Southern District, ruins of the old church.
Green had fought Earl Canco’s men here previously, leaving several corpses behind. Four or five hours later, two figures slowly appeared.
Both were under 5 feet 7 inches tall, so they obviously weren’t the vassals of Earl Canco who had fled in the chaos. Instead, they were Arbekko and Silbelu, who had just left the University Area.
Arbekko had ways to track Dolores and Green. After a brief period of rest, she decided to take Silbelu to the ruins of the old church.
The inside information that Green knew was, naturally, also known to Arbekko.
Although Green had repelled the enemies, he hadn’t found the item the other party intended to take away.
After a thorough search, Arbekko found the item in a secret room underground — a roll of white ribbon. It was pure white and warm to the touch, resembling flowing jade.
“Arbekko, what is this?” Silbelu asked, poking her head out curiously.
She felt a sense of intimacy with the item in Arbekko’s hand. It stemmed from her affinity for the Holy Attribute, and she couldn’t help but wonder to herself… ‘Did Arbekko come here specifically to find this for me?’
Silbelu was right, though Arbekko hadn’t originally planned to come here specifically. While following Green’s trail, she had suddenly remembered Earl Canco’s side quest and decided to try her luck to see if the enemies had failed to take it in time.
As it turned out, she had bet correctly.
Considering that Silbelu, who grew up in the Flower Garden, might lack common knowledge, Arbekko kindly explained it to her.
“The church in Ulgrich once produced an apostate who caused severe casualties in the royal city and left behind a special curse… After negotiating with the Holy Church, the royal city abolished the Holy Church’s places of worship.”
“Normally, the area around the ruins of the old church is blockaded by guards, and ordinary people aren’t allowed near. We should leave quickly after taking this. Here, catch!”
“It’s called the Holy Scroll. You can wrap it around your weapon or your arm to amplify the power of the Holy Attribute. The effect varies from person to person, but only you can bring out its maximum potential.”
Silbelu caught the bandage Arbekko tossed to her. It felt ice-cold to the touch, but she still had a question.
“This should belong to the royal family now, shouldn’t it? Is it really okay for us to do this?”
“It’s fine. They don’t even know this item exists. If you don’t take it now, you’ll have to go through a lot of trouble and waste a fortune buying it from the black market in the Vath Kingdom later. As for the price… it’s probably around 7,000 gold coins at an auction.”
Silbelu was so startled she nearly threw the item out of her hand. After a moment of frantic fumbling, her gaze became cautious.
7,000 gold coins… that could buy her life dozens of times over.
The Holy Scroll was actually an item exclusive to Arbekko in the game, as only a Saintess could bring out its full power.
Much like Dolores’s “Blood Cup of Mercy,” these were exclusive items that could only be obtained in the mid-game.
The Holy Scroll was supposed to be an item obtained in the Vath Kingdom after Green met Silbelu.
It was discovered at these old church ruins, passed through Earl Canco’s hands to the black market, and required a series of tedious events to obtain the clues and the ticket.
However, as luck would have it, Arbekko could utilize the Information Gap to intercept it here. Otherwise, waiting six or seven years would not only be time-consuming but, more importantly, a waste of money.
“Go back to the university after you put it on. I might need to head to the palace next to look for Green and the others.”
“Can’t I come along?” Silbelu tilted her head, clutching the Holy Scroll as if it were a hot potato.
“I plan to sneak into the palace. If I get caught, I might end up in prison. Do you really want to follow?”
“I… I…” Silbelu hesitated, but she soon became firm. “I can also…”
“There’s no need to force it. I just have some things I want to discuss with Dolores and the others. If I really do get caught, Dolores will bail me out.”
Arbekko patted Silbelu on the shoulder. The latter lowered her head in hesitation for a moment before choosing to be obedient.
—
Arbekko hadn’t sent Silbelu away just for those superficial reasons.
After confirming that the other girl had left, Arbekko found a corner. Following a few maneuvers, she put on the Shrinking Robe once more and transformed back into her loli form.
Arbekko knew that Green wouldn’t stay too far away from Dolores. With the disaster reaching this stage, the major events had almost been settled and concluded.
Arbekko had participated in nearly all the important events herself—the ones related to Green and Dolores, of course.
The royal city was still in chaos with various other incidents and conspiracies, but a person’s energy was limited. Events unrelated to Green were currently outside Dolores’s range of consideration.
Having swapped to a petite body, she darted through the area and soon arrived at the walls outside the royal palace.
Many soldiers stood guard outside with serious expressions. It was almost impossible for anyone to slip past under their noses.
But that didn’t affect Arbekko. She remembered several secret passages exclusive to the palace.
Some of these hidden paths were official, like royal escape routes.
The ones that weren’t so official included the path Arbekko was currently taking—the one used for trysts between Green and Dolores in the game’s plot.
Arbekko had used this very path to enter the palace the first time she met Green.
Following the guidance of her items, Arbekko arrived at a somewhat remote palace. However, as she drew closer, she seemed to hear the sound of an argument.
Arbekko felt she must have misheard, because the voice shouting sounded like Dolores’s.
But Dolores was always gentle—and she should be gentle.
A moment later, however, Arbekko saw Green leaving the doorway with a dark expression. He looked as if… he had been crying?
Once Green had put some distance between them, Arbekko hesitated over whether to try and peek at the situation inside.
But thinking of Weselian’s presence, Arbekko decided to give up for now. The former was an elf with naturally sharp perception; Arbekko would be at a disadvantage if she were discovered.
Arbekko could judge from the information left at the old church ruins that Weselian was injured, but the extent was unknown.
Rather than taking a risk with Dolores, it was better to seek information and reasons directly from Green.
Arbekko pulled at the corner of her hood, thinking to herself:
‘With this appearance, Green will definitely never associate me with my true self, right?’
Carrying that confidence, Arbekko appeared before Green.
Her plan was well-calculated. Her true self was a comrade-in-arms and friend, while her loli persona would serve as a mysterious person who provided help.
Only when she saw Green did Arbekko realize that his appearance… seemed even more sorrowful than what she had caught in that brief glimpse.
He didn’t even notice her until she was right in front of him.
Green leaned dejectedly against the wall. His eyes cleared slightly due to Arbekko’s appearance, perhaps because seeing the name [Arbekko] hovering over such a petite body was a bit too jarring.
Green didn’t know why Arbekko had appeared in this loli form again, but his heart was filled with pain and confusion.
The most beautiful glimmer of fantasy in the depths of his heart had been shattered by Dolores’s words.
This wasn’t hard to understand.
Because Dolores had stayed by his side for a full fifty years. Even though he had hated her and used revenge as his justification for everything…
Even so, it shouldn’t have been that Dolores’s attitude toward him began with dislike and remained so even now.
The biggest difference between Green and his previous life was perhaps that he had defeated the Vice Commander in the palace and hadn’t earned Dolores’s pity in a pathetic state.
‘Could it be that Dolores’s kindness toward me in the past was born from “pitying” my miserable state?’
‘Could her compassion simply be—and always have been—because she felt I was a pathetic person?’
Green didn’t dare to think further. Just that small part of the thought made him feel as if his breathing was about to stop, his chest aching with sharp pain.
Arbekko didn’t speak. She stood quietly before him, watching him.
It was as if she intended to accompany him through this endless, painful time.
One minute, two minutes, five minutes…
Finally, at the tenth minute, Green finally asked Arbekko:
“Why are you here…”