NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 34.1
Chapter 34: Unexpected Turn (1)
Why was the Pope interested in the Demonkin extermination?
On second thought, it wasn’t all that strange. Since the Church also relied on Crystal Grass, stabilizing its supply by eliminating the Demonkin made sense.
“But why are you the one doing it?” I asked.
“Well…”
Claire hesitated under my gaze, then let out a deep sigh before continuing.
“…Have you heard about the plague spreading in the Elves Forest?”
“Yeah.”
“You really don’t miss anything… Right, it’s because of that. Recently, a messenger from the Elves Forest came to visit.”
According to Claire’s explanation:
A few days after parting ways with me and returning to the battlefield, some elves visited Evangeline. They were from her tribe, the Wings of Light, and told her that the plague had spread through their village. They had come seeking help with their investigation.
“That’s fair, but why does that matter to you?”
“…You remember what you said you wanted a while back? They offered to give it to me.”
What was it that I wanted? I’ve wished for so many things that it’s hard to keep track…
“The Ring of Lurlei.”
“Oh.”
That’s right. The Ring of Lurlei was an item needed to clear the event Resonance of the Great Elf Archer Lurlei.
Completing the event rewards you with the Bow of the Stars, a powerful weapon that makes the Multishot skill a basic attack.
“But since we don’t have priests or alchemists we’re familiar with, I thought we’d need the Church’s help…”
“I see. But why?”
“…”
“To give it to me?”
Claire nodded slightly. Hm. But now that I have Moonlight, I don’t really need it.
I hardly have reasons to act as an archer anymore.
I patted her shoulder gently.
“Eep?”
“Why not forget about me and just return to the battlefield?”
“But—!”
“And I’ll handle the plague myself.”
“St-still! And… Hyun Woo—”
“Hey, Sage. If the plague gets worse, doesn’t it have a chance of creating undead? Wouldn’t it be better to have the Hero’s help?” Baltin asked, clearly having overheard our conversation.
I shrugged.
“Undead… That’s dangerous. Then I should definitely—”
Sure, enemies tied to events are much stronger than normal monsters.
The final boss of this event is also a bit stronger than The Pale Moon.
But I still shook my head.
I didn’t need the Hero Party’s immense power for this.
The event’s boss wasn’t in a dungeon—it was a field boss. With enough manpower, it could be taken down relatively easily.
With Moonlight in my arsenal, the fight would be even simpler.
I didn’t see the point in dragging the Hero Party, who were doing well on the battlefield, into this.
“I can handle that part myself.”
“But… I want to help— Wait, Hyun Woo. I’m not saying this to make up for anything, but…”
“Sage, I don’t know the details between you two, but she’s really trying. Don’t be too cold,” Baltin interjected, trying to mediate.
I sighed. I’d prefer it if people stayed out of my business.
While I was arguing with Claire, other adventurers could be heading off to find the Demonkin. Time was of the essence.
“Let’s deal with the Demonkin first, and then we’ll talk.”
“…Okay!”
***
The mountain path leading to the Demonkin’s location was eerily quiet. It wasn’t that there was nothing to say; Baltin and Gallik’s parties were simply too busy watching Claire and me to speak.
“Um, Hero?”
The silence was broken by Luchendi, Baltin’s lioness beastfolk partner. Trying to lighten the mood, she approached Claire and asked, gesturing toward me:
“What’s your relationship with the Sage?”
“Oh, well…”
Startled, Claire glanced nervously at me, unable to find the words. Seeing her hesitation, I answered instead.
“Former companions.”
“Really? That’s it? I heard you defeated the Demon King together. Shouldn’t you still be close or something?”
“We’re not particularly close.”
It was purely a business relationship, regardless of what others thought.
“Then why does it seem like…”
To many people, Claire was a figure of admiration and reverence. Even if she was the only Hero in the world, her attitude toward me must’ve seemed strange to someone like Luchendi.
I shrugged at her curiosity.
“You’re meddling a bit too much in other people’s affairs.”
“Were you lovers who broke up? Now that I think about it, the Hero Party was all women, and the Sage is so amazing… Oh my, was it maybe a love triang—”
“Luchendi.”
Baltin grabbed Luchendi’s arm. His calm intervention showed why he was an S-rank adventurer: he knew how to read the room.
He’d noticed that probing our relationship was making Claire visibly uncomfortable and anxious, so he stepped in to stop her. Luchendi, her expression turning sheepish, muttered:
“Sorry. I guess I went a bit too far?”
“No, it’s fine… Actually…” Claire began, but I cut her off.
“There.”
I pointed toward a spot ahead. The humanoid Demonkin, shrouded in a writhing black aura, was devouring a dead adventurer.
Thankfully, no one had engaged in it yet.
“Prepare for battle.”
“O-okay.”
Gallik’s party readied their spears, while Baltin and Luchendi unsheathed their beastfolk claws. As Claire drew her Hero’s Sword, it began emitting a soft, radiant light.
Noticing us, the Demonkin turned its head, its aura surging violently.
“Ugh.”
Its form was devoid of features—no eyes, nose, or mouth. Just a black, amorphous mass wrapped in darkness. The moment it spotted us, it unleashed an explosive wave of dark energy and charged forward.
It was exactly as it had been in the game.
“Light!!”
I immediately transformed Moonlight into its staff form and raised it high. A burst of brilliant light erupted from the staff, erasing the black aura.
Claire, who had hesitated moments before, surged forward.
Schhhk!!
With a single, clean strike, she severed the Demonkin’s head. As expected of someone who helped defeat the Demon King—it was an impressive attack.
Of course, that wouldn’t be enough to kill it.
Shhhhooo!!
The severed head dissolved into shadow and was reabsorbed by the body. While it was recovering, Gallik’s party’s spears pierced its torso, and Baltin’s claws slashed its back.
“Hyaah!!”