Chapter 149: Unexpected Bet (2) (1/2)
An independent quest usually meant a quest dedicated to a character. Therefore, while not all Named possessed one, important Named characters usually had one or more associated with them. Among them, Sophien’s independent quest had never been seen in any scenario.
“I will grant your wish.”
I looked at Sophien, mulling over her declaration.
“Your Majesty. Still, a wish is-“
“Hmph.”
At Kreto’s reluctance, Sophien grinned and raised her finger.
“But.”
The long, white index finger pointed at me. As if she had taken the provocation quite seriously, an aura was waving from her fingertips.
“What if you lose? What will you do?”
I pondered for a while. I still didn’t know if I’d be able to beat Sophien with just ten days of polishing my skills, but I wouldn’t know until I tried. However, as long as this was Sophien’s Independent Quest, the challenge must not be avoided.
“There’s nothing to do.”
“What?”
Sophien frowned.
“After saying such arrogant things, you-“
“As a member of the Empire, I have always sworn allegiance to Your Majesty. If Your Majesty wants anything from me, I am ready to give it to you. My wish is always in Your Majesty’s heart.”
“…”
Sophien was left speechless for a moment. She moved her lips soundlessly, and then she pushed her face forward. It seemed like she was trying to understand my feelings and the truth, but now I wasn’t lying.
These words were thanks to his natural character. Deculein’s consciousness of choice meant that he believed in the class system, and he disregarded and despised those of lesser blood than him, but in the end, showed infinite respect for those who were nobler. Therefore, my heart for Sophien was sincere.
That was how he was designed.
“…Forget it.”
Sophien, clicking her tongue, leaned against the backrest. Then, she opened the lid of the Go box.
“I will see your energy. Deculein, white or black. You choose.”
“I will choose white.”
I took the white piece. Kreto looked at Sophien and me with interest.
“Good.”
Sophien rustled and took out her pieces.
“I will start with this.”
Tap-
Sophien put a piece. She made the first move by placing her piece in the lower right corner of the board.
Tap-
I put mine in the upper left corner, and Sophien placed it again in the lower left corner.
“Hmph.”
Sophien chuckled in disdain, and Kreto, taking out a notebook, began to record it.
Tap-tap-tap-
The stones embroidered the wooden board like rainwater falling, and the game started without anything special…
* * *
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah—!”
Epherene and Sylvia ran like crazy as a huge earthquake caught up behind them.
Boom-! Boom-! Boom-! Boom-!
The tiger’s four legs produced a series of terrifying bursts, using muscles that appeared on the verge of exploding. The majesty and magical power of the tiger, which Epherene was seeing for the first time in her life, was the cause of fear across the continent. This was why it was so infamous, why there were so many fairy tales and myths about them…
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah—!”
A light flashed across Epherene’s mind as she screamed. At that moment, someone hit her across the head.
“Be quiet, idiot.”
It was Sylvia. She built a wall behind them. It looked like she was trying to stop the tiger, but with one swipe of its arm, it tore like paper.
“Whoa-! That crazy orange monster—!”
“Be quiet.”
But the wall was just a trick. The wreckage scattered in all directions and covered the tiger’s eyes for a very brief moment. Sylvia erased the road they stood on to take advantage of that chance. The floor disappeared cleanly as if an eraser had gone through it. The next thing everyone would expect would be the tiger falling through it.
Grrrr-!
But the tiger stood still in the air. He soared higher, climbing upward using his four paws.
Boom-!
A roar accompanied by a shock wave. Epherene almost fainted watching it. The tiger was soaring.
“Come here.”
However, Sylvia didn’t fall behind. She cleared the road they stood on next.
Boom-!
The tiger’s hind feet swiped a hair’s width away from their heads.
“Follow me.”
The tiger immediately smashed through the ceiling and followed, but Sylvia calmly pierced their way out. She confused the tiger by scattering her footprints, scent, and mana in every direction she ran. She placed dolls everywhere and turned the area into a maze with numerous walls but refrained from traps that could provoke the tiger.
If you provoked a tiger, it wouldn’t end well.
“Hah, haah…”
“Phew.”
So, the two barely escaped. Epherene and Sylvia each let out a heavy breath, finding a brief respite.
“Wow. Wow. My heart… oh, right.”
After only 15 minutes of running, Epherene, covered in sweat, pointed to Sylvia’s condition a little later. Specifically, her badly torn fingers.
“Sylvia, that…”
“…”
Silvia silently stirred her mana and brushed over her mangled hand. A new finger was drawn over where blood still flowed freely. She clenched and extended the finger a few times and then nodded. Epherene’s eyes widened.
“Is it going to last?”
“It is part of my body. It heals faster than mana consumption so that it will last.”
“It must have been very painful. Are you okay?”
Sylvia didn’t answer. Epherene looked closer into her eyes.
“…Where are we?”
“The Voice.”
“Voice?”
“The world entered through the medium of voice.”
“Oh! A demon?!”
It was what she heard from Rohakan. A world of demons where unspecified people could enter at random times.
“Then what about the tiger?”
“The tiger must have come here with someone else’s voice.”
“…Oh.”
Indeed, even the sound of an animal was a voice.
“Right.”
With a sudden thought, Epherene rummaged through her pocket until she produced two coins. It was the gift Rohakan had given her before.
“Where did it come from?”
Sylvia looked at the money with surprise.
“Rohakan gave it to me. What is this?”
“It’s the currency of this world.”
“…Oh. I see. Here. I have yours too.”
Epherene handed her one of the two coins. Sylvia accepted it without a word.
“Where can we use this?”
“Follow me.”
Sylvia stood, pocketing the coin, and began to guide Epherene. The two first walked through a hallway with a sign on the ceiling reading [Non-Combat Area]. They passed a few people along the way. They didn’t even bother looking at them, but Epherene warned each of them, ‘beware of the tiger.’
“Here.”
[Store]
They arrived at a noisy place decorated like a market square. Sylvia led Epherene into the crowd. Eventually, they reached a place called the [Soul Store].
“You can use the money here.”
The shop was selling some very strange things. 「Mana Elixir」, 「Maturity Elixir」, 「Perfume of Charm」, 「Woodward Puppet」…
But Sylvia’s eyes were fixed on a single shelf.
“Voice of the Dead”
“…”
Epherene looked at Sylvia.
“You know.”
Sylvia stared at Epherene expressionlessly.
“What.”
“That. Um, did the Professor…”
Did Deculein kill your mother? She wanted to ask about the scene she had watched, but she couldn’t finish the thought. Epherene quietly lowered her head.
“I forgot.”
“…Huh?”
“My mom’s voice.”