Recruit Party Members (7)

"But why did someone who seemed like a good person but turned out to be bad come here?"

"Is that seriously what you're calling me? It's way too long. I'll bite my tongue trying to say it every time. Just call me Chrome."

"Then why did Bad Chrome come here?"

"……."

Joy stared at Chrome with an expression that practically screamed Why? Is there a problem?, and Chrome had to fight the overwhelming urge to give her a good knock on the head. Her attitude was friendly for now, but there was no guarantee she wouldn't suddenly flip and come at him with everything she had.

"I'm just here to find an item. Or should I call it treasure hunting?"

Despite the occasional moments of irritation, exploring with Joy was surprisingly comfortable overall. With two clear landmarks—the golden mist and the mysterious stone—there was no risk of getting lost. Even if zombies chased them, Joy's abilities made evasion simple.

'This probably isn't how it's supposed to be done originally.'

He hadn't noticed it while fleeing from the zombies, but some of the erased tombstones still had fragments of text remaining. And conveniently, they were written in a language Chrome could read.

Even in an environment where east, west, north, and south were completely ambiguous, the inscriptions provided enough reference to distinguish front, back, left, and right. At first glance the tombstones looked identical, but upon closer inspection each had subtle distinguishing features. Combined with the grid-like arrangement and the positions of the symbols, there were more than enough hints to navigate by.

Moreover, it seemed there wasn't just one correct route. Different tombstones sometimes pointed to the same location. It was likely structured like a web of multiple paths, where following any one of them would eventually lead to the correct answer.

The zombies were annoying, but they weren't overwhelmingly strong if you focused solely on escaping. Some hints were complicated, but others were surprisingly simple. After wandering around a few times, the patterns became clear. Compared to the Lake of Wisdom, which basically told you to drop dead if you couldn't solve it, or the Shadow Mine, where you had to survive between a horde of golems and giant worms, this place was practically generous.

After all, it wouldn't make sense for a mission designed to encourage self-reliance to be so difficult that solo clearing was impossible. That would be the same as telling people to just die.

'Of course, if I'd tried to clear it through the normal route, it would've been quite the ordeal. So it's not exactly easy.'

And naturally, Chrome had no intention of clearing this place through the normal route.

"Joy, let's do that thing from earlier one more time in this direction. Does it put any real strain on you to use it repeatedly?"

"If I wanted to, I could jump from village to village, so doing it a few more times like before is no problem. But do you know the way?"

"My luck is my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠map, and my intuition is my compass."

"So you're not just bad, you're also weird in the head."

After several more jumps—accepting a bit of misunderstanding along the way—a massive structure appeared before Chrome and Joy. It looked like an enormous black pillar at first glance. It was a jet-black tree, similar to the one they'd seen before entering the Star Land. And in front of it stood a single tomb that seemed to use the tree itself as its headstone.

Finally, guarding it was a gravedigger... or rather, could you even call that thing a person?

Whatever it was, it wore a tattered, rag-like robe. It had no face. In fact, where a person's hands, feet, and torso should have been, there were only twisted tree roots shaped vaguely like human limbs.

While Chrome tensed up at the monstrous appearance, Joy looked strangely deflated. It wasn't that she was confident in her own strength. Rather, she seemed... disappointed.

"─■■■"

At that moment, the tree-root figure made a sound. It wasn't exactly language, but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it carried a clear rhythm. Chrome reflexively moved into a defensive stance, but the creature paid him no mind. It used what might have been its hand to cover its face.

There was a sickening crunch, crunch of something twisting and shifting. When the gravedigger finally lowered its hand, Chrome nearly jumped out of his skin at what was revealed.

"That damn family head...?"

It was the face of Bern Midas—Chrome's biological father and the former head of the Midas Merchant Group. The man who had been brutally murdered after getting caught up in the schemes of those cult fanatics.

If you asked whether he felt any familial affection, the answer would have been a resounding No. Bern had treated his children as nothing more than tools or convenient laborers. He was a moral wreck who even turned a blind eye when his own offspring and concubines killed each other. Their relationship had been less father and son and more like business partners who cooperated when it was mutually beneficial. So when Bern died, Chrome hadn't been particularly shocked.

Still, no matter how dry their bond had been, seeing someone you'd been certain was dead suddenly appear right in front of you was bound to be startling.

"─To be precise, it is different. I am merely borrowing the appearance of the most memorable deceased person you know."

The gravedigger continued speaking in the same unpleasant tone and expression Bern had worn in life. When Chrome noticed that the hands and feet visible beneath the ragged cloth were still clearly made of tree roots, he managed to regain his composure.

"Who are you?"

"I am the Gravedigger. A guardian created by the master who received the blessing of Yugu to preserve his past. However, that is not important to you."

"I suppose not. Though I feel a bit awkward saying this... could you possibly change your face to something else? It's rather uncomfortable for me in multiple ways."

"This is the nature assigned to me by the one who created me. Changing it at my own discretion is impossible."

Chrome ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠couldn't bring himself to sarcastically comment on how wonderful the so-called "master" must have been. Unlike Lorelei, whom he'd met at the Lake of Wisdom, or the golem from the Shadow Mine, the being before him didn't seem like a true individual. It felt more like a living spell or a familiar.

After briefly pondering what to say first, Chrome decided to start with something safe.

"I've come looking for the black butterfly."

At Chrome's words, the Gravedigger nodded without hesitation.

"That does not originally belong to this tomb. It is not something I am meant to protect."

When the Gravedigger shifted its gaze, a tree root crawled out from the ground beside Chrome and shot upward like a long pole. At its tip hung a brooch shaped like a black butterfly. After retrieving it, Chrome pulled out the mysterious stone from his pocket and spoke again.

"I've come to find the one this stone is calling to."

The Gravedigger answered in a flat tone.

"That too does not originally belong to this tomb. However, the one who entrusted it to me placed a single restriction upon it. Only one who gives the correct answer may claim it."

Huh? A correct answer? There hadn't been anything like that before... though come to think of it, obtaining the very first stone hadn't exactly been normal either. The second one, which he'd stolen from someone else, had been the outlier.

"I ask you this: Are the demon race beings that must be destroyed?"

"No."

His immediate answer without even a moment's hesitation caused Joy, who was listening nearby, to look visibly flustered. But the Gravedigger didn't seem to possess the emotional capacity to judge whether an answer came quickly or slowly, and simply continued to the next question.

"Even if the demon race were to harm not only you, but your close friends, family, and lover?"

"That's a strange way to phrase the question. If someone's attacking me, shouldn't I focus on smashing the attacker? Why waste energy by expanding the category unnecessarily? That's like saying if a human thief comes at you with a knife, you should exterminate all of humanity. What kind of nonsense is that?"

At Chrome's response, the Gravedigger fell silent for a moment, as if contemplating.

"……The basis is somewhat peculiar, but the answer itself shall be judged as correct. Take it."

Just like when he'd received the token earlier, another pole rose from the ground. Atop it rested a stone similar in shape to the one Chrome already possessed. When he brought the two into contact, they fused together seamlessly. New information appeared within Dantalion's Monocle.

Despite the increased amount of information, the name remained unclear, and many parts were still garbled and unreadable. Even so, the fragments that could be deciphered were enough to spark anticipation. It contained the power of the stars. Blessing. Shrinkage. And the surge in magic power and control he felt the moment the three pieces fused together.

'...At this rate, I might even be able to use mid-tier spells on my own.'

Of course, it would only be an extremely limited selection compared to the wide variety Layla could use, but still—it was a way to effectively utilize the overflowing mana he now possessed. Chrome's eyes sparkled with excitement at the unexpected bounty.

And for good ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠reason. Beneath the Gravedigger's feet, the golden mist still swirled endlessly across the ground. It was far denser than when he'd dug up that gold vein during his earlier test.

In an eager voice, Chrome said, "The things beneath your feet—"

Crack. Crunch!

Around the Gravedigger, pitch-black wood without a single hint of luster burst from the earth as if it had always been there. In the center of the wood, like a half-closed wardrobe door, was a narrow gap. Through that gap, countless hollow eyes and gnarled fingers peered out, as if waiting for Chrome's next words.

But a real man wouldn't falter at something like this!

"—I sincerely hope you may rest in peace, undisturbed by any wicked souls."

Chrome was a man who knew restraint. He definitely wasn't scared. Not at all. Really.