Repeat Vice - The Villainous Noble Doesn't Want to Die, So He Swore to Not Die As One of The Four Heavenly Kings - Chapter 26: Dinner Without Lunch
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- Repeat Vice - The Villainous Noble Doesn't Want to Die, So He Swore to Not Die As One of The Four Heavenly Kings
- Chapter 26: Dinner Without Lunch
Chapter 26: Dinner Without Lunch
The room within the airship Ifrit.
The leader of the ‘Crimson Wind’, Sigil, was exposing himself to a disgraceful prostration before me.
Three members of the crew watched awkwardly from the corner of the room.
Their names… I felt like I knew them, but I had forgotten.
By the way, we declined the tea Riruka offered and she left with her shoulders drooped, so she wasn’t present in the room.
However… hmm, the numbers don’t add up.
Leader Sigil, three male members, and Riruka.
As far as I know, there should have been one more member, a female.
Are they on a separate mission, or are they hiding somewhere within the Ifrit?
Since the female member is also a commoner without magical power, she wouldn’t be detected by magical sensing.
If she’s hiding within the ship, there’s no way I could find her.
Or perhaps, is she not yet part of the team at this point?
The inner workings of the ‘Crimson Wind’ weren’t detailed in the story, so I don’t know the specifics.
Surely, they wouldn’t be plotting to attack me while hiding.
But, I can’t afford to be complacent in anything.
From rescuing the ‘Crimson Wind’ from the ‘First Tomb’, I’m certain.
If I hadn’t intervened, they would have undoubtedly been wiped out.
So in the story, they wouldn’t have actually invaded the ‘First Tomb’.
It’s unlikely they would be considered as ones I rescued in the story, and my father would have even less reason to save them.
My grandfather might help out for fun, but it’s unlikely he’d go on a trip while living in seclusion.
Why did the ‘Crimson Wind’ take actions different from their original purpose?
It’s undoubtedly due to some intervention by someone who dreamed of the story, other than myself.
Who could it be, and for what purpose did they send the ‘Crimson Wind’ to the ‘First Tomb’? The questions are endless.
And now, I was extracting the circumstances that led the leader Sigil to come to the ‘First Tomb’.
“Speak. If you hide anything, I’ll kill you.”
“I-I don’t care what happens to me, but please spare the others… I beg you… please”
Sigil pleaded again, rubbing his head against the floor.
I frowned.
What’s with that awkward attempt at politeness?
Does he think it’s fine as long as he adds ‘please’ at the end?
And why is he pleading in response to a demand to speak?
This conversation isn’t going anywhere.
“Speak normally. And if you speak like that again, you won’t be killed. So, tell me everything. Where did you learn about the existence of that ruin, and why did you decide to invade it?”
“…Understood.”
In response to my words, Sigil agreed after a brief silence and began to speak intermittently.
First, they learned about the existence of the ‘First Tomb’ from the ‘Treasure Guild’.
The ‘Treasure Guild’ is an unofficial organization formed by treasure hunters, mainly for exchanging information about ancient ruins and dungeons.
I’ve never heard of this organization before.
It wasn’t mentioned in the story.
But thinking back, it makes sense.
In the first chapter of the story, after Riruka joined the protagonist’s party, they were able to travel by airship and fly around various parts of the kingdom.
At that time, they could obtain information about various ruins and dungeons from leader Sigil, but it was too detailed.
Even with an airship, the number of ruins and dungeons across the kingdom is still vast.
It was impossible for just a few people like the ‘Crimson Wind’ to gather such massive amounts of information about various ruins, dungeons, the types of monsters, and the trends of traps.
But if there was an organization like the ‘Treasure Guild’ behind it, it would make sense.
However, the information about the ‘First Tomb’ seems to have been known for quite some time.
Well, it wasn’t called the ‘First Tomb’ in particular.
There was almost no information about it, other than that the location of it was near the capital of the ‘Lightless’ territory.
Few could approach it, and it was designated as the highest danger level, class S, and had been posted on bulletin boards for a long time.
“So it’s been known for that long…”
Declaring my family’s tomb as a class S dungeon without our permission?
Even though it’s such top-secret information about the ‘Lightless’ family that even the royal family doesn’t know.
It would be a shock to my father if he found out.
Sigil tilted his head in response to my muttering.
“Does that mean the ‘Lightless’ family is guarding the temple of the dark god?”
“Huh? No, that’s… No, wait, why is it even called a temple of the dark god? Wasn’t there no information about it?”
The temple of the dark god, Riruka also mentioned something like that.
Is it being confused as the Dark God Lightless?
Sigil looked awkwardly away.
“Sorry, I don’t know much either… It’s just rumors, but there was something about it being mentioned on a slab in another temple of the six gods. Well, it’s probably just hearsay.”
“The ancient texts haven’t been fully deciphered yet, though, right?”
“The ‘Treasure Guild’ has a team dedicated to research. There, the decoding is progressing quite well. I’m just a rank-and-file member, so I can’t say much about it.”
It’s hard to believe that an unofficial organization is more advanced than the kingdom’s research institutions.
Well, I’m not familiar with that area.
Sigil continued the story.
Originally, they had no plans to come to the ‘First Tomb’, where information was scarce and danger was high.
However, for some reason, they found that items were depleted in every ruin and dungeon they visited, and they were forced to invade the ‘First Tomb’ quickly out of necessity.
So that’s how they ended up invading the ‘First Tomb’.
“…Is it common for items to be depleted?”
“…Well, it’s not uncommon. We’re not the only treasure hunters, you know. But… this time, we had such terrible luck. We visited almost ten places and they were all wiped out…”
Sigil scratched his head bitterly.
Items being depleted everywhere… What bad luck, huh?
Is it just a coincidence?
If it led them to invade the ‘First Tomb’ as a result, it’s doubtful whether it’s just a coincidence.
Moreover, human-made ruins aside, dungeons regenerate items and monsters over time.
Why did they rush into exploration like that?
Or was someone pushing them?
“Why couldn’t you wait for the dungeons to regenerate? What was the rush?”
“Uh… well, that’s…”
Sigil seemed to find it difficult to say something, blatantly avoiding eye contact.
“Just say it. I said I’d kill you if you hide anything.”
Seeing this, one of the guys wearing round sunglasses who had been standing in the corner of the room approached.
“Wait a minute. Could you not bully our guys too much?”
A firm female voice spoke.
Entering the room was a red-haired woman who looked unusually pale.
She could barely stand, and she was being supported by Riruka and the other female crew member from the story.
I looked at the red-haired woman and narrowed my eyes.
“…Who are you?”
It was the first time I had seen this woman.
She didn’t appear in the story.
Was she related to the ‘Crimson Wind’?
“I’m Iz. I’m the vice-leader of the ‘Crimson Wind.’ Pleasure to meet you, noble sir.”
The red-haired woman, Iz, smiled gracefully despite her ill appearance.
“Vice-leader…?”
Was there a vice-leader in the ‘Crimson Wind’?
I had the impression of just Sigil, the leader, and the other members.
However, the name Iz sounded familiar. I’m sure I heard it somewhere.
In the story, Riruka mentioned it when she talked about old times.
She talked about it as if it were someone deceased.
Iz looked at me and smiled.
“…Do you want to hear the story?”
“…Yeah.”
I nodded, indicating for her to sit down.
When Iz entered initially, the guys panicked and tried to put her back to her bed, but they were stopped by Riruka and the other female member (her name was Elma, apparently).
The situation was explained by Iz herself.
Iz was suffering from an illness.
The cure for it was expensive.
Recently, Iz’s condition had worsened, and they needed money to purchase the cure.
I understood their situation to some extent.
Sigil seemed reluctant to talk about it, probably because he wanted to hide Iz’s condition.
Maybe, at worst, he planned to let Iz and Elma, who I didn’t know, escape.
But my mind wasn’t going that far.
Based on Iz’s illness, it seemed to be a type of disease where magical essence accumulated in the body.
For humans without magical power, magical essence is harmful.
If it accumulates, the body will react, causing pain and discomfort, which was reasonable.
However, normally, magical essence doesn’t accumulate in the body.
Magical essence doesn’t have such a property.
I’m not very knowledgeable about endemic diseases, but it would likely be due to special magical essences that have such characteristics occurring in certain regions.
It’s fine; such diseases wouldn’t be unusual.
But the problem was the cure.
How could there be a medicine that removes magical essence from the body?
I understood replenishing magical essence with mana potions, and if a mage had advanced magical manipulation skills, they could transfer their magical power to others.
I could do that too.
But removing magical essence or magical power was impossible.
It’s like artificial respiration.
We can supply oxygen, but we can’t extract oxygen.
The same goes for medicine.
There’s no medicine that can remove magical essence or magical power from the body.
If there were, the magical medicine society would be in an uproar.
Moreover, the price of that cure was even higher than an elixir called the panacea.
What kind of cure was that? It could probably even build houses.
But more importantly, in the story of the ‘Crimson Wind,’ Iz wasn’t there.
So, even with desperate money-making efforts, it seemed like Iz wouldn’t be saved as I never heard of her.
Ultimately, if they couldn’t gather the money and buy the cure, she would probably…
“I understand the story. It doesn’t feel contradictory.”
“I still have questions I want to ask, but for now, I’ll put an end to tis conversation.
In the end, I’m left not knowing who else knows the story besides me.
“That’s the end of the discussion. You should rest now,” I said, motioning for Iz to leave.
Even while explaining, Iz looked pale throughout. Normally, getting up from bed would have been tough for her.
“Oh, worried about me? I thought you were some scary noble, but you’re surprisingly kind,” Iz smirked.
I glared at Elma, who stood beside me. “Hey, take her away already,” I urged Elma, who seemed flustered, to support Iz and leave the room.
Riruka also hurriedly followed them.
With only the men left in the room, I looked at Sigil, who seemed lost.
“I can’t tell which one of you is the leader.”
I said sarcastically, and Sigil let out a sigh, clutching his chest. “Well, yeah,” he replied.
“Indeed,” one of the other men chimed in.
“…Same here,” another added.
“Hey, what’s with you guys!” Sigil grabbed at them in frustration.
Sigil, do you have even less popularity now than during the story?
As I pondered this, I suddenly felt the magical communication crystal in my pocket react.
This was the response when communication came in from the other linked crystal.
Most likely, my father had sent a message wondering why I hadn’t returned yet.
I picked up the crystal, thinking that must be it.
“Huh?”
It wasn’t my father who had contacted me.
It was from the replacement for Clinton, the puppet official.
It wasn’t time for the regular communication.
Was it an emergency?
I channeled magic into the communication crystal.
“What is it?”
“S-sorry for the sudden contact,” came the reply.
“Skip the pleasantries. What’s the matter?”
“Th-the thing is… a Wyvern appeared in Rougvelt.”
“…What?”
My dumbfounded voice echoed in the room.
“Haah…”
An involuntary sigh escaped my lips.
I was on the deck of the Ifrit.
The Ifrit flew above the clouds at an incredible speed.
There was some wind, but it wasn’t strong enough to knock you over.
With this speed, there should have been significant wind pressure, but it seemed like there was some sort of magical barrier around the Ifrit, canceling out most of the wind pressure.
Thanks to that, the deck was pleasantly breezy, quite comfortable indeed.
Leaning against the railing of the deck, I gazed at the horizon tinged with the hues of sunset.
The reason for this situation lay in the contact from the puppet official, as expected.
A Wyvern suddenly appearing in Rougvelt.
They immediately formed a extermination squad, but it failed due to interference from several residents of Rougvelt.
The Wyvern didn’t attack people; it just kept crying out from the top of a rocky mountain as if calling for something.
With that situation, they contacted me to seek my judgment.
Hm, there were various things to confirm, but when it came to Wyverns in Rougvelt, it reminded me of something from three months ago when I returned from the Steria territory.
Or rather, if there was anything related to it, it would be that Wyvern I borrowed from Vallum at the time.
If it was Vallum’s Wyvern, why did it come back to Rougvelt? And with several Rougvelt residents interfering to prevent it from being attacked?
Who knows what they’re up to.
Well, it’s probably Fol or Log or someone around there.
With that situation, I had to head to Rougvelt immediately.
“Transport me to Rougvelt.”
I ordered—no, requested—Sigil, who readily agreed.
In exchange, they asked me to overlook the incident of trespassing into the ruins. I wondered how I should handle that.
They’re up to you guys anyway.
When I replied like that, Sigil made a pretty awkward face. That insolent fellow doesn’t seem to understand their position properly.
But, of course, the speed of the airship was terrifyingly fast. At this rate, we’d arrive in Rougvelt by sunset.
Originally, it would take two full days by carriage, but it’s only a matter of hours now.
Good, very good.
I’d like to have this airship for myself if possible.
Lost in such thoughts, the door on the deck opened.
“Whoa, it’s cold! You’re amazing, being out here, Rofus-sama. You’ll catch a cold, you know?”
It was Riruka who came out.
She had a tray in her hand.
“Want some tea? It’s warm,” she offered.
“No, thanks,” I declined immediately, but Riruka approached without seeming to mind.
“…Do you happen to dislike tea?” she asked.
“Yeah. It has a strange smell.”
“That’s the good part. It tastes delicious with jam,” she grinned.
Jam? What’s she thinking, putting such a sweet thing in it?
“…That’s a weird way of drinking it,” I commented.
“My big sister Iz used to do it a lot, and when I tried it last time, it was surprisingly good,” Riruka said.
“I don’t care.”
I was tired of talking, so I looked away, but Riruka handed me something.
“What’s this?”
The thing Riruka handed me was a small metal box that fit in the palm of my hand.
As I looked at the box suspiciously, Riruka grinned.
“You haven’t eaten anything since lunch, right? You must be hungry. It’s a can. Imperial-made preserved food.”
This small box was preserved food?
Would this be enough to fill me up?
However, now that she mentioned it, I hadn’t had time for lunch today, and my stomach was indeed rumbling.
Or rather…
“…Do you guys have connections with the Empire?” I asked.
“Eh, not really connections, but we sometimes do some shopping there. Things that don’t sell in the Kingdom can fetch quite a high price there. Besides, the Empire also has ruins and dungeons,” Riruka explained.
“Treasure hunting across borders,” I remarked.
It was possible because of the airship.
It’s a violation of kingdom law, or rather, international law, to move back and forth across borders without permission, but I guess they don’t care at this point.
“Well, in the Empire, magic users are persecuted, so I’m always nervous that I’ll get caught. It’s kind of tight there, so I don’t really want to go,” Riruka said.
She said while taking out her own metal box—a can.
Then, she pulled out a knife from her boot and skillfully opened the can’s surface.
Inside the can were slices of fish soaked in brine.
Then Riruka made a sound of satisfaction.
“Huh?”
“Can you lend me the can? I’ll open it for you.”
“Oh, sure.”
I handed it over obediently, and Riruka skillfully opened it and returned it to me.
“Wow, it’s steak inside! Congratulations! Jackpot!” Riruka exclaimed.
Inside the can was a thick steak.
I frowned and looked at Riruka.
“Do you like steak?”
“Eh, well, of course I do, I love it.”
“Then keep it. Give me the fish instead.”
I demanded an exchange, and Riruka blinked in surprise.
“Uh, sure, but are you sure? You don’t like steak?”
“I don’t like beef. That’s sea fish, right? I prefer that.”
I asked for the exchange, and Riruka suddenly burst into laughter, clutching her stomach.
“Heh, you’re just like a kid, Rofus-sama! Disliking tea, disliking beef? It’s not good to be picky about food, you know? Ahaha, oh, that’s funny!”
Who’s the kid here, huh?
You’re more childlike in appearance than I am.
Laughing heartily for a while, Riruka handed me the fish can.
“Here. I’ll make the exchange since you’re so picky. But next time, no being picky about food, okay?”
She teased.
“You…”
I clenched my teeth and snatched the steak can from her.
Then, I reached out for the fish can, but Riruka didn’t let go.
“…Hey.”
“Here.”
Frustrated, I raised my voice, and Riruka took out a spoon from her pocket and handed it to me.
“Huh?”
“I’ll hold it for you instead of your missing left hand. Or should I feed you?”
“…I don’t need your help.”
It’s really unnecessary.
Sure, not having a left arm is inconvenient, but I’ve gotten quite used to this lifestyle already.
I extended a Dark Hand from the stump of my left arm and snatched the can from Riruka’s hand.
“Wow, that’s the hand you had out earlier. It’s amazing that you can use it like that. Magic is so convenient,” Riruka remarked.
Perhaps remembering being restrained by countless Dark Hands in the tomb, she stared at the Dark Hand intently.
Ignoring her, I ate the fish, and Riruka followed suit.
The fish tasted salty but surprisingly delicious.
I heard that the Empire was advanced in technology, but this exceeded my expectations.
After finishing the meal, I looked at Riruka quietly.
When Riruka noticed my gaze, she tilted her head.
“What’s wrong?”
“Why do you involve yourself with me? Even though you were almost killed in the ruins, aren’t you afraid of me?”
I asked, and Riruka looked straight at me.
“You had a mission to protect those ruins, right? And you tried to kill us because of that mission. Originally, we’re the ones in the wrong for breaking the law, and even if I were to be killed, it would be unfair to blame you for it, I think.”
“…You’re surprisingly insightful. But that doesn’t answer my question. Aren’t you afraid of me?”
“Ah, yeah. So, I can’t really bring myself to be afraid, you know? After all, you saved my life. I should be grateful, I don’t think there’s any reason for me to be afraid of you.”
“…I see.”
Riruka’s reasoning sounded logical, and her thoughts were well within the range of understanding.
However, it was only a matter of logic.
If someone tried to kill you, it’s natural to feel fear, no matter how much you try to reason, human emotions aren’t that simple.
Riruka’s thoughts were strangely mature, and they only deepened my suspicions.
Moreover, the person in front of me was quite different from the original Riruka Skyfield in the story.
Riruka Skyfield in the story was more childish and emotional.
Feeling the discomfort of knowing the Riruka in the story, I took immediate action.
I pushed Riruka, who was defenseless, down on the deck and immediately restrained her movements with Dark Hands.
Even in that state, Riruka didn’t scream or show any sign of fear in her eyes.
She just looked a little surprised, her eyes wide open.
“What? Why all of a sudden? What’s wrong, Rofus-sama?”
I straddled Riruka and peered into her golden eyes.
“In this situation, you seem surprisingly calm,” I remarked.
“Well, of course I’m surprised? You suddenly pushed me down,” Riruka replied, maintaining an unnervingly calm demeanor.
Is she onto me after all?
Someone else who knows the story besides me.
Since the Crimson Wind deviated from the story’s path, it’s conceivable that someone among the members has dreamt the story.
And what I fear the most is if the one who dreamt the story is someone significant within the story, perhaps even a member of the protagonist’s faction.
From that perspective, I’ve been suspicious of Riruka from the start.
But I still lack enough information to be certain.
So, if Riruka knows something that only someone who dreamt the story would know, my suspicions will turn into certainty.
I draw closer to Riruka.
“Have you recently had any strange dreams?”
“Dreams?”
“A dream of the future, three years from now. There, you meet a certain man.”
Riruka furrowed her brows.
“The future? A man? Um, what are you talking about?”
“No need to play dumb. This Shadow Wolf, Rofus, knows everything.”
“Shadow…? …Huh?”
I mention one of the nicknames from the Four Heavenly Kings era, but Riruka’s reaction is lackluster.
Hmph, quite stubborn, isn’t she?
“If you won’t admit it, I’ll go kill that man. Him—Abel Carrot. With his current state, he should be easy to kill.”
I summon a Dark Ball into my hand, using it to threaten Riruka.
This should break through your poker face.
If you were told someone was going to kill the man you love, you’d at least be somewhat shaken.
But Riruka, in response, just tilts her head in confusion.
“Abel…? Um, who?
“…?”
…Huh?
Riruka’s face shows a simple question mark.
As if she truly knows nothing.
If this is an act, it’s a good one… but could it be she genuinely doesn’t know…?
“…Fool, then why are you so calm… You should be more childish.”
“Rofus, what exactly do you know about me?”
“…”
Riruka furrows her brows noticeably.
Is this really just my misunderstanding?
You, weren’t you so infatuated with the protagonist, Abel Carrot, in the story?
Could it be you haven’t dreamt of the the story after all?
“…Do you, Riruka, not… have anyone you like?”
“Huh, like…? Um, like…? Ah, I see…?”
Suddenly understanding something, Riruka becomes flustered, her face turning red.
Huh? What’s with this reaction?
Blushing like a tomato, Riruka shyly averts her gaze from me.
“S-Sorry, Rofus… I’m not very perceptive… I don’t have anyone I like, you know? I’ve never even… kissed someone or held hands with someone—”
“No.”
Interrupting Riruka as she begins to babble about something strange.
Riruka looks bewildered.
“…No, what?”
“All of it. Anyway, your misunderstanding is over.”
“…Huh?”
“Sorry, forget about it.”
…”
Leaving Riruka, who still seems to be trying to catch up, I return to the ship’s interior.
Shortly after, a high-pitched scream filled with embarrassment echoes from the deck.
I cover my ears and quickly leave the scene.
It seems it was all just a misunderstanding on my part.