“This is just… sigh”
How many times have I said that?
Probably about nine times now. I was the only one out of ten who didn’t mutter something like that.
As we went further down to the cathedral, bigger and more grotesque monsters popped up. At first, they looked ‘like’ bears, tigers, or lions. Of course, they didn’t resemble any ordinary beasts.
When it comes to ‘monsters’ designed by a Japanese company, there’s this impression that they’d be cute. There’s a famous precedent for it, and Japan has a culture that loves small and charming things, right? So honestly, when I played the first series, I couldn’t really adapt.
The monsters are just too ugly!
With a middling level of bad graphics, they stuck all sorts of textures onto those realistically styled monsters, making them really ‘disturbingly grotesque’. This game, Chronicle of Aetherna, had monsters that showed us exactly what it was like when those middling textures were made ‘realistic’.
I was a little less shocked, having at least an idea of what they looked like… No, that’s not quite right. Still, I couldn’t help but take a step back at the sight of corpses melting and oozing away.
“Hmph…”
This time, it was Charlotte who muttered, “What on earth is this,” taking a deep breath before lightly shaking her wrist. I couldn’t tell if the blue was blood or if the black was blood, but anyway, the creature’s bodily fluids, quite viscous, dropped off her sword with a splash. The sound of it hitting the floor gave me the creeps. … Looking more closely, it seemed less like a liquid and more like slippery mucus.
“…Well, at least I managed to block it properly this time.”
Leo swung his blade around and said that. Most of the ‘swordsmen’ in our party had little wounds here and there. Every time it looked like someone would get seriously hurt, I would rewind time to provide cover fire, but it was difficult to erase all the minor attacks.
“Are you alright, sis?”
While I was catching my breath in place, Claire questioned me.
“I’m fine.”
And I had a few of those wounds too.
To protect Mia, who could barely use a sword, and Roti, who similarly hadn’t had a proper chance to learn swordsmanship, I had to engage in close combat along with Rena.
Rena used a handgun and a submachine gun, and I generally stuck with a bolt-action rifle, but thanks to my performance-enhancing suit, I could manage those kinds of tasks even if not perfectly.
Sure, I was just flailing my arms around and hitting heads by luck. Well, I also had a handgun, so it was just a matter of ‘hitting and shooting’.
“Sis, you’re bleeding from your hand…?”
“Ah.”
Only after I heard Claire’s words did I raise my left hand.
Was it called a jackchain? The brass plate connecting my shoulder, elbow, wrist, and fingers was slightly bent. On the outside, it looked like brass, but inside was supposedly a pretty sturdy steel core, so even if the outside was a bit bent, it shouldn’t be a huge issue.
Blood was running under the brass plate that went over my fingers. In some ways, it looked distinctly like rust-colored water.
“I must have hurt myself a bit when swinging my fist earlier.”
Moving my fingers, I felt a little sting, but it didn’t seem broken or anything.
While I fiddled with the brass plate that was making a creaking noise around my hand, I heard a voice muttering,
“Spitter’s Lucis.”
In an instant, my body was wrapped in a warm white light, and the pain in my fingers vanished.
Turning my head, I saw Mia nearby.
“I healed everyone else too.”
Mia’s face looked a little pale as she said that.
“Are you okay?”
We had been running for quite a while, and we had now reached almost to the center. In every game, there’s always a health recovery device in front of the boss room, so it should exist here as well, but if the mana ran out on the way to that, we’d be extremely tired as well.
Mia nodded, then took a small bottle from her waist and drank from it. After a few minutes of waiting, a hint of color returned to her cheeks.
“…I wasn’t carrying this to use in a place like this.”
Mia averted her eyes slightly as she spoke.
Did she prepare it for me when I first showed up? I mean, if Mia was about to protect herself or use a weapon to harm others, that weapon would likely have been aimed at me. Now that purpose was gone, and only the weapons and equipment remained.
“I’m sorry.”
Out of nowhere, Roti stepped closer to me and bowed.
“If I had trained myself in close combat a bit better, I wouldn’t have relied on all of you like this…”
“But Roti can use some magic too. So can Sophia. If it weren’t for you two, Mia would have collapsed a long time ago.”
Claire said that to comfort Roti.
That was the truth. Mia had used almost firepower-based magic both in the source material and here. If it weren’t for Mia, I would have drained all my ammunition for the massive Marmaros. Thanks to having those two wizards, who were launching giant ice spears and fireballs from the back, I could draw attention or fall back a bit, giving myself time.
Healing magic consumes mana too, just like attack magic. If Mia had taken on both of those by herself, she would’ve collapsed from mana exhaustion long ago.
“The magic I use is based on those recorded in my tools.”
Roti said humbly.
Sure, if such tools existed in the source material, anyone could perform magic, but… still, it requires the ‘aptitude’ to use it. Unless Roti, who was something of a hybrid character, was really a full-on magic-user like Mia, they’d be better off just using their own skills. Those characters usually kept magic for ’emergency’ use after the wizard character collapsed.
Especially in a place where you’re limited in what you can carry, selection and concentration would be even more important.
“By the way, I was surprised. I didn’t expect Sophia to be able to use healing magic. Usually, warriors don’t have time to learn any magic.”
Roti’s words held genuine admiration, but Sophia, who had been listening to us from a distance, flinched at that.
“Ah, well… um…”
There are many types of magic that can be used without uttering spells. In fact, all magic can technically be used without spells. Yet, it’s much easier and more effective to spit out a spell.
Sophia had kept her mouth shut while using healing magic in here.
Mia seemed to have noticed to some extent that the magic Sophia used was fundamentally different from her own, but sensing that discussing it here wouldn’t really help, she opened her mouth, only to close it in an instant.
However, without unnecessarily voicing such concerns, two people already looked at Sophia with somewhat meaningful eyes.
Alice and Charlotte.
Since Alice had already heard about Sophia’s identity from me, she could probably guess that was divine magic.
Charlotte grew up in a city with the Cathedral of Latina. While she wasn’t from the Papal State, that meant she had seen people who used divine magic multiple times. It wasn’t uncommon for clergy to visit royalty or nobles when they fell ill in Velbur.
However, while Sophia hadn’t completely withheld divine magic during her training at the Academy… coating her sword in divine power momentarily and healing someone are two different matters.
“…We’re almost there. That recovery device we saw earlier should be coming up shortly. Rena, do we have enough ammunition?”
I opened my mouth to change the subject.
“Yes. I’ve used quite a lot of regular ammunition, but it’s not enough to say it’s lacking, and I have nearly all of my Marmaros left.”
“Good.”
I nodded.
“Can I ask what kind of monster is over there?”
Jake, who had been near Roti, looked at me and asked.
By now, everyone must have sensed something in one way or another. Of course, they wouldn’t have been able to pinpoint that I was seeing the future or rewinding time, but they could tell that I knew something about this place. After all, I hadn’t gotten lost at all on the way here.
I even ignored the treasure chest rooms scattered along the way. If we entered those rooms, we’d have to fight unnecessarily, and we’d get exhausted if we continued battling in this not-game-like world. If we’d gone through all that, we would have collapsed long ago before even reaching here.
Well, in the source material, only four people would be participating in battles while others were on standby.
I couldn’t bring all ten people here from the start, nor were there many who were still not ‘companions.’
“…….”
I fell into thought for a moment.
What was the ‘monster’ that the Emperor had unleashed in the source material?
As I kept my mouth shut, everyone looked at me, seemingly tense.
“Perhaps…?”
Yeah, I can’t be sure. The Emperor had released the monster back then, and the enemies we’re facing now are from the Papal State.
But, just to say what I know…
“It’s likely a Gryphon. It’s been considerably grotesquely altered.”
“…….”
Gryphons exist in this world. They’re usually found in mountainous regions where ordinary people don’t inhabit, and there’s no reason for them to encounter humans. They’re the kings of beasts that can’t even be tamed by people. That’s how Gryphons are perceived in this world.
“……Ha.”
Until that point, Alice, who had been silent, finally opened her mouth with a laugh.
“This is ridiculous.”
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