Simply Absurd

As if his luck couldn't get any worse, a blizzard began to howl across the snowy mountain.

"Haah, haah...!"

"Rin, duck!"

"...!"

At Lucy's shout, Rin immediately bent forward at the waist.

A sharp metallic screech tore through the air, and the sheer wind pressure whipped through his hair.

Had he not ducked, he would have been sliced clean in half, his upper and lower body rolling separately in the snow.

There was no development like this in the DLC!

The succubus wasn't the only thing suffocating him.

The limits of his stamina—better than an ordinary citizen's, but nowhere near hero-class—left him gasping for breath.

He had run without looking back ever since they left Epaltelga.

When the succubus took Lucy's blow, crashed through the door, and smashed into the shop across the street, the sudden commotion had drawn a crowd of citizens and guards.

"What in the world is going on?!"

"Officer! Someone just flew right through that wall!"

"Huh? Aren't you the one from yesterday...?"

Rin had quickly tucked Lucy back under his clothes and slipped out of the armory, but the crowd's eyes immediately locked onto him.

Locking eyes with the guards who had searched him the night before, Rin's mind raced.

Something was wrong. In the game, the succubus did try to seduce the luggage carrier, but she didn't block the door. The player was supposed to back away slowly and slip outside.

From there, a game of hide-and-seek would begin. You had to sneak out of the city without alerting the demons, and the actual chase mission would only trigger once you reached the midway point of the snowy mountain.

But just now, she had blocked the door, prompting an enraged Lucy to punch her in the gut and send her flying.

The damage must have been severe, as the succubus had yet to emerge from the cloud of dust.

Rin calculated his options. If he stayed like this, he would be arrested by the guards, rendered helpless, and left at the mercy of the demon's vengeance.

Fine. Rin made up his mind. There was only ever one winning strategy. Strike first.

Rin immediately twisted his face in terror, began to tremble violently, and pointed a shaking finger toward the wreckage.

"A demon! It's a demon!"

"What?!"

"Hey, you! Do you have any idea how serious of an accusation that is?! If you're lying—*cough!*"

Before the crowd could even finish whispering, the guard trying to interrogate Rin had his abdomen pierced from behind by the reappearing succubus.

Crimson blood drenched the ground as the demon tore the guard's body apart.

Everyone froze at the horrific, surreal sight.

"You...! You're no ordinary fat pig!"

Glaring at Rin with bloodshot eyes, the succubus flicked the blood off her claws.

"Who is that bitch? To possess enough magical power to blow me away... Is she some hidden hero?!"

Inside his clothes, Lucy tapped his stomach. The small nudge broke Rin out of his shock-induced paralysis.

"Eek! It's a real demon! A demon! Light the beacon!"

He spun around and screamed at the top of his lungs. At his shout, the residents of Epaltelga snapped out of their daze, screaming as they scattered.

"A demon!"

"The beacon! Light the beacon!"

"Run, everyone!"

As panic threw the town into chaos, the succubus hesitated.

She wanted to pursue the two of them immediately, but if the beacon signaling a demon invasion was lit, the news would reach the imperial capital in less than half a day. It would inevitably reach the Hero's party as well.

If that happened, she would instantly become the target of humanity's strongest forces—the ones who had slain the Demon King.

Should she hunt down the rats who had insulted her, or stop the beacon? It was a dilemma.

In the midst of her hesitation, Rin caught the succubus's eye.

Pulling a scroll from the Luggage Carrier's Bag and tearing it, he cast the skill, rapidly melting into the darkness.

However, because the streets of Epaltelga were always blanketed in snow, leaving footprints was unavoidable.

"These little rats!"

Seeing him use a skill, the succubus became certain. He was definitely a member of the Hero's party, or at least one of their lackeys.

If so, her presence was already as good as fully exposed to the Hero's party anyway.

Deciding that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠their communication would be faster than any beacon, the succubus immediately sprinted after the footprints.

And that was how they had bypassed the game of hide-and-seek entirely, plunging straight into a deadly chase.

"Haa... Haa..."

Rin ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠felt like he was dying. He hadn't even been able to pack cold-weather gear. Running like a madman made sweat pour from his body.

To make matters worse, he was running through the Frozen Mountains. He had entered the next map completely unprepared.

Whoosh!

"It's coming from the left! Jump to the right!"

Twisting his body to the right like a dancer, another metallic screech tore through the air, slicing vertically through the space he had occupied just a moment ago.

Without Lucy's presence detection, he would have died several times over.

Even with an Advanced skill to hide his presence, he was utterly helpless. One wrong move meant death, leaving him no room to even reach into the Luggage Carrier's Bag.

"Damn it! If only I had Hnoni!"

No, if only his limbs were fully intact, he could have dealt with a low-ranking demon like this on his own.

But all of that was a useless hypothetical.

"Stop right now! Hand over that girl and your life force quietly, and I'll at least spare your life!"

The voice sounded as if it were right next to him. Glancing sideways as he ran, Rin saw the succubus running alongside him, staring right at him.

"You're finally looking at me."

Before a horrified Rin could react, the succubus's long claws ruthlessly impaled his shoulder.

But no matter how much of a mere luggage carrier he was, Rin was still a member of the Hero's party.

"Got you."

Clamping down on the succubus with his shoulder muscles and hand, Rin reached into the Luggage Carrier's Bag with his other hand, pulled out a very thin glass vial, and smashed it against her claws.

Sssssssss!

"Kyaaaaaah!"

The vial had been filled with holy water. And not just any holy water, but the highest-grade holy water created through the prayers of the Saint, Arciel.

The holy water splashing over her claws and hand began to burn the demon's arm, sending up plumes of acrid smoke.

Screaming in agony, the succubus kicked Rin, sending him flying.

Rin slammed back-first into a tree, collapsed, and rolled several times before suddenly feeling the ground vanish beneath him.

"Again?!"

The spot where the succubus had kicked him was the edge of a cliff, lightly masked by a layer of snow.

Feeling a familiar sensation of weightlessness, Rin grit his teeth.

"You bastard!"

The demon's furious roar gradually faded into the distance.

Rin desperately curled his body, doing everything he could to shield Lucy against his stomach.

Thud!

"Ugh...!"

Unfortunately, Rin's body didn't land on soft snow, but crashed hard against a massive black boulder.

The dull impact knocked the breath out of him. Rin curled inward, tears of agony welling in his eyes.

"Where do you think you're running?! I've memorized the scent of your blood!"

Move. Nothing is resolved yet.

"The moment I catch you, I'll drain you dry right in front of that hideous bitch's eyes before I kill you!"

Heat flared against his stomach. Lucy was trembling with rage at the succubus's provocation.

Both Lucy and the succubus were shouting something, but the howling blizzard and the throbbing pain made it impossible to hear them clearly.

If only he had the Art of Earth Shrinking. Unfortunately, it was difficult to learn more than two ultimate skills that surpassed the Special rank.

It wasn't as if he had an abundance of Special or Advanced skills, either. But now was not the time to hoard them.

If he died here, he wouldn't be able to restore Lucy. He had to perform his role, at the very least.

He tore the scrolls to erase his presence and lighten his weight so he wouldn't leave footprints in the snow.

Rin held his breath and forced his knees to lift. Move. Please, move! I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠haven't even cleared Chapter 1 yet!

"Cough!"

"Rin!"

But as he raised his head, blood surged up his throat. As he collapsed helplessly, Lucy pleaded with him.

"Rin, just leave me and run. Once she realizes I'm the Hero, she'll only focus on me."

"I can't do that..."

"Rin!"

"I will never abandon you."

"Why? Why would you go this far...?"

Because if you aren't here, the world will end.

But beyond that practical reason, Rin simply refused to abandon Lucy here. He couldn't explain it, but a stubborn pride had taken hold of him.

For the first time in a very long while, a fierce emotion surged within his heart, which had remained numbly calm ever since a certain point in his past journey.

"Cough! Hack!"

The coughing wouldn't stop. Blood kept bubbling up, refusing to halt its reverse flow. Where had he been injured to cause such internal damage?

His head spun. His vision refused to focus, swaying wildly.

After barely taking a few steps, Rin collapsed once more. This was his limit.

"I'll let you stay by my side, at least in that way."

This was his limit.

"You can never close the distance between us any further."

This ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was his limit.

"This position, this spot is your limit."

Is this... my limit?

"Acknowledge it and accept it."

Even if that's true.

"Still, I did it because I thought of you fondly in my own way."

"If I say I will...!"

I won't accept it.

"If I say I'm going...!"

He had promised to face them again from an equal standing.

"I will make it happen...!"

Today was a strange day.

In the grand scheme of things, events were unfolding exactly as they did in the game, but the details were vastly different.

On top of that, he had recalled a wretched memory from before the main story began—one that made even his deadened heart ache.

It was a truly strange day.

Today of all days, his boiling emotions refused to settle.

He forced his body up. He raised his head and stared forward.

Though his mouth was smeared with blood, he paid it no mind, opening it wide to draw in the freezing air.

"Ha..."

Spotting something ahead, Rin let out a hollow laugh.

"Simply absurd."

At his uncharacteristic sarcasm, Lucy too was left speechless.

A gaping, dark cavern yawned open before them.

Beside the cave entrance stood a small stone tablet engraved with a cross and a halo. It was the symbol of the Goddess.

This cave was the very place where the Elixir to heal Lucy was hidden.

"Found it."

Yet, this needlessly convenient guidance was precisely what made it feel like a game.