The Price of Ignorance (1)

Considering there were multiple inns, I figured it was worth checking if the general stores were the same. That turned out to be a stroke of pure genius.

There were plenty of general stores, and every last one of them charged different prices.

“…….”

Still, haggling or inspecting every single shop felt completely out of character for my concept. So I decided to pick the place that looked least likely to fleece me and just walk in. Not that I had ever managed that successfully even in real life.

“Um, Archmage… the Demon Knight seems to be in a foul mood.”

“He was more or less forced into this journey, so it cannot be helped.”

“……?! F-forced? Did I somehow coerce him without realizing it?!”

“No, that is not what I meant….”

While I was busy brooding, the two NPCs started whispering about my stony expression. At this point they honestly looked like Dumb and Dumber. Just watching them was comedy gold.

“We depart!”

In the meantime the caravan set off. The supply wagon we three were riding in began to rattle and jolt into motion.

This was supposed to be the courtesy we received in place of payment… yet every time my backside bounced, my stomach lurched. At this point it no longer felt like courtesy at all.

In the end I simply closed my eyes. Last time I had toughened it out through sheer grit, but there was no need to do the same now.

Role-playing is supposed to be fun, not miserable. Everything else I could endure for the greater enjoyment, but this was not one of those cases. Better to just give up.

“Are you asleep?”

Instead of answering I thought about sleep. A window immediately floated into view even behind my closed lids. I did not even have to touch it; simply thinking about it made the timer start climbing on its own.

Roughly three hours should do. Setting it to last until arrival would have been ideal, but I did not know the exact travel time. If it was not enough I could always sleep more later.

“May the gods grant you peaceful rest….”

With the Inquisitor’s blessing my vision went pitch black. The darkness swallowed even the light seeping through my closed eyelids, like wet paint flowing and blotting everything out.

I had been an idiot for expecting only three hours after a simple trip to the northwest forest.

It took nearly three full days to reach the next city. That was a full day of real-world time.

Even after the escort duty ended and all three of us rode hard, it still took that long.

We did clear out the occasional bandits and small beasts along the way, but beyond that there were zero events or quests. Truly mind-numbing days.

Out of the three-day full-dive I had paid three hundred thousand won for, an entire day had evaporated without meaning. Now only one in-game day—less than eight real-world hours—remained.

“There is something I wish to ask.”

So I spent most of the ride with my face scrunched up, focusing only on learning how to ride properly… which apparently struck the Archmage as odd.

When we finally reached the next city, he approached me.

“You have not asked a single thing. Whether we truly received a divine revelation, where we are headed, why we are going—does none of it interest you?”

That was a strange question. The main reason I avoided conversation was my concept. On top of that, I was a player. The main quest itself already verified their identities; why bother doubting them?

Besides, without any knowledge of this world’s geography, hearing the destination would mean nothing. Even if I had played the original, I was not the type to memorize every city name.

Well, I was a little curious why we were changing cities… but was I curious enough to break character? Not really.

Above all else, their setting was that they needed combat power and were recruiting companions—including “players.” If there was a critical quest I absolutely had to know about, they would explain it themselves. Dragging someone along in silence only to get them killed was a common enough trope.

“If the revelation is false, I need only kill the both of you. And if the place is one where I must know details in order to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠prepare, then unless your brains have already melted into mush, your mouths would have already told me.”

I translated that sentiment into spoken words and then took a breath. The final line was the important one.

“Lastly. Whatever you do, whatever schemes you hatch—so long as you do not get in my way, I have no interest.”

Perfect. The message that this was merely a partnership for demon-hunting and that I cared nothing for them themselves was flawless. Drawing clear lines never hurt, no matter how many ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠times you did it.

“Is that so.”

The Archmage stroked his chin as if he understood. His mood did not seem particularly sour, but one never knew. Affinity might still have dropped.

“Then, have you ever been involved with the Magic Tower or the Temple before—”

“I sold the horses! Here is the payment… Ah, were the two of you speaking?”

Just then, before the Archmage could finish, the young man who had been sent to sell the horses at the stables returned.

The Archmage had put him in charge of it so he would grow accustomed to society, and from where I stood it was not a bad decision. Social experience only improved by living it. Whether an NPC was actually programmed with learning from repeated actions was another matter entirely.

“Did I interrupt…?”

“Haha, not at all. We were merely sharing a brief chat. Come, let us go. There is a temple here, so there is no need to find an inn.”

I was a little curious what he had been about to say, but the chance had already flown. Asking again while keeping this concept would have been awkward anyway.

So I focused on the next destination. This would be my first temple since starting the game, and I was curious how it was designed. The temples in the original had been magnificent; this one would surely be no different.

Ah, if I had known, I would have visited the temple in the previous city as well. The distance had been too far and the timing never worked out. The village near the northwest forest had not even possessed a temple to begin with.

With those idle thoughts I followed the Archmage who strode ahead. Having to trail after an NPC instead of the other way around felt strangely unfamiliar. Normally the rule was to walk so slowly that the NPC overtook you and then wander around confused in front of them.

“The reason we have come to this city is because the local temple contacted us claiming a demon has appeared.”

After we had walked a short while, the Archmage finally explained the situation. Only then did Kimchi Mandu’s face light up with realization.

“Separate from gathering companions, we also visit places where the temple requests aid or where rumors circulate. As followers of the gods, we cannot turn our backs on those in distress.”

I had not particularly wanted the explanation, but hearing it was not bad. So in other words, all the main quests would come through them.

“There is a temple established here, yet they claim their own strength is insufficient to resolve the matter and so contacted us. Therefore….”

Either way, if it involved demons I could stick my nose in. My concept was a man driven mad by (hatred of) demons, after all. Uahahah.

“I have no interest in such circumstances. What kind of demon is it? Where and when does it appear?”

“That we do not yet know. We only received word that a demon has appeared; no detailed explanation was included. We will likely learn more once we visit the temple.”

Well, quests of this type usually started with information gathering first.

“How utterly incompetent.”

But my concept did not care about any of that.

While my mouth spat insults, my mind was already looking forward to the investigation, search, and hunt that would follow. I checked the updated quest.

But why was this not treated as a main quest? It was not really important, though.

Anyway, I wanted to progress the quest already. Travel had eaten up all the score, but hunting and killing demons was actually pretty fun. What else was left of an ARPG once you removed combat, after all?

Anticipating the quest to come, I tightened my grip on the sword hilt. In the distance a mid-sized cathedral began to come into view.

“A demon!”

I said I wanted to receive the quest; I never asked to be treated like this.

I should have foreseen this ever since the Inquisitor had misunderstood me and charged at the beginning. In that case, not visiting the previous city’s temple might actually have been lucky.

“Wait, please calm yourselves!”

The moment we approached the temple, priests came pouring out and leveled weapons at us. If the Archmage and Inquisitor had not been standing in front of me, we would not even have had a standoff—I would have been attacked on the spot.

A detection alarm made part of my vision translucent. I would have to change the target settings for that later.

“He is not an enemy!”

“But—!”

“A servant of the gods is shielding a demon?!”

The Inquisitor looked flustered and kept glancing at me. Yet even her shouts failed to calm the hostile reactions; if anything the atmosphere only grew fiercer.

“I say it once more. He is not an enemy!”

Judging that the situation would not resolve easily, the Inquisitor removed her gauntlet. The hand that appeared was pale, yet even from a distance one could see it was covered in calluses and scars.

No one, however, would dare call that hand unsightly. Especially not if they could recognize the mark that appeared on the back of her hand the moment she released Holy Power.

“Th-the Hero’s mark…?”

Come to think of it, a question I had never considered while playing the original game suddenly occurred to me.

Back then the mark had been engraved on whatever class character the player chose. And the mark only manifested when Holy Power touched or was used. But a Demon Knight took damage the instant Holy Power touched him. So how had they verified it then? Game logic allowance, I supposed?

“I swear upon my name that he may be a victim, but he is no demon. Therefore, lower your weapons.”

While my mind wandered, I observed how they reacted.

Perhaps because a simple priest’s words had suddenly become the words of the Hero, the weight of her statement rose sharply. Those who had rushed out of the temple now had eyes as wide as saucers.

“Did the Hero not order you to lower your weapons?”

And then the Archmage drove the nail in completely.

The clerics hastily lowered their weapons and changed their attitudes. When they looked at me there was still suspicion mixed in, but at least they were no longer openly hostile.

“Since the god’s proxy has spoken thus, we shall obey.”

But just because they did that did not mean I had to, right?

I gripped the hilt of my longsword tightly and tensed the muscles in my neck. The way the cords stood out and trembled would look perfect if I could make a vein pop. I was probably asking too much of the game, though.

“Restrain yourself.”

At the same time, just as I was about to take a step forward, the Archmage’s hand stopped me. A hand half the size of mine pressed down on my sword and the hand holding it.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

“They meant no malice.”

I had only intended to grip the sword, but having him stop me like this was even better for me.

“Had there been malice, I would already have cut them down.”

I twisted my face into something thoroughly unpleasant and strode inside with heavy steps. The two people lined up on either side of me kept sneaking glances. The way they were watching my every move was so transparent it was almost delightful.

Ah, once I got the incident details I was leaving immediately.

The briefing on the incident proceeded the entire time in an icy atmosphere. The Hero and the Sage received warm welcomes; my side did not.

The subtle staring contest between me and the temple people continued—and the flavor of overflowing concept play was delicious—and it remained the same even after the briefing ended.

“A room has been prepared. Or would you prefer to dine first? If the dining hall is uncomfortable, we can have the meal delivered to your room.”

That last line was said while looking straight at me. For an NPC he was being thoroughly underhanded.

“I refuse.”

But did the treatment itself bother me? Absolutely not!

After all, the priests had used fatigue as an excuse to desperately beg the other two to begin the search tomorrow, effectively keeping them stuck at the temple.

And yet they were giving me the cold shoulder like this? Handing me a natural excuse to leave while staying in character?

“I would sooner sleep on the forest floor than spend a night in the nest of hypocrites; it would bring me closer to the gods’ embrace.”

“What…!”

I could not just ignore a free meal being spoon-fed to me. Especially when I barely had any time left until I had to log out! Absolutely no exploring for me!

Carrying the luggage I had never set down even once, I turned on my heel.

I was half being kicked out, but that was fine. They had given me looks, yet the one who chose to leave was still me, and more importantly I had never intended to stay in the first place!

I was never the type who preferred playing games at a glacial pace. Since I had paid for a full dive, I wanted to get my money’s worth.

Thanks to that, a development like this was actually a reward.

Ah, of course I still had to act offended for the concept. Yup. I was a professional concept addict, after all.

“Demon Knight!”

On top of that, the previous conversation had already updated the quest. Finding it would not be a problem. I was confident I could track it down even alone without the two of them.

“Wait…!”

Leaving the Inquisitor who tried to stop me behind, I glanced at the quest window.

Through the optional paths I could either question the residents or search for the demon’s traces in order to receive tracking hints.

But for me that work was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠unnecessary. With the information the temple had already given, I had figured out the answer.

The type of demon remained unknown, yet it appeared regardless of day or night. Its targets were mostly people who were asleep, and it killed them through crushing, bloodsucking, cannibalism, and various other methods.

From the perspective of someone who frequently researched materials, it was a rather familiar creature. On top of that I had even played the original, so I was certain.

There might be newly added monsters, but at least this one I knew. I could stake my life on it.

This was a Draugr.

“Please wait just a moment!”

Tak.

The right hand I had been dangling carelessly was seized. The arm that, according to the setting, contained a demon.

“……!”

Reflexively I shook the hand off as if rejecting it. I had always disliked sudden contact to begin with, and the reaction also fit the concept.

More than anything, it was my right hand. The hand that housed a demon. Absolutely not allowed.

“Do not.”

Looking at the Inquisitor whose face had gone completely white, I showed a razor-edged reaction. At first it seemed like contempt, then the color of self-loathing grew stronger—anger directed at another mixed with fear underneath.

“Touch me carelessly.”

Khhh, perfect. I was always drinking kimchi soup of my own making, but could I not just become an actor at this point? Ah, right—my face was the problem.

“I-I’m sorry.”

I clenched my right fist tightly and turned my body that had been caught.

“Where do you intend to go?”

This time it was the Archmage who seized my ankle. An extremely easy question.

“To kill the demon.”

Tonight’s night and dreams would be very long indeed.