Chapter 122. Avarice Devours Everything (9)
The wyvern did not return to the palace, but stopped half-way and dropped us off. It was the rendezvous point we set beforehand.
Ludia, who had gone to hide in the dungeon at my request, returned and was already waiting there. Others who had safely escaped the demons' camp were also gathered. As my team was escaping, the ruckus we caused by breaking the barrier had drawn much attention away from the others, letting them escape more easily.
"What was that message about world's enemy?"
"Didn't you go rescue them? Why are you alone?"
The Dimensional Mercenaries approached me and asked questions. However, I raised my hand and stopped them.
"Ludia, first, get away from the knights."
"What? Kyak!"
The moment I said so, the knights made their move. It wasn't to protect Ludia, but to capture her. Come on! All the surviving knights were traitors!? Even the magicians…!
"They're all traitors!"
I shouted sharply and used Divine Speed. I stabbed my spear into the knight trying to restrain Ludia and held her in one arm. Then I jumped back, all of which only happened in 3 seconds.
"What just happened!?"
"Kuk!"
They were quick to understand the situation. The moment I rescued Ludia, they tried to escape to the dungeon. When I tried to capture them with Ruyue's power…
[Explorers that betrayed their world and joined the world's enemy have been kicked out of the dungeon.]
[Their abilities as explorers have been recollected.]
What? I narrowed my eyes. What was this message saying? Why was the dungeon doing this now?
The knights and magicians, who were trying to open the dungeon, suddenly collapsed. It was likely because they had lost their strength. The Dimensional Mercenaries didn't miss this opportunity. Without a shred of hesitation, they attacked the traitors' vital points and killed them.
"Why did the dungeon figure out they were the world's enemies now?"
[The dungeon's system automatically provides experience calculation, inventory, and item drops to all explorers, but it cannot focus on specific explorers all the time. Moreover, finding explorers that joined the world's enemy in a world where their forces are strong is close to impossible. As such, Dimensional Mercenaries serve as eyes of the dungeon to find explorers that betrayed their own worlds.]
"You're smart, message noona…"
Message noona who satisfied my curiosity did not reply to my words of astonishment. It seemed the other Dimensional Mercenaries already knew about this. Since they killed the traitors so resolutely, there must be rewards for killing the traitors too…
[All traitors have been killed. Rewards will be distributed appropriately.]
[The lover of the Demon Lord was killed. You obtained 5 stat points and 2 skill points as reward. Stats point gained: 13. Skill points gained: 2]
Tsk, I didn't want such a bittersweet reward. Seeing my complexion turn dark at the message, Ludia, who was watching me, became startled and separated from me. She then asked.
"Shina, where's Shina?"
"… Ludia."
"Shin, where's Shina?"
I pointed at the wyvern. On its back was the burnt up corpse of Shina. When Ludia saw the corpse, she didn't say anything.
"We confirmed it. Shina was… an enemy."
"That's… a lie."
"Newbie's telling the truth. If it wasn't for him, we would have all died. Damn, that demonic sword still makes me shiver."
"Shina had… a demonic sword?"
"Yeah."
I nodded my head. Ludia slowly approached the wyvern and pulled the corpse down. Seeing the corpse cut into two halves, she became speechless. I couldn't help but talk to her.
"… Ludia."
"Who… Who killed her?"
"I did."
I told her the truth. She shut her eyes tightly then opened them.
"Don't lie and tell me the truth."
"I killed her. Shina tried to kill me, who had transformed into you."
"Please… Don't lie!"
"… Sorry, but I'm not lying to you. I killed her, Ludia."
Ludia's lips trembled. She opened her mouth then closed it again, as if to say something. Then, she glared at me.
"What is this?"
"Ludia."
"What is this!?"
Ludia shouted louder than I had ever heard her before.
"Is this what you wanted? Making me escape to the dungeon because it was dangerous, taking my appearance, almost dying to Shina, then killing her? I was waiting for you in the dungeon without knowing anything. Like a clueless idiot! What am I supposed to do after hearing this? What is this!?"
"I didn't want this either. I didn't want it to be true!"
"I should've gone with you. Like I first thought, I should have gone with you! Even if Shina killed me, I should have gone! I had to see it with my own eyes and experience it for myself!"
"You would have died!"
"I'd rather die! Because you protected me, I became the world's biggest idiot, fool, and blockhead! Is this what you wanted? Did you want me to obediently stay in the dungeon because you said it was dangerous, then crawl out when everything was over, see my sister's corpse, and nod my head and say it couldn't be helped since she was a traitor!?"
"I did!"
I also shouted.
"It's better than you dying! I didn't want to lose my friend. Is that bad?"
"Because you tried to protect me, I lost my authority as a member of the Imperial family, my pride as an explorer, and even my qualification to be your friend! Because I was afraid of my sister being a traitor, I became a coward, who left my friend to go save my sister and hid in the dungeon!"
"And what's wrong with that!? You don't understand your priorities!"
"You're the one who can't understand! Look at me! Both mother and father were killed, but hiding in that small house in the dungeon, I couldn't even see Shina die with my own eyes. And I had to hear that my sister's killer was none other than you!"
"What…?"
"I don't have anything anymore! I have nothing at all! There's nothing to protect, there's no reason to live! I would have rather died to Shina. I would have rather protected you and died! That way, I could have at least protected my friend!"
The emperor and the empress died? I wanted to say something, but I was lost for words. I remembered what Shina said, that the highest ranking demons had gone to attack the Imperial Palace…
Did the emperor and empress leave behind a will for her? Did they meet an honorable end? I didn't know whether to be sad or happy at the fact that they at least didn't experience torture without being able to die like in my dreams.
Leaving my speechless self behind, Ludia fell on the ground helplessly. Then, with a barely audible voice, she murmured.
"Sorry, Shin. Sorry… Sorry for only sending you… I'm the one that made you kill Shina with your hands, I'm the one…"
Seeing her suddenly change from condemning me, I became flustered. She wasn't mentally stable at the moment. After thinking about what to say, I replied in a quiet voice.
"… It's what I wanted."
"I'm the worst. I'm worthless. I'm a clueless fool, who gets scared at the most critical moments and can only let others do my job. I don't have the qualification to be royalty, to be an explorer, or even to live…"
"Ludia, don't say that!"
"I hate you. I can't help but hate you. I hate myself. I hate myself for hating you…"
"Ludia, you need rest. I beg you, don't think about anything and just rest. If you hate me, I can disappear. I understand why you would hate me, so I'll go away so that you won't see me anymore."
"No!"
Ludia suddenly shouted. Her eyes were full of fear.
"You stole my sister from me, and you even want to take away what I have left?"
"Ludia…"
Was Ludia talking about me? Startled by her words, I stood still without knowing what to say. She staggered up and approached me. Holding on to my arms, she looked up. Her blue eyes were glistening with tears.
"No, Shin. Don't. Please… You're the only one I have left. I lost mother, father, and Shina. I don't want to lose you too… Sorry. I won't hate you, so please don't leave. Please…"
Ludia had gotten weak. That's what I thought. She was mentally pushed to the point she would cling to me, who had killed her sister. Since the day Shina was captured by the Demon Lord, or at least thought to be captured, she was broken. The wound she had patched under the goal of rescuing Shina had burst, leaving her helpless.
"No, don't go. Don't leave me alone…"
"She's having a mental panic attack. Thinking that the world would collapse leaving her alone or that she is now worthless… It's common among explorers that lost their worlds. At least, she still has you… Newbie, you better think carefully before you act."
The summoner mercenary spoke bitterly. Then, he disappeared using Return. The other mercenaries disappeared one by one. I couldn't blame them. Once the demons occupied the Imperial Palace, they would be coming for us next. It was the correct choice to go back as quickly as possible.
In the end, only Ludia and I were left in the field. Our surrounding was strangely quiet, almost as if something would suddenly pop out.
"Alright… In that case, I'll stay by your side. Even if you hate me, I'll stay with you. I won't hate you."
"I hate you, but… thank you… hic."
Ludia held me and cried silently. I patted her back, feeling a sense of unease. What would happen to the two of us? Would we be able to stay as friends? This dangerous relationship, will it be able to hold on without crumbling down?
Embracing her, that was all I could think about as she cried.
"Shina's corpse. Burn it."
Once she stopped crying, that was the first thing Ludia said. She was still clinging to my arm. I couldn't joke around like I usually would.
"Please, get rid of the traces of Shina."
"… I'll do it."
When I was about to burn her corpse, a voice rang out behind me. Now that I thought about it, there was someone here. It was Bellode. I was wondering where he was, but he had been collapsed on the ground the entire time after being hit by the summoner. Did he just wake up and realize what happened…? I suddenly felt sorry for him.
"I want to send her off… Please, Your Highness."
"Bellode… Fine. You can do as you'd like."
Ludia made a surprised expression, but soon nodded her head with a bitter expression. Bellode nodded respectfully, then slowly took out his sword. Fire then enveloped his sword. Just like how Peruta Circuit manifested whirlwinds, he could turn his mana into flames that burned everything.
"Your Highness… May you rest well."
The flame he sent flying landed on Shina's split corpse. As her corpse was burning, we silently watched, while Bellode cried.
Once Shina's corpse had burned to ashes, Bellode turned around and respectfully bowed to us… No, he bowed to Ludia.
"I'm glad you're safe, Your Highness. I should have asked for your safety first. I apologize for stepping out of line."
"I forgive you, Bellode… And I'm no longer the Crown Princess. I will throw away my status as royalty."
"Your Highness!"
"Bellode, there's no time… You should abandon the Luka continent."
She was concise.
"There's no hope left here. If you don't want to die with Shina, immediately run away to the dungeon. You're in a guild."
"But, Your Highness…!"
"Bellode, go. Next time you see me, don't call me Your Highness. This continent… is over."
[Party member Palludia Gren Ehuir has been changed to an independent explorer. With her consent, you can Return to Earth with her.]
With trembling eyes, Bellode looked at Ludia, then turned to look at Shina's ashes, which began to scatter into the wind. He bit his lips, turning back around and bowing deeply to Ludia. Then, he disappeared. He had gone to the dungeon. Seeing him disappear, Ludia leaned in my embrace without strength.
"I'm tired… I want to rest."
I could feel the weight of her entire body leaning on me, making me realize to my bones how weak she had gotten.
I couldn't let her leave to the Residential Area like this.
"Ludia, do you want to… come to Earth?"
At my question, Ludia opened her eyes widely in shock. Then, she nodded her head. Her complexion was brighter than before. I was worried that she might not like it, but I felt relieved. Even if she returned to the Residential Area now, it would be bad for her.
However, Luka continent would not let us leave so easily.
[Savior, Hero. For what reason have you arrived at this fallen world?]
I knew instinctively. This showy voice belonged to the Demon Lord. Just by hearing the voice, Ludia shook uncontrollably and clung to me. As I turned around, I also trembled from the presence I could feel with my entire body.
In the sky, there was a bat.
[Do forgive me for being rude and not seeing a guest with my real body. But my real body is currently in deep sleep to accept the world's power.]
"You're talking about the power you obtained by killing this world's Hero?"
[That's right, Hero. Did you enjoy the game? My concubine should have entertained you.]
"It was distasteful. You aren't very good at greeting your guests, Demon Lord."
[Huhuhu… You say rather interesting things, other world's Hero.]
The bat continued.
[Last surviving Princess, come to me. You were the one I wanted from the beginning. If you become mine, everything you ever wanted will be yours.]
"In the name of Mitarus, go kill yourself."
Ludia spat. Looking at the Demon Lord's familiar, her eyes were burning with fear and rage. I decided that it would be the best to stop Ludia from seeing the Demon Lord.
[Oh, how unfortunate. But even the Hero holding you so reliably will soon die. In the end, Heroes are only scapegoats. With a few petty blessings, they are forced to fight against us.]
"Return!"
I used Return. Immediately, the surrounding scenery became distorted and melted down.
Before we realized, Ludia and I were in my house on Earth. As Ludia was staring at me blankly, I smile softly and spoke.
"Demon Lord that son of a bitch, do you think we made him mad by leaving in the middle of him talking?"
"… Yeah."
Still with blank eyes, Ludia nodded. Suddenly, she laughed. Looking at her, I also bursted out into laughter.
Demon Lord 0, Kang Shin 1. I had gotten my first victory over him.
Author's note:
Shin: Demon Lord, I don't want any information from the likes of you! Stay in Luka continent!
Shuna, who just woke up from the 2nd floor of Ludia's house: Eh…? Why do I feel like everyone forgot about me…? Ludia, hurry up and come back T.T
If Ludia looked mentally shaken throughout this entire arc, yes, that's what I was going for. She's in a light mental illness. I tried hard to convey it properly; this chapter was even harder than the last. Breaking things is easy, but portraying emotion is really hard… T.T I hope the readers liked it.
Chapter 123. You in the World of Sunset (1)
After coming to Earth with me, the first situation Ludia had to deal with was meeting my family.
"Oh?"
"… I, I'm back."
The moment Ludia and I left my room, we ran into mother who was climbing the stairs with a vacuum cleaner. Her eyes became incredibly big the moment she saw us, and she frozen. Soon, with a calm expression, she put the vacuum cleaner down, cleaned her hand on her apron, and walked up to me. Putting her hand on my shoulder, she whispered.
"Is that my daughter-in-law?"
"She's my friend."
Thankfully, her question was within my expectations so I could give an instant reply. However, Ludia tilted her head and spoke.
"What did she say?"
"Ah."
Now that I thought about it, Ludia was from Luka continent! She could talk to me since we were both dungeon explorers, but she couldn't understand mother, who wasn't a dungeon explorer! What happened next surprised me. With her hand not holding onto me, she reached into the air and took something out. That is, she had taken something out from her inventory. It was a black leather choker. She put it on and spoke.
"Hello."
It was Korean!
"W-What? What did you just equip?"
"It's a translator that the dungeon sells for 300,000 gold. It translates what I say or what others say to languages we can understand. Since people in my continent also speak different languages, I bought one."
"Why didn't Loretta and Lin tell me about such an item…!?"
I could have easily solved my poor English problem at Britain!
While I was feeling a slight rage at Fairy Garden's guild master and vice-guild master, mother approached Ludia curiously.
"Is she a foreigner?"
"As you can see, yes. Ludia's a foreigner."
"Where is she from? With her Western appearance, is it America? Britain? France? She doesn't look Italian…"
"I'm Ehuir Empire's prin… ordinary citizen."
If you're going to throw away your status, can you talk with honorifics?1 I gazed at Ludia strongly, but she turned her head the other way with a snort. For the record, she put more strength into holding onto me. Hearing the word 'Ehuir Empire,' mother tilted her head.
"Ehuir…"
"Mom, she's a friend I made in the dungeon. I want to let her stay here for a while, is that okay? I'll tell father and Yua too."
I changed the subject and asked mother. She immediately stopped thinking about where Ehuir Empire was, as she put her hands on Ludia's shoulders.
"Of course! You can live here forever! God, I didn't think my son would bring such a pretty girl home. So? How far have you gone?"
"Mom, she's really just my friend, so don't misunderstand…!"
"If you're going to make excuses that she's just a friend, at least stop linking your arms together."
When Ludia heard what mother said, she suddenly became pale, pulling on my arm harder and throwing herself into my embrace. Feeling that something was wrong, mother's expression became stiff. With a bitter smile, I asked.
"Mom, please?"
"… Alright. Since Shin brought a friend home, I'll have to show off. I have to appease Yua too."
"Appease Yua? Is she mad that I wasn't home for a while?"
"You'll know once you see her."
With that, mother smiled. I tilted my head and looked at Ludia, but she still shaking lightly in my embrace.
In any case, Yua really seemed mad, just like mother sad.
"N…No! Y-You can't live together… oppa! Especially with someone so pretty!'
"She's just a friend, Yua. There's a complicated circumstance, so I hope you can understand."
I looked at mother and father as I tried to convince Yua, but they were both more concerned with Ludia. Mother asked Ludia what her hobbies were and father seemed interested by the fact that Ludia was an explorer. In any case, they were telling me to convince Yua on my own.
"Oppa, to be honest, I'm mad. It hasn't been long since you came back from Britain, but you left home for four days. You even brought back someone so pretty!"
"Sorry, but there's a circumstance I can't tell you about. It's hard to explain…"
"Why is it hard to explain!?"
As it had been a long time since I saw Yua be so unreasonable, I didn't know what to do. Then, Ludia sighed and pulled on my sleeve. Holding onto chopsticks strangely, she asked.
"Shin, can you explain how I use this tool?"
"I told you to use a fork instead of chopsticks."
"I don't want to. No matter what country you go to, diplomacy starts from your table manners. So you teach me."
"You didn't come here as a diplomat…"
"I'm a person of this world now, so it has to be perfect. You have to teach me everything."
"You…"
"Oppa!"
"Huk!"
While I was paying attention to Ludia, Yua got up from her seat, shaking.
"I'm really angry! Oppa can do whatever you want, I don't know anymore!"
"Yua!?"
After putting her empty dish in the sink, she left. Y-Yua was finally going through puberty…!
"Shin, can you show me how to use this? I can't figure out how."
"I'm surprised you can ignore others so well."
Even as I sighed, I spent a long time to teach Ludia how to use chopsticks. Since I didn't know how or why I had to appease Yua, I could only sigh.
When I told Loretta what happened, even she got mad.
"You're saying a customer named Palludia is staying in Shin-nim's house? The one you gave the headband to!?"
"Yes."
"I'm jeal… No, send her back to the Residential Area!"
"You're saying this too, Loretta? I'm worried about Ludia. I want to watch over her for a while."
"T-That's… I know Shin-nim doesn't have any ulterior motive, but…"
Loretta looked like she wanted to say something, but in the end, she simply sighed. Then, she spoke as if there was no other choice.
"Fine. I'll allow it."
"Thanks…?"
Strange. Why did I get Loretta's approval? What approval did I even get? My head was filled with questions. Meanwhile, Loretta continued.
"Then, I'll first teach you how to appease your sister."
"Tell me quickly!"
The questions immediately disappeared.
When I returned from the dungeon, it was midnight. As I only went to the dungeon after Ludia fell asleep and set me free, talking to Loretta for a bit didn't pass the night.
"Yua, are you sleeping?"
[Yes, I'm sleeping!]
"Can I go in?"
[… Yes.]
After shouting angrily that she was sleeping, she easily crumbled at my request. I entered the door with a grin. Yua seemed to have been studying, as she was looking at her notebook and using the internet. She turned her rotating chair around and faced me. Her cheeks were puffed up.
"I thought you were with Palludia-ssi."
"She went to sleep a while ago. Oppa just came back from the dungeon."
"Uuuu, so she was clinging so closely to oppa before going to bed?"
"Yua, you also realized that something was wrong, right?"
When I asked her calmly, Yua made a difficult expression… then nodded her head.
"How did you meet her?"
"I met her in the dungeon, and we became friends. You see, I went to help Ludia this time."
"She's really just a friend? You guys aren't dating?"
"Of course not."
"Then why is she sticking to oppa so closely?"
"It's hard to explain in detail, just that she went through some difficulties. She lost her place in her country too. I couldn't leave her alone, so I brought her here."
"The details are what I want to hear…"
Yua murmured weakly and drooped her shoulders. Then, she said something I never would have imagined.
"I want to help oppa too."
"Eh…?"
"Oppa looks like you're having a hard time lately. Plus, you're always busy. The incident that made oppa's friend like that… oppa must have been there too. So I'm worried about oppa."
"Um."
While I was panicking as Yua's response was different than what Loretta said, Yua continued with her head down.
"When oppa first became a dungeon explorer, I was happy. You were always smiling, full of confidence, and even lost muscles and became handsome… Ah, oppa was always handsome, but oppa became even more handsome."
"T-Thanks."
"But after the second moon rose and monsters began to appear… Oppa began to change. I was happy that I could be proud of oppa, but lately, I've been restless. I'm worried that oppa might suddenly leave me and disappear."
A day would come where people without abilities would have trouble being near the Hero. It was when I would have to leave my family. Because Yua's words were so accurate, I couldn't argue against her.
Then, Yua looked up, staring at my eyes.
"If I become a dungeon explorer… can I help oppa, too?"
"No."
Although I was surprised from Yua's words, I could answer her question immediately.
"Yua doesn't have to fight. Fighting can be done by people like father and oppa, who only knows how to fight. Yua can help oppa by staying safe and being healthy."
"I know how to fight too!"
"No, Yua. You're more suited to things other than fighting."
Yua didn't have talent for physical activities like fighting. I was certain. Since I couldn't tell her that outright, I tried to say it in a roundabout way, but it didn't seem to work, as Yua's eyes became sharp.
"I hate oppa."
"Huk!"
"Oppa sucks! Leave!"
Yua talked to me without honorifics!2 When Yua pushed me with her hands, I became worried that my tough body would hurt her and quickly left her room. Immediately afterwards, the door closed with a boom. Left alone outside the room, I found a word to objectively describe this situation, and murmured as my heart crumbled.
"Sibling quarrel…!"
Loretta, this is all your fault! Even though I didn't get to say what you taught me or use the present you gave me!
I found a target to lash out on. It was the Wendigo. However, the Wendigo had a critical weakness to serve as my stress reliever.
[Choose your reward.]
2. Frozen Crystal]
"Damn, this guy is too weak!"
He's so weak, I don't even feel like fighting him! I kicked the snow on the ground in anger, and swallowed the Frozen Crystal.
[By consuming the Frozen Crystal, your resistance and affinity to freezing energy increases. Your magic increases by 1.]
[I love Shin! It became colder!]
"I think my affinity with Ruyue is already at its peak, but… Ruyue, I like Ruyue too."
[Ehehe…]
Ruyue rubbed her head in my chest, and I patted her while thinking about what to do next. First, I had to appease Yua… No, that's probably not possible right now. Since Yua rarely got mad, I didn't even know when she would calm down. I had an idea why she got mad, but it wasn't possible for me to do anything about it…
"I guess it's the Wyvern's Nest."
America, Arizona State, Page's Antelope Canyon. Its Field Dungeon, Wyvern's Nest. If I went there, I could meet Ciara Kenex, the woman who addressed me as Hero. I would know once I met her. Why she called me Hero and who she was. If she refused to speak, I would have to squeeze the info out of her. I was more than capable now.
Alright, I decided. Once I finished grinding Wendigo and Ruyue's ability grew, I would go to Wyvern's Nest. Wash your neck and wait, Ciara Kenex!
Author's note:
It's the start of a new arc. I lightly portrayed Ludia assimilating to Earth's culture. It's now time for dungeon, dungeon, dungeon! Then, we'll focus on Ciara Kenex, that suspicious woman!
For the record, if you don't read this chapter carefully, you'll regret it later. Why? That's a secret ★
Translator's note:
ICDS - romcom edition. Wait, what about when Ludia takes showers!?
Chapter 124. You in the World of Sunset (2)
Hunting the Wendigo by myself was extremely easy, but I could still get Frozen Crystals even if I added a few more people to my party. As such, I decided to hunt the Wendigo in parties. When the explorers stuck on 50th floor saw me, they immediately recognized me as Crown Prince.
"Crown Prince is already on the 50th floor."
"But even Crown Prince should have hard time breaking through the 50th floor. He'll be stuck here too."
"If you're done talking nonsense, we're going in."
In the fight against Wendigo, everyone else had only one job to do. It was to stay as far away from Wendigo as possible. I didn't know because Ruyue's power was protecting me, but the freezing energy that the Wendigo emitted was no joke. Even if priests casted protection magic with all their strength, veteran warriors, who had climbed all the way to the 50th floor, still had difficulties.
[Guaaaaaa!]
[Shin, that's a cold attack!]
"Yeah, yeah."
Of course, the 50th Floor Master Wendigo also had a special attack skill. With its hand dyed white, it drew a large trace. If one even glazed it, he would be frozen for a moment regardless of his resistance. I did not experience it in my first raid, so I ended up being caught by surprise in my second raid. Thankfully, Ruyue protected me with a barrier while I was frozen.
Moreover, because of my high resistance, I became unfrozen in 5 seconds. It seemed the Wendigo could not use it consecutively. With a bewildered face, it tried to kick me, which simply led me to beating it up. In truth, this was the first time I wasn't looking forward to the Floor Master skill.
However, there were three slots left in the pocket watch to store skills in. Since I felt that the subclass would transform once the skills were filled, I planned to take whatever skills I could get. If getting to the 60th floor would take longer than I expected, I considered putting Crimson Scale Armor's Crimson Roar into the pocket watch too.
"Haat."
When the Wendigo tried to swipe at me with its whitened arm, I created a plate of ice in the air with Ruyue's power and leapt up. As the Wendigo looked up in vain, I grinned and shouted, "Thunder Spear!"
[Choose your reward.]
2. High-grade Health Potion
4. Frozen Dart]
Eh? Didn't I come in with 6 people? When I turned around while swallowing the Frozen Crystal, I saw three explorers hugging each other while shaking.
"C-C-Crown Prince, h-h-h-how are you completely fine?"
"I-It's s-so cold! I-I'm going t-to die!"
"… The other two?"
"F-Froze to d-death."
My Wendigo party raids generally ended like this. In truth, I wanted to screw grinding and just get it over with.
Ludia was completely fine when she was next to me. But when I tried to separate from her, she showed signs of mental instability. Thinking that she had gone back to her normal self was only my wishful thinking.
Whether we were eating, reading books, listening to music, knitting, drinking tea, or whatnot, the moment I tried to go out of her sight, she tried to scream in protest. Of course, I considered it my punishment for killing her sister and accepted it. I was just glad that I could serve as her emotional pillar.
However, I couldn't let it stay like this. Right now, it was fine since I had a lot of free time with only hunting the Wendigo three times a day. But once I finished grinding, I planned to go to America. I couldn't bring Ludia along.
When I told her, her reaction was extremely concerning.
"Y-You're abandoning me?"
"No, I'm coming back."
"Liar."
"Are you the only one living here? My parents and Yua are here too."
"Liar, liar. When I wake up one day, everything will be gone. I'll be the only one left in this world."
"Ludia."
"Ah, it's that. You're going to leave me and go fight someone again. the D-Demon Lord chased after us."
"No, that's not it."
"T-Take me with you. Take me with you, please. I don't want to be left by myself like a fool again."
She didn't look like she'd listen no matter what I said, so I shut my mouth and held Ludia's hands. Ludia took the opportunity to throw herself into my embrace and didn't let go. When I raised my head, not knowing what to do, mother opened the door in the perfect time with a plate full of fruits. Then, she smiled kindly and closed the door. Damn it, I didn't like that needlessly kind consideration!
"Don't go. If you're going, take me with you. Please?"
"It's dangerous if you come."
"Shin, take me with you. Let me go too."
She really didn't listen! It seemed she wouldn't let go until I agreed to take her. In the end, I sighed and replied.
"There are two conditions."
"Un."
"First, you have to hide your identity. This is easy since you can buy an item called Otus' Secret from the Floor Shop."
"Un."
"Second, you have to get stronger. I can't take you if you don't break through the 40th floor at least."
"… 40th floor?"
Ludia's eyes trembled slightly.
"I'm only in the entrance of the 36th floor."
"There are still 3 weeks until I finish grinding the 50th floor. I'm sure you can do it."
"T-Then I'd have to be away from you."
"Right, since I can't go back to the 36th floor."
"I, I can't. No. I don't want to."
"Then I'm going to leave you behind."
"Ah, aah."
Ludia looked at me like the world just crumbled down. The next moment, she suddenly looked brighter as she spoke.
"I don't have anyone to party with me now. Shuna still can't take a foot out of the Residential Area."
I had forgotten about Shuna until now,. Ludia had known about Shuna, but didn't go back to the dungeon even once, and was only now using her as an excuse. I thought for a moment which of us were worse, but I didn't say anything, concluding that we were both bad.
"But Ellos' party is waiting for you."
"K-Kasina is…?"
Ludia retorted as if she'd never imagined it. 'So she's not that close to Ellos…' Thinking to myself, I nodded. Ellos had actually messaged me recently.
"Yeah. He's waiting for your return on the 36th floor."
"N-No. I can't anymore. I lost my confidence."
"But if you can't clear the 40th floor, I won't take you with me. I'm not lying."
"N-No… R-Right, I can't go back to them alone."
"Miss Shuna will be there too."
"Shuna can't climb the dungeon anymore."
Shuna had no house nor guild. It was unlikely that other guilds would take her in. That's what Ludia said.
Since it came to this, I decided to tell Ludia the truth.
"Ludia, you see…"
Looking around my Special Mansion, Ludia made a blank expression. She saw more than one hundred rooms, swimming pool and grand bath, basement training room and personal training room, grand dining hall and basement storage room, and finally the Giant Iron Boar ruining the garden's look. Speaking of the Giant Iron Boar, it was now reduced to 20 meters from 60 meters in size. Ludia shouted.
"I'm going to live here with you!"
"I'm going to found a guild."
Ludia made an expression like she just stepped on dung, and spoke.
"Can't we just make it our home?"
"No, we can't. Weren't you Miss Shuna's best friend? What about Miss Shuna?"
"I'll give my house to Shuna. It's easy to transfer ownership. That way, Shuna can become an independent explorer too!"
"What about you?"
"W-Well, I'm… of course…"
Ludia's faced turned red, as she looked down and pulled on my sleeve. I lightly pulled my sleeve back and spoke.
"See, out of words, right? I'm going to make a guild."
"… I hate you. I hate you so much."
"Yeah, you can hate me as much as you want. Though, I won't hate you."
"You big insensitive idiot! I really want to kill you…!"
"Yeah, yeah."
Making a guild was easier than I thought. I just had to visit the Residential Area's administrator and submit the necessary documents. But when I went to see Meladel, he opened his mouth after seeing Ludia linking her arms with me.
"Y-You. Who is that lady?"
"A friend."
"Oh, dear lord. Is this the fate of a Hero…? My poor Master…!"
"Stop speaking nonsense and take my guild creation application."
As Meladel accepted my application, he continued to say incomprehensible things like, 'Do you like boats?' or 'I suggest you wear an abdominal belt.' Then, messages popped up in front of my eyes.
[You created a guild! You became the guild master of the F rank guild, 'Revival'!]
[Guild member: Kang Shin (Guild Master, Gold), Palludia Gren Ehuir (Guild Member, Silver). Total: 2]
[You can raise the guild rank by increasing the number of guild members or by making achievements by clearing Event Dungeons or Event Raids. With higher guild rank, your guild will become more well-known in the dungeon, giving you better rewards in Event Raids and giving you more freedom in the dungeon.]
It wasn't much. It didn't increase my strength. As I didn't expect anything, I didn't feel disappointed either.
"You can request a guild emblem when you become D rank. People from famous guilds usually wear brooches or capes engraved with their guild emblem to show their status."
"Like a uniform?"
"More like empty show."
Even while I was talking with Meladel, Ludia stayed still. She must have heard the messages too. Then, she murmured silently.
"Revival…"
"Um… It's a word from Earth's language called English. It means resurrection, recovery, or resurgence. I wanted to use the Korean word for it, but it said there's already a guild by that name."
"BhuWhal1. It means 'toy' in Syrnor continent's language."
"Why would they make a guild with that meaning!? Are the guild members the guild master's toy? Ek."
Suddenly, I felt weight on my back. I turned around and saw Ludia who had her face buried in my back. I couldn't see her face. Flustered, I talked to her.
"L-Ludia?"
"Ludia… Ludia?"
"… I'll try."
Ludia said in a small voice.
"You…"
"I'll try… climbing the dungeon. I'll contact Shuna… and Kasina too. I'll try."
I didn't know why she was suddenly so willing. Perhaps, she felt a sense of security at the fact that she belonged to a guild with me. Perhaps, she had been strengthening her determination this entire time. Perhaps…
I could think of many possibilities, but I didn't ask her. It was fine the way it was now.
"Yeah. Thanks for taking a step forward, Ludia."
"Un… Un."
I had a dream.
The sky burned and dark smoke shot up.
Morning didn't wake and night didn't sleep.
Fairies that remained in fantasies were chased out to reality. Holding their torn wings, they cursed humans.
"XXX, I always think why I always go through such hardships when I involve myself with you."
"X, that's wrong. Those that can say they went through hardships after involving themselves with X are those that survive. It's usually hard to survive after involving oneself with X."
Under a bloodstained sunset, a giant and a handsome young man were exchanging jokes. One held an enormous claymore and the other held a longsword, which were both suitably big for their masters size.
"You're all noisy. Go out and kill the monsters. Be careful so blood doesn't splatter onto me. Also, if you curse X, I'll kill you."
"Witch, shut up and prepare your flames. Because of your laid-back attitude, I thought I'd see the afterlife today."
"Guys2, I just thought up an extremely funny joke. Don't fight and calm down! Lizard King is the king of the lizardmen, right? But if you look, there are 5 Lizard Kings running at us! What do you think this is? The small kingdoms have joined!"
A red witch, black assassin, cheerful gunner, and several others. Although there weren't many, each of them were incredibly strong allies.
"Xa, are you ready?"
"XX, your armor is really cool!"
"Haha, it really is. At least it'll garner full attention. I praise thy courage."
Someone wearing an armor radiating five-colored brilliance stepped forward, setting them all side. Even though it was my first time seeing him, my heart dropped a beat. I had the same reaction every time. From the first time I saw him to even now.
"I have the strongest body here anyways. Really, there are probably no other guilds where the guild master is treated like a punching bag. Alright… Revival, we're going."
"X!"
"Ah, right. XXX… Can I leave it to you?"
Standing tall in a world of sunset alone, he turned and smiled at me. I held myself back from mixing up business and private affairs, and shouted confidently, 'Of course!' Along with a prayer in my heart, hoping to be of help to the one I love.
"O Power, O Blessing vested in the Earth! We will fight to protect thee, let us borrow thy power! O Mitarus, bless and sublimate this power!"
Author's note:
Just because I kept the narration in first person POV, it doesn't mean it will always be that way!
Also, I already warned that you'd regret it if you read the last chapter half-heartedly!
Translator's note:
It's hard to show it in English, but each of the Xs is one syllable. Xa = Yua (I think); just mentioning that one because X is English, making Xa look weird…
There are enough clues to figure out all the names and whose POV the dream was in.
부활 (Bhu Whal) = Revival in Korean ↩ 'Guys' was in English. ↩