Ch.13Chapter 13. The Limbs Return and Lin Dies

Lin and Lucy immediately entered the cave.

Though she wanted to seal the cave entrance with snow for a thorough cleanup, unfortunately Lin’s physical condition wasn’t good.

His shoulder had been pierced by the succubus’s claws, and his waist was in pain from falling onto rocks after tumbling off the cliff, making it impossible for him to even bend over.

“Lin, are you okay?”

Lucy, hanging from his abdomen, worried, but Lin could only nod without giving a proper answer.

His labored breathing revealed that he was enduring pain.

Lucy felt sorry for him as he silently continued moving despite the burden on his waist from both the bundle and herself.

“It may look like an ordinary cave, but judging by the markings, it’s a goddess’s sanctuary. The pain is definitely less severe than when we were outside.”

Lin deliberately spoke to reassure Lucy.

“So we found the right place?”

“A series of coincidences led us to the right spot.”

True to its name as a sanctuary, no monsters appear in this map.

Instead, there’s a time attack element.

In the DLC, you enter this space while being chased by a succubus.

The final mission of Chapter 1 is to find the elixir and restore Lucy before the succubus arrives.

However, this was now reality, not a game.

The situation was heading toward the worst possible outcome.

First of all, it was too cold.

They had been driven into the snowy mountains of the frigid range without acquiring any cold-weather gear.

As their tension eased and the sweat from the chase cooled, a chill immediately set in.

This chill would soon turn into freezing cold that would penetrate to the bone.

It was disappointing that a place called a goddess’s sanctuary didn’t provide any warming effect.

“Lucy, are you cold?”

“I’m fine. What about you, Lin?”

Then there’s no need to use a skill scroll.

That was Lin’s thought.

He could feel it. His own limits.

Each step was difficult.

Lifting his knee and stepping forward.

A simple repetitive process, yet he couldn’t even maintain his balance properly and was moving as if dragging himself.

Better prepare for the worst.

If he was going to be of any help later as a baggage carrier who couldn’t even fight, it would be better to save items.

Even if it was an item containing the warmth of the dead, he hoped Lucy would put it to good use.

The goddess’s sanctuary map had a very simple structure.

It was a puzzle map, though calling it a puzzle would be embarrassing.

Proper combat wouldn’t be possible until Chapter 2 anyway, when Lucy recovered.

That’s why in the goddess’s sanctuary, you could reach the hall with the elixir by simply going straight ahead.

The reason it was still considered a puzzle map was because there were numerous side paths branching off from the main route, leading to hidden items.

Going down all those paths would yield decent skill scrolls and consumable items, but more importantly, there were countless visions and texts revealing the past of the baggage carrier or Lucy.

Combined with the succubus time attack, it added tension to the final mission of Chapter 1.

You could clear it by just going straight, but as a player, skipping items and story wasn’t an easy choice.

Especially if it was your first playthrough.

But Lin wasn’t like that.

Besides, why would he need to see the baggage carrier’s past when he himself was the baggage carrier?

He already knew Lucy’s past.

Because he had cleared the game.

So Lin nonchalantly walked straight ahead.

However,

“A treasure chest?”

There was a treasure chest containing items placed conspicuously in the middle of the one-way path.

Wondering if it might be a mimic, he threw a stone at it, but it didn’t move.

Cautiously opening it, he found a skill scroll inside.

[Condemnation: The End of Selfishness]

Skill Description: Shatters the mental state of an unforgivable party member. Reduces MP or Energy or Divine Power to 0 and prevents recovery forever. Mental breakdown included.

Flavor Text: “No other way. Must shatter this mental landscape.”

It was a skill he had never seen before.

Moreover, the skill description was downright brutal.

By now, this level of variable didn’t faze him at all.

However, the moment Lin put the scroll in the baggage carrier’s pouch,

“Lin?!”

“Oh no…!”

Black energy surrounded them, instantly creating a dark curtain.

‘I don’t have time to watch the past!’

Familiar scenes flashed before his eyes, and whispers began to reach his ears.

“Lucy?”

“……”

Lucy had turned pale.

She seemed completely absorbed in the vision.

There was no choice.

Lin was also caught in the vision, but he could still clearly see the path through the sanctuary.

“Follow me, damn it! I’ll make it so everyone can’t ignore us!”

How noisy. That wish came true in some form anyway.

Though it might be far from what you hoped for.

“I’m different from all of you. I’ll reach a higher level and achieve greatness. When that day comes, I’ll personally bestow my grace upon you all.”

Far from receiving grace, you’re about to go seek revenge, you fool.

His heart grew heavy.

“Hey, baggage carrier. Why should we keep you around when you’re completely useless in battle?”

It’s all for today, for this moment.

Unfortunately, you seem to be immune to mental attacks and status ailments.

Though I don’t know why.

Lin simply continued walking forward in silence.

—

“Go that way!”

“I’ll cover you!”

While frantically swinging her sword, three or four monsters escaped Lucy’s attack range and approached the castle, but Naidrian quickly shot arrows to stop them.

“Spell complete. Defense field deployed.”

Tigria cast a spell, enveloping the castle in a protective barrier.

“Haa… haa…! Finally…!”

Lucy took her stance holding Hrungnir. As red-golden light began to form on the holy sword, a unique mutant monster charged toward her.

“I’ll defend!”

Clang-!

Rainford blocked the monster’s body slam but was pushed back.

As he struggled against the mutant monster, which howled, causing a horde to bypass him and target Lucy.

“So you’re using your brains now, huh!”

Arsil, who was guarding the left, slowed their charge with numerous fist strikes, while Naidrian rained arrows on the right, killing several.

“Area identified, extraction, compression, compression, compression, acceleration… ignition!!”

As Tigria clenched her fist, a massive explosion engulfed the monsters approaching from behind.

Her skill, where spells manifested exactly as she spoke, demonstrated extraordinary ability.

Squeeeeeal-!!!

However, one of them somehow survived, leaped over the mutant and Rainford from the front, and rushed toward Lucy.

“Damn it!”

“Tigria! One’s coming through!”

“Ugh…! Identify, accelerate, move, accelerate, sharpen!”

At the urging of Arsil and Naidrian who were holding their positions, Tigria quickly fired a spell, but it missed.

As Lucy was considering whether to release her sword energy before it was fully charged,

“Uwaaaaah!”

The baggage carrier, terrified, charged at the boar-like monster while holding a small shield that could barely protect himself.

Smack!

“Gwek!”

He was knocked away with a pathetic cry, but that gave her just enough time to fully charge.

“I shall cleave!!!”

As she swung the holy sword with fully gathered power, a red-golden sword beam shot forth.

The beam cut down everything from the unique mutant to the other monster rabble in a single strike, flying far and destroying their nest.

“…I did it!”

This would redeem her shameful behavior from last time when she hid alone behind a shield.

The hero roughly pushed away the baggage carrier who couldn’t hide his joy.

“Don’t do unnecessary things!”

“B-but this time I…!”

“Even if you’re a non-combatant, you’re part of the hero’s party. If you die from recklessness, people will doubt and fear the absolute power of the hero’s party!”

“But… I can’t just stay shamefully in the back all the time!”

Lucy knew.

She knew that the baggage carrier secretly practiced with sword and shield.

But he had no talent.

Combat was completely outside his domain.

“Well, you tried hard.”

“Right? Even though I’m full of shortcomings, if I keep at it…”

No, don’t say it.

She ran to stop herself, but the past Lucy passed right through her.

“Hey, baggage carrier.”

Don’t do it!

“If you’re a baggage carrier, just carry the baggage.”

Don’t do this to Lin!

“Don’t try to show off and end up as a corpse that becomes another burden.”

“Ah….”

A voice that stopped.

Shoulders that slumped.

She thought it was for his own good.

She couldn’t give him false hope that might get him killed, so harsh words were effective in stopping him.

That’s what she had thought.

“My goodness.”

Lin without his mask stood beside her, who could do nothing.

They were watching their past selves.

“I thought I’d be reliving memories of my limbs being cut off, but what are we doing here?”

“Who are you?”

“Oh, you’re immediately certain I’m not Lin?”

“Lin doesn’t talk like that.”

“Lin doesn’t talk like this?”

Lin’s face began to blur like paint, until finally someone roughly made an X mark with a brush.

“You think you know Lin so well?”

“Lin is mine…!”

“You’re not a parrot, yet you keep saying the same thing.”

The being painted over with pigment grabbed her shoulder.

As it did, the hand blurred like paint and dissolved her arm.

The other hand too, and both legs below.

The painted-over being was stretching her limbs on both sides.

“Aaaaaaaaahhhhh-!!!!!”

Lucy screamed at the burning pain.

The tears she shed from the intense pain flowed back in.

The paint dripped down, and limbs that had never existed flailed about.

“Get away from me!!!!”

“Oh my. You’re rejecting me? The very thing you and Lin have been seeking?”

“You’re not Lin!”

“Of course not. But I am exactly what you and Lin have been looking for, aren’t I?”

“Aaaaaahhhhh!!!”

“Does it hurt? Are you in pain? Hmm?”

The paint never left her alone for a moment.

It continuously grabbed and stretched her limbs, holding her so she couldn’t move.

“Is it your severed limbs that hurt!”

“Liiiiiiin!!!”

“You only care about yourself until the end!”

“Help me, Lin!!!!”

The paint forced her to lift her head.

It grabbed her face as she lay prone and made her look ahead.

“Look! Look at what you did to him!”

“Nooooo!!”

The baggage carrier had tried.

He had devised and implemented many methods to please the other party members.

And thousands of times, he had hung his head.

Usually, the person who made him hang his head was Lucy herself.

“Are you that clueless? I was just alone with Rainford!”

“You burned the soup while exercising…? Are you really a baggage carrier?”

“Just shut up. Everyone finds you uncomfortable. Can’t you just quietly do your job?”

No matter how intently she stared with wide eyes, she couldn’t see his expression behind the mask.

She only felt him becoming increasingly numb.

“In a way, it’s fortunate. Coming this far is already great progress.”

The paint’s entire body dripped down.

Lucy’s body was sticky with paint, but it felt burning hot as if she had been scalded.

A silent scream echoed.

“—–!!!!!!!”

“Oh! You already have bones? See? Restoring limbs is nothing to me.”

Lucy struggled with all her might to stand up.

In the midst of unimaginable pain, she was paradoxically staying conscious because it hurt too much.

“Physical restoration is one thing! But… even I can’t do anything about a heart that has died.”

The paint raised a finger that had melted away to point at the baggage carrier.

“Can you see? Can you see? Can you see?!”

The baggage carrier no longer lifted his head.

Lucy burst into tears.

“Can you see the heart that you all killed?!”

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…!”

She frantically begged for forgiveness.

Confronted with her sin, Lucy shed endless tears and apologized.

“Mmm~ No, no.”

The paint did not forgive.

“It’s too late to ask for forgiveness.”

The paint giggled.

“Lucy Ena Estel! Wake up! Now you must let him go?”

“What?”

“His role is over. Praise him for successfully completing his mission.”

“What are you talking about?”

Speaking incomprehensibly, the paint gradually seeped into her body.

Before the last drop entered her heart, the paint—no, the elixir—squeezed out nonexistent mercy and whispered to her.

“If you wake up now, you might be able to hear Lin’s last words.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

Lucy stood up with all her might.

She placed her hands on the ground, pressed her knees and feet against the floor, and rose.

Her hands and feet were marble white.

“My hands….”

They were soft.

“My legs….”

The shapely legs extending from sturdy hips supporting her pelvis were beautiful.

“They’ve grown back…!”

As Lucy kept looking down at her body in amazement, she heard a faint laugh.

“That’s good.”

It was Lin.

He was leaning against the cave wall, his body torn to shreds.

Beside him lay a blackened, burnt succubus.

More precisely, what used to be a succubus and a shattered holy water bottle were scattered around.

“I told you, didn’t I?”

“Lin?”

“That I’d definitely fix you.”

His tone and expression were calm, but the blood flowing from his body was an alarming amount.

Judging by how he was covering his abdomen, he seemed to be preventing his intestines from spilling out.

“Unfortunately… this is as far as I go.”

Lucy stared at him blankly.

A chill wrapped around her entire body, making her hair stand on end.

To her, frozen and unable to speak, Lin draped several layers of clothes over her with trembling hands.

“You’ll catch… a cold…”

Lin smiled.

Not the faint, dim smile from before, but for the first time, he smiled broadly and brightly at her.

That was the end.

A pitiful smile was all that adorned the life of the man called Lin.

“…You’re lying, right?”

She reached out to touch his cheek.

It was cold.

“You said you’d stay with me.”

Thud

When Lucy’s hand touched him, he collapsed lifelessly to the side.

“Ah….”

Lucy finally realized Lin’s death.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!!!”

The hero had lost her only ally, her best companion, her Lin.