The Hidden Piece I'd Been Saving
Jeyra and I rushed into the lord's manor. Anything else I could deal with — but nothing could be allowed to happen to the young lord.
He's the one who'll have to run the territory in my place, after all.
We skipped the office entirely and headed straight into the residence.
"Hic... Jaun! Jaun, please wake up!"
Renata's tearful voice carried from inside. When I stepped into the room, a frail, beautiful boy lay on the bed. He was a full head taller than me, with the kind of face that could lock down the visual spot in an idol group without even trying. Not quite at my level of plot-armor good looks, of course. His skin was deathly pale, and the shadows under his eyes looked like a corpse's. His breathing was faint. He looked so fragile that a single touch might kill him.
"Acting Lord, what happened?"
Renata wiped her tears and answered.
"I don't know. We were out for a walk like always, and then he suddenly started coughing violently and collapsed! The doctor said his symptoms have gotten worse."
"What? That can't be..."
As far as I knew, his symptoms were supposed to be improving gradually.
"His condition had been getting better with all those walks. Why now?!"
"No... no, no, no..."
Jeyra clutched her head in despair. Jaun Gailwards — her only younger brother, and the next lord of the territory — was coughing in fits, looking like he could die at any moment.
I approached him first. Saving this kid was part of my plan anyway.
Hm?
Looking closer, I noticed black smoke or powder clinging around his nose and mouth, as if someone had smeared charcoal on him.
That's weird. Where have I seen that before? It looks familiar...
As I stared blankly, I heard Renata fighting back sobs. I reassured her first.
"He'll be all right, Acting Lord."
"Hic... why does this marshmallow of a child have to suffer like this...!"
Wait.
I looked at Jaun again. It finally clicked.
Ah — the case that pastor was carrying!
I hurriedly pulled the iron case from my pocket and tossed one of the marshmallows onto the floor.
Pahk!
It burst with a short pop, billowing a plume of ominously black smoke before vanishing. Renata, Jeyra, and the butler all stared in horror.
"Hero, what is that?"
The butler pointed at the smoke with a trembling hand. I laid out the full story as clearly as I could. Making it easy to understand was exhausting, but it had to be done.
When I finished, Renata looked down at Jaun, speechless. Jeyra, on the other hand — usually so cold — was the one who flared up.
"This has to be that cult's doing! We need to crush them right now!"
I hadn't expected her to get this emotional. She really did love her brother.
Not that siblings like this exist in real life.
The butler beside me adjusted his glasses and let out a low groan, like he'd just seen something extremely dangerous.
"Hold on — isn't this Kahloom?"
He knew about this? From what I could tell, it was a bit of a stretch. Renata turned to him.
"Butler, Kahloom? Wasn't that an energy that only exists in legends?"
In the lore, Kahloom was an energy that existed only in legends. It originated from a fictional race called the Outer Godkin, and was said to be a power capable of killing gods. But maybe it was real after all.
"Kahloom? That's impossible!"
Jeyra jumped in to deny it as well. Fair enough — something that had only ever existed in legends had just appeared right in front of them. The butler remained calm. He narrowed his eyes and shook his head.
"To my knowledge, an energy called Kahloom does actually exist. Though it's only named after the legendary one, of course."
"Th-that's...!"
"When I was young, I served as an assistant to a dark mage in the capital. That was before I joined the Imperial Special Forces... In any case, I saw it then."
What the hell was this butler's deal? Assistant to a dark mage, and a former member of the Imperial Special Forces. That was one hell of a resume. He wasn't Alfred, you know.
I was privately stunned by the butler's revelation.
In both the game and the original novel, Kahloom was only ever mentioned — it never actually appeared. Well, I never finished the original's side stories, so I can't be sure about those. But it definitely never showed up in the game.
If it actually existed, that would be shocking. Even if it was only named after the real thing, Kahloom was still Kahloom. And that Kahloom had come pouring out of Jaun when he coughed violently.
A sigh escaped me. Maybe this was why Jaun was sick in the first place. A Kahloom overdose. Of course, only those bastards would know where it started and why it had come to this.
Renata turned back with a solemn expression. She seemed to have regained her composure.
"So Those Who Recite Sins are managing the Kahloom? At the very least, we've established a connection."
"That's about the size of it."
When I agreed, Renata trembled with rage. This wasn't just anything — they'd laid hands on a noble's child. And a two-bit cult, at that.
"Search the territory immediately for anyone connected to Those Who Recite Sins!"
Renata issued the order to the butler. Time for me to step in.
"Acting Lord, from what I know, that cult has been running rampant in a neighboring territory lately."
"...In Weverpool Fief?"
Everyone looked surprised at the sudden mention of a neighboring territory. Weverpool had a reputation as a city of craftsmen, so people assumed its public safety was solid.
"Yes. Officially, the lord of Weverpool is busy cracking down on them. I'll look into it myself either way. I've developed a personal curiosity about those bastards."
Jeyra grabbed my arm. She wanted to stop me.
"What are you going to do? What can you even do by yourself? It's dangerous!"
"Don't worry. I'll call you if I need you. We're kkanbu, remember?"
"Kkanbu...?"
"Ah — partners. Partners."
I showed her some warmth. She and I were partners. That had been our fate from the moment we'd slept together.
Renata pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded.
"Very well. Do as you see fit. But we won't sit idle either. Starting today, anyone connected to Those Who Recite Sins will not be allowed to set foot in this territory!"
That was only natural. In the real world, too, there'd been times when members of a certain religion that spread a plague had been barred. There'd been plenty of backlash, of course, but it was the right call. Same with people from a certain country. They'd get angry about being blocked, but that was on them.
I offered Renata some advice.
"Acting Lord, this incident may be more serious than we think."
"It would seem so."
"If the young lord's illness is caused by Kahloom, then his condition is already extremely serious."
"Then all the improvement we thought we were seeing until now...?"
"It may have gone through a kind of incubation period and evolved into something more virulent. You can see traces of Kahloom around his nose and mouth, can't you?"
"It must have come out when he coughed. To think this vile substance has been eating away at my son!"
Both Renata and Jeyra seethed with anger. The butler just propped his chin on his hand and sighed. I hoped it wouldn't get any worse either.
If the young lord died, then Renata, Jeyra, or I would have to become lord. That would suck. If someone got locked into a specific position, they couldn't go on sex trips anymore.
"I will find a way to cure the young lord. I swear it."
I declared it firmly and opened the door.
"Lashu!"
Someone called after me, but I didn't stop. I couldn't.
Jaun, you have to live. I know you've been suffering for a long time. But hang in there just a little longer. You've held on this well so far — now prove that you deserve to keep living. Show and prove!
I left the manor and headed out of the territory, thinking of the hidden pieces that should be around here.
Where was that place again?
I tried to remember where the item that could cure Jaun's illness had come from. Yeah... it had to be there.
"I'd like to ask for your help this time, Goddess."
Even a smug goddess was cute as hell.
"I'm looking for a dungeon this time. A hidden one."
"Just a moment."
I summoned Rin first.
"Kihihing!"
I mounted Rin and climbed Pelegor Hill. After scanning the surroundings, I raced off to the southwest.
Crack-spark! Clippity-clop!
We tore through the wind with those lively sounds. No wonder people couldn't give up motorcycles. That insane rush of speed was just that good. But my Rin was even better.
I kept riding until I reached a ridge where a swamp was visible in the distance, and only then did I stop. The swamp wasn't today's destination.
"Goddess, it should be around here. Think you can do it?"
I decided to wait. Then something stirred inside my body.
"Hm?"
An energy that felt like mana, yet wasn't, began surging up from within me. A power I didn't even know I had seemed to be welling up.
Is this the goddess's power?
She said she'd lost her power and her memories. And it was still this strong? For a moment I even had the illusion that every drop of blood in my body had been replaced with energy.
After about two minutes, the goddess spoke.
Kiiing!
I looked around. A specific area was glowing gold. Found it. Right there!
"Thank you."
I'm actually a transmigrator. Goddess, once this is over, let's have a wedding on Earth.
I obviously couldn't say that, so I made something up. I felt a little bad about it.
"I heard about it during training when I was a kid. That there was supposed to be a dungeon nearby."
I headed toward a spot on the ridge blocked by a fallen old tree. Even now, it was blazing with intense golden light. I drew my sword and swept it through in a single stroke.
Kagagagak! Craaack!
The instant I split it apart, space warped beyond it, and a large oval door appeared. The entrance to a dungeon. A grin spread across my face.
"Nice to meet you, Hidden Piece! Thanks, Goddess!"
"Later we'll have some insane outdoor sex! A naked one-night date is totally on the table!"
I threw myself through the door at once. A sensation of being violently sucked in washed over me, and the world around me changed in an instant.
I was standing in a desolate ruin. At the same time, the dungeon information I'd missed earlier popped up.
Layout: Open Field, 1 Floor
Difficulty: ★1
Objective: Annihilation
Reward: 300 Gold, Random Item ×1
Looking at the monster composition, this was definitely the place I knew. I moved forward and shouted with everything I had.