Fairy Heart (1)
Fairy Heart (1)
"You accidentally spotted the magic bombs, you accidentally fled through a dungeon, and you accidentally killed the boss monster?"
Redin nodded at Reina's words.
"Yes."
"I'm speechless at the absurdity of it all. Doesn't it seem strange to you?"
"I think I have a keen sense."
"How am I supposed to report this!"
Despite the words, there was a smile on Riena's face.
She must be glad to see him back.
Daylon, who had been listening in silence, grinned broadly and put a hand on his shoulder, giving Redin a thumbs-up.
"My younger brother, I believe you."
"Thanks."
"I'll take Terry's case to the warden myself first thing in the morning. Until I have an answer, I want you to get some rest."
"Understood."
If the head of the Task Force himself spoke.
It shouldn't be too hard to convince the Warden.
He inclined his head slightly.
"Let's go take a break then."
"Take the kids with you and tell them to rest in the room with no name tags, and I'll make sure they have something to eat." said Reina while looking at Redin.
"Do I have something too?", Daylon asked Reina.
"You said you were supposed to meet with the other captains. Go away."
“I want to cancel.”
“Get out quickly!”
Redin left them and walked out of the captain's office.
He gestured to Heather and Seria, who were hanging around the entrance, to follow behind.
They walked down the hallway and up to the second floor quarters.
"Just go into the unmarked room and rest. Showers are at the far end. Everything you need is in there, just grab a change of clothes."
"I don't have anything to change into."
"Go see Rebecca and ask her for one."
“Is Rebecca here too?”
He walked and stood in front of Rebecca’s room.
*knock!* knock!
He knocked, but didn't hear anything inside. She must be off on a mission if she's not here at this hour.
"Wait a minute."
He went to his room and opened the closet.
He pulled out the two pairs of sweatpants he'd bought the day before.
Redin went back outside and handed them to Heather and Seria.
"Go."
"W-What about food?"
"When you finish washing up and come out, you will smell something delicious. Then, you can go to the dining area on the first floor. Let's meet there."
With that, they parted ways, and he retreated back to his room. He stripped off his leather clothes, which had been reduced to tatters.
Normally, he would have bought some new clothes.
Unfortunately, he had lost his wallet with the money in it while fighting the boss monster, so he opted for a quick return.
Luckily, there's a teleporter in the Viscounty Territory.
"First.."
He pulled out a jewel from the inside pocket of his leather jacket. A black gem the size of a fingernail. In the game, it's called the Monster Soul.
It's one of the rewards.
You can only get them by defeating boss monsters, but they don't appear every time, so they're pretty rare.
The only way to use Monster Souls in the game is to purify the demonic energy with holy water and then click on the word [Use].
"I should probably... eat this, right?"
Using the power of purification, he purified the Monster Soul. The black gem changed to a transparent color.
A Monster Soul that had been purified.
He picked up the gem and put it in his mouth. he could sell it for a high price if he wanted to, but it was more important for him to grow.
Crack!
It doesn't look like it can be chewed.
Gulp!
He swallowed it down the back of his throat.
A moment later, a status window popped up.
[You have consumed a Monster Soul (C)].
[Defense and Magic Defense are slightly increased].
In general, Monster Souls is closely related to dungeons.
Rook-level dungeons have Defense and Magic Defense.
Knight-class dungeons are Attack and Magic Attack.
Bishop-level dungeons are about mental strength.
Occasionally, a monster soul like an Irregular will show up, but it's usually easier to think of it that way.
"I don't seem to have any side effects."
He pulled a key from his other pocket.
A golden key.
It contained directions to the Oberg Imperial Laboratory. As he held the key, a map formed in his mind.
The northern mountain range of the Kingdom of Resha.
Redin could see the entrance to the laboratory hidden within.
-Laboratory 3
This is where they developed the super magic bombs.
"Hmmm....."
He was a little worried.
There's not much here that I can do right now. Heather needs time to grow up a bit.
And he doesn't have the funds to start the experiment again. It's going to cost a lot of money, and he has no money at hand right now.
He needs to start a business to raise money.
The man who would do that is currently in jail. Marek Casino, the man in charge of financing the Darkness Seven. He needs to be extracted.
Naturally, Terry comes to mind.
He's targeting the Oberg Empire's laboratories. It shouldn't be too difficult to lay down the groundwork and lure him out.
If he can be captured, and Viscount Bothaman implicated, it shouldn't be too difficult to free Marek Casino.
He'll have captured one of Magnes's captains.
“The problem is the difference in skills...”
Although he's growing at a ridiculous pace, he's nowhere near being able to handle Terry.
One of the most pressing matters is mana.
After using Storm Slash, the most powerful skill he can use, twice, his mana pool is completely drained.
He can't even use his other skills.
In order to be able to use his skills multiple times and control the fight the way he wants to, he'd need to have several dozen more than he has now.
Combine that with the skills he'll gain from copying and hidden dungeons, resolving mana is a top priority.
Redin racked his brain for a moment.
"Ah!"
There's one that's just right.
"Fairy Heart."
An item that boosts mana efficiency.
There's also a skill to copy where it is and if he can obtain it, capturing Terry shouldn't be too difficult.
Takedown a dungeon.
Set up a board and trample Terry.
"Nice."
Smiling at his neat plan, he grabbed his clothes and headed for the shower.
* * *
Seria stood in front of Redin's room.
She had a lot of questions.
Things she'd been too busy to think about, but now that her mind was free, they came flooding back.
The explosion in Magnes.
It was as if Redin had known the explosion was coming. There was no hesitation in his actions, and he knew the location of the dungeon.
Also,
He was pretty sure the dungeon was about to have a bunch of raiders, and he was pretty knowledgeable about the boss monster.
And finally, Heather's magic.
Redin acted as if he knew everything, and all the characters seemed to play in the palm of his hand.
Come to think of it, he was the same way when they first met.
'He knew about me...'
Even the Burning Hell that captured his father didn't know she existed, so how did Redin know?
‘He clearly has the ability to see the future.’
Then everything was explainable.
She clenched her fists.
She wanted to ask him if he saw a future where she could save her father, and she was prepared to pay whatever he wanted in return.
*knock!* knock!
She knocked, but there was no response.
Her heart sank.
"Did he go down first?"
Seria descended the stairs and glanced toward the dining room. There was Redin, the man she'd been looking for, but there was another person to ask.
Vice Captain of the 7th Division Unit.
She was cooking in the kitchen.
'The opportunity will come at some point.'
With that in mind, she walked into the dining room.
"Come and sit."
Redin, who was carrying the food, pointed to the table with a sidelong glance. There was a lot of food on it. Pasta, steak, and more.
Just looking at it made her mouth salivate.
"Wow... you made this?"
"No.. The Vice Captain over there."
Seria spoke up, looking at Riena, who was making something else in the kitchen.
"I'll eat well."
"Good. Eat before the food gets cold."
Just as Seria is about to sit down at the table.
Heather walks into the dining room.
"S-Smells Delicious..."
'Gulp'
Sitting down next to Seria, he took a bite and picked up his fork. He shoveled some into his empty plate and exclaimed.
"Thanks for the food."
Then he began to gobble it up at a breakneck pace.
"Tasty... delicious... so delicious!"
"Eat a lot because you'll do it again."
Seria put some food on her plate too.
The food tasted all the same. She was wondering why he was making such a fuss.
She took a bite, and her opinion changed.
It was the best food she'd ever had. The food in Burning Man wasn't bad, but this was by far superior.
“It’s really delicious..”
They ate the food as if they were possessed by something.
No one spoke during the meal, they just focused on eating.
It was Redin who broke the silence.
"I enjoyed the meal."
Redin rose from his seat.
He gathered up the empty plates and took them to the kitchen to wash them, then left the dining room.
Seria glanced around.
Vice Captain Riena had gone to her office on an urgent matter, and Heather was still concentrating on his food.
Now is not the time for a private conversation.
As she stood up and left the dining room, she saw Redin walking ahead of her.
"Redin."
He turned around.
"I need to talk to you for a minute."
"Sure."
Redin crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.
"What do you want to know?"
Seria swallowed hard.
She took a deep breath and opened her mouth.
"I'll ask you straight up."
"...."
"You can see the future, right?"
She expected some sort of reaction, but Redin's face was deadpan. He showed no sign of panic.
Then, suddenly.
Pfff.
Redin gave a small laugh.
"What made you think that?"
"That's because..."
Seria conveyed the question she had in mind, and Redin sighed softly.
"I have a strong intuition rather than being able to see the future. I have relied on that intuition and bet my life on it more than once."
"That doesn't explain it."
Seria's voice rose in pitch.
Redin, who had been smiling, gave her a cold look.
"Why do I have to explain myself and convince you?"
"Wha?"
"You must be mistaken about something."
Redin pushed himself to his feet.
Slowly, he approached Seria.
“It seems like we developed a strange sense of camaraderie while conquering the dungeon, but you and I have no relationship whatsoever.”
His words snapped her back to reality.
Seria's face flushed hot.
Her head hung low.
Before entering Burning Hell, She was always alone. She constantly reminded herself that there was no one to help her. So she had to toughen up and become independent.
But when did it happen?
'Anxiety.'
Yeah. She seems to be anxious.
The thought that if she made even the smallest mistake, she would never be able to save her father kept her awake at night.
That's why she tried to kill Redin.
The fear of the plan going wrong.
Even though the first meeting was not good, she felt that some of her anxiety went away once she realized that they had the same goals.
So maybe she was mistaken.
"Sorry."
Seria bit her lip hard.
"You don't have to apologize. We don't have a relationship right now, but we can make a new one."
Redin's voice was softer now.
Seria slowly lifted her head to look at Redin.
".... ?"
"That offer you made you the other time? You said you'd help me if I could show you how to use shadows."
Ah, she remembers.
The offer she couldn't easily answer because she thought he'd approached her to find out how to manipulate shadows.
He held out his hand slowly.
"If you tell me that, I'll promise you this."
"What promise?"
“I will let you meet your father, even if it means risking my life.”
At first, she didn't believe it.
Watching from the sidelines changed her mind.
When Redin spoke with such conviction, everything came true.
She reached out and took Redin's hand.
"Okay, but I have a condition too."