Chapter 19
Chapter 19
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Heading Out Solo
-----------------------------------------------------------------
When Claudia suddenly received a plea for help, she panicked, at a loss for what to do, and kept stealing glances at Iris, who was radiating a murderous aura.
“...Fine, let’s hear it. You’re not asking me to take your side or anything, right? If that’s it, I absolutely can’t do it.”
“That’s not it. Just listen to what I have to say and judge whether it’s true or not.”
“What are you going to ask?”
She had a look on her face like she couldn’t imagine what I might say.
“Do you remember how that rider attacked?”
“Somewhat. But not in great detail. I only vaguely recall the big moves.”
“That’s enough.”
With the situation unfolding like this, Iris crossed her arms under her chest, seemingly willing to at least hear me out. I’d been worried she might not even listen, so this was a relief.
“The monster you fought—that one you encountered. Didn’t it rear up on its front legs and let out a huge roar right away, then charge straight at you?”
Her light pink hair bobbed up and down slightly in affirmation.
“Right after it charged, it swung its spear from left to right, then right to left, before slamming it down at you. At first, it was holding the spear in its left hand, and after the downward strike stuck it in the ground, it switched to its right hand.”
“Huh... Wait a second. Now that you mention it, yeah?”
“Then it pulled the spear out, spun it a few times over its head, swung it forward in a big arc, and rode off again. That sound right too?”
Every move I described was part of the opening pattern that the “Headless Ironclad Knight” Claudia had faced always used at 100% probability when starting the boss fight.
Explaining it verbally instead of with video had its limits, but the point seemed to get across well enough.
Claudia paused, retracing her memories with a thoughtful look, then suddenly jolted in surprise and nodded vigorously.
“Yeah. How did you know?”
“I’ll go through the rest as I remember them.”
“...It all matches.”
Her voice trembled noticeably.
Once I finished explaining, I silently thanked Claudia inwardly. She must have been completely out of it facing a monster whose weapons didn’t work on it for the first time, yet she remembered quite a few patterns.
I glanced around. Lize and Erika were frozen in stunned silence, and even Iris had a blank look on her face. They were probably wondering what on earth they’d just heard.
It wasn’t surprising they were shocked. The survivor who’d faced it head-on didn’t know anything about this monster she’d never seen before, yet a fresh recruit who’d just joined the knights knew it all inside out.
Silence hung in the air. No one could bring themselves to speak easily. Even Iris, who’d been dead set against it moments ago, now pressed her lips tight with a deeply contemplative expression.
It took a long while before she finally squeezed out a single question.
“How... do you know all that?”
It was the core question—how I knew such things.
I couldn’t reveal the truth right now, but fortunately, I had a universal shield to wield here.
“My memories came back a bit.”
“What...!”
Iris gasped, and Lize and Erika couldn’t hide their shock.
Claudia, who still didn’t know exactly who I was and only saw me as a new knight recruit, just floated a question mark over her head.
“Is that true?!”
“Not completely. It’s more like just a tiny fragment has surfaced.”
I didn’t miss the brief hesitation on her face and pressed on.
“I’ve told you everything I can say. Didn’t you say it yourself, Iris? You trust my skills, but you can’t throw me at an unknown enemy. But look—I already know that thing inside and out. So doesn’t that make it worth trusting me this once?”
This time, her deliberation dragged on much longer. Her own words were being turned against her.
She trusted my skills but couldn’t send me against an unknown foe. But if that foe wasn’t unknown to me?
Naturally, the second condition vanished, leaving only the premise that she trusted my skills.
“...”
Iris stayed silent for a long stretch. I could understand her feelings fully, so I waited patiently.
It wasn’t until more than five minutes had passed that she finally spoke.
“...Fine. But take Lize with you. Then I’ll allow it.”
“Iris is right, newbie. I’ll go with you. No matter what, sending you alone is too dangerous.”
“No, I have to go alone.”
I rejected the offer outright.
After downing the boss, I needed to slip into the nearby dungeon to lure out the lord—that couldn’t be witnessed. The “returning memories” excuse was for key moments only; overuse would just breed suspicion.
Under the condition of taking down the Headless Ironclad Knight solo without Lize’s help, she could tag along for the boss fight no problem, but what came after was a separate issue.
And I couldn’t very well tell her afterward, “I’ve got solo business left, so head back first.” She’d naturally stick to me no matter what.
Better not to bring her from the start.
“Why go alone? Is there a reason?”
“There is, but I can’t tell you. Sorry.”
“...”
Iris let out a deep sigh. I could fully understand her frustration with my stubbornness. But I couldn’t back down either.
“Then...”
Resolve flickered in her silver eyes one last time.
“If a single knight captain supports your solo action, I’ll allow it. Doesn’t have to be many—just one of us. For now, I’m firmly against it.”
“...I’m against it too. Sorry, newbie. It’s not that I don’t trust you; it’s just that my worry for you outweighs that, so please understand.”
“Uh... I’m not against it, but I’m not for it either. I don’t know you that well, right? We just met today. So it feels wrong to say either way offhand.”
Iris and Erika against, Claudia essentially against. That left only Lize among the captains. I turned to Lize, who was still clutching my finger tightly.
Her blue eyes trembled faintly. Her answer was obvious. I cut in before she could give it.
“Uh, newbie. Sorry, but me too—”
“Lize.”
“Y-Yeah?”
“Do you remember what you said right before using Frost Storm Barrage in our last spar?”
“What I said before that technique? Uh... Wait. You don’t mean...?”
Lize paused to recall, then realized what I was asking and wore a horrified expression.
“Yeah, that one. You said you’d grant any wish. Use it now—vote for me.”
“...You’re serious?”
“You think I’d lie?”
I gave a slight smile. Lize stomped her feet in frustration, trapped with no good options, but the outcome was predictable. Iris let out an even deeper sigh, as if foreseeing it.
“...Okay. I’m for it. Come back safe, newbie.”
After agonizing for a while, Lize finally took my side.
Situation resolved.
Claudia offered a word of encouragement—“Since it’s come to this, do well out there”—before heading inside the castle for treatment. Erika gave a curt “Good luck” and followed her.
Iris left with eyes swirling in complex emotions, saying something like an order wrapped in a plea: “Don’t you dare die. That’s an order.”
Lize stuck right by my side, packing all sorts of supplies. Not just heaps of food, but stamina potions, spare weapons, and even armor.
Of course, I turned down the armor. I didn’t need it. With my durability stat at 1, the equipment weight limit was pathetically low.
Even holding a single bloodied sword made Roll barely feasible at level 1; any armor like greaves or whatever would make it impossible.
Besides, it wouldn’t save me from a one-shot by the boss anyway.
When I refused the armor, Lize jumped up insisting it made no sense, but when I stubbornly held firm, she gave up persuading me with puffed cheeks and a glare.
Anyone unaware of my circumstances would worry like that naturally, so her nagging didn’t annoy me at all.
If anything, I was grateful she cared this much.
“Come back safe, newbie.”
Only Lize saw me off on departure day.
“...”
...Or so I thought. Way off in the distance, Iris was peeking out, just her head around the corner, watching me.
When our eyes met, she ducked behind the wall in a flash, but less than a second later, poked out one eye and looked again.
What’s she doing?
Ignoring Iris and me, Lize spoke up in an unusually serious tone, unlike her usual self.
“And one more thing. Don’t die. Absolutely. If it feels life-threatening, ditch everything and run. Crawl on the ground if you have to—just make sure you come back alive. No bullshit about honor or whatever. Got it?”
“I won’t. I value my life plenty.”
“Someone who values their life pulls a reckless stunt like this?!”
Lize pinched and tugged my cheek.
As a weird groan escaped my lips, she giggled and let go right away. It didn’t hurt at all. Just her way of lightening the mood.
As I finished farewells and moved to mount up, Lize stopped me.
“And one more thing. Lend me your ear for a sec.”
“Hm?”
Thinking she had more to say, I leaned in. Her cherry lips came close to my ear and whispered softly.
“If you come back alive, I’ll grant one wish. Got it? Anything goes this time, so think carefully.”
Then she flashed a bright smile, poked my cheek with her finger, turned, and walked away. I mulled over her words for a moment, chuckled, and climbed onto the horse.
“Of course.”
Even with all these mods cranked up, I was a 30,000-hour vet possessed into this game—no way I’d die to the first boss.
‘Oh, wait. That’s a death flag.’
Shaking off the sudden chill creeping up my spine, I gripped the reins and set off.