© 2024 Novelable
Chapter 77
The World Postal Service arrived at the Imperial Palace in half a day, as if blown in by the wind.
“Apparently, the Hero was about to break everything in sight,” the courier remarked casually.
At those words, Lin and Tigrea both let out sighs of relief. They had narrowly avoided disaster by not delaying any further. For Lin, who had finally thought that things were settling down, the reminder of how much work still lay ahead weighed heavily on his shoulders.
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They were currently on their way to the nearest city after paying for a ride on the Golden Carriage. Although it was a small city, it had a teleportation magic circle, which meant they could return to the capital by evening. Lin, however, was leaning against the luggage compartment, lost in thought as he waited for the World Postal Service, reflecting on a conversation he had with Tigrea back in Gillesman.
“Lin, I want to share something with you about my conversation with the Goddess.”
Tigrea had brought up the serious topic out of the blue while devouring the bacon and fried eggs Lin had made for her.
“You remember how I mentioned that the Goddess asked me about my wish when she granted me my unique item?”
Lin still found Tigrea’s newfound casual tone a bit strange. It wasn’t just casual; it was warm and kind, a far cry from the cold and distant way she used to speak. Even the way she poured tea and brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear was something the old Tigrea would never have done.
“When we were fighting the Demon Generals, the Goddess stopped time and enhanced my unique item.”
Lin, having cleared the DLC in his past life, knew exactly what she was talking about.
“At that time, I asked her why she had asked about my wish earlier, and the Goddess told me that she hadn’t. She was shocked and mentioned the name of the Demon God, Angria.”
Lin was already aware of this too. In fact, you didn’t need to clear the DLC to know. In the original version of Arrogant Saga, when the Goddess granted unique items to the party members—everyone except Lin and the Hero—she would ask them about their wishes.
Arsil wished to establish an academy in the Sludge Alley and for Mr. Lee to live well and eventually meet her. Naidrian wished to develop seeds that would grow into forests quickly, anywhere, and to become a proud and confident version of herself. Tigrea wished to complete her research on true love. Lastly, Reinhold wished to become the guardian who would balance the world.
And that’s where everything went wrong.
As the Goddess said, she finished bestowing the unique items and then departed. But in the brief moment before she left, the Demon God Angria, disguised as the Goddess, had manipulated the party members’ desires. Angria didn’t earn the title of Demon God for nothing; even by merely speaking, he amplified their desires and focused the group’s ambition around Reinhold, who had the strongest greed.
This manipulation was the reason why, despite Lucy’s kindness and dedication, the party members turned against her so readily. And it was still effective. Unless someone, like Tigrea, managed to overcome it themselves, they would continue to be consumed by their desires, acting irrationally.
If Denarua hadn’t beaten sense into Tigrea, she probably wouldn’t have made it through, Lin thought.
However, Lin failed to recognize that he had been the key factor in Tigrea’s change of heart. He was, unknowingly, a man with a lot of guilt.
“It’s likely that the Demon God has manipulated the other party members as well. Even after making their wishes, their thoughts were still clouded, and when Reinhold proposed his deal, they were too drawn in to think clearly. I know the others didn’t hesitate much either.”
“……”
“Lin?”
“Oh, sorry. It’s just that… this is the first time we’ve had a strategy meeting like this.”
“Didn’t you and Luciena talk about things?”
Lin shook his head. They had talked, all right—about who to kill first, among other things. But there was no need to say that out loud. Tigrea noticed his reluctance and softened her tone.
“During important decisions, the Hero’s party often excluded you, making you do menial tasks instead.”
“If you’re right, then we need to check if the Demon God has interfered with the others.”
“Yes, the Goddess asked me to do that.”
This was essentially what had to happen. In the original version, the party members were bound by the Demon God’s influence, and in the DLC, the task was to save them and bring them back to their senses. The exception, of course, was Reinhold.
Lin had to retire Reinhold from the party at all costs. The reason was simple: as long as the shield-bearer remained, the others could never regain their sanity. He constantly schemed and amplified their desires, making it impossible for Naidrian, Arsil, and Tigrea to see the truth or reality clearly.
If Lin failed to retire Reinhold, he wouldn’t be able to turn any of them into allies, leading to the worst possible ending. In his past life, Mr. Lee had gritted his teeth, loading and reloading save files, determined to kill Reinhold as soon as they met.
The result?
To his surprise, during the palace assault, a choice to kill Reinhold actually appeared. So he did. And then, something that should never have happened occurred: a being that could only be faced by the Goddess herself descended, possessing Reinhold’s body. Naturally, the Hero’s party was annihilated.
Mr. Lee had learned the hard way why it was so crucial to be wary of Reinhold, but by then, he had already broken one keyboard in frustration.
In conclusion, the only viable option was to incapacitate Reinhold and send him to recuperate on the Zramon Archipelago, ensuring he couldn’t directly influence the party.
That was why Lin had no intention of keeping Reinhold alive if he didn’t have to.
After all, Lin was from the Sludge Alley, where people preferred to eliminate obvious threats completely. The fact that Reinhold was still alive didn’t sit well with him, but Tigrea’s next words only made things worse.
“I asked you this once before, but don’t you think things would have been different if you had revealed your identity to Arsil?”
Lin didn’t even have the strength to sigh when he heard that. The Sludge Alley was clearly part of the original story, and it matched Mr. Lee’s memories. In fact, if you played as a porter in both the original and DLC versions, there were two options to reveal your identity and the truth about the Sludge Alley to Arsil.
Tragically, both led to a bad ending.
The problem was that he hadn’t fully grasped Arsil’s character.
“Arsil isn’t good at handling her emotions. If I had told her, she would have been crushed by the reality that her home was gone.”
No matter when he revealed the truth, Arsil would have been devastated and would have let it slip to the other party members. If he told her in the early stages of the original game, she would have been so overwhelmed by her emotions that she would have confessed everything, leading to Lin being discovered by Reinhold and eliminated.
It would be framed as a death in battle, and Arsil’s wails would cue the game over screen.
If he revealed it in the early stages of the DLC, after Lucy’s betrayal and rejoining the party, Arsil would realize that everything she had done was meaningless, leading her to a frenzy of vengeance. Together with Reinhold and Linasien, they would eliminate Lin, culminating in another game over, with Rabin’s despair and Lucy’s rampage.
Ultimately, no matter what path he took, Lin had to retire Reinhold from the party for any positive outcome. At least then, even if Arsil was devastated, Rabin could help comfort her and bring her back.
But could she be comforted?
While the influence of the Demon God might explain her betrayal of Lucy, Arsil’s disdain for Lin during the journey was entirely her own doing.
“Saint Arsil, I’m sorry, but I hurt my arm. I’m having trouble carrying my pack. Could you please heal it?”
“Can’t you see there are people here who are gravely injured? I’ll help you after I’ve healed everyone else, if I have any holy power left.”
Her response always silenced him, leaving him no choice but to withdraw. Even outside of major battles, Arsil often used up her holy power fighting demons, leaving nothing for the party members afterward. There were potions, of course, but Lin had always felt too guilty to use them, so he would wrap his injuries in bandages and carry on. That was true before he received the porter’s knapsack, and it was true after.
He had often wanted to reveal his identity as Mr. Lee and demand an explanation for her behavior, but doing so would have meant certain death at Reinhold’s hands.
Sure, she might treat him differently if she knew who he was. But was he not a comrade before he revealed his identity as Mr. Lee? The thought of her changing her attitude so easily made Lin wonder if he would have felt any satisfaction from it.
The bitterness that welled up inside him made him resist taking off his mask. This wasn’t a game; it was reality. Even though the main events were similar, the details were different, and there was always a chance to make things work. Yet, Lin had let his human emotions shut off communication with Arsil.
He was human, after all. Even though he had heard that he held part of Guerrero’s soul, he was no saint like Guerrero. Consumed by the sorrow of not being able to express his pain and the frustration of not being able to voice his suffering, Lin had retreated into an uncomfortable but familiar silence until the Goddess had locked his heart away.
Once the Goddess made him stronger, he acted solely based on Mr. Lee’s past-life memories, not feeling the need to explain anything.
“It’s all my fault.”
In the end, Lin rubbed his face dry, forcing a bitter smile. He admitted it—he hadn’t even tried, despite being able to. He poured the tea he hadn’t touched onto the sandy ground and idly poked at the campfire. That’s when it happened.
Tigrea hugged him from behind.
“It was a really tough time for you… So, I think it’s understandable.”
She held him tightly by the neck and shoulders, whispering softly. Her faint scent tickled his nose.
“I may not be the best person to say this, but you’ve done your best ever since you joined us.”
“…Why are you crying?”
Because if you cry, I won’t be able to.
“I’m not crying.”
“Okay.”
After a few warm drops fell onto his shoulder, Tigrea made a promise to Lin.
“I’ll help you.”
“How?”
“Whatever it takes, however I can. If there’s nothing else, I’ll even be your meat shield.”
Lin shook his head.
“No matter how hard it gets, I’m not going to send someone I’m connected to off to die.”
Even if he treated them like chess pieces, Lin had no intention of doing that. It was the difference between him and Reinhold, a difference Lin firmly believed in.
In the Golden Carriage’s luggage compartment, Lin’s face was contorted with thoughts and worries.
“When we get back… I should tell Arsil everything.”
“When, exactly?”
“I don’t know. I’ll have to wait for the right moment.”
Their next destination was none other than the Church. The place where Lin, Rabin, and Arsil’s enemies resided. But Lin had no idea how he was going to untangle the mess they were in.
“This is exhausting.”
The words slipped out unconsciously, Lin unaware he had even spoken. Tigrea quietly moved closer, spreading her robe over his shoulders to comfort him.
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