Chapter 23. Wood Revenge IV
Episode 23.
Wood Revenge IV
Thinking back, there had been signs all along.
Kria had lingered in front of the corpse of the archer who had attacked us, and she'd understood the cause of death in detail.
'What if that wasn't just a sharp eye, but direct communication with the dead?'
Or if she had been knowledgeable about the human body in general from the start.......
With all these thoughts running through my head, I looked at Kria's face—
"Ah, no!"
That startled me. It was practically a scream.
Looking closely, this girl's face was white as a sheet, and she was breathing raggedly like someone who had sprinted at full speed.
She obviously looked unsteady, so even I tried to soothe her in a calm tone.
"Kria. Calm down first."
"I, I......."
"Start with slow, deep breaths. There's no one here who's going to think you're strange."
That was when Seigrena cut in.
"Wait. You can actually contact ghosts? Wow. That's creepy......."
"No......!"
At those words, Kria shook her head and backed away, then bolted deeper into the Corpse Den.
"......."
Seigrena glanced at me and gave a dry cough.
"Sorry."
I really wanted to smack her just once.
"You wait here for a bit."
"What? By myself?"
"You're not by yourself."
"Huh? ......Hey!"
When I pointed at the Pyromancer, Seigrena shrieked in a sharp voice, but I ignored her and ran.
'She seems to be under the <Confusion> debuff.'
I recalled the penalties a character under Confusion receives.
Increased stress level.
Decreased stats.
Increased skill failure chance when casting.
On top of that, the chances of developing <Reduced Concentration>, <Fatigue>, <Depression>, and <Panic Disorder> also increase sharply.
For reference, if you develop <Reduced Concentration> or <Panic Disorder>, you can even end up attacking your allies during battle.
What came to mind next was how to remove the <Confusion> debuff.
'Talking with her often. Giving her gifts she likes. Avoiding bringing her into combat whenever possible.......'
You have to repeat these actions steadily over several days for the <Confusion> debuff to disappear.
'Damn it.'
There's nothing I can do right now.
At present, there was no time to have repeated conversations, no gift to give, and I had to coax and soothe her into participating in combat somehow.
"......."
If this were a game, for example, I probably wouldn't even have been able to attempt <Persuasion>. Because the dice don't even roll for an action with a base probability of zero.
But—
"Kria."
Reality is different.
No matter what you do, once you act, the possibility is not zero.
Even if it's a probability so slim it makes you want to curse.
I approached Kria, who was trembling with her back turned.
* * *
What should I say first?
Honestly, I didn't know.
Because I still hadn't figured out anything about Kria.
At times like this, I wished I could see dialogue options, but of course no such convenient thing happened.
"......."
Kria was crouched in a corner. Aside from her shoulders trembling like an aspen, it was a familiar sight.
I didn't approach rashly and just stood still for now.
[Time Remaining: 00:19:57]
......Of course, I had no time to spare. I'd already spent quite a while searching the corpses.
But if I opened my mouth carelessly, Kria seemed likely to run again.
'Let's wait a little.'
The time I set in my head was three minutes. If there was still no reaction by then, I had no choice.
I would have to brace myself for being cursed at and come on strong.
Just then, Kria mumbled.
"......Shut up."
I hadn't even said anything yet.
"I said no. No matter what you all say, I......."
But somehow, Kria's words didn't seem to be directed at me.
I called out to the girl muttering like a madwoman.
"Kria."
Her shoulders flinched.
She seemed to have only now noticed my presence.
"Wh, when did you get here......?"
Even as she spoke, she still didn't look back.
Apparently she didn't want to show her face right now.
Respecting that wish, I sat down at a suitable distance and replied.
"Just now."
And I really had just arrived, so it wasn't a lie.
But Kria, with a suspicious gaze, opened and closed her mouth repeatedly as if she had something to say—
"Ha......."
In the end, she let out a deep sigh.
"......Why did you follow me?"
"Because I don't want to die."
"I don't know what you mean."
"I mean that if you don't help, we might all die here. So I'm struggling as hard as I can too."
As I spoke, I felt a sigh coming on too.
My true feelings had come out first, and I thought that comfort really didn't suit me after all.
"We somehow made it to the Corpse Den, but honestly, our survival odds still aren't high even now."
"You didn't say that before."
"Why would I? The situation's already a shitshow. No need to shatter morale on top of it."
"Then why are you saying what you weren't going to say......?"
"Because the situation changed thanks to you."
"Me?"
I nodded.
"Yeah. You."
"......."
"Your ability to communicate with souls and your aptitude for the <Necromancer> class. If we use those well, our survival rate will jump dramatically."
Kria closed her mouth again.
Had I been too hasty?
I wanted to stay as calm as possible too, but with no time left, it was hard to suppress my impatience.
"Kaindel, aren't you scared of me?"
That was an unexpected question.
"Scared?"
"Touching corpses, talking with souls...... that kind of thing is unsettling, isn't it."
"So what? I go around communicating with Magical Beasts right now myself."
Only then did Kria's gaze land on the weasel sprawled asleep on my shoulder.
"......Come to think of it, what's that kid's name?"
"Doesn't really have one."
"Give it one. It's pitiful if you keep calling it weasel."
......What kind of conversation flow is this.
"If you feel that sorry for it, you give it one."
"Me? Hmm......."
After thinking for a moment, Kria spoke carefully.
"How about Weaselly?"
Because it's a weasel, so Weaselly?
I didn't love it, and the words rose to the back of my throat, but I sensed an expectant air from her, so I nodded.
"......Sure. I like it. Weaselly. Does it carry the meaning of using it as emergency rations if things go south?"
"That joke isn't funny at all."
"......."
"Weaselly...... mm. Cute. I'm sure it likes peanuts too......."
I didn't know what peanuts and jelly had to do with anything...... but unexpectedly, Kria's voice seemed to brighten a little.
"Can I hold it once?"
"Later. It seems tired right now, so let's let it rest."
"Ah. Okay."
The mood was loosening in a way I hadn't expected.
The weasel—no, Weaselly—had pulled it off again.
Somehow, I found myself disliking the little creature less and less as it purred in its sleep.
[Time Remaining: 14:41]
That said, there was no room to dawdle.......
I spoke in a calm tone.
"I know Necromancers are shunned."
"......."
"But that doesn't mean you have to deny the talent you have. The ability to see souls itself is extremely rare."
I wasn't feeding her a line. The ability to communicate with the dead really is tremendously valuable, and depending on the path you take, it can even earn you good treatment in the kingdom.
"What are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying that when and how you use an ability matters far more. Even with a sword, isn't it the same? It's obviously a dangerous tool, but it feels completely different in a criminal's hands versus a knight's...... no, a cook's hands."
I had almost said knight and hastily changed my words, worried she might think of that White Knight bastard.
"In fact, they say the most important talent for clergy is recognizing souls, like you do."
"......Talent isn't the problem."
Kria spoke again in a gloomy voice.
"They said if I ever went around talking about seeing ghosts one more time, they'd sew my eyes and mouth shut."
......That's a bloodcurdling way to put it.
Judging by the phrasing, it didn't seem to be Kazen.
"Who?"
"The scariest person in the world."
"So who is that?"
"......."
Kria closed her mouth.
Given the atmosphere, I thought pressing further would be difficult.
In the game too, trust drops sharply when you ask questions that cross the line.
"That's as they said. Talking with souls is unsettling and unpleasant."
"Well. I don't really know about that. If you're asking how I feel, I'd be more envious than anything. I don't have any reason to dislike it."
"Envious? Are you serious?"
"Yeah. Because I wanted to be like you too."
Perhaps taking this as a bad joke, Kria said with a stiff face.
"If you're saying that as a prank......."
"Does it sound like a prank?"
I looked at Kria's face with a clear conscience.
In the first place, Necromancer was the class that best suited my aptitude.
'I set the <FoS> new record with that class too.'
If I could change classes right now, I'd throw away <Summoner> on the spot and switch over.
That's how refined the Necromancer build I designed is.
Thinking about not being able to use it still makes my stomach churn.
I don't know much about this world's social norms...... but as a gamer, that's how I feel.
"......."
Kria fell silent again.
Somehow, there even seemed to be a hint of bewilderment in her silence.
"......I've never heard anyone say that before."
"......."
"Anyway, Kaindel, you're really strange."
"Me?"
"Your way of talking, your way of thinking, the things you do....... You don't look like a Stoker at all."
"Why are we talking about my job here? And anyone would act like me in this situation. A person pushed to the brink of death will do anything."
The last part is also my personal conviction.
"Is that so......? I heard that even if you lose your life, there are things a person must uphold."
"Like what."
"Dignity, or grace, or honor......."
A scoff escaped me on its own.
"Dignity, grace, and honor are things you can only worry about after you survive."
"Then do you think it's okay to do anything as long as you survive?"
"Not exactly. There's a limit to everything. But I do think an ability to talk to souls and handle corpses is something you should actively use."
"To survive?"
"Yeah. To survive."
After echoing Kria's words, I added.
"But if you'd rather die than use that ability, then just don't use it."
Kria asked with a surprised look.
"Is that okay?"
"Why wouldn't it be? I didn't come here knowing about your talent in advance. The success rate will drop, but it's not like there's no other way at all."
Of course, that path would be hard and grueling enough to make you cough blood, but forcing someone who doesn't want to do it would only drive efficiency into the ground.
It was the same in <FoS>.
There was never a case where forcing an unwilling companion to work ended well. If it came to that, I'd rather walk the thorny path by choice.
"......."
Kria fell silent.
Still, she seemed much calmer than at first.
I wanted to give her more time, but unfortunately we didn't have it. In the end, I was the one who needed her help, so I spoke one last time.
"But if the reason you won't use that ability is simply because you're afraid of people's stares or judgments...... then I'd advise you not to let that stop you. Not just for me, but for your own sake too."
"Why?"
"Because this is a forest, not the kingdom."
"......A forest."
"Right. A place where you have to do anything to survive. And among those things, a place where you have to find what you're good at."
A place where contemplation and study of your own talents are directly tied to survival.
I looked at Kria and said.
"Please, at least don't deny your talent."
That was the moment.
[<Kria>'s trust increases.]
Suddenly, I heard a rustling sound, and Kria turned to look at me.
"......."
I was slightly surprised.
Was it because she had run in a hurry earlier? Or had her bangs flipped back while she was curled up with her head buried? Her usually shaggy bangs were neatly swept back, revealing her bare face.
Actually, if that were all, there'd be no reason for me to be surprised.
"Kaindel."
"......Yeah. Go ahead."
"I'll help. If it's something I can do."
I nodded.
"......Thanks. But let me ask one thing."
"What?"
"Why did you usually cover your face?"
Kria casually lowered her bangs back down and said.
"Because my older brother told me to."
Kazen....... You were wiser than I thought.
I nodded and said.
"......Keep doing that as much as you can."
* * *
When I returned to where Seigrena was, she jumped to her feet and shouted.
"Why are you so late? I thought something had happened!"
"Something happened?"
"Th, that's......."
Seeing her hem and haw, I had a good idea.
'She thought we'd abandoned her, like Laurent did.'
Abandoned, my ass.
Every usable person is precious at a moment like this.
Meaning even a noble young lady who looks like she's never gotten her hands dirty is better than nothing.
I pointed at the Pyromancer's corpse.
"Kria. Go to that soul. Remember what I told you on the way here? Just do it like that."
"Okay."
Kria nodded and approached the Pyromancer. Her expression was a little stiff, which worried me.
"......I, who came to the forest to burn the Black Tree, shall use the cursed trees as firewood and hold a cremation in your honor."
Kria recited the prepared lines admirably. Though her voice trembled slightly.
Watching her, Seigrena whispered in my ear.
"......Why is she suddenly talking in that pompous tone?"
"......."
She was just imitating the speech style used when communing with the Pyromancer's soul in the game.
Hearing it in person was a little much for me too, but since I was the one who'd told her to say it, I kept a straight face.
Whoosh!
Still, she must have delivered it properly, because the vanished flame reappeared.
-Ah....... At last.......
Karen Hogval's soul spoke with a smile so clear it made me forget how faint his form was.
-Young junior....... I shall gladly offer you my remains. Raise the corpse of this Pyromancer, Karen Hogval. Use my remains as a tool to burn those vile trees, and soothe the spirits of those who cannot close their eyes in grief.......
The Pyromancer's soul gradually faded and seeped into Kria's chest.
'Soul storage.'
With this, the Pyromancer's soul was bound to Kria.
'Phew. I've done everything I can with this for now.......'
[Time Remaining: 00:04:11]
Now, only the final battle remained.