Chapter 105: Chapter 105 - Confession(Part 1)

"Ready to go?" Inquired Rosary, as I walked over towards her.

It’s the 7th of December, 2015, the following day. The other teams that had been a part of the quest arrived back in town about ten minutes after the Frost Dragon was killed, and naturally, were pretty stunned by the sheer destruction that had been caused in such a short period of time.

Rosary and I then gave a report to the Guild about what had happened, and why we were leaving town as soon as possible. The two of us are to be pronounced dead to the Knights if they show up to retaliate, and everyone should feign ignorance regarding the truth behind the Monster outbreaks.

Later, Rosary spoke to me and told me to meet her at 3 AM in the morning to leave town, just to be safe. And with no out that I could think of, I had no choice but to agree.

I then headed back to the inn to pack up my stuff, where Prysm was waiting for me. Fortunately, the Frost Dragon’s rampage hadn’t reached this part of town, the north half of it, the Guild building, which is also in this area, was undamaged as well.

The south half of the town is pretty much completely destroyed though, a couple hundred people dead, several buildings destroyed, and the corpse of the Frost Dragon laying amidst the aftermath.

Wonder how they plan on getting rid of the body...maybe chop it up into a bunch of smaller pieces and bury it? Doesn’t really matter to me, I suppose, it’s not my problem.

What is my problem though, is how to handle this situation with Rosary. Worst case scenario, I might have to kill her...and that’s an outcome I’d really like to avoid. Not only do I not want to kill her, but she’s also really strong, and I’d have my work cut out for me.

I’d spoken with Prysm about it in the inn, and she got kinda moody at the topic. I guess that makes sense, Rosary’s presence seriously threatens our efforts in keeping Prysm’s existence a secret.

If she finds out and then turns on us, we’re screwed. As if things weren’t tough enough already, with us having to constantly look over our shoulders for the Knights as it is.

I have no choice but to wing it and make a split second decision when the time comes, and that’s making me really nervous. A single misstep and it could all be over. I just wanted a peaceful life, damn it, what did I do to deserve any of this!?

Okay, I’ll stop complaining, because if I get too into it, I won’t be able to stop. For now, I’ll just play it cool and see how things go...

"Yeah, let’s head out. Are you really sure that you want to leave this place while it’s in this state though?" I prodded, as we began heading for the exit.

"I’ll admit, I feel bad about leaving in this situation, but...I can’t be here, that Knight saw my face. I could end up endangering everyone if I stay, and I know I’ll never forgive myself if that happens," She shook her head with a grimace.

If that’s her reasoning, then I stand very little chance of convincing her to stay behind. And if I push and prod too much, she’ll only get suspicious, and I really can’t afford that.

"Alright, then, sounds like you’ve made up your mind," I replied nonchalantly.

We then walked out the exit of the village, Rosary had notified the guards ahead of time, so they let us out without any fuss. The plan is to head north for a few days and then west, towards Kaygee Town.

It’s a bit of a long route, but we want to avoid the capital, as well as the mountains to the northwest of the capital, which is teeming with Monsters. Well, that’s how Rosary sees it, anyway.

With Prysm’s help, I could teleport there right away, but that’s currently off the table, of course. Rosary and I were walking in silence at the moment, and it was kinds nerve-wracking, with everything that’s going through my mind.

I guess she’s got a lot on her mind too, considering all that’s happened. I suppose I’ll need to bide my time and wait for the right opportunity to broach this topic-...

"I’ve been thinking a lot about everything that happened, and...I have to say, there are a few things that don’t quite add up," She suddenly spoke up with a slight frown.

Uh-oh. That doesn’t sound good...I’ll play dumb, just in case this has nothing to do with me, and I do sincerely hope that’s the case...

"Yeah? Like what, exactly?" I inquired in response.

"Well, like when the Frost Dragon hit us with its tail...I could’ve sworn I felt my arm completely break upon impact, and then heal. It all happened so fast that it’s kind of a blur, but...I feel fairly certain that that’s what happened," She muttered skeptically.

"Maybe it was just the adrenaline, we were pretty much just one hit away from death the whole time," I pointed out objectively.

"Maybe so, but I don’t think that’s the case...another thing, who exactly was it that attacked the Frost Dragon, giving you the opening you needed to deal the finishing blow? I don’t know anyone with a Soul Weapon like that, an axe powerful enough to tear off a Dragon’s arm with a single hit," She responded with a grimace.

Yeah, I should’ve figured she wouldn’t overlook that, it was kind of a pivotal moment in defeating that Monster.

"No one took credit for that with the Guild?" I asked her, as I put on a look of surprise.

"No, they didn’t."

"In that case, maybe it’s someone who wants to stay under the radar? Like, someone who’s wanted by the Knights or something like that?" I suggested with a shrug.

"Like you, you mean? Well, I guess that applies to me too, now. Whoever it was that intervened, I owe them a great debt. They saved the town, and my own life as well," She replied somberly.

"Yeah, mine too. It could’ve been a Heretic or a Demi-Human, for all I care, it wouldn’t change anything as far as I’m concerned," I remarked, deciding to take a risk.

I’ll have to bring this up at some point sooner or later, so might as well get it out of the way. For starters, I want to find out exactly where she stands.

"Wow, you sound like my brother, that’s quite a bold declaration to make out loud. You’re lucky I’m the only one around...and, well, I agree. Heck, I’d be grateful even if it was a Monster that saved us," She laughed wryly, before adding, "Well, that’s highly unlikely to be the case, since Monsters don’t have Soul Weapons."

Is she bluffing? Hm, no, I don’t think so...she seems to be speaking genuinely right now. But I should remain cautious, she could just be a really good actress. I’ll push her a bit further and see...

"It’s kinda sad, most of the townspeople would never be grateful, if the person who helped us really is a Heretic or-...," I began with a wistful sigh.

"Okay, I have to say something. It’s about my fifth Skill, which I’m quite sure you know nothing about," She suddenly cut me off.

Hm? Let’s see, her Skills I’m aware of include Stealth, Bind, Area Detect and Intoxicate, and yeah, I don’t have the faintest idea about what her fifth Skill is...

"Uh, okay, go on."

"Well...it’s a Skill that lets me read people, in a way. Specifically, I can tell when someone’s lying, or even when someone’s hiding something or not telling the whole truth. Right from the first day we met, you’ve been triggering that Skill constantly. Well, that in it of itself isn’t very unusual, most Adventurers tend to be secretive about their lives, for various reasons," She surmised in response.

Crap, she can tell when I’m lying? That’s, uh...really bad. As for that Skill...

"Your fifth Skill...is it Liar, Liar?" I guessed, briefly putting off the main matter at hand.

"I-...yes, that’s right, I’m impressed you guessed it right so quickly. But to get back on topic...you lied when you said you didn’t know who attacked the Frost Dragon with that axe. And you also lied about the injury to my arm, I didn’t imagine it breaking.

If you don’t want to speak about it, I won’t press the issue...but since I know this much, I can at least fill in some of the blanks myself. There’s no need to worry...I owe you a lot, and I have no intention of betraying you. It’s upto you whether to trust my word or not," She remarked, looking at me expectantly.

Yeah, it’s not about trust. It’s not that simple. But she’s got a point about one thing...since she knows everything I’ve lied about, there’s no point in keeping quiet.

"Okay, fine, I’ll tell you everything. Well, maybe not ’everything’ everything, but yeah. Here, follow me," I remarked, heading for a large, jutted rock formation, that should make for a decent cover.

Just in case someone walks by, can’t be too careful.

"You really are cautious, aren’t you?" She smiled wryly.

"I suppose I am. Okay, for starters, let’s address this...," I sighed, as I opened my Pocket Dimension and reached it, before yanking Prysm out of it, who let out a startled yelp.

"What?" Blurted out Rosary, in bemusement at the fact that I’d just pulled a person out of a portal.

"This brat right here...she’s the one who attacked the Frost Dragon with the axe."

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