Chapter 101
Chapter 101
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: Land of Artists
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Crunch!
Two heads rolling across the floor. Such a clean strike that it felt odd to think they had been alive just moments ago.
"Ah, Aria!"
Erika, standing behind her, cried out in surprise, but Aria didn't pay it any mind as she approached the corpses.
Erika couldn't just stand by and watch. She rushed forward and grabbed Aria's shoulder.
"Why."
Aria's voice fell flat, utterly emotionless.
She was fully aware that she had just killed people, yet there wasn't a shred of hesitation.
This girl would repeat the exact same actions a hundred times over if the situation arose again.
Her brazen response left Erika at a loss for words instead.
Like a canvas already stained with ink, no matter what anyone did to this girl, that demeanor wouldn't change. Erika felt certain of it.
"Just stay put. This is all for Professor Deus's sake."
"Do you really think he'd be happy about something like this?"
"It'd be nice if he were. But even if not, it doesn't really matter."
Aria's voice rang out cold and resolute, rooted in unshakeable conviction. But the source of that conviction was anxiety and trauma.
"Professor Deus needs to get stronger. Strong enough that no one—no one—dares to touch him."
It wasn't enough for Aria to grow strong on her own. No matter how capable she was, she couldn't protect Deus forever.
Nor would he want that from her.
So Deus Verdi had to grow strong.
Strong enough to protect himself in situations where Aria couldn't.
Strong enough that no one could even imagine targeting his neck.
"If that's what it takes, I don't mind if the professor frowns at me for a little while."
"A little while? You think this is something that'll just blow over easily?"
"You wouldn't understand."
Aria replied with a sly smile.
"The professor won't abandon me. He can't."
She didn't know the reason why.
But the devotion Deus Verdi had shown her in the first playthrough wasn't because of any special actions on her part.
From the very start, Deus had cherished Aria.
Unconditional care, guidance, and patience. An understanding that saw right through her at any moment.
Aria always remembered it, etched it into her heart, and would never forget.
"Even if I drag off a few corpses like this, it just means he won't hate me for it."
Thinking of him brought a smile to Aria's face once more. Just as she reached out contentedly toward the corpse—
Crunch!
The severed face suddenly gaped wide and clamped down on her hand.
A sudden ambush.
The face gnashed its teeth furiously, trying to devour her fingers with grinding sounds.
"Ha!"
Aria dropped her sword like it was trash and seized the face's jaws with her other hand, forcing its mouth open.
Rrrrip!
Infused with mana, her strength tore the face's mouth apart, splitting it clean in half.
It splattered gruesomely onto the floor, but the decapitated man's body had already staggered to its feet.
The body began to writhe and convulse.
Dozens of snake heads soon erupted from around its neck, lunging toward the two women.
"What the—!"
Aria hurriedly swung her sword. A beat late, she remembered she needed to protect Professor Erika beside her.
But the professor had swiftly cast a light spell to shield herself.
"It's a monster surgeon! I heard Dante had a few, but I didn't think one of them would be here."
"Monster surgeon?!"
Erika gasped at the unfamiliar term. But yellow orbs already swirled around her palms, aimed at the enemy.
She swung her arms wide, hurling the orbs at the swarm of snakes like balls.
The orbs melted through the snakes, burrowing deep before erupting in a brilliant flash right before the enemy's main body.
Smoke from the explosion billowed out, and Aria charged in, greatsword raised high.
She didn't love syncing her attacks with Erika like this.
But knowing the foe was a monster surgeon tugged at the corners of Aria's mouth.
A tough opponent, no doubt.
Far rarer than any necromancer or corpse sorcerer.
An existence that demanded not just talent, but talent upon talent.
Which was exactly why.
"Not just any tonic—this is aged wild ginseng!"
Aria couldn't suppress the twisted smile creeping across her face.
The tougher the foe, the more valuable it would be to Deus, who wielded the dead.
"Can't tell which part's the real body, so I'll take the torso and the neck—both!"
Her sword swung mercilessly, fueled by an emotion she called love.
* * *
"It's fine. The gods will surely understand your feelings."
The white-haired nun in her habit smiled gently. The guard blocking the way grinned broadly, delighted.
In his eyes, having seen countless people pass through here, her beauty ranked in the top five among nuns.
"You think so?"
"Yes, so don't worry."
Her soft smile felt natural despite clashing with her usual image, leaving me incredulous enough to snort.
"Pfft."
Iluania, driving the carriage, couldn't hold back. She clamped both hands over her mouth and bowed her head.
Her shaking shoulders suggested she was having quite the laugh.
Pindenai deserved credit for giving the nervous, head-burying mountain mother a reason to smile.
"Now, shall we pray for a moment?"
Yeah.
That was Pindenai.
She clasped her hands and closed her eyes, praying with the guard.
Her usual revealing maid outfit had gotten dirty, so she wore a nun's habit from Elia Convent.
"Goddess Hertia, overseer of hearths and flames, watches over us today."
[She's surprisingly good at it.]
"I heard that in the Clock Republic, resistance fighters have to master disguises to hide their identities."
[So that's it? It's amazing how much a person can change.]
The black necromancer nodded, arms crossed, watching in fascination.
I glanced out the carriage window before turning back to my book.
When we got flagged at the checkpoint, she suddenly volunteered with great fanfare—and she had every reason to be confident.
Truth be told, we didn't even need the deception. Just revealing I was a necromancer would open the gates, with merchants lining up.
But the bishop's and nobles' assassins might still be hunting me.
Dealing with them was easy, but no need to attract unwanted tails.
In that sense, Pindenai's act was helpful enough.
'She just wanted to do it.'
She'd probably welcome assassins with open arms, so this was likely just her trying out nun cosplay.
"The goddess will protect you. Fire in that sword, passion in your heart, peace in your soul."
Prayer over, the guard thanked Pindenai and moved to let the carriage through.
Nuns were rarely searched thoroughly—lest they anger the gods, and because no one believed they'd carry contraband.
Of course, you'd normally need a nun's badge, but Pindenai had "left hers behind" and offered a prayer instead.
"And brother."
"Y-Yes?!"
Just when he thought it was done, Pindenai added more.
The guard, sensing something, replied brightly with forced cheer—almost pitiful.
"You're a smoker, aren't you? The tobacco scent clings to you strongly."
"Ah! S-Sorry!"
As he panicked and brushed off his armor, Pindenai continued with a small smile.
"The gods didn't forbid tobacco, but it's utterly harmful. I'm worried it might take a toll on your health, brother."
[You've got quite the maid there.]
"She's really into it."
I wondered where she learned to lie so shamelessly.
Just five minutes ago, this woman had been whining to stop the carriage so she could smoke.
Now here she was, playing nun and lecturing about tobacco's harms.
"Why don't you hand it over to me? I'll take responsibility and dispose of it."
"Ah, but... it's expensive stuff..."
"Will you truly make me sad?"
Her voice carried a hint of misty emotion, and I instinctively whipped my head to peer out the window again.
Was this woman pulling off crying on cue too?
But of course, not a single tear fell from those blood-red eyes. She was just twisting her face to feign sorrow.
"Ah, alright. You're right, Sister. Utterly harmful."
"Wise choice."
"If I keep it, I'll just be tempted again. I trust you'll dispose of it properly."
"Goddess Hertia will be pleased."
Pindenai took the tobacco and turned. Footsteps approached, she climbed aboard, and the carriage rolled on.
In her nun's habit, Pindenai grinned ear-to-ear and proudly presented the tobacco.
"Look at this, Master! Jackpot! Being a nun gets you free smokes!"
"......"
"Mmm! Check this out! Super pricey stuff! Smells amazing!"
She pressed it to her nostrils, eyes closed in bliss—an utterly striking sight.
"Ah, wanna taste some free tobacco. Wonder if there's a spot to light up."
Smacking her lips, she slipped the tobacco into the inner pocket where nuns kept their rosaries.
[That guard would cry if he saw this. Shattered illusions. Might even curse the gods.]
The black necromancer shook her head in disbelief.
Whatever.
Trying to understand Pindenai was harder than expected, so I decided to let it be.
No wonder she was the leader fighting against this mad Clock Republic.
Past the gates, we arrived in the city of Claren.
A metropolis as developed as Robern, home to the academy, but its buildings carried an older vibe.
Focused on traditional culture and tourism, always alive with music, dance, paintings, and sculptures—the land of artists.
From my experience, artists often tangled with evil spirits or yokai.
Whether from holing up in attics or talking to themselves endlessly, who knows.
If not for Lucia's letter, this would've been my first stop instead of Elia Convent.
[Hey, Deus?]
The black necromancer cautiously called to me as I focused on my book, figuring cityscapes were all the same.
"Hm?"
I glanced at her, wondering what was up, and her trembling finger pointed right behind the carriage.
"Huh."
The sight back there made me exhale in disbelief.
Like stray cats prowling the streets.
Grotesque yokai of every shape and color trailed the carriage, slobbering like beasts charging at prey.