It's not a bad thing that the monsters here are weak. After all, having given up on experience points, it benefits for things to go easily.
Yet, I still felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
Since this isn’t a dungeon, there’s no reason for any variables to arise. Everything that exists here isn’t much different from my knowledge, but still, I couldn’t shake off my anxiety.
Why?
Since I fell into this world, has anything ever gone as I thought? Has anything ever been resolved easily?
There’s never been such a ti.
I always had to face the threat of death.
There was always sothing unexpected blocking my way, and an enemy would suddenly appear to grab by the collar. That has been my life.
I, as a human, could only stand here after overcoming countless crises.
Is that why I couldn’t be wholly joyful about this peace and tranquility?
Wouldn’t a notification suddenly ring out?
Would a dungeon not suddenly appear from sowhere?
Would the tricks Luka set up not try to kill ?
Or could there be so variable hidden sowhere in this forest that I didn’t know about?
Such anxieties kept making look around.
‘I actually think it would be better if sothing ca out now.’
If sothing happens, I can just resolve it. It will surely be dangerous, and I may have to face death, but at least I wouldn’t have to be so anxious.
As I vented my frustrations without a proper outlet, the old man muttered.
‘What are you talking about?’
I’ve always been human, you know? I’m not a rotten human being from the commu. If you treat like sothing other than a human, I’ll get angry! Seriously!
‘Old man, you really can’t joke. I can clearly see how much your subordinates have struggled.’
‘What about your colleagues?’
‘Sounds like you were pampered.’
A boss who possesses all three: performance, ability, and power.
How terrible.
There must surely be a pillar sowhere in the paladin order with my grandfather’s insults written on it.
As I let the old man’s claims of being a good superior pass through one ear and out the other, I continued moving forward.
The third boss was a two-headed dog walking on two legs.
Despite being a pet, it didn’t know how scary humans were, and when it bared its teeth, I had to teach it a lesson with my mace a few tis before it collapsed onto the floor.
The fourth boss was a witch that erged from a flower blooming from a rotting corpse.
She would bind her opponents with the vines she possessed and attack with magic, poison, and curses. Normally, she would be quite a troubleso existence, but not for now.
The witch’s vines weren’t strong enough to bind my body.
Her magic couldn’t penetrate my shield.
The poison was purified before it could invade my body.
And the curse couldn’t even get close.
Initially, she had a fierce deanor, but as I stuck my mace into her face, which turned pale with horror, the witch soon scattered away.
Confirming that she was completely turned to ash by the holy energy, I picked up the seed from within and tossed it into my inventory.
Later, I could bring it to Adri to remove the curse, so it would have its uses.
Now it’s the last one.
The being that stained this forest with death.
Once a necromancer, but after dying, beca a spirit, and to revive again. For revenge. To find what was left behind. Coming to this vibrant forest, she turned it into hell, absorbing the life force, and losing her original purpose in madness.
The necromancer.
Now that I’ve killed her four subordinates who ruled this forest, she should reveal herself in the center.
As I moved my feet toward the middle of the forest, a massive wave of death energy erged in the distance, spreading around.
That energy was on a different level than everything I had faced so far. A will of resentnt flowed through the black magic, darker than the night’s veil.
A voice filled with resentnt. A will to curse the living. A desperate desire to beco stronger, lingering even after losing sanity.
‘Yes. This much is fine.’
I absorbed that energy into my body, but I felt no oddity. The energy of the unclean was purified by the holiness I possessed before it could penetrate my body.
‘It seems so.’
Indeed, a true boss. Just appearing like this exudes such overwhelming pressure. If it weren’t insane, it would have been a troubleso opponent.
What kind of monsters did the paladin order face back then to defeat such a being, I wonder?
‘Compared to the evil god, it’s just a weak opponent, right?’
This being is even too weak to be compared to Karia. There’s no reason to feel threatened.
‘Is that so?’
That makes sense. Now that you ntion it, the comparison seems too much.
So, hmm. Alright. Here’s how I’ll put it accurately.
Given the situation and the conditions, the friends from the academy excluding . Arthur. Joy. Faybi. Frey. If those four were to face this opponent, they could likely hunt it down.
Especially since Faybi is perfectly specialized against the undead, as long as she buys so ti for her to purify the vengeful spirit, that would be a big deal. But winning is winning, right?
I can say it with confidence. This necromancer of the forest is only that much of an opponent.
If there are no variables, there’s no way I would lose to such a being, right?
The problem is if there are variables. If it’s a reasonably weak opponent, I should be able to handle it with my current self.
If the worst-case scenario cos and an insurmountable situation arises...
Well, if that happens, the shabby god will sohow take care of it, right? Since it’s a trial they provided, at least they should take so responsibility.
If that worst-case scenario isn’t Luka’s sche, then Luka will protect .
Truly, I have no counterasures.
As I thought this, I chuckled but didn’t stop moving my feet.
The more I went forward, the denser the black magic beca.
The concentration was such that a normal person would have suffocated and choked on that magic.
As I pushed through the mist, I found myself reaching the center before I knew it.
At that mont, I realized a few facts.
The black magic that spread throughout the forest wasn’t intentionally leaked by the necromancer but was rely seeping out because she couldn’t control it.
The spirits that had erged to welco their true master were cheering.
There was a significant difference between seeing it through the monitor and witnessing it with my own eyes.
Taking a deep breath, I spread the holiness throughout my entire body.
Though its nature is bizarre, the holy energy granted by the true god wraps around my body and drives away the surrounding darkness.
As white dots erged in the place filled with blackness, all the beings lurking there turned their gazes toward .
Facing the expressions of horror and hatred contained within those gazes, I ntally recited the holy magic.
As my holiness strengthened, various buffs that had naturally increased their performance coursed through .
As vitality surged through my body from having road the forest for a long ti, my heightened senses drew in the voices of the spirits.
It’s a paladin.
It’s a paladin.
What are you doing here?
I tightened my grip on the leather handle attached to my shield.
Let’s torture it.
Let’s kill it.
No, we should make it suffer.
We need to hear it scream.
Make it beg for its life.
We should make it one of us.
Holding tightly to the leather handle on my shield.
Everyone, be quiet.
I closed my eyes and then lifted my head again.
A black gaze resembling an abyss looked down at , and a red gaze looked up at .
It’s a paladin I want to kill right now. A little girl who seems like she would disappear if I trampled her. I have a question for you.
The voice, worn out and decayed, echoed in my ears. Though it was hard to understand, it wasn’t at a level I couldn’t comprehend.
“What is it?♡ Tell , you senile old lady♡ I’m kind, so I’ll listen to a crazy person’s story♡”
Have you seen a child nad Adri?
And the content was not much different from what I knew.
I’d need to have a few more conversations to confirm, but I was already sowhat sure.
This necromancer was not different from the ga. She was not much different from what I rembered.
“Curious?♡ Are you super curious?♡ Let think for a mont♡ I don’t rember the shabby little ones well♡”
Think carefully. It’s a matter of your life.
“Oh!♡ I rember!♡ The lonely old lady living in the mansion!♡”
As I raised my voice, a red mark appeared in the black eyes of the necromancer.
That was a sign of rationality. It ant that, for a mont, communication was possible.
The skill I received when I gifted a ribbon to Adri in the past. The power of Adri residing within it restored so of the necromancer’s reason.
Yes.
This necromancer is Adri’s parent.
Though she was suppressed by the holy paladin order in the past, she managed to escape, preserving her spirit.
She ca to this forest seeking revenge and salvation, turning it into hell, absorbing life forces, and losing her original purpose in the process of madness.
The necromancer.
Adri. Have you seen Adri?! Is she alive?! Answer ! I demand an answer!
Even in her lost state of reason, this pitiful mother still called out her daughter’s na.
Did I ntion before that this quest had been reevaluated after it was revealed to be a linked quest?
That’s the reason. After completing the Adri-related quests, coming here turns what would otherwise be a tedious grind into a moving story.
The maternal instincts of a mother have a way of moving people, or so they say.
To be honest, I still can’t empathize. I grew up as an orphan, so I’ve never felt what maternal instincts are.
Recently, I unintentionally felt what paternal instincts are.
But that’s not very important, so I’ll skip it. What I really want to say is this:
“Yeah!♡ I’ve seen her!♡ I know where she is!♡ But I’m not going to tell you!♡”
I’m the kind of person who can provoke a necromancer even when I know all the circumstances.
What?
“But you look like you have a bad head♡ Even if I tell you, I feel like you won’t rember it♡ So, I’m not going to say anything!♡”
...I understand. Then I’ll make you speak.
As the voice filled with deep resentnt shot toward , a wave of exhilaration surged through my body.
Ah, right. There’s one thing I haven’t ntioned.
The mont I arrived in the center of the forest and faced the necromancer, I realized.
This being is strong enough to be a warm-up.
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