Chapter 96
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「In this world, right now, all the achievements said to have been done by Hero Ryūgūin—weren’t they actually done by Holy Knight Yamada Ichiro, in other words, you?」
Although I had heard some of this from Sensei, it was still a surprisingly direct question.
My answer to that is—
「Yes, you’re right.
I was the one who cleared the seven ‘Newly Constructed Most Challenging Dungeons.’」
There’s no need to hide it.
Purume closes her eyes after hearing my confession.
She looks deep in thought.
Eventually, she opens her eyes and says,
「I know this is incredibly rude to ask, but could you show me some proof of your dungeon conquest that I can understand?」
Being asked so suddenly… man, this is tricky.
Hmm, what would be good—
I guess showing some super amazing treasure would be the most straightforward?
No, that might only be recognizable to an item appraiser.
For someone skilled in all forms of martial arts like her—
「Purume, please watch carefully.」
I take out a magic stone of a suitable size from my magic bag. Then, after confirming her nod, I flick the magic stone into the air with my thumb.
「Autobahn!」
My fist, moving at the speed of light, shatters the falling magic stone into pieces in an instant.
「I… couldn’t follow it with my eyes—」
A trembling Purume whispers.
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Apparently, Purume is known for having exceptionally good dynamic vision, even among elves who are generally gifted in this area.
Yet even she couldn’t track the movement, let alone recognize what had happened.
「Wow, Ichiro, that was incredible. You’ve shown me something truly fascinating.」
And with this, she acknowledges that I am indeed the true conqueror of the ‘Newly Constructed Most Challenging Dungeons.’
「Phew, what a relief! If you hadn’t recognized me with this technique, I would’ve had to show you my special item!」
Hearing my sigh mixed with a grumble, Purume curiously asks me:
「By the way, what kind of item is this special item you speak of?」
I reach into my magic bag.
After rummaging around for a bit, I pull out an item that looks like a lantern lit with white flames.
Ta-da!
「This is the ‘Absolute Freeze’ item I got when I conquered the ‘Ice Dungeon.’」
This thing is so insane that the advanced item appraiser who evaluated it nearly wet themselves.
Reportedly, 「By using this item, it’s possible to turn any space within a chosen radius around the item into an absolute zero ice prison.」
As I’m explaining its acquisition time, location, and effects,
「Ichiro, wait, sorry. What’s that disaster-level item? What’s an ice prison space? The earth will die! It’ll perish!
You must seal that thing away! Absolutely, you hear me? Absolutely!」
I nod, saying, 「I understand, I understand.」
That last emphasis must be reverse psychology telling me to use it. It must be.
I make a new resolution that someday, I’ll throw this thing into a boss room from outside, activate it, and then close the door.
As I’m pondering the uses of ‘Absolute Freeze’ and other items currently in dead stock,
Purume, seemingly drained, mutters,
「Ah, anyway, I’m glad… I’m glad.」
And with that, she slumps onto the desk, unmoving.
I wait for her to reboot.
I wait, but…
Eventually, I hear a sound like air escaping.
This is definitely the sound of someone sleeping, right?
「Um, Purume?」
「Huh?!」
She jerks her head up at my call.
「Were you sleeping?」
「I wasn’t sleeping.」
「No, you were definitely sleeping.」
「I wasn’t.」
「Come on, don’t say ‘I wasn’t’…」
「There’s no fact of me sleeping.」
「You were totally sleeping! Just admit it already!」
「Shouting right after waking up makes my head ring.」
「So you were sleeping after all!!」
She wipes away the drool that was about to fall from the corner of her mouth with her sleeve.
「You weren’t sleeping, right? If that’s the case, why don’t we both grab some coffee and continue our conversation?」
That’s what I suggest.
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Purume and I discuss what had happened from the conquest of the ‘Light Dungeon’ until now.
Of course, this includes the story of those three people. When I get to the part about Angie, Purume sheds tears and apologizes to me, which I stop by telling her, 「It’s not your fault,」 causing a bit of a commotion.
Purume also explains what happened to her.
She says she started feeling something was off with her memories right around the time I cleared the ‘Blade Dungeon’ and left the party. After that, she realized not only that she had two sets of memories, but also that everyone else’s memories had been replaced with false ones stating that ‘all achievements were Ryūgūin’s.’
The episode where she asked the quick-witted Chancellor the same question she asked me was heartbreaking to hear.
Not only these episodes, but the process of her gradually being pushed to the brink mentally was painful just to listen to.
「Do you have any idea what might have happened, Ichiro?」
Purume asks me.
Naturally, some force must have been at work when I conquered the ‘Blade Dungeon.’
And there was only one possibility that came to mind.
Purume, who asked me, must also understand that this is undoubtedly the answer.
「At this point, the only thing we can think of is that Ryūgūin did something, right?」
I finally say.
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