I Didn't Know That (6)
Let me say it again. Deep-Sea Pearl is a god, and Legend of Heroes is god-tier.
"Either my one remaining eye has gone crooked, or your ears are plugged shut. Those are the only two possibilities."
I had wandered the night streets until I found another inn and spent what was left of the night there. After a shower—the first inn had been better; this place didn't even have a full bathroom—I had ordered something decent to deal with the emptiness in my stomach.
Then company arrived at the hall table where I sat alone. Of course it was the priest and the mage.
Bang!
"Do I really have to cut out your tongue before you'll understand words?"
I set my water glass down hard. The Inquisitor flinched. Her face was already red; even an NPC scrap of code apparently understood how shameless the situation looked.
Separately, half of me was impressed that Deep-Sea Pearl had programmed even emotions like that, while the other half guessed that joining up with these two must be the correct story path. That mix occupied my thoughts.
After all, if it weren't the story, they wouldn't be sticking to me like this.
"Please don't be too angry. We won't impose any further. Nor will we make any more mistakes... and this conversation will bring you no harm whatsoever. That much I can swear."
Even if you say that... staying in character means I can't just not get angry. It wasn't as if ignoring the story to protect my roleplay was new for me.
Ah, of course, going this far was a first for me too. In other games the NPCs wouldn't play along no matter how hard I tried, so I had to compromise. Or the story would lock up completely and force a restart.
"Are you trying to mess with me?"
But this game took whatever I threw at it and bounced it right back, so I could try pure concept-play without hesitation. It was too much fun.
"...That is..."
Just then the Inquisitor fumbled for words. When my gaze turned her way, her face—already the color of a ripe persimmon—flushed even redder. Hair color and skin color matched. It was almost cute enough to think so out loud.
"I came because I wish to learn that mercy!"
But what she shouted was so absurd it made my head spin.
"...What?"
Is the game glitching right now? Have my ears gone wrong? Am I still holding the concept properly?
"Show mercy and consideration to others; keep far from arrogance and self-will. I was taught that all my life, yet until yesterday I followed none of it. But... you were different. You overlooked the insults I heaped on you more than once, and even at the final moment you still granted forgiveness."
I gripped the glass that had nearly slipped from my hand. At the same time I barely managed to keep my twitching lips under control.
"I... I saw in you the side of myself I had always wanted to become...! That is why I dared to stand before you again, even knowing it was rude! I know full well how much trouble and discourtesy I have already caused, yet still I...!"
There is an eternal saying among otaku: your favorite character isn't the one you choose. It's the one that one day walks up, grabs you by the collar, slaps you across the face, and then sits down in your heart like it owns the place.
And what that saying is meant to convey right now is this:
She had just grabbed my otaku heart by the collar and slapped it.
"...If your goal was to ruin my mood, that was a highly effective strategy."
I clung to the concept by a thread while, inside, I clutched my head and screamed.
Cute, cute, I had already been thinking. When she dropped to her knees earlier with that sincere attitude it had already been a little too much my type, and that made me nervous.
But to come in swinging like this?! To score a perfect strike on my preferences with that clumsy, artless apology?!
Is she insane? Is she actually insane?! Even in the original the priest's setting and personal story had been my favorite material, but this is going way too far!
"D-did I... fail to guard my tongue again? Have I been rude once more..."
"......"
And on top of everything she was taking my words at face value again. I was going to lose my mind. How was it even possible that a stubborn yet awkward character—my eternal favorite type—had to be exactly this?
Especially when the way her hair was cut into that neat round bob made her look exactly like a kimchi dumpling...
"I understand now. An amusing attempt. I've never seen someone try to commit suicide this way before. Novel."
I couldn't break character, so I only managed a trembling corner of the mouth while my whole body shook.
Whether he mistook that for the peak of rage or not, the Archmage tensed.
"It is nothing of the sort. Please, just listen to me for a moment."
At least it seemed the concept hadn't shattered, which was a massive relief. The sudden designation of a new favorite character brought me no joy at all.
"No. Unnecessary."
But the fact that she was cute was still a fact, wasn't it? The way this rigid girl, so bad at social life that she charged straight in with a clumsy frontal apology, felt exactly like a social rookie. And that was adorable. Wasn't that just inevitable?
"The only thing I will share with the likes of you is the edge of a blade."
Scrape.
Swallowing tears, I stood up roughly. My hand, of course, went to the two-hander on my back.
Kimchi dumpling or story or whatever—I could never abandon the concept. With a temper like this, how was I supposed to sit still after hearing that nonsense—praise though she might have intended it to be?
"Even if it meant you could kill Satan, king of the demons?"
But the moment I moved to draw the sword, the Archmage tossed out a single line.
The hall, which had been moderately full of people, sank into silence. My hand froze mid-motion.
"Even if it meant driving the Great Demon Satan and all demons from this land—would you still draw that blade?"
A sage really was a sage. We hadn't even spoken much, yet he had already pinpointed the exact weakness of the concept I was holding.
"...That talk."
Even rolling around on the floor I could be certain of this: this was a topic my concept could never step over.
"What do you mean by that?"
I let the sword hang free, eyes filled with irritation and madness.
It was the will to swing the moment his words proved worthless, and that will reached the Archmage intact.
"Before that—just a moment. This will take a little while, so allow me to wet my throat first."
"Blood counts as something to drink, does it not?"
He seemed to be trying to lighten the atmosphere, but with a nature that wouldn't be satisfied until every last demon was torn apart, there was no way I would allow that.
I gripped the two-hander tighter. The Archmage cleared his throat.
"...I believe I mentioned that the Inquisitor has only just left the temple."
She was wise after all. Sensing my aura, the sage immediately drew a line.
"There is a reason she left the temple despite being so young for an Inquisitor. All of it is because of a revelation."
He shot a subtle look at the Inquisitor. Catching the cue, she hastily opened her mouth.
"Undeservedly... He informed me that I am fated to defeat Satan."
That... was a story that left me a little shaken. A revelation already? And the priest is the one fated to defeat Satan?
"Yet He also said that alone I would be insufficient, and that I must gather companions."
That revelation was clearly meant for the player. Not for the priest.
"So I sought out the Archmage first... and next I intended to travel the various regions gathering those who would join me."
Don't tell me the remake completely rewrote the story around the priest?
"Even knowing you would find it unpleasant, we returned for that reason."
"...? Archmage, earlier you said it would be fine..."
"Ahem ahem."
While I was forcing so much strength into my face that the veins stood out from the shocking truth, the Archmage hurriedly declared:
"Would you consider joining the journey to slay Satan?"
That single sentence floated the quest.
Even after a crate of liquor I would have known it was a main quest from the special notation that stabbed into my chest like a dagger.
"I've looked into it. You're quite a famous mercenary. They say you never hesitate when it comes to killing demons. That is why I make this offer. Once Satan is dead, every demon on this land will withdraw."
...Well, my guess that joining these two was the story had been correct, so I would let that pass.
And nearly killing the main character... well, the lack of a warning or guide window was a shame, but even if I had killed her I would simply have restarted from the last save point, so it was fine.
If I hadn't restarted, that would have been fine in its own way. It would have meant I could change the story however I liked.
Legend of Heroes wasn't being sold on the catchphrase that everything was possible and you could do anything, so I had been startled, but it wasn't unprecedented. I accepted it quickly enough.
Of course the question of how many people they had to grind into dust to achieve this much freedom with these graphics did cross my mind... but well, if it was possible, that was why it had been released, right?
It had only been startling because the setting had crashed in without warning. From a pure enjoyment player's perspective, anything was welcome. And on top of that, concept-play was free here. How was I supposed to refuse?
"That thing, a hero?"
So I focused on the concept and considered what reaction to give to the offer.
Accepting too meekly would feel off, right? Between those two and me there was nothing like trust—only one-sided contempt and rage.
"That she received the revelation is certain. If you desire proof we can accompany you to the temple. Any temple will recognize that she is the hero."
Yet when the sage came at me like that, I couldn't refuse to the end.
Why? Because my hatred for demons was still greater than my irritation at those two.
And in the middle of that, an opportunity to eliminate Satan, the source of all demons, arrives? From the standpoint of wanting to root out every last demon, I could never let it go. The grudge against demons I had set for my concept ran so deep it would burn even myself.
"...As expected, I..."
"That claim."
In other words, if it meant I could kill every demon, traveling with a couple of annoying bastards would be nothing at all.
"It had better be the truth."
Grateful to the NPC for delivering the perfect line, I gripped the sword I already held even harder.
"The moment it is not, I will carve your limbs into pieces and offer them to my homeland."
As if I would swing at any second. Yet in the end, so that I would not swing.
"Then I welcome you. Welcome to the expedition."
∎ Join the subjugation party
∎ Speak with the Archmage
The quest updated.
"Unnecessary. I permitted the companionship only because it aligns with my purpose. I have not the slightest intention of forgiving your arrogance and insolence."
The Inquisitor carved each of the man's words into her mind. The tone was harsh and cold, yet because she bore guilt she found it less grating than she might have.
"Discard any thought of treating me as a comrade. Had it not been for the matter of killing Satan, there would never have been a day I shared the same space with the likes of you."
Rather, the way he could suppress his rage and maintain composure before the goal only made him seem more impressive.
The bishop's teaching that one must always keep one's reason must have been aimed precisely at a figure like this.
"Do you understand?"
"Yes!"
Not being treated as a comrade was still disappointing, of course. Yet she was grateful even for the chance to travel together.
If they walked the same path, opportunities would come to apologize for her rudeness and to learn from his conduct.
"......"
Whether the Demon Knight narrowed his brow at her loud reply or not, the Inquisitor's eyes shone.
At first, her knowledge had been short; she had denied and doubted him simply because there was no precedent... but it was different now.
"To say he may take your life—do you even understand what those words mean, Inquisitor?! How heavy is your mission! Had he not shown mercy...!"
"I know my actions were impulsive and irresponsible. Your rebuke, Archmage, is just."
She no longer disliked the Demon Knight. On the contrary, every time she remembered her shortened hair she felt respect for him.
"Yet because of my narrow vision, harm was done. Fortunately this time it could be resolved with money, but what if someone had died? Could money have solved that as well?"
"And so you offered up your own life?"
"Justice is justified violence, and for that reason justice must be handled all the more heavily and carefully. The Lord Himself even said one must not be certain of one's own justice. Yet did I follow those words then?"
"...The Ninth Commandment."
"I ask you—how can someone who could not even properly follow the Lord's words save the world? I... I do not think I can. Something like the qualifications to become a hero... truly..."
She recalled the conversation she had held with the Archmage the night before, then looked again at the one standing before her.
"Yet I was forgiven. I was given a next time. I was given the chance to atone."
"Inquisitor..."
"If it had been me, I could not have forgiven. If it had been me, I would have cut out the tongue at least. If it had been me, I could never have acted as that man did."
Behind those fierce eyes lay a mental strength that could set aside murderous intent and malice even while harboring a demon. Behind that ominous way of speaking lay a mercy that swallowed displeasure and still extended forgiveness.
It was the reverse side she had failed to see until now.
"Is he not more like the Lord's proxy than I, who dared to stand in that place?"
All through the night she had prayed and thought about the Demon Knight. About the reason he had come to harbor a demon, about the things he must have experienced and the thoughts he must have held on the path that brought him here. About herself, who had covered her eyes with prejudice alone and pointed a sword at him without knowing him.
The more she did, the more only regret and respect for the other grew. It became even more so after she and the Archmage investigated and learned that he had been going about defeating demons and helping people.
"I wish to know him. And I wish to learn. The endurance that bears the demon coiled within his body, the spirit that can overcome even wrath, the generosity that can forgive one who cursed and insulted him."
Though his speech was rough and his manner vulgar... the Archmage had said that when learning is short, speech is also short. And that learning itself is not given to everyone.
So she could understand. Rather, the fact that he was better than her even without having been taught made him all the more impressive.
Yes—she wanted to know about that man, and she wanted to become someone like him.
Twenty years old. It was the moment a still-young youth's admiration began.
That it was a misunderstanding was something she would realize only after a long time had passed.