“……What do you mean by that?”
“Ah, I was just thinking there must be plenty of scoundrels who would come after you for that sword.”
Damn.
That must have sounded like—
I’m going to kill you.
And steal your weapon…….
[Recommended! - Kill the target and loot the Mythic-Grade Item!]
Another red System window appeared.
This damned thing.
‘Let’s just eat.’
I decided to ignore the blood-red message floating in front of me.
CRUNCH!
I grabbed the whole roasted bat and bit into it headfirst.
Some kind of greasy liquid seemed to ooze out from inside, but I swallowed it anyway.
“Setanta, do you always have such an unusual way of speaking?”
“I suppose I do?”
CRUNCH!
The bones in the bat’s wing shattered beneath my molars and ground down like cartilage.
Hmm.
It was more edible than I had expected.
“……It seems you need a new weapon. Once we finish eating, I’ll take you to the armory. You can choose a new one there.”
“Oh, thank you.”
“And afterward, let’s take a short walk.”
Her platinum-blonde hair, faintly tinged with pink, shimmered in the candlelight above the table.
Was it because of the atmosphere?
I felt something strangely familiar.
To the point that I almost imagined I had seen a scene like this somewhere before.
* * *
To help digest the meal, we walked through the streets of the Underground City.
The faint light illuminating the area blended with the city’s dilapidated surroundings, creating a strangely atmospheric sight.
‘It has a pretty distinctive look.’
Glancing around, I saw a group of people draped in rags praying.
Every so often, they murmured something and stared endlessly upward.
Naturally, there was no sky to see.
“Aileen, what are those people praying for?”
“Them? They’re praying to the fallen royal family.”
“……Ailant’s?”
“Yes. They are citizens of a ruined kingdom, yearning for the royal family of old. They desperately hope that perhaps even a single descendant might still remain.”
A descendant of the royal family.
Was she talking about the Princess from the Hidden Route Checklist?
“Do you feel the same way, Aileen? That if you could only find an heir, you could restore the Kingdom of Ailant-.”
“There are things in this world that are better off not existing.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Do you know why the Empire leaves this Underground City alone?”
“……Because they need cheap lower-class laborers to use for every filthy job imaginable?”
Depending on how the impoverished Ailantians who had lost their homeland were utilized, the Empire could remain clean and prosperous.
It was a time-honored, cost-effective form of slavery that countless developed nations had made use of.
“That is certainly part of it. But more than anything, the Empire leaves this place alone because it poses no threat.”
“……Hmm?”
“Suppose a hidden descendant of the royal family appeared, and the Ailantians began gathering around that person as their figurehead. Is it not obvious what would happen next?”
“…….”
“This place would be the first to be purged as an example. I can guarantee it.”
I had no idea what I was supposed to say.
So I simply stared blankly upward.
Instead of clouds and stars, an immense subterranean world stretched above me in the shape of a dome.
It was strangely magnificent.
“……The people here sometimes raise their heads and stare upward. Just as you are doing now, Setanta.”
“The view is pretty good. Better than I expected.”
“I also think the scenery of this Underground City has a certain charm.”
Silence settled between us.
She walked without speaking for quite some time before finally opening her mouth again.
“Even if they cannot see the sky, everyone has the right to gaze into the open space above them.”
“……?”
“Did you know? Traditionally, in the Kingdom of Ailant, those with physical disabilities were not permitted to inherit the throne.”
“……You mean someone missing an arm, like you?”
“Yes. Someone like me, whose right arm is a prosthetic…… would be considered an incomplete person.”
Because of the backlight, I could not make out her expression clearly.
But for an instant, I thought I saw the faintest smile at the corner of Aileen’s lips.
Her silver arm gleamed softly.
* * *
Eventually, we arrived at the armory.
Weapons had been piled haphazardly across the floor.
Just as I had expected, the equipment stored inside was in terrible condition.
“Setanta, wait just a little longer. I’ll try to find you a weapon in better condition.”
She had already been searching for what felt like twenty minutes.
But all she had found were weapons with ruined edges or blades covered in rust.
“…….”
FLASH-.
Ever since earlier, I had found myself repeatedly glancing at the sword hanging from Aileen’s waist.
Its smooth, elegant form gleamed luxuriously.
A top-class treasured sword utterly out of place in an Underground City like this.
……And the only Mythic-Grade Weapon I had never managed to collect.
“Ah, this spear is in slightly better condition. I’ll set it aside here, so take it with you.”
Aileen pushed a spear to one side before returning to her search.
She had carelessly turned her back to me.
[TIP - Some Mythic-Grade Items can be acquired when their owner dies.]
‘……?’
Another red System message.
It was so absurd that a quiet laugh escaped me.
‘You’re telling me to kill this woman out of nowhere and farm her weapon?’
She was not some collection of pixels inside a game.
She was a living, breathing person standing right in front of me.
What kind of horrifying suggestion was that?
“Setanta, just give me another moment. I’m certain there was a usable weapon somewhere around here.”
“Ah, sure…….”
Aileen continued searching through the armory with her back completely exposed.
Every time she moved, the sword at the back of her waist flashed in the light.
Hmm…….
As expected of a Mythic-Grade Weapon, even its radiance was on another level.
[Mythic-Grade Items possess unparalleled performance.]
[TIP - Attacking an opponent from behind allows you to deal a critical blow!]
‘The System is really going all out with this nonsense…….’
I had no idea how much time passed.
After rummaging around for quite a while, Aileen finally turned back toward me.
A single spear lay at her feet.
“My apologies, Setanta. No matter how much I looked, this was the only weapon here that seemed suitable for you.”
“This will be enough. I’ll keep using my old sword.”
The longsword the Hero had given me.
Its edge was somewhat chipped, but it was still quite usable.
【Basic Mana Control】
-You instinctively coat the surface of cold weapons in a thin layer of mana during combat.
-Penetration increases, and weapon durability is preserved for longer.
Thanks to this skill, which Setanta possessed by default, my weapons generally lasted quite a long time without breaking.
“Oh, this is in better condition than I expected.”
[You acquire 【Spear Found in the Underground City Armory】.]
Since she did not hand it directly to me, I bent down and picked up the spear myself.
“Ahem. I’m glad you like it. But…… there is one thing I would like to ask of you.”
“……A favor?”
“Yes. Would you be willing to hear me out?”
Aileen asked carefully.
“Once daylight comes tomorrow, I intend to return to the surface and search for our compatriots again. Setanta, would you perhaps be willing to accompany me?”
“To search for survivors?”
“I know it is shameless of me to ask, but I want to save even one more person. We may not find much…….”
“Hmm.”
“I heard about your prowess from the residents of the Underground City. I’m certain your strength would be of great help during the search.”
“…….”
In truth, most of the remaining impoverished Ailantians were probably already dead.
‘But I need to go outside for the Chapel quest anyway.’
It was a route I never skipped, even during speedruns.
It was a side quest where you rescued a girl trapped beneath the Chapel, but there was actually one very important element hidden there.
‘There’s a secret passage beneath the Chapel. I can farm a Holy Relic there.’
If I sold it on the Black Market, I would have plenty of money for the early game.
And if I saved it, I could use it as crafting material for equipment later on.
It was an extremely valuable item.
I absolutely had to pick it up.
“Setanta, what do you think? Please, come with me and…….”
“Quest accepted.”
“……Hmm? What did you just say……?”
……Ah.
It had slipped out instinctively.
“Could you say that again? I don’t think I heard you properly.”
“I said I’ll go with you! Outside.”
The moment she heard that, Aileen’s expression brightened dramatically.
The red System messages had vanished without a trace before I even noticed.
* * *
The next morning.
At the passage leading to the surface.
“Take me too! Please, take me with you! Meeeeeee-!”
The Dark Mage suddenly clung to me, insisting that he wanted to come along.
“Sir Setanta, I’ll go with you as well! I’m certain I can be of help……!”
“Rian? You want to come with us? Truly?”
“A-Aileen! Why did you not tell me beforehand?!”
“No, I assumed you would obviously refuse, so I did not even bring it up……. In all the years we’ve lived together, this is the first time I’ve ever seen you so enthusiastic…….”
Aileen stared at Rian in disbelief.
Well, having two SSRs with me was certainly good news.
[【Aileen】 and 【Rian】 join the party.]
Including me, that made a three-person party composed entirely of SSRs.
Perhaps because this was the Hidden Route, SSRs were practically raining from the sky right from the beginning.
‘Good. Before we leave, why don’t I take a look at their character windows?’
One was an absurdly versatile Dark Mage capable of almost anything as long as he had a sacrifice to offer.
The other was an AoE damage dealer who could wipe out the entire map with a single slash of Sword Aura.
Back when they were enemies, this information had been blacked out so thoroughly that no player could see it…….
But now that they had joined my party, I could inspect as much as I wanted.
‘I really am the first person in the world to view these guys’ information.’
[Viewing party members’ Traits.]
With the two of them bickering beside me, I immediately opened the Party Window.
Thump, thump.
‘I wonder what kind of Traits they have.’
They had been boss-class villains who slaughtered my allies at the slightest opportunity in the original game.
I had a feeling they would possess terrifying Traits befitting that reputation.
DING!
[Viewing Rian’s character information.]
[Rian (SSR) Lv. 1]
[Class: Dark Mage]
[Traits: 【Magic Prodigy (+)】, 【Damaged Mana Nerves (-)】, 【Fanatic (-)】]
First, the Dark Mage was exactly as the players had speculated.
A tragic Mage born with extraordinary magical talent, only for his Mana Nerves to suddenly fail one day, leaving him unable to use magic.
After being expelled from the Mage Tower, he had eventually turned to Dark Magic…….
Apparently, that was his backstory.
【Fanatic (-)】
-Displays abnormal loyalty and obsession toward a specific target.
“…….”
There was just one thing.
This Trait bothered me a little.
‘But it might actually be pretty useful. It means this guy will always be loyal to me.’
It was essentially like gaining a devoted follower who would never betray me.
Maybe this was actually a decent Trait?
‘Then let’s check the AoE damage dealer this time.’
[Viewing Aileen’s character information.]
DING!
[Aileen (SSR) Lv. 1]
[Class: Magic Swordsman]
[Traits: 【Overflowing Mana (+)】, 【Protector of the Weak (+)】, 【Unstable Mana Control (-)】, 【Physical Impairment (-)】, 【Trauma (-)】, 【Moral Compulsion (-)】…….]
‘……Hmm?’
The second character’s Trait list was rather bloated.
‘Why does she have so many negative Traits piled onto her?’
But among them—
One shocking Trait immediately caught my eye.