The Price of Protection

“The reason none of you have ever seen a demon until now is, ironically, because I’ve killed thousands, tens of thousands of them.”

“Killing a leader-class demon temporarily prevents any from appearing in that area. Even if they do manifest, it’s merely a couple of nameless, low-tier ones wandering, and even those are rarely glimpsed.”

“However, all the paths I used to find demons have now been completely blocked. Now, I must journey directly, finding new routes to hunt them down. So, where do you think all the demons that couldn’t appear until now will go?”

“…They’ll burst forth. As many as couldn’t appear until now.”

“That’s the problem.”

‘Of course, I haven’t stagnated, nor have I rotted away. I’ve been playing this game consistently for a significant amount of time. If these guys won’t follow my lead, if they refuse to play along, then I’ll have no other choice.’

‘I simply have to make them comply, all in accordance with the rules of this world.’

‘These characters, based on the game’s initial data, are merely event-triggered entities. Though they haven’t become formal quests since they never actually requested anything from me, the respawn mod has temporarily brought them to life.’

‘It’s not a lie, is it? While I can’t quite fathom what transpired in Bishya, I can certainly rationalize it as a staged event. And this is a phenomenon that even these characters should be able to comprehend.’

‘No matter how much I drone on about the thrill of demon hunting or the allure of rare item drops, it simply won’t resonate with them. As priests of the Holy War, they would inevitably return to their duties even if I somehow managed to force them to stay.’

‘However, if I twist the situation in this manner, they won’t be able to simply depart. Such is the nature of the system.’

“But, in Bishya, an enormous number appeared, didn’t they? Even right after you caught a demon.”

“It seems my ‘path’ has been severed. If that’s the case, it makes perfect sense. While they shouldn’t have appeared in such numbers initially, if they realized I could no longer pursue and capture them, wouldn’t they have had no reason to wait any longer?”

‘Of course, I’ll continue to treat you as individuals, and we’ll enjoy our time immensely. Just as before, I’ll likely utter all sorts of peculiar remarks, simply because that’s my inclination.’

‘You thought everything would be fine if you just returned to the Holy War, didn’t you? That despite all this talk of demons, you could simply go back to the safety of the Holy War, with your reliable comrades, and occasionally clear out a few nameless demons.’

‘But now I understand. Just as our Bebe perished, you, too, are ultimately insignificant.’

‘There’s no telling when the system will be rectified. Even with an optimistic outlook, we’re looking at four months of in-game time. Should it drag on, it might even exceed a year. By then, the console itself would likely trigger a long-connection warning and force a shutdown.’

‘There’s no need for despair, is there, especially now that things have come to this? If all else fails, I could simply complete the quests as the system intends and depart, given how effortlessly I can dispatch demons. Regardless of the outcome, I harbor no particular concerns. It’s merely an inconvenience.’

“Who told you the Holy War would be safe? With more demons, stronger ones, smarter ones, all swarming in hordes, do you truly believe that place will remain secure?”

“Think carefully. Why do you suppose Hamman bestowed such an excessive blessing upon your armor? Was it merely because you were aesthetically pleasing? No. It was because the armor I forged was exceptional enough to bear such a blessing, and Hamman knew you wouldn’t be able to fight the demons without that level of divine power, so he poured it all in.”

‘It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either.’

‘Hamman, being a rather impulsive entity, likely didn’t engage in such intricate reasoning. He probably just felt a surge of delight at the prospect of gifting things to his ‘children,’ and my claim of being a ‘newbie’ merely spurred him into creating something genuinely exceptional—a fortunate coincidence.’

“Then… wouldn’t it have been better if you hadn’t hunted demons in the first place? Stronger demons wouldn’t have appeared then….”

“Foolishness. Malignancy is the very foundation of a demon’s existence. If I hadn’t slain the leader-class ones, that many more would have burst forth every single time. Are you trying to blame me now?”

‘Naturally, I doubted there was any true malice behind Jack’s remark. While anyone might seek to blame others in a desperate situation, his inherent good alignment suggested he hadn’t genuinely considered his words. It was merely a half-baked thought, blurted out.’

I responded with an even more pronounced smile.

‘It’s merely a matter of lore, but eliminating a leader-class demon causes an equivalent amount of evil energy to dissipate, thereby preventing further demonic incursions. Conversely, failing to kill them would simply mean that same number would manifest repeatedly.’

‘Of course, this is all simply lore. In the actual field, demons don’t manifest in such overwhelming numbers. While it’s true they vanish upon death, the scale isn’t quite the same.’

“Why, of all people, us?” Faust spoke with an expression of utmost gravity. Perhaps it was his striking good looks, but the visual was rather compelling.

His face, deeply shadowed by the campfire’s flickering light, appeared solemn, adding a certain gravitas to the atmosphere. I, however, responded with a cheerful smile.

“You were the first ones to come to my rescue.”

‘I had always been the one to help, to labor, to fight, to save others. It was merely a game, after all; I was the hero, the protagonist.’ Both of them, however, wore an oddly choked expression upon hearing my words. Were they pitying me? How endearing.

“I just liked that about you guys.”

‘In a game of that nature, you were the very first to rush to my aid. Even knowing it was merely a predetermined script, isn’t that just how the human heart operates? It certainly made me feel good.’

“Why that expression? You’re still cute, I see.”

“…I was having a moment of profound emotion. Please don’t shatter it with such bizarre remarks.”

“Where on earth was the moving part in all that? If you’re going to be touched, wouldn’t it be better to admire the armor I clothed you in? Still as cute as ever.”

“Oh, seriously!”

Why such a fuss?

Indeed, the true essence of a fantasy world game is the dungeon, wouldn’t you agree?

Regrettably, this game’s combat difficulty is so grotesquely high, as if transplanted from an entirely different realm, that few players genuinely relish it. Alternatively, some might simply immerse themselves in the lore and bypass combat entirely.

“Ta-da! On that note, this time, it’s a dungeon experience!”

Despite my flamboyant introduction, the two youths barely managed a lukewarm reaction. They slumped, their heads barely held aloft. Honestly, they weren’t infants.

“Look closely. There’s a stone archway with a wooden door, and beside it, barrels and pickaxes, right? In this case, it’s highly likely a mine, and mines usually have a lot of kobolds or goblins.”

“It’s on a slope, and though faint, there’s a proper path.”

“Moreover, I can see a castle in the distance, indicating a large city nearby.”

“And there’s only one torch at the entrance, isn’t there? In such cases, the dungeon isn’t very long.”

“There are no skulls or magical markings, so it’s not a necromancer’s lair or any evil-aligned hideout.”

“Considering the terrain and vegetation, there’s no way there’s water nearby, so no beasts would live here.”

“If we only consider your item levels, this much wouldn’t even be a snack for you. However, the people wearing those clothes are mere ordinary priests who’ve only dabbled in a bit of sword fighting, so I wonder how well they’ll do. And I’m still uneasy about taking you to places with higher difficulty.”

“That’s truly unfair treatment! I was quite accomplished in my own right, you know! I can certainly handle goblins!”

“Uhm, Sir Haut? Even we occasionally subjugate low-level monsters like goblins or kobolds. We’re not entirely inept.”

‘You truly understand nothing. Perhaps that held true until this moment. However, this world has been scaled to my current level, hasn’t it? That simply won’t suffice.’

“Don’t make me laugh. It’s wrong to think that having done some group monster hunting means that’s your skill level.”

“This is a completely different dimension from ghouls. People often underestimate small monsters like goblins or kobolds, but these guys are as fast as most mid-tier mobs.”

“It’s a completely different experience from dancing a midnight rendezvous with rotten ghouls, isn’t it? Moreover, the inside of a dungeon is narrow, dark, and the floor is a complete mess. You wouldn’t know this unless you experienced it firsthand, would you?”

‘It’s fortunate that you two are good-natured. Had you been even neutrally aligned, you would have surely fled, claiming unwillingness. Who, after all, would heed warnings about demons appearing and the necessity of confronting them?’

‘Typically, they would simply flee. They would foist the quest upon me, then scurry back into the safety of their own homes.’

‘It’s undeniably true that, owing to the broken system, I’m experiencing a rather enjoyable playthrough. The sensation of genuinely traveling is quite novel.’

“Someone will do it. Someone will catch them. It doesn’t have to be me.”

“But tell me, if demons swarm and attack, who will be the first to step forward? The Holy War of the Nine Great Sanctuaries will inevitably rise first.”

“You’ve earned your living from that until now, so how could you possibly run away? You’ll be on the front lines. Hamman is crazy about such things, you see.”

“Demons are symbols of impurity, so how could Hamman, the God of Justice, simply let that stand? Isn’t it better to know and survive than to die ignorant?”

Their expressions were a complex tapestry, too many emotions interwoven to decipher. I couldn’t tell what thoughts were swirling within their minds, but this was truly elaborate, sending a shiver down my spine. Naturally, I simply offered a brazen smile.

“Or would you rather switch allegiance from Hamman to our lovely Debora?”

With a resounding CRACK—!!, lightning plummeted directly above my head. I had been holding an iron sword aloft, but the instant the bolt struck, I violently flung it away.

My arm, from the elbow down, had been reduced to a blackened, charred stump. Above the clear line of demarcation at my elbow, veins bulged, prominent and stark.

“Sir Haut!”

“Are you alright? Yo-your, your hand…!!”

Both sprang up in shock, rushing towards me. Ah, a single finger had crumbled away. Instinctively, I clutched my forearm and staggered.

“Wow, seriously. That really hurts like hell. Ugh….”

My HP was reduced by a third. An attack of this magnitude was akin to being struck by a boss-level demon. My remaining hand trembled as I fumbled for a potion and drank it.

As the sooty shell of charred skin flaked off my blackened arm, my hand was restored to its perfect state.

“Ugh…. It’s been a while since I’ve been hit so hard. This petty little deity. If I’d taken that hit properly, I’d have lost more than half my HP.”

I waved my regenerated arm in the air, then clenched and unclenched my hand. It was a bit stiff immediately after regeneration. Though I had plenty of potions, I always hoarded them, feeling a pang of regret each time I had to consume one.

I had forgotten that my pain limiter was broken. Damn it. It hurt like hell.

“I told you to stop blaspheming! Do you have a death wish or something?”

“Sir Haut! Please, don’t do anything so reckless! You must value your life!”

They both rushed over to me, fussing dramatically. Faust cast meaningless healing spells on my already regenerated arm, while Jack bounced around, slapping my back. Of course, none of it hurt. Despite the satisfying smack-smack sounds, there was no damage whatsoever.

“Why, I wonder, did I take that hit?”

Both of them froze, staring blankly at me. ‘Oh, they can’t find the answer. I don’t like quizzes made up of boring questions and answers.’

“Think about it. Even with blasphemy, have you ever, in your entire lives, seen Hamman strike with lightning so immediately?”

“Indeed, even as punishment, divine authority doesn’t usually manifest so instantaneously….”

The aura of light around Faust’s hands weakened, then scattered and vanished. Truly, there’s no helping it. I shrugged my shoulders and spoke even more cheerfully.

“You still don’t get it, even after I’ve explained this much. I told you before, it’s divinity.”

“Blessings can only be bestowed upon those capable of bearing them. So, no matter how much Hamman cherishes you, he can’t even grant you a small, insignificant favor. You simply wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

“But I’m different. I can take a lightning strike and remain perfectly fine. And Hamman’s lightning is pure, raw divinity….”

“…If it’s divinity itself, then as priests of Hamman, we receive a blessing that isn’t a blessing, don’t we? The place where the lightning struck would temporarily become, quite literally, a holy ground infused with divine power.”

Clap. I clapped my hands lightly and giggled. ‘As expected, our Captain is much better at thinking.’

Jack, who had been slapping my back, looked around nervously, then slowly rubbed the spot where he had hit me. What an adorable fellow. I never knew a male character’s cute antics could be so amusing.

“Exactly. Our Captain seems to have studied up. The best thing would be for me to pray to Hamman and fawn over him a bit, but unfortunately, I have no intention of becoming an Apostle.”

‘Nor do I intend to beg for blessings from the Goddess of Fortune, whom I cherish above all others. My prayers to her consist solely of “gratitude.”‘

‘Throughout my game playthrough, I have never once prayed for good fortune or for her blessings. Whether good or ill, I simply offered a word of thanks before the in-game day ended.’

‘And I will continue to do so.’

‘Because that’s the concept, you see? Sigh, it’s even cooler that no one knows.’