Chapter: 373
“Second Queen, huh?”
Karia finished explaining, and Heyshan was nervously fiddling with their fingers, looking down.
Unlike Karia, I can’t read people’s emotions, but I could guess what she was feeling right now. You can hear Heyshan’s genuine thoughts while progressing through the side story in the game.
Nostalgia for an old friend. Regret about an unavoidable parting. The regret of not being able to cross the walls of reality.
Now that I’ve heard the story of the Second Queen, which didn’t exist in the game’s storyline, I’m sure it adds a few more emotions, but the big picture won’t change much.
“What will you do? If you want to meet her, I can arrange it.”
“…Do I have a choice?”
“Do you think so? With your background from the Academy, you’d know, right?”
As Karia beamed with a bright smile, Heyshan’s shoulders slumped.
“Why? Is it uncomfortable to meet?”
“Because our parting wasn’t pleasant. I wouldn’t know what to say if we meet again.”
She seemed to imagine the scene of meeting the Second Queen and pursed her lips with a complex expression.
“Um, could you give me a moment to prepare my heart?”
“No way.”
“You’re not actually asking this, right? I hope the Academy graduate you are isn’t that clueless.”
Normally, I would have been considerate of her, but I couldn’t afford to do that now. Because before Lasha comes here, I have to get her out of the way.
After Lasha cleverly tricked me, I’ve been pondering various ways to repay her for that.
I definitely want to annoy Lasha, but if I make an enemy out of her now, it’ll create some troublesome situations—especially considering that her strength is beyond what I can handle right now.
So, just as Lasha made me her fool, I decided to turn the tables and make her my fool with kindness.
Lasha is targeting a strong person? I don’t know anything about that. I’m merely fulfilling a request from Her Royal Highness the Second Queen, and if that makes Lasha go on a wild goose chase, that’s none of my concern.
“So, should we move right now?”
Heyshan cautiously asked, and Karia subtly examined my expression.
Hmm. Honestly, there’s no need to rush. From what Karia and Kurze Newman said, Lasha can’t use the Translocation Technique.
She created so much chaos, trying to hunt down strong individuals, that even those who set up the technique refuse to move her.
Think about it. When Lasha creates chaos to fulfill her intent, who will bear the consequences?
Not her. She’s a strong person who even Benedict acknowledges. Anyone who foolishly challenges her will just meet a foolish death.
There were fools before who thought they could punish Lasha, but they only contributed to creating new rules by sacrificing their lives, unable to defeat her.
Since people learn from their failures, those who have witnessed such tragic sacrifices began to hold those who helped Lasha accountable, rather than her.
The parties in question protested their innocence, but their opinions didn’t matter. The important thing was that someone needed to take responsibility for the damage caused by Lasha.
After this happening several times wherever Lasha went, people began to instinctively refuse to cooperate with her.
If a nasty person had been in charge, they would have threatened others to achieve their goals, but Lasha didn’t do that. She’s just a madwoman who dedicated her life to hunting strong individuals, not a slaughterer.
Realizing she couldn’t find collaborators, Lasha simply solved everything with her own hands. This time was no different. She left the Tersha Empire and moved towards the island.
Her physical form was so absurd that her speed exceeded that of a carriage, but compared to other magical translocations, it was still lacking.
Karia said it would take at least two weeks to get here.
“I’ll give you about a week’s grace.”
“Your foolish face is amusing, so I’ll be nice and give you a week. Even the stupidest sloppy fool should be able to sort things out by then, right?”
After I mentioned I would think about taking her along once the dungeon strategy on the island was finished, Heyshan gave me a vague smile.
“Um, could you show a little more mercy?”
“Do you want to go right away, you foolish sloppy adventurer? Since I’m nice, I can grant that request.”
“I’m sorry. I overstepped.”
But that laughter withered in the face of my ferocious grin. What can I say? She’s just a mediocre adventurer without notable backing, and I’m the only daughter of the Allen family.
Unless someone like Luca, who is the target of jealousy, or a powerhouse like Lasha, escaping from my grasp is impossible.
“It doesn’t seem like you’re avoiding the Second Queen just out of discomfort, so what are you doing here?”
While Heyshan was pursing her lips, Karia, who could read her thoughts, asked her.
At first, Heyshan tried to deny that question, but in front of Karia, all her defiance became meaningless. What good are lies in front of a talented person who can read emotions with just a gesture?
“Um, I discovered something hidden on the island while exploring dungeons in other regions.”
“Is something hidden here?”
“Yes, actually…”
While Karia was focusing on Heyshan’s story, I propped my chin up and let her words wash over me.
I already knew why Heyshan came looking for something. I also knew how to find it. I knew exactly what results awaited me when I found it.
So instead of listening to Heyshan’s tales, I indulged in other thoughts.
By now, Joy must have delivered the rabbit ears to Arthur, right? Surely Arthur would be trembling as he put those on. He’s so stubborn in such matters.
Joy would be trying hard to suppress her laughter when she saw him. As for Frey… well, I can’t say for sure. She’s quite unpredictable. What a shame. If I hadn’t come to meet Heyshan, I would have loved to watch that.
“This is the map I found in the desert dungeon.”
“It looks like nothing much on the surface?”
“I thought so at first too.”
Once I return to the lodging, Arthur will surely question me about what that is. Then I’ll tell him, “Do you think this bet will end in one day? Punishments will be added daily.”
As I corner Arthur, Joy will surely say, “That’s too much,” and I’ll claim collective responsibility at that moment. I’d suggest he join me in fulfilling the bets while I share the dungeon strategies.
You can probably guess it, but Arthur is merely a bait. My target is Joy! I want to see that sloppy fox all flustered and embarrassed!
Heh heh heh. Just imagining it is already fun. I somewhat understand the feelings of the Sloppy Fox…
“But if I pour Divine energy into it, the true value of this map will be revealed.”
The moment I saw the divine energy flowing from the map, it hit me that the map Heyshan was holding was entirely different from the one in the game.
Of course! The game’s map didn’t have such gimmicks. Did they even try it?
There’s no way. I was obsessed with the Soul Academy, going crazy to collect all the clues.
This stuff didn’t exist in the world beyond the monitor. So this map must be a variable unique to this world.
Variable.
Under normal circumstances, hearing the word “variable” would make me freak out. Usually, the variables that come to me are aimed at taking my life.
But this variable was not of that dangerous kind.
“I’m sure there is amazing treasure on this island.”
New content that didn’t exist in the game and new rewards waiting below it. I can feel the blood of the rotten waters boiling inside me.
As I seized the map from Heyshan, who seemed to desire adventure, I saw the faint drawings on it and frowned.
It must be because Heyshan, who is distant from being a clergy, added divine energy with tools. No problem. The Apostle of God is here.
The moment I poured my divine energy into the map, the drawings became clear, and the notification sound filled my ears.
[Find the treasure of the island!]
[A chance has come for you to uncover the hidden secret of the island. Don’t miss this opportunity! Find the treasure of the island with your own hands!]
[Reward: ???]
[Upon Failure: ???]
For now, the quest itself isn’t much different from what existed in the game. However, since the contents of the map have changed, the process will differ too, and the rewards will change.
There’s a possibility that the Shoddy God might also give me something extra alongside the treasure.
Since I’ve already decided to do it, the fact that there’s more added made me beam with delight as I inspected the now-clear drawings.
And I realized. The interpretation of the treasure map is far too difficult for an idiot with an intelligence of 58.
…Uh-oh. This looks like a map to the island, but what’s the clue? What are those words written here?
Feeling like my eyes were spinning to the point of reaching my brain, I wiped my face as I presented the map back in front of the two.
Humans aren’t solitary creatures; they’re animals that survive together. If my own knowledge is lacking, I should seek cooperation from others!
Karia and Heyshan’s eyes sparkled as they gazed at the now-clear map.
“This is a proper map. Just moments ago, it was incomplete.”
“It’s an item that reveals itself only with divine energy at a level comparable to our employer. I’m quite intrigued.”
“Right, the most noticeable thing is this marking. It’s somewhere near Asara Island…”
“Not just that; there’s something here too…”
I propped my chin up, letting their heated discussion flow into one ear. I wasn’t uninterested; it was just that the pace at which they were progressing was too fast for me to understand.
All rotten waters should be considerate of newbies, yet those two seem to be shunning the noobs. Because of this, it appears no new life is going to enter the water; they’re only going to meet the ones who are already there.
I really hope they explain it well enough for me to understand. I don’t want to know only the outcome without understanding the process.
Ah, right. Grandpa could definitely translate that into something I can understand. He’s so smart!
“Grandpa.”
<...>
“Grandpa? Are you there?”
[Oh, oh. Yes, Young Lady. What is it?]
“Is something wrong? Why do you seem so flustered?”
Though I questioned the old man’s flustered attitude like he was trying to show off his old age, he didn’t answer me. This guy’s doing this again.
“Grandpa, it annoys me when you interrupt halfway; I’ve told you that several times.”
[No, no. I wasn’t planning to this time. I was just trying to figure out how to explain things to you.]
“What the heck is going on? What’s on that map?”
[Do you see the words written in the lower right corner of the map? ]
“Yeah. It’s so crooked that I can’t read it at all.”
[That’s writing used by those who served the Lord in the past. Even in my time, it was partly forgotten and used as a code by those in positions of responsibility.]
“Can you read it?”
[Why would you even ask that? I was the captain of the Holy Knights before even standing next to that hero.]
“What does it say?”
[I’m not sure if my interpretation is right, but the content is as follows.]
“The Lord left behind a miracle. When the worthy one reaches the trial, that miracle shall again illuminate the world.”
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