Is It Bad That the Main Character’s a Roleplayer?
Chapter 217: This World Is (2)

Is It Bad That the Main Character’s a Roleplayer

Chapter 217 This World Is (2)

Hah, really? You’re seriously going to let yourself be devoured like this? Are you kidding me?

「…Because of me, you’ve been through so much.」

Damn it! If you go through with this, your soul will be consumed as well!

「I’m truly… truly sorry—」

Are you even listening to me, you damn mortal?!

「Shut up, trash. I’m apologizing to this person. Don’t interrupt.」

You insolent brat…!

* * *

Will you be okay?

She had really wanted to answer this question: if she were to die fighting, it would be a good death.

But…

“I know no death can truly be a good one.”

In the end, that was the answer that came out first. Although she knew Norda warriors took pride in dying in battle, she couldn’t feel the same.

The death Norda warriors revered was different from the death she’d come to understand, and that gap would never narrow in her lifetime.

Even if she lived as a Norda warrior and died as one.

“A blessed death? There’s no such thing in this world.”

Death was just a fancy word for being forgotten.

And to be forgotten was to be erased from the world as if you’d never even existed in the first place.

These sharp words hung on her lips as her eyelids fluttered. Boom! Her body leaped upward, stepping on the surging water and the debris falling with it as she ascended.

Whoosh.

The thick cloth tied around her waist billowed sluggishly in the air.

Kiaargh!

Crack!

Standing at the edge of the crumbling wall, she gave a fierce kick to a Merfolk trying to strike at her. Its head caved in slightly as the recoil sent her body even higher into the air.

The next thing her feet landed on was the nape of that gigantic monster’s neck as it pushed past obstacles in its advance.

The snake coiled around the turtle’s neck was incredibly slippery.

Kiargh!

The moment she felt the sensation of slipping beneath her thin-soled shoes, she moved her arm without any hesitation.

Twisting the angle of her grip, wrist, and forearm, she swung her spear down vertically.

Slash.

Almost as soon as she landed, the spear sliced across the snake’s skin. Unfortunately, she couldn’t tell whether the blade had ripped into its flesh or merely scratched the skin.

If her attack wasn’t strong enough to split its flesh, it didn’t really matter whether she’d managed to scratch its skin.

“Phew.”

For now, she had no choice but to retreat temporarily.

> [Where are you going?]

> [I’m right here.]

> [My dear younger sister.]

Even the Sirens flying around were causing problems for her. No matter how strong she was, if they attacked simultaneously, even she would struggle.

So, although those mocking voices left her deeply unsettled, she focused on running along the snake. Its thick body was wide enough for her to sprint across it easily.

…So, are you going to die today?

At that moment, someone asked her another question. Her lips twitched as she heard it.

“Maybe I will.”

Her stubborn answer was the same one she’d been repeating like a parrot since earlier.

She exhaled, thrusting her spear between the snake’s scales, checking the gaps between them.

> [Cold, so cold. It’s freezing…]

> [Save me. Please, save me…]

Although the spear’s blade didn’t inflict much damage, she used its shaft as a makeshift support to lift her legs momentarily. Crack! The tips of her feet struck the Sirens’ wing joints in quick succession, causing them to plummet.

Tap.

And when her feet touched the snake’s body again, she yanked the spear free and swung it.

Those struck by the spear’s blade or the butt of its shaft fell back, splattering blood everywhere.

Boom!

“…!”

Just then, a violent tremor shook the ground as the gigantic monster finally broke through the second wall.

Its shell, which had previously been stuck between the two walls, managed to collapse them and moved forward with brute force.

Having nearly been thrown off, she instinctively reached for the snake’s body to secure herself. However, it was much too slippery to grip, so she instead made use of the Sirens trying to attack her.

After striking the throat of a Siren that had tried to lunge at her and using its body as a stepping stone to get even higher, her hand managed to grab a part of the turtle’s skin.

The surface of the snake coiled around the turtle was covered in seaweed, coral, and shells, offering her many potential handholds.

Whoosh!

She suddenly saw seawater surging through the collapsed walls below her, though the volume in each wave wasn’t much.

Groooowl.

However, the real problem wasn’t the amount of water but what came in with it.

Legless Merfolk—swept in by the first powerful current and forced into the city—flopped about helplessly, trying to get back to the sea, while those with legs dragged themselves forward, their bodies covered in mud.

Thud, thud, thud.

Amid all that, the monster showed no intention of stopping. Though slow, its sheer size made it faster than an average person’s walking speed, which was the real problem.

At this rate, the fleeing soldiers might be overtaken.

She glanced down while stabbing another Siren approaching her. Despite putting some distance between them, the soldiers were still within view.

Some were a bit slower than the others, probably lagging behind to assist the evacuating civilians.

“…Guess I’ll need to aim for the head.”

With no other option, she decided to target that monster’s head, which was the weak point of most living creatures.

Since she’d realized blades couldn’t penetrate the creature’s body, targeting the soft flesh inside its mouth was her best bet. It was almost too obvious.

And to do so, she needed to climb even higher.

Grateful to the snake for forming a spiraling pathway up, she dashed forward.

Kiaaaah!

The snake let out a long cry, seeming to have finally noticed the presence of the uninvited guest climbing up its body.

It began to writhe wildly.

Tak!

“—!”

Although she managed to avoid falling by grabbing onto some moss and seaweed… the spear she’d been holding slipped from her grasp and plummeted.

She furrowed her eyebrows.

Now, all she had left were her two bare hands.

* * *

Let me ask you, does it not matter to you at all if your soul’s damned for eternity?!

「Hah, you’re asking me that? You? Of all beings in this world—!!!」

Surrender control, you little brat!

「Shut up! If it means dragging you into the abyss, I’ll do whatever it takes! I will never, ever let you escape alive—!」

* * *

* * *

“Evacuate first!”

“Damn it, I’ll catch up soon, so make sure you stay alive!”

After saying that, the Inquisitor urged the Demon Knight’s horse to run faster. Perhaps the horse was eager to return to its master.

This guy, who would normally whip their head around if someone tried sneaking up on it, was strangely cooperative today. The wind blew over her hunched figure as the streets, gradually emptying as civilians kept fleeing, blurred past in a rush.

“Aaaaargh!!”

“Uwaaaaaargh!!”

Kiaaargh!

And at some point, Demons began to appear.

The first one she encountered had the head of a lion, the paws of a bear, and the body of a bull wearing a shell. It was a Tarrasque, a high-ranking Demon and subspecies of dragons rarely seen outside the Northern Front.

“Stop!!”

Why had a Tarrasque suddenly appeared here? She briefly wondered whether it was related to the overflowing Demonic Energy, but her thoughts were soon interrupted when she heard yet another scream.

What she needed to worry about now were the people that Tarrasque was attacking. Countless corpses lay at its feet, the sight of which made her raise her mace high.

Kiaaaargh!

“Haaah!”

About to attack the fleeing civilians, the Demon collided with the golden barrier as the Inquisitor rushed forward at full speed.

If the horse had hesitated or been paralyzed by fear, it would’ve spelled disaster, but much like the Demon Knight, the horse was utterly fearless. Fortunately.

Clack!

The horse even pivoted its hooves at just the right time, positioning itself so she could most effectively strike the Tarrasque.

The Inquisitor glared at her enemy as she swung her mace. As soon as the golden barrier dissipated, the mace struck the Tarrasque’s lion-like head, which it had been pressing right against the barrier.

Whack!

She hit the Demon with enough force to send it flying, its head partially caved in. Of course, since she’d used less Divine Power to conserve her strength, it didn’t die in a single blow.

The Tarrasque staggered to its feet like someone suffering from a severe concussion.

“Let’s go!

Snort.

She had no time to waste. She urged the horse forward, closing the distance between her and her enemy. Then, at the perfect moment, she leaped off the horse as it sharply veered to the side.

Boom!

Gripping her mace with both hands, she slammed it down on the Tarrasque’s head, crushing it completely. Neigh. The horse, having stopped a short distance away, let out a dignified snort.

“Huff, huff…”

“Are you hurt?!”

How many victims had this Tarrasque claimed? She hurriedly approached the survivors after mourning the dead and offering them a prayer.

A pair of siblings and what appeared to be a mother and child were left. Four in total.

“I’ll heal your wounds, but you must run away from here immediately! Stay close to the buildings while running; you’ll be less likely to be detected by Demons that way.”

After healing only the most urgent wounds, she added, “I suggest you leave your belongings behind to move faster,” before mounting the horse again.

The intelligent horse, aware of the danger around them, never left her side—except in combat situations.

“Let’s go!”

If this horse were to get injured, the Demon Knight would surely be sad.

The Inquisitor decided she’d send the horse back once they reached a certain point. Although she was a bit worried about sending it back alone, it was far better than being dragged into the fiery pits she was heading to.

Of course, she cast a blessing on it beforehand, just in case.

Shatter.

Snort.

“A Demon—Huh!”

…But maybe that blessing wasn’t even necessary.

She couldn’t help but admire the sight of the horse suddenly jumping forward and shattering a Demon’s skull with its powerful kick while she was dealing with some Skeletons.

She didn’t want her thoughts to wander too much in this dire situation, but it was hard not to marvel at how the Demon Knight had brought a truly remarkable horse.

However, these thoughts didn’t last long.

“Uwaaah!”

“I’m coming!”

Screams came from every block. No. They were actually becoming fewer and fewer. All she could see was piles of corpses littered all over the streets.

“A Dullahan!”

Just what was this? First a Tarrasque, now a Dullahan. An unpleasant feeling crept over her.

Both Tarrasques and Dullahans were rarely encountered Demons.

A Tarrasque required hundreds of sacrifices to summon, and a Dullahan could only be born from the corpse of a knight who’d died on the battlefield—specifically through decapitation.

Even if the Demon Contractors had prepared well, simultaneously summoning a Tarrasque and a Dullahan would’ve been incredibly difficult…

Boom!

The Inquisitor completely blocked the Dullahan’s swordsmanship, which was quite intricate as it had been born from the corpse of a knight, with only her shield. When its relentless consecutive attacks finally ceased, she quickly pressed down on it with her Divine Power.

She couldn’t afford to waste her energy here, but she couldn’t hold back against an opponent like a Dullahan. It would just take too long. In this situation where every second counted, she had to make quick decisions.

Crack!

The Inquisitor’s mace crushed the Dullahan’s frozen heart.

Screeeech, screech!

At that moment, Gremlins appeared.

She gnashed her teeth at the sight of these low-level Demons similar to Goblins. At this point, she’d rather fight another high-ranking Demon. Since they would just be one strong opponent, she could deal with them alone with no problem.

But these low-ranking ones were just too strong and numerous for civilians to handle…

“Th-thank you.”

“Quickly run!”

If even one slipped past her, it would endanger not only the man she’d just saved but also the horse.

Putting aside her growing doubts about where these Demons were coming from, the Inquisitor shouted at the fleeing civilian.

“Take this horse too! It belongs to a knight, so just hand it over to someone who works at the Temple or castle! You must hand it over, no matter what!”

“U-u-understood!”

Would the civilian really want to return such a majestic and valuable horse? She hesitated, then decided to memorize that person’s face just in case.

Gray hair, blue eyes. However, whether she could retain that memory with all this chaos and uncertainty before her couldn’t be guaranteed.

“Run away with that person. Thank you for all your help.”

Snort.

Still, it was a bit reassuring that this horse was rather smart.

It was usually really stubborn, but at times like this, it seemed to understand perfectly. Once she confirmed the horse was retreating, she unleashed her Divine Power, materializing a golden barrier to block the advancing Gremlins.

“Uwaaaaaah!”

Meanwhile, the horse started to gallop away with the civilian on his back. Uwaaaah. The screams of that poor soul, who’d apparently never ridden a horse before, echoed through the alley.

That was sure to attract the Demons’ attention. Unfortunately, she hadn’t even had the time to advise him on how to act.

She put away her mace and instead swung around her shield, smashing the skulls of the Gremlins as she steadily advanced.

There were no more survivors around, so she couldn’t hear any more screams.

“…!”

Instead, the air around her began to change. Hot breaths seeped into her lungs while scorching heat scraped against her skin.

The Fire Giant, which had seemed so distant before, was now right in front of her.

“Demon Knight…”

Where was the one who’d gone to stop this thing? Could it be he was lying somewhere around here like the other countless corpses…?

Crack!

Clang!

She instinctively swung her shield at the grotesque monster that had poured out from a narrow crevice. Her reflexes, honed through years of training, immediately judged her opponent as something amorphous.

And amorphous beings often had ways to slip past the side of her shield. She could absolutely not allow that to happen.

Squelch!

“A Mimic!”

She hurriedly drew her mace, preparing to respond immediately.

Mimics, Demons that could take the form of containers or crevices to lure in prey before devouring them, were incredibly difficult to deal with.

Mimics were a subspecies of Slimes. Since they could dissolve everything except for metal, she absolutely had to avoid being touched by it and destroy the core immediately.

Though, sometimes, the more dangerous ones could melt metal as well.

“Phew.”

Should she just force her way through using Divine Power? But she’d already used up too much of her power just getting here, and the overwhelming Demonic Energy in the air hadn’t diminished a bit!

Clenching her teeth again, she forced herself to endure the feverish heat spreading through her body.

Should she just advance, or should she stop here and kill the Demons that appeared before her? Could she even handle what this place had in store for her?

This decision weighed too heavily on her to make it alone, but alas, she had to.

If only the Archmage were here, or at least the Demon Knight, who’d eliminate her hesitation and options by just rushing forward, or even the troublemaker, whose sharp tongue could half her burden.

The Inquisitor pressed her lips together.

> [Why are you standing there?]

And then, a Demon called out to her. The Mimic, which had seemed about to pounce at her at any moment, immediately stopped moving upon hearing that question.

> [Aren’t you going to slay this Great Demon, Miss Hero?]

It was truly the whisper of a Demon.

* * *

…Is someone there?

「…!」

…!

____