Chapter 30

Chapter 30

"Oh, I knew it! There was no need for pretense."

"Yes, sir. He told me to follow the Demon's Shard upon arrival here. How may I assist you?"

The sound of Luna grinding her teeth reached here. She too had distanced herself from my side.

"No, that can't be! Zero would never do that!"

Even in this situation, Raymon stayed by my side.

But why is his loyalty so high?

I haven't done anything.

"Kehehe, it's simple. Just help me take root in this place."

"Couldn't you do it alone? Although it's an initial type of erosion, I thought you could handle that."

"Hmm! Before I went to sleep, I had an accident. A sacred sword... I never imagined. So, I lost most of my power."

"A sacred sword? Where is that?"

"I'm not quite sure. Before I fell asleep, it was over there..."

The Demon's Shard moved its only eyeball.

Everyone's gaze turned there.

There lay human bones, clothes, and traces of a shattered sword.

"Friend! Friend!"

The parrot screeched almost like a scream.

There was no longer any need to hide it. These were Luterus's traces.

He had perished after a fierce battle with the Demon's Shard.

That was part of the story created in the game.

"Kehehe, a fine sight. Well, I had to rest due to severe damage... but now it doesn't matter. You're here, after all."

"How much of your strength has been restored?"

"About 20%. The only abilities I can use are erosion and thorny tentacles. Damn, how did I end up like this..."

Black tentacles writhed around the Demon's Shard.

Tentacles with sharp, spike-like ends. That was his way of attacking.

"Oh dear, can't you move?"

"That's right. The power of erosion isn't what it used to be. I doubt I can take over space in one go. It would have been a disaster if you hadn't been here."

"Hmm, did he give you any other orders? Like plans for the future..."

"Huh? The plan was to replicate me after my completion. I overheard that another plan is underway on the white plains to the north of the empire... Wait a minute."

The Demon's Shard moved its eyeball in a circle.

It seemed to be thinking.

"But why are you asking this? You should have much more information than me who was asleep."

Oh, that?

Because...

"Keke, I am your enemy."

"...!!"

His pupil dilated.

His surprise was palpable to all of us.

"Such a cunning human!"

"Keke, how foolish. Truly befitting a demon. A race known to be worse liars than humans."

"What are you saying, you insolent brat! Lying is a demon's forte!"

"Yes, bring on the next demon. Playing with losers isn't fun..."

"This, this brat...!"

The orb vibrated violently.

The tremor clearly conveyed his real anger.

It was time to observe his trembling form.

Luna stepped beside me again and said.

"Well done. I believed in you from the start."

"...Didn't you just grind your teeth?"

"Ahaha... Ye-yes, acting, just acting! I wouldn't betray a friend, right? How was my acting?"

If that was acting, she could be a great actress.

Next was Rodelin.

"Zero, just one question."

"Go ahead."

"How did you know that thing was the Demon's Shard?"

Did I mention that?

A mistake. But there were plenty of excuses.

"It was written on the door."

"...On the door?"

"Yes."

No joke, it was really written there.

The Demon's Shard was temporarily sealed here to give it time to recover.

'It also says "Do not awaken for 50 years," but saying that would be counterproductive if they could read it.'

Demon archeology is not as advanced a field as one might think.

Even a little research would have you branded a black magician and burned at the stake.

It's a discipline that's only recently come to be seen as necessary.

So, it's best to be sparing with words.

"Damn humans! I'll kill you all!!"

A black aura burst forth from where the Demon's Shard was.

A roar signaling the start of battle.

At the same time, a blue window appeared before me.

[Hidden Quest]

- Defeat the Demon's Shard.

Reward: 300exp, 30 gold

Penalty: Death

This game has hidden quests too.

After all, it's an old game that revolves around quests and dialogues.

For Episode 1, the reward is quite generous. But I wasn't feeling good.

'A death penalty already? The level difference must be huge.'

A penalty of death means there's no harsher penalty that could be given.

What's the point of any other penalties like stat reduction after death? You're already dead.

In other words, it's a sign that the difficulty is too high for my current specs, almost like a bad ending.

A kind warning to be extra cautious while playing.

She really isn't immune to such crude jokes.

'I'm not premature, I'm just tired because I woke up after a long time. Ah, just thinking to myself, but keep that in mind,' grumbled from somewhere.

Are demons sensitive about such things too?

"I'll explain the strategy. If you're hit by erosion twice, retreat immediately. You must wait outside the erosion area until fully recovered."

"I understand. But the attack is the problem."

"I will remove the eroded land. So, please protect me until then."

"...You mean to say you'll eliminate the eroded land? That's impossible."

Rodelin was someone who has first hand experience with erosion.

So, she would know. Erosion can't be removed.

It can only be eliminated with immense holy power, so Rodelin's statement seems accurate.

However.

"What we have is not complete erosion. It's an initial type. So, it should be possible to remove it."

"Assuming that's true, how do you plan to remove it?"

With a sly smile, I raised my right hand.

In it, I held my weapon.

A very large and beautiful... mop.

"...You can't be serious."

Rodelin's expression soured.

But, unfortunately, she was right.

"Let's clean up. This dirty land."

The unfortunate skill obtained after paying 100 potential points.

The power of [Clean S].

* * *

Parrot's Diary #5

"Friend!"

Suddenly, the ground collapsed. I flew towards Luterus, who was falling.

He was falling much faster than my speed.

'Damn, damn, damn!'

Thud!

"Argh!"

Luterus screamed.

Fortunately, he wasn't dead. There were layers of plants cushioning his fall.

"Friend!"

"Uh... I'm okay. But what is this place?"

Plants turned black.

A place full of dead plants, an ominous atmosphere.

"Huh? What's that..."

The land stained with dark red. In the center, there was a black egg.

"Who's there?"

A giant eyeball popped out from the black egg.

At the same time, a black aura engulfed us.

This is how we die...

Whoosh-!

Just when I thought we were dead, a light burst from the sword Luterus was holding.

"Sacred sword...!"

"Kaaah!!"

The black egg screamed in agony.

Simultaneously, hundreds of thorns were shot towards us.

'That must be the demon...!'

Vroom-!

Whoosh!!

With the swing of his sword, Luterus released a holy light.

Hundreds of thorns melted away.

There was nothing more to say. The battle had begun.

Crack!

"Damn it!"

Luterus couldn't approach. He was too busy fending off attacks.

I may be a parrot, but I've seen many sparring sessions.

There's no chance of winning. We'll lose at this rate.

Realizing this, Luterus spoke to me.

"Bring people. I'll hold on until then."

No, I can't do that.

I can't leave you, my friend, behind. We can run away together, you fool!

Perhaps sensing my thoughts, Luterus smiled brightly.

"The kids mustn't get hurt."

"..."

"You'll definitely bring people. You're my friend, I trust you. Remember, it's team play."

Team play.

Right. We can win.

Alone we can't, but together, we can.

I'll be back quickly. So, please.

Hold on a little longer, friend.

I flew faster than anyone.

The ground was back to its original state, but there was a gap created when the sacred sword was pulled out, allowing me to escape.

As I burst onto the surface, I shouted.

"Demon! Help! Demon!"

Please help! A demon has appeared!

"Friend! Save!"

Please save my one and only friend.

Please.

--TL Notes--

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at /MattReading