A Crusader’s Tarnished Reputation
I pretended to be angry in front of Ravi and Elfin, but I wasn’t really.
I know better than most how unlikable Alvis was to the heroines in the original Loveholic, so it’s no wonder I had the same reaction.
However, if the team continues to feel like an uncomfortable cohabitation, there will be attrition at any given moment, which will lead to the end of the crap game that is Crusader Bryden NX.
I have to keep Ravi and Elfin tethered to my side, and I have to keep my heart in the right place to keep two people who don’t like me from leaving my side on their own accord.
Now that I’ve shown them I’m hurt, they won’t be able to behave badly, even if they feel sorry for me.
If I can keep them on their toes in this way, erasing not only their emotional but also their material debts, and bring Lenis on board later, I can at least prevent a tragic future for the three of them.
As I was thinking about this, Ravi spoke softly, watching me closely.
‘Hmmm… Alvis, you’re not angry anymore, are you?’
He seemed to think I was still angry and had grudgingly accepted their apology.
‘Yeah.’
‘Thank you. Speaking of which, what are you going to do now, are you returning to the nearest town?’
I glanced back at the secretly hidden gargoyle cave.
The dungeon was cleared, so there was nothing to see in this cave, but…
▶As a ‘Fate Resister’, I have uncovered some of the dark secrets hidden in the old dungeon, and some of the rewards can be found in the deepest parts of the dungeon.◀
That phrase from earlier has been bothering me.
It’s a slightly different version of the one I saw when I defeated the Darkspirit, telling me that I haven’t uncovered all the secrets of this cave.
I shouldn’t leave until I do.
I can’t use my ‘Eye that Sees the Truth’ anymore today, so I’ll just have to wait for the day to pass.
‘No, I’m a little tired after all that effort. It’s nighttime now, so let’s rest here for the day. We don’t know how many gargoyles there are out there, and we’ll be safer here for a day after clearing the dungeon.’
With that, I pulled up my tent.
Tomorrow I’ll use my powers once again to investigate this cave, and then we’ll leave.
That’s what I thought until I fell asleep.
And the next day.
You will need one month to use Eye of Truth on the same target again.
It will take 29 days and 14 hours to use the ability on the Gargoyle Cave again.â—€
‘You could have given me a heads up on this shit!
Having activated the ability inside the cave as soon as I woke up, I checked the internal cooldown text and cursed under my breath.
I can’t believe it’s coming back to bite me in the arse after all that snow yesterday.
‘Alvis, what’s wrong, what’s with your face?’
Ravi’s words, a master at reading facial expressions, brought me back to my senses and I sat up with a sulk in my heart.
‘Nothing, I’m just groggy from a bad night’s sleep. Let’s go down to the city.’
‘To the city?’
‘Yes. We need to see if we can find any clues as to whoever destroyed the crystalline stones that lead to the middle levels of this mountain.’
The elfin’s ears perked up at my words.
‘The people who broke the crystals? Do you have any idea who they are?’
‘I don’t know that much. But I know where to find someone who might know.’
‘Where?’
‘In my past visions, there were definitely people who deliberately destroyed this crystalline stone.
I couldn’t tell who they were or where they went, but at the very least, magic powerful enough to deliberately destroy a crystalline stone would leave a trace.
Neither I, Ravi, nor Elfin, unfortunately, are skilled in magic, so we can’t analyse this right away, but there are people who can.
A city of talented and insane outlaws who will do anything for a price.
‘Liberta.’
Ravi and Elfin’s eyes widened at my words.
They stared at me for a few seconds, and when they came to their senses, they shouted in unison.
‘No!’
‘No!’
‘Oh my God, your ears are falling off. What are you jumping for?’
They were both frantically trying to stop me.
Elfin stretched his arms out in front of me, blocking my path, as if to keep me from going.
‘Do you have any idea what Liberta is like? I’ve never been there myself, but it’s notorious in my country for being home to the most insane people, and every once in a while, one of my countrymen who was enslaved there escapes and tells me about it, and it’s a hell of a place!’
From behind, Ravi tugged at me.
‘We Vani have several people who escaped from there, too! It’s no place to live! All the lunatics from the whole continent go there, and they’re notorious for cutting their eyes out and their noses off! If it weren’t for that, the Kingdom of Presia would have built a wall to keep you out! Not there! We’ll find somewhere else, okay?’
The two of them look at me incredulously, but I know there’s only one answer.
Of course it’s dangerous, Liberta.
But if all the bastards of the stars can crawl in there, there are some who can’t be found anywhere else.
I know where to go and who to meet once I get to Liberta, and their worries are mere speculation on my part.
‘Don’t worry. We’re not going to stay there, we’ll come back out when we get the information we need, and you’re strong enough to take care of yourself there, right? We don’t have any other options because there’s no one else who can give us a clue about this place except for Liberta, so trust me.’
‘But…’
They both still looked reluctant.
I put on my WWE again.
‘Okay, you don’t want to go. Okay. I’ll go alone to dangerous Liberta, with no one else. I’ve given up my share for you guys, I’ve provided you with supplies, I’ve searched for clues to solve the anomalies, I’ve slayed gargoyles on my own because I don’t want you guys to suffer, but you can’t even come with me.
I’ll go to Liberta ‘alone’.
‘Alone’ into that dangerous city, where I’ve been thrown out like a piece of rubbish by you, with nothing to show for it but your help.’
‘Well, what are we if you talk like that…’
‘Aaaaah! Okay, okay, okay, we can go together! This is why I didn’t want to owe this guy…’
This is why it’s good to be in debt to nice people.
It sucks, but suck it up.
I’m saving you all from the shitty life you’re about to endure after being rejected by Bryden.
Crusader Bryden was under a lot of stress, with so much being said about him both inside and outside the Empire.
Ever since the day of his appointment, when the goddess’s light failed to imbue his sword, he has doubted his qualifications and suffered from insomnia at the thought of her abandonment.
His lover Celine comforted him, but it was little consolation.
‘I have to prove myself worthy, so that even if my sword doesn’t shine, my presence can be a reassurance and a source of strength… What will people think of me if I don’t achieve something with my skills? I have to achieve something, something that everyone can recognise…’
One day he was wondering what he could do to get people to recognise him.
He heard rumours of an anomaly on Mount Presia and told the Imperial Court that he would go there voluntarily to solve the problem.
Gargoyles had begun to appear in broad daylight, and he would slay them in the name of the Crusade.
Bryden was confident in his abilities, so as soon as he received permission, he set out on an expedition to Mount Presia.
Accompanied by his lover, Celine, a powerful knight, a wizard assigned by the Imperials to guide him, and nearly a hundred soldiers, Bryden used a teleportation transporter to the very entrance of Mount Presia, gripped his glowing bokken, and made his way to the mountain’s mid-tier.
The wizard who had accompanied him called out for caution.
‘We’re almost to the middle tier, crusader. The gargoyles will be at the edge of this chasm…’
But there was no sign of the mentioned threshold.
The wizard cried out in dismay.
‘What…? Why has the boundary that divides the Middle and Lower Strata disappeared?!’
‘This must be part of the anomaly. Let’s go up.’
Bryden urged his troops on and headed up to the middle floor.
He knew there were many gargoyles up there, but he was confident that a man of his calibre would be able to handle any number of gargoyles that came his way, and with so many eyes on him, he knew that once the word got out, any doubts about him as a crusader would disappear.
After entering the mezzanine level, the mage looked around and spoke.
‘The imperial court told me that there is a secret dungeon of gargoyles near here. I’ll check the path first, and you, Crusader…’
Moving closer to the cliff, the wizard’s eyes widened again and he exclaimed, his voice filled with bewilderment.
‘More, the entrance to the dungeon?! How is this…?’
‘I’ll check it out!’
Bryden immediately reined in his horse and rode to the edge of the cave, then dismounted to check inside.
He, his lover Celine, and the mages and soldiers leading the way entered the cave, but there was nothing inside.
Bryden muttered to himself, puzzled.
‘You said there were… gargoyles… in the upper levels…’
Celine scanned the area for signs of life, but nothing caught her eye.
‘There’s nothing, Bryden. This dungeon seems empty, so it’s possible that the rumours were just…’
Bryden’s hand on his sword trembled.
Empty.
Imperial Crusader Bryden and his Imperial soldiers had come for nothing more than a hike.
He had hoped to resolve this anomaly, to prove to the world that he was still a crusader, even if his blade didn’t glow.
The gargoyle outbreak in the middle reaches of Mount Presia was a rumour that had reached the Empire and beyond.
It couldn’t be wrong.
But why…
Now he was going to be labelled a fool for leading Imperial troops on a hike in the middle of nowhere.
The wizard who had led the way muttered quietly, but in a calm voice so that no one could hear.
‘…… The ghosts will be singing. Who the hell is this guy and how did he find this place?’
Boom!
His mutterings were drowned out by the destruction of the cave wall that Bryden, in a fit of frustration and rage, had made with his sword.