* * *
After that, every time Finley opened his mouth, another vicious taunt came spilling out.
“What happened to the Underground City is unfortunate. But I do not consider those people Ailant.”
“…….”
“Those who refuse to fight back, shut themselves underground, and submit to injustice are not people to me. I call them livestock…….”
CRASH!
“Aileen, please calm down!”
“Let go of me!”
A commotion immediately broke out.
Lian desperately tried to restrain her, but he was so physically weak that Aileen simply dragged him along by the arm—
……GRAB!
So I stepped in and stopped her myself.
“Hmm? You said your name was Setanta. You have quite an impressive build.”
“SSR Heroes generally come with good looks.”
“……Ess-ess-arr? What did you just say?”
As expected, this man could not understand game terminology either.
I found it slightly ridiculous.
“Setanta, let go of me!”
“Miss Aileen, are we not in the middle of an infiltration mission right now? If you cause a commotion, we are the ones who will suffer for it.”
“…….”
“We have to save Perdi.”
Once I reminded her of our objective, she finally subdued her anger and fell silent.
“Haha! A handsome young man who is calm-headed as well. I like you very much.”
“I did not do that to earn your approval.”
“And you even have the spirit to speak your convictions plainly! You truly are far too talented to be wasting away in the ‘Underground City’!”
……Finley.
There was something irritating about the way he subtly placed himself above everyone else and treated the people around him like subordinates.
Even the way he had been needling us with that old-man manner of speech since earlier was getting on my nerves.
‘Did this bastard reincarnate after spending his previous life as some department head?’
And then there was this…….
“By the way, what exactly is your relationship with Aileen? I was certain she had absolutely no interest in men, but this is certainly cause for celebration!”
“…….”
Now he was even trying to pair up his employees.
‘What is wrong with this guy?’
So this unpleasant bastard was one of the additional DLC characters?
A deep sigh escaped me.
“In any case, I have absolutely no reason to lend you my strength in this matter.”
“…….”
“Hmm……. Though perhaps your friend will be able to meet a glorious end.”
Something suspicious crept into Finley’s tone.
“Look forward to it. I have prepared something quite impressive.”
DING!
[Emergency Quest Generated!]
At that moment, a message announcing a new quest appeared.
◈Emergency Quest◈
【Acquire the Magitech Bomb】
-Search Finley’s residence and secure the Magitech Bomb.
[Time Limit: 2 minutes 59 seconds]
[Clear Condition: Acquire the Magitech Bomb within the time limit]
◆ Quest Success: Acquire 1 Player Point
“……!”
A three-minute time limit.
It was an exploration quest where I had to steal an item.
‘A Magitech Bomb? Do not tell me the bombing of the Imperial capital in the original story…… was this bastard’s doing?’
In the original, a Magitech Bomb had exploded among civilians.
After that, the Ailant forces were firmly established as an enemy faction.
If things continued like this, a catastrophe would occur.
‘For now, I need to steal that Magitech Bomb from this obnoxious bastard.’
Part of the reason was to confiscate it.
And since the bomb was extraordinarily powerful, it would probably be useful one way or another.
‘Hmm…… Where did he hide it?’
I casually looked around and checked the positions of the drawers.
Meanwhile, Finley seemed to have resumed provoking Lian and Aileen over one thing or another.
‘There was a Perk that would be perfect for a situation like this.’
【Read Intentions】
-You can read a Hero’s inner thoughts.
There was not much time left.
I immediately activated the Perk.
[First use of 【Read Intentions】! No points will be consumed.]
[Hidden Route Perk, 【Read Intentions】 activates!]
HUMMMMM-.
For an instant, my vision focused entirely on Finley.
Then his jumbled thoughts began pouring into my head.
「You abandoned me while pretending to be so noble and shut yourselves underground. Was all that merely so you could end up like this? How utterly ridiculous.」
「……Yes. Tonight, your comrade will become the spark.」
「I will blow every Imperial citizen gathered at the execution ground to pieces. Not one of them will remain.」
‘……He plans to kill everyone? Including Perdi?’
As I listened further to Finley’s plan, I finally obtained the information I wanted.
‘The chair in the corner hidden beneath that coat…… So that is where he put it.’
But he would notice if I took it right in front of him.
I needed someone to distract him.
[Remaining Time: 1 minute 32 seconds]
Whisper, whisper.
I immediately moved behind Lian and quietly told him what to do.
Cause a scene for me.
“……?”
“What is it, Lian? Why have you suddenly gone silent?”
“Ah…….”
“Yes, are your mana nerves still as pitifully ruined as ever? There are so many things I have wanted to ask you…….”
Lian remained silent for a moment.
Then he furrowed his brow and began awkwardly getting angry at Finley.
“F-Finley! You should be ashamed of yourself!”
“……Hmm?”
“You terrible…… terrible person…….”
‘Huh?’
His acting sounded exactly like someone reading aloud from a textbook…….
[Remaining Time: 47 seconds]
There was hardly any time left.
At this rate, I was going to fail the quest.
……Should I just steal the bomb now?
“Lian, has your mind deteriorated as well? I once considered you an exceptionally intelligent talent.”
“F-fi…… fiancée…….”
“And now even your head has gone wrong. How truly unfortunate.”
“…….”
While watching for an opening, I slowly edged toward the bomb.
Then—
“……Your fiancée…….”
“Hmm?”
“That must be why Mr. Finley’s fiancée…… ran away from you……!”
His shout thundered through the room.
Finley froze on the spot.
‘Now!’
I quickly moved beside the chair in the corner, pulled the coat aside, and snatched the bomb.
Fortunately, it was just small enough to fit inside my storage pouch.
[You have acquired 【Magitech Bomb】.]
DING!
[Emergency Quest, 【Acquire the Magitech Bomb】 has been completed.]
[You have acquired 1 Player Point!]
Quest cleared.
Now it was time to leave.
“……It does not seem like that man intends to help us, so let us stop wasting our energy.”
Pretending to break up the argument, I announced that we would return another time and quickly led the others outside.
“S-Sir Setanta, why did you ask me to cause such a commotion……?”
“I will explain later. For now, we need to get out of here.”
“Pardon……?”
“Let us go!”
I immediately led Lian and Aileen away.
How long had we been walking at such a hurried pace?
“Here. Take a look at this.”
Once we reached a deserted area, I quietly opened my storage pouch and showed them what I had confiscated.
“……The bomb Finley prepared for his terrorist attack. It belongs to us now.”
“……?!”
“This is……!”
But when I examined the bomb itself—
Four high-purity refined Mana Stone batteries were connected to it.
[TIP! - A single battery is sufficient for the Magitech Bomb.]
Right on cue, another tip message appeared.
‘If all four explode, will every civilian nearby get caught in the blast and die just like in the original storyline?’
Then I would leave only one inside and remove the rest.
CLICK, CLICK-.
I removed the other three batteries and stored them separately inside my storage pouch.
Of course, preventing civilian casualties was not my only reason.
‘Every one of these things is worth money.’
I had used the holy relic I originally intended to sell to create the Hero-rat.
So I would have to make money by selling these Mana Stone batteries instead.
If I sold them on the black market later, they should fetch a decent sum.
‘I need to prepare in advance.’
Labyrinths would gradually begin appearing around the latter half of the chapter, and I would need startup funds if I wanted to lead a party and clear them.
Besides, this Hidden Route was being played from the perspective of the persecuted Ailant people…….
I would need to prepare even more thoroughly.
Just as I was calculating the future costs of daily necessities, food, clothing, and shelter—
……DING!
‘Hmm?’
[The Checklist has been updated.]
“Sir Setanta? Why are you making that expression?”
“…….”
“Has something happened?”
“……No. It is nothing.”
A new Checklist has appeared.
* * *
According to legend—
The method Cú Chulainn used to defeat Ferdiad, whose horn-like skin could supposedly be pierced by no weapon, was as follows.
‘……He put the spear…….’
Into his anus.
Why?
Because if you could not pierce the skin, you simply stabbed your spear into somewhere that already had an opening…….
I am not joking.
This is actually in Irish mythology!
‘But stabbing a spear up another man’s ass…….’
Even if I was Cú Chulainn—
I absolutely did not want to do that.
Truly…….
“Sir Setanta, why did you ask for a water bottle……?”
“I originally thought of making a lunchbox bomb, but I figured a water-bottle bomb would attract less suspicion.”
“Ah……! You intend to use this bomb to create confusion and rescue Perdi!”
“…….”
I placed the bomb inside the water bottle.
Fortunately, since I had left only one refined Mana Stone inside, the bomb was much smaller and fit inside relatively easily.
“……Finished. Now all we have to do is infiltrate the execution ground without being noticed.”
The lunchbox…….
No, the water-bottle bomb was complete.
Now we simply had to make it through the checkpoint.
However—
“That man over there looks familiar somehow.”
“Oh, come now. His features are merely a little indistinct. There is nothing particularly strange about him.”
“No…… He is suspicious. We should check him. He looks exactly like the sort of man who would ruin an entire country! He has the face of a traitor!”
Despite being under the effects of Perception Dampening, one of the Imperial soldiers manning the checkpoint stared directly at me.
[……A portion of a Hero’s Trust is inherited.]
‘Damn it.’
Was that not one of the Heroes I had put in Setanta’s party a few times during the previous playthrough?
Because some of his Trust from the previous run had carried over, he must have sensed something suspicious about me.
『Yes! Over here, over here! Hurry up and arrest these traitorous bastardssss-!』
SQUEAK, SQUEAK!
As though on cue, the Hero-rat stuffed inside my pocket began squealing obnoxiously.
‘This damned rat!’
I was about to pinch his backside again—
When a brilliant idea suddenly flashed through my mind.
‘Inherited Hero Trust…… That applies to the Hero too, does it not?’
The trio of R Grade Heroes who had swung their axes at me before.
Had they not trembled before the Hero as though worshipping a god?
If so, then perhaps…….
Would they react to the ‘Hero who had become a rat’ as well?
“Setanta! I think that man has noticed us……!”
“S-Sir Setanta……! I believe we have been discovered…….”
“Wait a moment.”
I told the panicking pair to stay where they were.
Then I decided to try using the Hero.
『W-what? Setanta, why are you suddenly taking me out……?!』
GRAB!
I seized the plump, well-fed little bastard.
Then I held him directly toward the Imperial soldier.
“Ah…… Ahhh……?”
“…….”
“Th-this nostalgic feeling is…….”
The Imperial soldier froze in place.
Then he stared endlessly at the Hero-rat with a dazed expression.
The effect was incredible!
“Sir Setanta, what in the world is this……?”
“It worked. Let us get out of here while we can!”
“Pardon?”
We immediately ran past the checkpoint.
We ran and kept running.
Until we disappeared into the crowd.
“……For the crime of spreading the red vapor throughout the Empire, this condemned prisoner—”
Eventually, we reached our destination.
Gasping for breath, I looked up at the platform.
‘……?’
Beyond the crowd of Imperial citizens who had gathered to watch the execution—
Far in the distance—
I saw Perdi stretched out with his limbs restrained.
“Ah…….”
“……Perdi……?”
[Aileen’s mental state has deteriorated.]
[Lian’s mental state has…….]
In truth, there were hardly any ‘limbs’ left to restrain.
His hands, feet, and every extremity were already gone.
‘……My God.’
His once-fierce eyes had been gouged out, leaving only deep, empty sockets.
His mouth had not been sewn shut, so he kept opening and closing it as though desperately trying to say something.
‘They managed to reduce a man to that state in a single day…….’
I could hardly imagine how many debuff spells they had cast on him before cutting him apart to turn that incredibly durable SSR tank into a tattered wreck.
“……Therefore! The execution of this unforgivable traitor shall be carried out over the course of one full week!”
Cheers erupted throughout the crowd.
Some Imperial citizens shouted curses.
Some shed tears of emotion.
Others simply cheered.
I turned and looked at Aileen and Lian.
Bloodshot eyes.
Trembling lips.
Expressions that looked on the verge of madness…….
They looked almost identical to the boss illustrations I remembered from the original game.
‘……If I am going to see an ending anyway, I should see a proper one.’
The more indiscriminately one harmed civilians, the more sharply the Morality Value tilted toward evil.
And the Hidden Ending I intended to reach would be nothing less than a completely unambiguous happy ending.
The True Ending I had never been able to reach before possessing this body.
“Aileen, Lian. Stay right here and do not do anything.”
Which meant it was my turn to act.
“I will go grant Perdi his rest.”
“S-Sir Setanta……?”
I wrapped the cloth I had prepared around my face like a mask.
TAP!
Then I leapt onto the roof of a nearby building.
……BANG!
The sound of my landing was swallowed by the feverish cheers from the execution ground.
“……To ensure that this heinous criminal does not reach death too easily—”
TAP-TAP-TAP-.
I sprinted across the rooftops.
The platform where Perdi was bound rapidly drew closer.
“……the Imperial Mages will devote themselves to using recovery magic every single day to keep him alive!”
……LAND!
At last, I reached the top of a tall building directly behind the platform.
The Empire’s flag fluttered above me.
“And this week-long sentence shall remain continuously open for all Imperial citizens to observe—”
CLICK!
I pressed the switch on the lunchbox bomb.
No.
The water-bottle bomb.
‘……Perdi, may you finally find peace.’
Then I threw it straight down.
.
.
.
[Loading Checklist.]
[Hidden Route Progress: 4.9%]
-(New!) 『Grant Perdi Rest』