Chapter 127: Insurrection

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༺ Insurrection༻

"Sigh…"

As I arrived at the dormitory and settled down on the bed, I felt utterly drained of energy.

Well, today's classes had kept me on edge, and my physical condition wasn't good to begin with, so this outcome was only natural.

"…Ugh."

However, I don't have time to be this exhausted.

I need to do a final check on the plan to successfully complete the upcoming slave market quest.

"Master, please lie down for a moment. It's good to check, but don't you think your body also needs some rest?"

Considering this, I tried to get up, but Kania pushed me back onto the bed, causing me to collapse without any energy.

"…Alright."

I wanted to argue with the audacious maid who dared to push her master, but my body lacked the strength, so I just let it go.

"…Ugh."

Gazing at the ceiling with a bewildered expression, I noticed Kania lying beside me with a similarly dazed expression. I couldn't help but laugh before asking her,

"Are you mimicking me right now, Kania?"

"…I-I'm sorry."

Startled, Kania swiftly sat up on the bed, her eyes widening.

"Kania… you've been acting a bit strange lately."

"What do you mean? If you tell me, I will correct it."

As I gazed at her hesitantly and asked her this, Kania replied with a calm expression and threw the question back at me.

"I don't know, I feel like you're peering deep into my heart?"

When I ask her in a low voice, Kania smiled and said.

"As I told you before, it means nothing to me, as I've always served you, Master."

"But, it's kind of different… this feeling."

As I was about to express my doubts to her, I abruptly pushed away the system window that appeared in front of me, blocking my view.

"Damn it, I said I wouldn't do it, so why does it keep…"

"…Did you see the system window?"

"Yeah."

"But, why are you so annoyed?"

As she asked me that, I sighed and spoke with an annoyed voice.

"It's because of these sudden quests that keep popping up."

"Sudden quests?"

With a puzzled expression at the mention of sudden quests, the sudden quest window I had pushed away was still blinking next to Kania.

Staring at the sudden quest window, I quietly reached out for it.

"Are you going to accept it?"

"No, I'm going to reject it."

As I said that with a determined expression, Kania posed a question with a curious look on her face.

"Do you have a specific reason for rejecting it? From what I've gathered, clearing quests can yield valuable rewards or points."

"Yeah, that's true. And sudden quests provide quite a wide range of rewards compared to main quests."

"Then, why are you rejecting it?"

Upon hearing that, I sighed and responded.

"Because every sudden quest I have received till this point is screwed up."

Sudden Quest: Stress Relief!

Quest Content: Choose one anonymous woman, play rough with her, break her, and alleviate your stress levels!

Reward: Random Item

Accept/Reject

As I finished speaking and pressed reject, the blinking quest window in front of me vanished instantly.

"Come to think of it, since you woke up a few days ago, you've been getting irritated while waving your arms in the air."

"Yeah, sudden quests are influenced by accumulated stacks."

Having stared at the blinking system window for a while, I began explaining while responding to Kania's sharp question.

"Remember when I said that I could theoretically clear up to 5 stacks? That's because of these sudden quests."

"Is that so?"

"When the stack is low, sudden quests assign trivial missions with insignificant rewards. As the stacks accumulate, sudden quests become more stimulating, violent, or provocative."

"Ah…"

"Or else they demand high-intensity self-sacrifice. Of course, the rewards escalate accordingly."

Upon hearing that, Kania's expression hardened.

Feeling grateful for her sympathy towards my complicated emotions, I soon spoke with a gloomy expression.

"My ancestor said that the anonymous clear records recorded in the 'leaderboard' system must have made the most of these sudden quests."

"I see."

"In the case of having 5 stacks, there's only a few months left… No matter how many points we gather, it's impossible to awaken the hero's armament within that time, so that's the speculation."

"Then, why don't you also utilize the 'sudden quests'? Just choose the ones with less provocative content, right?"

At Kania's cautious suggestion, I silently nodded in response.

"I've thought about that too. I could barely manage up to 2 stacks with just the main quests, but as soon as I reached 3 stacks, time became tight and sudden quests became essential."

"I see, then…"

"So, I plan to only accept sudden quests that require self-sacrifice."

"What!?"

As I said that, Kania displayed a bewildered expression.

"My ancestor warned that although sudden quests somehow aid in clearing the game as the stacks accumulated… the story would become even more grim."

"Th-That means…"

"Yes, there will be numerous orders to commit unforgivable crimes. And that doesn't align with my purpose."

"So… you're choosing only the quests that require self-sacrifice among them?"

As I silently affirmed Kania's incredulous question, she suddenly started rummaging through her belongings.

"Um, how much time do you have left exactly? Do you really need to proceed with the sudden quests?"

"I have about a year and a few months remaining since I reached 3 stacks. So, I need to start sorting them out from today…"

"Huh, what?"

While I replied with a wry smile, Kania suddenly widened her eyes and said,

"Young Master, please look at this!"

"…Huh?"

I was momentarily perplexed by Kania's awkward behavior, but then I froze as I looked at the lifespan-measuring device she had pulled out.

"…What? My life-span hasn't decreased?"

The date displayed on the device was the same as the date I had checked before collapsing.

"This… this is strange…? This shouldn't be happening…?"

For a brief moment, I blankly stared at the date, tapping on the device and rubbing my eyes.

The date remained the same.

Stacks: 3

Special Stack: 1

"What in the world…?"

I opened the system window to verify if I had misread the stacks, but as expected, there were exactly three stacks that reduced my lifespan.

However, why didn't my lifespan decrease?

"I don't know what's going on, but… since your lifespan hasn't decreased, do you no longer need to rely on sudden quests?"

"…Uh, um?"

As confusion clouded my mind, Kania, who had been watching me, casually threw a question at me.

"Well, I'll obviously have to do them if an appropriate quest comes up… but for now, I guess I don't need to rely on them?"

"…That's a relief."

After hearing my answer, Kania immediately composed herself and nodded.

'Something seemed strange for a while…'

"How difficult are these sudden quests?"

While I was suspiciously looking at Kania, I began answering her question that was suddenly thrown at me.

"As the stacks increase, the difficulty level becomes devilish. That's why my ancestor believed that clearing them was only theoretically possible. Honestly, I'm in a precarious situation, with my lifespan barely hanging on and my vitality at its lowest, making the clear rate extremely low."

"But didn't you say there were 'clear records'?"

"…As I mentioned earlier, there are only a few clear records, all of them anonymous, with detailed information kept private. And without access to those records, my ancestor was the closest person to clearing it."

Having said that, I softly asked Kania, who was nodding, a question.

"But Kania."

"Yes?"

"Are you hiding something from me?"

Upon hearing that, Kania shrugged her shoulders.

"Me?"

As I looked at her, I quietly fell into thought.

'…Indeed, it seems Kania did something.'

Lately, Kania's affection for me had increased, and she displayed a deep understanding of my emotions.

A few nights ago, she subtly hinted that the system I had was related to the demon lord.

And, above all, her suspicious behavior when she informed me that my lifespan hadn't been reduced just now.

'Could it be that the magic from that time was successful?'

For a moment, I recalled the soul-swapping magic and was horrified, but I quickly dismissed the thought.

I had clearly torn the magic circle in half back then.

And if my soul had been switched, I should have been in Kania's body now, rather than my own.

So, what did Kania do?

"Kania, what exactly did you…"

– Knock, knock, knock!

As I tried to question Kania again since I couldn't come up with any clever ideas, I stopped talking at the sound of a knock on the door and rose from my seat.

"Frey."

"Hello."

Upon opening the door, I saw Irina and Klana.

"What brings you here?"

"Since tomorrow is the big day, we need to review the plan."

"Is Serena not with you?"

"Serena's memories are sealed right now, so she's locked up in her room alone."

"…I see."

Kania, who had been eyeing the two cautiously, relaxed and smiled upon hearing that Serena wasn't present.

"Well, then let's all review the plan together…"

"…Kania, we can talk later."

Interrupting Kania's words, I whispered in a soft voice.

"Alright, I briefly explained it last time, but my plan is quite simple."

Rising from my seat and leaving Kania with her wavering gaze behind, I raised my voice.

"In this slave market quest, where numerous characters and various groups are intertwined…"

Gathering starlight on my fingertip, I drew a map of the slave market in midair as I spoke.

"…I will assume the role of the villain, and under my false identity, all of you will become heroes."

The review that started like this continued until late into the night.

In the depths of the night, when even the moon and stars appeared blurry.

"Hmm hmm♪ Hmm♪"

Walking briskly down a back alley, Ferloche Astellade hummed a tune while reading the letter in her hand.

– Considering Frey's past actions and attitude, it is almost certain that he's plotting something at the upcoming slave market. Therefore, as his supervisor, I, Isolet, would like to entrust you, as his partner and the Saintess, a significant role…

"Don't worry, Isolet! I'll stop Frey's wicked plan!"

Confidently uttering those words, she tucked the letter into her pocket and entered an old store with a smile.

"Hello! Is this the scroll shop?"

"…Yawn."

As she cheerfully called out, the owner, who was sitting at the counter, yawned and rose from his seat.

"What brings you here?"

"I'm going to participate in a big event soon! So, please give me something useful!"

Ferloche approached the owner with sparkling eyes and made her request.

"I'm not sure what event you're participating in, but if you need offensive scrolls, try this section, and for defensive scrolls, that section…"

"I told you, I'm participating in a big event!"

Seeing that she didn't elaborate on the event, the owner assumed it must be a delicate matter.

"Alright, then let me show you these forbidden scrolls…"

"I said I'm participating in a big event!"

Ferloche's once bright smile gradually faded, and the owner frowned before rummaging through a storage room.

"Alright, alright. Sometimes we have customers looking for something like this. This scroll offers a perfect, untraceable magical death and has been aged for a thousand years…"

The owner took out an old, musty scroll and started to boast, but.

– Swoosh!

At that moment, Ferloche's smile completely disappeared and threw a punch at him with all her might.

– Crash!

As a result, the shop was completely wrecked.

"…I told you, I'm participating in a big event!?"

Ferloche, still extending her hand amidst the chaos, spoke coldly to the cloud of dust before her eyes.

– Whoosh…

"…Sigh."

As the dust cleared, the owner was revealed.

"Really?"

The owner, who always appeared relaxed and languid, widened his eyes, utterly bewildered.

– Fzzzt…

With one hand, he blocked Ferloche's punch, which was imbued with the blessing of the Sun God, causing a dazzling flash of starlight to scatter as he spoke.

"There's only one chance. If we fail, it's all over."

"…Unhelpful bystander god."

"Sigh, I'm going crazy. It's not like I want to be a bystander; I'm forced to be one…"

– Fzzzt!!!

As he spoke with a flustered tone to Ferloche, she tightened her grip on his hand, and he sighed.

"Alright, finally revealing the truth. It feels good, but… I wonder if you and the others can bear the responsibility for that sin…"

– Fzzzt!!

"Fine."

As Ferloche tightened her grip again, the owner, with a solemn expression, handed her a scroll.

"Remember, you need to activate it when the trial begins…"

"Thank you! Take care!"

Ferloche, whose expression had become cheerful again, bowed to him and stepped out of the shop.

"May fortune smile upon you…"

The owner quietly muttered, pulling a bottle of wine from his pocket.

"…Ferloche Astellade."

You can read 505 episodes for $10. p.*atreon.com/Astrid02