Chapter 26
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Hidden Route
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[Main quest has been updated.]
【Tragedy of Skarnas Village】
17. After twists and turns, you discovered the object binding the ghost bride: a ring.
To be precise, it was an empty ring case.
You found a single piece of paper inside the case.
It was the last note she left behind.
18. She loved him with all her heart, but all she received in return was scorn and humiliation.
The noble she loved betrayed her, and just before a horrific disaster struck the village, he left this item behind as if making a charitable donation.
The ghost bride realized that the empty case was just like her—she had been empty from the start.
He had never loved her.
19. The man she loved was merely seeking a sacrifice for the Eternal Night.
Eternal Night—you recall the story the Sage told you.
Everything fits together perfectly.
You have uncovered the truth behind this tragedy.
Quest Clear Condition: ???? Defeat
I'd naturally assumed there would be a ring inside.
I thought she was bound here, unable to let go of her lingering attachment to the one she loved, tethered to that object.
But she had never been loved by him.
Just like the ring he'd given her, which was a lie.
Everyone in this village, the children who lived with her, the ghost bride...
They had all been used by that man.
That explained why the village seemed so intact despite everything.
And why the Eternal Night phenomenon was accelerating.
Her fiancé had sacrificed the entire village as an offering.
Since it happened in an instant, there was no resistance, leaving the village unscathed. And because the sacrifice was made, the symptoms of Eternal Night had begun to manifest.
Truth be told, I had no intention of caring about the ghost bride's past, whatever it was.
The request from the little ones and the fluttery one was simply to let the ghost bride rest in peace.
And smashing the case right in front of me would fulfill that request.
Even if the ring was missing, she was still bound to this object.
The entire case was what held her captive.
My beak could easily shatter it, and then a light stomp with the silver coins I'd prepared beforehand would do the trick. The ghost bride would naturally dissipate.
This long battle would finally end.
Both the ghost bride and the little ones who couldn't move on without her would find peace.
I tensed my beak.
Aimed at the case and snapped the lid shut.
Retraced my steps along the path I'd taken before.
There was one thing I needed to confirm before making her vanish.
"Ah... my ba...by...."
Her form fading, the ghost bride was stroking the Baby Laces.
Worried they might touch the silver, fretting anxiously.
"My... ba...by...."
Clad in white fabric, her skin a shade close to blue, makeup smeared with tears, flowers wilted.
Yet no one would think of her as a vengeful spirit.
Even as her body burned away, her concern for the children made her seem almost sacred.
"Woooong...."
The Baby Laces let out mournful cries.
They knew my plan would bring her pain.
Yet they had cooperated with me anyway.
Because leaving her to wander this place forever would be even greater suffering.
They wanted to grant her belated rest after her lifetime of hardship.
These innocent, pitiful souls stayed by her side, unable to pass on because she weighed on their hearts.
"Ah... ahhh...."
The ghost bride's head turned.
Her eyes met mine as I held the ring case in my beak.
"My... give it baaaack!"
A horrific scream.
Whoosh!
Purple flames erupted at the same moment.
But weakened by the silver, the number of fireballs had dwindled to one.
"Don't take iiiit!"
Unable to fly any longer, she crawled along the ground.
Her long arms propping her up as she desperately reached for me—it was starting to look pitiful.
Boom!
Of course, the fireball that crashed right in front of me was anything but pitiful.
I'd confirmed everything I needed to.
Now it was time to do what had to be done.
"Give it back, give it back, give it baaaack!"
The ghost bride crawled toward me like a madwoman.
"Shoooong!"
"Woooong...."
The fluttery one and the little ghosts showed signs of unease.
They couldn't understand my sudden actions.
I had plenty of silver, and I'd secured the item I wanted—the plan had succeeded completely.
Smashing this object would end it all, yet here I was, back in this place.
It wasn't some sentimental human nonsense from my pre-crow days, pitying her tragic story.
...Not that I'd been swept up in momentary emotions. This was a deliberate choice.
This world was like a game of sorts.
Just look at the status window and quests given to me.
In high-freedom games like this, the story branches based on player choices.
Defeat the ghost bride by force?
Boring and pretentious.
Plus, way too risky.
Then destroy the medium to make her vanish?
Gather info, get help from allies, fight battles, and seize the enemy's weakness.
According to the quest log, that's the standard strategy.
The normal route, basically.
And if there's a normal route, there's always a hidden one.
The kind that doesn't blatantly guide you—players have to figure it out themselves.
Harder than the normal route, but with far better rewards.
That's what I'm aiming for.
Whoosh!
Another fireball flew at me.
"Caw."
I didn't retreat—instead, I advanced.
Couldn't use Shadow Form.
Not while holding this item.
Feathers singed, skin burning, but I pressed forward.
"Mine, mine, miiiine... give it baaaack!"
Finally, right before the ghost bride.
Blood tears streaming, she swung her sharp arm.
I shot forward like an arrow and flipped open the case lid right there.
"No... don't...."
Her hand halted mid-attack, covering her eyes.
Desperately trying to shield them.
Was it to avoid reliving happy memories of the past? Or the hatred for the man who betrayed her?
To her, the empty ring case was a truth she never wanted to face—or a lifelong curse.
But now things were different.
"...Huh?"
Her voice trembled.
Moonlight filtering through the window cracks.
The ring inside the case caught the light, gleaming a beautiful silver.
"Pretty... so pretty...."
It wasn't pretty.
Just a crude imitation of a ring, made by punching a hole in a crow-embossed silver coin with my beak.
Who would mistake this for a ring?
Aside from the shine, it didn't resemble one at all.
"Pretty... pretty... my baby...."
Playing with the little ghosts had taught me something.
Resentments can sometimes unravel with surprisingly childish, simple tricks.
The ghost bride stared blankly at the ring.
I dipped my head to her briefly, then picked up the silver-coin ring with my beak.
The mansion's evil spirit, in her girlish demeanor, extended her pale, slender fingers.
Silver and impure beings are polar opposites.
Even brief contact would scorch her.
Yet she reached for the ring anyway.
My task was obvious.
Plop.
The silver ring from her case slipped onto her delicate ring finger.
"Ah...."
The effect was immediate.
The eerie aura faded, the chill filling the mansion gradually dissipated.
"Aah...."
Her skin returned to its original hue, the wilted flowers bloomed anew.
"Wooong!"
"Wooong!"
The little ghosts grabbed her hands and spun around her in delight.
"How... and you children...."
The ghost bride wept.
Not grotesque blood tears, but a woman's genuine tears.
The little ghosts rubbed against her face as if wiping them away.
"Are you the one who resolved my grudge...?"
A calm voice mingled with one of joy.
She'd somehow realized a crow had done this.
No reason to hide my credit, so I nodded simply.
"Truly... thank you so much...."
The bouquet fell.
And in its place, I was pulled into her embrace.
"Cheep?"
A hug of gratitude, maybe?
Anything goes at this point, but with our bodies touching like this, it feels like my soul's being siphoned out a bit.
"...Ah, sorry, unintentionally."
...She really was absorbing souls?
"Caw."
Helped her out and nearly turned into a mummy.
The ghost bride seemed fully sane now.
No trace of her earlier resentment; she was utterly rational.
"Thanks to your grace, I can finally depart. Not just me, but my children too."
The little ghosts danced joyfully, hand in hand.
With the ghost bride saved, they had no reason to linger.
A brief farewell, and they'd pass on with her.
"Shooong."
The fluttery one clung tightly to my side—not the ghost bride's.
...The fluttery one will leave too, I suppose.
It had sought me out to ask for her salvation, after all.
I never thought it'd stick around forever.
Though our time was short, it made things easier—I'm grateful.
"If I could, I'd give you everything I have as thanks, but time doesn't permit it."
Here we go—the main event.
This was why I'd gone the hard route, hoping for something like this.
I knew a restored ghost bride would offer more than crumbs out of gratitude.
"Shoooong!"
The fluttery one stuck to my wing like glutinous rice cake.
Seems it'd grown fond of me too.
I get how you feel, but now's not the time.
Hidden quest reward time.
"That child's name is Rebecca."
Rebecca?
A girl's name.
"Shung."
You were really a girl ghost, fluttery one?
Getting confirmation feels kinda weird.
"Just as you did for me, please treat her kindly from now on."
The ghost bride extended her hand.
Her white hand fading away.
"Shooooong...!"
And the fluttery one growing darker.
Wait.
Why are you getting blacker?
And what do you mean "treat her kindly from now on"?
"Shooooong!"
Black smoke seeped into the fluttery one's cloth.
The white fabric turned black.
The color of my feathers, like.
...The Lace turned racist?