Chapter 135
Chapter 135
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 135
Chapter Title: Artifacts (2)
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This body, I’ve come to realize, is abnormal in many ways.
All sorts of thoughts came to mind, but… oh well, a good thing’s a good thing.
My little cutie.
“Which of these would you like?”
“Mmm. I’d like whatever you pick for me.”
She gave a bashful smile, as if to say anything was fine.
I figured she’d say that, which is why I chose her first. This way, the rest of the party would have to accept their items without complaint.
I handed Aruru the Wand of Great Nature. An artifact that could store the owner's mana and allow them to draw upon it at any time.
It was an item for mages, but it wasn't bad for a spirit user either. After hearing its effect, Aruru showed a hint of uncertainty.
“Hmm, I’ve never really been short on mana…”
She had no idea. She might have plenty for now, but the future was the problem.
She didn’t want to collapse the moment she summoned a Spirit King, did she? It would consume an absurd amount of mana. In other words, the support of an artifact was essential.
“Jace, do you believe I can handle a Spirit King?”
“Of course. In this whole world, you’re the only one who can.”
“—!!”
The girl started in surprise at my declaration.
And for good reason. Making a pact with a Spirit King is extremely difficult. The lore stated there hadn't been a single case in the last few hundred years.
It was practically impossible, but my little cutie would pull it off with the power of being a main character.
It was a well-founded conviction, but from her perspective, it must have felt like unconditional faith.
“…How can I not love you more after this!”
She threw herself at me. Her affectionate gestures continued, as if to repay my faith in her.
Usually in these situations, the party’s reactions are split in two. Ceria and the princess were unfazed, as if this was a daily occurrence, while Luciel and the elf girl didn't hide their displeasure.
Simply put, it was the difference between the pro-Aruru and anti-Aruru factions.
It wasn't that Luciel and the elf girl disliked Aruru, but they seemed to disapprove of her excessively coy act.
Well, in time, they too would follow the trend. Then I wouldn't have to worry about their reactions at all.
“Ceria, Esterize. For you two… this should be good.”
I gave the Veil of New Green to Ceria, and Shurell’s Ring to the princess.
The Veil of New Green was a bracelet-type artifact that would protect my fiancée from unforeseen dangers.
Shurell’s Ring, with its movement speed increase and evasion bonus, was perfect for the princess, who had to fight on the front lines.
“With this, I should be of some more help.”
“This seems perfect for me. I’ll make good use of it.”
As expected, they were pleased and happy with their items. So far, there were no problems, but the remaining two girls emerged as variables. I carefully called Luciel over and handed her the Twinkle of a Star.
A talisman-type artifact that could activate a blink.
It was similar to Blink, but as it was an innate effect and not magic, it ignored any interference.
“I have a question. This artifact, in what kind of situation…”
“You know your role is important, right?”
“Things would get pretty difficult without me.”
The healer is the flower of the party.
If the Saintess is taken down, we have to be prepared for a total wipe.
Protecting her comes first, even if I get seriously injured. After all, any injuries could be quickly healed with a recovery spell.
“I’ll protect you as my top priority, but in a truly critical moment, don’t hesitate to use the artifact.”
“Yes, I understand.”
She gave a meaningful smile.
She seemed pleased by my words about protecting her as a top priority.
But that was only for a moment. Luciel quietly muttered as something came to her mind.
“Hmm, I think there might be another way to use this…”
Ahh, not that! Please, stop!
Despite my silent plea, she finally said the words I’d been dreading.
“It’s good for evasion, but I think it would also be excellent for surprise attacks.”
“…”
I intentionally didn’t tell her. It would have obviously given her ideas.
A healer's role is to heal allies, but Luciel prefers to eliminate the root cause directly.
*Why not just get rid of the enemy quickly?*
In theory, it's flawless. With that mindset, she's eager to bloody her mace.
Of course, this was little more than a delusion. Even if it were possible, it would be horribly inefficient.
In Luciel’s case, her combat power was quite high, but it was ultimately impossible for a healer to keep up with a class specialized in combat. Even if they were somehow on par now, the gap would only widen in the future.
With a sense of resignation, I tried to placate her.
*You're just so, so precious! So please leave the fighting to me!* I earnestly pleaded with her to stick to her duties as a healer, more or less in that fashion.
“Ahh, if you put it that way… I understand. I will follow your will, Hero.”
“…”
The girl gave a soft, smiling-eyed look.
Her mood had improved, and she'd entered a gentle mode. She added that she’ll restrain herself as much as possible, but could I really trust her?
Healer, support, tool…
A tool shouldn't have a will of its own.
Every time the tool goes wild, the flow gets weird!
It might be a flawed stereotype, but I’ve experienced that kind of situation far too many times.
Well, I’ll have to watch her for now. If things got bad, I’d proceed with brainwashing via mental conditioning.
Not trusting the Saintess probably disqualified me as a Hero, but no matter how I thought about it, it didn't seem like my fault.
Anyway, now it was the elf girl’s turn.
She showed her displeasure without reservation.
“Why am I last?”
“…”
Why? Because you’re the biggest handful!
She's the type to bolt off somewhere the moment I look away. She caused a scene at the Imperial Palace, didn't she?
I was relieved when she pretended to be interested in the Second Prince, but it was actually a ploy to make me jealous. She even ended up making a confession-not-a-confession to me.
For all that, she’s been relatively quiet…
At a glance, she didn't seem any different than usual…
She just seems like a total pushover because she's such an airhead…
But I've been burned before, so I had to stay on my toes. She was definitely just waiting for an opportunity.
I soothed her with kind words and gave her the choice. She hid her complaint at this trivial special treatment.
The remaining artifacts were the Gloves of Frost and the Pendant of Order.
The Gloves of Frost were for close combat.
They didn't suit her, as she had switched her main weapon to a bow.
“Umm… I think the pendant would be best.”
Perhaps because she had some common sense, she chose the Pendant of Order. An artifact that had the effect of increasing composure and concentration.
It was expected to reduce the elf girl’s airheaded antics to some extent. I had planned to give it to her from the start. It would be a problem if she did something impulsive during a fierce battle.
The problem was its other effect.
The ability to completely erase one's presence. It was on a much higher level than Aruru’s.
As an innate effect of the artifact, there was no way to detect it.
It was practically like becoming an invisible man, and there was definitely room for misuse.
The duration was very short, but its potential uses outside of combat were endless.
“…”
To be honest… I kind of wanted it.
How could anyone resist a god-tier item that could fulfill human desires?
I steadfastly endured that immense temptation. Because I had my beautiful fiancée by my side.
A relationship where we loved each other dearly.
She would accept most anything I did. If I really wanted to do something, I could just do it openly, right?
Soon, I completely shook off those vain desires.
I would repay the heart of Ceria, who looked only at me.
“Why are you spacing out? Hurry up and give it to me.”
“…”
“—??”
I stared blankly at Ilensia.
Could I really trust this bundle of foolishness? No matter how I thought about it, she seemed like the type to follow her own desires.
Maybe… she'd even peek at me while I was showering?
It would be an incredibly rude thought to have about a normal girl, but when the subject was the elf girl, I didn't feel a shred of guilt.
It was beyond unsettling; it was downright worrying…
As I repeatedly started to hand over the artifact only to stop, she grew angry, not understanding why.
“Ah, seriously! What on earth is…”
“Calm down. Let me explain first.”
I calmly explained the proper way to use it. The Pendant of Order had pretty good synergy with the elf girl.
Her ultimate move was a long-range snipe using her bow and spirits, and its destructive power increased the closer she was.
However, recklessly closing the distance increased the risk of being detected by the enemy. Then they would notice the snipe and dodge it, or worse, it would give them an opening to counterattack.
That problem could be solved by using the Pendant of Order. What if she erased her presence, slowly approached, and found a sniping point?
If she aimed well for a weak spot, it was even possible to inflict a fatal wound on one of the Four Heavenly Kings. Furthermore, she could also easily escape from any unexpected ambushes.
Moments of crisis would come time and again, and I couldn't be there to protect her every single time. She would need at least one means of protecting herself.
“Do you get it now?”
“Wow! How did you think of that… You really are amazing!”
“…”
Hmm, it wasn't that amazing of an idea… but maybe this airhead really didn't think of it?
I didn't have much faith in her, but she was a main character nonetheless. She might not look it, but she was S-rank, so I could only hope she'd do well.
I reluctantly handed over the Pendant of Order. At that, the elf girl's face lit up brighter than ever before.
“Alright! Now with this…”
Her voice was filled with a joy that bordered on ecstasy.
With her surging confidence, it felt like she was about to do something reckless.
“I have one thing to ask of you.”
“What is it?”
“You must not use it for any strange purposes. Absolutely not.”
“—??”
She tilted her head, as if she didn't know what I was talking about. Meanwhile, Ceria and Esterize flinched simultaneously, as if they'd caught on.
To help the elf girl understand, I gave a few examples. *If you peek at my naked body, I'll despise you for the rest of my life.* I said that, but in a more roundabout way.
“—!!”
100% pure surprise.
That reaction alone told me this was a lost cause.
*Hey, what do you take me for, saying something so shameless!*
Instead of getting angry like that, she fell into some kind of delusion.
*Oh, I hadn't even thought of that… With this artifact, I could commit any crime and get away with it, couldn't I?*
Those inner thoughts were written all over her face.
She belatedly composed her expression, but she’d already been branded a potential criminal.
“Ahem, that's a needless worry. As you know, I am a noble elf…”
In that instant, the rest of the girls, excluding her, flared up as a group. They adopted a resolute attitude, as if protecting my body was their sacred mission.
“You lecherous elf! So you've shown your true colors!”
“This time… no, I'm incredibly disappointed.”
“Is elven culture perhaps a bit different? In any case, I cannot let this pass.”
“Who gave you permission to peek at the Hero? Do you not fear the Goddess's wrath? Enough, I'll have to deal with you myself!”
“—??”
Just like that, there was no need for me to step in.
The four girls joined forces and fiercely pressured the elf girl. The atmosphere was one of suppression, binding, trial… even expulsion seemed possible.
Hmm, looks like we've got some prime entertainment.
If I just stayed quiet, I could enjoy the show, but that didn't seem right.
“W-wait a minute! Why are you all doing this?”
“Even I haven't seen Jace naked yet!”
“—??”
“Ilensia, admit your wrongdoing, right now.”
“This is unfair! I didn't say anything…”
“It was all over your face, though?”
“—!!”
“Words aren't getting through. In times like these, the rod is the only medicine…”
The Saintess elegantly took out her mace.
The elf girl screamed and asked me for help.
“…”
I could no longer stand by and watch.
In the end, I had to intervene in the commotion. Whether out of respect for me, they all took a step back.
“I trust Ilensia. I doubt she would ever do such a thing. I'd like you all to trust her too.”
“Ahh…”
Ilensia was overcome with a thrill, as if deeply moved.
She gazed at me with a profound look, as if unable to contain her pounding heart.
Huh? Isn't it a bit early to be happy? You should always hear a person out.
“However, in the one-in-a-million chance that a problem does occur… there will have to be a punishment.”
“—??”
“First, I'll have to hear everyone's opinion.”
“—!!”
The elf girl's face turned pale. The girls ignored her expression and each cast their vote.
Needless to say, it passed unanimously. Now, if she betrayed her comrades' trust, she would suffer a terrible fate.
“We should starve her. For about a week?”
“How about we shave her eyebrows?”
“Doesn't that seem crueler?”
“Let's just banish her, clean and simple.”
Various opinions were exchanged.
A flow where amusement and seriousness coexisted.
I, too, as the party leader, actively participated in that meeting.
“Ugh, I trusted you, of all people… I trusted you!”
The girl cried out with a tearful face.
In the end, the elf girl's mental state shattered. Her sorrowful figure, looking as if she felt betrayed, was quite impressive.
[Affection -1]
Huh? Did I go too far this time?
I didn't expect her affection to drop…
All the better!
With this, her triumphant momentum since the ball would be dampened.
Anyway, although it came at the cost of one girl's sacrifice, thanks to her, the friendly atmosphere continued.
I wondered what would happen from now on.
By obtaining the Pendant of Order, Ilensia's behavior was expected to change.
The effect of increased composure.
If she got used to it, she'd be able to handle situations like this more flexibly.
Furthermore, she might even abandon her desire to possess me through rational thought…
Of course, the exact opposite could also happen.
She could calmly try to capture my heart, or erase her presence and commit some bold act…
“…”
An unpredictable existence.
The elf girl seemed like she would show me something beyond whatever I could imagine.
I tried to suppress my pounding… no, my anxious heart.