〈 Chapter 30 〉 Basilium

*

Leaving the village at dawn, I stopped by the nearby village to have breakfast.

After walking for about half a day, I finally arrived at my first destination.

“Oh.”

Buildings lined up in groups.

And people wandering the streets.

I couldn’t help but exclaim at the scenery, so different from the backwoods village I had come from.

Anyone could tell I looked like a definite country bumpkin.

‘Well, I am a bumpkin in reality, though.’

The central city of Basyl, Basilium.

This was my first time in such a large city since coming to this world.

Of course, compared to metropolitan cities like Leim Kingdom or Saint City Hailen, it was merely a mid-sized city, but it seemed to live up to its reputation as the central city of Basyl.

‘Now, where’s the Church’s Basyl branch?’

The Church’s Basyl branch was one reason I came to Basilium.

There was something I needed to do there.

But finding the Church’s branch among all these buildings was no easy task.

The game wasn’t delineated enough to render the map in such detail.

‘What to do…’

At that moment, I noticed a group of people passing by on the street.

No, they could not be overlooked.

They were carrying various ominous weapons.

Some of them were dressed in quite distinctive clothing as well.

But above all, what clearly indicated who they were was the cloaks they wore in common.

‘They’re Heroes.’

Their white cloaks with a cross pattern symbolizing the Church were just like the one Gwen wore.

And they also seemed to hold the clue to finding the Church.

‘The bulging backpacks and the dirt dust they still haven’t shaken off.’

They looked like they were returning from outside the Barrier.

In that case, their destination was limited.

‘I just need to follow them.’

I began to follow them naturally.

*

‘As expected.’

Following the Hero party, I easily arrived at the Church building.

However, as soon as I entered the Church building, a certain notice caught my eye.

‘Looking for a Hero who visited the village of Basilia in the northern border of Basil.’

Basilia was the village I had stayed in.

‘What’s this about?’

It was too much for a simple notice, considering how many were pinned all over the Church building.

It felt as if the Church had lit a fire under their butts in search of something.

And the only reason I could think of that the Church would pay such close attention to the backwater village was one.

‘The news about the death of the 71st Demon King spread.’

I had somewhat expected it.

I knew there was a network among the Demon Kings to confirm each other’s lives and deaths, and I was aware there was a spy from the Church within the Demon Kings’ ranks.

The news of the 71st Demon King’s death would surely reach the Church sooner or later.

‘Even so, this is way too fast.’

With the death of the 71st Demon King, the Demon Kings would begin to suspect each other.

So, I expected that the Church’s spies would remain quiet for a while.

But just to exceed those expectations, the guy immediately alerted the Church.

‘Talk about having guts.’

Thanks to that, the Church seemed to be hastily searching for the Hero who defeated the 71st Demon King, but they wouldn’t be able to find him.

I wasn’t even a Hero.

If they were looking for a Hero, they’d never find me.

‘It’s better for both them and me if they can’t find me right now.’

Just as there was a Church spy among the Demon Kings, there were also spies from the Demon Kings in the Church. Not just one, but multiple.

Whoever killed the 71st Demon King, if their identity was revealed to the Demon Kings, a tremendous counterattack would inevitably begin.

If such scrutiny, hard for even a High-ranking Hero to endure, started to pour down on me, who wasn’t even a Hero, survival would be impossible.

‘It’s still too early for it to be known.’

Even though I killed one Demon King, it was thanks to Finn’s help and a surprise attack.

Especially since the 71st Demon King was particularly weak due to being a parasite, that’s how it ended in one hit.

The conditions fell perfectly into place; otherwise, any normal Demon King would have taken me out before I could even get my act together.

‘So for now…’

I said to the receptionist,

“I’d like to register as a Pathfinder.”

Registering as a Hero could wait for later.

Beyond the worry of being exposed, being recognized as a Hero meant being under the surveillance of the Church.

There were still things I had to do outside of their watch.

“You want to register as a Pathfinder? Please wait a moment.”

The receptionist called another staff member from the inside.

Then, that worker opened the door next to the reception counter and gestured for me to follow.

“Please come with me.”

Following her inside, we soon reached a room.

Inside the room was a desk and an oddly shaped device.

‘Is that the Relic Measuring Device?’

It resembled the device described when registering relics at the Church in the game.

‘Not that I need it right now.’

Both Relic Gravitas Replicant and Night’s Shadow were relics of dubious origin.

If something went wrong and they got returned to the Church, it’d be problematic.

Relics are generally owned by the one who first acquires them.

However, there are restrictions on transferring ownership. Most notably, they must first be registered with the Church.

Additionally, the Church claims it must manage all relics, so if you were to transfer or trade relics, you had to report to the Church.

Neither the Relic Gravitas Replicant nor the Night’s Shadow had been reported. So, there was plenty of reason for them to be reclaimed.

‘Thankfully, having an inventory makes it easier to hide them.’

A little caution would be all that’s needed.

“What is your name?”

“Allen Pleuk.”

I answered with my real name when asked.

It was better to use my real name than risk making mistakes with a strange alias.

My name isn’t particularly famous, anyway.

“And where do you live?”

“I don’t have a place to stay separately.”

She didn’t seem to take any particular issue with my answer.

That was to be expected.

Given the nature of Pathfinders wandering outside the Barrier with their lives on the line, there was a high proportion of vagrants who had nothing.

“Do you have any relics with you?”

“No.”

Once again, she accepted it naturally.

What she pulled from the desk drawer was a contract.

“I’ll lend you a relic rated 1 star. It won’t help you in battle but should allow you to endure outside the Barrier. However, you’ll need to agree to the contents of the contract.”

After taking the contract from her, I began to read through its items.

– Article A: The Church (hereinafter called the “Party A”) lends the relic to ___ (hereinafter called the “Party B”). The rating of the relic is 1 star, and depending on performance, up to 2 star relics may also be lent.
– Article B: If Party B borrowed a relic from Party A, they must pay a borrowing fee of 10 coins of coinage each month.
– Article B-1: If Party B loses or resells the borrowed relic, they must compensate Party A the equivalent of 1 coin.
– Article C: All relics excavated by Party B as a Pathfinder must be registered with Party A.
– Article C-1: If Party A purchases a relic excavated by Party B, they will measure the grade of the relic and pay the corresponding amount.
– Article C-2: If Party B wishes to trade a relic excavated by them among individuals, they must report to Party A for review.
– Article D: If Party B is caught intentionally engaging in risky behavior, Party A may invalidate the contract and revoke the Pathfinder status. The criteria for risky behavior will be judged by the heads of each branch.

(Signature)

It was clearly a contract divided into Party A and Party B.

However, the provisions didn’t mean anything to me, as my purpose for registering as a Pathfinder wasn’t to excavate relics.

“Since I’m not going to be engaged in Pathfinder activities right away, would it be possible to borrow the relic later?”

“Yes, that’s possible.”

However, Article D bothered me.

“What does Article D mean?”

“Recently, there has been an increase in suicidal individuals masquerading as Pathfinders, so you must sign.”

I hadn’t anticipated that.

Still, I understood. No matter how minor the 1 star relic may be, if suicidal people keep taking them outside the Barrier and dying, it would hurt the Church a lot.

“I’ve finished signing.”

“Yes, I’ve confirmed it. You decided to borrow the relic later. Now, I look forward to your activities as a Pathfinder.”

She said that, but her expression didn’t look the least bit expectant.

I felt the same, as I had no intention of engaging in Pathfinder activities either.

‘Now that I’m registered as a Pathfinder…’

It’s time to retrieve my investment.

*

Thud.

The worn-out backpack landed heavily on the counter.

“Here are the Pieces of the Barrier. Please convert them into cash.”

What was stuffed inside the backpack were the crystals known as Pieces of the Barrier.

To gather SP, I had been diligent in hunting Chaos Beasts, while also occasionally harvesting from the corpses of those Chaos Beasts. Initially, I struggled to find the exact locations of the first ones I caught.

Anyway, these Pieces of the Barrier could be exchanged for cash by returning them to each nation.

‘As long as one condition is met, that is.’

The pieces that the nations recovered would be used to re-synthesize into their Barrier Stones, extending the lifespan of the Barrier.

It was the only method to slow down the natural rate at which the area of the Barrier would shrink. Therefore, all nations had policies aimed at monopolizing the Pieces of the Barrier.

Prohibition of personal transactions of the Pieces of the Barrier and the elimination of cash fees for Heroes and Pathfinders were among them.

No matter how much personal trading was prohibited, since transactions continued in the dark, the largest producers of the Pieces of the Barrier, the Heroes and Pathfinders, had no reason to deal with individual merchants.

Registering as a Pathfinder was also for this reason.

If I was going to cash in, I didn’t want to be charged high fees.

“Could you show me your Hero or Pathfinder registration certificate?”

I took out the Pathfinder registration certificate I received earlier from my pocket to show her.

“Confirmed… but you’ve managed quite a collection for a Pathfinder, haven’t you?”

Really?

I had kept a substantial amount in my inventory so as not to raise suspicion, only bringing a partial amount in a separate bag.

But apparently, that was still quite a lot for a Pathfinder.

“I just kept collecting without cashing in.”

Fortunately, the staff didn’t dig any deeper with suspicion.

The cashing in didn’t take long, and I was left with enough money in hand.

‘With this, I’ve covered the expenses up to Sakh.’

It was worth the trouble gathering the Pieces of the Barrier one by one.

‘Now then…’

I was hungry.

‘I should go eat something first.’

I hadn’t had a meal since arriving in Basilium.

I was also curious if the city’s food would be different.

*

‘The taste is decent…’

I looked out of the restaurant.

‘I didn’t expect it to rain.’

The rain started pouring steadily just as I finished my dinner.

I thought it would stop just before I finished eating, but now it was pouring down.

‘Looks like I’ll get soaked.’

The robe Gwen gave me was made from a water-resistant material, but after being drenched in the blood of Chaos Beasts, I hadn’t worn it except when going outside the Barrier.

It seemed I’d have to brave the rain to reach the inn and then change into my spare clothes from my inventory.

‘It might be a good idea to buy a raincoat too.’

Just then, something small caught my eye outside the restaurant window.

‘Huh?’

What’s that…

I stood up from my seat.

And I approached that shape.

It was definitely someone I recognized.

Drenched in the rain, the debris washed away to reveal the bright blond hair that didn’t lose its shine, even in the dark night.

There was only one person I knew matching that description.

‘I did think there was a chance I might run into her…’

Though, honestly, I had thought the chances were nearly nonexistent.

This character would only come here under one circumstance.

That would only happen if I acted on the route I had devised for selling goods.

‘Is there really still someone trying this out?’

*