water?!"

"I-I was about to give it to him right now!"

'Put the fighting off for later and give me water first...'

"Here you go."

Fortunately, neither of them was so engrossed in fighting that they forgot about me. With DeB's help, I lifted my body. Kimchi Dumpling handed me the water cup.

"I will tilt it for you."

'No, you don't need to treat me with that much devotion. Drinking with help doesn't fit my concept anyway.'

However, my body felt too heavy to refuse their help and drink on my own. Honestly, my vision was still blurry. The hands gripping my back and shoulders even felt cool.

"Sir Knight must really be exhausted."

*'Don't you know the unwritten rule is to pretend not to notice that?' * Muttering that complaint inwardly, I gulped down the water. It had been a long time since water tasted so sweet.

"... The situation, is."

Only after emptying two cups of water was my thirst somewhat alleviated. My voice was still cracked, but it was better than earlier when nothing came out at all.

"You really are..."

"Sir Knight, honestly..."

'But why do they both look so choked up? Is it really that weird to ask how the situation went?'

"Listen here, Sir Knight. Do you know you just woke up after two weeks?"

'... You're joking, right?'

"You really almost died. You had injuries where it wouldn't be strange if you drew your last breath right away, topped off with a curse making it worse. Whenever we tried to cure the curse, you just vomited blood from the divine power instead...!"

The more DeB explained, the more baffled I became. It felt too absurd, making it hard to believe.

'Two weeks? Deleted?? Almost five days flew by in real life??'

'Wait, more importantly, five real-life days have passed and I'm still alive? Then is this place really...'

'No, maybe not. There's also the possibility that only in-game time passed while real time didn't.'

I suppressed both my desire to believe and my disbelief. I had to leave all possibilities open. To keep from despairing. To endure.

"Are you listening?"

"I am not interested."

'Of course, even taking that into account, two weeks of in-game time passing is ridiculous.'

'Seriously, isn't it a rule that game characters are completely healed once their HP is full? Even if it's an injury penalty. Two weeks is way too long.'

Just in case, I sneakily checked my HP. It was full. Although my fatigue gauge still hadn't dropped.

"The situation?"

'Wow, looking at it now, it wasn't that there was no fatigue penalty. The penalty was the slow rate at which fatigue dropped.'

'If it still hasn't dropped by now, does it mean the recovery speed slows down proportionally to how long I moved with full fatigue? This is crazy. I should never do that again.'

"..."

As I pondered the system like that, I noticed DeB and Kimchi Dumpling clenching their fists tightly.

'Seriously, what's their problem? I'm the most disturbed one here, you know? I'm just letting it go because obsessing over it won't accomplish anything.'

"Must I ask a third time?"

'Besides, you guys are the ones who chose this concept in the first place! If I prioritized my own safety here, you'd criticize me for that too, so what do you expect?!'

"... For now, the city is safe."

Thankfully, the two guys didn't force me to lose my temper. I didn't have the energy to throw a fit with this weak body anyway, so things worked out well.

"The demon the Demon Knight fought was designated as a Plague Demon and has been completely exterminated. Also, as Priests stepped up to purify the entire area, there were no additional infected individuals."

The Inquisitor summarized and delivered the events clearly. If nothing else, Kimchi Dumpling was exceptionally good at giving reports like this.

"Afterward, I led the adventurers in a breakthrough, confirming that the city's siege had been lifted in the process. We also requested reinforcements separately. As of yesterday, the reinforcements arrived and have begun relief operations in earnest."

It seemed quite a lot had happened while I was unconscious. Looking at it this way, maybe passing out for two weeks wasn't such a bad thing.

'If I had been awake, I'd have had to help with half of that. Of course, it's not that I don't want to help, but my body needs to be in normal condition for that.'

'I wonder if I shouldn't have set up the concept of hunting demons with total disregard for my own life. It's a natural fit given the character's conditions, and I can't take it back now anyway, but still.'

"Is there anything else you're curious about?"

'Alright, so I guess I've heard the general rundown. Roll, my brain! Quickly think of something this concept would ask!'

"What about the Demon Contractors? Did you catch them all?"

"The ones inside the city..."

"We caught 'em all."

"... Yes, with that guy's help, we caught all of them. In addition, the remnants of the ritual that existed outside the city... were tracked down by adventurers led by him. Although we couldn't catch those ones."

'Oh. I was wondering why he stuck around, but it seems there were more areas for DeB to play an active role than I thought.'

I glanced at him. My vision, now clearer than before, reflected the young man still wearing his hood up.

"Well, I just did it because it was doable."

The young man spoke, lightly scratching his exposed lower face as if embarrassed. Then, he wrinkled his nose, as if he suddenly remembered something.

"Why, are you amazed that a weakling pulled it off without getting in the way?"

'I didn't even say anything... Ah, is he acting like this because of what I said to shake him off when I went to the sewers? He's still holding onto that?'

"No."

I had no idea if DeB just held long grudges or if he was acting prickly because he was embarrassed.

I spoke firmly.

"I retract what I said. You are not a hindrance."

Thud...

The wooden cup in Kimchi Dumpling's hand dropped, and DeB's jaw fell open.

'Looks like I broke character. I'm screwed.'

"... O-O-Of course, it's not."

While I was nervously looking for my weapon's location, worried a mace or a dagger might come flying at me, DeB answered in a somewhat broken state. Kimchi Dumpling was picking the wooden cup back up, but his trembling hands showed he wasn't exactly in a normal state either.

"... The sewers."

'Judging by the mood, they don't seem like they're going to smash my head in. But it's still scary, so I quickly changed the subject.'

Kimchi Dumpling suddenly raised his head, her eyes somehow sparkling.

"Due to a lack of manpower, we've only kept it closed and under surveillance. Now that reinforcements have arrived, the purification operation will begin within a few days. Ah, I'm also included in those forces."

'U-Uh, okay. Since they're going in a few days, I guess I'll have to stay in this city until then. What should I do in the meantime?'

"I-I'll be purifying too..."

'Well yeah... You're a Priest, so of course you'd do it...?'

I wondered why the Inquisitor was spouting the obvious with such sparkling eyes, before a sudden thought struck me.

'Don't tell me, she wants to hear the same thing I told DeB...? She wants to hear words of acknowledgment too?'

The moment that thought crossed my mind, I put strength into my eyes and fists. I might look nasty-tempered, but it couldn't be helped. At least that fit the concept; if I smiled here, I was doomed.

"My, weapon."

'Is this cuteness for real? A guy stuttering because he short-circuited after being acknowledged, and a kid thrusting herself forward because she wants to be acknowledged too. Is this... is this really happening?'

"Where did you put it."

'My violent tendencies are skyrocketing because of Kimchi Dumpling. I needed to go beat a demon to death right this instant.'

"Wait, are you trying to stand up?"

"N-No, you can't! You still need to rest!"

'What are you talking about?! You guys are the ones tormenting me right now?! I feel like I'm gonna die if I don't swing something immediately?! You guys are like a kimchi dumpling and a meat dumpling...! Acting all cute when you're fully grown!'

"Ack, what are you doing not grabbing him, you square!"

"W-What if I grab him and he gets hurt?!"

"Let go...!"

"Does he look like the kind of guy who'd get hurt!?"

"Gasp, you mustn't move!"

Sadly, however, their combined strength was too much. I was ultimately forced back into bed. And just from exerting a little effort, my fatigue gauge spiked instantly, leaving me semi-forced to close my eyes. That was the cherry on top.

* * *

"Is your body feeling a bit better?"

After spending another full day sleeping, my body's condition had mostly returned to normal. My fatigue hit 0, and the injury penalty was also over.

Aside from the stiffness of moving for the first time in a while, there was no more discomfort.

"You could rest a little longer."

"There's no need."

Therefore, I decided to participate in the sewer purification operation. I couldn't perform the Purification itself, but dealing with the demons that had multiplied during the lockdown was a different story.

Of course, I wavered a little when I heard there was no compensation. I just couldn't back down because my concept was what it was.

"Demon Knight."

'Come to think of it, I never got paid for stopping the plague ritual and killing the Plague Demon, either.'

'I remember them warning me beforehand that there might not be a reward, but I didn't think they really wouldn't give me one. I thought there would at least be crafting materials or equipment dropped by the boss mob.'

'Or was the problem that I couldn't get the last hit on the Plague Demon? Or was it my lack of a butchering skill?'

'The fact that I can't even complain is just sad. Not incredibly sad, just on the level of "Ah, what a shit game." '

"Thank you."

Anyway, as I was swinging my longsword around while dealing with these stray thoughts, the Archmage expressed his gratitude.

To me, it was quite a random thank you.

"I know you'll say it isn't necessary. But if it weren't for you, something terrible would have happened."

'Uhhh... It's true that we were able to stop this thanks to my reckless actions, but maybe I suffered this much precisely because I rushed in.'

'If the event's progression was triggered by the player arriving in Tatara, then honestly, even if I had taken my time, I still would've been able to stop it like I did now.'

'Of course, that might not be the case. If so, then it's true I did a good job.'

"Are you aware of the gravity of this incident?"

But for whatever reason he interpreted my silent reaction as, the Archmage didn't end his words there and immediately continued. Of course, the question he threw out still wasn't meant to seek an answer from me.

"Do you know how difficult it is for an incident of this scale to happen on the frontier?"

'If I knew that, I'd be the lore writer, not a gamer, wouldn't I...? If you give me clues, I have the brains to deduce things, but not knowing the setting itself just leaves me bewildered.'

"The sacrifices required to isolate a city in a short period of time, summon enough demons to fill the entire sewer system, and even prepare a plague ritual are beyond imagination. It also requires many people to lead it. Furthermore, the fact that they even mobilized a Vampire, which has a less than 5% chance of being born..."

'That's... true. Supply of manpower is something you don't usually worry about in a game with respawn mechanics. But realistically, it was a bit strange.'

'The time it takes to carry out a massive project and the manpower consumed are always in an inversely proportional relationship.'

"In other words, the effort the demon worshipers put into this matter exceeds imagination. It's too excessive to be used just to destroy a single frontier city."

By that point, I realized what the Archmage wanted to say.

"Not to mention, those bastards even drew a magic circle outside to bombard the entire city. It wasn't executed due to a lack of sacrifices, but that was their ultimate objective."

'If a force too precious to be wasted on a single city was still used anyway, that ultimately means there was something of equal value.'

'And the only thing that could hold that much value is...'

"Clarify what it is you want to say."

"What they were aiming for is, in all probability, the Hero."

'So they really were aiming for the Hero herself. Both the Binding in the sewers and the bombardment magic circle he just mentioned.'

"Before the Inquisitor could truly bloom her talent, before she could gain experience and become a seasoned hunter. It means they forced this incident just to kill her before she could challenge their king."

It was surprising in a way, yet entirely obvious in another.

'In games, novels, and comics, enemies are somehow sent to match your level, but realistically, the final boss has no reason to do that. Nipping the bud before it sprouts is the most effortless and clean method.'

"In other words, it is thanks to you that we avoided such a danger."

'Well, from a meta perspective, they are already sending them to match our level. Even though the game system is tailoring it to me, the player, rather than the Hero.'

"I say it again, but thank you. If it weren't for you, humanity might have lost the Hero."

Digressions aside, leaving those sincere words be, I showed the most appropriate reaction I could.

"That was a story not even worth listening to."

'It means I listened because I vaguely thought it'd be important info, but since it's useless, I'm going to let it go in one ear and out the other from now on.'

"It is good that you are consistent."

'Is he being sarcastic...? Of course, there's no way he intended it that way. Ugh. I hate being consistent.'

"Right. Once this matter is over, let us all gather and talk. Shouldn't we decide on our future direction?"

'More importantly, it seems we're slowly moving on to the next event now that a major incident has concluded.'

Swallowing the words of agreement down my throat, I sheathed the sword I had been swinging.

It was because I could tell it was just about time to set off, seeing the dumpling-like mutts running over wildly.

"Ah, it seems the time has come. Let us go."

The Archmage noticed it as well and gestured.

It was time to go clean up the mess.