“So,” Rogier’s gaze moved back and forth between Roderika and Loran, “this young lady is… a new retainer you recruited?”
In the end, he did not say “dead weight.” Instead, he chose a relatively polite word.
“No, Master Rogier, you misunderstand.” Loran carefully chose his words, trying to find a balance that Rogier could understand without hurting Roderika. “Miss Roderika is… our companion. A scholar devoted to the craft of perfumery. She believes that the diverse ecosystem inside Stormveil Castle may provide precious materials for her research.”
“A scholar?” Rogier frowned slightly and looked at Roderika.
The girl immediately lowered her head nervously, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her clothes.
“Yes.” Loran forced himself to keep making things up. “Her field of research does not conflict with our goal of seeking the Great Rune. In fact… it may even support it.”
“I… I’m not…” Roderika seemed to want to explain something, but her voice was as small as a mosquito’s hum and was quickly swallowed by the wind.
On the other side, Kiro folded her arms, watching with an expression that said she was enjoying the show.
She did not interrupt. She simply watched with great interest as Loran tried to talk his way through this, packaging a crying burden who could barely do anything into some hidden academic expert.
Rogier fell silent.
He seemed to have seen through the awkwardness behind Loran’s explanation.
Just when Loran thought this negotiation was about to fail, and Rogier would gently ask Roderika to leave on the grounds that “the party should not become too bloated”—
Boom!
An explosion came from nearby.
The three of them turned their heads at the same time.
Not far away, on top of a broken wall, a Warhawk that had been crouching there was now wrapped in orange-red flames, its feathers sizzling as they burned.
“Ah!”
Roderika let out a short cry. Even she seemed frightened by the effect.
Just now, while Loran and Rogier were talking, she had been squatting on the ground with nothing to do, trying to mix the first Spark Aromatic of her life.
She had merely followed the recipe, stuffed the gathered materials into a bottle, and sprinkled it toward that Warhawk, which looked rather annoying.
She had not expected it to be this powerful.
Rogier’s gaze moved from the feathers scattered across the ground to Roderika’s face, which was stained with a little soot and filled with surprise and a trace of secret delight.
“…Spark Aromatic?” Rogier’s tone was full of surprise. “That was quite well mixed. Are you… truly a beginner?”
“I… I just… tried it randomly…” Roderika became a little embarrassed from the praise, and her cheeks flushed faintly.
[Rogier’s Affection toward Roderika: 0 → +10]
[Status: Surprised / Reassessing / Approving]
“Heh. Interesting.”
Kiro, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.
She walked to the broken wall, nudged the charred remains on the ground with the tip of her boot, then looked up at Roderika.
“How many more of these can you make?” she asked.
“If… if there are enough materials…” Roderika answered softly. “I should be able to… make a lot.”
Kiro’s eyes lit up.
In her mind, countless uses instantly appeared.
Throwing this thing into a group of monsters like a grenade.
Burying a row of them along the path enemies had to take, then detonating them when they passed by.
Or even…
Even tying them to crossbow bolts and making explosive arrows!
Just thinking about it sounded fun.
“Fine.” Kiro turned around and spread her hands toward Loran and Rogier. “No objections from me. Let her come with us.”
[Kiro’s Affection toward Roderika: -100 → -50]
[Status: Acknowledged as a Tool / Expectant / Scheming]
In the end, Rogier smiled helplessly.
“In that case,” he said, looking at Loran, “it seems our party has gained another reliable companion.”
—
Five people stood before the boss room.
Loran, Kiro, Rogier, Roderika, and the silent female warrior they had just encountered on the way—
Nepheli Loux.
[Name: Nepheli Loux]
[Identity: Warrior / Adopted Daughter of Sir Gideon Ofnir, the All-Knowing]
[Affection: 10]
[Status: Sense of Duty / Seeking Strength]
Her arrival made this temporary party stronger than ever before.
If this lineup were placed inside the game, it would be enough to crush any early-game boss.
But this was not a game.
“Is everyone ready?” Loran looked at them.
Rogier nodded. A ghostly blue light had already gathered at the tip of his staff.
Nepheli knocked her two hand axes together with a crisp metallic sound, using that as her answer.
Roderika nervously gripped her perfume bottle, her small face pale, but she still nodded with all her strength.
Only Kiro stood there with her hands behind her back, wearing a wicked smile that said she was ready to watch a good show.
“Let’s go.”
Kiro was the first to pass through the fog wall without the slightest hesitation.
…
“I am the blood of the Golden Lineage…”
Godrick the Grafted.
He looked at the five uninvited guests before him, a contemptuous smile appearing on his face.
“More Tarnished who do not know life from death, come to steal my Great Rune and throw away their lives?”
No one answered him.
Loran was quickly observing Godrick’s panel.
[Name: Godrick]
[Identity: Grafted Demigod]
[Affection: -200]
[Status: Arrogant / Irritable / Contemptuous]
Negative two hundred Affection.
Unlike Margit, Godrick held pure hostility toward Tarnished.
There was no possibility of communication.
Just as Loran was about to give the order to attack, Kiro took a step forward.
She stood in the middle of the courtyard and shouted at Godrick.
“Hey, you ugly bastard with way too many arms and legs.”
Her voice was clear, echoing through the empty courtyard.
Godrick’s smile froze.
“You… called me what?” He suspected he had misheard.
“I said you’re ugly.” Kiro picked at her ear with an innocent expression. “Not only ugly, but also weak. I heard you went off to fight Malenia, the Blade of Miquella, and got beaten so badly that you rolled around on the ground, begged for mercy, and even… licked her feet?”
When she said the words “licked her feet,” she deliberately emphasized them.
“You!”
“Oh, right.” Kiro seemed to suddenly remember something. She crooked a finger at him and showed him a sweet smile. “If you can’t beat me later, how about licking mine too?”
“Do not spread such baseless slander!” Godrick screamed hysterically. “I am the Golden Lord!”
[Affection: -200 → -1000]
[Status: Extreme Rage / Loss of Reason / Killing Intent Boiling Over]
The next second, he grabbed the enormous axe beside him and leaped down.
Boom!
His huge body crashed heavily onto the ground, shaking the entire courtyard.
“I shall have your heads! One by one, displayed for all to see!”
The battle began.