Chapter 154: Memory
Memory
Walter Gares, the Senior Professor and the Dean of the Theology School, was a well-known eccentric in Elfante.
Sometimes, people would find him dancing half-naked while drinking hard liquor straight from its bottle on top of Gregory hall. At other times, theyd see him jumping off a height of hundreds of meters, trying to test the limits of Divine Power. Youd also find him singing hymns boisterously at the most random of times.
Of course, there were times when he did all of these at once.
Actually, I didnt need to bring such examples. Any sane person who had encountered him for more than three seconds would agree that you couldnt associate him with the word normal at all.
The Vortex of Fate, the Call of Stars, and the Primordial Curse borne by the Black Flame Dragon sleeping in my right arm have guided our meeting to this place.
[What is he babbling about?]
He said hes pleased to meet me.
This is his normal greeting.
[What is he? A crazy bastard]
Yes, yes he is.
[]
Beneath that silence, I could hear him asking if I was kidding or not, but I wasnt joking when I said that.
This person was legitimately a comprehensive gift set of mental illnesses.
To put it simply, in his brain, the part that was in charge of his rationality, and the part that made his body do eccentric activities, the crazy bastard part, was functioning separately, but at the same time.
Thanks to that, while there was some semblance of rationality in his speech and behavior, for the most part, theyd look like something that came out of an uncontrollable lunatic.
[Why is he even a professor? He should stay in the hospital.]
Well, because aside from his odd behavior, you can still communicate normally with him, and most importantly
[Yeah?]
His skills are the real deal.
In other words, despite being riddled with such various handicaps, he was still skilled enough to become the Senior Professor in Elfantes Theology School.
And that was why there were things that I could only ask him to do.
In terms of Sanctification Work, processing items using Divine Power, no one was more skilled than him, even when the Saintess was included in the calculation.
Ive come to retrieve the item I entrusted to you, Dean Walter.
When I said that, Walter exaggeratedly strutted to his desk.
His movements were theatrical, if I didnt know any better, Id believe it if you were to tell me that he was the protagonist of some theatrical play.
Behold the masterpiece, born from the primal desire and instinct of a certain being. Capable of mesmerizing its surroundings just by its exist
The work went smoother than expected, you said? I just asked for a simple Sanctification Work, though.
In a world filled with despair, the fragile yet resilient existence that can withstand with just a sliver of hope is huma-
Huh? You managed to preserve its original nature while enhancing it? Thats really impressive.
See?
I told you this man is skilled.
[You could actually talk with him?! How the fuck?!]
I dunno, Dude.
Well, I encountered him often in the game, so I just understood what he was sayingkinda
It was mostly just reading between the lines and guesswork, honestly.
Hell be helpful later on, after all.
Later on, hed be of great help in removing Eleanors Unique Debuff, Madness.
So, being able to communicate with him wasnt a bad thing.
Anyway
The mental flaws of humans as social animals include the inability to live alone, thus amidst this terrible imbalance of dissociation, I cry out.
Thank you for the offer, but I have to reject it this time. Ill be pleased to have some tea and snacks with you next time, though.
With a polite response, I left Walters office.
In my hand was the orb-shaped Soul Spirit he processed. T/his chapter is updated by nov(ê(l)biin.co/m
This was, to be more precise
< Item Info >
[ Tatiana Grachel ] [ Processed ]
[ Specialty: Curse ]
[ Form: Soul Spirit ]
[ Processing Options ]
Subordinate as a familiar
Use as an enhancement material for an item
Resummon in full form (Becomes annihilated after one use)
I was talking about this.
Originally, I could only choose one of these options, but thanks to Walters workmanship, it seemed I could choose another option after using it as an enhancement material.
Thats not bad.
Tatiana fell short compared to Valkasus, but she was still capable of using powerful curses. Whether I were to turn her into a Familiar or just resummon her, I could make use of her at some point.
Well, both were for later
For now, Id apply it as enhancement material to Soul Linker.
I gotta enhance Caliban, after all.
[Youre enhancing me? Why?]
Im doing something good for you, why the hell are you complaining?
[No, Im not, its just If you can enhance someone, you should use it on yourself or Iliya. Why do you pick me instead? Thats what I was trying to say. I mean, Im just a parasite in your head at best.]
Why the hell was he talking like this?
Sure, the only thing he could do for me at the moment was to serve as my Buff Skill Shuttle, but that was only because the Soul Synchronization Rate was low.
Along with Iliya, he was a linchpin for clearing this chapter. There were numerous situations where his contribution would be crucial.
Especially considering that my life would be under constant threat. I was expecting to rely heavily on him a lot later.
That was why it was only natural that Id be prioritizing his enhancement.
I shrugged my shoulders before bringing the orb-shaped Soul Spirit closer to Soul Linker.
Immediately after, a window popped up in front of me.
Upon hearing Calibans words, the nearby Guardians let out fierce smiles.
They were unarmed, while the knights were fully armed.
Even so, the fully armored knights were being pushed back in terms of momentum and spirit.
While nonchalantly scratching the back of his neck, Caliban continued in a blas tone.
We are Guardians. Our job is to save people, we are not interested in anything else.
However
His eyes were filled with the fury of a wild beast, condensed with nothing but violence.
Even if your grandfather is the one whos coming here, Duke, we will not move without a suitable reason. Do you understand that?
After a long silence, Gideon let out a sigh before opening his mouth again.
This is a request from the Heretic Inquisition. They asked for your cooperation for an Exorcism. According to them, theyll provide you with sanctified equipment.
Upon hearing this, surprise spread across the face of all the Guardians, including Caliban himself.
We are knights, Lord Duke, hunting Devils is not in our job description.
The Heretic Inquisition has specifically requested your deployment for this task. This is a highly confidential matter, so normally youd be briefed upon your deployment, but
Gideon continued in a stiff voice.
In the far east of the Empire, signs of a Devil that has gone berserk have been detected. A total of three cities have been reduced to ashes in just half a day.
It was clear that he was barely able to get those words out.
They wish you to, even if its just for a moment, to halt the Devils actions.
To halt it? For how long?
One night.
Caliban let out a scoff.
Just from the sound of it, its a fucked up mission.
Gideon bit his lips until it bled.
What youre trying to say is that we should throw ourselves into the grinder to save the Empires citizens. Am I right?
Gideon himself was fully aware of the implications of what he had just spoken.
A Devil that had gone berserk was a calamity that couldnt be faced by anyone other than a Hero wielding the Holy Sword.
What he was asking them to do was to confront that kind of disaster for a whole night.
Even with sanctified equipment, it was still a suicide mission.
He was forcing them to go out there to die.
After a long silence, Caliban let out a deep sigh before opening his mouth again.
If we refuse to do it, how many of us will die?
It is impossible to know.
Gideon replied with a heavy heart.
But, its certain that at least hundreds of thousands people will die if no one is suppressing it. Thousands of people have already died yesterday.
Then we have to do it.
Calibans response came without any hesitation.
Considering the magnitude of his decision, his tone was unexpectedly calm. Even Gideon turned around to look at him with wide eyes.
Lets hear about it in a bit more detail, Lord Duke.
Almost as if
I mean, it isnt like anyone other than us can do it.
It was just another days work for them.
System Message
[ Consciousness of target Caliban has been unlocked! ]
[ A Special Memory is being replayed! ]
[ Collecting all Special Memories will trigger a Holy Sword Related Event! ]
After that message popped up, my consciousness was pulled back to reality.
I stared at the Soul LInker with a dumbfounded expression.
That was
Calibans memory during the Crimson Night Incident Yeah, that definitely was
[Whats wrong? Why are you spacing out all of a sudden?]
Uh, like Honestly
Seeing all that made me see him in a new light.
Because prior to this, he had only been bitching around
Well, I guess he wasnt a Guardian for nothing, huh?
[Huh? Whats that about all of a sudden?]
Its nothing.
With a bitter smile, I shook my head.
These were memories related to his own demise, it wouldnt do both of us any good if I were to tell him that I had seen them.
Right as I was lost in such thoughts
System Message
[ Following the Awakening of the Enchanted Thought Form within Soul Linker, some functions have been unlocked. ]
[ Fusion of the Soul Spirit: Orb confirmed. ]
[ Additional skills have been unlocked! ]
Such a window popped up before my eyes.
Ah, come to think of it
The last time the Soul Synchronization Rate increased, it also unlocked some new skills.
I guess it happened again this time.
As I browsed through the newly appeared window with such thoughts.
This is fucking insane.
My pupils dilated to its very limits.
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