Chapter 148
Chapter 148
Event Shop (2)
“Ahem.”
The night on the Floating Island was cold. I cleared my itchy throat with a dry cough and hoisted the massive horn onto my shoulder. I had told the others to start eating without me before coming out alone.
The small after-party that had started after dinner under Canis's lead had gradually turned into a drinking session. At this rate, I wouldn't be able to get away, so I slipped out early.
“Ah. Where was it again?”
The layout of the Floating Island was fairly simple, but finding my way around was difficult. Since nearly all the buildings looked the same, it was easy to get confused.
Fortunately, I had the bracelet infused with Astral's hair. A tiny beam of light, no bigger than a fingernail, extended from the bracelet and pointed in one direction.
After following where the bracelet led me for a while, I found a familiar alley.
The secret NPC from the game who exchanged horns.
He had settled himself in a secluded corner.
“Hm?”
I approached the shabbily dressed homeless old man sitting against the wall in a dark alley deep within the Floating Island. Sensing someone's presence, the homeless man let out a puzzled sound.
“Old man.”
“So, you're an Academy student.”
The old man smiled ominously, looking pleased to see me. I set the horns down in front of him.
Four hundred and fifty small horns.
The homeless man widened his eyes as he looked at the pile of horns before him.
“Looks like you need these, old man.”
“Heh heh.”
At my words, the homeless man chuckled to himself for quite some time. Then he pulled something out from inside his clothes.
“So you're a customer. Have a look.”
What the homeless man handed me was a catalog.
It reeked, and mold clung to it everywhere.
I instinctively reached out with my left hand before switching to my right. The moment I grabbed it with the gauntlet, the gauntlet suddenly began to glow.
-Thud. Thud.
It tried to release its chill on its own, so I punched it a few times with my fist.
Only then did the gauntlet settle down. I looked at the homeless man with a puzzled expression.
The homeless man merely shrugged.
Come to think of it, perhaps it had moved on its own.
But that wasn't important right now.
“Hm.”
I slowly looked through the catalog.
It was exactly the same as it had been in the game.
Among everything inside, only two items caught my attention.
The last item in the catalog, [Final Strike].
It was a single-use item that summoned reinforcements to unleash a devastating attack.
Roughly speaking, it was about as powerful as firing one and a half Lightning Spikes of Anaye.
“My, you've collected quite a lot.”
I currently had 450 horns.
One [Final Strike] cost 200 horns, while everything else cost 20 horns each.
The item I really had my eye on was the [Dignified Mandrake Seed].
It was used as an alchemy ingredient and would later become a key material for high-grade stamina recovery potions.
“I'll take two 'Final Strikes' and two 'Mandrake Seeds.'”
“Oh ho.”
Apparently pleased with my choices, the homeless man handed over the items with a satisfied expression.
I received two scrolls containing [Final Strike] and two Mandrake Seeds.
“You're a fine student.”
“Yes. Well then, I'll see you next time.”
Just how had he managed to pull things like these out from those ragged clothes?
Curiosity crossed my mind, but after taking the items, I quickly said my goodbye.
The homeless man waved awkwardly in farewell.
I left the alley just like that.
“What is that smell...”
I finally took a deep breath after holding it in.
Just how long had it been since he'd bathed for him to smell like that?
Knowing the homeless man's true identity because I knew the event, I could only find it strange.
I sat down on a nearby bench.
“This should do it.”
After Candela and the Blood Mist, this would become my third source of funding.
In fact, these seeds alone would cover all the finances of the Anaye Order.
A high-grade rare species that grew only on the Floating Island.
Its cultivation difficulty was nightmarish, and the method was hardly known, but I was different.
As long as I successfully cultivated them, they would bring in an enormous fortune.
That was why I hadn't shown much regret over Candela during my deal with the Imperial Princess.
“I'll give one to Winter.”
Next, I examined the scrolls.
This would become my trump card.
I planned to keep one for myself and give the other to Winter.
“Hmm.”
The moment I was idly grinning while looking at the scrolls, I sensed an unfamiliar presence.
I hurriedly turned my head and felt someone beyond the streetlamp.
Before I knew it, night had fully settled in, and the streetlamp was the only thing casting light over the dim street.
“……”
I slowly rose to my feet.
When the figure beyond the streetlamp saw me stand, they slowly revealed themselves as well.
I pointed the sword created through Blood Magic at them.
The figure wrapped in a black robe merely stood there ominously.
According to what Winter had told me, the one wearing the black robe during the attack had been the mastermind.
“Hm? Your Imperial Highness, the Imperial Princess?”
As I took a closer look, the figure somehow seemed familiar.
Looking at the armored feet beneath the robe and the red jewel, I asked in confusion.
At my words, the black-robed figure slowly lowered the hood.
Crimson hair and well-defined features came into view.
“No... Your Imperial Highness, the Imperial Princess. Why are you alone in such a secluded pla—”
I let out a hollow laugh upon recognizing the Imperial Princess.
I slowly approached while speaking to her, but strangely, she gave no response.
I stopped talking and halted where I stood.
Then I narrowed my eyes and looked at her.
“Your Imperial Highness, the Imperial Princess. Don't tell me you're asleep?”
“……”
Now that I was closer, I saw that the Imperial Princess had her eyes closed.
I asked just in case, but as expected, there was no reply.
I cautiously approached.
“What?”
The Imperial Princess showed no particular reaction even as someone else came close.
Just to be sure, I placed my hand on her shoulder.
“……”
“……”
In the blink of an eye.
The instant my hand touched her shoulder, she reacted sharply.
She seized the gauntlet resting on her shoulder and stabbed at me with a wavy dagger that had appeared from who knew where.
Of course, it wasn't an attack I couldn't react to, so I simply leaned my head back and avoided it.
Only then did I finally get a clear look at the Imperial Princess's eyes.
“...Davide?”
“You've come to your senses.”
“...Why are you here?”
At the Imperial Princess's question, I chuckled.
That was what I wanted to ask.
Maybe it was sleepwalking or something.
“Why were Your Imperial Highness standing alone out here?”
“Out here? Huh? Wha...?”
Only then did the Imperial Princess realize she was out on the street.
She looked around in obvious confusion.
It was a cute sight, though my current posture was rather uncomfortable.
“Your Imperial Highness, could you let go of my hand now?”
“What? Ah. Mm.”
Only then did the Imperial Princess release the gauntlet she had grabbed.
She was so strong that if I had been barehanded, deep finger marks would have been left behind.
“What happened, Your Imperial Highness?”
“...I merely went to sleep. Surely you weren't the one who carried me here?”
“There wouldn't be anything in it for me.”
“...True. There wouldn't be.”
At my reply, the Imperial Princess pouted.
I had no idea what exactly she was sulking about, but it wasn't important.
“I'll escort you back to your lodgings.”
“Hmph.”
The Imperial Princess snorted at my offer.
Then she started walking ahead first.
Thinking she intended to go by herself, I remained where I was.
After only a short distance, the Imperial Princess turned around.
“What are you doing? Didn't you say you would escort me?”
I shrugged at her matter-of-fact remark.
I quickly caught up to where the Imperial Princess was.
Then I walked beside her.
“Oh, right. I had this.”
Without warning, the Imperial Princess began searching through her clothes.
I quietly stopped and watched.
Wondering what she was about to do this time, I observed her closely.
A moment later, the Imperial Princess held something out to me.
“I shall commend your efforts. What you did during that nightmare before was of great help.”
It was a gift I had never expected.
Originally, the Imperial Princess's Nightmare roguelike only rewarded you with a single prize after completely resolving the nightmare.
Even so, that content had been popular simply because it was fun.
Of course, now that it had become reality and I had experienced it firsthand, I hadn't found it enjoyable in the slightest.
So I had regarded it as nothing more than a tedious chore, or perhaps a way to raise the Imperial Princess's affection.
I never expected to receive a gift like this.
“Thank you.”
“Indeed. It is something quite precious.”
What I received was a badge.
A small badge that could be pinned onto clothing.
Shaped like a water droplet, it was an item I knew very well.
Called the [Whistling Droplet], it converted 50% of the wearer's Defense into Attack Power while the wearer was whistling.
Commonly referred to as the Whistle Droplet, it functioned as a buff in the game that could be activated once every 30 seconds and lasted for 10 seconds.
“Come here.”
The Imperial Princess took the Whistle Droplet back from me and beckoned me over.
When I stepped closer, she personally pinned the Whistle Droplet onto me.
She attached it to the shawl that Aro had given me, which I always wore.
Although I had high stamina, my Defense wasn't particularly impressive, so I couldn't expect tremendous effectiveness from it.
Besides, breathing was extremely important in close combat, so it wasn't as if I could go around whistling the entire time.
“Thank you, Your Imperial Highness. This is an honor for my family.”
“Though you don't even have a family.”
Even so, it was a free artifact, so I was in a good mood.
At the very least, simply activating it before throwing a Lightning Spike of Anaye would greatly increase its damage.
It had countless possible applications.
Even if it wasn't part of my main build, it was still a very worthwhile reward.
“Will Your Imperial Highness be remaining on the Floating Island?”
“I will. Doesn't it only appear once every sixty years? If I miss it now, I may well be dead of old age before the next one.”
“That's true.”
It seemed the Imperial Princess intended to stay on the Floating Island a while longer.
The Floating Island really was too special to simply pass by.
Starting tomorrow, the main event would begin, and the Floating Island's own festival would also open, so there would be plenty to see.
“Do you have business here?”
“For now, I think I'll just enjoy myself a little.”
The Floating Island itself was a breathtaking sight.
It would have been the perfect honeymoon destination.
There were still things I needed to take care of, but at least tomorrow I wanted to relax.
As long as I secured one [Final Strike] scroll, I could take my time enjoying the Floating Island afterward.
In other words, if I failed to obtain even one scroll, I'd end up suffering like hell.
“Then I shall come find you tomorrow.”
“Huh? Ah, yes. Understood.”
The moment I responded with confusion, the Imperial Princess's expression turned fierce, so I answered immediately.
She nodded with a satisfied look.
“This is my first time here, so I shall ask you to guide me. I hear the Floating Island has many sights worth seeing.”
“...Your Imperial Highness, with all due respect, this is my first time on the Floating Island as well.”
I was dumbfounded.
It was my first visit too, so why was she asking me to be her guide?
Besides, someone of the Imperial Princess's status would surely need an escort.
Wouldn't that be something the Vice-Commander should handle?
Come to think of it, considering the Vice-Commander's age, she had probably been to the Floating Island before.
“Hasn't the Vice-Commander visited the Floating Island before?”
“...Shh. You should be more careful with your words.”
Suddenly, the Imperial Princess raised a finger to her lips.
The way she carefully looked around wasn't ordinary.
I instinctively looked around as well.
Finding no one nearby, I turned back to her.
“You may not know this, but that's a sensitive subject. Even I, her own niece, never mention Sheila's age.”
“……”
I quietly shut my mouth as well.
For an elf, who lived twice as long as ordinary humans, it might not have been such a big issue.
However, the Vice-Commander had become deeply integrated into human society.
“You are right. Age is a sensitive subject.”
“Indeed. Especially when you've spent all those years working while your former lover married someone else and had a healthy twenty-two-year-old son.”
...That was oddly specific.
I looked at the Imperial Princess with a dubious expression before turning my gaze away.
The moon I absentmindedly looked up at shone brightly.
New Elements and Characters
이벤트 상점 = Event Shop
최후의 일격 = Final Strike
근엄한 맨드레이크 씨앗 = Dignified Mandrake Seed
작은 뿔 = Small Horn
휘파람 방울 = Whistling Droplet
휘방울 = Whistle Droplet