Is It Bad That the Main Character’s a Roleplayer?

Chapter 65: If There is a God (8)

“Hey, Archmage.”

“What is it?”

“I just remembered: what happened to dispatching that Great Sage you promised?”

“Ehem. I’m here, aren’t I?”

“…?”

“…Ehem.”

“…You mean, that’s you?”

“Ehehem.”

“This goddamn—”

While wondering how the Jacrati people and the priests reached a truce as they caught up with me at the next enemy stronghold, I saw Windhand grab the Archmage by the collar, apparently because of something related to the contract.

If not for one of the wizards deciding to open their mouth—he said the Great Sage who was supposed to come took advantage of the Archmage’s absence to renege on the contract—he might have been taken into custody by now.

Or, well, if not for taking half his men stationed in another city with him, Windhand might have beaten the Archmage bloody while pelting him with every curse in existence.

“I will kill you if you don’t pay the penalty fee.”

“…Don’t worry, I will pay you, even if that necessitates selling a Great Sage’s invention.”

Still, the power of money was formidable. Windhand somehow managed to hold back his anger. What great patience he showed.

Bang!

“Oh… It looks like things have been resolved, then.”

“…You’d be dead if it weren’t for the Demon Knight.”

“…Then I should give him my thanks.”

Of course, as was revealed by that conversation, my earlier performance had some hand in him showing patience. Hmm. If one saw a person destroy a whole building with just a single swing of a sword, I suppose one was bound to develop some patience.

“With this, I’ll be able to—!”

“Know your place.”

I grabbed this stronghold’s Boss—if one could even call this guy a Boss—by the neck and pushed him to the floor. Like this, I could immediately react if he threw a curse jar.

“Don’t think you can save your pathetic life by doing something like that.”

“Kuhuk!”

When people get strangled, they would usually try to remove whatever was strangling them.

This guy acted no different. He grabbed at my hand that was grasping his neck, tried to scratch me, and even aimed for my eyes.

Craaack.

“Kurgh!”

However, this was his complete defeat. I was a lot stronger than him. I could hold him down with just one hand and break any mustered resistance with the other.

The man, whose arms I’d twisted like screws, was completely subdued and only let out soft groans.

“Wow, you sure carry something dangerous at your side.”

Meanwhile, Deb, who’d come closer to me, fearlessly pulled something from the waist of the guy I was suppressing. It was the jar I saw get used at the Garorim stronghold.

I didn’t think he was even there last time when it got thrown, yet he managed to notice it.

“Th-That’s… Kurgh.”

The Boss tried to reach out with his broken limb. However, Deb had already stepped away. Even if that guy’s arm had been intact, it was doubtful whether he would have been able to grab Deb.

“We can interrogate him now.”

Deb was correct. That’s what I had in mind when I captured him alive, to begin with.

However…

I gently looked down at the neck in my grasp for a moment, contemplated my character setting, and caressed the hilt of my sword. The inquisitors, trying to drag away the target, flinched briefly.

“Mister?”

I thanked him for speaking up at exactly the right time.

At Deb’s words, I turned away. Then, as I looked at the stronghold, myriads of slashes and traces of battle entered my view.

Those were why the inquisitors, whose fear had won out over their faith, looked at me.

“I think it would be better if we just sat here and rested for today.”

Was the sun already setting?

After hearing the Archmage’s words, I looked up at the sky. It definitely seemed to be getting late, seeing how the sky was gradually turning scarlet. And while the number of people here wasn’t that big, there were still around a hundred.

“It’s also necessary to investigate further.”

That was true, as well.

Before, all the evidence basically evaporated due to the hurried Purification, but that didn’t happen this time. The jar containing the plague curse had to be analyzed, and the cause of the sudden change in those leader-like people needed to be figured out.

Anyway, while I didn’t currently feel much difference in fighting the transformed ones, it might be different if this Quest’s Final Boss did something similar.

“How in the world can someone achieve that degree of Arcane Power concentration?”

“Look at this: this cross-section is a little rough. It doesn't seem to be fully consistent.”

“Who cares if it’s lacking consistency when it flies like that?”

“Are you crazy? How about you say that again?”

However, was it possible to investigate properly when the wizards were acting like that?

What the hell did they mean by a lower degree of Arcane Power consistency? Wasn’t that rough cut just an effect?

No, well, I’d of course also noticed that it sometimes cut very smoothly and other times, it didn’t. However, did this even matter?

Clap, clap.

At that moment, the Archmage clapped his hands. It was a bit muffled due to their being covered in fur, but the sound had become uniquely associated with him. The wizards raised their heads upon realizing the Archmage was watching them.

They looked exactly like meerkats.

“Could you give me that for a moment, please?”

“Huh? Yes.”

The Archmage looked at everyone around him as he received the curse jar from Deb. The jar had writing all over it, and even someone with no idea what this was could have sensed that something was strange about it.

“This is a jar containing a plague curse. Who wants to analyze it?”

“Me!!!”

“I’ll do it!!”

…They actually wanted to investigate.

Was the Archmage a god or something?

“Take it. If you break it, your life will be at risk, so please be careful with it.”

“Thank you very much!”

“Let me look at it, as well!”

“Is that the jar containing a curse?”

“There’s an elaborate shielding spell placed on it. I had no idea Demon Worshipers could create something like this!”

“Is there really a curse in there?”

“They couldn’t conceal the unique sensation given off by Demonic Energy. We can be sure.”

I was worried in a different sense now. Wouldn’t they end up intentionally opening or breaking the jar just to see what was inside it?

“We found the captives!”

“…!”

However, I didn’t worry for long. I immediately turned my attention elsewhere.

An adventurer had opened one of the doors leading underground and stuck his head out.

“Wait!”

Windhand rushed over first.

“I’ll also come along!”

Next was the Inquisitor. Some of the priests capable of healing also followed them into the underground, intending to heal those who’d been captured.

Of course, the question remained whether they would accept such treatment… Since Windhand had come along, I believed it would work out somehow. In any case, it didn’t have anything to do with me.

“I’ll go check and see if there’s anything hidden over here, then.”

Deb went elsewhere to fulfill his role. The only one with nothing to do was me.

Well, the Archmage didn’t really move anywhere, either, but he still had the option to join the wizards and investigate.

Until recently, it had been me who did all the work.

“Ah, right. Regarding the dragon’s corpse, we somehow managed to secure your share of the spoils.”

Hmm, what was I supposed to do now? If I acted according to my character setting, I would have to move to the next location without resting… Huh?

“We wanted to secure as much as possible… However, the most we could receive was a quarter of the corpse.”

What? They secured my share? And as if that wasn’t enough, it’s even a quarter? Did they actually want to give me all that?

“Even if you aren’t satisfied with it, please don’t get angry.”

I clenched my fists.

How could I be dissatisfied with this?! It was a reward I had already given up on, after all!

I was honestly so satisfied that I was about to give him a thumbs-up. I was just that happy.

“We left it at the Temple for safeguarding, so you can take it with you once we return to the mainland. And also… the Adventurers’ Guild has decided to award you a second Medal of Honor and requested that you pick it up when you get back.”

I didn’t particularly care about those Medals of Honor, though.

While they did have various uses, I already had one, so getting more would just clog up my inventory.

I superficially thought about what to do with the dragon’s corpse. Although there might not be enough to replace all my equipment using its parts, it was still fun to think about.

* * *

* * *

「A hostile existence has entered a radius of 30m.」

I then received a system notification. Not every enemy in this stronghold was dead or captured, but it was more probable that these were new enemies who’d only just arrived.

I quickly reached the wooden fence.

Kiuuuuu!

A strange cry entered my ears. I was sure I’d heard it before when researching some data.

“Demonic Energy!”

An inquisitor tried getting closer to me a beat later. At that moment, the being entered my sight. I could see a deer through the wooden bars.

“Demonic Erosion…”

To describe it more precisely, it was a deer that had become a Demon. Its skin was peeling off in various places, exposing raw flesh and bones.

「Deer │ A poor beast that has been devoured by Demonic Energy, turning it into a Demon. This animal, which originally only consumed grass, can now eat everything.」

Swish.

As soon as I spotted it, I jumped over the fence. While it looked a little gross, a Demon was a Demon. I had to eliminate it as soon as I saw it.

Kiuuooorg!

In response, the deer also charged at me. The horns on its head had become disgustingly large and sharp, making them seem more weapon-like now.

“Rest in peace.”

Slash!

However, I, who had slain a dragon, shouldn’t have any trouble killing a deer!

I pulled out my Zweihänder and separated its head from its body before trampling the fallen head, crushing it like a watermelon.

Something black, which seemed to be its brain, splashed out of its skull. I couldn’t see any wrinkles on it, as though something had eaten away at it.

“I shall Purify it!”

As I wiped the blood off my sword, an inquisitor came running toward me from behind, panting. She knelt before the deer’s carcass and began reciting a prayer at a slow pace.

However, had it been the kimchi dumpling performing the Purification, it would have just taken three minutes instead of the rest of the evening. I could see the sweat flowing down her cheeks, as well.

Although it was only a single drop, its very existence showed the clear difference between the Inquisitor and a normal inquisitor.

“…”

That aside, what would happen now? No matter how I looked at it, this was most definitely a Timed Quest.

I was deeply immersed in thought while maintaining a healthy distance from the inquisitor radiating Divine Power. A golden color was slowly overcoming the sky.

“Phew.”

And when the inquisitor finished her Purification, I turned around and headed for the stronghold again. My eyes quickly scanned through the crowd before landing on Deb.

“Did you find anything?”

“Huh? Not much.”

Maybe because it was rather rare for me to speak to him first, Deb, who had just returned from searching the place, perked his ears and shook his head.

“However, I did find this letter. Something about dispatching someone somewhere—”

Snatch.

I took the paper Deb was holding out to me and quickly glanced over it. ‘Send someone to the base beneath the Turtle Rock.’ That was an obvious clue.

「❖ Fangs Aimed at Jacrati

∎ Find the bases of Vipurit’s gang: 3 / ??

∎ Destroy the bases of Vipurit’s gang: 2 / ??

∎ Optional: Kill Vipurit」

The Quest updated once more, the fixed missions’ count having already increased.

“Be careful when coming up.”

“L-Light…”

“I survived…”

Around that time, those who’d gone down slowly resurfaced, supporting other people.

Fortunately, it seemed the scenario where they refused the Temple’s treatment and died miserably hadn’t happened. However, that didn’t mean they were happy about receiving their help.

“First, we’ll start the treatment…”

However, that was good enough. As long as they could communicate with each other, all was fine.

“Demon Knight?”

“You.”

I showed the letter to the people who’d just come up, Windhand included. Internally, I wondered whether these people knew how to read, but I couldn’t take back my actions now. It would be enough if I asked them orally, as well.

“Do any of you know where the Turtle Rock is located?”

“…The Turtle Rock?”

“The Turtle Rock, erm…”

Was it because I spoke in an extremely high-handed manner? People became rather scared and stumbled over their words. I furrowed my eyebrows.

“People will get surprised if you ask such straightforward questions.”

Fortunately, Windhand was there to mediate between me and the people. Was it because they were from the same region, if not from the same city? The people listened to Windhand carefully.

“If you’re looking for the Turtle Rock, you just have to go over two more hills.”

Anyway, I soon got the answer I was looking for.

I had determined its location, so now it was time to depart.

“The next base is under Turtle Rock.”

“…I think I know the answer to my next question, but I’ll ask you anyway. You aren’t planning to go there right away, are you?”

“That Vipurit bastard… What was he planning to do by gathering all these people here…?”

“Mister, I haven’t completely searched this place yet.”

The Inquisitor, Archmage, Windhand, and Deb spoke up in that order.

I returned the letter to Deb and walked away. It didn’t escape me that Deb was screaming and flailing his hands, trying to catch the paper I had thrown at him.

I now had to force myself to manage my fatigue as best I could! For one, I had to act as part of my roleplay, and for another, this was a Timed Quest, so I had to get this done as quickly as possible!

“Ah, if we leave now, the people will…”

“It’s not the worst idea to move quickly, given this place is undergoing rapid Demonization… The people who were held captive here are the problem.”

“Huh? Demonization?”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Is this what Demonization is? Will Demons appear?”

The Inquisitor, Windhand, and Deb each reacted differently to my actions, none of which disappointed my expectations. What surprised me were the remarks of the Archmage, who’d seen what had just happened since he’d remained on the ground floor.

“…Then we must advance immediately. The longer we take, the more dangerous this area will become.”

“D-Demonization of this land? Wait, what about the people? What will happen to these people?”

“Phew, can we even handle this with our forces? No, more importantly, Mister really doesn’t ever falter, huh?!”

Yet again, those three responded in various ways to the newly discovered problem.

Me? Of course, I ignored them all and just kept going. While it was true that the victims we’d discovered were in dire need of relief, that wasn’t my responsibility.

As it wasn’t something I needed to do, I thought it would be better just to stop worrying about it and focus on what I could do.

“I think it would be best to split our forces, Inquisitor.”

And of all the things I could do, there was only one that would be most helpful and the best for us all.

“I will stay here and lead them. We’ll be in charge of protecting the people and Purifying them.”

To advance at top speed and slaughter everything I could find.

“So instead, you three should follow the Demon Knight first. That would be the most efficient solution.”

Like that, the party split up.