The Paramere Search Operation (12)
The Paramere Search Operation (12)
There are things in this world you cannot believe even when you see them. Daniel rubbed his eyes. Once didn't seem like enough, so he rubbed them again.
"One more hit!!!!"
"Take this seriously!"
Sparks flew. Not just flew—they blanketed his entire field of vision. Heat that felt like it would cook his face. Air so heavy it seemed to choke him.
Daniel hiccuped. When had he last hiccuped from shock? He must have been a child.
Back when he was very young, dreaming of nothing but tales of heroes. It felt as if he had returned to that time.
Because the sight before his eyes was not reality, but something out of a dream.
BOOM!!!
The axe smashed everything apart. Literally. It was simply, truly smashing apart everything in sight. The others could only stand there staring blankly.
Rosemary. Her axe tore through the empty air. Flames so brutally strong they triggered a massive explosion. The head of the giant Rotten One sleeping inside the lord's castle went flying, and the severed surface blazed with fire.
BOOM!!
Astounding. Daniel hastily revised his impression of the priest. Was she not strong enough to rival an Imperial knight?
But even so, she was not the lead. For there was an axe burning even more insanely.
An axe larger than a body came crashing down through the air. The Rotten One screamed.
"Keeeeeeeeek!"
...Did those things always scream?
BOOM!!!
If Rosemary's axe stopped at smashing everything apart, that person's axe was different. It simply, literally blew everything away. The rotten flesh scattered without leaving a shape, all of it pulverized.
Destruction. Annihilation. A being given form by terror.
Daniel did not know what title belonged before that name. But at least he knew one thing.
"Man. Shit. That was weak."
That person is far from a priest! Extremely far!
. . .
I tore the core out of the monster. The convenient thing about an axe was that by brutishly crushing an object, it made the core's location easy to find.
Rosemary spat out the rotten flesh that had gotten into her mouth.
"It all went in my mouth. Ptui, ptui."
"Rosemary. Your skills have improved since before, haven't they?"
"...Really?"
"You're the type who's strong in real combat. Rosemary. Ah. Good girl. My cat."
"Don't pat my head!"
I put the extracted core into my Pocket. That made two. The knight side had probably collected two by now as well.
Now I just needed to break through underground. Then everything would be fine. The last one was always beneath the Clock Tower, so I only had to find it.
They should be coming out soon. When three or more "Gatekeepers" died, certain humans appeared. Though whether those should be called humans, I wasn't sure.
"Refugees."
That was what they were called in the game. It was a perfectly fitting name, too.
Right after the tragic incident at Paramer Castle, all the upper-class people vanished. The ones who died in droves were only the ordinary citizens of Paramer.
Then what happened to those upper-class people?
They hid beneath the Clock Tower. A bunker built in preparation for war. Inside it, there was also someone with Bach's blood. The diary containing all the secrets was in there too.
And in that underground, there was one narrow, slender passage leading all the way to the top of the Clock Tower.
A small passage just big enough for a little child to go in and out. The final mini-boss was there.
If I killed just that, the top of the Clock Tower would surely open. Then I'd finish off the weakened boss, and it would be over. If I squeezed out every reward...!
Dwayne's nose would be flattened! Flattened right against the floor!
"Brother Zahard!"
Noah clung to me. His puppy-like gentle eyes sparkled.
"Those letters you picked up, Brother Zahard. Do you still have a use for them?"
"No? They're just letters. All that matters is reading the locations."
"Then could you give them to me? Actually...I really love stories like that."
Ah.
Noah, the Apostle of the Church of Isis, really loved romance.
Well, there was no reason not to. I handed him the two letters.
"Thank you!"
"Do you like them that much?"
"Of course! You can tell just from reading the two letters. A love story that never came true...isn't that the very sublimity of life itself?"
Noah tucked the letters into his chest.
"I really love this story! So much!"
Noah's smile sparkled.
So that's what a pure child is like... Different from an old man like me...
I turned my head. My eyes met Daniel's. For some reason, cold sweat was beading on his cheeks.
...Hmm?
"Daniel?"
"Y-yes?"
"What did you think?"
"Th-that...uh...that..."
He stammered.
"A-amazing..."
"And?"
"Uh, incredible..."
"And?"
"Urgh..."
Daniel dropped to his knees.
"I... I pissed myself... I'm sorry for doubting you... Priest... I was an idiot! It won't happen again, so please forgive me just this once! I was wrong!!"
"I'll let it slide."
I grinned. Yes. This is the difference in standing between you and me!
How dare you! Blasphemous!
"H-how can you become that strong...? Even for an Imperial knight, that seemed like power they couldn't even hold a candle to... Is that...even possible?"
"Believe in Ra and spread the word far and wide. Faith is stronger than it looks."
"It's purely talent. Ignore him."
"Blasphemous!"
"Blasphemous, my ass. You said it to me every day. That people are born different."
"Effort is also a form of miracle..."
"Are you really sixteen?"
"S-sixteen?! Really?!"
"Judging by martial prowess alone, he's practically a veteran who's rolled through battlefields..."
"He could probably stand shoulder to shoulder with top-class mercenaries..."
The murmuring grew louder. I stole a glance at Noah, who was absorbed in reading the letters.
His eyes sparkled.
"He is sixteen!"
"......"
"......"
"......"
After meeting those cold stares, I understood.
Ah.
There's no going back to being a pure child.
. . .
We made our way outside. The moment we stepped into the square, I felt eyes on us.
I knew who was watching us. A gaze staring at us from behind a wall. I quietly took food out of my Pocket.
"Oh. What's this! It slipped out without me noticing!"
Clatter.
The fallen emergency ration made a sound. The watching gaze unconsciously gulped.
"What are you doing?"
"What do you think?"
I opened the packed meal.
"Baiting them."
A delicious smell wafted up from the meal. When I heated it with Sacred Flame, the scent carried impressively far.
"Hey there. Would you like to stop watching and come out?"
"......"
"If you don't come out now, I'll just eat this myself?"
"......!"
A man burst out from behind the wall, panting. Black spots were visible above his loose clothes.
"Wh-what is that."
"Is he human?"
I shook the meal.
"You're not going to eat?"
"I-I'll eat it!"
The man ran over. As if his body was in bad shape, he tumbled once on the ground. But he immediately sprang up and buried his face in the meal.
He grabbed the side dishes with both hands and shoved them into his mouth. He ate so ravenously that Rosemary grimaced.
"Just...how long has he been starving?"
"A long time, probably. His body isn't completely black, so he must have been a relatively decent person."
"Huh? What does that mean?"
"Ask him yourself. Once he's done eating, of course."
Sobbing, he emptied the meal into his mouth and then clung to me.
"P-priest! I'm truly sorry, but could you possibly help us! My wife is starving! I-if you have any food, please share even a little!"
"All right, let go. I'll give you plenty."
The core of the Paramer strategy run ended with defeating the thing sleeping in the Clock Tower.
But the reward for it was different. Depending on how many refugees beneath the Clock Tower you saved, the reward would vary.
The more you saved, the greater the reward. In particular, if you saved Paramer's lordly family, the reward for that was enormous.
Since this was reality, wouldn't it give out even more? I smiled brightly like a saint.
"Ra has said to give generously to those in need."
"...P-priest...!"
"There is enough food to feed everyone."
I helped the man to his feet. I brushed the dirt and dust from his clothes.
"Please lead us to where your family is."
"Thank you...thank you...Ah...! O God...! Thank you...!"
The mercenaries murmured.
"Whoa."
"Being a priest isn't for just anyone."
"Where did the person who was tearing monsters apart go, to smile so mercifully..."
"What kind of place is the Church of Ra?"
Rosemary dodged the gathering stares.
"I don't know him, so don't look at me..."
Rosemary cut herself off. Noticing her body swaying, she hurriedly looked around.
"Wh-what's this all of a sudden..."
An anomaly occurred.
Rumble, rumble, rumble.
Paramer suddenly shook. Parts of buildings collapsed, and a foul stench of rot surged up.
The earth cracked. Everywhere the eye could see grew clamorous, as if the gentle atmosphere from moments ago had never existed.
Something was happening. People barely kept their balance on the shaking ground.
"Wh-what is it?"
"An earthquake...?"
No, wait. This wasn't just an earthquake.
A sharp sound rang out. A sharp sound loud enough to fill all of Paramer.
BOOM!
The wall of the building before us collapsed. Rotten flesh poured out and rose up from the building as if resonating.
"Ah. Shit."
There was only one case in which something like this happened.
Someone had touched Paramer's treasure vault! What insane bastard dared!
If they had fully broken through, that would be one thing. But clearly they had touched it half-assedly and triggered part of the magical security system.
A sharp sound tearing at the ears. The fact that an alarm loud enough to agitate the Rotten Ones covered the city made it certain!
How did they even find that tightly hidden place?!
"Wh-what do we do?!"
"What do you mean, what do we do? Shit!"
I grabbed the man by the scruff of his neck.
"Run to the Clock Tower!"
There was only one result when Paramer's treasure vault was opened before the ending.
One of the laws divided within the region of Paramer was destroyed. The boundary that formed day and night vanished, and as the loud noise continued, all of Paramer seethed with Rotten Ones.
If time dragged on further there, even the Clock Tower Monster would awaken.
In other words, it meant the Rotten Ones would move even in daylight, and amid that awful chaos, we would have to face the boss as well.
I had to stop that alarm right now! Otherwise everything would go up in smoke!
First, shove the useless ones into the Clock Tower! If I dragged them around, they'd obviously get swept up in it!
"Everyone follow me!"
The Clock Tower's underground. I immediately dashed toward the place where the final mini-boss was.
Rotten Ones bursting from the building walls turned their heads. Daniel drew his sword with the will for a decisive battle. He boldly stepped in front of Rosemary.
"Priest Rosemary! I'll hold them off! Don't worr...!"
From the building's outer walls, which began bursting one after another, countless Rotten Ones poured out.
Daniel, who had drawn his sword, slid it back into its sheath. He immediately turned his head.
"R-run!"