Chapter 31: That's What Happened
〚What's the point of this?〛
Marquis Riverback brought up while in the air.
It was an expression of absurdity mixed with thick ridicule.
He was literally chasing this man with his demonic flying ability.
Naturally, he would have doubts what flying high like this would do. Much less, if it would even work.
"Well, of course, I have my reasons."
However, Dowd simply shrugged and replied.
He seemed to be hiding something even here, but Marquis Riverback snorted and raised his hand.
This was merely prolonging his puny life for a few more seconds.
〚Hah, I guess you're just at this level. Alright, go die…!〛
He's finally going to kill him.
At least, that's what would have happened if the black mist emanating from the essence embedded in his chest didn't suddenly disappear.
No, it didn't just stop there.
His entire body began to "melt away."
His skin, form was just collapsing, like a wax figure melting close to fire.
〚What...!〛
Marquis Riverback looked down at his body with a bewildered expression.
〚What is this…!〛
His body has fused with the essence he received from the Prophet. He had an invincible body that even this cunning guy couldn't do anything about.
So, why is this happening?
"Let's think logically, shall we? Some common sense."
Seeing Marquis Riverback's reaction, Dowd smirked and said.
He did so while casually turning off the beeping alarm on his wristwatch.
It's almost as if the alarm had been set, knowing that this would happen exactly at this moment.
"Isn't it strange that you, who didn't even have a decent fighting ability, can continue to use such strong abilities without restrictions?"
〚What...?〛
"That's one of the representative side effects of fusing with the Devil's Essence. Burnout. Using too much magic to the point where your body collapses. Didn't your Prophet explain that when they gave it to you?"
〚…What, nonsense, I don't believe, no-〛
In fact, he had not heard of such side effects.
This was meant to be a 'sign of loyalty'.
"It would have been really dangerous if you weren't so conceited and didn't take your time after you ate the essence. I don't have that many cards."
Saying so, Dowd pulled out the cylinder on his waist.
Just a few minutes ago, I wouldn't have been able to relax like this. In front of the transformed Marquis Riverback, all I could do was run away with all my might.
But now.
I could even sit back and watch as Marquis Riverback's body collapse in real time.
It's just that I won't be doing that. I will be making sure he's thoroughly defeated.
Dowd silently smirked and manipulated the cylinder case.
It contained processed Ectoplasm, primed for explosion, imbued with divine power.
〚…〛
Seeing this, Marquis Riverback had a hunch.
He realized that he would never survive in this position.
"You had plenty of options. You could have joined forces with the Man Eaters and broke through the barrier, or you could have charged at me from the start with the intention to 'kill' rather than just 'defeating' Elnore. Honestly, you had the opportunity but you didn't take it, did you?"
That's right.
If he had attacked seriously from the start, he would have been able to kill either this man or Princess Tristan.
'If I had tried to kill him thoroughly from the beginning…!'
He gritted his teeth thinking of this.
"I expected that you would do that, so I planned accordingly... It's not bad."
〚Not bad, you say?〛
"I only died once."
Dowd said with a still calm expression.
〚...What?〛
"If I did it wrong, I could have died two or three times, but because you were so cooperative, it ended with just one. Well, you did a good job."
〚…〛
Dowd's tone remained composed.
Even if he succeeded in killing this man two or three times.
It seemed as though the end result was already predetermined.
'This bas†ard…!'
Suddenly, cold sweat ran down Marquis Riverback's spine.
Thinking about it, this was a familiar feeling.
Throughout the day, facing this man, he felt something was off.
It seemed as though everything about him was being seen through. He even knew things that Marquis Riverback himself didn't knew. Dowd had complete control over all possible variables.
〚You, right from the beginning, everything was just to buy time…!〛
His appearance with Princess Tristan, just the two of them alone. His every action was deliberately aimed at provoking him.
Even.
Making Marquis Riverback believe that he "died."
It was all an act with everything calculated from the beginning.
Dowd knew from the start that he would become incapacitated like this after a while.
From the beginning, everything Dowd did was not to defeat him, but to drag out time.
The moment Marquis Riverback failed to notice that, he had already lost!
〚This, this...!〛
He...
Once again...
To this guy, from the beginning to the end...
He was dancing on this man's palm!
〚I'll chew your bones up you bas†aaaaaaaaard-! 〛
Dowd chuckled and held the bomb in front of his body.
I didn't ask Percy to make it resembling a 'cannon' for nothing. I don't want to get caught up after triggering at close range.
Although divine power cannot cause great damage to humans, it is a weapon made with the premise of detonating the 'whole academy'. Safety rules must be followed.
"Hey."
Then, with that.
"Do you have any last words?"
The divine powered bomb exploded.
●
"You did excellent, Tallion."
"…don't mention it."
Tallion, who had been waiting at the prearranged "landing point," looked up at the sky with an awkward smile.
Due to the effect of the divine powered bomb I just detonated, a terrifying light was scattered around, reminiscent of a polar light phenomenon.
'As expected, it got incredible firepower.'
I smiled while looking at it too.
The Devil's Essence itself is such a dangerous item that if it's not dealt with using such intense firepower, it could cause a big problem.
Even if Marquis Riverback's body collapses, the essence itself could survive and parasitize onto another nearby living being.
While I didn't expect something like that to happen, it was wise to have prepared such an intense level of firepower from the beginning.
"…"
To think that a small fraction of one's power could bring forth such a thing, and the devil behind it was residing within Elnore's body, or even Elijah who would later grow powerful enough to take down such an existence.
It once again makes me realize what level of monstrosity I'm dealing with.
And I managed to survive that.
Thinking about this, I turn around.
"Uh, brother? Where are you going now…!"
"I need to go somewhere!"
Saying that, I hurriedly rush off.
My destination was the wall outside the academy, where Elnore was stuck.
'…I need to make it up to her.'
I did give her the most basic first aid to prevent any serious problems, before I lured the Purifier away. However, for my sake, she was the one who had it the most difficult and worked the hardest.
At the very least, I should personally escort her to the infirmary.
While running with that thought in mind, several messages appeared in front of me one after another.
[ Main Quest Completed! ]
[ Granting Rewards! ]
[ Received 'Evil Essence 1x'! ]
[ Received 'Hero Fragment 1x'! ]
[ Received 5,000pts! ]
As those messages floated up, two gems appeared in my hand with a halo of light.
One emitted a pure white radiance, while the other exuded ominous black smoke.
[ Evil Essence ]
[ Item: Story ]
[ A material that can interact with epic items. Something special will happen when fused! ]
[ Hero Fragment ]
[ Item: Story ]
[ A material that can interact with epic items. Something special will happen when fused! ]
"…"
I momentarily stopped running and just stared.
'…You're giving me all of this?'
These are items that could literally change the the entire scenario.
Most items that had the word 'epic' attached to them were as important to the story as their powerful effects.
By influencing these items and determining their "alignment," various butterfly effects can occur throughout the entire scenario.
Fusing the Hero Fragment gives random effects related to the "good alignment", while fusing the Evil Essence results the same but related to the "evil alignment" instead.
Depending on which item you fused until a specific event occurs, the outcome of certain individuals becoming stronger, weaker, dying, or surviving can completely change.
Even for the boss of Chapter 2, the "Ruined Boy King," the clear difficulty can vary greatly depending on how these items are utilized.
{T/N: "Boy King of the Ruined Kingdom" simply changed to "Ruined Boy King"}
To be precise, it's practically impossible to clear the boss without them.
'But to give me both.'
Originally, you would only get one; either the Evil Essence or the Hero Fragment.
Perhaps, it's because the difficulty of the quest went up and so the reward increased to match it.
In fact, to have these as a reward was more than enough to cover all the hardships I've experienced.
Just one alone could already greatly change the scenario, and I now have two.
With a smile, I put away the Evil Essence for now.
I have no immediate use for it at the moment.
The Hero Fragment on the other hand...
[ Do you want to fuse the 'Hero Fragment' with the item 'Soul Linker'? ] [ Y/N ]
I chose 'Y' without hesitation, and the white gem melted into the amulet I'm wearing.
[ Soul Linker ] [ Exclusive Equipment ]
[ Enchantment: Epic ] [ 'Hero Fragment' Fusion ]
[ An item imbued with a great spirit that can awaken by increasing synchronization rate. ]
[ Always retain magic power due to the influence of the great spirit. ]
[ Current Charged Magic Power Rate: 0%]
[ Current Synchronization Rate: 9.98% ]
[ First Stage Spirit Awakening is imminent! ]
[ Upon the awakening of the spirit, special effects from the Hero Fragment will also be unlocked! ]
'Nice.'
The Hero Fragment is an epic item that, when fused with a positive inclination item, grants various positive effects.
The synchronization rate also increased significantly as I feed it items, so as long as I steadily improve my priest skills abilities, it should awaken quickly.
By then, we'll see what this dormant 'great spirit' really is.
However, my eyebrows suddenly furrowed as another message appeared before me.
[ Confirming the use of a story item! ]
[ A dedicated quest for 'Elijah Krisanax' will be created! ]
[ Meet the conditions to start the quest! ]
[ The probability of getting involved with the 'Heretic Inquisition' increases! ]
'…What?'
The sudden 'creation' of the main character's dedicated quest immediately caught my eye.
Elijah's dedicated quest holds such significance that it even affects the scenario and the 'ending.' And yet, it's already appeared now?
On top of that, the probability of me getting involved with the Heretic Inquisition, which is one of the two top notorious organizations in the Empire, increased?
"…"
When necessary, I even briefly delved into the underworld, but even then, I would prefer to avoid the Heretic Inquisition.
They are the last thing I want to get entangled with among the "villains" in the game.
'Dragon Fang, Feinol.'
A Half Dragon Mage with exceptional magical abilities but an inversely proportional extreme temperament, and a key character in Chapter 4.
In terms of simple risk, many would even say that this person was worse than the final boss of Chapter 4, 'The Investigator.'
What would happen if I met this person and my Fatal Charm passive triggers?
"…"
I don't even want to imagine.
'But this…'
I just fed the amulet the Hero Fragment, and this all came with it.
Which means these events are related to the awakening of the spirit inside.
'Could it be that what's inside this amulet is possibly larger than I thought?'
As I pondered such thoughts while looking at the amulet, the outer walls of the Academy soon came into view within my sight.
I could see where Elnore was stuck.
"Oh, Dowd. You're here?"
"…"
However, there was no sign of Elnore.
Rather, I was greeted by a waving President Atallante.
When did she get here?
"I've personally escorted the Student Council President to the ward, then came back. She's badly injured, but she will recover soon. She won't experience any lasting effects thanks to your first aid."
Atallante rapid fire said to me those words one after another, as she walked towards me with a smile on her face.
Her lips were arched into a smile.
"…Are you angry?"
Yup, she's really mad.
Her eyes aren't smiling at all.
I could feel cold sweat run down my back.
"Oh, is it obvious?"
"…"
She's not even trying to deny it.
If I don't want to die here, I need to carefully listen as to what she has to say.
"…It looks like you've been through quite a trouble."
Atallante said as she sized me up and down.
"Shall we move to a more comfortable place to talk?"
Well.
It's clear that I didn't have the choice to refuse.
●
"…Is it okay for you to be here?"
As I sat in Atallante's office and saw the tea being offered in front of me, I decided to start with that question.
After all, a human had consumed the Devil's Essence and wrecked havoc both inside and outside the academy.
Perhaps, since I took care of Marquis Riverback, the Man Eaters in the city were also dealt with.
However, quite a few things must have been destroyed during the previous chase. Not to mention that a while ago, there was a huge explosion of divine power in the sky above the academy.
It's clear that chaos still lingers everywhere.
"It's fine. I am not needed there. In the first place, the students were active and managed to block everything without any casualties."
But Atallante simply smiled casually and said so.
"Still…"
"Elfante is old, Dowd Campbell."
"…Yes?"
"It's a place that has been operating for nearly a thousand years, right next to the location where the devils are sealed, and dealing with all sorts of powerful nobles and egotistical privileged classes. Do you think there's anything worse than that?"
"…"
"You think we can't handle this degree?"
Elfante. It seems to be a crazier place than I originally thought.
So this level of incident isn't even at the realm of 'serious'.
"Above all, this much is within the expected range."
"…Yes?"
Atallante looked at me and smiled again.
As I stared blankly for a while, I suddenly realized the underlying meaning of her words. I got goosebumps.
'…Does she mean that she could've just resolved all this if she wanted to?'
That's right.
There are very few beings who can hold a candle near her, even when looking at the continent as a whole.
In the story, she was always portrayed as a top-tier powerhouse.
"I let this time go. Since, it looked like student has planned and prepared everything from beginning to end. I just decided to go along with it."
After saying so, Atallante rested her chin on the desk and said.
"This makes me angry, student."
Atallante sighed, then she looked at me.
"You've got involved with the devil, didn't you?"
"…"
"I already know. I just want to hear it from your mouth. I will not accept any excuses."
Atallante continued with a sharp gaze.
"One of the Gray Devil's abilities, 'Erosion,' occurred extensively around the student's location. The Heretic Inquisition will not overlook this, and even the Holy Kingdom, which oversees the heresy trials, will show interest."
She followed with a sigh.
"And I'm the only one who knows this. At the time of the erosion, you and the Student Council President were the only ones present in the area."
Cold sweat began to trickle down my back.
I am involved.
Very deeply.
I was confessed to and treated by the absolutely powerful devil.
"Do you understand the situation you are in right now?"
Having said that, Atallante closed her eyes with a sigh.
However, despite saying she's "angry," when she opened her eyes again, her gaze was full of worry.
"Based on your track record so far, I presume you already know what you're dealing with. Isn't that right?"
"…"
"But why didn't you actively seek help? Am I not trustworthy?"
"Well, didn't I succeed this time even without the President's help?"
"Then what about next time?"
"…"
I couldn't open my mouth at Atallante's sharp response.
"You are already at the center of all the commotion, Dowd Campbell. You have become the eye of the storm."
Atallante said in a stern voice.
"Devil worshipers are persistent. Once they discover that you and the Student Council President have something to do with the devil, they'll follow you to the depths of hell. The current chaos is likely just the beginning."
"…"
That's right.
It's an undeniable fact that I'm deeply involved in the main scenario.
With Elijah and Elnore by my side, it's practically definitive.
At this point, I had long given up on living as an extra.
I replied with a sigh.
"…No matter what happens next, it's hard to expect much direct help from the President."
This was indeed the case.
Atallante was an Eternal, a monster capable of handling the majority of situations alone. However, only a very small number of individuals, 'designated for such purpose,' can directly confront devils and those associated with them.
Elijah and the Hero Party fall into that category, and there are a few others as well... But at the very least, Atallante is not one of them.
It's systematically predetermined. Regardless of your identity in this world, you can't go against it no matter what you do.
"Then, do you intend to handle whatever happens next alone again?"
"Of course, I'd love to receive some support."
The process is going to be fcking difficult, painful and arduous.
However, there's nothing I could do. My fate has already been sealed.
I just had to do my best to survive.
Atallante pursed her lips at my answer.
And then...
"Pahaha-!"
She burst into cheerful laughter that echoed throughout the office.
'…Why is she suddenly like this?'
It is such a sudden drastic emotional change and caught me off guard.
"…Looking at it from a President's perspective, I can't help but be ashamed of putting such a heavy burden on a student."
"Yes?"
"The plan itself had been completed long ago. However, I couldn't just bring myself to impose such a heavy load on a student. I was delaying it till the final confirmation."
"…So, what exactly."
"I didn't intervene in your activities to assess your capabilities. If you fell short even slightly, I was prepared to give up immediately... But you have proven yourself flawlessly. Yes."
She started saying mysterious words, which made my eyes roll.
What?
Uh.
What is going on really?
"And I have also witnessed your determination to overcome any obstacles that come your way. Thus, I am now confident that I can reveal it."
Having said that, Atalanta sighed and straightened her back.
Dignity dwells in the eyes. It was the look in the eyes that felt the dignified presence of a perpetuator that had passed through it for over a thousand years.
"Dowd Campbell."
The solemn voice made me stand upright.
what the heck What are you talking about?
"I'm sure you've noticed beforehand that the academy is plotting something around you."
"Ye, yeah."
That's right.
Is she going to talk about that now?
"What I'm about to tell you is a secret that no one else should know about. The only involved parties are the imperial family, the War Chiefs and Warrior Chiefs of the Tribal Union, and the Pope and Archbishops of the Holy Kingdom. Only a very select few know the whole story."
"Uh, what, yes?"
"After all, this matter concerns the survival of the world."
Uh, uh?
It's that serious?
What on earth…!
"First, let me tell you about the ultimate goal of the plan."
Atallante continued in her solemn voice.
"The fate of the entire continent is at stake."
Her eyes carried an overwhelming charisma, even commanding the air around her.
A plan with the "ultimate goal" that determines the fate of the continent, spoken by an immortal being that has lived through over a thousand years.
"I want you to have several wives."
"…"
"…"
"…"
I tried cleaning my ears.
Maybe I head it wrong.
I coughed in confusion.
Then after a few blank blinks, I finally gave a response to Atallante.
"Yes?"
"Yes?"
"No, yes?"
"What are you curious about?"
Atallante's confident questioning gave me a splitting headache.
Ugh.
No, what the heII is going on?
"Was the sentence not understandable? I mean, um. Harem, you know? Harem. Polygamy. I want you to do that…"
"Hold on. Wait just a moment."
I weakly grabbed my head and stopped Atallante on her tracks.
"Let me get this straight."
Ya. No.
But no matter how you look at it.
"There is a plan that only a minuscule fraction of the most influential and powerful individuals on the continent knows about, and it's so important that it determines the world's survival, right?"
"Yes."
"And the ultimate goal of that plan is for me to have a harem?"
"To be precise, you must seduce a few people."
Atallante shrugged and said.
"The Student Council President, whom you'd risk your life, is among those people. This is also the most important part."
"…"
"All the necessary means to accomplish that will be supported by the continent's nations, be it overtly or covertly."
"…"
I could barely catch my breath.
"So, in other words."
With a constricted feeling, I somehow managed to say the last sentence.
Without any understanding of the reasons or the omitted middle processes, if I were to summarize what this person has been saying so far...
The conclusion.
"If I don't have a harem, the world will end?"
"Yes."
"…"
This is insane.
I couldn't come up with any other reaction.
"…Why, could you please explain the reason?"
In sharp contrast to my dying voice, Atallante bursts into laughter.