The One Who Never Dies
The chase. She never dies. ‘But just because someone doesn’t die doesn’t mean they’ve won.’
Unique abilities were like an extra limb, another part of the person’s very being. Mixing healing magic into something that fundamental was bound to affect the rest of the body too. In fact, when it came to raw attack power, Elfride Elun ranked dead last among every character in the game. ‘In a game it wouldn’t matter…’ But reality played by different rules. Case in point: she had just been running for her life from a single wolf.
“How exactly did you end up being chased?”
“Well… I was betrayed by my own party…”
“You really just spill everything, don’t you?”
“There’s nothing to hide!”
Her voice had been damp and gloomy for only a moment. Then, like flipping a switch, Elfride spoke again in her usual bright tone.
“There.”
“Yes, I know what you’re about to say.”
I nodded at Diana. ‘She definitely survived the ordeal, that much is certain.’
With an S-rank ally standing right in front of me, failing to raise her favorability would have been pure negligence.
“So, um… if it’s all right, could you possibly help—”
“Of course we’ll help. Right?”
“Yes, leave it to us.”
“Huh? Oh, thank you…?”
While Elfride was still blinking in confusion at the sudden shift, Diana and I each took one of her arms and lifted her to her feet.
“Then allow us to escort you to the carriage we arrived in.”
“I don’t know what you did with the traitor, but staying here can’t be better, right?”
“Uh, y-yes? That’s true?”
‘So this is what being a possessor feels like.’
Spotting the strong and immediately optimizing your actions. The other party becomes flustered. It was the most cliché development a possession story could ask for. Since literally nothing—from mana incapacity to the pre-enrollment kidnapping—had followed the original script, this actually felt refreshing.
And so Diana and I brought the still-bewildered Elfride back to the carriage. Only later would I realize it was obviously a kidnapping, and obviously not cliché at all.
“Wow! Isn’t this the temple’s silent carriage? I’ve never seen it move before!”
Elfride climbed aboard with a radiant smile. The flustered girl we had practically dragged here was gone; now she looked around the interior with pure, innocent delight.
‘I knew she was like this, but still…’
Her complete lack of caution was so extreme it actually made me worried. Not that there wasn’t a reason for her trust. After all, we had saved her from danger and were riding in a carriage only a handful of people in the temple were allowed to use. The evidence was overwhelming.
‘But all of that is secondary.’
“Oh, it’s so fluffy! And it smells wonderful! Did they spray perfume in the temple?”
The reason she could smile so brightly was simple: she was immortal. Her ignition ability could light a fire anytime, anywhere, under any conditions, and her healing magic could resurrect her even if her head was severed. Naturally, the greatest beneficiary of that power was Elfride herself. To kill her, you had to erase every single nerve in an instant.
As long as even a single nerve remains, the reflexive reaction to shock will immediately ignite the flames.
That was the description attached to the passive. Thanks to both her original personality and an ability that made dying literally impossible, she had developed her current outlook. She didn’t die. She didn’t suffer lasting harm no matter who she trusted. That created a mentality completely detached from ordinary mortals, for whom any loss could become a threat to their lives.
‘The claim that she still feels pain sounds like a lie.’
So what was this immortal-minded elf doing right now?
“Eek, really? I can actually eat this?”
“Yes, it’s only jerky.”
“Thank you! I haven’t eaten anything for three whole days!”
She accepted the food with a beaming smile.
“Here, this is a cushion. Sit on it.”
“Oh my goodness! It’s incredibly soft! I’ve never seen anything like it even in the city!”
“Have some water too.”
“It’s so cold and refreshing! Thank you!”
We had brought her along to farm favorability in the first place, but this was almost too easy. Watching her thank Diana for every little thing with that pure, sunny smile felt exactly like raising a golden retriever.
“Woof! Woof!”
“They’re here.”
One by one, their numbers grew. Starting with that bark, wolves, canines, and various beast-type monsters began appearing behind the carriage. On the imperial highway this was completely abnormal. The area should have been cleared of any significant wildlife, with follow-up extermination still underway.
“Huuuh? Th-they’re catching up so fast…”
Elfride’s face darkened.
“Um, excuse me… if it’s all right now, you can let me off here.”
“It’s fine. One extra passenger is no problem, and there are beasts on that side too.”
“Uh, well… I think they might have followed my scent…”
“Beasts do appear on the roads sometimes.”
They didn’t, actually.
“Th-that’s… I’m actually getting motion sickness.”
“Oh dear, you should have said something sooner. My apologies.”
I activated the divine arts engraved inside the carriage. A burst of pure white light washed over us, and I felt my body grow lighter. It was a comprehensive recovery spell that cured everything from motion sickness to injuries.
“Do you need anything else?”
“Um… that is…”
Elfride’s eyes darted around, but she eventually fell silent.
“If not, we’ll keep going.”
“Y-yes…”
Elfride nodded and shrank into the corner of the carriage.
‘She really is a good person.’
In truth, the claim that the beasts had come because of her scent wasn’t something she had made up on the spot. They really had come for her.
The highest-tier aggro trait—Attracting Sacrifice. It was the other characteristic that let her reign as the undisputed number one healer.
“Uuu… You’re my benefactor who helped me, yet I’m causing you so much trouble…”
Seeing how seriously she worried that we might get dragged into her trait told me everything I needed to know about her character. Still, because we already knew that part perfectly well, the current situation was nothing more than a golden opportunity to raise her favorability.
“I’ll begin defense now.”
Diana climbed onto the roof of the carriage.
Swish.
An archer was simply another word for hunter. To an archer who had secured both distance and elevation, a pack of charging beasts was nothing more than easy game.
Swish.
There was no need to use the final-tier weapon’s special functions or to exert full power. We didn’t even have to kill them all. The carriage moved without horses and never tired, so we only needed to pick off the ones that could actually catch up.
‘Still, normally I wouldn’t have left any alive.’
Leaving them would only cause harm to people later. But this time was different. It wasn’t about protecting lives or any noble ideal.
“Someone is approaching. And they’re carrying clear killing intent.”
Considering what Diana had said as she climbed up, it was easy to guess what role the monster pack had been playing. They were both bait and a shield.
Slash.
“Here they come.”
Even from a distance the sound of the blade was crisp and unmistakable. It proved the swordsman who had just swung had reached a high realm.
“…No way. He should have died.”
Elfride must have heard it too. She looked back with a stunned, hollow expression.
“Do you know who it is?”
“…Yes.”
Elfride swallowed hard before continuing.
“It’s probably the party member who betrayed me.”
“Grrraaawr!”
The beasts Diana had deliberately left alive were torn apart in an instant.
“P-Pedro is a high swordsman! Please be careful!”
“His roar was no ordinary sound… Wait, why is someone of that caliber targeting you?”
A high swordsman stood at the peak of elite combatants, just below a sword master. Someone skilled enough to hold a central position in power—maybe not the absolute core, but close—why would he be hunting down a single adventurer?
“W-well… Pedro was always very greedy. That’s why he was expelled from his order, I heard.”
“A person talented enough to become a high swordsman was kicked out for lacking self-control?”
It sounded absurd, yet entirely plausible.
“So he ended up traveling with our party. This time, when he worked as an imperial knight, he used his connections to steal something.”
“And that’s why he betrayed you?”
It was ridiculous. A man already notorious for greed and thrown out of his order would betray his entire party just because his theft was discovered… Ah.
“The thing he stole wasn’t ordinary, was it?”
Elfride nodded at my words.
“He stole the imperial tribute goods.”
“Is he insane?”
That explained why he would silence the entire party. The moment it came to light, he was as good as dead.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Having scattered the beast pack, Pedro began closing the distance with heavy, ground-shaking footsteps.
‘Running on foot to catch up with a carriage.’
In an ordinary world that would be impossible, but in a world of superhumans where mana was everyday reality, it was only natural. People rode in carriages or on horses not because they wanted to go faster, but because they simply didn’t want the hassle of walking.
“Elfride!!”
“Eek!”
Running on foot was far faster. Just like the man currently shouting as he charged toward us.
Swish.
Diana’s arrow flew at Pedro, but he deflected it effortlessly. As expected of a high swordsman—he could pull off feats like that without breaking a sweat.
Swish.
In truth, Diana wasn’t even fighting seriously. Just like when she faced the beast pack, she was only engaging him at a moderate level.
“Why, why are you both so calm? He’s a high swordsman! The kind of person who can slice through boulders!”
“Well…”
I scratched my chin. If I got nervous over a mere high swordsman at this point, the evil god slumbering inside the Heavenly Power would feel utterly wronged.