The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 205



Only Krnovel

Episode 205. The Signs of War (1)

Duncan wasn’t feeling too good.

In normal times, this would not be so unusual. For more than half a year, the life of a peddler had been filled with dense hardships and occasional joys. But now, it was quite unusual.

Because right before, after receiving huge rewards.

“Take this, Duncan. “Unless there is anything special, you will continue to use it from now on.”

“Huh!? Ha, but this is… … Isn’t this a dagger made from the World Tree that was personally given to you by that Apostle or World Tree Keeper?”

“Yes, that’s right. But this seems to be a weapon better suited to you than to me. Considering the intention conveyed… … “It may be right for someone other than me to possess it.”

“Yes… … ? What do you mean… … .”

“No, it’s nothing. More importantly, it doesn’t look like the moon will rise tonight, but have you decided what name you’re going to give that invisible sword?”

“… … !”

A divine weapon carved from the body of a god who descended to earth, and even the chance to name the weapon with the blessing of the god of war…

These were rewards that could not be put on a price like money. Mercenaries who longed for great power or collectors of rare treasures would sell not only their souls, but also the souls of their wives and children. Duncan, who was already excited after receiving her necklace from Lemillion, went one step further and enjoyed the feeling of floating high in the sky.

There were three main reasons why Duncan’s mood plummeted to the ground.

The first is the name given to the weapon through the ‘name forge’.

“‘razor’.”

[… … .]

“I will name this knife ‘Razor.’”

“……yes?”

Woooooooooo –

Without even a moment to stop, the red light was compressed and sucked into the transparent sword and disappeared. So really… … After engraving the ancient characters for ‘razor’ onto the sword blade.

Duncan, who could not decide on a name for the weapon, left the naming to Kadim. Kadim asked if there was any special effect he wanted, and Duncan answered that he wanted the sword to be much sharper and increase the ‘cutting power’, leading to the disaster.

“When you first start naming, there’s no better name for the ‘enhanced cutting power’ effect. However, it’s probably better not to use it for actual shaving purposes. The blade is transparent, so you might end up cutting your nose.”

“… … .”

I forgot that the author was a great man who once named his sword ‘Mosquito’. Duncan looked down in despair at his knife, which had become the largest and most dangerous razor in the world.

The second is the route leading out of the main forest.

“Uh, uh… … “Are you really going to go there, right?”

“Yeah, didn’t you come here when you came?”

“Oh, no, but… … Well, that place… … .”

Kurrurururur… … .

The path that Kadim chose was the same as when he came, passing through the ‘root cave’.

It was a very reasonable choice.

The Great Forest is the most extensive forest on the continent, and the distance from its innermost part to the outside is hundreds of kilometers. If you just went by land, you would waste at least a month, but if you went back the way you came, you could drastically shorten that time. In addition, since the oysters had been raised a long time ago, there was no need to feed them separately… … .

The problem was psychological aversion. Duncan had such bad memories of this ‘root cave’ that he saw it as a nightmare in the Forest of Dreams.

I suggested to Kadim that he should look for a new path, but the only response he received was a blunt expression. In the end, Duncan was forced to once again pass through the intestines of a giant worm that preyed on humans.

Still, these first two were easy to get over. Even though they were a bit shaky, they didn’t cause any major damage to me right away.

The biggest problem, after all, was the third.

Inside the dark and damp root cave, Duncan, who was studying the map while holding a torch to serve as a guide, realized an absurd fact while plotting the next route.

“Uh, huh? Uh huh? Me, me, me, me?? Boo, you definitely said that our next destination is the wilderness beyond the mountains, right??”

“… … Yes, that’s true. Is there a problem?”

“Hey, there’s a horseshoe show!! If you want to go to the wilderness from here, you absolutely have to cross the ‘Imperial Territory’!! This is the land of the Lucaonia Empire, where the knights of the Elgar Order are active, which we first encountered a long time ago!!”

That was true.

Their current location was a major forest in the southeastern part of the continent, but their destination, the wilderness, was at the western end of the continent. Unless you could fly in the sky or swim in the sea, you inevitably had no choice but to cross the land of the empire that occupied the central part of the continent.

Duncan’s face turned pale. His eyes, fluttering and trembling pitifully, recalled nightmares that had not been so long ago. Being captured as an innocent prisoner by a paladin, almost being escorted to the city to be judged, barely surviving the death of a paladin, but then being pursued by a high-ranking paladin…

However, Kadim, who was the center of all the saddal, reacted indifferently.

“So, what’s the problem with that?”

“……yes?”

“Can’t you just pass by? It’s not like that place is some kind of dangerous place full of demons and magic like the Demon Realm.”

“… … .”

Duncan felt similar questions as when he first met Kadim. what? This human? Have you completely forgotten everything that happened?

Of course, that wasn’t the case. But objectively speaking, it was the peddlers who made less rational decisions than they do now.

“Three people, at best four people.”

“… … ?”

“If there are no other variables, I should be able to deal with that number of Arch Paladins by myself. Not with the scarecrows that are just Arch Paladins in name, but with the real deal, like those Decagrams or something.”

“… … !!”

The incident in the first episode in which Kadim and his companions were almost killed by Archpaladin happened in the middle of the game before they had even entered the demonic realm yet.

Needless to say, things changed a lot in the latter half of the game, when everyone in the group had grown exponentially after entering the Demon Realm. In the final moments after the Great Demon had been defeated, Kadim alone could handle a single Arch Paladin with his eyes closed. However, Kadim had currently recovered about 90% of his strength from back then…

“… … .”

I couldn’t help but reflect on the useful common sense I learned in the first session.

All problems can be solved by force. If there is a problem that cannot be solved by force, it is because there is not enough force.

The barbarians who were captured simply because they were heretics finally gained overwhelming ‘power’ that would not be tied to the Elgar Church. Unless you are prepared to sacrifice a large number of the highest-ranking Holy Knights, the church will never be able to touch you even if you cross the imperial territory.

Also, the party’s power was no longer solely his.

“Duncan, I heard that you took down Inferno by yourself some time ago.”

“yes? Ah, ah, that, that… … Uh, so many lucky coincidences… … .”

“Even if you had the same amount of luck, there wouldn’t be a handful of paladins who could defeat Inferno on their own. With your current skill, I think you could easily defeat a high paladin, if not an arch paladin.”

“… … !”

“It’s good to be alert, but don’t be intimidated by the enemy. “You already have the ability to stand against the hounds of Elga.”

Duncan’s eyes sparkled brightly. For a moment, the thought of the best guide, the comrade acknowledged by the great warrior, and the splendid titles flashed through his mind, and his pride grew… .

“… … But don’t confront it directly. “You’re great at sneak attacks, but you’re definitely not good at fighting.”

“… … .”

“Always hide like a rat and outwit the enemy with the mindset that you will die if you are caught.”

… … was quickly sank by the subsequent addition. Duncan ended up adding the label of ‘a rat who dies if caught’ to all the other fancy titles.

Still, thanks to the confident warrior’s words, my anxiety calmed down a bit. While we were talking about our journey forward and how we came to deal with the power of a forgotten god, something suddenly occurred to me, so I changed the topic.

“Oh, but it’s okay. That girl… … “Where do you think the priest of the forgotten god went?”

“… … .”

Kadim stiffens his mouth.

Illenia, the priestess of the Forgotten God, suddenly disappeared after saving Kadim from divine punishment. She did not leave a word behind, but it was probably to divert the sun’s gaze and prevent divine punishment from falling again.

Kadim still couldn’t decide how to deal with the woman.

It’s hard to just believe it, but it’s clearly proven that there are unavoidable reasons why the circumstances shouldn’t be revealed. I thought it would be difficult to get a full explanation until the sun truly crashed from the sky.

What is certain, though, is that I have received a lot of help from her along the way.

Not only would it be impossible to go through the root cave like this without her, not to mention things like stone tablets and inventory to track down the ruins. Although she did commit the act of arbitrarily taking on Melissa’s self-immolation… … That was the problem of the person who made it and gave it away, not her problem.

After much deliberation, Kadim eventually decided to follow the dragon’s advice.

Never let go of the dagger of doubt in your hand, but always leave a seed of trust in your heart.

“… … It’s something we don’t know. However, this will most likely not be our last meeting.”

It’s hard to believe a fake archaeologist from Galentana University or a priest of a nameless, forgotten god, but I decided to leave room for belief in the woman he met named ‘Ilenia’.

After talking about various things for a long time and walking for so long that we couldn’t even talk about other things, the exit of the root cave finally appeared. A halo of light tickled my dark-adapted eyes, and a rush of fresh air rushed into my nostrils, which had been paralyzed by the bad smell.

Duncan was very excited and ran to the exit. When I actually got out, I was so embarrassed that I froze.

“Oh, will I get better? Wow, the weather suddenly turned into winter?”

“… … .”

Kadim silently takes a handful, taking in a cold breath.

The climate of the great forest is mysteriously fixed, the weather is warm all year round and the trees flourish. However, if you leave the forest just a little bit, the climate will change to normal. It was late fall when they first entered the forest, so it was natural that it was already winter outside.

A cold wind blew over the bare, thin fields. It was still bearable because it was in the south, but the further north you went, the more bitter the wind would blow.

However, it was not the time to be immersed in such sentiments.

Above their heads, there was an unusual event floating around that warranted much greater alert than a sudden change in season.

Dugu Palace, Dugu Palace… … .

A faint ray of light cutting through the hazy clouds.

“hmm?”

The peddler saw only a flash of light, but Kadim clearly saw the shape.

That was the Arch Paladin’s mount, the ‘Light Horse’.

“… … under.”

It was so absurd that I couldn’t help but laugh.

How can you show up like this after all that time? You must be a bad person. But why did Elga’s hunting dog suddenly sneak up on the edge of the forest, even in this imperial territory?

I don’t know why, but I couldn’t just leave it alone. I guess I wouldn’t have come this far just to take a walk.

Dugu Palace, Dugu Palace… … .

The knight on his shining horse passed them by without noticing them. Without a word, Kadim decided to strike the back of the knight’s head with a lightning bolt and then think about what to do next.

Crackle, crackle – !

“Huh? Am I better? Why did that ax suddenly… … .”

“… … .”

But just before throwing, he changed direction to aim for the thunderbolt.

Burn – Blink!

――――― Kwagwagwagwagwang – !

The lightning soared vertically and exploded. Like a signal announcing their location.

The paladin immediately tightened his reins at the sight of the loud lightning.

Dugugu Palace, Dugugu Palace… … .

“Oh, oh, oh! Th, uh, the Elgar school… … .”

Only then did Duncan realize the identity of the flash. They looked at Kadim in bewilderment, wondering why they had revealed their location to a high-ranking paladin… … Of course, he didn’t do this without thinking.

The author was the only high-ranking paladin on this continent who had ever been considered an ally by Khadim.

An Arch Paladin who asks you to reveal the truth about the Magic Tower, provides information about Gordon for the first time, and gives you a lantern that neutralizes magic. He is someone who sees the truth and cannot tell lies.

The third seat of the Decagram, the ‘Star that Pierces the Truth’, Hendark.

Hoo – ung, hoo – ung, hoo, hoo, tuck – !

After Kadim retrieved the lightning strike, he spoke without relaxing his muscles.

“I don’t sense any hostility, but just in case, put on a cloak and hide in the shadows, Duncan.”

“… … .”

Du-gu-gung, du-gu-gu-gu… … .

As soon as the peddler’s spirit disappeared, a paladin on a bright horse came down to earth like a messenger from God pronouncing judgment.

*

The highest level of the World Tree, the Hall of Eternal Dreams.

The hall that had been reduced to ashes was once again overgrown with flowers and bushes like a jungle. In the center, a dark elf woman was lying comfortably, and an elf boy calmly guarded her side.

After sending off the Warrior of Revelation and returning to the World Tree, Lilia almost fainted and fell asleep.

It wasn’t that strange. She stayed up all night for 15 days restoring the World Tree and the Great Forest. Parneo thought it was better for her and just left her to sleep.

Despite the long hard work, there was no shadow on his sleeping face. Maybe it’s because I just walked in the flower field I love so much. The whole time he was looking at the face of the woman resting peacefully, the corners of the boy’s mouth were turned up and there was no sign of them coming down.

Then suddenly.

“Ugh, ugh, ugh… … .”

“… … ?”

Lilia’s expression was distorted into a mess.

Wrinkles that appear quickly, distortions that spread like the plague. The calm face suddenly turned into that of a demon. Far Neo widened her eyes in surprise.

An ominous feeling came over me. Now that I think about it, there were times when Lilia would suddenly fall asleep like this in the confinement, and at times like these, without fail… … .

“Lee, Lilia? Lilia? Are you okay?”

“Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu. … .”

“Lilia, wake up for a moment… … .”

The moment the boy grabbed her shoulder in a dazed manner.

“[Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah – !!!]”

The woman woke up screaming in agony.

That wasn’t a normal scream.

It was completely different from the woman’s usual quiet voice. No, this was a sound that could not even be made by humans or elves. A scream that could be heard from a slaughtered animal or a monster with its head cut off. The horrifying sound of an evil spirit scratching its throat echoed in the hall for a long time.

“Ugh, ugh, ugh… … .”

As the screaming finally stopped, Lilia gasped with bloodshot eyes. Parneo was so overwhelmed by the grotesque sight that he couldn’t even open his mouth.

A silence that strangles my throat heavily.

“… … .”

“… … .”

Soon, a desperate mumbling came from the prophet’s lips.

“The Great Devil, the Great Devil… … .”