Chapter 757: Cloudy Night Sky: What Remains After Loss
"Man, sorry 'bout that, Bilac! I lost the Gilta Brille!"
"........."
Eh, what? A cup? No, wait, this is that thing, right? The thing used in blacksmithing to pour molten iron into a mold... yeah, I know it because I looked it up before. It's a crucible, isn't it?
"Uhm?"
"Chug it, chug it."
"My bad, but I have a cat tongue."
"............Well, fine. A weapon's somethin' ya part ways with suddenly anyway."
Bilac still looked as if she had more to say about the fact that it wasn't a loss at the end of a fierce battle, but rather a pathetic misplacement. Fortunately, however, it seemed I had managed to avoid being forced to chug piping hot, thick liquid (to put it mildly).
"So? Ya ain't here just to apologize, are ya...... it's already done."
"As expected of Bilac, a future Divine Craftsman really is on another level."
"Don't need yer flattery."
It's not flattery. I fully intend to casually acquire the strongest weapons by making either you or Imron a Divine Craftsman in the near future. It would be a real problem for me if you didn't become a Divine Craftsman. Looking back, I suppose this was also a task I slacked off on...
"By the way, Bilac, isn't there a Vorpal Bunny secret tradition job or something?"
"Hah?"
"No, it's just, well........."
My sub-job slot is empty, you see.
......
............
..............
"S-Sunraku-san!"
"Yo, Emul. Somehow it feels like it's been a really long time."
I quickly received the item in question, got some light pointers from the "Master" Bilac introduced me to, and decided I had no more business here. After selling the materials in my Inventoria to Peatz and using the money to stock up on disposable magic mediums for teleportation magic, I was just about to head back to the frontline base when...... I encountered Emul.
"Fath– Boss was saying that you were having a really hard time, desu wa......"
"Aniki sure has good ears."
Does he have an artificial satellite as a pet or something?
Perhaps due to some kind of story progression restriction, I currently can't form a party with Emul. So, I have no choice but to prepare external means to use fast-travel magic like 【Teleport】 or 【Teleport Gate】 to travel like this...... which is quite harsh on my wallet.
"I, um...... I can't help you out right now, Sunraku-san. Father said I'm not allowed to go outside right now, desu wa......"
"I wonder why."
Rabituza had been invaded by Goldunine from the underground cavity. In other words, there was some kind of history between Rabituza and Goldunine, and just when Boss-dunine became active, a grounding order was issued to the Named Vorpal Bunnies...... what a well-made coincidence, how mysterious.
"Don't worry, do you really think a mere hundred or two hundred defeats is enough to stop me?"
Trial and error only truly begins after a hundred attempts, and when it comes to farming runs, even a thousand attempts won't satisfy you...... Calling a grind with no end in sight "endgame content" sure is some effective irony.
"Anyway, don't worry about it, Emul. Aniki isn't the type to ground you just because he's overprotective. There must be some meaning behind it."
And besides.
"Emul."
"Yes sir?"
"How am I looking right now? Is my Vorpal Soul overflowing?"
".........You look a little bit, down in the dumps, desu wa?"
I was hoping for a numerical value...... well, whatever. As I thought, things can't stay like this. I need to raise my Vorpal Soul to wipe away this defeat...... no, I need to raise my Vorpal Soul in order to wipe away this defeat.
Vorpal Soul isn't just an affection rating exclusive to Vorpal Bunnies. When my Vorpal Soul is high, I vaguely feel like the gazes from NPCs become...... you know, like they're looking at a hardboiled character. Like they're admiring my every action. That kind of gaze.
What is Vorpal Soul in the first place? At its core, it's about structuring a perfect replay in a TRPG sense. This isn't a simulation game; the artistic merit of the combat when replayed is also an evaluation point.
If so, what should I do? What should I do to clear this disgrace I've suffered from such a pathetically shitty defeat?
The first thing that comes to mind is, naturally, sending Goldunine the Inexhaustible—Boss-dunine—flying.
But given my current state, overcoming that ridiculous amount of sheer mass is difficult. Or rather, achieving a goal by preparing to achieve that goal... hasn't some fundamental law been violated here?
Then what should I do? No, this is just me deceiving myself with a soliloquy because I haven't steeled my resolve yet. Ever since I left the Sea Serpent's Apple...... I've had my sights set on exactly who to point my blade at.
"The answer has already been decided, huh."
"The answer, desu wa?"
A history, a "formidable enemy yet to be defeated" on par with Lycaon. There is only one entity that matches those conditions.........
"Emul, can I at least ask you to teleport me to the frontline base?"
"Yes sir! Leave it to me, desu wa!"
A "parting" may distance us, but it doesn't mean leaving forever.
It looks like today's the day. Let's settle this, Brother.
◇?◇
To a snake, lights and noise are things to be avoided.
Lights and noise are created by humans. Humans hate snakes...... if found, they will aim for the snake with terrifying blades.
"..............."
Scary. It's so scary.
But, even so.
"..............."
I am already the only one left to survive. My precious treasure was lost, and only I, the cowardly one, managed to survive.
"..............."
If found by humans, I will surely die. No, it wouldn't be strange if my life had already been extinguished long ago.
Dragging a body that could still move, slowly...... yet somehow moving forward, ever forward, as if in a rush.
I have to deliver it.
I will entrust my feelings. The wish I can no longer fulfill myself. The regrets I could not bear alone.
Ah, why is this body so fragile? No, the snake thought, I truly already understand.
In the end, the reason I failed to die was because I was a coward.
Author's Afterword
The night is long.
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