Ch.6060. Homecoming

●

< Item Info >

[ Soul Linker ] [ Exclusive Equipment ]

[ Enchant: Epic ]

[ ‘Hero’s Fragment’ fusion ][ ‘Essence of Evil’ fusion ]

#1

[ Spirit: Calivan – Guardian, Knight of the Dawn ]

[ Current Synchronization Rate: 12% ] [ Stage 1 Opened ]

< Additional Function >

[ ■ Skill: Mental World ]

#2

[ Evil Spirit: Valkarsus – Alchemist, Last King of Armada ]

[ Current Synchronization Rate: 10.00% ] [ Stage 1 Opened ]

< Additional Function >

[ ■ Trait: Alchemy – Basic ]

As such a window floats hazily before my eyes.

My consciousness is pulled back to the material world.

“…Ugh.”

The intense pain makes me groan, but beyond that, I feel something even more alien.

My head feels strangely soft.

“…”

I blink in confusion, and as my vision gradually returns, I see someone’s face.

Blood-red eyes staring down at me like they’re about to devour me.

“…!”

I tense up in shock, but the pain—now twice as intense as before—makes me groan again and go limp.

My body is completely battered. At least when I was the Purifier, I healed immediately.

“You’re awake.”

“…Elnore?”

“Yes. Seems you haven’t forgotten my face.”

Elnore’s voice carries several times more frost than usual.

“Um, Elnore.”

“Hmm.”

“Are you angry?”

“I am angry.”

“…”

She certainly looks it.

And that makes what I need to ask even more important.

“…If you’re angry, why are you giving me a lap pillow?”

“Because I’m angry, I should at least do what I want to do.”

“…”

That’s what she says.

I let out a small laugh and just breathe quietly for a while, then painfully look around.

“It’s quite a spectacle.”

“Indeed.”

The alchemy dispersing from Valkarsus’s fallen body was covering the sky completely.

It looked as if the sky had opened and spirits were ascending all at once.

The meaning is similar too.

With this, the kingdom of Armada is essentially saved.

The souls will return to the cycle of reincarnation, as they should, and dwell in new bodies.

In this world, it’s common knowledge that the souls of the dead return to the cycle of reincarnation and inhabit newly born bodies.

Valkarsus had struggled all those long years just to restore this basic right to his people.

“…”

With effort, I raise my arm to look at the amulet hanging there.

It was emitting a gray light from within, a mixture of white and black.

That must be because both Calivan and Valkarsus are sleeping in there.

‘…See you later.’

Like Calivan, Valkarsus will probably spend most of his time sleeping in here until my divine power increases.

I hope the time comes soon when I can wake them easily and have conversations.

As I’m thinking this, messages suddenly unfold before my eyes.

<System Message>

[ You have completed the Main Quest! ]

[ Rewards will be distributed! ]

[ ‘Essence of Evil x1’ has been awarded! ]

[ ‘Hero’s Fragment x1’ has been awarded! ]

[ 10,000pt has been awarded! ]

[ This quest was affected by an Emergency Event. Additional rewards will be distributed! ]

[ Special interaction with the ‘Inquisition’ has been added! ]

[ This function will be activated immediately upon contact with Inquisition personnel! ]

My eyes stop at one particular part as I read down.

Everything else is fine, but the last sentence written there is especially important.

‘…The Inquisition, huh.’

In a survey of Sera users, they ranked as the undisputed #1 in the “Allied faction you least want as an enemy” category.

There are many reasons for that, but the main issue is a certain “companion” character with an especially strong presence within their ranks.

‘I should avoid seeking them out.’

I’ll inevitably encounter them someday, but it’s better to delay that as much as possible.

Right now, there are probably fewer than a handful of people on the entire continent who are more directly entangled with demons than I am.

That means the Inquisition, which makes “demon hunting” its business, is unlikely to welcome me.

‘Well, that’s that.’

There’s one more thing I need to think about.

When you break through Valkarsus via the combat route like this, something “opens up.”

[ You have fulfilled one condition for the Hidden Event ‘???’ (1/3) ]

Right.

Savior Rising is a more well-structured game than you might think, with proper rewards for clearing the main scenario through unusual methods rather than the “orthodox” way.

This “Hidden Event” is exactly that—a reward that appears when you thoroughly complete the main scenario.

And that is…

“…What are you staring at?”

I smile at Elnore, who speaks with a sulky expression.

“Nothing, just…”

It’s the only secret method to solve the “madness” passed down in Elnore’s family.

I’ve just taken the first step toward that.

“…”

Elnore, who had been quietly looking down at me, sighs and flicks my nose with her finger.

The gesture might seem like child’s play, but the impact makes my head snap back.

Just how strong is she?

“…What was that for?”

“Don’t try to charm me. I’m quite displeased right now.”

“…”

I just smiled a little, that’s all.

“That’s what charming is.”

“…So why—”

“Because that’s how I feel.”

“…”

What am I supposed to do about that?

As I quietly close my mouth, Elnore sighs and picks me up.

“Given your injuries, it would be best to get treatment first.”

“…”

Oh, right.

My current state is, to put it kindly, completely battered.

Considering this person’s “tendencies,” I thought she’d be mentally wrecked seeing me like this, but her reaction is surprisingly composed.

At this rate, I could have brought her along for the battle with Valkarsus.

‘…What’s changed?’

I have a guess.

When I used the possession skill to pair her with Flash Terror, I did see a message saying she had almost completed fusion with the fragment.

As far as I know, that in itself becomes the catalyst for triggering yet another event.

Perhaps she’s already feeling its effects—

“And while you’re getting treated, you can slowly explain.”

“…Pardon?”

“Where are you going with Elia Krisanax?”

“…”

Ah, right.

That’s still pending.

●

“Elia, welcome back! Are you hurt… What happened to you?!”

Trisha, who had been anxiously waiting for her roommate to return to the dormitory, screamed in shock when she saw Elia enter the room.

Of course, after seeing her being dragged off somewhere, she didn’t expect the day to go smoothly, but she never imagined it would be this bad.

Dust covering various parts of her body and minor injuries here and there—that would be one thing.

But her face is a complete mess.

Swollen eyes, a nose that’s clearly raw from too much rubbing. And the dejection still evident in her expression.

“Were you crying? What on earth happened to you…!”

And above all else.

The “color of emotions” that Trisha sees in Elia is alarming.

If it were just black from a bad mood, she wouldn’t be this shocked.

But this feels like she’s lost even the “vitality” she always carries.

“…Hey, Trisha.”

Elia spoke with a drooping voice.

“…Am I actually useless?”

“…”

It’s a question so bewildering that it’s hard to know where to begin asking questions.

It’s absurd to hear such words from the mouth of a Heroic Candidate, a title given only to those with the continent’s pinnacle of talent, especially at such a young age.

“…I, I, should I even be by the teacher’s side? Always receiving help, never able to properly help in return…”

The girl who was always upright, full of resolute will, and energized those around her.

She’s wavering. The color in her heart has gone beyond murky to something like sticky soot.

And the darkness is growing stronger.

“…”

Trisha, who had been gaping in bewilderment, quickly gathered her wits and slapped both her cheeks.

This is no time to worry about such things. Elia’s condition is truly alarming.

‘…If I don’t straighten her out here!’

As someone who can see the color of others’ emotions, she knew this was truly a “danger signal.”

If she handled this half-heartedly, Elia might really change as a person, and she couldn’t just stand by and watch that happen to her friend!

‘First…’

She wasn’t sure exactly what had happened.

But she knew it involved “that person” again.

So, she needed to clarify this first.

“Elia, what exactly do you think about that person?”

“That person… who…?”

“Darwood Campbell. How do you see him? A respectable goal? A friend?”

“That, that’s, even I’m not clear…”

“Or do you like him?”

At the bluntly delivered question, Elia froze.

Even the color in her heart seemed to pause its evolution into deeper blackness.

“…”

Seeing this, Trisha inwardly sighed.

While she wasn’t a love expert, she had observed enough people to be somewhat proficient at grasping the “pulse” of relationships.

This was that kind of situation.

Halfway there, but having never experienced it before, unsure if this is really what it seems.

Despite not being certain about her own feelings, the fact that a brief light returned to her heart when asked if she liked him made it even more obvious.

“…Elia. You said you have some kind of wish token from him, right?”

“Y-yes.”

“Then let’s use it. This won’t do.”

“Huh? Use it? For what?”

What else would you use it for?

“The pilgrimage homecoming event during the break.”

Trisha stood up abruptly as she said this.

Meanwhile, Elia’s face was turning bright red.

Just imagining it seemed to make her nervous.

She kept fidgeting.

“B-but, will it be okay? What if he refuses?”

“It’s a wish token, right? If he doesn’t grant it, complain. Besides, you were planning to use it for this from the beginning, so why get nervous now?”

Elia closed her mouth at Trisha’s decisive words.

Somehow, her friend seemed several times more mature today.

Almost to the point of exuding dignity.

‘…This probably won’t be enough.’

True to this impression, Trisha was still coldly calculating.

Though she hadn’t always observed it, the obsession that Elphante’s student president had for Darwood Campbell was truly enormous.

Especially considering what “pilgrimage homecoming” typically means to Elphante students, there’s no way she’d miss this.

So, to gain the upper hand, they needed to play a trump card of their own.

“And let’s write a letter too.”

“…Huh? What? Huh?”

Unable to keep up with the developments, Elia’s eyes were spinning. Trisha placed a pen in her hand and set up paper in front of her, then spoke with blazing eyes.

“Write exactly what I say.”

She took a deep breath and continued.

“Addressee: Margrave Kendrid.”

Elia’s mouth fell open.

●

“You don’t look well, Darwood.”

Atalante spoke with a concerned voice from across the table.

“I heard you were seriously injured not long ago. If you’re having trouble concentrating, it might be better to rest.”

“…No. I’m fine.”

In reality, there’s nothing wrong with my body.

It’s just this issue. I rub my face, which has gone slightly pale.

Lately, I’ve been thinking that my improvisational abilities are reaching new heights.

That’s because things keep happening outside my awareness, and I have to adapt to them—something that’s been happening extremely frequently lately.

It’s like I’ve gotten used to suddenly having to create action plans and guidelines for things that pop up completely unrelated to my intentions.

< System Message >

[ Target ‘Margrave Kendrid’ has begun to take interest in you. ]

[ A related event will be created soon! ]

Still, give me a moment to breathe.

Please.

“…”

Margrave Kendrid.

Elia’s adoptive father. The eternal rival of Grand Duke Gideon Tristan. The strongest holy knight of the current generation.

What business does he have with me now?

“You’ve been through a lot this time.”

Atalante, unaware of my thoughts, continued with a drawn-out sigh.

“The Empire, the Holy Empire, the Tribal Union… all three countries simultaneously taking interest in your whereabouts, and then not long after, a massive terrorist attack on Elphante. I can’t remember such major incidents happening in succession even in my memory.”

The chancellor pushed up her glasses as she spoke.

“Nevertheless, I think it’s still too early to feel at ease.”

Her words were deadly serious.

“As I’ve said before, the Cultists of the Demon will continue to target you. In my view, this recent incident was part of that.”

“…”

“All events will now start to revolve around you. I think we need to move quickly, anticipating that something else will happen again.”

“…I agree.”

Despite all the various incidents, when I come to my senses, I’ve only cleared Chapter 2 so far.

There’s still a long way to go in the scenario, and the Demonic Vessel issues are far from resolved.

I can’t stop building my strength if I want to survive.

Above all else.

That person is the problem.

The woman who suddenly appeared and disappeared. The Luminary. The leader of the Cultists of the Demon.

‘…Was that person originally a woman?’

Not in my memory.

Among all the scenario elements I remember, only that person deviates from my “knowledge.”

In this world built on a game system that moves according to my knowledge, they are the only existence that defies my expectations.

Unlike others.

I can’t even guess what thoughts and intentions that person harbors toward me.

“But!”

Perhaps noticing my darkening expression as I was about to sink into contemplation again, Atalante immediately brightened her voice and smiled.

“That doesn’t mean a person shouldn’t rest at all. You’ll break down that way.”

“…Pardon?”

“We usually start the break after midterms, but due to the recent attack, the academy’s functions are temporarily suspended. Since we can’t hold classes, I’m planning to just let everyone take an early break.”

In other words, you should rest during that time too.

The chancellor winked as she continued.

However.

“…I’d like to rest too.”

That’s the purpose of the break system.

Right.

But the probability of me enjoying such a thing is extremely low.

“But?”

“The pilgrimage homecoming event. Do you know about it, Chancellor?”

“I know… about it?”

The chancellor tilted her head as she answered.

It was one of the representative “romance” events in the game.

It refers to an event where students make arrangements during the break to visit each other’s hometowns.

Among the nobles within the Empire, how should I put it.

It’s essentially treated as a dating trip for students.

While it’s not an official event promoted by the academy, it’s been a tradition among students for so long that it’s treated as a semi-official event. There’s even dedicated staff assigned to manage it.

“…”

I hand Atalante the event-related documents I received from that staff.

The contents written there were something I truly, really never wanted to do.

The result of not being able to refuse because either party would kill me or themselves if I did.

“…This is a joke, right?”

Atalante said with a bitter smile.

“Elia Krisanax. Elnore Erinarise la Tristan.”

“…”

“Heroic Candidate. Tristan Princess. Either one alone would be enough to turn most territories upside down.”

“…”

“…You’re going home with these two? To the Campbell ‘Barony’?”

“…”

I wish it were a joke.

Sincerely.

●