Chapter 169

Big things always (2)

Basically, whenever people who pride themselves on holding a certain degree of power gather in one place, all sorts of bizarre situations are bound to happen.

But no matter where one went, it would probably be difficult to witness a spectacle as absurd as what the chieftains of the Tribal Alliance were currently seeing.

Even though they had seen countless people flaunting all kinds of things to show off their influence, this was surely the first time they had ever seen a man who brought several women at once to an event where only a single partner was supposed to be designated and brought along.

“…….”

“…….”

And being stuck in the middle of such a group, I felt as if I was being pricked over and over again by arrows made of gazes as I endured the stares that flew toward me and lodged themselves in place.

Even without anyone saying it, I probably knew best what kind of meaning those gazes carried…….

‘……No, wait a second.’

Of course, I was fully aware that this was more than enough of a scene to cause such misunderstandings, but it was also true that I had at least some excuse to make.

I could tell they were trying to frame me as some insane womanizing playboy.

No.

That wasn’t it.

Given the nature of my ability, where I obtained skills through Affection Level, it just so happened that all the people whose Affection Level deepened ended up being women, so when I gathered everyone around me, this was simply the kind of scene that resulted…….

“……Are you saying that’s an excuse right now?”

“…….”

“I have no idea what kind of misunderstanding you think people are having……?”

“…….”

I could only respond in silence to Noel’s voice, which carried a clear sign of a pounding headache from right beside me.

And it wasn’t just that—her tone was so sharp that it was obvious she wasn’t just a little angry…….

“…….”

But honestly, considering that she was originally supposed to attend this place with the proper qualification as the ‘partner,’ it wasn’t like I couldn’t understand her reaction at all.

We had glossed over it. That whole partner thing.

She definitely seemed extremely upset that I didn’t properly take her side back then, but I was serious about this matter in my own way too…….

‘……Are we trying to fight among ourselves to the death or something?’

If that topic were to come up, it was certain that a fierce battle would break out, one that would leave at least a couple of casualties.

Even now, just the fact that Noel was walking right beside me was enough for the people behind us to glare with sharp, menacing eyes…….

And if something like that were to happen right here, right now, it would be even worse.

-Quest Info

◈ Act III, <False God>

▶ Chapter 3 will begin soon!

▶ A related event will begin shortly. (D-Day!)

……I really wish they’d give me some time to rest.

I clutched my throbbing head and glared at the window floating before my eyes.

How long had it even been since I cleared Act II, and yet they were already grabbing me by the hair and shoving me into this…….

On top of that, there were quite a few strange aspects about the event I was being forcibly thrown into.

“……?”

……There was quite a lot I could say about the window that had just appeared before me like this.

But more than anything.

‘……Why is the name different?’

First of all, the name of Act III that I remembered and the name of Act III currently displayed here were different.

Originally, the progression of Act III wasn’t supposed to expand beyond resolving various mysterious incidents occurring within the Tribal Alliance.

As expected of a border region near the Void Zone, this place was a high-frequency appearance area for beasts comparable to those of the Northern Grand Ducal House of the Empire, and resolving such incidents was the usual course of the scenario.

But suddenly, “False God.”

……No matter how one looked at it, it was a name that made it seem like I would be directly entangled in an incident related to divinity.

“…….”

If it was about gods, that was also a keyword I had been heavily involved with these days.

Wasn’t the very reason I had been dragged all the way here because the priestess said that if something wasn’t done quickly, it would become a big problem?

If you combined that reason with a quest bearing a name like this, then it was practically a given that something major was about to erupt right here.

“……Mr. Aiden.”

As I became aware of the countless gazes pouring in from all directions, just hearing Noel whisper from beside me made it clear that things were already beyond the point of going smoothly.

“Something… is mixed in.”

“……What?”

“I can’t say for certain what it is, but….”

Noel calmly spoke as she glanced around.

“Something unpleasant is watching.”

“……What?”

“It’s not just a gaze, it’s closer to the feeling of being observed….”

As she spoke, Noel’s sharp eyes scanned the surroundings.

As expected of an event personally hosted by the Great Chieftain, among the chieftains were some who had brought along all the forces they could command, so the place was filled with an overwhelming crowd.

“……Among them, something dangerous is mixed in.”

“…….”

My eyes narrowed.

Everything else aside—

Seeing faint golden sparks intermittently appearing beneath her body made it obvious that some kind of action needed to be taken.

Especially when considering what the color gold symbolized in everything I had seen so far.

At the very least.

Revealing here that something deeply tied to the keyword ‘god’ was involved would, no matter how generously one put it, be akin to showing my hand in advance.

“Sir.”

“…….”

With that in mind—

As I gently took Noel’s hand to calm her down, she flinched and looked toward me.

“……?”

“…….”

Watching her stare at our joined hands as if she had just witnessed something incomprehensible made me feel a bit awkward.

“……-!!!!”

……And then, seeing her face flush all the way to her ears as if it had exploded, I was once again reminded that Noel was still Noel.

‘Come to think of it.’

This person had such a strong sense of possessiveness, yet when it came to this kind of situation, her defenses were far too weak.

……What was she planning to do if we actually ended up getting married someday?

As I mulled over that thought, I smiled faintly and spoke.

“Since we’ve come this far, you don’t need to be so on edge.”

“…….”

“I trust you, after all.”

Well, even if this was partly to conceal the fact that she was deeply connected to a god, what I said itself was undeniably sincere.

Of course, in return, the intensity of the gazes stabbing into my back as if they wanted to kill me had grown even stronger than before, but that was a sacrifice I had no choice but to accept…….

“Shall we go in for now? The Great Chieftain is waiting.”

With that, I strode into the hall.

Anyway, no matter what happened inside, I had a certain confidence—almost like a conviction—that as always, if I made use of every means available, things would somehow work out.

“…….”

But then.

“……?”

Even if I had that confidence, it was also true that I had never imagined things would unfold this immediately.

That was the impression that came to mind the moment I stepped into the hall.

In other words—

At the exact moment I set foot inside—

The world came to a complete stop.

▣

“……?”

The first thing I felt was an eerie, overwhelming silence settling all around.

Even the sound of people talking, footsteps, the noise of objects moving, even the sensation of air flowing—everything had been completely eliminated. Quite literally, aside from me, the entire scene had frozen in place.

I had experienced all kinds of bizarre phenomena until now.

But this was the first time I had ever experienced a situation where everyone around me froze all at once, leaving only me unaffected.

“…………?”

Since it happened without any warning, I froze up myself before I could even begin to analyze the situation.

I quickly checked the condition of my body, but there was no change in my state at all.

When I turned back, the others who had been following me were also completely frozen.

“…….”

The back of my neck turned cold.

If something like this happened suddenly despite there being no change in my condition, then it was only natural to assume that an external factor—someone—had orchestrated this phenomenon.

And when considering the intent behind something like this, no matter how generously one put it, it was hard to see it as anything but malicious.

Just looking at what unfolded next proved that well enough.

“……Hup.”

My breath was suddenly pulled deep into my lungs.

It was a familiar sensation.

Even for someone like me, who lived with my life constantly on the line, I had recently encountered a being that made my body learn fear on its own.

As expected—

“…………-!”

Within this frozen world—

Just like me, there was something else moving alone.

The moment I saw that black, formless presence, my legs began to tremble faintly.

It writhed.

Rising from somewhere, slowly approaching me.

Just watching that creeping presence made a chill run down my spine.

And as I stood there, it continued to inch closer.

It was something so densely packed with malice that I instinctively took a step back.

“…….”

Could I run?

If I used every means available to me, maybe somehow.

Thinking that, I stepped back—

Something lightly bumped against my back.

When I realized it and turned around, the moment my eyes met what was there, something surged into my mind.

It was Noel.

She stood there, completely still, unaware that she had even collided with me in this frozen time.

And then—I realized instinctively.

I didn’t know what that thing’s purpose was.

But if I ran away here—

Then perhaps—

The people here might end up getting caught in ‘that’ instead.

I was certain that its target was me, but if it lost me, wouldn’t it look for something else to take its anger out on?

“…….”

As that thought reached me, the chill at the back of my neck remained, but my mind became cold and clear instead.

If I had already encountered something like this so frequently in such a short time—

Then in the future, I would only face more of it, never less.

Which meant—

“……Come at me.”

Every time—

Expecting someone else to come and save me would be ridiculous.

Without realizing it, those words slipped out from my lips.

My voice was rough, and cold sweat was pouring down my entire body—

But at the very least, I was someone who refused to just stand by and not face what was right in front of me.

“Come at me—!”

This time, in a clearer voice, I forcefully spat those words out.

I couldn’t win. I knew that better than anyone facing it right now.

But even so, I couldn’t accept backing down!

-…….

And then—

As it watched me—

That ‘thing,’ which had been still, lightly trembled.

It looked almost like it was smiling.

[You pass.]

With those words—

The black mist lunged toward me at a terrifying speed.