Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Chapter 2-1. Calypso's Nightmare
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When I opened my eyes in the morning, I felt incredibly comfortable. The bright sunlight filtering through the window, the clear chirping of birds, the soft bed, the warmth against my back. Everything was perfect. I wanted to sleep a bit more, but seeing the chair right in front of me snapped my hazy mind back to clarity, and soon a question arose.
'Bed?'
My last memory was sitting in the chair with my arms crossed, watching Jeanne. Why was I lying in bed? Then what about the warm sensation on my back...? I glanced back cautiously and saw Jeanne sleeping with her back pressed against mine.
'Hmm.'
She must have crawled into bed because the chair was uncomfortable while asleep. Feeling awkward, I carefully got up from the bed.
"Are you sure you don't want to sleep more?"
Perhaps sensing the movement, she turned her body and asked, even though I thought she was asleep. The unexpected voice startled me, making my body tremble. It felt awkward to lower my raised hips, so I awkwardly moved to the chair instead.
"Weren't you asleep?"
"Hmm. I woke up midway, laid you on the bed, and went back to sleep. Why were you sleeping in that uncomfortable chair?"
"I didn't expect to fall asleep either. Anyway, is your head okay? You bumped into the wall."
At my words, she tilted her head and touched her scalp.
It was messy from sleep, and there was a hard lump. There was no pain, so I hadn't noticed at all. Why had I bumped into the wall? When I briefly woke at dawn, I hadn't felt anything unusual. I saw Judah dozing in the chair, laid him on the bed, and went back to sleep. Thinking about it now, it was strange. Why was I suddenly sleeping in bed? Clearly...
"...The magic circle glowed, and I felt an immense terror. Then I walked toward you on the altar..., and after that, I don't remember. What on earth happened?"
"Oh—that."
I couldn't bring myself to say the Overlord had appeared, so I came up with a suitable excuse.
"Nothing."
"Pardon?"
"Exactly that—nothing appeared. The overwhelming presence scared me too. It must have failed, because the light vanished shortly after. Despite that reaction, nothing happened even after time passed."
Jeanne nodded slowly.
"I see. That's a relief, then. If a being capable of instilling that kind of terror had been successfully summoned, we probably couldn't be lying in bed enjoying the sunlight like this."
"Well, shall we head back now?"
"Wait."
"?"
"There's something I need to confirm. Is Count Jinmu definitely dead?"
"Yes. Right?"
"Did you collect any proof? Submitting this to the Adventurer's Guild might get you promoted to silver rank right away."
"...No."
"Then we can't go back just yet."
After that, Jeanne and I went back down to the basement once more. I collected the robe, ring, and the black grimoire from the study—items from Count Jinmu's corpse that I hadn't even glanced at because they were imbued with the wraith's curse. She was extremely thorough, skimming through every book in the study before finally suggesting we return to the village.
After trudging through rainy paths lately, stepping under clear sunlight felt great. Jeanne, uncharacteristically talkative, kept the conversation going, so the walk to the village wasn't boring at all.
Back in the village, the people were still anxious and huddled in the village hall. As we entered, their gazes poured over us. The village chief stood and approached with a welcoming expression.
"Oh! You returned safely. Did you find that young man?"
"We did, but he'd already been killed by the wraith's attack. We only brought back his belongings."
"I see... That's unfortunate."
"And we eliminated the source of the wraiths. No need to stay here anxiously—go home and rest."
The chief's eyes widened at my words.
"Really? What... what was the source?"
The chief didn't take my word at face value. As he tried to judge carefully, I pulled the robe imbued with the wraith's curse from my <Bag>. The moment I brought out the garment that sent a chill through whoever held it, the chief and the others gasped.
"There was a mansion deep in the forest. The culprit was a man named Count Jinmu who lived there. If you don't believe me, go check it out yourselves."
He waved his hands and gave an awkward laugh at the suggestion to go himself.
"Ah, no, that's fine. Knowing you've eliminated the source puts my mind at ease. I was planning to wait until the priestess woke up. So, adventurer, will you be staying here?"
"Hmm. I have business with the priestess too, so probably for now. Go check your homes, and if you think any wraiths are left, come find me. I'll go with you."
I'd guessed what he might ask, so I offered first. He welcomed it enthusiastically and hurriedly urged the people gathered in the hall to leave. The villagers, glancing around nervously, stepped outside and, bolstered by the clear sunlight high in the sky, headed home.
Occasionally, frightened folks came reporting ghosts, and Judah and I took turns checking, but of course, no wraiths appeared. After repeating this a few times, the hall was empty.
Feeling quite hungry, I asked the chief if I could use the hall's kitchen, and he gladly permitted it.
I took out instant ramen from my <Bag>, cracked in some eggs, and boiled some with Jeanne. The delicious smell must have drawn them out, as some adventurers who had been hiding somewhere appeared in the kitchen.
"Ah, you're eating."
They hesitated, striking up conversation while eyeing us. Swallowing hard as they waited, it was like they were begging for just a bite. But nothing's free. I charged them double the market price for regular portions, in exchange for them doing the dishes. They seemed dissatisfied with the price, but I had no intention of raising their favorability or trust, so I didn't care. And once the ramen started boiling, their complaints vanished in a flash.
"Has the priestess woken yet?"
"No. She hasn't slept for ten days, so she'll probably sleep through the whole day at least. A villager is nursing her, so if you're curious, go check."
"Hmm."
That villager probably hadn't eaten either. I pulled out another pot, boiled more ramen, transferred it to a bowl, and headed to her room. Jeanne politely knocked on the door for me while I held the ramen. The room had no soundproofing, so rustling sounds came from inside, and an middle-aged woman emerged.
"What is it? Oh my."
"You probably haven't eaten. Have some."
"Thank you. Here to see the priestess? Come in."
She took the bowl with a bright smile and welcomed us. The room was fairly spacious. The woman sat on a chair in the corner with the ramen bowl and started eating quickly. Listening to the slurping and smacking sounds, we looked at the priestess sleeping soundly.
"Do we have to keep watching her sleep?"
"...Yeah. Now that we're here, though. Waking her by shaking feels wrong."
I hadn't planned to take over nursing from the woman, so it was awkward. I gazed down at her and carefully called up her status window. Fortunately, the name Arhil that the chief mentioned was correct, and her info appeared before my eyes.
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「Status Window」
[Name: Arhil]
[Title: Savior]
[True Name: The One Who Never Loses Hope]
[Level: 30]
[Class: Mid-tier Priest (B)]
[Race: Human]
[Strength: 25 (D) / Potential C]
[Vitality: 24 (D) / Potential B]
[Agility: 20 (D) / Potential C]
[Divine Power: 62 (B) / Potential S]
[Magic Resistance: 50 (C) / Potential S]
[Faith: 64 (B) / Potential S] ◀ Special
[Knowledge: 40 (C) / Potential A] ◀ Special
[Luck: 59 (C) / Potential C] ◀ Special
[Favorability: 50 (Interest)]
[Trust: 30 (Faith)]
「Traits 5/6」
[Saintess's Aptitude] - Rank: A
[Savior] - Rank: A
[Divine Amplification] - Rank: B
[Irresistible Allure] - Rank: B (A)
[For Your Sake] - Rank: S
「Skills 4/5」
[Divine Magic - Blessing] - Rank: B
[Divine Magic - Protection] - Rank: B
[Divine Martial Arts] - Rank: C
[Self-Defense Technique] - Rank: C
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'Hmm.'
The info contained a lot to unpack in various ways. After scanning the name, true name, stats, and traits, I realized my suspicions were correct. She was destined to become the apostle of Asmodeus, subordinate of the Seventh Overlord Artemisia.
'Since she hasn't become an apostle yet, recruiting her as a companion shouldn't clash with Asmodeus, right?'
Asmodeus might not even know of Arhil's existence right now. A slight unease lingered, but if push came to shove, I could just summon Bell-Terza.
Having that insurance made me feel secure. I double-checked her stats carefully.
Her strength and agility were low, but that's expected for a priest (her potential was even higher than average). Divine power, magic resistance, and faith were unrivaled—she dominated all three.
Her traits all enhanced divine magic blessings, protection, and healing. The only sticking points were [For Your Sake] and [Irresistible Allure]. What kind of traits were these to have such high ranks?
[Irresistible Allure] - Rank: B (A) / Proficiency: 3/10
Her innate figure, looks, and voice seduce reason, paired with a free-spirited worldview. Current class lowers rank by one step; vitality and agility +5, athleticism and reflexes +15%.
[For Your Sake] - Rank: D (S) / Proficiency: Master
She is ready to love, to nurture love. Despite her free-spirited worldview, no man has entered her heart yet. Meet the stringent conditions to earn her love, and rank rises at certain stages; at S-rank, she becomes a devoted, foolish woman who lives solely for you. Each rank up increases vitality and faith stats by 2. All stats +1 when with her beloved lord.
The effects left me speechless. As I moved to check her skills, Jeanne beside me tapped my thigh.
"She seems to be waking up."
As Jeanne said, Arhil twitched her eyelids and slowly opened them. She turned her gaze, looked at Judah, and said weakly,
"I'm hungry."