Ending Maker Chapter 16
Ending Maker Chapter 16
Chapter 4 - The Holy Staff
It was a night so bright with moonlight that no stars could be seen.
Seated beneath the dark blue night sky, Cordelia spoke with a face as beautiful as an angel's.
"F**k, f**k, f**k."
"Excessive profanity is subject to sanctions."
"Hey, I—"
"Right, you're calling it an interjection. Anyway, hurry up and decide."
Cordelia was not the only one beneath the fantastical moonlight.
Deep in the mountains.
In a place where the gentle sound of flowing valley water could be heard, the two of them stood facing each other.
Cordelia, her face on the verge of tears, let her shoulders slump as she spoke.
"Do we really have to do this?"
"We have to. We absolutely have to."
Because Cordelia's main scenario was brutal from the very start.
In order to not merely disrupt the Devil's Hand attack on the social gathering, but to completely defend against it, they needed a holy relic that possessed power antithetical to demons—the Holy Staff, Moonlight.
"Yellow Storm."
"What."
When Cordelia answered listlessly, Yuder cleared his throat once and took a step forward. He placed both hands on Cordelia's shoulders and spoke with a serious face and voice.
"This is something only you can do. Only you can pull this off."
"You can make it sound cool, but the point is still the same..."
"Oh, whatever. If you don't want to, then don't. Is this my event? It's your event."
Because the event for obtaining the Holy Staff was exclusive to Cordelia.
"F**k, I really hate the devs."
Cordelia spat out another curse, but the fight had clearly gone out of her; it seemed she had given up resisting.
Yuder let out a sigh mixed with various emotions and patted Cordelia's shoulder again.
"If you're going to do it, let's start getting ready. We don't have time. We can't go through all this trouble and then miss the timing and have the event fail, right?"
"Ugh... better to get it over with than keep agonizing over it. Fine, I'll do it. And I'll do it perfectly."
"That's right, that's our Yellow Storm."
Yuder grinned and even gave a thumbs-up, then stepped back and looked up at the night sky again.
The origin of all of this had been an incident two days ago, on the road to Langesthei.
* * *
One day after leaving the Count Bayel Household.
The schedule was generous from the start, so the party did not hurry.
They advanced at a leisurely pace, partly to let the horses rest, and whenever they stopped somewhere to rest, Maia and Dahlia always got out of the carriage to take a break.
It was partly to escape the stuffy carriage and get some fresh air, but more than that, it was to give Yuder and Cordelia time alone together.
"How should I put it, we're quite considerate, aren't we?"
"They make such a lovely couple. Don't they just make you want to root for them?"
Maia answered Dahlia's self-praise with a laugh.
Because the two of them felt exactly the same way.
The agreement to get out of the carriage and give the two time alone whenever it stopped had not been discussed beforehand.
It had happened naturally—the result of the maid's and the escort knight's consideration for their masters meshing together perfectly.
Sitting in the shade of a tree, Dahlia accepted the teacup Maia offered and giggled softly as she continued.
"They were always a handsome pair and well-matched, but...... since last month, they've suddenly gotten really close, haven't they?"
"Yes, especially after the daytime escape...... no, after they shared time alone together."
"Ha, really, this is just between us, but...... right before that, the young lady was a bit ill. So I worried a lot, but I suppose it was a small misfortune that preceded a great blessing."
"Oh my, the young lady too?"
When Maia blinked as if startled, Dahlia let out an "ah—" and spoke.
"Now that you mention it, the young master was also unwell at that time, wasn't he?"
"Yes, a little......."
In truth, Yuder had been spouting nonsense and causing quite a scene, but it was not something Maia could reveal even to his fiancée's bodyguard—rather, especially not to someone in that position.
And the same went for Dahlia.
When Cordelia had been ill a month ago, she had not only spouted a great deal of nonsense, but had also unleashed a storm of profanity so intense that everyone who heard it was shocked.
'What on earth was that back then.......'
For such vulgar curses to pour out of the mouth of a young lady as pretty as a doll.
It was truly a sight she never wanted to see again.
"Still, things really turned out well. The young master's health is improving, and now the two of them are even going to the gathering together."
"Indeed."
After sharing a soft giggle, the maid and the escort knight looked toward the carriage again.
What kind of conversation were the two of them having inside there?
Just imagining the two of them together was enough to make Maia and Dahlia smile. Surely they were exchanging sweet words of love inside.
"Hey, let's split it evenly, as fellow human beings, okay?"
"Come on, why should I split what my father gave me?"
"It's money my father gave me to buy you something tasty."
"Right, I'll allocate the budget appropriately and buy you something tasty."
Cordelia and Yuder had been bickering over the money pouch Count Chase had slipped Yuder just before the trip. Then, as if on cue, they both stretched.
The enchanted carriage gave them a comfortable ride even on the road, but staying inside the whole time was stifling.
'Still, it's better than putting on the fiancé act in front of everyone.'
Even if it was a little stuffy, being alone together like this was far more comfortable and pleasant.
"Anyway...... let's start having a productive conversation now."
"What? Like the schedule ahead?"
"Yeah, the schedule. Especially... whether the things that are supposed to happen really will happen. That kind of thing."
One month since awakening Outboxer009's memories.
Yuder had already confirmed several times that this world was nearly identical to the world of Hero Legend 2.
But what he had confirmed so far was only the elements that made up the world.
Things that simply existed, like people, terrain, history, and objects.
'Will the story itself progress exactly like Hero Legend 2?'
Of course, even if it did, it would only be the early part.
Once Yuder and Cordelia started interfering with events, the butterfly effect was bound to change the story itself.
But even so, the fact that "what was supposed to happen happened" held tremendous meaning.
"First of all, our departure date is almost the same as the date Cordelia departed in the original."
"If it proceeds exactly like the game......."
"The bridge ahead on the road we're taking now collapses and blocks the way."
In the original, there had been two choices.
Either detour around the road and use the mountain path, or head south and find a boat to cross the river.
It was the first real branching choice—the first time they had to choose one route or the other.
For veterans like them, the answer was obvious.
"Because that's how you can carry out the hidden event."
"Ugh."
At Yuder's words, Cordelia made a slightly reluctant face.
It was because of the contents of the hidden event.
But it was right then.
"Young master, I have something to report. May I have a moment?"
A young knight's voice came from outside the carriage.
He was a knight named Jun, assigned by the Count Bayel Household to escort them on this trip, and he had distinguished himself in the previous expedition—his first deployment.
"Yes, that's fine."
"Excuse me for a moment."
When Yuder responded, Jun opened the carriage door.
He looked for a moment at Yuder and Cordelia sitting quietly facing each other, then turned back to Yuder and continued.
"I asked some people who were coming back along the road, and it seems the bridge has collapsed and blocked the way. It looks like we'll have to take a detour."
'As expected.'
What was supposed to happen had happened.
Yuder glanced at Cordelia, and Cordelia furrowed her brow and nodded.
"Understood. Then we'll be using the mountain path?"
"Yes, you know the local geography."
"Since it's my first trip, I did a bit of studying in advance."
"Ah...... I see. Yes, as you said, young master, we plan to use the mountain path. The schedule will be delayed by about a day...... but for now, it seems like the best option."
"Let's do that. The schedule had plenty of leeway from the start, so it's probably best not to rush."
"Thank you for understanding."
Yuder's polite, friendly manner soon relaxed the stiffness in Jun's expression.
It seemed Yuder had made a good impression on him.
"We're counting on you."
"Understood. We may be taking a route outside the original plan, but I will make sure there is no problem whatsoever with your safety."
Jun, who had declared this with knightly confidence, bowed once more to Yuder and Cordelia and closed the carriage door.
And immediately after.
Yuder spoke to Cordelia.
"It happened."
Just like in the game, the road had been blocked and they had chosen a detour.
The larger implications mattered, but what caught Yuder's attention was that it was a prerequisite for a hidden event.
Cordelia let her shoulders slump as she spoke.
"Hey, one thing."
"Yeah."
"In the game, that...... if you go along the mountain path and reach a specific area, the event triggers automatically, right?"
"It does."
"But here, even if we go to that specific area, the event won't trigger automatically, will it?"
"Of course it won't."
Hero Legend 2 gave players a great deal of freedom, but in the end it still belonged to the "story RPG" genre.
During some events, however, control would be taken from the player and the characters would perform scripted actions on their own.
But reality was different.
There was no way that going to a specific area would suddenly make your body move on its own and recite predetermined lines.
'If that did happen, that would be a problem in its own way.'
Either way, what mattered was triggering the event.
Then what should they do?
How could they trigger the event that had existed in the game and obtain the same reward?
Actually, it was simple.
Both Yuder and Cordelia already knew the answer.
"We have to reenact the event."
Perform the predetermined actions at the specific location, just as they had seen in Hero Legend 2.
As if putting on a play.
"I'm counting on a good performance, Yellow Storm."
Yuder winked, and Cordelia raised her middle finger.
And two days later.
The promised time had finally arrived.
* * *
"F**k, f**k, f**k."
"Excessive profanity is......."
"Shiiit, shiiit, shiiit."
"Fine, you win. If cursing helps you relax and focus on acting, I guess that's good enough."
They had stopped near a valley along the mountain-route detour.
Yuder, who had been spouting nonsense with his back turned to Cordelia, opened the pocket watch he had received from Gale before leaving and checked the time.
'The event triggers at midnight.'
Dahlia's night watch shift was from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., and those two hours were the only time Yuder and Cordelia could be alone together.
Maia was a maid and had been excluded from night watch from the start, while asking the other knights to give them time alone would never work.
'The current time is 11:50.'
Only ten minutes remained until the event triggered.
"Are you ready?"
"W-wait! If you turn around, I'll kill you?"
"You're fully dressed anyway."
"Ugh...... fine, you can turn around now."
When Cordelia gave her permission, Yuder spun around and let out an exclamation without realizing it.
"Wow."
Honestly, he was surprised.
He had known for a long time that she was pretty, but perhaps he was only now realizing it all over again.
Before Yuder's eyes stood Cordelia, wrapped only in a large towel, with her hair down and barefoot.
'Of course, she's fully dressed under the towel.'
Anyway, how to put it.
Standing there beneath the fantastical moonlight with her hair down, Cordelia looked so beautiful she seemed almost mysterious.
"If you laugh, I'll kill you. If you look away, I'll kill you. If you keep staring, I'll kill you too."
Of course, that was if she kept her mouth shut.
"Hey, then where the hell am I supposed to look?"
"I don't know. Anyway, I'm starting now, so hide well. Got it?"
"Understood, my lady."
The two exchanged one last look, took a deep breath, and moved to their assigned positions.
The event began like this.
Cordelia, having taken the mountain path, discovers a valley during the journey, and to wash off her sweat, she avoids people's eyes and bathes in the valley around midnight.
'Well...... you'd call it a fanservice event, I guess.'
Actually, Yuder had a similar event too.
Anyway, while bathing, Cordelia was captivated by the beauty of the moonlight and began to sing.......
"Ugh, the water's fucking freezing. Is this insane? It's not even summer, it's mid-autumn, why the hell would anyone get in valley water."
Cordelia shuddered as she dipped one foot into the water. Hidden in the bushes, Yuder grimaced and gave her the signal.
It was a signal to just sing something.
"Ha, seriously. Cordelia seems completely insane."
After making a self-criticism that was not really self-criticism, Cordelia entered the water shivering, looked up at the moon, and began to sing.
Actually, at this point, she felt like she understood why Cordelia had sung in the original.
Entering the wide valley water alone in the pitch-dark night, even knowing that Yuder was watching her, it was terrifying beyond words.
How should she put it—it felt like something was about to leap out of the water at any moment?
She felt like she couldn't endure it without singing something.
"Twinkle, twinkle, little star~ Shining so beautifully~"
When Cordelia began singing timidly, Yuder sent another signal.
It was a signal to sing the song from the original, but Yellow Storm was not Outboxer009. How was she supposed to memorize a song that appeared briefly in an event?
'It seems like a song with stars in it, so it'll probably work.'
How long had she been singing with that thought in mind?
Over yonder, beneath the fantastical moonlight.
There were beings responding to her song.