༺ First Ordeal (4) ༻
“Wait.”
Talion said, halting Faenol in her tracks.
Ahead of them, laid a dark corridor.
“It would be better to turn back. There is too much risk to enter from this direction.”
His judgment was reasonable.
Thoughtlessly entering such a passage in a dungeon was the equivalent of suicide. After all, there were dangers in the dungeon at every turn. Without visibility, the likelihood of certain death would skyrocket.
However…
Faenol Lipek was unfazed by this as she continued to walk at a steady, yet a little bit slow pace.
“…Ms. Faenol? Wait, what are—
The alarmed Talion tried to stop her, but…
Before he could even finish his sentence…
The traps laid around, artificial Demonic Creatures, and the intricately placed mana disruption devices, all activated simultaneously with a loud clatter.
She just stepped forward and this already happened.
“…What are you doing over there?”
But, she was still unfazed, she turned around to see Talion looking at her with an incredulous expression.
As if she was questioning why he was just staying behind and not following her.
“…”
After staring blankly for a while, Talion let out a resigned laugh.
He had momentarily forgotten how much of a monster the other person was.
Throughout their dungeon exploration, it was this woman who effortlessly swept every obstacle they faced aside.
Though it had been days since he was unexpectedly chosen as her ‘attendant’ for the Hero Selection, he still couldn’t get used to her extraordinary abilities.
“…No, it’s nothing. It’s just that I can’t see anything beyond this point.”
“Is that so?”
Faenol smiled bitterly.
She didn’t know if she should feel relieved or sad here.
Because she wasn’t someone who relied on her five senses as she was more accustomed to using her Mana Mastery to navigate her surroundings instead.
That was why she barely noticed things like the lighting becoming dim.
‘No, but…how does that even make sense, though?’
Among knights who were specialized in Body Strengthening Techniques to the extreme, being able to move their bodies despite some of their bodily functions failing was a given. But that was only because their job required them to continue fighting even when they got seriously injured.
Faenol was just using a different set of skills, a Mage’s mana to be exact, for the same purpose, indicating that she, indeed, had an advanced level mastery in this regard.
“…”
However…
Talion admired her for this, but this bewildered Faenol.
‘…It seems to be getting stronger.’
The price the Red Devil demanded for reviving her from death was her ability to ‘feel’ everything.
In other words, as her emotions began to awaken, such control over her should have weakened.
Yet, even though she wasn’t particularly invoking Devil’s Aura, her mana was now naturally imbued with Devil’s Aura.
Almost as if the Devil’s Authority within her was growing stronger.
‘…Strange.’
The only explanation she could think of was that it was because of him.
Dowd Campbell.
After that man declared he would ‘make her happy’…it felt as though the Devil inside her was ‘reviving’ at the same time as her emotions were awakening.
The effect was completely different from what she had anticipated. Her original plan was to end her life so that she could prevent the Devil, who had gathered all the Fragments, from going berserk. Considering that, the right course of action should be to avoid any and all contact with that man immediately.
However…
-I am going to make you happy, Faenol. And you do not have the right to refuse.
“…”
Recalling the words she had heard before, Faenol gently touched her lips.
Because she felt like she might just inadvertently smile at those words.
It was clear that he was not someone who was bound by common sense.
He should know ‘what exactly’ had she done in the past, and why exactly did she seek the sweet release of death. If anything, it would be unbelievable if he were to not know that.
Even so, he still dared to make such a statement.
“…”
Though she didn’t know why he sounded so sure, what exactly had he prepared for that goal, and what he was planning to do…
She had a feeling, if it was that man, he definitely could solve the ‘abnormality’ in her.
That was why…
‘…I’ll trust him.’
‘Just a little more.’
‘I only need to focus on feeling the throbbing in my heart each time I see him.’
Because, if he could truly return ‘happiness’ to her…
In turn, she would pay a ‘price’ befitting that to him.
While she thought this, Talion, who was standing beside her, spoke.
“We should be the fastest among everyone. So far, we’ve been breezing through all the obstacles.”
“Shall we take a small break, then?”
Hearing Faenol’s suggestion, Talion tilted his head.
“Taking a break…isn’t a bad idea, but are you sure this is the right time to act so leisurely? The other Hero Candidates are exceptional as well, you know?”
“…I don’t know, and honestly, I don’t really care.”
Faenol brushed her hair back as she responded.
“I’m not interested in who’d become the Hero from the very start.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Besides, the only reason why I chose you as my attendant after meeting you just once is because I don’t particularly care who my partner would be.”.”
“…”
Talion was dumbfounded by the sudden bizarre turn of conversation.
“…Then why did you participate in the selection in the first place?”
“Because I was ordered to.”
That was a completely understandable reason. Not only did she belong to the Heretic Inquisition, the pressure and the influence of Chancellor Sullivan, the one who oversaw the organization, was also incredibly strong.
That personage had told Faenol that she had just to be present at ‘this position’, and she didn’t need to do her best for the selection.
In the first place, the reason why she was selected as a candidate was also a result of that personage’s significant influence.
“…”
And Faenol could understand why.
There could only be one reason the Chancellor was so concerned about this selection.
‘…The Chancellor, Lady Tristan, and a Grand Assassin…’
As Faenol was listing those who ‘coveted’ that man, she chuckled and spoke up.
“…Excuse me, Mr. Talion.”
“Yes?”
“In your opinion, how many pieces do you think Mr. Dowd will be divided into later?”
“…Sorry?”
“Considering the number of women he’s been beguiling in his surroundings, and how every single one of them carries a significant level of danger… What do you think?”
“…”
Talion stroked his chin.
He appeared to be giving it serious thought.
“…At least twenty pieces, maybe.”
“…It was a joke.”
“That question was too real to sound like a joke, so I can’t help it but to consider it seriously.”
“…”
‘That’s fair.’
“But since Senior Brother is Senior Brother, he’ll surely engage in all sorts of crazy acts or insane behaviors whenever his life is in dang—”
“YAHOOOOOOOO-!”
“…”
“…”
At the sound far too bizarre to possibly be echoing through this dungeon, both Talion and Faenol turned their heads to its direction in a daze.
Below the route they had chosen, a group was running at a breakneck pace without a single ounce of hesitation.
“…That’s…definitely the entrance we turned back from because hundreds of Demonic Creatures were pouring out, right?”
“…”
The place was a solid open terrain that, unlike the other passages, led directly to the deepest part of the dungeon as long as one went through it properly. In other words, it was the shortest route available.
However, the number of enemies that poured out was simply terrifying, to the point that even Faenol couldn’t handle it, that was why they decided to change their course under Talion’s guidance.
Even now, the sound of beasts approaching from all directions was enough to send chills down anyone’s spine.
However…
“…That…just now, uh…”
Talion spoke in a voice of utter disbelief.
“…Are they really using a living person as bait to ‘control’ the wave of Demonic Creatures?”
From where they were at, they could see Iliya running with someone on her back.
They could also see how Dowd was following close behind while they were being chased by a massive number of Demonic Creatures.
There was something that didn’t make any sense, though…
The fact that the person Iliya was carrying was ‘tied’ to a stick with rope.
As if they were just bait hung for fishing.
“Teach! They’ll catch up with us if we keep going at this pace.”
“…Give that to me.”
WIth that, Dowd took over the stick and Lana, who was tied to it, from Iliya.
“Shoo.”
Along with such a word, Lana’s body was swung around in all directions.
The scent of blood from her battered body made the Demonic Creatures’ eyes gleam even brighter. They were drawn by instinct towards where Lana was being fluttered.
“How can they all be hooked like that just because he shook the line a little…?”
“When I was young, I used to fish quite a lot.”
“That doesn’t seem like something you can be that skilled in just because of diligence, though?!”
“If I wasn’t able to do at least this much, I would have starved to death.”
Their actions and conversation was utterly out of place when considering the situation, but compared to such nonchalance, the effect was astounding.
Like taming savage beasts in a circus, the entire wave swayed following Lana’s dangling body.
The entire formation of the horde crumbled and their speed decreased because a few Demonic Creatures rushed in to hit or bite Lana just once.
And naturally, this made it much easier for Dowd and Iliya, who were running away, to escape.
Naturally, Lana, who had become the bait, accumulated more injuries, but the person who had endured such rough treatment didn’t complain; instead, she burst into cheerful laughter.
“WAHAHAHAHAHAH-! Mr. Campbell, you are really fun! I’ve never met anyone who would think to use me like this to get through!”
Such a voice boomed out.
“At the acid river, you used me as a raft to cross over, at the crushing traps, you kept shoving me in to break the trap, and now, you’re using my whole body as bait for a massive wave of Demonic Creatures! To think someone could come up with all that!”
“…”
“I’m too stupid to have ever imagined using my body like this! You are truly amazing!”
“…Yeah, he’s amazing, all right.”
As Iliya narrowed her eyes and muttered, Dowd was retrieving the ‘human fishing rod’ with a calm expression, even while breaking out in a cold sweat.
And as Talion watched such a scene unfold, he spoke up in a daze.
“…Excuse me, Ms. Faenol.”
“Yes?”
“I think twenty four pieces was too generous of an estimate, what about you?”
“…”
“…”
An implicit agreement heavily settled between the two.
“…But still, thanks to Teach, we’re breaking through really quickly.”
Iliya, glaring at me with narrowed eyes, made such a remark.
Having broken through the Demonic Creature Wave, the deepest part of the dungeon was now right in front of us. Once we got past the giant stone gate, we could reach our destination.
‘…Nice.’
As long as we could reach this place, we should be able to pass the First Ordeal without much difficulty.
My heart was aching from the guilt, but at the very least, we’d be able to effortless—
[ An act so vile and abominable that it is dumbfounding! ]
[ ‘Title: Waste’ has been added! ]
[ When equipped, the effect of your wrongdoings inciting rage and resentment in others is amplified! ]
“…”
This motherfucking—!
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