The Variable (Complete)
"Kahk— kek, hurghk... karrk..."
"Heuk— kkeuk... cough— I-I'm sorry..."
"Kheueuk... kkeuheup... kkeurreuk... N-no, it's not..."
"That is correct...!"
"Heueu... heuk... Th-the Blessing, at least... I bestowed it thoroughly."
"...Thank... thank you."
"Understood..."
Hepais leapt straight off my back and sprinted toward the tree roots sprawling across the summit.
"Hey, hey! Pinky, you crazy—"
Charlotte and Rubia raced after her at once. I stayed where I was and spread my Qi Sensing wide.
I rode the roots bristling with thorns sharp enough to cut just by looking at them, pushing the sense farther and farther. Past the sticky fluids clinging here and there, along the flesh of magic beasts, my Qi Sensing pressed on without pause until it sketched the figure tangled in vines at the very end of the roots.
In that instant, a voice howling Yuria's name rang out across Karahan.
Slowly, I examined Yuria's condition. The first thing that took shape was a pulse so faint it seemed ready to stop at any moment. Next came the arms whose skin hung in tatters, the twisted legs, the hole punched through her side, and the gash that ran from her right shoulder all the way down to her left thigh. Even rendered only through Qi Sensing, the sight was horrific enough to make one flinch.
I steadied my breathing and took a slow step forward.
The Yuria I had seen in the game had been strong. True to the name of Druid, she commanded plants with absolute freedom, healed her own body with the life force drawn from them, and summoned animals she had bonded with from a subspace—earning her the moniker of a one-woman army. She had been the very model of offense and defense combined. For her to have been reduced to this...
Hepais's sobs hammered against my eardrums. Rubia's divine power poured without cease into Yuria's body, while Charlotte yanked out every potion she had and dumped them in.
"Heuk... Yu-ria... no... please, please..."
Hepais could do nothing but collapse in front of Yuria and keep weeping. A short while later, Yuria's pulse began to return little by little. The skin that had looked ready to peel off her arms filled in; the twisted legs slowly found their proper place. The hole in her side regenerated, however slowly, and the deep gash began to close as well. The others, too frantic to notice, threw themselves into the healing with mad intensity.
Better she recovers quickly, I thought, and turned my back without a word, expanding my Qi Sensing even farther. I pushed it so wide that a headache I had not felt in a long time began to throb—as if it would split my skull if I did not stop. I did not stop. I kept widening it. Blood surged up from within and burst from my nose and mouth. Still I pushed farther. The mid-slopes took shape, along with dozens of adventurers. Among them, not a single figure looked strong.
I hastily released the hilt, picked up a fallen leaf, and carefully wiped away the blood.
"Uueup... ptooey."
I spat out the blood pooled in my throat, turned back, and gripped the hilt again. A faint aftereffect still made my head throb, but I gritted my teeth and checked on Yuria. She looked distinctly more human now. Hepais's sobs had quieted; Rubia's divine power had thinned. Charlotte was counting the empty potion bottles and calculating the cost...
"Thank goodness. If we'd been even a little later..."
Her legs must have given out; Rubia finally sat down hard and patted Hepais's shoulder.
"Heueu... euk... kkeup... eugeu... euk... Th-thank... heup..."
Hepais's careful hands smoothed Yuria's tangled hair.
"Fifteen hundred twenty-three gold... I'm fucked... haah."
Charlotte... really seemed to be in deep, deep trouble...
Behind the heavy sigh came Yuria's cracked groan.
"Haa... it seems her consciousness is finally returning."
Only then did Rubia withdraw her hands and wipe the sweat streaming down her neck. I quietly stepped behind her and lifted her long hair. I knew from experience—having long hair myself—how wonderfully cool that made the nape of the neck feel.
"Ah... thank you, Noah. Heueu, that feels so good."
Rubia turned her head, gave me a bright smile, then let all the strength leave her body and slumped against my legs.
"You worked hard, Ru... bia."
Even in this cold, she had sweated so much that the places where her body touched mine were damp. Yet that, too, dried soft and warm almost at once under the lingering divine power. Breathing in the sweet, sweat-tinged scent that rose from her, I spread my Qi Sensing again just in case.
"Water... give me some water..."
After a long while, Yuria's voice came as she stirred.
"Yuriaaaaaaa!! Heueuaaaaaaang!"
Hepais immediately burst into fresh, full-volume tears.
"Yuria, you fucking— haah, I'm collecting every last copper of those potion costs... First, nineteen bottles of top-grade potion—"
Charlotte rattled off the list of potions she had used and flung a waterskin at her.
"Ha... shit, I really almost fucking died. Keuheuk... ahem! Haah..."
Yuria gulped the water down in great swallows, spat out a juicy string of curses, and began rummaging between the tree roots.
"Yuria... Yuriaaa..."
"Since when does a little speck like you get to call my name so freely? Huh? You wanna die?"
"Heueueueuaaaang! I'm so happy... I wanted to hear it so badly... heuk— heueueu..."
"Heueu, what a goddamn circus."
Yuria shoved Hepais aside, kept searching the roots, then finally pulled her hand free with a sigh of relief. An old book rested in her palm.
"Anyway, what the hell are you doing here?"
"Heueueueu... I came to see Yuria... I thought something had happened... heuk— kkeuk... heu, eueu..."
"I told you to stay home... Wait, why is Charlotte here?"
Only then did she seem to take stock of the situation. Yuria blinked, rubbed her eyes, and looked around again.
"My eyes were so blurry I didn't notice... P-Priestess...?"
"Haha... yes, hello. I'm sorry to greet you while sitting, but please forgive me. I'm a little worn out..."
"Ugh. No, not at all. I've been lying flat on my back this whole time."
At Rubia's polite greeting, Yuria flailed her arms in flustered panic. Every time she did, a wet crackle came from the limbs, yet she waved them as if nothing were wrong.
And then—
"So... who's the one behind you?"
Here it comes...
My turn had finally arrived.
You can do this!
Noah, you can do this!
I began slowly reciting the greeting I had rehearsed in my head ever since we set out for Urusphier.
"Ah, hello... I am the Gold-rank adventurer Shin Noah...! Age twenty... e-experience two months, no... three months now... um, and... wh-what else was it..."
It hit me without warning... my brain just froze...
What do I do...?
"Pfft— pfuhuhuhkheuk..."
While I stood there pouring cold sweat and trying to remember the rest of my prepared speech, Rubia made a strange noise and her shoulders started shaking.
She's... laughing at me...
Bad Rubia!!
Even if you can't help, you shouldn't laugh!!
"Noah... Noah... black hair and a greatsword... ah."
Yuria muttered my name, then an exclamation mark practically popped over her head as she continued.
"Blood Demon?"
...What?
"B-Blood Demon...?"
"Kheuheuheueueu... pfheuheup— hahahahahahahah!"
Rubia, who had been holding her laughter in with all her might, finally exploded. Charlotte and Hepais both nodded as if that were exactly right.
A long while later, once Rubia's laughter had died down, Yuria dusted herself off and stood.
"Heut... cha. First... I have plenty of questions, and I'm sure all of you do too. But talking here is dangerous, so I'll explain while we head down."
She tucked the book back among the roots and eyed the rags that had once been her clothes.
"Ah, shit. Charlotte, gimme a robe."
"Five gold."
"You crazy bitch."
"One gold."
"I'll go naked."
"...Fuck."
Charlotte clicked her tongue and tossed over a Perception Obfuscation Robe.
"Well then, shall we get going?"
Wrapped in the robe, Yuria turned to us with a gentle, professional smile.
"Hepais. You get up too."
"Aack! That hurts!"
"Stop being a baby."
Hepais was hauled bodily to her feet by Yuria's hand.
"So... was it Kalt?"
Charlotte strode ahead, thick smoke trailing from her lips, and held out a cigarette to Yuria.
"Yeah. That piece-of-shit bastard."
Yuria took the cigarette, sparked a flame at her fingertip, and lit it.
So she can use ordinary magic too...
"Heueup— huu... ah, that's good."
"Where'd you run from?"
"That way."
"Isella Forest?"
"Yeah. I slipped away clean, so it'll take them a while to track me."
Yuria chuckled under her breath, cigarette between her lips, and held out her hand to Hepais.
"Come on, my kid."
Hepais said nothing, only shyly linked her fingertips with Yuria's.
"Shall we go as well?"
Whether she had seen that or not, Rubia held her hand out to me too.
"Fucking hell, you bastards."
Charlotte... flung her cigarette away and spat hard.
For some reason, taking a hand in this atmosphere felt a little embarrassing. Still, I reached out to take Rubia's—
A killing intent that felt as if it would rip my entire body apart washed over me.
My mind went blank. My body shook with a bone-deep chill. I bit down on my tongue and forced myself back to clarity. I drew the greatsword. Tree roots coiled protectively around Hepais. Charlotte poured out mana and raised her shield. I honed my Qi Sensing to a razor edge.
Head? Neck? Waist?
No.
This entire area.
I shoved Rubia aside and swung the greatsword with everything I had.
KWAANG—!
Steel met steel. The shockwave that erupted split skin. Tree roots were crushed; the shield shattered. Trees were ripped up by the roots and collapsed; boulders were torn apart. A savage wind pressure shredded every fallen leaf in the vicinity and scattered them. Clouds parted; even the air itself seemed to evaporate.
"To receive my blade and still stand."
The skin of the hand gripping the greatsword split. Bone cracked and crumbled. My shoulder creaked; my waist folded.
"Impressive."
Clank— armor shifted. A thin blade shoved the greatsword back. My legs buckled. Blood poured from my eyes, nose, and mouth. The sword was forced back. Strength was forced back. Momentum was forced back. Everything was forced back.
"However."
The blade vanished. It scattered. It became a wavering shadow and sank into my body.
And then—
Chwahk—
It burst out.
"That is all."
Through the scattering droplets of blood, the figure took shape—the one I had never once defeated in eight years. The one who had surpassed the limits of humanity. The one whose very existence was called a human disaster.
Master.
The Black Knight, Kalt.