Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Wilderness Maiden (4)
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He dipped the needle's sharp tip into the demon's blood. It sucked up every drop like a syringe. The once brilliant, star-like glow took on a faint reddish hue.
The shaman carefully gauged his breathing as it gradually quieted. Then she plunged the needle between his shoulder and chest.
The metal pierced into muscle as hard as rock and instantly expelled the blood it held. The crimson liquid writhed across his skin like spilled ink, soon forming a pattern resembling wings made of red blades.
"It's done... Now, test your power."
Kadim focused his mind.
The tattoo emitted a vivid crimson light. A familiar surge of bloodlust spread through his nerves and muscles. As his vision tinged red, he drew his hellfire dagger and slashed his forearm without hesitation.
Whoosh!
Charred flesh and muscle peeled away like scabs, fresh tissue knitting together as the wound regenerated perfectly. Not only that, but the injuries from the earth warriors and the gashes on his palms also healed in moments.
It was unmistakably the same regeneration buff provided by the 'Hydra's Blood.'
A faint smile tugged at Kadim's lips.
The greatest flaw of his unique trait, 'Blood Berserker,' was that without demon blood, he had to fight barehanded. This tattoo nearly perfectly compensated for that weakness. If it had existed back in the game days, he never would have been treated like a low-tier character. And if it had been around in his first playthrough, he would have suffered far less to complete his journey.
Of course, it came at the cost of carving away at his comrade's life force. He couldn't blame or resent anyone for it.
'...'
Yet this tattoo wasn't without its drawbacks.
The crimson glow faded quickly, the tattoo turning black. The bloodlust ebbed faster than when he drank demon blood directly. The shaman added an explanation.
"The effect is the same, but the duration will be slightly shorter. You'll need about a day to recharge after each use. And using the power through the tattoo doesn't make you immune to frenzy. It's less intense than drinking directly, but overuse will still erode your mind in the end."
"..."
This tattoo suppressed the frenzy but didn't solve it.
Even for the shaman of Fierce Eyes, blessed with divine insight and tireless effort, this was her limit. The curse of madness still weighed heavily on Kadim's shoulders.
'...Still, I should take solace that the burden has lightened, even if just a little.'
Kadim turned his gaze. The needle that had etched the tattoo had lost its glow, reduced to an ordinary metal shard. Yet the shaman handled it with the care of a priceless treasure.
"One needle can only create one tattoo. But don't worry. The shaman of Fierce Eyes scattered a hundred such needles across the continent."
"..."
"If you possess a relic that tracks these sites, you might find the remaining ninety-nine in no time. Of course, you'll have to overcome trials like this one and prove you're the 'Great Warrior of Atala'..."
It felt like unlocking a dungeon with fixed rewards. Kadim nodded calmly. He'd heard enough explanation; now it was time to confirm the most important thing.
He worked his stiff lips and finally asked.
"Did Cyril seal herself away in a ruin with the other shamans? Or did she complete her mission and find rest?"
The shaman closed her eyes gently. Her head, outstretched like an ancient tree, slowly bowed.
"I don't know. I entered this ruin before witnessing her end. The last I saw, she was struggling greatly. Losing her divine power while creating a hundred relics and a hundred ruins... If she had strength left, she would have prepared a place to await your return. If not, she returned to the earth."
"..."
Either way, it was a cruel end for her. Kadim lowered his heavy gaze and moved his stiff lips once more.
"Then, is there any connection between the demons reviving and rampaging across the continent and Cyril's actions?"
The Hydra had said one of his comrades revived him.
Even if it was the shaman who devoted her life to him and fell, he had to check.
But the shaman looked puzzled.
"Demons rampaging across the continent? What do you mean?"
"...You don't know? Demons are everywhere now, even those defeated in the Demon Realm are reviving."
"I've never heard of such a thing. At least not until I entered this ruin. While we shamans served in seclusion for ages... it seems the world's order has gone thoroughly awry."
A deep sigh escaped the old woman's lips, laden with the weight of eons.
"...Hah, but you've returned in this chaotic era. Perhaps this is Atala's will. Do not set down your axe, 'Great Warrior of Atala.' Doubt not that your will is Atala's will. Slaughter the foul challengers, topple the walls blocking your path, dye the wilderness red with demon blood, and endure the nights of endless struggle. The blood pooling in your footsteps will fertilize the sprouts of a new world."
A fierce, savage blessing fitting the priestess of the god of struggle and wilderness. Instead of thanks, Kadim tilted his chin slightly.
"Hey, isn't 'Great Warrior of Atala' a title given to only one person?"
"Yes. It's the glorious title bestowed only on the finest warrior chosen by Atala to slay a great demon in her stead."
"Yet there's already a guy in this era calling himself the 'Great Warrior of Atala.' Can there be two?"
The shaman shook her head firmly.
"No, impossible. If it were, we wouldn't have chosen this long seclusion. The 'Great Warrior' is the sole covenant at the root of all divinity. Until you complete your mission or betray Atala, she will never abandon you. That one is likely an imposter stealing your title."
"..."
Kadim's brow twisted viciously. He'd suspected as much, but now it was confirmed. Time to kill that 'Agon's Furious Horn' or whatever he called himself.
Anyway, business was done. Time to go.
The shaman was barely clinging to life through the ruin's spells and couldn't leave. She said after seeing Kadim off, she would seal the ruin and end her own life.
"My mission is fulfilled, so this wretched old body ends here. I'd be lying to say my life held no regrets, but it was far from worthless. I witnessed the will of she who wandered the darkness her whole life reach the dawn..."
Her face, as she spoke, was serene, as if she'd cast off all burdens. But Kadim couldn't accept it. Hundreds of years used as a tool and then forgotten— was that truly enough?
So he asked.
"What is your name?"
The shaman answered calmly.
"...Name? Mocking the wind as drifting dust is my name, huddling in shade as sleeping earth is my name. Before the vast wilderness, the name of a single speck of dust matters not a whit."
The Great Warrior denied it.
"No. I swear on Atala's name. Her Great Warrior will remember the name of that drifting dust. And that beneath the lightless shaman, a life endured centuries of solitude and silence to pass on her will."
Her wrinkled eyes and lips twitched.
A breeze stirred the still air.
In an instant, like a downpour washing away grime, the dust of ages lifted from her face, revealing the expression hidden for centuries.
The Wilderness Maiden smiled radiantly, like spring flowers blooming across fertile fields.
"Beshaka."
"..."
"Thank you, Great Warrior of Atala. For not forgetting us... and the shaman of Fierce Eyes, and for returning."
As her words ended, the space crumbled and the scenery peeled away.
Crackle, crackle...
The cramped ritual space and the old woman vanished, revealing the Messen Plains bit by bit. Through the receding veil, Ilenia appeared. She'd been engrossed in recording something while lying prone but rushed over upon spotting Kadim.
"M-Mercenary! Are you okay? I was shocked when I came back alone—what happened in there...?"
"..."
The sky had cleared, sunlight dazzling through scattered clouds. His pupils, freed from darkness, contracted sharply against the glaring rays. Kadim didn't answer Ilenia's barrage of questions about where he'd been, what happened, or who he'd met.
He simply looked up and said curtly.
"I heard a story about an old friend from someone and received a gift."
"A gift? Then why does your face look like that...?"
Ilenia peeked at his expression and quietly shut her mouth.
His eyes were heavy as lead weights. Kadim slowly lowered his gaze. Sudden coincidence and an indelible bond were dragging his heart back three hundred years.
It had been an inevitable choice. He couldn't ignore the rift that appeared after slaying the great demon. He'd endured that grueling journey solely to return to reality, to home. Staying with his comrades in his frenzy-ridden body was an impossible option, no matter how he looked back.
But if he'd known things would turn out like this.
If he'd known the blind shaman would search so desperately for him.
If he'd known he'd stain someone's lifetime with endless waiting.
He regretted not at least bidding everyone a proper farewell.
Just as he was about to press her on her identity, the archaeologist preempted him.
"I have a proposal, Mercenary."
Kadim gestured for her to speak. Ilenia cleared her throat, somewhat tense.
"I think you're planning to use rough methods to figure out if I'm really an archaeologist, how I survived this wilderness, why I asked for an escort, and my true goal. Am I right?"
"..."
Kadim stared without confirming or denying. Ilenia frowned slightly and smacked her lips.
"Tch, nothing to hide... but no matter what I say, you won't believe me anyway, right?"
"..."
"So, on top of the agreed payment, I'll give you this. In return, can you skip those questions?"
The item she offered for the deal.
It was the stone tablet used to track the 'ruins.'
Kadim scowled deeply. If anything, it only deepened his suspicions.
"Weren't you researching the Wilderness Maidens and ruins? How will you find more without this?"
"Well, yeah, but I couldn't enter that ruin no matter what. This time, thanks to you, I could. So isn't it better to give it to someone qualified?"
"..."
"Ah, of course, I'm not giving up on researching the Maidens! I'll leave ruin exploration to you and investigate other ways. In exchange, please visit other ruins, and later come to Galenta or the university and tell me what you find!"
It sounded reasonable at first glance. And he did need the tablet. But upon reflection, accepting it felt too fishy.
'Happen to stop in Messen, happen to meet this woman, happen to have the liaison sick, happen to enter a ruin, happen to get a tattoo, and happen to receive a relic-tracking item?'
He furrowed his brow. Too many coincidences. The situation felt contrived, like a chain quest linking multiple others...
'...!'
Kadim realized he'd thought something similar before.
But before he could recall when, he had to snap to attention.
A money pouch, the stone tablet, and a single silver coin lay at his feet. Ilenia's figure was already far off. Even her limp at their first meeting had been an act. Not a shred of honesty in her.
He considered hurling his axe to break her leg but held back. She was too quick; he might miss entirely or hit somewhere worse. Instead, he picked up the silver coin beside the pouch and shouted.
"What's this silver coin?"
"Ah! That! It's from that short, goat-bearded little man! He listened to my story for half your rate!"
"..."
"Anyway, it was fun traveling together! See you later, Mercenary!"
With that, Ilenia vanished into the brush like camouflage.
Kadim examined the coin. A bizarre symbol: a hand covering an eye, with another eye on the back of the hand. Not an ordinary 100 Luden silver. Maybe special currency from the Free City Alliance.
But no. Back at the Messen inn, when he showed it to Duncan, even the merchant was baffled.
"Milord! Where have you been all day...? Ack, what's this?"
"That so-called archaeologist gave it to you. Payment for listening."
"Ah, that woman from before. I thought she was joking, but she really paid... Hmm... Why this weirdly marked silver, though...?"
"Not Alliance currency?"
"No, I've never seen it. Seems real silver, but..."
If even a merchant who'd handled every coin didn't know it, it was no ordinary money. Perhaps a commemorative piece privately minted, or currency from a fallen micro-kingdom or duchy.
Then, like struck by lightning, Duncan's eyes widened.
"M-Milord! Th-this coin's mark—it's that symbol!"
"...What?"
"That time, in Molden Castle's basement, on the chest holding your throwing axe! The symbol on that chest was exactly this!!"
"...!"
Kadim snatched the coin from Duncan and peered closely. Two eyes staring back over the hand. He gripped the hilt of 'Salmon' idly.
So, her schemes weren't a one-off.
'...Plenty to discuss if I see that woman again.'
He resolved to chain her up so she couldn't flee and have a calm talk.
Ilenia—or the woman with countless other names—melted into the deep darkness and pressed on. Her lithe form blurred, only her bright yellow eyes gleaming like topaz hidden in a jewel box. Her steps halted at the mouth of a secluded cave.
A one-eyed man perched on a wooden crate, guarding the entrance, called out.
"Job done? No mistakes?"
"..."
The woman haughtily rolled her eyes. She just jerked her chin for him to move, saying nothing. The man spat disdainfully and held out his hand.
"Hey, even you need to show it. Can't let in someone without ID."
Ting!
She flicked a silver coin halfheartedly. He snatched it, then grimaced instead of stepping aside.
"What the hell? You think I'm bribing for this? I want the real marker—the relic 'Silver of the Fallen Kingdom,' not pocket change!"
The woman patted her pockets in confusion. Soon, she let out a genuine yelp of panic.
"...Huh?"