Ch.80Chapter 80 – Succession

“Yeah, this is going to be really tough.”

Those were the words Asam spoke the next morning when she visited the inn and saw Beatrice’s chains.

“Hey, Asam? What do you mean by that?”

“Even if we remove the chains, you won’t be able to move beyond a certain distance from each other for a while.”

Beatrice fell silent for a moment at Asam’s words.

Then she spoke again.

“…Really?”

“I think I’ll need to consult with the Masters about this.”

At Asam’s words, Beatrice began searching through her belongings.

Soon she put a cigarette in her mouth and lit it.

Then she exhaled the smoke without much thought.

“Kack! *cough*!”

“Ah, sorry.”

Beatrice was slightly flustered when she saw Sera inhaling the smoke.

It seemed she was so confused that she had forgotten there were other people around.

Anyway, seeing Sera in distress, she gently patted her back.

“*cough* Um, is it impossible to remove the magical device?”

“The spell formula is quite intricately woven. The chains themselves are easy to remove, but the master-servant contract will take some time.”

Asam answered Sera’s question.

“Unfortunately, the contract also includes a restriction preventing you from moving beyond a certain distance. There’s also something that tightens like a collar.”

“What was that madman planning to make me do?”

“Since he’s not exactly normal, rather than having some perverted intention, he probably just didn’t want to let you out of his sight.”

I silently agreed with Asam’s assessment.

Even from our brief conversation, it was clear that Somnus was different from ordinary people.

He probably didn’t create those chains with some strange purpose in mind.

Of course, the collar aspect left much to be said.

A moment later, Asam, who had been floating several magical circles in the air, stroked the chains binding my hand and Beatrice’s collar a few times.

That was all it took for the chains to twist and begin unraveling on their own.

“It would be nice if the master-servant contract could be removed as easily.”

“Actually, I can remove it temporarily.”

When Asam said this, Beatrice looked at her.

“You can remove it temporarily?”

“The problem is that there’s a spell formula that immediately restores it when removed. That’s why I concluded it would be faster to consult the Masters and get their help.”

“Damn. How long can you remove it for?”

“Ten minutes.”

Beatrice put another cigarette in her mouth, this time carefully aiming before exhaling the smoke.

But a sudden breeze from the window, which had been opened for ventilation, caused the smoke to envelop Sera again.

“Kack, kack!”

“Ah, damn it.”

Realizing it wasn’t working, Beatrice put out her cigarette.

“Asam, just in case, show me how to temporarily remove it.”

For a while, the two of them fell into their own private conversation.

Some complex talk began to pass between them.

“Got it?”

“It was surprisingly simple. Anyway, do I still have to take this guy to the magic tower?”

“Don’t brag about your boyfriend to Violet, she might misunderstand.”

“What are you saying, you brat?”

Beatrice asked incredulously.

Of course, both of them knew it was a joke, so they just chuckled.

‘That’s a relief.’

I had seen Sera’s hand moving toward Beatrice and Asam’s heads when the boyfriend comment was made.

Asam, unaware of the mortal danger she had just escaped, gathered up the chains and stood.

“Fortunately, the spell formula remains in these chains, so I think we just need to take these.”

“Alright. Thanks for coming so early in the morning.”

The two women exchanged greetings and rose from their seats.

At least the uncomfortable journey with chains seemed to be over.

“Well then, I’ll leave Beatrice in your care.”

With those final words, Asam left the inn.

“…It’s a shame we can’t remove the distance restriction due to the contract.”

“Yeah, tell me about it.”

I nodded at Sera’s words.

It was better than openly displaying chains, but we still couldn’t move beyond a certain distance from each other.

“Looks like our uncomfortable partnership will continue until we find a solution.”

“Yeah, tell me about it.”

Beatrice responded to what I had muttered to myself.

“By the way, helmet. Aren’t you going to get new equipment?”

“I have to. They all got destroyed, thanks to someone.”

Thankfully, I had received quite a bit of money recently.

I should replace it with… well, money is precious, so I’ll just get the same as before.

“I only broke your helmet.”

“My face is half-damaged right now, so people stare if I show it, which makes the helmet more critical.”

Thanks to Sera’s careful nursing, my condition had improved a lot, but the burns hadn’t completely healed.

In response to my complaint, Beatrice rested her chin on her hand and stared at my face.

“What are you looking at?”

“Your face.”

“Why?”

“Trying to decide what to eat for lunch by looking at the menu.”

I stared at her, wondering what she meant.

Of course, Beatrice wasn’t the type to care about me.

“Let’s go out. I know a cheap and decent blacksmith.”

Beatrice immediately stood up and started walking out on her own.

Because we couldn’t move beyond a certain distance from each other, I almost fell over.

Thanks to Sera catching me, I avoided an embarrassing fall, while Beatrice laughed.

“We’ll pick something decent for lunch.”

+

And so we arrived at Peri’s smithy, which I had used before.

“Peri, I’m here.”

“Ah, damn it.”

A familiar voice was heard.

Soon Peri came out of the smithy with an annoyed expression.

Then he spotted me and Sera.

“Oh, Sir Ludger’s disciple? Did you come together?”

“I was never his disciple.”

Peri’s face relaxed slightly when he saw me and Sera.

Soon he looked at Beatrice and spoke.

“So, what brings you here this time?”

“Come on. Is that how you treat your big sister?”

“Of course it is.”

Peri narrowed his eyes.

“You’re always asking for credit.”

“I always pay it back on time.”

“You call it ‘on time’ when I have to check my ledger because you leave it unpaid for months and then suddenly pay, making me think I’d forgotten about it?”

I didn’t know Peri and Beatrice were that close, but I was surprised to see him being so openly annoyed.

Had she caused him that much trouble?

“So. Did you break those strange chains again?”

“Fortunately not. I’m here because of that man.”

So this place was involved in making the chains Beatrice used as weapons.

I should ask about that later.

Peri nodded at Beatrice’s words and looked at me.

“So, what brings you here, customer? You’re dressed rather lightly today.”

“It’s about my helmet, armor, and gauntlets. They’re all broken.”

“…Did you fight a dragon or something? How did all that get destroyed?”

Peri seemed a bit upset, suggesting he was proud of the armor.

It hadn’t been that long since I got the armor here, so he was probably surprised to hear it was all destroyed.

When I asked if he had similar armor to what I had before, Peri nodded and went inside.

While he was away from the counter, I looked around the shop.

And I noticed one difference.

Sera noticed it too and immediately spoke up.

“…Isn’t that the Lavencha Trading Company emblem?”

“Yeah. Why is it here?”

The emblem of Eve’s trading company was prominently displayed.

“Ho, someone acquired this place? I thought it wouldn’t happen with all these stubborn people.”

Beatrice said as she came in from smoking outside.

“They’re skilled but too stubborn to be swayed by money, so how did they manage to acquire it?”

“Both my master and I initially refused.”

Peri appeared with the armor, having apparently overheard our conversation.

It was the same armor I had worn before.

“But that silver-haired girl kept raising the offer until we finally surrendered.”

“Didn’t you say last time that as craftsmen, you would never sell your skills for a few coins?”

“The amount was too large to refuse.”

Money is irresistible, I suppose.

I nodded and began putting on the armor Peri had given me.

Since I had worn it before, it didn’t take long to put on.

“Hmm, you definitely look strange without a helmet.”

“Is that so?”

I wasn’t sure how Beatrice could say that when she hadn’t seen me that much.

I handed Peri the payment, and he accepted it with a smile.

“By the way, there have been some disturbing rumors lately.”

“Disturbing rumors?”

“Well, according to the Merchants’ Guild, several cities have disappeared, causing problems with trade.”

I wondered how such an absurd rumor could be circulating.

They say rumors get exaggerated and distorted, and that seems true.

“It must be a false rumor.”

“Well, there was also that big explosion recently. Everyone seems to think something bad is going to happen.”

That was the terrorist attack caused by Somnus.

It probably has nothing to do with the false rumor about cities disappearing.

[I hope you survive well against the dragon.]

Perhaps because I was recalling my fight with Somnus.

I remembered something he had said.

‘It can’t be.’

No matter what.

It can’t be that.

“Anyway, the guild atmosphere is bad because of it.”

Being a merchant, Peri seemed sensitive to such rumors.

Or maybe he was just interested out of boredom.

“Why don’t you ask that girl later? Whether these rumors are true.”

“I will.”

Though I said that, I thought Eve probably didn’t know either.

If she knew, she would have told me first.

The fact that she hadn’t meant she probably didn’t know yet.

There could be various reasons.

Maybe she was too busy with other matters.

Maybe by coincidence, she hadn’t heard the rumors.

Anyway, it would eventually reach her ears, so I figured we could verify it later.

Feeling we had no more business here, I headed toward the door with my companions.

“Hey, sis, we’re leaving!”

“Pay your debts!”

Beatrice quickly fled outside.

“…I hope you collect from her.”

“Could you help me with that?”

How am I supposed to extract money from her?

Of course, Peri didn’t seem serious either, as he just smiled.

I extended my hand for a quick handshake before heading outside.

The sun was still high in the sky.

“Where are we going next?”

“We can’t exactly live without working.”

“Tch.”

I heard Beatrice, who already had a cigarette in her mouth, click her tongue at my words.

But what can I do?

I’m just a commoner with a bit of extra money right now.

“So we’re going to the guild then?”

“That’s right. I wonder if there’s any work left.”

I dragged the reluctant Beatrice, who kept stopping, toward the guild.

Come to think of it, I remember seeing someone with black hair similar to Beatrice’s at the guild tavern.

That black-haired person who was always face-down asleep at the tavern table.

‘Surely she doesn’t have unpaid debts at the guild tavern too.’

Surely not.

With that thought, I walked toward the guild.

And it was revealed that Beatrice did indeed have unpaid debts at the guild tavern as well.

+

Christina was in a dark space.

She didn’t know how much time had passed.

The space was so dark that her sense of time had become blurred.

Looking around, various scenes were being displayed.

When the church took her in as a child, when she became an official nun, when she was hit by Kay at the cemetery, and the recent Festival of Origins.

Christina was wandering in this place where various scenes were being shown.

“Um, am I dead?”

Is this the life flashing before your eyes that people talk about before death?

It was a bit frightening.

She clasped her hands together and began to pray.

It was an action to forget her fear and calm herself.

After a moment, Christina opened her eyes.

Looking around, the same scenes from before were still being displayed.

Nothing had changed.

“…This is a bit lonely.”

She desperately wished for something, anything, to help her forget this situation for a moment.

And at that moment.

A bright sphere appeared behind the scene showing the Festival of Origins.

“What is this?”

It was a small sphere floating in the air like a firefly.

It flew around Christina for a moment, circling her.

‘It’s kind of cute.’

Without thinking, she reached out to catch it, and the sphere happily nuzzled against her hand.

It felt warm and cozy somehow.

While thinking this, the sphere suddenly moved away from Christina and kept some distance.

“Are you telling me to follow you?”

-Nod

It just moved up and down, but it seemed like it was nodding.

Soon Christina began to follow the sphere.

Step by step.

The scenes appearing beside her continued to show various moments.

‘I wonder how far this goes.’

It seemed to be recalling her memories.

Christina thought this as she continued to follow the sphere.

And finally.

The largest screen unfolded before her.

“This is…”

What she saw was lips and blonde hair.

A woman wearing a white, rather elegant-looking nun’s habit.

Only the upper body was visible, so she couldn’t tell which religion’s habit it was.

Nevertheless, Christina instinctively knew who this person was.

More precisely, her mouth moved before she could even think about who it might be.

“…Mother?”

Perhaps this was a memory buried in her subconscious.

Thinking this, Christina approached the scene.

All she could see was the woman moving her lips and then using a white cloth to cover her face.

That was all.

No sound came through, so she couldn’t tell what was said behind the cloth.

But Christina found herself crying.

“…Mom.”

The shape of the lips before the cloth covered them.

-I love you.

“Lady Evgenia, thank you.”

Christina prayed to the deity she believed in.

When she was young, during a somewhat immature period.

There was a time when she grew up believing she had been abandoned because her parents didn’t love her.

And what she just saw contradicted that belief.

The scenes being shown were her memories.

Memories that should have been almost forgotten, yet were being vividly replayed.

Christina realized that her mother’s final words were true.

At least there was a reason why her parents had abandoned her.

Christina could understand that now.

“…So what should I do now?”

How to get out of here? Christina fell into contemplation.

Having learned this joyful truth, she strongly wanted to live.

But looking around, only her memories were still being displayed.

How could she wake up?

And then the small sphere appeared again.

“Are you telling me to follow you again?”

-Nod

The sphere moved slightly.

She went back through her memories toward more recent ones.

Side by side with the sphere, heading forward.

‘This feels familiar somehow.’

She felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity from the sphere.

Before she knew it, the memory had returned to the Festival of Origins.

She could see Kay holding her carefully, placing her down, and looking sad.

Though his face wasn’t visible because of the helmet, she had spent enough time with him to understand his mood.

And then she saw him leaving.

‘…Were you angry for me?’

He was sad that she was hurt.

His departure was surely for revenge.

As a cleric, she should probably stop someone seeking revenge, but Christina decided to pretend not to notice since she was the cause.

She couldn’t tell her benefactor not to act on her behalf, even if it somewhat went against God’s will.

Unlike her, he didn’t believe in God anyway.

And then the scene changed.

Kara appeared.

And the old man who had taken her.

“Kara…?”

Both their faces were serious.

She didn’t know what conversation had taken place.

But soon she felt holy power emanating from Kara, healing her.

‘So I’m not dead.’

Just by watching, she could tell that Kara’s holy power was at an extraordinary level.

It was at a level where being called a saint wouldn’t be strange.

Seeing her warm smile, Christina smiled slightly.

“When I return, I must thank her.”

Kay too. And Kara.

Thank you for thinking of me.

Thank you for healing me.

I must definitely thank them.

And suddenly Kara clutched her chest in pain.

“What…”

The man left her behind.

Kara reached out to him with difficulty but seemed to give up as she lowered her hand.

Then she turned her eyes to look at Christina.

“Kara…”

With bloodshot eyes, Kara extended her hand toward her.

She could see her squeezing out every bit of holy power she had.

That was the last thing she saw.

Like a wooden doll collapsing, Kara fell to the side.

Soon other people were seen carrying her away on a stretcher.

“Kara?”

Why?

How?

As her eyes trembled in shock, she felt a touch from behind.

Turning around, it was the sphere from before.

No, it wasn’t a sphere anymore.

“Kara…?”

The light, which had taken the form of a woman about her age, nodded.

And then, she handed over something long.

It was a staff she had never seen before.

A golden metal staff.

Though simple, it had decorations here and there, making her think it was a precious and expensive item.

“What is this…?”

There was no answer.

The woman made of light shook her head slightly.

Perhaps she couldn’t answer.

Come to think of it, the last two scenes should not have been in her memories.

Why could she recall them?

While this question briefly arose, the woman made of light pointed to a place with her hand.

An immense light was pouring down in front of it.

“Are you telling me to go there?”

-Nod.

The light bowed her head.

And then, she began to disappear.

“Thank you, Kara.”

In fact, she might have died if things had gone as they should have.

But she realized she had been saved thanks to someone else’s sacrifice.

And Christina walked toward the light, leaning on the staff.

And in the light, she…

Christina opened her eyes.

When she did, she saw a familiar ceiling.

Her room in the church.

And beside her, a young child looking down at her.

“Was it a dream?”

She tried moving her body slightly.

Thinking there was no discomfort, Christina sat up.

‘I need to check what happened after I collapsed.’

Looking outside, it seemed to be the middle of the night.

But there should still be a priest on duty.

Even though it was a small, poor church, they did that much.

Patients sometimes appeared in the middle of the night.

Thinking she should quickly ask how much time had passed, Christina carefully got up, avoiding the young child who was dozing beside her.

“Ugh, ah, ah!”

It seemed her assumption of no discomfort was wrong.

Her body felt incredibly stiff.

Christina thought perhaps she had been asleep for so long that her body had completely stiffened.

And just as her body finally left the bed.

-Thud

“Huh?”

Something rolled off the bed.

She must have accidentally touched it while getting up.

And Christina couldn’t help but be surprised at what she saw.

What had fallen from the bed was the staff she had received in her dream.