Chapter 325: Sing of Love

Looking back on it now, the fact that I survived without dying to the DoT from the poison on that day, in that place, carried an immense amount of meaning.
If I hadn't encountered Lycaon back then, or if the items I had mined were even slightly different, the Sunraku that exists today would surely not have been formed.

And that is exactly why I still remember the name and face of "Reiji"—the player who told me the location of the inn that day—and "Mia," the girl standing next to him.
I never expected to run into them in a place like this, so I accidentally blurted out my question, but Mia-shi scooped up her chestnut-colored dog and sprinted away at a blinding speed.

"What was that about? It's like she saw a ghost..."

No, wait. If a person in mourning clothes suffering from the Overflow state suddenly fell from the sky, anyone would normally be terrified. Honestly, it's straight out of a horror movie.
Wow, I feel really bad about that now... I wanted to ask about Reiji-shi and what he was up to. However, right now I'm in the middle of a task. Despite hallucinating the sound of my Vorpal Soul getting violently scraped away, I'm steadily making progress toward fulfilling the conditions.

"I definitely need to revise my evaluation of this gear. I never expected it to be this useful once the conditions were met."

It recovers and buffs the user to the exact extent it steals life. If you're doing a solo Slaughter run, its performance is practically mandatory. Who would've thought that the armor dropped by the penalty monster that spawns at the end of a Slaughter would be so perfectly suited for triggering more Slaughters?

Now then, I think it's about time for it to spawn... I've completely eradicated almost all the trash mobs in the area. I stopped counting after 200, but considering I've hunted a massive number of monsters and factoring in the contributions of other players in the area, it should be appearing any minute now... Wait. If there are other players around, there's no guarantee it'll spawn right in front of me, right?

"Tch... Please don't tell me the event is going to spawn for someone else completely unrelated...!!"

............

.........

......

Found it!
I feel a little sorry for the player who just got their head chopped off, but forgive me. Well, sometimes RNG is just like that.

"Hello. Sorry to get straight to the point, but do you happen to know where your husband is...?"

Whoops, is that motion an instant-death attack? Stop messing around, you bastard.

"Tch... 【Magic Torch】!"

I'm practically certain at this point, but this magic... is super important. People tend to be deceived by the game's systems, but this game has a functioning concept of "Darkness." If you hide in the shadows, your stealth is enhanced depending on how dark it is. While it might seem useless at first glance, the simple action of "illuminating an area with light" can sometimes be more useful than applying ten different buffs. Like right now!!

Using a Disposable Magic Scroll, I activated the magic light. Looking at the shadows cast by myself and the True Quiet, I could see the shadow of the bastard trying to grab my shadow right now.
However, this property can also be used in reverse. The light generated above my head links directly to the movements of my head. In other words, depending on how I move, it's possible to Move the shadows as well!

"Unfortunately for you, I've already optimized my movements against yours. I'll neither let you live nor let you die... So call him out. Call out your husband...!"

Bloodlust!

Actually, to be more precise, the Magic Torch swayed in tandem with an unnatural sway of my body, allowing me to notice It coming from behind... Yo, long time no see, General Dullahan!

I've set the stage for you. Now, what happens from here?
Just as I suspected, the encounter between these two was the exact flag needed to progress the event. The headless cavalry general—who had clearly directed hostile intent toward me upon arriving—and the black garb of death silently faced each other.

"............"

In this situation, I'm nothing more than a background mob. Taking care not to draw aggro, I quietly distanced myself and observed the confrontation between the penalty monster and the rare monster.
The one who moved first was the True Quiet. It made its terrifying scythe dissipate into thin air like a magic trick, and acting so feebly it was hard to believe it was the same monster that mechanically executed players just moments ago... it reached a hand out toward the General Dullahan with the movements of a frail lady.

Go...! Go...! If your love romance doesn't progress, my Unique Scenario won't progress either...!
However, the thing that caught the True Quiet's outstretched hand... was a sword.

".........!!"

".........!?"

Swung with a roaring gou, the Flamberge cleaved through the air as if rejecting the True Quiet's outstretched hand.
Of course, that thing is a penalty monster with absurdly overpowered resistances that completely nullify all attacks. That property doesn't change even against other mobs. No matter how hard the General Dullahan attacked with all its might, it wouldn't deal a single point of damage to the True Quiet.

"........., ........."

However, the fact that its outstretched hand was rejected seemed to deal enough mental damage to make even the terrifying True Quiet flinch.
There was no actual damage, but moving with obvious lingering affection, the True Quiet reached out its hand time and time again... only to pull it back every time it was met with a damage-less attack.

The General Dullahan, too, continued to unleash attacks that had no effect without ever stopping. What was the reason it swung its weapon so relentlessly? I could somewhat guess the reason from the flavor text of the Flame General's Decapitation Sword's predecessor... the General Dullahan's Decapitation Sword.

It stated: "Having forgotten its memories, its pride, and even its love, the corpse lost even its own head. Therefore, the body left behind targets the heads of not only the living, but the dead as well."
In short, the current General Dullahan has lost its past memories for some reason. No, it's probably lost far more fundamental aspects of what made it human.

"In that case, what the player needs to do is... restore the General Dullahan's memories?"

At the very least, it's impossible for the General Dullahan to land an effective hit on the True Quiet. Assuming there's no time limit... Wait, hold on. Oi, you punk True Quiet, why the hell are you pulling out the scythe you just put away?

"Dammit, the time limit is tied to the True Quiet's side...!?"

Where is it!? Where's the flag to progress the event!? Think, think... How do I advance? No, the word suited for this situation isn't "Advance," it's "Assemble."
I need to assemble the missing pieces. And if that's the case, there's only one piece missing!

"Where the hell is the General Dullahan's heeeeeeead!?"

It's a cliché development. Even just looking at their behavior, anyone could predict the ending.
The moment the True Quiet swings its scythe, the General Dullahan will face its second death. The True Quiet, having orchestrated a second parting with its own hands, will lament and scream... Wow, what an incredibly cliché tragedy. I'll be sure to toss some coins as a tip.

"Are you telling me I have to find the DV (No-Damage) husband's head before the demon wife snaps...? If it's a 'find it beforehand' type of quest, that's practically an impossible game..."

Gah, either way, if I don't start moving, nothing is going to... Hm?

............

.........

......

• A female ghost observing the situation while grinning creepily from the shadows of the rocks.

• The female ghost is holding something resembling a ball.

• If my eyes aren't deceiving me, it looks like a helmet...

• Oh my, what a coincidence. The design looks exactly like the General Dullahan's armor.

............

.........

......

"I found it, I found it, I found ittttttttttttttt!!"

"───!?"

You bastard! Judging from your outfit, you're the First Princess of the ruined kingdom who had an unrequited crush on the Black Knight, aren't you!? Don't just stand there holding his head with all that lingering attachment!!

"A spirit-type monster... Attack methods... No, the trigger condition for the Unique Scenario, the event progression... This is it!"

Come forth, Noblu Scythelent! I don't know if it's been hundreds of years, but it's time for a revenge match!!
Skill Activation. The effect of Levin Trigger: Hazard is still active. Begone and die!

"───!"

Instantly, the female ghost waved her hand, and ethereal soldiers materialized before my eyes. Acting as meat shields, they stepped into the trajectory of my scythe and vanished as they were mowed down by the pitch-black blade.
Then, they appeared one after another: soldiers, mages, commoners, and... the ghost of a fat king who didn't look particularly intelligent.

Hah, I get it. So this isn't a boss rush, it's a trash-mob rush... Bring it on, oraaa!

"All of you, go die all over again!!"

The demon wife is about to lose her patience! Stop running away like an American football player, you shitty princess!!

Author's Afterword

• Evil Spirit Princess of the Ruined Kingdom
  Despite attempting to use her charm to seduce the married Black Knight, she was coldly rejected. Out of spite, she orchestrated the assassination of the Black Knight... the fierce general praised as the Flame General.
  Acting out of misplaced anger, she also attempted to execute the Black Knight's fiancée, completely failing to realize the simple fact that "Since I stole her fiancé, I'm obviously going to be the target of her grudge as well." As a result, she suffered a brutal counterattack from a woman who turned out to be a Hollywood dark-action heroine capable of making even Venom or the Punisher look tame, ending up getting completely "filleted" and having her gruesome corpse put on display.
  After death, her grudge turned her into a specter. She stole the head of the Black Knight—who had been reduced to a Dullahan—and even now, while clutching the stolen head, she continues to mock the fate of the woman who killed her... But wait, Shimura, look behind you! Something terrifying is coming!!

As a side note, this "Evil Spirit Princess of the Ruined Kingdom," along with the "Specter Swarm of the Ruined Kingdom" that spawns with her, are technically classified as a single monster entity. To put it simply, they are fixed as a specific "Form."
Therefore, every time the General Dullahan and True Quiet (who are also fixed as "Forms") have their love romance, she will always appear holding the head. In other words, she is a destined punching bag (Heartless Secret Technique: LOVE x HATE).