Chapter 27

(￣(エ)￣)＜Comprehensive evaluation has surpassed 20,000 points!

(=ↀωↀ=)＜Thank you!

Thank you, everyone who has been reading.

Next, I will aim for 30,000 points and continue to work hard!

□＜Nex Plain＞ 【Paladin】Ray Sterling

The moment "Vengeance is Mine" struck, the abdomen of [Galdoranda] was shattered to pieces, and its body split in two.

When the corpse hit the ground with a thud, it had already vanished into particles of light, just like the other monsters.

As [Galdoranda] disappeared, the miasma that had been lingering also dissipated.

The thick miasma, which had made it impossible to see even three meters ahead, gradually vanished into the sunlight.

【＜UBM＞【Great Miasma Demon Galdoranda】 has been defeated】

【Selecting MVP】

【Ray Sterling has been selected as MVP】

【Awarding MVP bonus [Miasma Flame Gauntlet Galdoranda] to Ray Sterling】

The disappearance of the miasma and the current message signaled the end of the battle to me.

I was still lying on the ground, staring at the announcement window.

'Is it over...?'

"It's not over yet...!"

Luke was still fighting the [Crimson Rockbird] in the sky.

I need to go help him quickly...

'But Master! You are still suffering from status abnormalities...'

Checking my status window, the miasma had disappeared, but the triple status abnormalities remained.

My HP was being drained by [Severe Poison], and my MP and SP were already depleted.

However, I need to somehow recover and go help Luke...

In addition to the [Rockbird] in the sky, the attack that hit [Galdoranda] just before its defeat.

That was definitely...

"Ray-san! Are you okay?"

Turning to the voice, I saw Marie, who had disappeared after giving me the [Universal Healing Elixir], running towards me.

She must have approached now that the miasma had disappeared.

"Your status abnormalities look pretty bad. Please wait a moment."

She must have checked the party's simple window, as she said this while taking several bottles from her wristband-type item box, which was different from the bag-type or pocket-type ones I and Cheshire used.

They were the same type of HP recovery potion I had been using, along with bottles labeled MP and SP.

"Let's start with emergency treatment to recover your HP, MP, and SP. It would be great if I had [Antidote], but I just used up my last one. I only had [Universal Healing Elixir] for [Intoxication] and [Weakness]..."

As she spoke, Marie glanced at the people in the carriage who had also been affected by the miasma.

It seemed that everyone, including the guards, was suffering from [Intoxication] and [Weakness], but no one had died from [Severe Poison].

From her words, it seemed she had been treating them.

"I had quite a bit, but with twelve people, including the guards, merchants, and their families, I used it all up."

It felt like being a [Pharmacist], Marie laughed.

She had been working hard to keep the people in the carriage, especially Tian, from dying.

"......"

"What is it? You're grinning. If Ray-san were middle-aged, you'd be in trouble."

I don't remember grinning like that.

"No, I was just thinking you're kind."

"I'm not kind. Because I don't like it, you know."

"Dislike?"

"Killing players is fine because there's only a penalty, but Tian can't come back. Permanent loss is a no-go."

"...I see."

I feel the same way about the bad aftertaste.

However, killing players is fine, as I was just recently killed myself... Ah.

"Right, Marie. Wasn't that guy... the [Super-Class Assassin] around here earlier?"

"Oh, right! That's right!"

Marie clapped her hands.

"I saw it! The same [Super-Class Assassin] I saw in [Noz Forest] fired an [Embryo] at [Galdoranda]'s left shoulder!"

So that was the [Super-Class Assassin]'s [Embryo]...

But why did he only shoot the left shoulder?

If the goal was to defeat [Galdoranda], he should have shot at other parts to finish it off. Then he would have been the MVP.

This almost seems like he was helping me.

"The [Super-Class Assassin] left after firing. From the direction, it seems he's heading to Gideon."

"I see..."

Then we might encounter him again.

"Oh, are you recovered?"

"Yeah."

While talking, I had been recovering with potions. My HP was still being drained by [Severe Poison], but my MP and SP had returned.

Nemesis transformed into a black flag spear, but unlike before, [Reversal Like a Flapping Flag] did not activate.

'Is it because the source of the status abnormalities, [Galdoranda], has been defeated...?'

[Reversal Like a Flapping Flag] is a skill that reverses status abnormalities and debuffs received from enemies.

It seems that now that the source of the status abnormalities, [Galdoranda], is gone, the skill cannot activate.

...It's quite difficult to use.

This could mean that I might die slowly from status abnormalities after defeating an enemy.

"Well, it can't be helped. [Reversal Like a Flapping Flag] is out. My base stats have increased, so I'll give it a try."

My level had increased by three to 23 in the previous battle.

Even if the opponent is a sub-dragon level monster, I can still do something...

'By the way, Master. It's good that you've recovered, but...'

Nemesis pointed the tip of the spear upwards.

'How do you plan to join the aerial battle?'

That reminded me of something I had completely forgotten.

"......"

'......'

"......"

I can't do it.

I hadn't thought about it.

I can't even move to help.

"Well, maybe I could throw a rock?"

"Surely it won't reach such a height..."

The [Rockbird] with its huge wings was so high up that it looked like a dot.

Luke and Bavi were not even visible as dots... Ah.

"It's coming down."

The [Rockbird], which had looked like a dot, was descending.

Marie and I braced ourselves, but something was off.

It wasn't the rapid descent it used when attacking me, but a slow descent.

When the [Rockbird] came into clear view, I realized that Luke, who had been fighting it, was riding on its back.

The [Rockbird] landed slowly and let Luke down.

"Ray-san! Marie-san! Are you okay!?"

"Yeah, we're fine, but... how about you, Luke? I can't see Bavi."

"Bavi is tired from the battle and has returned to me."

Luke showed the emblem on his left hand.

"I see. ...So, what about that [Crimson Rockbird]?"

"It's Audrey!"

'KIIIEAAA!'

A large bird?

Ah, Audrey.

'If you've given it a name, does that mean...?'

"Yes! I managed to tame it after charming it!"

I remember that Luke's [Male Charm] had a low probability of taming.

...So this one is female.

It's hard to tell from its appearance.

"No, wait... This bird was [Galdoranda]'s mount, right?"

"At first, it was hard to charm and tame, but when the miasma cleared, it suddenly became effective."

The miasma cleared at the same time I defeated [Galdoranda].

It seems that with [Galdoranda] dead, the mount lost its master, making it easier to charm and tame.

Looking at [Crimson Rockbird]... Audrey, she was rubbing her wings against Luke's back.

It must be a courtship behavior or something. She seems to be very attached to Luke.

And the name Audrey seems to fit better than Marilyn. I wonder what Audrey Hepburn would think about it from the shadows.

"The miasma was too thick to see how you were doing, so I was worried."

"Yeah, we won. Thanks to you and Marie."

'And me!'

"I know. Thanks, Nemesis."

'...Y-Yeah. If you know, that's fine...'

Huh?

That's a strange reaction.

"So, everything is settled now, right?"

"Yeah."

The last [Super-Class Assassin] was a concern, but since he's no longer here, there's nothing we can do.

For now, I'll put that aside and focus on recovering myself and Marilyn, who is inside [Jewel].

I used my recovery magic and Marie's medicine to restore HP and wait for the status abnormalities to wear off.

◇

Thanks to the disappearance of the miasma, the status abnormalities were all gone in about 10 minutes.

By then, the people in the caravan had also recovered.

Their leader, a merchant named Alejandro, was very grateful to us.

Alejandro, a Latin-looking, tanned, and dandy man in his thirties, thanked us with tears in his eyes, saying, "If it weren't for you, my family and I would have died," "You are our saviors," and "I can't thank you enough."

Luke and I were both flattered.

Alejandro and his group were still heading to Gideon, so we decided to travel with them.

We were concerned because they had lost some guards in the battle and the remaining ones were not in top condition.

Alejandro readily agreed to our proposal.

As we were getting the carriages ready to depart, the survivors and the remaining guards were taking something out of the pockets of the dead.

It looked like box-type item boxes.

They were putting the bodies of the dead into these boxes, one by one.

Each body was placed in the item box it had been carrying.

When I asked Marie, she said these were the "coffins" of the Tian people who travel between cities.

Since the journey is dangerous with monsters, the risk of death is always present.

However, if there are surviving companions when someone dies, they can place the body in a "coffin" and deliver it to the family or hometown without it decomposing.

Therefore, Tian merchants and adventurers all carry item boxes for themselves.

This gave a glimpse into the death views of the Tian people, who live with the constant threat of death from monsters.

"......Coffins, huh."

In other games, I never thought much about NPC deaths, but it's different now.

I feel a little short of breath.

Even though I know this is a game, I can't get used to people dying here.

It might be because <Infinite Dendrogram> is too realistic.

Or perhaps...

"Well... it's fine for now."

I interrupted that thought and returned to the task of righting the carriages.

◇

After a half-day of being jolted in Marilyn's dragon carriage, we arrived at the dueling city of Gideon as the sun was setting.

To be continued

The next post will be at 22:00 today.

(=ↀωↀ=)＜This is the epilogue of Chapter 1.