Irreversible (4)
"Ah, damn it."
I was still basking in the satisfaction of having completely nailed that last performance when Dev suddenly spat out a curse. I'd told him he could borrow the words, so I could overlook that much—but I had no idea what had him so worked up all of a sudden.
"…Listen, Sir Knight. We don't like the soft-handed temple types."
That much I already knew. What I hadn't realized until now was that he hated them enough to bad-mouth them to someone he barely knew—and right in front of one of those same temple soft-hands, no less.
"But… we hate demons even more. And we really hate humans who might as well be demons."
Did every story NPC have a broken affinity system? There was no other way I should be hearing something like this after only a few hours of knowing him.
I kept that theory to myself and listened to the rest.
"So take this."
Something came flying at me; the next instant I had caught it on pure reflex.
"…In any city that's even a little developed, you'll find at least one tavern flying that crest."
I was about to check what he'd given me when Dev spoke up in that mild tone. I still had no idea why a tavern was entering the conversation.
"Go there and show it. You can buy any information you want."
I glanced down at what I was holding.
A wooden token came into view, carved with an intaglio mouse overlapping a bas-relief snake. Any veteran of Legend of Heroes would recognize that crest as readily as the Adventurer's Guild mark—it belonged to a different power with a slightly different role.
"You have every right to it."
Holy shit. This was an Information Guild access token. Similar to the Adventurer's Guild, but not quite the same.
My nape went cold for a second. I'd assumed this whole incident would end with Dev joining the party. Only now did I realize the real setup had been to hand me this pass.
I welcomed the twist with open arms. Though at this rate I was going to log out before I ever got to use it.
"…Why give this to me?"
"I already told you. We don't like the temple, but we hate demons and people who act like demons even more. And a knight like you can put information to better use than people who just sit on it, can't you?"
That was true enough. When an NPC handed over intel, the player followed the quest, dug into the related problems, and solved them.
Not that this guy knew that when he gave it to me.
"What do you want in return?"
I asked as I slipped the token into my inventory. Dev's lips curved upward.
"Nothing. I've already been paid."
…I'd better check later whether my inventory was empty. I hadn't given him a thing, so what the hell had he received?
"As for the horses… I'll get them ready as fast as I can. Rest wherever you like in the meantime. I'll come find you myself."
The service was excellent while he was at it.
What the hell had I even done to deserve this treatment? Story NPCs didn't just hand out freebies. Or had taking down that one demon contractor earlier started a snowball that rolled all the way here? The horses I could almost accept, but this was way too much.
"Wait."
While I was still trying to read Dev's mind, the Inquisitor spoke this time. Her quiet eyes caught the moonlight and seemed to gleam pure white.
"I will go with you as well."
It wasn't something I'd particularly hoped for, nor was it a line I hadn't expected. Of course a story companion NPC would come along. Even if she didn't, it wouldn't have mattered much.
"What about the Archmage…?"
"…How could I possibly stay behind?"
The Archmage's expression looked rather like she had just swallowed poison, but she agreed in the end. Her thick hands pressed hard against her own eyes.
"But will you be all right?"
"I never expected this kind of hardship to begin so soon… yet from the moment I decided to travel with the Inquisitor, I prepared myself for it. You need not concern yourself."
Good. So departure was settled. But what about horses for the rest of them?
"…You people can handle that yourselves."
"Hmm. We will pay the fee. Is that still not enough?"
"Well, if you're putting it that way."
Dev shrugged and made a hand signal. A rogue who had been lingering nearby—the same one who had earlier offered the body bag—vanished into an alley in the blink of an eye.
"You'll be charged full cost, so be ready for that."
Dev himself backed slowly toward the alley where the other thief had disappeared, then spun and sprinted away. The way he melted into the shadows in an instant was exactly what you'd expect from the representative rogue character.
"…Then all that remains is to wait."
"Ah, let us go to the lodgings. There should be no problem using them."
Temple quarters… staying away from them would probably suit my personality better.
"Demon Knight, please come as well. It would be best if you took even a short proper rest."
Tsk. But when she put it like that, following along didn't feel like breaking character.
I'd just go and not actually lie down on a bed. Standing, sitting, or lying down all reduced fatigue the same way anyway.
"This way."
I watched the Inquisitor lead the way for a moment, then was the last to set my feet in motion.
"Are you waiting for ruin?"
To the soft question the Sage asked so the Inquisitor wouldn't hear, I ultimately gave no answer.
Because that question had pierced exactly the image I had been aiming for. Heh heh heh.
Dev returned just before dawn.
It had taken longer than expected, but I settled for saying "You're late" once. The horses he brought were too excellent for me to keep needling him.
In fact, thanks to his lateness I had managed to burn off quite a bit of fatigue as well.
"Why five?"
"Even the best horse will tire quickly carrying a rider in full plate like you. Why do you ask?"
That was roughly a way of saying we should distribute the loads. Still, there was one extra.
"…Because these are valuable horses. They said someone has to come along to bring them back."
Dev, who had been curt with the Inquisitor, answered my glance immediately and frankly.
What strange people. I was the one being difficult, yet both of them were friendly only toward me and bristled at each other.
"And that someone is you?"
"Yes…"
You have begun acting together with ??? (Deathbringer).
I see. I glanced at the window that had popped up, then dismissed it to the side.
"Got a problem with that? If you do, I can take the horses back."
A new voice cut in from the side.
I hadn't said I had a problem… more importantly, this was a voice I was hearing for the first time. I flicked my gaze that way.
"…! Sister!"
The priests who had come out to see us off made sounds of shock that reached my ears faintly. If the priests recognized her, she was probably someone fairly well-known in this city.
"Someone you know?"
"Sh-she is a major benefactor of our temple. She also does a great deal of charity work in the poor districts."
"…No criminal record, I trust?"
"Of course not!"
Thanks to the Inquisitor I got free information on the side. Right, so that was how it was.
"I can tell just by looking. You're the Demon Knight our little brat completely fell for, aren't you?"
"I did not fall for anyone."
"When he comes running over in the middle of the night begging me to lend him horses, that counts as falling for someone."
"Augh."
Listening to her banter with Dev, I figured this must be the owner of the horses.
I crushed down the fatigue that still hadn't fully cleared and turned my body from the horses. That let me get a proper look at her.
She was of the Slend race—pointed ears, slender build. The faint scent of medicinal herbs about her felt strangely familiar and warm.
"Well, taking them back was a joke. I just came because I was curious who was borrowing the horses, so don't worry."
"Who are you?"
"I run a little apothecary over that way. Call me Skyla."
It was a bit odd for an apothecary owner to possess five such fine horses, but I decided to let that pass. At best she was a collaborator with the Information Guild or one of their members.
Of course she might simply be privately close with Dev… but I wasn't particularly curious that far. If she was an important NPC, I would see her again later.
"You are the owner of the horses?"
In the meantime the Inquisitor, having succeeded in removing her plate with the priests' help, stepped forward.
She had only taken off the plate; the chainmail she still wore underneath remained plenty imposing.
"First, allow me to express my gratitude. As for the fee for lending the horses…"
"Ah, that's fine. When someone from the temple is borrowing them, how could I take payment? We have to help each other at times like this."
"Even so…"
"You'll put them to good use, won't you? Right?"
Skyla said that and smiled brightly.
"I raised these children with affection, so please just make sure they don't get hurt."
When she said those words, however, she was looking not at the Inquisitor but at me. For the record, her hand was also clamped firmly down on Dev's head beside her.
"Ah, what now!"
"If anything happens to them… I think I'd get a little angry."
In other words, look after the horses, sure—but also keep Dev safe. These NPCs were really good at speaking in circles.
"That will absolutely never happen."
Of course the Inquisitor, who had missed the subtext, looked rather solemn.
Her attitude was far more respectful than when she dealt with Dev; apparently knowing a criminal was fine as long as there was no criminal record.
"Then that's a relief."
"Um, but… about needing someone to bring the horses back…"
"Ah, it's just as it sounds. They're such precious children that I didn't want to leave them long somewhere I don't know."
"…The temple would be more than capable of—"
"Of course I know that if I entrusted them to the temple, they would be returned safely. But people are like that. I feel more at ease if I attach someone I know."
"Th-then…"
"I've known the little brat for quite a while, so I thought he'd be fine and left it to him. Oh, is that a problem?"
"That is…"
"He acts a bit shiftless, but he helps out with my charity work just fine. He's quick on the uptake, so he won't cause any trouble for the Inquisitor."
Meanwhile the Inquisitor seemed to have wanted to leave Dev behind or at least swap him for someone else…
Whatever the other side's reason for insisting on Dev—probably story—it looked like we would be going as things stood. As for me, I didn't care who tagged along.
"Are we going to keep dawdling?"
Anyway, we had gone to the trouble of securing horses; I wasn't going to waste time standing around talking.
I mounted. The Archmage arrived at that exact moment, trudging over.
"Looks like I'm the last one."
She didn't ask why there were five horses or who the new addition was. Even ordinary human hearing would have caught about half of the conversation between the Inquisitor and Skyla, and that was more than enough to grasp the situation.
"Oh my, it seems I've delayed you too long. Please go and attend to your business."
"Y-yes. Thank you… for your consideration."
Defeated in the verbal exchange, the Inquisitor finally climbed onto her horse with a dejected face. Dev was already mounted on his, so all that remained was to depart.
"Ah, wait a second. Kid, ear."
"Ah, what now."
…We just had to wait until the horse owner finished speaking to her proxy, then leave.
"Then I wish you luck."
"May the gods be with you."
The whisper didn't last long.
Deciding I had no need to listen to any words of blessing, I simply kicked my horse into motion.
"Hiyah!"
Neigh!
The powerfully built horse snorted once and immediately set its legs moving. The acceleration was impressive.
"Th-that—"
"Oh-ho."
Of course the priests behind us seemed to clutch the backs of their necks, but my character didn't care about other people's affinity. Heh heh heh.
"…! What truly fine horses!"
"…He doted on them so much it nearly killed him—no wonder."
In the meantime the Inquisitor's admiration and Dev's mutter brushed my ears briefly. It seemed this was Dev's first time riding one of these as well.
"At this rate we should be able to make it within three days."
"That quickly?"
"Yes."
Even the Archmage was praising the horses when one of them drew up alongside me.
"…Sir Knight. Please forget what you heard earlier."
It was Deathbringer.
"She's someone I met while knocking around the back alleys. She's a bit of a busybody, so…"
"I don't care."
In truth I would remember it perfectly and take it to heart, but I said otherwise. It wasn't something my character would show interest in.
"Is that so."
Whether he took those words positively or negatively, the Dev who had been running alongside me finally spat out a single line after a long while.
"…Sir Knight. Have you ever regretted anything?"
It was a question that felt a little too random for the situation. Besides, sensitive questions like this usually only came out after people knew each other a bit—after affinity had built up some, right?
Did you secretly stack internal intimacy with me too, just like the Inquisitor?
"…"
Ignore him, or not? And if not, what answer would be correct?
I quickly considered the character. The answer soon became clear.
"A meaningless question."
Because he lacked the ability, he couldn't stop his family from dying. Because he lacked the ability, he alone survived. Because he lacked the ability, all he could do was hunt minor demons.
From that position, how could he ever feel something like regret?
Regret required either admitting a mistake or realizing there had been a better choice among the ones he made—and the Demon Knight belonged to neither category.
In other words, he had never even been given the chance to regret.
All of his despair had come from disasters that could not be prevented.
And so.
"…The nutritional supplements should be running out soon. Why the hell am I still not logging out?"
Two days after we set out for Tatara. When enough time had passed that "sleeping time was skipped" no longer covered it, and I still couldn't log out.
Even when we arrived in Tatara and the game still refused to end.
"Why…?"
I was able to regret.
Logging into the game, throwing myself into the roleplay, setting my worries aside thinking I would log out when the time came—every last bit of it was something I myself had done!
Goddamn it!