Episode 101
"Here, paper and pen."
"Thank you!"
Having received paper and pen from Serena, Perlotche began to draw on the paper with an excited expression.
"First, I drew the half-moon, the first word that appears in the riddle!"
Soon after finishing the drawing, Perlotche showed her picture to Klana and Serena.
"...Perlotche, normally a half-moon is drawn standing up, not lying on its side."
"Ah....."
However, Klana sighed and pointed out the shape, causing Perlotche, who had been momentarily dazed, to furrow her brow and speak.
"Hmm... then should I draw it with the left side visible, or the right side visible?"
"Make the right side visible. In the Sunrise Empire, the half-moon is always drawn with the right side visible."
"Eh, why is that?"
When Perlotche, holding the pen, asked with an expression indicating she had no idea, Serena tapped the desk with her fingers and answered again.
"It's because of a legend related to the Moon God. Of course, explaining that here would take too much time, so let's skip it for now."
"Alright, then... drawing the half-moon with the right side visible..."
Following Serena's advice, Perlotche drew the half-moon and spoke with a confident expression again.
"Next, I need to draw a crescent moon on the right... oh..."
"...The Sunrise Empire is located in the 'Southern Continent,' so the crescent moon should show its left side."
"Thank you!"
Perlotche had momentarily hesitated, not knowing the direction of the crescent moon, but after receiving Klana's advice, she drew the crescent moon without hesitation.
"Alright! Now the half-moon and crescent moon have risen on the paper like in the riddle!"
"Good. So what's next?"
Serena, who had been watching with an indifferent expression at first, changed her expression to one of interest, and Perlotche answered excitedly.
"Now I just need to draw a boomerang passing between the half-moon and crescent moon!"
Saying that, Perlotche tried to draw a boomerang between the half-moon and crescent moon with lively movements.
"But aren't you considering the direction of the boomerang?"
"Eek."
She stopped her hand again at Klana's words.
"Ugh... then, let's just try drawing it from all angles!"
"Wait a moment, Perlotche."
As Perlotche, naturally becoming anxious with success so close at hand, reached her hand toward the paper while saying that, Serena calmly grabbed her hand.
"There's no need to draw it from all angles. Four directions will be sufficient."
"Huh?"
"I have something in mind. If that represents a character... that will be enough."
"I, I'll draw it for now!"
When Serena spoke with her eyes rounded, Perlotche began to draw the boomerang excitedly.
"First, the first one..."
"This is....."
"Serena?"
However, when a reaction came from Serena after just the first one, Perlotche began to look bewildered.
"...It seems I'll have to go to the Western Continent."
"Huh?"
Soon after, Serena stood up with a stiff expression and spoke, while Klana and Perlotche started speaking with flustered expressions.
"Why the Western Continent all of a sudden?"
"No, Serena! You're in a very dangerous situation right now!"
Hearing those words, Serena recalled her situation where she might be attacked by the Secret Party Leader at any moment, and gritting her teeth, she sat back down.
"I definitely saw that shape... at the ruins in the Western Continent..."
"Th, then! Did we succeed?"
"...You succeeded, Perlotche."
"Hooray!"
Soon after, Serena grabbed her head and praised Perlotche, then began to speak in a low voice.
"But there are still some questions remaining."
"Questions?"
"Yes, first is why the person who left this text didn't provide the solution."
"Who in the world gives the solution along with the riddle?"
Klana said with her arms crossed, and Serena shook her head and answered.
"No, actually the person who posed this riddle had no reason to do that. Rather, they shouldn't have made it a riddle."
Saying that, Serena recalled the First Hero who must have left this prophecy book.
"The fact that it was still left in the form of a riddle means there were unavoidable circumstances... or perhaps even he couldn't solve it?"
"I don't know what it is, but congratulations!
"And secondly... it's about you, Perlotche."
"...Yes?"
Soon after, Serena began to look at Perlotche, who had offered her congratulations, with a strange gaze, and tapping her hand with her fan, she was about to say something.
"Perlotche, if it wasn't coincidence but your own will..."
"Serena, shouldn't you be leaving soon?"
"...Ah."
Frey, who had come out of the bathroom and was heading to her seat, pointed at the clock, causing her expression to stiffen.
"Hmm... if I leave now, I won't be late."
"Yes, take care, Serena."
Soon after, Serena stood up and approached Frey, who was looking at her with a regretful expression, and whispered.
"I placed a birthday gift at your seat."
"A birthday gift? You already gave me one..."
"Perhaps that gift will lead you to a new path."
Thanks to Serena speaking with an expression several times more serious than usual, Frey nodded involuntarily, and she continued with a smile.
"And, I need to catch the Secret Party Leader as quickly as possible."
"Yes, that's right."
"I think I'll have to go to the Western Continent after all."
"Western Continent?"
Hearing that, Frey furrowed her brow.
"If you're talking about the ruins, the Demon King's Army will..."
"No. I must go personally and secretly."
"...Why?"
"There's something I want to confirm."
Saying that, Serena glanced at the clock, then moved away from Frey and whispered.
"Anyway, since new hope has appeared... never give up, Frey."
"...Alright."
Not understanding fully but since it was Serena speaking, Frey nodded quietly, and she gave a brief smile with her eyes and slipped out of the room.
"Frey! What conversation did you have with Serena!"
"None of your business."
Frey, who had been looking vaguely at the departing Serena, answered in a cold voice as Perlotche questioned her indignantly, and headed to her seat.
"......Hmm?"
Soon after, Frey, who sat down and reached for the cake that Klana had cut into easy-to-eat pieces, discovered a piece of paper placed on her seat.
"What is this?"
"It's a riddle!"
"A riddle?"
Frey, tilting her head and looking at the paper.
"Serena said it's a gift for you."
Hearing Klana's words with her arms crossed, she picked up the paper and spoke.
"So what is this?"
"She said it might be hope that could change everything."
Behind Klana, who answered with a shrug to that question, the morning sun was slowly peeking its head out.
.
Meanwhile, at that time.
"Yaaawn..."
The Demon King, who was yawning leisurely while watching the slowly rising sun, began to pass through the crowded streets.
- Shuuu...
It was instantaneous, the disappearance of the armor she was wearing and the camouflage magic.
In less than half of half a second.
The Demon King who would burn the world became a small saintess of an orphanage and began walking through the streets where morning was arriving.
"Ruby unniieee!!"
"Ruby nunnaaa!!"
"Hello~!"
Ruby, who was humming a tune as she walked down the street as if something was so delightful, smiled and responded when a young girl and boy greeted her from a shabby vegetable shop.
"Is business going well?"
Ruby, who was about to pass by them, stopped in her tracks and asked the girl.
"Yes! It's going well!"
Then the girl answered with a deliberately bright face.
"W, well..."
However, the boy next to the girl, who was terribly thin and coughing, couldn't bring himself to lie while looking at the counter where flies were flying.
"Give me one carrot."
"Ah, yes!"
Ruby, who had been watching the boy for a moment, ordered a carrot with a kind smile.
"That's 3 donghwa!"
"Here you go."
"...Gasp."
Soon after receiving the carrot, Ruby placed a gold coin in the boy's hand and said.
"Well then, work hard at your business!"
"Th, the change...!"
"There's no change to give anyway. Just keep it."
Saying that, as Ruby patted the boy's head, the people around began to look at her with pleasure.
"Well then, I'll be on my way."
"Ah, goodbye..."
Ruby, who was calmly accepting such gazes, left behind the boy whose face had turned red and began walking down the street.
"...Oh my."
Then suddenly stopping her steps and looking up at the empty air, Ruby immediately pushed away something that had floated before her eyes.
Her dynamic visual acuity, developed to match light itself, read the information floating before her eyes in an instant, so she could push it away naturally like flowing water.
It was a fragment of her bizarre physical abilities, now made into a habit to the point where not a single intention was mixed in.
- Swish!
Having thrown the carrot into her subspace after walking for a while, Ruby arrived at an old inn and began knocking on the door.
"Oh my, Ruby, you came today too?"
"Yes! I need to have breakfast at this inn!"
"My goodness... so kind. But you don't need to come every day like this."
"No! I'm doing it because I like it!"
At Ruby's words, the inn owner reddened with gratitude.
"One potato soup and one whole wheat bread, please!"
"...Alright."
Ruby, who cheerfully ordered food from the inn owner, leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes gently for a moment.
"...So, what did you say the penalty was?"
Soon after, Ruby muttered in a low voice, and an information window floated before her eyes.
[As a penalty, all your stats will be greatly reduced for one month.]
"Even so, if I use my hand instead of my finger, I can tear everything apart, can't I?"
[I will apply it starting now.]
Ignoring Ruby's listless voice, the system applied the penalty, and she made an intrigued expression.
"I certainly feel weaker. I told you it's amazing."
Saying that, Ruby tapped the system window before her eyes, then continued with a dismissive expression.
"But... is that all. You, who are merely the dregs of defeat, can only interfere with me to that extent."
Saying that, Ruby pushed the system window forward strongly, and as the system window slowly approached her, she continued with an expression of disgust.
"I know you can hear my words in that state. So why don't you try answering? Hm?"
Ruby, who kept tapping the system window before her eyes and speaking, eventually yawned with a fed-up expression and muttered.
"Too boring."
Ruby, looking around with a bored expression, saw the inn owner approaching with the meal in the distance, and smiled and shouted.
"I'll eat well today too~!"
Saying that, Ruby took a large spoonful of potato soup, then soon made a puzzled expression and began to tilt her head.
"...What is this?"
The potato soup is red.
Did the inn owner perhaps make a mistake while making it?
"Um, why is this red... cough!!"
Ruby, who was opening her mouth with such thoughts, felt a sensation she had never felt in her life and bent at the waist.
"Ru, Ruby? What's wrong?"
"Ugh... uuu... cough!!"
Is this blood?
Is what's flowing so profusely from my mouth really blood?
Such thoughts filled her mind, and pain she had never felt even once in her body was felt.
[A permanent debuff has activated. (You must follow the hypocrite's fate.)]
[Your lifespan and vitality will be permanently reduced greatly.]
[Stack: 1]
"......What?"
Ruby, barely holding on to her fading consciousness in a situation she couldn't understand, saw the system window floating before her eyes and gritted her teeth and muttered.
"Who... who on earth... huh?"
She, who had somehow been looking around wildly while covered in blood, discovered a suspicious person outside the window in the distance and quickly tried to use detection magic, but.
"Ruby!! Are you okay!? Ruby!!!"
"Call a doctor quickly! Quickly!!"
"Did she have some kind of chronic illness? Ruby was usually healthy..."
"M, move..."
At that moment, the people she had been helping all this time rushed in all at once, causing her to lose sight of the suspicious person.
"Ugh....."
Ruby, who was trying to push people away and check the person at the window, eventually reached her limit and lost consciousness.
"I don't know what suddenly happened but..."
And Glare, who was watching her from outside the window.
"...This confirms it."
Finished speaking while adding notes to the notebook she was holding, filled with densely written letters.
"You are the Hero's enemy."
In Glare's eyes, the [Hero Corruption] quest window that had been floating in the air was still reflected.