Savior Legend #2

 

“There isn’t any?”

“What… there wasn’t, wasn’t there?”

The elder’s eyes filled with disappointment.

Actually, I shouldn’t have done this, but I tried to joke around a bit. The atmosphere was too serious.

I immediately changed my mind.

“Actually, it’s a lie. There is. Should I show you?”

“Why are you lying like that? Is it so much fun to mock this old man? Cough, cough—”

The elder coughed and jumped up and down.

Sometimes people joke around and say things like that. They really do say things like that.

When I showed him the tattoo of the demon engraved on my finger, the elder sighed deeply.

“It really was… Not an orc, but one who has received the orc’s protection… This is a tattoo of the demon, a symbol of freedom and liberation… This too must have meaning, indeed….”

“Isn’t it great? This tattoo is so useful.”

“The only thing that doesn’t make sense is that a reckless girl like you is the savior⋯.”

The elder pouted his lips slightly, as if he was displeased.

It seemed like the elder still had some resentment from being fooled by my lie earlier.

They say that as you get older, you get more irritable, so maybe that’s why.

“I have one last question.”

The elder took a deep breath and straightened his back.

“Camula, the queen of vampires, cannot be defeated by the power of light. No matter how strong the light, it fades into nothing before Camula’s shadow. What can defeat Camula is the power of darkness, possessing the same nature. Do you have a countermeasure prepared?”

“I don’t have to say anything other than preparing. These are the abilities I can use.”

I held out my palm toward the corpse of a bug that had fallen nearby.

A cold magical force enveloped the corpse, and soon the dead bugs began to move again.

The bug flew in an S-shape, then an X-shape, and finally landed softly on the elder’s shoulder.

“I see⋯.”

The elder’s pupils shook. He continued speaking in admiration.

“You were a necromancer too, huh? The prophecies of our ancestors never fail. A girl who wielded necromancy was our savior… indeed….”

The elder stood there for a while, his eyes closed, thinking about something. After a while, he entered the dark tent.

When he came out again, there was a small silver goblet in the elder’s hand.

“A silver cup. It belongs to you.”

“A silver cup?”

“This is a treasure we, the Snowfield Orcs, have kept to empower the Savior. We’ve kept it safe from even Kamula’s men… Now, it’s yours to use.”

I pretended it was my first time seeing it, but in reality, I already knew it.

“The Silver Cup”.

The name is “The Cup of Vampirism.” The item’s effect is also true to its name.

This artifact grants the user an additional effect, “Bloodsucking,” to all of their attacks.

However, when you first get it, its blood sucking value is only 0.1%.

This means that if you deal 100 damage, you will recover 0.1 health. Looking at this alone, it seems like a useless, scrap artifact…

“There is something you absolutely must know.”

The elder spoke with a serious face.

“This silver cup holds the power to awaken hidden powers. But beware. If you covet power beyond your capacity, you will be ruined.”

“Oh my.”

“Don’t be greedy. Look at yourself and carefully assess your own capabilities.”

The elder was talking vaguely, but to explain it in game terms, it’s like this.

—The Silver Cup can be strengthened by consuming my stamina.

—The amount of stamina consumed increases with each reinforcement.

—If you pass a certain level, the amount of stamina offered as a sacrifice will exceed your maximum stamina. In this case, attempting to strengthen will result in immediate death.

The concept of this artifact is ‘control of desire.’

With each enhancement, the lifesaving value increases by 3%, 6%, and beyond, making it rare for anyone to hesitate on the next enhancement.

It becomes easier to understand and stronger. With each strengthening, it becomes more and more of a fraudulent item.

However, the game does not tell you how much stamina is consumed for strengthening.

‘Maybe the next reinforcement will be okay…’ There were countless cases of people getting greedy and misjudging and ending up losing.

“I now entrust all my hopes to you. The future of our Orcs rests on your shoulders, girl. I beg you. Show me the miracle of the Savior…”

The elder handed me a silver cup.

Perhaps because it contained the future of a race, the cup was much heavier than it looked.

***

A few days later.

The day before the duel.

Jonathan’s movements were noticeably different from before he started special training.

“Old man, you’re so pathetic now! Why have you slowed down so much? Or have I gotten faster? Hahaha!”

He said he wasn’t good at fighting, but maybe he had some talent that he didn’t even know he had.

I chose this orc because he looked smart, but he surprisingly had a lot of potential.

Jonathan quickly learned and mastered the art of orc combat.

“Whew— gasp… Don’t be conceited. There have been countless warriors more skilled than you. They all died in battles with Kamula. Arrogance is the root of all—”

“A warrior’s greatest enemy. Old man, I’ve heard it so much these past few days that my ears are ringing.”

“That damn bastard.”

Jonathan smiled and held out his hand.

The elder took a deep breath, took Jonathan’s hand, and stood up.

I looked at Jonathan like that and said.

“Jonathan. Then I’ll take care of it now. You’re right. I don’t think sparring with Elder Grandpa will help much.”

“What? Uh, Estelle… that’s a bit… You’re strong. I’m just getting beaten up.”

“What are you going to learn by harassing a slow-witted old man like you said? Stop joking around and get your bearings.”

“Ugh⋯.”

The elder chuckled as Jonathan frowned.

“Why are you laughing!”

Jonathan grumbled.

While the two orcs bickered and argued, I sat with a silver cup in my hand, savoring the drink with satisfaction.

Silver Cup + 27

—Unique items

—Durability: 22/24

—The treasure of the Snowfield Orcs. A faint scent of blood wafts from the goblet, shining with the radiance of pure silver.

—This artifact is strengthened to its limit.

—Additional option: “Bloodsucking”

「—Blood Vampirism: Recovers 27% of the damage inflicted by all attacks.」

Finally finished.

Fully reinforced silver cup.

The process was anything but smooth. At +14, even using the power summoned from the reliquary, I couldn’t strengthen without dying.

Yes, I have died many times.

But he came back to life. It’s a foolish strategy, possible because he’s a lich with the “immortality” trait.

‘It was worth the effort.’

Absorbs 27% of all attacks. This is a truly ridiculous option.

Perhaps, throughout the history of this world, no one has ever strengthened the Silver Cup to this extent.

“With the addition of the Silver Cup, I’m sure no one can match my resilience.”

Even when I was still, a faint smile crept onto my face. Is this what it feels like to own a newly built apartment whose value is expected to skyrocket?

“Why, why are you laughing alone? It’s scary.”

Jonathan flinched. He seemed to have misunderstood something.

“I’m excited to beat you.”

“Eek! Come on, Elder. Stop it. Estelle is crazy.”

Jonathan shrugged and hid behind the elder.

***

The day of the duel.

Jonathan looked awkward in his clanking armor.

“Elder, is this really that good? I don’t know…”

“This is the armor of an orc warrior, a treasure passed down through generations to the orcs of the snowfields, along with the Silver Cup. Know it with honor, Jonathan.”

“What are you talking about, it looks so shabby-”

“The problem is that you’re always fussing. Just put it on. You’ll see the effects on your body in a few hours.”

I looked at Jonathan’s appearance, which had become quite plausible, with interest.

“Orc Warrior’s Armor.” A useful artifact that greatly enhances the wearer’s abilities.

However, it is difficult to bring out its full potential without gaining experience by going through battles with the wearer, so it is an armor that is not suitable for Jonathan at the moment.

‘It’ll get better with time.’

I can’t wear it because it’s an item exclusive to the Orcs.

Well, I’ve already received the Silver Cup, and the armor I’m wearing now is usable, so I don’t really need it.

‘And Jonathan is right. The design is terrible.’

As can be inferred from the fact that it has been passed down to the Snowfield Orcs for generations, the design of the armor adheres to an outdated design from hundreds of years ago.

Jonathan looked worn and shabby, like he had stepped out of a page from a history book.

“Then shall we start going?”

Only when I called did Jonathan take his hands off his armor.

“Damn it! If only they’d tightened the screws on the shoulder a little more—oh, damn it. Let’s just go, Estelle.”

“You’d better get used to that armor quickly. You’re going to have to wear it for the rest of your life anyway.”

“For life? I don’t want that!”

I glanced back. The elder was leaning on his cane, watching us from behind.

“Grandpa, you don’t need to come out to pick me up, just go in and rest.”

“Okay.”

The elder’s gaze was meaningful.

These were no longer the eyes of an old man who lived each day without any expectations or hope, waiting for the day he would die.

“⋯How could I have known? The master of death was our savior.”

My steps, as I was about to turn around, stopped. I squinted and stared at the elder.

“⋯Grandpa, what are you talking about?”

“I’m not just needlessly old. I’ve lived longer than you think. Yes, I even lived through the days when the infamous Lich Frostwind was still active.”

“What… I think you already figured it out, so there’s no use beating around the bush.”

I decided not to waste my time denying my identity.

It doesn’t matter whether this elder notices my identity or not.

If it were up to me, I could easily shut the mouth of an old man with no strength, but there’s no need to do that.

Still, I wonder if the orc elder has the skills. He arrived at the truth without me having to tell him.

“This, too, must be fate. At least your rule will be better than Kamula’s, so I have no complaints.”

“⋯Don’t get me wrong. I intend to drive out Kamula, but I have no intention of ruling after him. Believe it or not, it doesn’t matter. Do you think I’m just raising Jonathan for nothing? I don’t want to stay in this orc village with no proper amenities for too long.”

“Do as you wish. But I wonder if your choice of the rookie Jonathan was the right one…”

“That’s true. I’m not really confident either. Well, if Grandpa can help me out a bit, that should work, right?”

The elder glanced at Jonathan’s back, then shook his head.

It seems like he intuitively sensed that a difficult path was opening up.

I’m going to be quite busy from now on, having to support an old leader who is lacking in many ways.

“Estelle, what are you doing!”

Jonathan shouted in front of me.

“Come quickly! There’s not much time left until the duel! If you’re late, Gao will be gone!”

The elder nodded at me, indicating that I should go now.

“I wish you good luck.”

“Yeah. I’ll win.”

I took a brisk step towards Jonathan.

“You don’t know, Jonathan. The protagonist usually shows up a little late.”

The time has come.

Now is the time to reap the fruits of your labor. The rebellion in the slave village was to begin today.