Chapter 28

Chapter 28I’ve said it time and time again: Inner Lunatic is a game. It has a very large world and a lot of different units that live and interact in concert.

What does that mean?

Even the shadowy villainous groups.

It means there are too many of them to count.

The Lunatics are a prime example of this.

They’re a group of people who are expanding their power, including a vast black market that is eating away at the Arkheim Empire, the setting of the game.

They’ll play a major role in the main story, “The Case of the Empress,” which will take place later on.

These are the moguls that we thought would be redeemed in Part 2, even if they were a bit underdeveloped in Part 1.

Also.

‘They’re also a group with deep ties to the Reinhafer family.

But of course, this isn’t the only black market in the world.

There are plenty of hidden places.

That said, there are certainly skilled merchants out there, selling things where no one would expect to find them.

One of them is the [potion-making genius] Elinada, whom I’ll be visiting.

“So... you’re telling me that there’s actually a potions genius hiding in this shabby place?”

Zitri asks in disbelief.

It’s a natural reaction. We are in front of an underground waterway. Or, more accurately, on top of a manhole cover.

But I nodded with a nonchalant expression, completely unfazed.

“Yeah.”

“I don’t understand. If you’re as talented as you say you are, there’s no reason for you to be hiding out in such a remote place. Why would you....”

“Well, she has her reasons. And it’s the key to breaking the Chasers.”

My words are no leap of faith.

Chasers.

There are several ways to do this, but the most important is to save the town.

If you’re wondering why we’re talking about this when the mission was to capture the demon, you’re not alone...

In fact, the whole point of the Chasers episode is to uncover the corruption in the area.

The most important thing is to find the horde that is eating the town, eliminate it, and then kill the demon.

This makes the Hidden Object route many times harder.

But the rewards are definitely worth it.

“If you don’t get the Chasers via the Hidden Route, you won’t get Elena here. There are very few characters with the Genius trait that don’t have a significant impact on the world... except for her.

Elina would go on to operate outside of the Arkheim Empire.

It’s a distant exclave in the east of the country that isn’t really explored in Part 1, and since Elena dies before the middle of Part 1, her presence feels out of proportion to her characterization.

Players saw her performance as a throwaway character and made many attempts to recruit her.......

I was the only one who actually succeeded.

The reason for this is the sub-quest you have to beat to get her.

This is because the difficulty level of the Chasers showdown is ridiculously high.

Technically, the difficulty of the Hidden Clear is hard.

“This way. Follow me while being careful not to fall.”

“Okay.”

I led Zitri around the back roads until we came to a darkened waterway.

What a great hiding place. Elina.

I sighed at the thought.

I scanned the area. A manhole cover and a few other things lying around.

It’s all a trick of the eye to hide her lair.

Well, I guess I’ll have to use my strength.

* * *

Outside, Grine, escorted by the Knights of Ron, ranted and raved on his way back to the inn, unable to win over his frustration.

Naturally, it was due to the altercation with Nox earlier.

“This bastard... how dare he crawl up on me, my youngest subject?

Grine had just lost four knights.

Among them, Schultz, his right-hand man.

‘Of course, I didn’t expect the mission to be without casualties.’

In truth, this fact did not weigh heavily on him.

He figured someone was going to die in a battle of attrition anyway.

He just hoped it wouldn’t be him.

When his father first left him with his brother, he thought.

It was an added hassle, but having his support would make this mission easier.

It would be the least of his worries.

But once they set out, things weren’t quite what they expected.

Such was the case with Ron.

He was supposed to be a long-time Knight Captain in the region.

He was clearly recognizable, and his skills were apparent.

But how could he be any more ignorant of the surrounding geography than the bookish Nox? He had paid a high price for his services.Ñøv€l--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.

He deserved better.

He should get what he paid for, so that he would feel worthy of his gold.

No matter how strong Nox was, he was only one of many. He wouldn’t be able to take on dozens of bandits and a guard captain.

Griffin could use the artifact to break down the barrier just enough, then send them back. The Imperial Family will only want to collect the money anyway.

Nothing to worry about.

Up until that point, Ron had been thinking positively.

Meanwhile, Nox von Reinhafer had opened a manhole in a waterway in the Chasers slums and started descending.

Naturally, Zitri was with him.

It wasn’t long before he found himself near a sewage treatment plant that looked like it had been opened quite often for a waterway.

‘Here it is. Thirty-fourth from the left, just like in the game. About three hundred meters in a straight line... No problem with my memory.

It was an old man’s saying, but Nox didn’t care.

Squeak.

A long tunnel soon revealed itself.

Nox and Zitri began to make their way through as cautiously as possible.

At first glance, the area appears deserted.

However, the heavily scorched footprints and junk scattered throughout the tunnels were a clear indication of human habitation.

Nox began to trudge a little further in.

About half an hour passed.

Late at night.

He spotted a warehouse-like space, dimly lit with smoke leaking out.

‘Found it.’

Nox was sure the NPC he was looking for was there. {2}

Without hesitation, he headed into the warehouse. The faint light brightened, settling on his eyelids and blinding him for a moment.

With it, the figure of an indecipherable, but cheerful-looking woman emerged.

Her dark purple hair, which fell to her waist, glistened in the naked light. The woman’s hazel eyes and graceful curves reflected the watery color of her body.

A beauty that could be felt even underground, where light rarely reaches.

Elena, naturally cheerful and seemingly free of worry.

Nox nodded, realizing he had come to the right place.

Even at that moment, Elena’s eyes were somehow slightly slack.

One of her negative traits.

That would be [Drunkard].

‘So I’ve been thinking for a while about whether or not I should have her join my squad.......’

This was a minor problem that Nox had thought about before.

They say to be careful with people who are close to alcohol... Is it okay?

After taking a short breath, Nox leaned in closer.

“Hehe....”

Meanwhile, Elena was drunk and her gait was unsteady.

It was definitely that of a drunken woman.

Nox felt his head begin to throb.

“Hiccup, who... is that?”

The woman, Elena, said.

“Nox,” he said, removing the hood he’d worn through the channel.

“Nox.”

Snap.

That was the moment. Suddenly, Elena clenched her jaw, narrowed her eyes, and began to glare at him.

Nox, she thought.

The name sounded vaguely familiar.

“Nox... Nox... I think I’ve heard of him before...... or maybe even.......”

Zitri watched in horror and prayed that Elena would survive.

No matter how surprisingly (?) kind her master was, it was unlikely that he would let her live after being grabbed by the throat.

Just in time. As if on cue, Elena released her grip on Knox’s throat, clapped her hands, and stammered.

Zitri immediately stepped forward and clamped his hand over her mouth.

Between my master’s generosity and the girl’s rudeness, I was almost certain that the latter had gotten the upper hand.

Indeed, a line of blood stood out on Nox’s forehead.

If she hadn’t stopped herself, she might have gotten a few, like Rona.

“Elena, I’m here to see you, the alchemist.”

“......me, hiccup.”

Nox thought.

Apparently, in order to talk to her.

It would take a long time.

Somehow, she smelled like Rona and her kind.

{1} : this might be magic energy or aura

{2} : author uses “unit” like a unlockable character

Looking back through those first chapters they’re kinda rough, once I’m caught back up with college stuff I’ll go back through those.

Reminder to please add to your list on Novel Updates

Also advanced chapters on

ko-fi