DLC Potions and the Northern Duke's Claim
In most games, DLC exists to squeeze money out of players. Reality is no different. Some titles lure you in with "free" only to push aggressive microtransactions, while others sell what they call a complete package only to carve out the true ending and major content for paid DLC. The developers of Dragnity Fantasy 2 were exactly that kind of scum. They had released Werner's backstory as DLC, after all. Worse, the rewards from those DLC quests were genuinely excellent, earning them praise for running a proper business. The contents of the box the lightning-struck mage had been carrying were especially valuable.
The satisfying click of a lock opening never gets old. This is why people pick locks. Inside the box were potions of various colors—items that were extremely precious even within the game. They weren't drugs like methamphetamine or cocaine, of course. If VR games had allowed actual drug use, the parent groups and Christian organizations would have had a field day. These potions altered a character's appearance. Oddly, despite being potions, they had no usage limit. They could change you into another race, make you look younger, or age you up. They would be useful. If things went south and I needed to run, these would be a huge help. Disguise is the foundation of escape, after all.
"Cough... cough... Who the hell are you...?"
The mage was clearly impaled through the heart by lightning, yet he was still alive. Even in the game he'd been a pain to kill because of his absurdly high HP for a mage. In real life he was just as tenacious. Creatures with low intelligence tend to have stubborn vitality—cockroaches are the same way, and in card games, monsters with low attack power usually have high defense. Still, when someone is dying, it's only polite to grant their last wish. I'm a kind and compassionate person, after all. If he wanted to know my identity, answering was basic human decency.
I couldn't exactly say "I'm Werner-dong," so I pulled back the hood of my robe and showed him my face. It was Werner's face, but since it looked a lot like mine, calling it my face shouldn't be a problem.
"Do you recognize this face?"
"Y-you're... Werner..."
The mage and Werner had history. Of course they did—he belonged to the organization deeply tied to Werner's childhood.
"How did you... cough..."
"You've aged a lot. Much older than when I was growing up in your organization."
Since he was still alive and coughing, I figured a little more pain wouldn't hurt. I casually stepped on the mage's hand.
"Ghhhk!"
This was fine. This man was a villain no one would blame me for crushing. He had used bandit groups to rob people of their property. He was the kind of ruthless thief who strung webs like a spider and preyed on the innocent.
"Just die here, old man."
"If you kill me, you'll be hunted again..."
"Yeah? Then tell them to come. I'm Werner Alton—what do I have to fear? Tell them to all come at once. It's annoying otherwise."
The mage was clearly shaken. It was the same empty threat third-rate villains always made—"If you touch me, someone won't stay quiet"—but I felt nothing. And honestly, living while coughing like that was probably worse than dying. So this wasn't murder. It was mercy, freeing a suffering acquaintance from pain.
"Lightning, crawl like a serpent and devour."
A serpent of lightning shot from my fingertips, coiling around the mage and beginning to consume him. Swallowed by lightning that strong, he was 100% dead... or so I thought, which is why most people who turn their backs at this point end up regretting it. I kicked through the ashes his corpse left behind before stepping out of the cave. Stepping on the ashes of a mage's body is perfectly acceptable. I've never been trash to anyone.
I tucked the potions he'd been carrying into the small pouch inside my robe and stepped outside, where Airi was waiting for me—cheeks puffed out like balloons.
Why does she keep puffing her cheeks like that? Does she think she's a frog? Honestly, I don't particularly like girls who act overly cute. Maybe it's because I once met someone who was both extremely affectionate and extremely vicious.
"Leaving your adorable disciple among those rough bandits! I'm telling Father!"
Shit. I hadn't considered that possibility. Pulling the "dad" card? This is why I hate trust-fund kids. They never think about overcoming hardship with their own strength—they just use Daddy or Mommy privileges. But what could I do? Whether it was Werner or me, we were orphans. All I could do was resent the fact that we had no parents to call for help.
"Calm down, Airi... When we get back to Bechem, I'll treat you to dinner. You can pick whatever you want."
"Then take me to the restaurant on Coachman Street and buy me pork schnitzel."
"Yeah, yeah."
Damn, that place is expensive. Why do I have to spend my hard-earned money just because I'm educating someone? This is the sorrow of being a teacher.
"But I feel like I'm forgetting something..."
"Huh?"
"No, shit... what was it?"
Ah, fuck. I'd forgotten about Irina. Forgetting to value my companion—I really am trash. Someone who breaks the rules is trash, but someone who doesn't cherish their comrades is even worse trash.
I hurriedly released Irina from the invisibility barrier. She was clearly angry about being trapped inside without a word—her lips were sticking out in a pout. Everyone puffs their cheeks and sticks out their lips when they're mad. What are they, animals?
Even after we boarded the carriage I'd left waiting at a distance, the displeased looks directed at me didn't fade. Airi was really making a scene over a meal. What a picky girl.
"Come on, I even took care of the female bandits for you ladies. Isn't this level of resentment a bit much?"
"You threw me into a barrier without asking and tossed me among bandits. It would be strange if we looked at you kindly, Master."
"She's right. You've always been thoughtless. You don't have a single ounce of consideration."
Even the legendary Archmage Werner would find it difficult to win a verbal argument against two sulking women. Even if Zhuge Liang came back from the dead, he'd hit the surrender button.
"Fine, I'll buy food and drinks. Just stop glaring so I can get some sleep."
If I fell asleep now, my life might be in danger, so I couldn't even close my eyes properly. Like an adventurer stranded in a snowy mountain, I endured with the thought that sleeping meant death.
Don't sleep, Werner. If you sleep now, you die.
"Food, drinks, and dessert."
"Then buy me new clothes too."
These two were trying to fleece an honest adventurer. Adventurers risk their lives to earn money. Trying to rob an adventurer of that money was no different from trying to rob me of my life. I couldn't use the money in Werner's bank account either. The moment I tried, my location would be exposed and his followers—or his other brothers and sisters—would come swarming. I had no choice but to spend my own precious money. Bye-bye, my beautiful money.
While I was despairing over the financial hemorrhage, the horse pulling the carriage let out a rough neigh. Even the horse understood the value of money, so why couldn't these two?
But the situation didn't look good. The carriage shook, so I stepped out to check—only to find the horse that had been sympathizing with my sorrow was dead, and the coachman was being restrained by masked figures. From their presence, these masked men weren't ordinary. Their stances with weapons and the way they'd surrounded the carriage and subdued the coachman without me noticing were first-class. Even in my previous life, I hadn't seen many people with that level of skill.
"Master... what's happening outside..."
"Airi, Irina—don't come out."
These guys were obviously after either me or Airi. If they were after me, I was willing to let them live. But if they were after Airi, I'd have to kill them all. That was the only way I could survive.
"I don't know who you are, but who exactly are you after?"
They really were professionals. They didn't waste words—they just stared at me. That's right, first-class people don't talk much. Still, the fact that their gazes were fixed on me rather than Airi inside the carriage meant their target was definitely me. In that case, I was willing to break an arm or leg and let them go.
They charged without a word, their forms impeccable. Whoever trained them must be an incredible instructor. I grabbed the arm of the first one to reach me, snapped it, and slammed him into the ground. Only then did their wary looks intensify. Handling this many people with just hand-to-hand combat would be difficult.
"Who's your employer? I'd like to pay them a visit later."
Still no answer. Of course. First-class professionals don't reveal their employer's name.
"Well, it doesn't matter if you don't answer. I'll just wipe you all out."
"Lightning—"
I was about to call down a rain of lightning to sweep them away when cold metal wrapped around my wrist.
"You don't need to find the employer."
Fuck. That voice...
When I turned my head, Glacia Winterhart—Werner's fiancée—was standing there. And on my wrist was a magic-sealing restraint.
"The employer... or rather, their master... is me."
"Glacia, why are you...?"
"After reading all my letters, you still don't understand the situation?"
Fuck. This was a bad ending confirmed. While I stood there in despair, Glacia grabbed my chin and spoke.
"Besides, I only came to retrieve what's mine. Is there a problem?"
Yeah, there were a shitload of problems.