Chapter 185
Chapter 185
Carried by Gear (2)
I steeled myself for battle. There were the zombies that had followed us and the zombies that had appeared together with the system window.
Their numbers seemed roughly similar to the ones we'd faced at the end of the previous nightmare. I couldn't remember the battle in the garden because I'd lost consciousness, though.
‘No debuff.’
The Imperial Princess's roguelike dungeon was fairly difficult. The fact that dying meant losing everything and starting over was infuriating enough, but the real problem was the debuffs.
Whenever there was a battle essential to progressing the story, a debuff appeared without fail. But this time, no debuff appeared.
“Hold on tight.”
I said that to the Imperial Princess and took a running start. The wave of zombies surging toward us was quite magnificent. Individually, they weren't anything special, but things were different when this many gathered together.
More than anything, infection was the problem. Someone as sturdy as me wouldn't suffer any damage even if bitten, but the Imperial Princess was different.
I leaped high and delivered a spinning kick to the head of the zombie at the front.
―Thud.
Its head, far softer than it had been in life, burst apart pathetically. The Imperial Princess immediately covered her eyes and mouth and buried her face against my back.
She was being careful to prevent the zombies' blood and bodily fluids from entering her body. Feeling the pressure around my neck, I moved.
Remembering the way Soloven and Worden had fought, I awkwardly began imitating them.
‘10%’
Several zombies died with every punch and kick. Even so, the number of zombies occupying the surroundings seemed unchanged.
As though they had no intention of decreasing whatsoever, they ceaselessly moved to surround us. I carefully whittled down their numbers while making sure we weren't encircled.
“Huff, huff.”
“Are you all right?”
Perhaps my breathing sounded unusual, because the Imperial Princess asked in a voice filled with concern. If she was asking whether I was all right, I still wasn't sure.
I'd run quite a long distance without stopping and entered battle immediately without getting any proper rest. No matter how confident I was in my stamina, I couldn't say it had no effect whatsoever.
I clicked my tongue as my mouth went completely dry. Then something suddenly flashed through my mind. I immediately put a great deal of distance between myself and the zombies.
“W-Wait? D-Davide!”
The startled Imperial Princess called out in confusion. Almost all the lightning that came from my body belonged to Anaye.
Anaye's power. In other words, it came from the skill called Trace of Anaye. But there was exactly one source of lightning that didn't come from Trace of Anaye.
“Please wait here for a moment.”
“Davide.”
I put the Imperial Princess down in front of the armory. She quietly called my name. I knew perfectly well that keeping her with me would make protecting her easier.
Because I'd also have to manage the enemies' aggro toward the Imperial Princess. Since I wasn't a professional tank, I wasn't particularly skilled at that sort of thing.
“I'll be right back.”
But that didn't matter if there were no enemies left. Leaving those words with the Imperial Princess, I turned around.
Facing the slowly approaching zombies, I struck my chest twice. Something I hadn't been able to use last time because there had been water, and something I'd completely forgotten about until now because the Imperial Princess was with me.
Lightning Armor wrapped around my body while scattering small sparks.
“I went through all that trouble for nothing.”
Lightning Armor wasn't part of Trace of Anaye, but an additional effect attached to Adaptive Body. I'd forgotten because of my perception that ‘lightning belonged to Anaye,’ but Adaptive Body belonged to Anaye too.
“You're all dead.”
The moment I charged forward wrapped in lightning, the zombies began melting away. The lightning imbued with divinity rampaged even more violently, as though it had finally been let loose.
***
“……Well done.”
“I only just remembered.”
“I know.”
The Imperial Princess gave me an awkward smile as I approached after finishing off the zombies. I complained to the Imperial Princess about how unfair it was.
The Imperial Princess paused briefly before nodding. I knew it too. I knew exactly how stupid I'd been. I could only wonder why I hadn't remembered Lightning Armor.
“I'll open the door.”
Saying that, I approached the door. With the heavy iron key I'd received as a reward in hand, I easily passed through the invisible barrier.
“Ah!”
The Imperial Princess, who had been following me, suddenly fell over. Startled, I hurriedly turned around and saw her clutching her forehead in pain.
Was only the person holding the key allowed through? I passed back through the barrier.
“Ugh.”
“Please excuse me for a moment.”
“Hmm? W-Wait?”
I picked up the Imperial Princess in my arms. How should I put it? I'd done this for Young Canis and the Dream Bird before, so perhaps I'd gotten used to it.
The Imperial Princess's mouth fell open in surprise, and her entire body stiffened. Paying it no mind, I passed through the barrier. This time, the Imperial Princess wasn't repelled.
“Let's go.”
“Ahem.”
Once I set her down, the Imperial Princess finally began moving again, and I pointed toward the door. She cleared her throat and slowly walked forward.
I followed leisurely behind her while surveying our surroundings. The Imperial Palace as a whole placed great emphasis on elegance.
But this place had a different atmosphere. Merely changing the architectural style slightly had made the air feel eerie and sharp.
“This way.”
The Imperial Princess led the way. I followed her and headed underground.
“There are three armories in total. This one contains long weapons.”
“You mean spears.”
“Indeed. There are many extraordinary items here. However, with a body like this, the ones I can use are limited.”
As we descended underground, countless spears displayed around us came into view. It looked as though every kind of long weapon had been gathered here.
There were staffs, halberds, and even polearms from the Far East. Several of them were impressive enough to draw even my attention.
“Most of them are Artifacts. The others were stored here because of their rarity. If there is anything you like, you may take it.”
“I probably won't be able to.”
Part of me was excited, thinking it might be possible under our current circumstances. But I was skeptical.
Anaye wasn't that easygoing.
“…….”
“…….”
The moment I picked up a spear I liked, the Holy Scripture dropped onto my head.
The Imperial Princess's eyes nearly popped out at the bizarre sight. I returned the spear to where it had been.
The surroundings became quiet again.
“I-I'm sorry.”
“It's fine. The Goddess is a little particular.”
I wanted to use cool weapons too. A massive greatsword, flashy twin swords.
But the only things permitted to me were blunt weapons.
“Do you happen to have any blunt weapons?”
“As you can see. What about a staff? That is also a type of blunt weapon.”
I thought the Imperial Princess's suggestion wasn't bad. Among the countless weapons, staffs accounted for only a small portion.
There were at most five staffs gathered in one corner. I picked up the one that looked the most expensive and valuable.
“Oh! It seems that one is acceptable.”
Fortunately, the Holy Scripture didn't move. I had a rough idea of what kinds of weapons made the Holy Scripture react.
Weapons without blades. That seemed to be the criterion.
But now that I thought about it, the Blood Sword had a blade. I should have asked Anaye directly when I had the chance.
“That one is called the Golden-Banded Staff. You have quite the eye.”
It wasn't as though I had any particular eye for weapons. I'd simply chosen the flashiest-looking one.
More importantly, the name wasn't ordinary.
The Golden-Banded Staff. I'd heard that somewhere before. I stared at the staff, which had flame-shaped patterns engraved at both ends.
“It is a weapon said to be the ‘Weight of the Sea.’ A previous Emperor received it after helping the merfolk defeat a monster called ‘Gregot.’”
“Ah.”
Hearing ‘Weight of the Sea’ reminded me of something. The famous staff wielded by Sun Wukong. The Ruyi Jingu Bang.
It should have been an item with quite the grand name, yet it was being treated like this. According to modern legends, it would certainly have been worthy of entering the Imperial Princess's collection.
It was an item that hadn't appeared in the game either, so I simply accepted it and moved on.
“What about Her Imperial Highness, the Imperial Princess?”
“I shall use this.”
The Imperial Princess waved the flag in her hand. For some reason, it reminded me of Winter. The small stature, and even the flag.
“This is a support-type weapon. Its performance as a weapon is poor, but in our current situation, there is likely nothing better.”
I nodded at the Imperial Princess's words. The flag wasn't particularly long, so although it seemed somewhat cumbersome for her, she didn't appear to have any trouble holding it.
We left the armory just like that. The Imperial Princess wore an expression dripping with regret.
“Having a lot of them wouldn't do us any good.”
“……I know.”
The Imperial Princess became dejected at my words. People really were much easier to watch when they were children.
Seeing such an emotional side of the normally steadfast Imperial Princess was a rare sight.
I consoled the Imperial Princess as we left the armory. With how strong her desire to collect things was, she had to steel herself enough to grit her teeth before leaving.
“We'll head north from here.”
“What is in the north?”
“It is where all the women serving in the Imperial Palace reside. It was also the residence of the Empress.”
I nodded. That meant there would be many maids and female officials.
“Let's go.”
The Imperial Princess quickened her pace without any particular change in expression. I followed behind her, then suddenly stopped.
I could feel someone's gaze.
“Her Imperial Highness, the Imperial Princess.”
“Hmm?”
“I can feel someone watching us from somewhere.”
The Imperial Princess smirked at my words. I looked at her in confusion.
This wasn't something we could simply overlook. Everyone here except the Imperial Princess and me was an enemy. We couldn't ignore even the slightest gaze.
“It seems it has finally arrived. What a slow fellow. Davide, there is no need to concern yourself with it. This persistent gaze belongs to Shadow.”
“Ah.”
Only then did I understand why the Imperial Princess was so calm. Shadow, the being that came into the Imperial Princess's nightmare and did nothing but watch.
It was Shadow's gaze. I hadn't felt it during Stage 1.
I dismissed it and followed the Imperial Princess.
“This is the entrance.”
“Her Imperial Highness, the Imperial Princess. I think monsters other than zombies will appear.”
I warned the Imperial Princess before we entered. She looked puzzled.
“How do you know that?”
I couldn't exactly say I'd seen it in the game, so I had no choice but to make up a rough excuse.
“Zombies are reanimated corpses. Your Imperial Highness. They are the lingering resentment of those who had a yearning for life or unfinished responsibilities before death. Most of those in the east were soldiers who protected Your Imperial Highness.”
“Hmm. That makes sense.”
It was an incredibly flimsy excuse, but the young Imperial Princess readily accepted it.
I hadn't expected that to work. I was busy hiding my dumbfounded expression.
“Then shall we go? Whatever awaits us, we will have to clear it anyway.”
“Of course.”
Nothing could stop the Imperial Princess as she strode forward confidently. She opened the door and entered Stage 2.
Just like Stage 1, monsters were present in the corridor.
“You were right.”
Unlike the zombies in Stage 1, different monsters greeted us in Stage 2.
“Kyaaaaak!”
The instant they saw us, they screamed and charged. Their disheveled hair and reddened skin marked them as low-ranking demons.
I stood in front of the Imperial Princess and swung the Golden-Banded Staff.
―Thud.
With a satisfying sound, the charging demons went flying one after another. Blunt weapons really did have an incredible feel to them.
Smiling at the powerful vibration traveling through my hands, I continued swinging it. The only weapon I could properly handle was a sword, so my technique was incredibly clumsy.
“Spread your legs! Swing with your waist!”
But there was an expert in every weapon here.
Although she couldn't wield it herself, the Imperial Princess gave me various pointers.
Surprisingly, my handling of the staff gradually became more refined, and the strain on my body steadily decreased.
“That's it! Swing! Strike! Yes! Put more strength into your fingers! Staffs and spears become more flexible the more you make use of your grip strength.”
Feeling myself adapt rapidly with the Imperial Princess's coaching only made me more excited.
“Let's go! Kill them all!”
“Let's gooo!”
For some reason, the two of us became excited and charged forward aggressively.