You're My Heart Heart Heart Heart Heart Breaker
“Is that voice... the Cursed Sword? You said you were carrying it just in case of danger.”
[Look, at least the hilt's properly sealed, right? Talking to me's gotta be way better than chatting with our antisocial Hero over there.]
“Ugh...”
The moment I revealed their true identities, the two of them shifted gears. Not dramatically or anything, but the exhaustion in their movements vanished, replaced by fresh vigor. They went from being pushed back by the corpses to pressing the attack.
To begin with, the reason they'd fooled even a seasoned, sharp-eyed, gentlemanly, handsome pro like me—and the Hero—wasn't because they were that skilled. Quite the opposite. They were above average for Silver-rank adventurers but fell short of Gold. That middling level of competence was exactly what let them pass as Silver-rankers.
[At your level, you couldn't handle an orc shaman, though?]
Orc shamans are scary, but a prepared orc shaman is way scarier. Their solo combat prowess doesn't match an ogre's, but give 'em the right setup, and they can take down monsters even above ogres. That's the nature of shamanism.
It takes more effort than instant powers, sure—fussy rituals and all—but once it kicks in, it crushes other forces.
“Nngh. Hate to admit it, but you're right. No helping it.”
“Taka!”
So his name wasn't a lie after all. Well, the Status Window had listed it that way.
Taka smashed one corpse's skull, shook his head to fling off the gore, then declared in a solemn voice, “As examiners, we hereby declare the promotion quest complete. From this moment, Lady Cream may exercise the privileges of a Silver-rank adventurer... and—ack!”
Mid-sentence, a corpse lunged at him. He jerked his head aside to dodge and kept going. “We won't penalize you for using more power. Please, help us out!”
“Kyaaak!”
Meanwhile, the fairy—grappling with a few corpses—got grabbed by the hair and slammed to the ground. As a fairy ranger, she was at a disadvantage up close. And get this: this world has no holy power bonuses against undead! Divine power counters dark beings like me, not “otherworldly” stuff.
“Got it.”
The Hero nodded casually and extended her hand. Flames erupted—nothing like the fairy's puny sparks. The corpses engulfed in her blaze didn't rise again. Absolute annihilation, not even ash left behind.
She cleared the corpses effortlessly, then closed her eyes and began humming softly.
[Wh-what are you doing?]
No visible change, but the electric aura surging from her prickled everyone's senses. Even the shaman, silent till now from maintaining his spells, panicked.
That low, dove-like hum—thin as a fife—was audible only to me, right beside her. A melody that tugged at the heartstrings with aching longing.
She opened her eyes, reached for the sky, then whipped her hand down.
[What kind of clown show is this?!]
The orc shaman bellowed, but everyone could tell it was the bark of a frightened dog. Nothing happened at first, but her power's presence only grew stronger.
“Huh?”
Then, a raindrop plopped from the sky—right on the fairy's ear. Soon, a downpour drenched the entire orc village they'd turned into a battlefield.
The Hero's grand magic: she'd entreated the spirits to redirect clouds flowing elsewhere straight to them.
Fighting paused as the world drowned in the torrent.
[No, nooo...!]
The rain washed everything equally—embers, holy water, blood.
The blood runes etched across the orc village ran in the deluge.
The rain stopped as abruptly as it came. Clouds parted, revealing clear blue skies.
[Ah...]
Sunlight pierced through, and the shadow realm retreated. The blood runes dissolved completely, the sacrificial kin-blood swept away with the runoff.
Finally free to move, the orc shaman—who'd been frozen maintaining his spells—swung his planted totem pole and charged the Hero.
[Our kin's blood, our kin's sorrow!]
[That's rich coming from the guy who used it.]
[Shut up! For that sacred ritual, the sacrifice lost so pointlessly!]
Sacred ritual? Didn't sound like the crude shamanism he'd pulled off. Anyway, it was no contest—like an adult vs. a child.
She sidestepped his howling charge, followed with a kick that snapped the totem.
[Gwaaaah! You bastards!]
The shaman wailed in anguish, but it changed nothing. The Hero leaped, kneed his jaw, drew me, and swung.
[Yahoo!... Huh?]
I was hoping for some blood after so long, but she only sliced his robes—a mere snick of cutting.
As I deflated, something tumbled from the shaman's robes. A skull?
The orc shaman's face went corpse-pale at the sight.
[Stop! Halt!]
Reeling from the blow, he couldn't even stand straight. Staggering, he screamed at the top of his lungs. [What do you want?! Name it—I'll grant anything! Please!]
Ignoring his pleas, the Hero scooped up the skull. Hmm, yeah, I could feel it now. That skull was a shamanic talisman like the tribe's totem—but leagues above. Unlike that massive, sloppy pole, this reeked of high-level sorcery. Way beyond what an orc shaman could mimic.
“No wonder... it felt off.”
[Stoooop!]
She smashed the skull with her sword. The shaman's psychic waves cut off like a snapped thread. Frozen mid-ugly sob, tears streaming, he just... stopped. Tattoos blanketing his body flickered out one by one, like a bulb running out of juice. The half-broken totem crumbled to dirt, rock, and bone.
“Chwek.”
When the shaman finally spoke again, no psychic emanations followed. Just a plain old orc—big, sure, but a ragged wanderer without even a tribe.
*
“We'll take our leave now.”
Taka, grabbing the tribe's totem and the giant orc's head as proof of completion, bowed to us.
[Yeah. No need to track you down later, then?]
“Yes. We'll handle the cleanup so it's no bother.”
No point dragging out the awkward companionship now that their cover was blown. Still, I stopped Taka as he reached for the skull.
[Leave that behind.]
“Pardon? But it's quest evidence...”
[Hey now. The request didn't mention spoils, did it?]
It was a slapped-together quest just to gauge the Hero's character. The village was a convenient spot—pure bad luck a shaman was here.
[The Hero's graciously overlooking your deception...]
“Ah, understood.”
Unable to withstand my veiled threat, they left the skull and departed.
With the pair gone, the Hero tapped my hilt curiously. “Why that one?”
[Doesn't feel like ordinary goods. You sensed something off too, right?]
“Yeah.”
Orc shamans existed centuries ago too. But as I said, they roam the wilds—not near cities. And a shaman, the tribe's protector, attacking the chief and stealing his own totem? That plus the odd behavior...
[When I broke it, a bit of soul leaked in.]
Shatter the ritual medium, and the shaman reverts to plain orc. Low shamans tote primitive fetishes sometimes, but this was next-level. Touched by a high shaman far beyond orc shamans. And a soul power so subtly hidden even I didn't notice till it cracked.
[Suspicious, right?]
“Yeah.”
Reading my thoughts, she nodded silently. Wait, that's it?
[What, no 'I'll uncover the hidden conspiracy!' or 'Smash the shady organization!' here?]
“Would be... nice?”
I knew our Hero's sense of justice was dim, but this was too much! A Cursed Sword like me worrying more about the world? Come on.
“Not worrying... right?”
[Guh.]
Okay, fine, guilty. My nature leans evil, demonic too. My drives? Not grand justice or ideals—just pleasure and amusement.
And digging into shadowy underworld plots is the most fun! That's why evil-org showdown novels hit so hard. Cliches are cliches 'cause they're predictably addictive!
“Got it. Later.”
[Huh?]
“I'll check it out... later.”
[Yahoo! Promise!]
Unraveling that shady group might reunite me with old faces. Riskier for her, sure—higher chance she'll die. ...Maybe I'll help a little if I have to? Ahem. Only 'cause if she dies without unbinding me, I'm screwed. Don't get the wrong idea, Hero. I don't acknowledge you as master. Just rolling with the situation.
“Pfft.”
[Don't laugh! Let's get going already.]
“Okay, okay.”
[I said no laughing!]
She started walking with a pleasant smile. Slung at her familiar waist, I swayed silently to her rhythm.
Her holy power still gnawed at me, but she no longer felt uncomfortable. Instead, she felt... familiar. Comfortable...
[Wait! City's the other way!]
“Yeah. Somewhere else... to go.”
[At least grab the Holy Sword!]
“Oh.”
One undeniable fact: traveling with this girl was, without a doubt, a blast.