Volume 3 - CH 14

The seven dungeon laps were completed quickly and without any trouble. I memorized the route and made a mad dash to the deepest part. It was fast, too fast.

Patrick also defeated the golem three times, by the way. He went for the joints in the hands first, then the legs to stop the golem from functioning and finally the neck to finish it off.

What he did was exactly what I wanted to do and he did it with composure. Nothing to be ashamed of.

After getting the elixirs that we wanted, we immediately went back to the house.

Since we went to the dungeon early in the morning, it was only mid-afternoon when we arrived. While resting and having a cup of tea made, I observed the elixir again.

The seven transparent vials on the table were so thin and intricate that they looked like they would break if you just held them. And it was so transparent that you might lose sight of it under the right lighting.

Lastly, the content inside the vials. There was nothing in it.

“It’s empty.”

“This will do. They’re not meant to be swallowed like potions.”

“Eh? Elixir isn’t a recovery potion?”

Patrick interrupted Remn’s speech with a question. Oh, he didn’t know what an elixir was?

Though I have some knowledge about the game, I didn’t know the details. Like the various potions, I had to use the command ‘consume’ to use the potions. And now I knew it was an empty vial.

Remn picked up the elixir and bragged about it.

“In other words, an elixir is a revival potion? It is an all-purpose recovery potion that can bring back even the dead. It’s an exception to the rules.”

“Ehh?! People can come back to life?!”

This really surprised me. I had always thought that having zero HP meant that you were no longer able to fight or that you were just barely not dead in the game.

I thought it was an unnecessary item for someone like me who had an inexhaustible supply of mana and the ability to cast recovery spells. But it’s a different story when it comes to revival.

Even if I die, I will come back to life seven times. It’s not as many as twelve times, but still impressive.

“Of course, there are some stipulations. It has to be shortly after death… the limit is a few hours, I guess? All that it requires is for some part of the resurrection target to be present.”

“Part of the target?”

“It means a body part of the target. Something like Onee-san’s Black Hole is just total annihilation.”

“…That doesn’t sound like a good potion to use against Yumiela.”

Patrick said begrudgingly.

I’m too vicious and unreasonable to use magic that can’t be revived.

Remn smiles wryly as he thinks about how he will end up not using it, just like in the game.

“You know, you can set aside the needed body parts beforehand.”

“Patrick, I’m gonna cut off your arm.”

“Stop! You—are you kidding me? Stay away from me!”

Both of us stand up but he backs away.

I will keep Patrick’s arms under my care for safekeeping in case of emergencies in the future. And each night before I go to bed, I will admire your lovely arm. Maybe we can hold hands while we sleep or try a real arm pillow.

“We can be together… forever.”

“Hee!”

“What? Why are you running away? Hey? Why, why, why, why?”

He paled as he distanced himself from me.

…I think I went a little overboard. So much for acting like a yandere.

“Come on, I’m just joking. You are too convincing.”

“It seemed serious to me. You’ve got it in you, Yumiela.”

“That was the scariest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Did I have the talent to be a yandere? I have reached a new milestone again, but it didn’t make me feel any happier.

Sitting back in my chair, I ask Remn.

“So, what do you mean by keeping the body parts?”

“I wasn’t talking about the bizarre stuff like Onee-san’s interpretation, but more like hair and other body parts.”

I see, I could set aside some hair that I will use for revival later.

Patrick, who had run to the other side of the room returned and was about to sit down in the chair.

He sighed and said.

“I’m okay if you need my hair. We can keep it for ourselves in case of emergencies.”

And then Patrick went to sip his tea. My attention turned to my hand and I quickly leaned forward and reached out.

I grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled as hard as I could.

“Ow.”

“Ouch.”

I got his hair. There are strands of gray hair in my hands.

However, the impact from the pull caused Patrick to drop the teacup. The loud sound of shattering ceramics echoed in the room.

“Oh, my God, Patrick.”

“Is this my fault?”

He held his head and stared at me with slightly moist eyes. No, it’s my fault for taking too much.

Why don’t you just pull my hair out, too? I was about to tell him it’s okay to pull my hair when Remn pointed disinterestedly at the shattered cup and said.

“Why don’t you use the elixir to fix that?”

“What? But that’s a teacup?”

“Well, you are trying to revive the dead teacup. It’s as simple as that.”

It never crossed my mind that inorganic objects could have the concept of life and death.

Pouring the potion on a broken object will not repair it. Elixirs and potions should be considered two different things, partly because elixirs aren’t drinkable.

I received one vial from Remn and looked at the pieces scattered on the floor.

“What am I supposed to do with this elixir?”

“Try to channel your magic into the elixir. Focus your attention on the cup as if you were using magic.”

“This is a disposable item, right? It seems like a waste to use it like this.”

“But you do need to learn how to use it.”

He has a point. There are bound to be stressful situations where I will be forced to use the elixir. We need to practice to see what it’s like so that we can get around smoothly in such situations. If I use one of them, there are six left.

Following Remn’s instruction, I poured a little of my magic into the elixir. Then, I stared at the broken pieces and willed myself that it would be fixed.

The effect was immediate.

From the vial in my hand, light began to flow and headed towards the broken pieces of the cup.

The pieces floated in the air and shifted, recreating the original teacup shape like a puzzle. It landed silently on the table.

Simultaneously, the elixir in my hand shattered and disappeared into thin air. Ah, what a waste.

Patrick, who was closest to me, gently touched the cup with his fingertips.

“It’s perfectly restored. You can’t see any traces of it being broken.”

“Wow, how convenient.”

“But… what is this….”

He was confused by what? After rechecking the teacup, I immediately noticed something strange.

There was steam rising from the teacup. The cup was full of hot tea.

“What’s with the tea? And it’s as hot as freshly brewed?”

“The tea was half empty. I also remember it being a little cold.”

It wasn’t only the cup that was restored by the elixir but the tea inside as well.

Is this normal? Are there any strange bugs?

When I looked at Remn as if asking him a question, he smiled.

“Without a soul, the dead can’t be resurrected even if the body is restored. It’s not just the vessel that needs to be restored but the essence as well, don’t you think? This is the power of the elixir.”

Although Remn said that this was the true resurrection, I remembered another phenomenon.

Rather than a revival potion, this is—

“Time— no, forget it. The result is the same.”

The elixir was not exactly what I had in mind, but it was perfectly effective. Although it would be best if I didn’t have to use it, it’s good to have it as a precaution.

Later on, I’ll have to collect some hair from Eleanora and everyone else in the mansion. And for Ryuu, I could use his peeled scale.

“Be aware that the bigger and more complicated the object you are reviving, the more mana you will need.”

“I got it.”

The amount of mana consumed to restore the teacup was negligible. So, more mana is needed to revive a person? For example, I would need more mana to revive Ryuu. Is there anything bigger and more complicated than that? Ryuu is huge and cute.

The lack of mana is not something to worry about, as I have never had a problem with it.

The only thing I’m more worried about is whether or not I can use the elixir. If we get wiped out, there will be no one left to use it, and the elixir itself must be readily accessible.

One has been used and there are six left. Keeping them in one place is too risky, what should I do?

“In the meantime, how should we divide these six? Patrick and I will keep one each for now….”

“If you like, I can keep it for you? There is no need to worry about losing it in the shadows, and if you need it, I will take it out right away.”

“Hmm… I would appreciate it.”

It made me a little nervous about leaving it with Remn, but I don’t need six elixirs. All right, then. I will leave the other four in his care.

He roughly grabs the vials on the table and tosses them into the shadows with a flick of his hand. It looks so convenient, I envy him.

“Now that the recovery is covered, do you have any powerful weapons? I was hoping you have something like that.”

“Hmm… there are many options, but in your case, you’re stronger with your bare hands.”

Remn tilted his head cautiously.

When I heard that we were going to be collecting dungeon-produced magical tools, I thought we’d be racking up legendary swords and the like. However, I think the holy sword category hates me. I could do it with a magic sword or something that I could use normally.

There was a short pause, then Remn said.

“I can’t think of anything that could be useful… Onee-san, is there anything on your wish list that you want?”

Something that I want? If I asked for too much, I would trouble him. I made a list in my mind of things I wanted that seemed possible to get just in time.

“I would like a sword that can shoot a beam.”

“No. That’s not a sword.”

“What about arrows that could manifest hidden abilities?”

“No. …What the?”

“Then, can I get a shapeshifting belt?”

“No. …What even is that?”

There is nothing. Even I picked something that’s likely available.

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It was really disappointing. My three dreams that I had been secretly holding on to had been crushed. Patrick interjected as I was feeling relatively sad.

“What about that sword? The one you already have.”

“Ah… that sword. Wouldn’t it be harder?”

He was referring to my favorite sword, the one with the dark attribute.

That sword, which I got after many laps in the dungeon, is valuable because it has a dark attribute. But the strong point of a weapon with attributes is that it can attack with attributes that the user cannot use. There are a few advantages to me who can use dark magic.

Anyway… where did I put that sword? It should be left somewhere in my room.

Not knowing the existence of the sword, Remn looked at us curiously.

“That sword? What are you talking about?”

“Wait a minute, I’ll bring out the sword.”

It was a good opportunity to have Remn appraise the sword. I got up and walked to my bedroom to get my sword.

After a few minutes, I found the sword gathering dust on top of the closet and went back to the room where Patrick and Remn were. The search took a little longer than it should have. I had totally forgotten that I had placed it there to keep it out of Eleanora’s reach.

“I’ve got it.”

“…Pruning shears?”

The look on Remn’s face disappeared as I showed off the sword, whose hilt and the sheath was all black. He glared sharply at the sword in my hand.

So, what is pruning shears? I checked the sword in my hand as well.

The sword itself is a very common bastard sword. It is shorter than a two-handed sword and longer than a one-handed sword. I exclusively use it as a one-handed sword.

“This isn’t shears, right?”

“…Where’d you get that?”

“I got it from Barias Dungeon. Was this something I shouldn’t have?”

“Hmm, not really. For humans, it would be a sturdy sword… I guess that’s good? And there’s no key….”

His statement faltered unsurely.

Although I had been using it for quite a long time, all I could think of was that it was just an ordinary sword. It has been a while since I’ve seen the blade, so I grab the hilt and pull it out from its sheath.

Remn tumbled out of his chair and crawled backward.

“Hey?! That’s dangerous?!”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

I’ve never seen him have such a big reaction before. Was this sword really that dangerous?

“Dark attribute is unusual, but there’s nothing else strange about it, you know? Tell me a little about it.”

“That’s not something that belongs to this world. It looks like it slipped in through the cracks.”

“Is it dangerous?”

“As I said, it should be fine for a normal person to deal with. I knew something like this existed, but I’ve never seen it before.”

Remn speaks slowly, choosing his words carefully.

The dungeon seemed to have produced a buggy item that would not normally be released. I had thought myself to be unlucky, but maybe my luck is great.

“So… what is this all about?”

Since this God only wants to disclose information convenient for him, it will take a lot of effort to extract the information.

If the sword is safe, I’ll use it as before. If it’s dangerous, I’ll have to handle it properly. For example, keep it out of Eleanora’s reach. Then, it should be on top of the closet, right?

When his brain had resolved the problem itself, Remn opened his mouth.

“It’s the world’s… no, it’s a tool used to manage all parallel worlds. Like cutting off an overgrown branch, the sword erases the unwanted world. God’s pruning shears. It’s a pruning sword.”

“Pruning… sword.”

“It should be in possession of a deity higher than me, though. Without the key to unlock its full power, it’s just a strong and sturdy sword.”

“I see….”

“Hmm. This is more than people can handle. I can keep it safe for you if you want?”

“Thanks for the offer… if you have such a thing in your hand… your inner chuunibyou will awaken. Muahahaha.”

I was unable to help but laugh uncontrollably.

Hey, come on. Pruning shears to cut off the world? Not powerful enough without a key? Pruning sword?

That doesn’t sound good. I had always thought that chuunibyou was like measles and once you had it, you would be immune to it, but apparently not. I guess it’s more like the flu.

Please, I need to calm down. At this age, I’m going to create a new dark history. Even so, I was in a situation where a bard was spreading around the chuunibyou story in which I was the model.

Let’s take a deep breath and calm down. …Yosh, I’m good now.

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After hearing the creepy laugh, I nodded to the two worried people.

“Don’t worry. I can control the curse.”

“…Yeah, I’m not quite sure, but good luck.”

“Yumiela, you’re thinking nonsense again, aren’t you?”

As expected, Patrick saw right through me.

But, that’s the thing… Now that line of mine sounds like a chuunibyou.

As I suppressed my grin, Remn nervously pointed to his sword.

“So, I’ll take care of the sword?”

“I should keep it to myself. I might need it in emergencies.”

“As long as I’m in charge, you don’t need to have it with you at all times.”

I can understand his point of view. Rather than leaving it on top of the closet, I could entrust it to God of Darkness for safekeeping and easy access.

The only problem is that Remn is only likely to return the sword in an emergency.

He presses me to leave it with him as I struggle to figure out what to do with it. Remn comes across as so pushy because he wants to keep the dangerous object under his watch.

“Hmm.”

“I can pull it right out of the shadows.”

Taking it out of the shadows?

I give the signal to Remn. He was standing next to me when the shadow flickers and the pruning sword appears.

No, no, we should make it more elaborate. It would be nice if he could manipulate the shadows so well that he could pull the sword out of his body. My dream is expanding.

“I’ll entrust the sword to you in one condition.”

“…What is it?”

“Please direct the extraction.”

“…I’ll take care of it!”

With his agreement, I gladly handed over the sword.

This is when I should have realized. How he responded so confidently without knowing what he was talking about.