Chapter 88: Light(3)
Chapter 88: Light(3)
A grotesque man, rail-thin and covered in piercings.
Nassen walked through the forest, leaning on his spear.
Dark circles shadowed his already skeletal, gaunt face.
A horrific scream was the only thing that echoed in his mind.
[Buhik! Just kill me! Nassen! This is too much! Buhik!]
Furuku’s scream as he was devoured by Barikmeteo.
Perhaps Nassen would suffer the same fate.
If so, death might be preferable.
There was only one reason Nassen had been able to beg for his life: he could acquire an item that even Barikmeteo didn't know about.
That item was the Doll Ginseng, said to be inside a dungeon known as the Labyrinth. It was a treasure so rare it could turn an ordinary human into a superman just by being eaten.
"If I eat the Doll Ginseng... not even Barikmeteo will be able to touch me."
Nassen didn't trust Barikmeteo's promise to spare him.
That lion-headed monster was despicable enough to devour Nassen the moment he handed over the Doll Ginseng.
"It's a good thing I lied and told him it was a powerful weapon."
If he had mentioned the Doll Ginseng, Barikmeteo would never have let him go off on his own.
There was a reason Nassen hadn't gone to get the Doll Ginseng, despite knowing it was in the Labyrinth.
That dungeon was anything but easy.
To increase the chances of successfully conquering it, even slightly, required extensive preparation.
That was why he had massacred the villagers—to craft the items needed for the dungeon crawl.
"This should help a little."
Nassen had no idea.
He didn't know that the massacre, an act of desperation, had put Lina's party on his trail.
*
Kerry left the orb with the White Witch and departed.
[Return in about an hour. The orb should be ready by then.]
The White Witch seemed annoyed that Kerry had put her to work the moment he arrived.
But it couldn't be helped.
He didn't have time to play with her today.
I have to peek into Lina's dream tonight.
Since Lina had met the Saintess today, the probability of her dreaming about it was highest tonight.
If Lina ended up having some other random, pointless dream, then there was nothing to be done.
But considering Lina's reaction earlier in the day, there was a high chance she would dream about the Saintess.
Even if Lina doesn't dream about the Saintess... if I can get a glimpse of her past life, that alone would be a huge win.
The plan would begin tonight, during Kerry's turn on watch.
Kerry had made all the necessary preparations. He chatted and joked with the party as usual before turning in early.
He didn't forget to return to the White Witch to retrieve the orb beforehand. As Kerry was closing his eyes, Victoria woke him.
"Kerry. It is your turn for the watch."
"Haaah... Is it that time already?"
Kerry hadn't slept at all, but he feigned drowsiness as he sat up. Now, all he had to do was wait for Victoria to fall asleep.
After all the running around she did during the day, she would probably be out like a light.
He could see the party members sleeping around the campfire.
Indeed, even camping out felt different when it was with beautiful women.
Across the fire, he could see Lina's sleeping face.
It would be hard to find another woman as beautiful as Lina without a trace of makeup.
Kerry was taking a moment to appreciate Lina's doll-like features when he heard a rustling sound.
"..."
It was Victoria. Lying in her sleeping bag, she sent him that usual sign.
The sign where she made a circle with one hand and poked a finger through it!
It was the lewd signal Victoria sent when she started getting horny.
She ran around so much today, isn't she tired?
Kerry shook his head. He was determined to check Lina's dream tonight.
Victoria persistently sent the lewd signal several more times.
Seriously? We fucked like crazy in the hot spring just a few days ago!
He wanted to scream at her to stop poking her damn finger.
Kerry continued to refuse, shaking his head until the end.
"Hmph!"
Finally, a pouting Victoria turned her back to him and lay down. Was this something he was supposed to feel sorry about?
First, he would wait for Victoria to fall asleep.
About thirty minutes passed.
Victoria stopped moving.
He crept closer and could hear the sound of her soft, steady breathing. Good. Victoria was definitely asleep.
Kerry took out the Hero-grade orb.
The White Witch had embedded a dream-stealing spell within it. What was the name of this spell again?
Who knows. He couldn't remember.
Kerry carefully infused the orb with mana.
Then, he used the magic on the sleeping Lina.
What the? Nothing's happening.
It was then that a vision unfolded in his mind.
His eyes were clearly looking at Lina's face, but a completely different scene was playing out in his head. This was seriously cool.
He could also hear dynamic, thrilling sounds.
"Waaah! For Elena and the Empire!"
"Offer your lives for the Goddess Elpis!"
The scene in his mind was a war. And not just any war, but a great war of immense scale.
Don't tell me this actually happened in her past life. I really hope not.
In the midst of that horrific war, Lina was swinging her sword.
With every enemy she cut down, clenching her teeth, Lina looked sorrowful.
Natasha was also visible near Lina.
Covered in blood, Natasha screamed.
"Ahaha! What a mad world! Once everyone is dead and turned to corpses, maybe this world will be worth living in."
Her aura was completely different from the Natasha sleeping beside him now.
The Natasha in the dream was a crazed madwoman.
Victoria was there too, alongside Lina.
She fought with Lina, protecting her back.
In that moment, Victoria looked quite dependable. Her eyes even seemed to burn with a sense of justice similar to Lina's.
Looks like she and Lina were really close.
It was a side of her he couldn't imagine, knowing the lewd noble she was now. For some reason, his conscience pricked him a little.
That woman... is that the Saintess?
He could also see the Saintess from earlier today.
She was supporting the party from the rear. She was doing a surprisingly decent job.
Are there other parties? There probably are.
He scanned the scene, but couldn't spot any. It wasn't easy to find an unfamiliar face in a war teeming with blood and blades.
Then, like watercolor paint bleeding on a wet page, the surrounding scenery began to melt away.
The dream was about to change.
Fragments of the dream flashed through Kerry's mind one by one.
He saw the Saintess and Lina talking. The atmosphere was tense.
[Lady Lina. You're the hero, so why are you so careless? Because you failed to hold the front line, the rear was nearly in danger again, wasn't it?]
[I'm sorry... Your Holiness.]
Was this the scene after the battle he had just witnessed?
He had only seen a glimpse, but Lina's performance had been incredible. It was nowhere near a level that deserved a reprimand.
Lina, her voice dejected, apologized and said she would try harder.
[This is truly a headache. You're supposed to be the hero, so why am I seeing no improvement? I know you're trying. But there's no actual progress, is there?]
The Lina he knew was a genius. She was not a woman who didn't improve.
[You think I'm interfering too much? Ha. Look here, Lady Lina. Don't you think you're being a little too sensitive? Have you seen anyone else say that to me? It's because you're not doing your job properly. That's why I have no choice but to say these harsh things only to you.]
[I'm sorry. I suppose I was being sensitive because I'm tired.]
Of course she can't complain when the Saintess is spouting that kind of bullshit.
The position of Saintess in the Empire was just that powerful.
He was starting to get the picture.
The Saintess's words were always the same.
[If you're the hero, then act like one and show me something impressive. You're the one who followed me all the way here because you, the hero, said you needed me. Do I really have to keep saying these harsh things because of you?]
[I'm sorry. I will try harder.]
[That line! 'I'll try harder!' I'm so sick of hearing it.]
Kerry felt he had seen enough.
He pulled himself out of Lina's dream. To watch any more would have felt like an insult to Lina.
That was how utterly crushed she was in the dream.
She was a completely different person from the Lina he had known until now. It was clear the Saintess was the cause.
Isn't she a complete fucking psycho?
To put it plainly, the Saintess was gaslighting the hero.
If Kerry hadn't been part of the hero's party, the absurdity of the situation might have made him laugh.
But Kerry was now a member of that very party! This wasn't someone else's problem.
That Saintess is supposed to be my future party member?
Would Lina really try to recruit the Saintess after going through all this?
Knowing Lina's personality, if she believed the Saintess was necessary, she would bring her into the party without a second thought.
She would just think that all she had to do was endure it herself.
But Kerry could never accept the Saintess.
I won't let her destroy the atmosphere of my precious party.
He had to come up with something.
This was more serious than he'd thought. That Saintess might think she's doing great, but she was just a goddamn fucking troll.
If that Saintess joined the party, the atmosphere would obviously go to shit.
He didn't want that!
Kerry liked the party's current, bright atmosphere.
Wasn't there some way?
Kerry pondered continuously throughout his watch.
She sleeps so soundly while having such nightmares.
Lina was still lying down, fast asleep.
He felt a new sense of admiration for her. To have gone through all that at the tender age of twenty and still have a spirit so unwaveringly righteous.
But just being righteous would only get her used and abused by a bully like the Saintess.
But there was no need to worry.
Because he had seen this dream today.
Not in this life... you won't be a fucking troll. You bitch of a Saintess.
That night, Kerry quietly came up with an idea to stop the Saintess.
He recalled the perverted treasure vault belonging to his brother from the Magic Tower.
The Sage's vault contained many other precious items besides equipment like the Arachne's Ring that Kerry had obtained.
Of course, it also had an item that could make a gaslighting bully be reborn as a completely new person.
Whether the Saintess herself would like being reborn as a new person was another question.
It seemed he would have to say hello to his brother after a long time.
*
Morning came.
The party members began to move about busily, preparing to track Nassen.
"We're going to be moving a bit quickly today. Be prepared."
In the past, Lina's words would have just sounded dependable, but now they sounded a little different.
How much must Lina have suffered all by herself?
Until now, Lina had been a presence Kerry could trust and rely on.
He would have said yes to anything Lina suggested, no questions asked. Because Lina was a regressor.
But after seeing her dream last night, that had changed a little.
Even a regressor isn't omnipotent. Especially for someone with a gentle personality like Lina...
Being kind wasn't a bad thing, but objectively, it had many downsides.
Just look at Lina—despite being so skilled, she had been gaslighted by the Saintess.
If she had a tougher personality, she would never have been targeted by that bully Saintess in the first place. Damn it. The more I think about it, the more pissed I get!
"Lady Lina."
"Yes, Sir Kerry."
"If you're ever having a hard time, please tell me anytime."
"Haha. Thank you. Even without you saying that, I always rely on you, Sir Kerry."
Don't just say that, tell your big bro anything, anytime.
He couldn't say that out loud, which was frustrating.
For some reason, Lina now felt like a pitiful younger sister being tormented by a bully.
A kind younger sister who couldn't even tell her brother she was being bullied for fear of worrying him, and just kept smiling brightly.
If before he had wanted to be taken care of by Lina, it was only natural that now he felt the desire to take care of her.
"Lady Lina. You have a leaf in your hair. Hold still. I'll get it for you."
"..."
Kerry spoke as he placed a hand on Lina's head.
The usual Lina would have responded stiffly, with something like, "Is there a leaf?" or "It doesn't matter if there's a leaf."
But for some reason, the impregnable Lina was blushing.
"It's... it's alright, Sir Kerry. I can get it myself."
"..."
She's suddenly blushing now?
No way. The iron-walled Lina wouldn't do that. It must be my imagination.
I've been so popular lately, I must be getting a big head.
But when he saw Natasha approaching with a face full of suspicion, he couldn't help but doubt Lina's iron wall just a little.