Chapter 63: Priest Eden #3

Chapter 63: Priest Eden #3

“If you’re alive.”

Thwack-!

“You’ll keep healing Michael from behind.”

Thwack- Thwack-!

“You’re such a pain.”

Thwack-

With each of my words, Eden’s body was brutally crushed.

Eden, struck by the Amulet of Reflection, was so severely injured that he didn’t have the strength to move a finger.

He had been beaten so much that his Emergency Return ability had long since been canceled.

If I had let him escape, he would have fully recovered and returned soon, but I had no intention of letting that happen.

Eden’s cockroach-like longevity would finally come to an end today.

“⋯How.”

Eden’s blood-stained lips barely moved.

The light of life was already fading from his face.

“What? I can’t hear you, you bastard.”

I stopped beating him and leaned my ear towards Eden’s mouth.

I was a little curious about what the guy who had lost all resistance would babble about.

“How… escape… strength… to defeat me…”

Eden spoke intermittently, almost unintelligibly.

It was a string of short words, but I could roughly understand what he wanted to say.

He probably wanted to ask how I escaped the restraint device and how I became so strong to defeat him.

“Alright, I’ll be generous. If you’re really curious, should I tell you?”

“Hoo- Huk…”

Eden gasped for breath without answering.

“How I did it…”

I reflected on my journey so far.

I, a veteran player of Nine Stars, was somehow reincarnated into the game.

And the target of my reincarnation was the infamous Lich, and now I was just a frail girl…

It’s long, so long.

‘Ah, it’s too much trouble.’

I decided to stop.

What’s the point of explaining everything in detail?

He’s going to die soon anyway.

Even if I summarized my journey like Eminem’s rapid-fire rap, there was no guarantee he’d be alive by the end of the story.

“It’s because I’m amazing.”

“Ha… Kk, kkuhuhu…”

Eden laughed in despair.

His eyes, already clouded, stared blankly at the sky, having lost focus, but his eyes held a deep sense of futility.

“Even if you kill me… Michael… will… you…”

Eden couldn’t finish his sentence.

After a few deep breaths, as if exhaling his life, his head lolled to the side.

And then he didn’t move anymore.

“See, you bastard. You couldn’t even listen to me when I was trying to tell you.”

I nudged Eden’s body with my toe.

That great Priest Eden-

Eden, the companion of the hero, met his end like this.

My feelings were complicated.

He was a terrible guy, but he was a formidable opponent, so maybe I should give him a grave out of respect.

…Not at all.

Are you crazy? What kind of damn grave?

How many victims has this guy caused? Not kidding, it might easily be in the triple digits.

And in the end, humans are no different from monsters. If you kill them, you should farm them.

Eden’s precious priest equipment, which he was wearing, is incredibly valuable even if I can’t use it.

If I take it to a major city and carefully sell it on the black market, it’ll fetch a lot of money.

And Eden’s corpse itself is a valuable material to me.

‘After the Giant Worm, it’s you.’

I had used the Giant Worm’s corpse while dealing with Eden, but Eden’s corpse filled that void as if passing the baton.

Necromancy, a secret art to revive corpses and make their past-life abilities work for me.

I could already picture the scene of the revived Eden fighting faithfully according to my commands.

I carefully stored Eden’s corpse in the subspace within my Golden Horn Cloak, as if it were a sacred relic.

***

The tumultuous night had passed.

It took a considerable amount of time for the situation to stabilize.

It was only natural.

There were numerous casualties, and moreover, the perpetrator was the famous hero Eden, known to all adventurers.

“I saw it with my own two eyes. High Priest Eden, he attacked me. I swear on my honor!”

Examiner Jack, lying in the casualty ward, spoke with intense emotion.

Jack was one of the survivors who had barely escaped that brutal night.

According to him, it was a situation where it wouldn’t have been strange even if he had died.

Fortunately, Eden was too focused on chasing me to confirm the kills one by one, and Jack managed to survive thanks to that.

He lost an arm, but it was a cheap price to pay for survival.

“Where the hell did that bastard disappear to?”

Examiner Maria was also furious, no less than Jack.

Maria had shown an unexpected side, shedding tears and worrying about Jack when he was unconscious.

Jack and Maria vowed to report this to the Adventurer’s Guild immediately and inform the entire empire to make Eden pay the appropriate price…

‘It’s not time yet.’

I remained silent.

Eden, or rather Eden’s corpse, whom Jack and Maria were looking for, was currently being secretly stored inside my cloak.

However, I had no intention of revealing this fact.

‘It’s too early to escalate things. It wouldn’t be good if the situation blew up right now.’

I could easily predict the consequences if Eden’s mass murder became known to everyone.

It’s obvious.

The Adventurer’s Guild would be utterly crushed, and its very name would disappear into history.

‘The Adventurer’s Guild doesn’t have the strength to face Michael.’

Michael already held the core institutions and power of the empire in his hands.

The Emperor, unaware of this fact, fully trusted Michael, but Michael was now only one step away from the throne.

The moment of decision.

The signal that he would finally reveal his ambition and place the world at his feet.

If the wrongdoings of the Hero Party were revealed to the world by Jack and Maria, Michael would inevitably take that ‘final step’ to overcome the crisis.

If that happens, it’s over.

Michael would no longer have to consider anyone’s opinion and would suppress everyone with his immense power and authority.

‘That’s why I have to endure it now.’

There are various ways to hide one’s identity and borrow someone else’s face in the world of Nine Stars.

Without conclusive evidence, Jack and Maria’s accusations would lack sufficient persuasiveness, and eventually, the matter would naturally die down over time.

Jack and Maria might find it unfair, but they have to bear it.

Because you don’t have enough power.

I will take revenge on your behalf, and I will decide when that time comes.

“More importantly, thank you very much, Estel. I heard that you and your companions risked danger to confront Eden. Thanks to you, Maria and I, and other adventurers, survived. I express my gratitude once again.”

Jack, lying in bed with his body heavily bandaged, bowed his head with difficulty.

Jack’s gaze flickered towards Maria.

Maria hesitated for a moment, then also bowed her head deeply.

“Jack is right. I’m ashamed. If it weren’t for you, we would already be on our way to the afterlife.”

“Why are you so compliant all of a sudden? It’s strange. Did your personality change after almost dying?”

“⋯You idiot. Do you feel better only after being sarcastic even at times like this?”

Maria glared at me.

But her expression lacked the usual venom.

Perhaps a bond has formed between us, knowingly or unknowingly, after overcoming this crisis together.

“Anyway, thank you! Let’s consider it a debt. If there’s anything I can help you with later, just say the word. I will definitely repay this debt.”

Maria threw a small badge at me.

It was the same badge that was on Jack and Maria’s chests.

“I forgot to mention it. You passed. You’re a guild member now. Congratulations.”

“Is that okay? I thought the trial ended inconclusively.”

“It’s up to the discretion of the trial supervisor to decide who passes and who fails. You showed enough ability even in an unexpected crisis, so I judged you to be qualified. Well, what if someone objects? I’m the examiner.”

Maria smiled slyly. Jack, lying down, also chuckled, then grimaced as if still feeling pain.

Maria always did things her own way, but in this situation, her capricious nature seemed to have worked in my favor.

“Oh, right. Then my party members…”

“I expected you to ask. They passed too. Although not as much as you, they also showed bravery in their own way. I have enough judgment to know that.”

“Phew.”

Only then did I let out a sigh of relief.

I was worried about what would happen when Eden appeared, but it seems everything has worked out somehow.

My companions didn’t die, and as intended, I passed the guild’s trial.

“Estel, do you have anything to say now?”

Maria looked at me with a triumphant smile.

Something feels off. She seems to be hiding something.

“What do I have to say?”

“You’re a guild member now too. I joined the guild eight years before you. So, naturally, there’s something you should say, right?”

“Stop beating around the bush and say what you want to say. What is it?”

“That I’m your senior. Say ‘Senior-‘. Huh? Quickly!”

So that’s what she wanted to say.

Hearing the word ‘senior’ reminded me of Flora’s face.

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

For me, Flora is the only senior. I don’t intend to raise multiple people.

“Geez, you look so pretty, but you’re not cute at all. Ah, if you call me senior just once, what’s the harm?”

Maria persisted stubbornly.

Had she been holding a grudge for a long time?

“Senior or whatever, don’t forget our bet. You said you’d pay for the travel expenses. And also-“

“Ugh! I didn’t forget.”

Maria, who had attacked first and was now receiving the blowback, pouted.