<Quest Complete>
Infamy Points +1000p
I was still seething inside. These pieces of trash. How dare they kidnap Luna. Luna was an NPC I was fond of. Even setting that aside, she was also a genuinely kind and brave apprentice priest.
Originally, when playing as the good faction, this had been an event where some nameless extra was kidnapped instead of Luna. But because I had burned the temple down far too thoroughly, Luna had left the temple and started staying at an inn… and it seemed that had caused her to become their target.
Still, it was fortunate that I had not been too late.
I took a deep breath and checked the Infamy Points I had accumulated so far. The number floating before my eyes was 3000p.
The 2000 points I had just earned by offering the souls of twelve heretics, and the 1000 points I received for completing the Unexpected Quest, ‘Offer the Souls of 30 People.’ Perhaps because they were heretics who served the Demon King, the points assigned to each soul had been fairly high. The total accumulated that way was 3000p.
I looked at that number and finally managed to calm myself down.
Right. The process had been a mess, but judging only by the result, everything had worked out well. I had gathered enough points, and I had protected the person I needed to protect. That should be enough.
I poured all the points into raising my skills. My plan was to use the skills I raised this way to destroy the Holy Knights’ armories and receive points, then grow Theo to eighteen years old.
Shane (Human-Demon Hybrid, 125 Years Old)
-Stats (□/10)
Strength 6
Magic Power 5
Resistance 7
Agility 8
Accuracy 5
-Skills
Innate Skills:
Flame LV. 3 → LV. 4
Stealth: LV. 2 → LV. 3
Disguise LV. 1
Acquired Skills:
Locksmith LV. 1 → LV. 4
The higher a skill’s level rose, the more exponentially the required points increased, so the levels did not shoot up dramatically. Still, with Locksmith LV. 4, I could say that I had entered the ranks of great thieves in my own way.
Now I was truly ready to make a move on the Holy Knights’ armories.
Even after that, I had 100 points left, and I saved those just in case.
In any case, the warehouses absolutely had to be burned today. The reason was clear. Most of the Holy Knights had currently left to subjugate monsters that had appeared near the capital. Back when I played as Rihen, I had participated in that battle myself.
The ones remaining at headquarters now were relatively less experienced knights. In other words, they were forces that were at least easier to deal with. Now that I had raised Stealth to LV. 3, I could create an opening well enough.
From the beginning, I was not trying to subdue and defeat the entire order of knights. There was neither any reason nor any room for me to do such a thing. There was only one objective. Set fire to the warehouses and damage the equipment, then disappear as quickly as possible. With that objective, I realistically had a chance of success.
Knights, I’m sorry. In exchange, I’ll gather lots of points and buy you good equipment from the shop. Something far more valuable than what I destroyed.
‘Goddess of Dawn Repinal, please allow me to become a righteous villain again today.’
Offering up a ridiculous prayer to ease my tension, I steeled myself.
***
Guards stood in front of the Holy Knights’ weapon warehouses today as well. To be honest, from some point onward, I had started wondering what purpose this even served. Even Warehouse 7, said to contain the least valuable equipment, had several layers of locks crafted by artisans, and the warehouse itself was not made of ordinary iron, but was a structure cast with special magic stones mixed in. It could never be broken with any ordinary amount of strength.
Still, rules were rules. The knights assigned to guard duty today stood watch in front of the warehouses while trading jokes with one another.
“At this rate, even the Commander of the 13th Legion wouldn’t be able to open it.”
“The Commander of the 13th Legion? Even the Demon King probably couldn’t open it.”
That was when it happened. The wind blew. A sudden pressure, as though the air had sunk heavily downward, covered the area around the warehouses. The flames of the lamps flickered simultaneously, then went out all at once.
“……?”
The moment the knights assumed defensive stances and gripped their swords, the outline of a man appeared from the deep shadow spread before the warehouses. His face could not be perceived. Only the pendant set with a red gem shone like a nightmare.
The Commander of the 13th Legion had appeared.
“Enemy!”
The knights charged at the same time as the shout, but it was already too late. Black fire surged up like a wall, blocking the space between the Legion Commander and the knights.
Without even turning his head, the Legion Commander stood before the warehouse. A hand covered in a black glove brushed over the lock. The locking mechanism came undone without making a sound. There was no sound of gears interlocking, nor of metal grinding. It was simply as though it had been open from the beginning.
“What is this….”
While someone muttered under their breath, the Legion Commander opened the door. The weapons piled inside were revealed. Spears and swords, armor and shields. They were the weapons the Holy Knights took pride in.
The Legion Commander snapped his fingers. Black flames rose from all directions. The ominous fire writhed strangely as it swallowed the weapons. The equipment made low, unpleasant cries as it burned. Swords and shields lost their shapes one by one and collapsed.
The enemy did not stop. While Warehouse 7 was collapsing, he was already moving toward his next target. Before the flames had even fully died down, the Legion Commander vanished as though seeping into the darkness, and a few breaths later, he was standing on the roof of Warehouse 6.
The knights reacted quickly.
“Above!”
“Mage, light!”
Spheres of light floated into the air. Keeping his body low, the Legion Commander leaped from the edge of the high roof and twisted his direction in midair. It was a movement that would have been impossible for a human. His black cloak fluttered in the wind and spread like wings.
The knights unleashed attacks all at once. Swords rushed in and spears flew. Arrows poured down like rain. It seemed as though some had hit, and also as though every one of them had missed. In any case, what was certain was that the Legion Commander still appeared perfectly fine. The pitch-black shadow wavered, then melted into the darkness.
“Damn it, where—!”
Before the words could finish, the door of Warehouse 6 opened. This time, the Legion Commander did not even go inside. He merely reached through the half-open gap and dropped a single ember onto the floor. Black flames surged forward like a wave.
Warehouse 5.
This time, the knights formed their formation in advance. A shield wall was raised, and a magic circle that strengthened flame resistance was drawn on the ground.
“Stop him at all costs!”
“Try it, if you can.”
The Legion Commander laughed softly and raised his hand. Fire surged from the ground and clutched at the knights’ ankles. A momentary fear raked across their minds, and the formation broke for the briefest instant.
The Legion Commander did not miss that opening. He stepped onto the shield wall and lightly leaped upward. The door of Warehouse 5 opened. Then once again, the sound of fingers snapping rang out. Black fire erupted.
The last warehouse to burn was Warehouse 4.
The Holy Knights had already fallen into panic. It was even more devastating because all their important personnel were away. While four warehouses burned one after another, the Legion Commander was never properly caught even once. Attacks did not reach him, demonic energy could not be sensed, and the location where he appeared was different every time.
The flames rose in succession as though resonating with one another. Beneath the night sky, as pitch-black as the Legion Commander’s uniform, four of the Holy Knights’ weapon warehouses were blazing fiercely.
And at the center of it all, the Legion Commander hid himself in the shadows once again. What remained were burning wreckage, knights gripping their swords while unable to do anything, and the fear and sense of defeat that had been carved painfully deep into everyone’s minds.
***
“Ah, this fucking hurts….”
Knights, are you trying to turn a person into a hedgehog?
I gritted my teeth and grabbed the arrow lodged in my shoulder. When I applied force, I felt pain as though it were scraping against the bone. As the arrowhead came free, the blood that had been blocked burst out.
“Haa, haa….”
Two in my waist, and two in my thigh as well. I removed the arrows through the same process. My breathing grew ragged, and groans slipped out.
I had endured five arrows in my body through sheer force of dignity alone, but now I had truly reached my limit. My muscles trembled every time I moved, and every breath made it feel as though the wounds were splitting open. My heart pounded, spreading pain throughout my entire body.
I opened the shop window. The system recommended an item suited to the situation.
<As Long as You Look Fine on the Outside, It’s OK? Cheap Recovery Potion>
100p
The product name felt somehow unsettling, but this was the only item I could buy with the points I currently had. I immediately drank the potion. As the bitter liquid ran down my throat, the wounded areas healed rapidly. The torn flesh joined together, and the bleeding stopped. Marks that looked exactly like scars remained, but this much was fine.
However, there was one problem. My body was fine again, but the pain remained exactly as it was. A dull throbbing lingered in every place the arrows had been removed from.
If I had known this would happen, I would have saved a few more points. I regretted it belatedly.
Meanwhile, the knights were completely occupied with extinguishing the warehouse fires. I could see them running around everywhere to fetch water. I chose one of them and quietly followed behind him.
He was heading toward the well. By chance, there was no one around it. I quickly approached and struck the back of his neck precisely with the edge of my hand. The knight went limp without even managing a proper groan. I stripped off his helmet and armor and put them on, then shoved the unconscious man into some nearby vines.
And then I blended in among the knights as though nothing had happened.
In front of Warehouse 1. Pretending to inspect the barrier, I placed my hand on the door and subtly used the Locksmith skill. I loosened the flow of magic little by little and undid the lock without drawing attention.
The barrier was almost completely released when it happened.
“Does an inspection normally take this long?”
A voice came from behind me. It belonged to the knight who looked the most experienced, with years of service evident in him.
“What was tonight’s password?”
“…….”
There was no way I would know something like that. I pretended to think, then grinned.
“Long live the Demon King?”
Every knight’s gaze landed on me at the same time.
“It’s him!”
At the same moment, I tore apart the final barrier. The warehouse door swung wide open.