Chapter 38
Chapter 38
4th Rank Leon charged, scattering radiance.
I gauged the distance.
I stepped on Leon's right foot as he charged from the left, stopping his movement.
I swung Mundum Exstinguit horizontally, a sword crafted by the master Dark Elf Mallenis.
The sword strike that stemmed from my movement was, naturally, the Dragon Slayer Sword.
The first form, Thursahǫgg, a horizontal slash.
Along with the spear Leon thrust, I severed his neck.
['The Sword Demon of the Black Typhoon' harbors a small doubt upon seeing your Sword Path.]
['The Saintess Who Chases the Light' widens her eyes.]
['Judge with a Thousand Eyes' flinches and traces his own neck with his hand.]
What could it be?
Did they recognize the Dragon Slayer Sword? It seemed they only held suspicion for now.
From their perspective, they could never have predicted that I possessed a gallery allowing me to converse with Transcendental seniors, including Senior Light Sword.
Of the three, I killed two: Wolf and Leon.
Now, only Nick remained.
Perhaps because I had killed two 4th Rank individuals, Nick stood still, both feet planted on the ground.
With my sword at Nick's throat, I asked,
"Why did you try to kill that woman?"
Nick, whose brown mustache was noticeable, let out a hollow laugh at my words.
"Heh, Keke! I was just wondering how House Eberhart managed to send such a strong individual, and now I find it absurd. I thought you were just some madman who charged in without knowing anything..."
Nick continued,
"It's true that the girl's face is quite pretty. She managed to charm the mind of that foolish young master, and now she's even charmed a passing madman... I know you're strong, but do you really think you can handle the members sent by House Raphaello alone?"
I understood the situation.
House Raphaello was pursuing Carmin, the young lady of House Eberhart. That much was confirmed.
As I lowered my sword slightly, Nick, mistaking it for complacency, extended his sword-wielding right hand.
Thwack!
With my left hand, I drew the Bloodied Dagger I had kept at my waist and stabbed it into Nick's diaphragm.
"Gah, cough..."
Nick staggered back.
Soon, he plummeted to the ground.
I approached Carmin, who was standing where I had told her to stay.
"I'd like to hear the full story."
Carmin nodded vigorously.
"Y-yes..."
I took out the black robes of Wolf and Leon, which were not stained with blood.
"Put these on."
Seeing the circle drawn on the back, I knew these were the clothes worn by members of the Umbra organization.
If they wore these, at least no one would shoot arrows or try to kill them from afar without hesitation.
I put one on too.
I looked around. For now, it seemed safer to get out of the alley.
My gaze shifted to Carmin's waist.
A sword.
"Are you a swordswoman?"
Carmin nodded at my question.
"Your Rank?"
"...2nd Rank."
The words "Then why were you just standing there?" rose to my lips, but I didn't utter them.
Looking at the state of the 4th Rank individuals, it seemed my own actions at 2nd Rank were abnormal.
"Since I've killed these guys anyway, I can't be free of this matter. Even if I seem like a strange person, I've ended up on your side. Raphaello? You said they were sent by some Count's family?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Follow me."
I'd never been in a chase like this before.
For now, we moved back to a street with a lot of people.
"Explain what I need to know as quickly as possible."
As I whispered, Carmin began to recount her situation as I had asked.
"I am betrothed to Witor, the eldest son of House Raphaello. We were planning to proceed with the marriage as scheduled, but I learned that Witor had personality flaws."
"What kind?"
"He killed the maids of his family as a form of amusement. Not one or two, but many. So, I told him I wanted to break off the engagement... and that's what happened afterward."
"You told him?"
"Yes, I sent a letter."
"If they sent assassins like these after you sent a letter, they would have tried to kill you on the spot if you had spoken to him face-to-face."
Carmin let out a deep sigh.
"They probably would have."
I gestured with my chin towards a place that looked like a teahouse.
I entered the teahouse with Carmin.
"Right by the door."
Carmin sat right next to the door as I instructed.
It was to make a quick escape if we were discovered.
"So, what do you need to do to survive? Should I take you back to your home, House Eberhart?"
"...My family will eventually be unable to withstand Raphaello's pressure. Even before I left home, they were trying to persuade me. They said it would be better to just get married."
So, taking her back to House Eberhart wouldn't be a fundamental solution.
"Then, how do you plan to overcome this situation by leaving your family?"
It was a question I asked without expecting a proper answer.
But the answer that came from Carmin's lips contained a more concrete picture than I had anticipated.
"If I go to Ventura Academy and complete the admission process, the Academy will protect me. The Academy does not ignore students who set foot on its grounds. Once I am fully admitted, even House Raphaello won't be able to touch me."
Immediately after Carmin finished her explanation, notification windows began to flood my vision.
『You have reached the truth of the narrative!』
『You must now make a choice.』
It was the same content as when I encountered the Catfolk girl Mike on the 3rd floor and heard her story.
Something felt ominous.
Could it be, this time too...
『1. Take Carmin Eberhart back to House Eberhart.
Minimum clear condition: Carmin Eberhart's safe return to House Eberhart.
Quest Difficulty - ★★★★』
『2. Take Carmin Eberhart to Ventura Academy.
Minimum clear condition: Carmin Eberhart's admission to Ventura Academy completed.
Quest Difficulty - ★★★★★★』
Six stars!
What, wasn't five the maximum?
『You must choose one of the two options. If you fail the first attempt, subsequent attempts, including the second, can only proceed with the opposite choice of the first option.』
『Quest Failure Criteria: Failure to meet minimum clear condition』
『After the 1st attempt failure, no 'experience' will be acquired in subsequent attempts.』
『Criteria for no 2nd attempt: Player death』
『The option with higher difficulty will yield greater rewards upon success. However, this applies only to the 1st attempt.』
These bastards.
They're up to their wicked tricks again.
Can't things be a little easier?
['The Saintess Who Chases the Light' widens her eyes at the quest's difficulty and finally confirms that the difficulty here is 'Pandemonium'. She is astonished!]
['The Sword Demon of the Black Typhoon' clicks his tongue at the quest's difficulty.]
['Judge with a Thousand Eyes' moves his eyes to confirm if this is indeed the 5th floor.]
['The Giant Who Swallowed the Moon' advises you to make a rational decision.]
['The Watcher Swimming in the Abyss' looks at you.]
Beneath the countless reaction notifications from the Constellations, 'Constellation Block' was visible.
I pressed it.
The rapidly appearing reaction windows abruptly stopped.
I took a picture of the quest window with my terminal and uploaded it to the gallery.
Carmin, like all NPCs who had seen my terminal before, couldn't see it.
Title: Was there really a six-star rating?
Author: ㅇㅇ*
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Hmm, looks like a tough road ahead again.
Attachment: 1283102381232.jpg
(Quest choice photo)
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Water King) Hahahaha, there are more than six stars, but. You only see them after passing the 25th floor?
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It's Pandemonium again, of course.
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At this point, they're basically telling you to die peacefully.
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Heh heh, good luck. Watching this while having a drink, I really feel how tough it must be for you Climbers~~~
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Old man. If you've been drinking, just go to sleep properly. Yes
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For real, hahahaha
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Anyway, our Climber will choose the six-star option, right? You always enjoyed suffering.
Enjoying suffering.
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Sword of Light) I haven't heard of House Eberhart.
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Archmage) There must be someone tormenting Carmin Eberhart, right? If the quest is like this, what are their names?
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Yes*) House Raphaello. She said she broke off her engagement with the eldest son. That eldest son seems to be a bit strange, so he's trying to kill Carmin.
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There are many high-ranking nobles' children with incredibly high pride.
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Raphaello has a long history of evil deeds.
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Ah! Raphaello! Haterphaello!! Ask the father's name of that eldest son.
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Father? Such vulgarity!
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Archmage) Raphaello, yes, it was a family with a deep history of madness.
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Ice Queen) Brrr! It's the same in my memory!
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Shrine Maiden) Hawa, by the way. What are the Constellations' reactions?
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Yes*) When I used the Dragon Slayer Sword technique, it seemed to elicit some reaction, but they still don't seem to be certain it's the real Dragon Slayer Sword? And they certainly can't imagine I received the Dragon Slayer Sword technique directly from Sword of Light.
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Heavenly Demon) Hehehe, hurry and use my Flowing Scale Air Breaking Art so they can see it too.
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Now you're trying to see the reactions of Constellations, not just Climbers and gallery members.
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Archmage) Ah, so you're browsing the gallery while Constellation Block is active?
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Yes, I just dealt with some enemies and piqued their interest enough that I expect a reaction when I turn it off.
Right after posting the comment.
A notification popped up.
『Constellation Quest Generated! 'Judge with a Thousand Eyes' has registered a quest.
Quest: Choose the higher difficulty option, #2, and clear it on the first attempt.
Additional Condition: 'Constellation Block' cannot be used during the Constellation Quest.
Reward: Grade A Elixir - Gehenna』
The purpose of this quest was obvious.
This guy doesn't want me to choose #2 and clear it; he wants me to disable Constellation Block and witness this situation.
I took a picture of the quest window and uploaded it to the gallery.
Title: This is them trying to force me to disable Constellation Block, right?
Author: ㅇㅇ*
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Is the reward good?
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Yes, it's an elixir that greatly increases dark attribute attack resistance. Magic Power and stats are basic.
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Seeing the six stars, they figured you absolutely couldn't clear it and put up a good item as bait. The more fundamental intention is, as you said, 'Open the door!!!'
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Hmm... the reward, should I take it?
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Archmage) Haa... this bastard 'Thousand Eyes' sees the entire field but still has nearsightedness, even as a Constellation.
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Spear King) Haa, Thousand Eyes.
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Water King) I told you not to rely too much on the power of your eyes...
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? Do you all know him?
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Archmage) He's from a 'Eye Genius' bloodline. His family itself has good eyes. If they put killing intent in their eyes, those with weak mental fortitude can die.
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Archmage) He's the 'Red-Eyed King'. Back in the gallery days, oh
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Ah! The one who always ended his sentences with 'It's meaningless'?
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Archmage) Yes yes
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Yes yes*) Do the others know too? What they were doing before becoming Constellations?
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Archmage) No, I used to call him 'Thousand Eyes' back then. When he made his Constellation name like that, I realized it immediately. For the others, if you think about it, you can infer.
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Archmage) I'll calculate and let you know. For now, focusing on those who are showing interest in you.
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Ok.
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Ice Queen) Brrr! Are you going to break through head-on!
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Yeah, I have to, what else.
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Sword of Light) Go and come back.
I closed the gallery.
『Choose one of the two options!』
『You have selected a quest.』
『2. Take Carmin Eberhart to Ventura Academy.』
I accepted the Constellation Quest.
And then, I disabled Constellation Block.
And immediately after.
Whizzzzzzzzzzzzzz!
Crossbow bolts and short spears flew from a diagonal direction.
Chaaaaak!
I enlarged the shield, the Mirror of Transience.
Large enough to cover both Carmin and myself.
"Prepare to fight."
It seemed the smoke screen from the robes wasn't very useful.
"We're going to Ventura Academy."
Carmin's eyes widened, and she nodded vigorously.