Demon Plague (1)
Checking the items that had arrived in my mailbox, my eyes went wide.
"Oh...?"
A Resident Summon Ticket...? Just from the name, it sounded like something that would call residents over from "World Exploration." I quickly opened my inventory to check the detailed description.
Usable in "World Exploration" mode. Summons one hero-grade adventurer or resident to the Holy Land.
"So it's basically 'bring me a hero-grade adventurer.'"
I liked that a lot. I'd learned quite a few things from the last "Frost Ancient Dragon" boss fight. Specifically, I'd felt the absence of a tank. The murderous intent packed into every single basic attack from that ancient dragon — the sheer will to kill — had been far too much for me to handle.
Unfortunately, the list of weapons I could craft didn't include any armor.
I'd gone through every weapon I could unlock and every one I couldn't — not a single shield among them. Seriously, how could there not even be a buckler?
"Is there a package in the shop?"
Surprisingly, there was no armor package in the shop either. I'd figured those money-crazed developers would definitely have one, but it wasn't there? Even though they had that giant weapon package sitting right over there?
"...I'll buy that later."
Setting aside my disappointment, I headed over to the newly opened Mystery Shop. Was this the last thing that had been unlocked?
Welcome to the Mystery Shop!
The Mystery Shop sells five items every day! Items can be purchased with gold!
The inventory resets every 24 hours! No one knows when a vanished item might reappear — choose carefully!
Purchased items can be used across various modes and in the Holy Land!
So it was a daily-reset random shop. That explained the name. And anything with a random element? I couldn't resist. While I was at it, I might as well see what they were selling.
A portrait painted with suspiciously exquisite skill. Some residents might like it...
"Ugh..."
The art quality was so absurdly high it was starting to put me in a foul mood... I quickly checked the other items.
Coarse and durable. For some reason, it smells like beer.
"These items look sketchy as hell."
Were these even usable? Was this shop only selling gift items? I quickly skimmed the rest. Those first two were out, for sure...
"Instant Building Completion Ticket... useless. Wait, huh?"
I rubbed my eyes without thinking. Was this really showing up in the shop?
C-Grade
A massive, sturdy shield. Looks like it would draw every enemy's attention at a glance.
"Whoa. They're selling a shield here."
The single item I needed most right now was sitting in the Mystery Shop. And I already had a Resident Summon Ticket — summon a hero-grade adventurer, hand them the shield, done.
"Obviously buying this."
Which adventurer should I summon to make this worth it? A smile was already tugging at the corners of my mouth. In my mind's eye, a rock-solid tank adventurer was already standing ready.
...
There was no one. No adventurers at all.
"Why? Why the hell aren't there any?"
No matter how thoroughly I searched, they were all ordinary residents. I checked the Holy City and every other city — nothing but regular townsfolk. What was going on?
"...Ah! That guy I favorited earlier!"
Come to think of it, the resident I'd bookmarked earlier had a blue aura. None of the others had that kind of effect — only that one. That had to be the marker for a hero-grade adventurer, right? I hurriedly switched the map to find my bookmarked resident.
"Yeah, this guy's the hero-grade adventurer... God, I'm an idiot."
They say if your head's no good, your body pays the price. I'd just wasted precious time for nothing.
Use the Resident Summon Ticket to summon Iscal to the Holy Land?
Y / N
"Ugh, it's a male character... but whatever. No choice."
I used the summon ticket and waited a moment. A dark-looking male character arrived at the inn. He had this vacant, dopey face that was just plain irritating.
"You. Take this shield and get going."
If I hadn't been so desperate for a tank, I never would have used a male character. I roughly dragged the shield over and tossed it at the burly guy.
"Missio mea porto!"
A broken script line flashed, and Iscal vanished from the inn. Sigh. If I'd had even one tank, I never would have used a male character...
"Ugh, this is pissing me off."
Some unidentifiable rage was boiling up in my chest. I needed to dump this anger somewhere or I wasn't going to feel better.
Come to think of it, while I'd been messing around earlier, a decent amount of Faith had built up. Maybe I should go take care of that pitch-black guy from before.
"Hmm... just drop some lightning on him?"
For reasons I didn't understand, that fat resident was locked in a basement. Bleeding freely, chained up and writhing — he looked exactly like a grub. Just looking at him made me scowl.
— BOOM! KRA-KOOM!! CRACK-BOOM!
A single lightning strike only cost 5 Faith anyway, so I freely unleashed Lightning Strike.
— CRACK-BOOM!! BOOM! BOOM!!
The lightning didn't stop for a long time.
"Hoo... hoo. Hah!"
— Crack!
Kenis poured thick beads of sweat onto one corner of the training grounds. The attending priest would be furious that she still needed to rest... but she couldn't just lie still.
Her hands and feet trembled. The world swayed as if she might collapse at any second... When was the last time she had pushed herself this close to the edge? Every fiber of her being screamed to fall down and rest, but not yet.
...One more time!
Gritting her teeth, Kenis put force into her hands again. Carefully. Delicately. This time, for certain—
— Crack!
"Ah."
The egg burst in Kenis's grip and slid limply down her fingers. Shattered eggs littered the ground around her feet — the grim aftermath of an egg massacre. Friga watched the scene and shook her head.
"Kenis, loosen up your grip a little more. At this rate you couldn't even shake someone's hand properly."
"Haa — I just can't seem to get it right."
"Seriously, what the hell did that cocoon of light do to turn a person into this?"
Friga circled Kenis, looking her up and down. Outwardly she looked the same as before.
"According to the High Priests, my body was... reconstructed? Remade into a form optimally suited for using holy power..."
"Ha. Saves people from the brink of death and rebuilds their bodies. Unbelievable."
"It is the grace of the gods. Still, I haven't fully adapted to this body yet..."
Trailing off, Kenis picked up another egg. She carefully lifted it and applied force — just lightly enough that it shouldn't break—
— Crack!
The egg shattered catastrophically and oozed down through her fingers. Friga shook her head. At this rate, she'd be at it for a hundred days and a thousand nights.
"Forget it. Who even taught you that method?"
"I, uh... came up with it on my own..."
"From where I'm standing, you could try that a hundred times and it wouldn't do a thing. Why don't you go talk to your dad over there instead?"
"Pardon?"
"He's the youngest Paladin ever, right? He's gotta have some kind of method."
Friga jerked her chin toward a figure behind a distant pillar. Kenis's gaze followed.
"Ahem!"
"Ah."
Clearing his throat, Demonic stepped out from behind the pillar with a perfectly casual expression, as if he'd simply been walking this way all along.
But his eyes wandered helplessly through empty air. Kenis's eyes, looking back at him, wandered just as aimlessly.
"Ahem. Kenis. I wasn't eavesdropping, but it seems you're still having trouble adapting to your body."
"Ah, well, I— Paladi— I mean, F-Fa— cough!"
"I, well, might be able to, ahem, offer some help. Not that I'm forcing anything, of course — I fully respect your wishes, and if you say no, that's that. But personally, I thought that with my assistance, you might adapt a bit more smoothly. Following my training methods, you could probably adjust within four days—"
"Ah, aah! I, well! That is, I— uh..."
Two pairs of eyes spinning in circles. Friga let out a deep sigh. Kenis shot her a desperately trembling look, seeking rescue, and whispered urgently into her ear.
"Y-Y-Your Ladyship! What do I do? What should I do?"
"How should I know? Do whatever you want. You finally got the parent you always wanted. Figure it out yourself."
"You can't just say that! I need to prepare myself emotionally, and there should be a process of getting to know each other..."
"Are you dating? Getting married? You're family — why are you making this so complicated?"
"It's family that appeared out of nowhere!"
Friga stood with an unchanging expression, but looking at Demonic — whose eyes were swirling like whirlpools — she sighed once more.
How did a father and daughter end up identically like this? At the end of her patience, Friga recommended the northern style of family conversation.
"Stop overthinking it and just pull out your weapons for a good clean spar—"
"Ah, so this is where everyone was!"
Her words were cut short by Ruel, who came scampering over at full tilt. Pink hair streaming behind her, Ruel arrived so out of breath she had to brace her hands on her knees and pant.
"Haaah— haah. Th-thank goodness you're all here!"
"What is it, Ruel? What's going on?"
Kenis's face lit up like someone who'd just spotted a lifeline. She bolted toward Ruel without so much as a backward glance.
Friga thought Demonic's expression looked a little dejected.
"Wah—! Don't hug me, Kenis! I don't want to explode!"
"Ah, sorry, sorry. I'll be careful."
Kenis carefully shifted to Ruel's side. It seemed she'd have to watch her movements for a while yet.
"Alright, shorty. Spit it out."
"Oh, right!"
Ruel planted her hands firmly on her hips and looked at Kenis, Friga, and Demonic in turn.
"Great Priest Antonio says he's learned something about the Demon Plague — he told me to bring all of you!"
"...The Demon Plague?"
A shared look of uncertainty settled in every pair of eyes.