The Paramere Search Operation (17)
The Paramere Search Operation (17)
"Y-you're late!"
"Late, my ass. I ran like hell to get here."
A strange sound came from the Clock Tower. A loud ticking that echoed across the entire city.
This was different from the scenario I knew. A one-in-a-million contingency. The kind of absurdity that happened when some goddamn bastard did something stupid.
Thanks to trusting my instincts, I wasn't late. All that running paid off.
I brushed past Rosemary. I pressed down on her cat ears.
"Not just some random thug, but a pretty strong bastard, and you still held out?"
"...I don't just lose all the time, you know?"
"That's what I like to hear. Who taught you?"
"Ngh... nngh... stop petting me...!"
"There we go. Good girl. My pet cat."
"P-people can hear you...!"
I put Brionac away. Even so, fighting with it continuously would be too much. Rosemary flinched in surprise, but she didn't seem to have figured out exactly what Brionac was.
"What was that, anyway?"
"A spear I picked up on the way."
"How many secrets do you have?"
"Thirty-forty-five."
I pulled out my axe. Ian Pamel ground his teeth.
"Who... are you? How did you break through my domain and land a hit?"
"I'm a priest of Ra, though?"
"Were you hiding your strength?"
"I never hid anything, so what bullshit is that? You jumped to conclusions and got it wrong. Dipshit."
Ian raised his hand to his mouth. He sucked down a potion in one long draw.
The discarded glass bottle shattered. The hole in his right arm began closing at a rapid pace.
...Well, would you look at that? That's...?
"A High Potion?"
"I didn't expect to use this, but I can't afford any more mistakes."
"Wow. I told them to sell it, and it looks like just about anyone has been buying it."
My product is selling really well.
As a merchant, that might be satisfying, but facing it as an enemy left a bad taste. Maybe I should get a list of who they're selling to from now on.
White steam poured from Ian Pamel's mouth. A sign of the heated air inside his body.
Unlike before, that power had probably grown to nearly 1.5 times its previous strength.
But... so what?
What about it?
I gathered up my things and set my bag down. Then I pulled a High Potion from my Pocket and set it out plainly.
Ian Pamel flinched.
"H-how do you have that?! Th-that's a limited item that not just anyone can buy...?! How did a mere priest get his hands on a treasure worth fifty million each!"
"I'm the one who made it."
"Wh-what did you say?!"
"Ra has spoken..."
I poured the High Potion into my mouth.
"Answer doping with doping!"
"What bullshit is that!"
[You have consumed a High Potion.]
[Impurities are removed from your body.]
[Healing power is drastically enhanced.]
[All stats temporarily increase.]
[A sacred aura caresses you.]
[Your heart quickens, and you can exert power beyond your limits.]
[A mild aphrodisiac effect takes hold.]
[A mild hypnotic effect takes hold.]
[A mild arousal effect takes hold.]
[Caution.]
[Beware of addiction.]
['Sun God's Prayer' dispels mental corruption.]
"Hoo-ah."
A seething rush of excitement. It cooled right back down thanks to the skill, but I could still feel the violent pounding of my heart.
High Potion was a potion made from Nectar, which for priests was practically the ultimate elixir. Naturally, its enhancement effects were designed to give even greater benefits to paladins.
[Using Crushing Guillotine - Guillotine (S).]
Fire ignited on the axe. Ian Pamel ground his teeth at the massive shape of the flames.
"The same sorcery as before! Did you think I'd fall for it twice!"
"What do you mean, 'the same'?"
Rosemary raised her middle finger on my behalf.
"Does that look the same to you? Dumbass."
As expected, one well-raised pet cat is worth ten cats!
"Hey. Imperial knight. You're done with just that one doping, but..."
I rolled my shoulders.
[Using Blessing (B).]
[Status ailment resistance greatly increases.]
[You maintain composure during battle.]
[Physical abilities greatly increase.]
[Sacred Power temporarily increases greatly.]
Still far from done.
"I'm not a knight. I'm a paladin."
[Using Prayer of Fire (B).]
[Body temperature remains constant for a long duration.]
[Physical abilities greatly increase.]
"O holy Ra. Today, too, there is a poor lost lamb who does not know his place..."
[Using Whisper of Fire (B).]
[Additional flames settle onto your weapon.]
[Destructive power increases.]
"I shall shatter his skull and send him to Your side."
[Using Sacred Flame (A).]
"Lamen."
"What do you mean, Lamen?!"
The overflowing Sacred Power spilled outside my body. Sacred Flame clung to me. Ahh!
Now this is the highest HIGH! This is what doping should feel like!
Ian Pamel's eyes widened. He spat as he spoke urgently.
"Th-this kind of absurd Sacred Power cannot exist! Y-you bastard! Are you an Apostle or something?!"
"Whoa there. Good instincts."
I hoisted the Guillotine that my axe had transformed into onto my shoulder.
"You could set up shop as a fortune teller."
"I-I am an Imperial knight! I-if you back off now, that pathetic life of yours...!"
"Bullshit."
This bastard was trying to run.
"You think I'd forgive a bastard trying to ruin everything right at the finish line?"
. . .
Flora spoke, trembling.
"Wh-who in the world is that person?"
"Uh... well..."
Daniel stammered. He started to say something, then stopped.
"He just... seems like a madman..."
BOOM!!!
"Grrrgh?!"
"What are you doing?! Fuck! This is booooring!!!"
This was different from when he fought Rosemary. With every exchange, Ian Pamel's stance crumbled as if it would collapse at any moment.
The solid stance that no one had been able to topple broke apart. He even rolled across the floor. Whenever the descending axe bit into the ground, the entire underground cavern shook.
It was a tremor.
So, how to put it...
Daniel tried to find the words. But in the end, all he could utter was a single line, like a repeat sign.
"He's really... a madman..."
If Ra descended upon the mortal world, would it look like that?
"URAAAAAAAH!!!"
With a shout, the deeply embedded giant axe spewed flames. Even a mere graze melted away Ian Pamel's skin entirely.
"GRAAAAAAAH!!!"
Perhaps because of the drug he had taken, he regenerated immediately, but that was poison in itself. Ian Pamel was fighting through unending agony.
It was the same as trying to face a disaster with a human body. Rosemary muttered without realizing it.
"Just die by my hand."
Pity.
Ian Pamel's situation was pitiful enough that Rosemary felt sorry for him, even though he'd once been her enemy.
"I AMMMMM!!!! I AMMMMMM!!!"
"What, you bastard?!"
The axe flew in, cutting off his words, and shattered his sword in half. Ian Pamel ground his teeth.
"I will not die in a place like this!!!!!"
It was a line straight out of a hot-blooded protagonist. The mana blade that surged up through the broken sword suited that line perfectly.
But...
Noah prayed.
"O holy Isis, who art in heaven..."
"GRAAAAAAAH!!!"
"Please grant salvation to that man."
"Grrrk...."
Daniel grabbed Noah's shoulder. He shook his head.
"It's already too late."
BANG!
Thud-roll-roll-roll!!!
"Grk... uh... gah..."
Ian Pamel, burned without a single hair left, rolled across the floor. Zahard stomped on his head.
He glanced back at Rosemary.
"You struggled against something like this?"
"Y-you fought him pretty evenly too, you know?!"
"Who's the one on the ground? Who's the one stepping on him?"
"Th-this isn't the time for that!"
Rosemary scrambled to her feet. Amid the brutal fight, she remembered what she had forgotten.
"You said there was a girl under the Clock Tower! And that the girl could control the Clock Tower Monster...!"
"She's still locked up. We can take our time."
"The wizard! The wizard Hudson went to get her!"
"...What? Ah! Shit! Why are you only telling me this now?!"
The entire Clock Tower shook. Zahard's expression, which had been relaxed the whole time, collapsed.
"...We're fucked."
A grotesque cry.
Rosemary felt goosebumps rise across her entire body. A bizarre howl whose very "rank" as a living being was different.
"Heh... heh... heh..."
Ian Pamel, reduced to a rag, twitched his shoulders even while pinned underfoot.
"This is... the end... priest... no matter how... strong you are... do you... think you can... defeat... the disaster of... Paramer...?"
As if a dying soul had caught fire, Ian Pamel swung the sword he was clutching. Zahard clicked his tongue as if annoyed and stepped back one pace.
"You're like a cockroach."
"Shut... up...! I... will not stop here...!"
The crushed and burned face slowly began to return. Amid the hair starting to regrow, Ian Pamel clenched his fist.
"It's coming! The disaster of Paramer! I shall make my name resound throughout the Empire as the one man who turned his back on it and alone held the reins! I am the true knight! The one name that will strike the world of knights bound by blood and school ties! No one can mock me now! I am the future of the Emp...!"
Crunch.
"...F-fu...fu...future...?!"
Ian Pamel stammered. He pressed his hand to his chest.
There was a hole. Blood surged up and spilled from his mouth through his throat.
"Uh... uh..."
Ian Pamel raised his head. A hand frozen in terror moved forward.
"Wh... why... is... this..."
"Do you think just anyone can control that thing? Even the past lords of Paramer couldn't handle it, so they sealed it in the underground vein."
Zahard let out a sigh. He glared into the darkness where black tentacles stretched out.
Footsteps echoed. Rosemary's eyes went wide.
Someone was walking toward them.
"......"
A girl who did not belong on a battlefield stained with blood and flame.
Zahard, having confirmed her face, let out a sigh. He glanced back at Rosemary.
"Rosemary."
"Wh-what?"
"There's no time to explain, so just listen. Take everyone and get out. The black fog of Paramer should have completely lifted, so you can just leave. Even if you run into Rotten Ones along the way, don't engage them. Keep combat to a minimum and escape however you can. After that, tell the Church, and the entire Empire."
Zahard put away his axe. The greatsword he had kept hidden all along thudded onto the floor.
"Tell them to seal off Paramer immediately. And I'm warning you now: bring reinforcements no matter what. Whatever it takes, bring them."
"Wh-what about you?"
"Me, well..."
Fire ignited on the greatsword.
"I'll try not to die."