Chapter 50 : I will not include any personal feelings in my Warhammer

A month can feel both short and long.

When I declare a month-long hiatus, it feels like a whole week has already flown by, yet I also think, “There are still three more weeks left?”

And the illustration for my VTuber avatar is supposed to arrive in about two weeks, right?

At first, I thought it would take around a month, but it’s getting finished faster than expected.

That means once I receive the illustration, there will still be about a week left, so I can test out various things during that time.

To be honest, I was surprised to learn that special equipment is needed to be a VTuber, but fortunately, my phone and the Reverse Capsule provide all the necessary functions.

Anyway, I have three weeks left.

Of course, I’m not going to spend those three weeks doing nothing but lazing around.

There are still plenty of things I need to take care of.

“You’re here? Well, I figured you’d show up around now,” she said.

When I didn’t respond, she smirked slightly and held out her hand toward me.
“Come on, hand it over.”

At her words, I quietly opened my inventory and pulled out the “Some Dwarf’s Warhammer” that I obtained during the Albion hunt, handing it to her.

Her nickname was Silon, and her fiery red bob haircut made her instantly recognizable.

She was one of the very few player blacksmiths in NewD.

“Wow. No matter how many times I see it, it’s amazing. If this is how impressive a Unique item is, how crazy must an Epic item be?”

Silon smacked her lips and marveled at the hammer.

I had the exact same thought when I first saw it.

And probably most NewD players would think the same.

“So, is it the same as last time?”

I nodded at her question and handed over the materials I had gathered.

“Seriously, how long has it been since I made that for you, and now you’re already bringing me something like this? Well, not that I mind—it’s good money for me.”

Silon gestured to my warhammer, Tyrant, as she spoke.

…I didn’t expect things to turn out this way either.

Not that I wasn’t upset about it.

After all, I’d spent so many resources on upgrading Tyrant.

I’d pushed through the abysmal odds of 25 consecutive upgrade failures and finally succeeded on the last enhancement attempt.

But now a new weapon had appeared, and its base stats were better than Tyrant. There was nothing I could do.

In a game like NewD, which is fundamentally an RPG, improving your gear is just part of the process.

[Inquisitor: I’ll be counting on you again this time.]

“Sure. It’ll take about two hours, so come pick it up when it’s ready.”

[Inquisitor: Thank you.]

“Oh, and by the way… Isn’t it about time you started using voice chat?”

As I was about to leave the smithy after placing my order, Silon’s words caught me off guard. I froze for a moment and turned to look at her.

“What’s with that reaction? People in NewD already know what your voice sounds like, don’t they? So why bother putting yourself through the hassle? Typing out messages every time must be a pain.”

[Inquisitor: Did you watch my stream?]

“Is there anyone who plays NewD and hasn’t seen your stream by now, Lene?”

How should I describe this?

My face instantly flushed with heat. In short, I felt incredibly embarrassed.

Knowing that someone who knew me from before I started streaming had watched my stream…

It felt like they had caught me off guard, exposing something private.

Even though I hadn’t done anything weird at all.

“Anyway, isn’t it about time you stopped relying solely on typing? Your voice is nice too.”

[Inquisitor: That’s because I used a voice changer.]

“Doesn’t matter what you used. As long as it sounds good to the listener, that’s all that counts.”

[Inquisitor: Even if you say that, I won’t talk in NewD.]

I just don’t want to leave any room for unnecessary trouble.

“…Fine. If that’s what makes you comfortable, then do it your way.”

Thankfully, Silon didn’t push the issue further. She simply nodded in understanding.

What should I do for the next two hours?

I don’t really need to keep NewD running, but I also don’t want to bother logging out and then back in again—it’s too much hassle.

And I don’t have anything else to do, anyway.

Should I just wander around this area for a bit?

There’s no point in forcing myself to do something if I don’t feel like it.

Back in the other world, when I didn’t have anything to do… I’d usually just hole up alone in my room.

Wait, why does that thought suddenly make me feel sad…?

Anyway, I’ll just look around for now.

With that in mind, I started walking at a leisurely pace.

But honestly, there wasn’t much to see.

I’d already explored this area thoroughly the first time I came here.

What am I even doing?

That thought crossed my mind briefly, but then I looked up at the sky and couldn’t help but let out a quiet gasp of amazement.

In the selene night sky, a river of stars was flowing gently.

Come to think of it, back in that other world, I often looked up at the sky when heading out to hunt heretics.

Dressed as an ordinary adventurer to hide my role as an Inquisitor, I would walk along the streets like any other traveler. And when evening fell and I set up camp, I would often gaze at the night sky.

Why did I do that?

Was it because of the saying that a person who can look at the sky three times a day is a happy person?

Maybe. Maybe not.

One thing I know for sure is that while I had plenty of complaints about life in that world, whenever I looked at the night sky like this, I could simply lose myself in the beauty of it.

Even though I had seen it countless times, it still took my breath away every time—the star-filled sky never failed to amaze me.

I really, truly loved it.

Why?
Does liking something need a reason?

The cool breeze that marked the arrival of night.

The freedom of not having to care about anyone watching me.

The feeling of being completely alone in the world.

The vast expanse of the night sky, as if it was telling me that my worries and fears were nothing.

The glowing moon and twinkling stars that lit up the black canvas of the sky.

I loved it all.

Every single part of it.

Even after coming to Earth and starting NewD, I still found myself gazing at the night sky for no particular reason.

“Haaah…”

Life in that other world wasn’t something I enjoyed.

I had almost no one to have normal conversations with.

The so-called goddess harassed me relentlessly, all for her own twisted preferences.

The tasks assigned to me as an Inquisitor were always ones where I had to be prepared to face death.

And yet, the fact that memories of that other world still surface from time to time—perhaps that’s what people call nostalgia.

“I wonder how that little one is doing…”

Out of nowhere, thoughts of that one crossed my mind.

I’d found them while heading to interrogate a heretic as usual, bleeding out and dying in a corner of a bush. Their family had all been killed, so I treated them and brought them back to the church.

Fortunately, they recovered after a few days, but for some reason, that’s when their mischievous antics began.

Hiding my clothes.

Interrupting my meals.

Climbing into my robes during morning prayer time…

Even now, thinking back on it, there were plenty of troublesome incidents.

I wonder how they’re doing now.

Well, there’s probably no need to be curious.

They liked following other priests around more than they liked hanging out with me, the one who actually saved them. They’re surely doing just fine.

They’ve probably eaten so much that they’ve grown plump, too, since I’m no longer there to stop them.

To think I’d even miss someone who used to torment me—perhaps I’m too kind for my own good…

“TENRYEON!!!”

Whoosh!

A sound sliced through the air as a staff struck the ground near me.

…What?

I barely managed to dodge and create some distance, but the unexpected attack momentarily froze me.

To think someone would do something like this in the middle of a village.

If I hadn’t avoided it and died, it would have triggered a PK flag for sure.

This wasn’t the first time something like this happened.

Last time, I ended up being accused of using cheats because of the bizarre circumstances.

I haven’t done anything to earn a grudge, and yet here it is happening again. It’s baffling.

Shaking off my confusion, I turned my gaze toward the attacker.

A man.

A pristine white men’s robe.

A staff in his right hand.

A cross adorned with a circle in the center.

It was the standard equipment given when one first chose the heretic path.

A heretic coming to me of their own accord… Could it be a sign of repentance? No, I didn’t feel that was the case.

If that were true, they wouldn’t have ambushed me from behind.

In other words, this was clearly a malicious ploy by the heretics.

If that’s the case, there’s only one thing I can do.

As an Inquisitor, I’ll bring them to repentance.

“…Hah.”

The ambush caught me while I was reminiscing about the other world, leaving me in a slightly foul mood.

But I am a professional Inquisitor.

No personal feelings will taint the swing of my war hammer.

The fact that this is happening inside a village is a bit concerning, but fortunately, Silon’s forge is located in a fairly remote area. There didn’t seem to be any other players or NPCs around for now.

If I deal with this quickly and move on, it should be fine.

“Huff…!”

I steadied my breath and stepped forward.

Gripping Tyrant tightly, I lowered my stance and accelerated, just a beat off from my opponent’s rhythm.

I wouldn’t let my guard down just because of their appearance.
It could very well be a trick to deceive me. After all, they are heretics.

Leaping forward in one swift motion, I pulled my left arm back with all my strength.

If they didn’t react, I would strike them down in one blow.

Even if they did react, I would smash them head-on with full force.

That was the justice carried by Selene, the Inquisitor.

The heretic reacted.
For a brief moment, I thought, Ah, so they’re using a strategy to deceive me by altering their appearance.

But then, the heretic assumed a stance I couldn’t have imagined.

“Turn on your stream, Tenryeon!!!”

With that shout, he spread his arms wide apart, showing no resistance at all.

BANG!

The sound of his body being crushed reverberated as he was sent flying far to the right.
And then… he died.
Instantly.

“Impossible…”

A trembling shock coursed through my entire body.
I wanted to scream and deny the situation, to shout that this couldn’t possibly be happening.

The confident stance, the shout to turn on my stream.
There was only one truth this could point to.

What I just killed… was a viewer.

“This can’t be…”

I had just swung my war hammer and killed a viewer.

Slowly, a sinking feeling began to take over—an emotion I could only describe as despair.

For a heretic to emerge among my beloved viewers…
This was an issue that could not be taken lightly.