Evil Avalon

Chapter 130 Takuya Tsukishima's reasoning

(TL:By Rafael,valhallatls.blogspot.com)

Tsukishima is lying on the ground, having lost one arm and spitting out a large amount of blood from his mouth. His uniform, charred in places, is also splattered with blood. Hastily covering him is a long-haired girl with silver hair, Sera Kikyou. She embraces him strongly, not minding the blood and dust that soil her uniform.

"Brave-sama... please be reassured! I will definitely save you! Holy Heal!"

Having driven away the priest who claimed to heal himself, Sera activates the hidden skill "Holy Heal," known only to those related to the "Saint." It's a high-performance healing magic that one can learn if they become close to her in DunEx.

The skill's effect is remarkable; as the magical effect takes place, the body visibly repairs itself at a rapid pace. From the severed arm, pure white bones extend, and within seconds, red muscle tissues and blood vessels coil around them, finally, the skin quickly covers them. This whole process takes only about 10 seconds. The harsh expression that endured the pain moments ago softens considerably, and the face, which was pale possibly due to reduced blood volume, gains a rosy hue.

In the original world, such a severe injury could only be connected through extensive surgery using specialized tools by multiple doctors. However, with magic, even missing limbs can regenerate instantly without any side effects. It's not hard to imagine how incredible the demand for restorative magic is in this world and how it has been exploited by authorities and powers.

"Ugh..."

"Ah, I'm really relieved..."

With tears in her eyes, Sera, with a relieved expression, checks Tsukishima's condition thoroughly, then suddenly directs a gaze towards me, as if glaring.

"I won't let anyone lay a finger on my Brave-sama. If you intend to do more... I will be your opponent."

She declares with a slightly trembling voice, but resolutely stating that she will fight me. She seems a bit hesitant, having witnessed the previous battles, but I know she has the strength to back up her words.

Proficient in close combat, magic, healing magic, and support, Sera Kikyou possesses the unparalleled combat abilities of the next-generation Saint, making her the strongest among the students at the Adventurer School. What truly distinguishes her as the strongest within the school is her unique equipment, the "National Treasure."

Even Arthur's Meteor Strike from earlier, while not a direct hit, left her completely unscathed, despite being in close proximity and getting crushed under debris. I couldn't see "it" as she quickly hid it, but I know everything about its existence and capabilities. That's why —

(If Sera had joined the fight with Tsukishima, things might have been dangerous.)

In this duel, I've taken every possible precaution, but if Sera had joined the battle, the situation would have changed significantly. More than that, she has been an admired heroine since the DunEx era, and the thought of attacking her is unbearable.

However, now is not the time to be concerned about Sera. The arena is in chaos due to its destruction, and the potion that is altering my physique won't last much longer. I want to talk to Tsukishima alone as soon as possible, but even if I say that, Sera is currently on high alert and won't easily change her stubborn attitude.

Turning my face towards Kirara-chan, who is watching nearby, I hope she can help somehow. Sensing my intention, she promptly understands and moves.

"As the acting president of the student council, I, Kusonoki Kirara, forbid any further combat. The masked gentleman is also expected to comply. Since it seems you want to talk, please move away from here, except for those involved."

"But! This person is my Brave-sama. I am also involved!"

"...What does this 'Brave-sama' mean?"

Asked about what a 'Brave' is, Sera, about to speak excitedly, is interrupted by Kirara, who suggests moving elsewhere. However, she doesn't easily take the bait and persistently holds Tsukishima in her arms, glaring at me.

Since there's no other choice, I promise not to intervene, swearing by Kirara's name, and finally, she agrees to leave this place. The name of the noble seems to carry a heavy weight. That's a relief.

On the other hand, the student council president is ensuring the silence of the students who witnessed the duel, and explaining the situation to the security personnel and school administrators who rushed to the scene. I have to leave everything to them, but if I stay here, I won't escape questioning. Tsukishima seems to have noticed as well, so it's better to move somewhere else quickly.

After gazing at the sky for a moment, Tsukishima, rising with a groan, looks at his blood-soaked and tattered uniform, sighs deeply, and says,

"Haah... I guess I lost."

"Yes, you did. Completely. I want to talk a bit, but let's leave this place quickly. It's getting noisy over there."

'I'll have you tell me everything.'

"Haah... Whatever. Take me anywhere."

While taking out a cloak to reduce her presence, Lisa gestures to move. However, Tsukishima seems not to have one. There's no helping it, so I lend him a spare cloak.

　*・・*・・*・・*・・*・・*

"Is this area okay, I wonder? But seriously... we made quite a scene, didn't we?"

Wearing our cloaks, we discreetly move away from the arena towards an area devoid of people. Lisa, who was leading the way, turns around with an amused expression.

From this slightly elevated position, we can get a good view of the partially destroyed Arena No. 1. The ceiling and walls have blown off, creating better ventilation similar to the Colosseum in Rome. Well, it was inevitable for it to end up like this when Tsukishima summoned Skuld. 

Other types of Valkyries could have  dealt without relying on Arthur's power, but dealing with Skuld's "Barrier of Defense" alone is challenging for me. However, by doing so, I've incurred a significant debt to Arthur. I shudder to think about what he might demand in return.

Tsukishima remains silent, seemingly obediently following us. There are many questions I want to ask him about his actions, and there are also doubts about Lisa.

Previously, during our discussion about the duel, she insisted on helping, and when I was about to deliver the finishing blow, she intervened by releasing part of her "power." 

Certainly, there's some merit in incorporating information and thoughts only Tsukishima knows into the decision-making process for the future. However, when I compare his personality and actions so far, keeping him alive poses a significant risk.

If he still looks down on the people of this world as mere NPCs and is willing to let them die, knowing the future of this game world, destroying it might cause unimaginable suffering and death to countless people. In a game, even if a million people were to die, it might only be perceived as a dramatic setting spice. However, in reality, this city, this country, will transform into a hell of resentment and screams, and we would witness it firsthand.

If Tsukishima intends to treat the people of this world as expendable, and if keeping him alive poses a threat to my important people— I won't hesitate.

While keeping the possibility of combat in mind, I glance at the bespectacled girl with a cool smile next to me, but her expression reveals nothing about what she might be thinking. Well, I can just ask her if needed.

"Tsukishima. I asked during the duel, but why target players directly?"

To the blunt and direct question, Tsukishima furrows his brow, looking displeased. However, as he notices the unhidden killing intent from me, he sighs in annoyance and starts speaking.

"What to talk about... well, if you're also a player, you should have a 'Player-Specific Skill,' right?"

Player-Specific Skill? Oh, right, I have a skill called "Gluttony" that I can't get rid of, causing constant suffering. Lisa has some dangerous skill, and Arthur had one too, judging by the earlier conversation. Considering this, it's reasonable to assume that all players have such skills.

Why players are burdened with such skills, I haven't thought deeply about the reasons; however, Tsukishima seems to consider this the reason for targeting players. It doesn't seem to have a clear cause-and-effect relationship at the moment, but let's continue listening.

"Kuku.. judging from your condition, you seem to have it too. Of course, I have it too. A severe penalty."

Tsukishima, with vacant eyes, says this while tapping his temple with his index finger. Since coming to this world, his cognitive abilities have declined, and everything has turned gray, tinted with despair.

All of this is due to this unfamiliar unique skill. Unable to erase it even by leveling up, the only way to resist the curse is to inflate desires without restrictions on what one wants to obtain or do.

"Is one of those desires to dominate the Adventurer School?"

"...No, that's a different story. Returning to the topic, resisting with just that level of motivation is difficult. So, in order to remove this curse, I was using Skuld's ability to analyze it... and I found various things."

Skuld possesses an ability equivalent to "Appraisal" and has extensive knowledge about dungeons. Despite being significantly weakened, she was an excellent advisor. Through this, Tsukishima discovered that Player-Specific Skills cannot be removed, but on the contrary, they can be upgraded.

But I already know that much. Although I examined "Gluttony" with the Appraisal Wand before, deliberately growing a curse debuff that erodes the mind seems absurd. I naturally ignored it.

Recently, Lisa taught me the "Flexible Aura" to reduce status abnormalities, so the impact on my daily life has lessened. Even though the insatiable hunger sensation still persists, my goal is now to raise my level further and acquire more powerful counter-magic for the future.

"Flexible Aura, huh. I was saved after Lisa taught it to me too. Since then, I've managed to bring myself to a state where I can get by with willpower. But do you understand the meaning of upgrading?"

... Meaning? If upgrading Player-Specific Skills means I can handle the mental burden with "Flexible Aura" and mental strength, then it's fine. However, if crossing that line even slightly leads to enduring the hunger sensation and having all thoughts consumed by appetite, is there any meaning in upgrading?

"When we enhance our skills... as they grow, it seems... they can grant any wish."

"…What?"

Why does making curses stronger lead to wishes coming true? Before that, how did you even find out about such a thing? I know Skuld has analytical abilities, but it should be no different from [Appraisal], right? If I were to ask Tsukishima, he enhanced Skuld's analysis further using [Skill Rise Upper].

During DunEx, we had normal top-tier [Appraisal] skills and items, so we couldn't consider using the valuable [Skill Rise Upper] to enhance mid-to-low-tier skills. However, if we could quickly obtain information about unique skills, there is certainly value in that.

"As you level up, sooner or later, you'll get top-tier appraisal items, and the time will come to learn about the secrets of unique skills. That's why I wanted to bring all players under control before that."

"Why does bringing them under control come into the picture?"

"In other words, Tsukishima-kun wanted to prevent players from killing each other for the purpose of upgrading their skills."

To upgrade player-specific skills, it is necessary to kill other players... It was written like that when analyzing the skills, so it seems to be correct. When I examined [Glutton], it was already indicated as upgradable, meaning I had killed a player. Thinking about it, the only one that comes to mind is that bone guy... Volgemuth. It's confirmed that he is a player. There's some turmoil, but if I hadn't killed him at that time, Kano would have died. Considering that, I have no regrets.

However, there are several problems with the current explanation.

"How much of the wish was written to be fulfilled? Depending on that, there might not be a reason for players to fight."

"It only said 'wishes can be granted.' But... the one who created this crazy world is an existence that allows anything. It's reasonable to think that way."

Anything, huh? For example, a wish to become a god in this world. For something like this, there's a high chance of achieving it with one's own power. In DunEx, we were indeed like gods, and even without reaching that level, having level 50 would make the military and adventurers in this world no longer fear us. Even a wish to become a god is not worth fighting dangerous players for. 

So, what about the wish to "return to the original world"? Since they brought us here, they should be able to send us back. It might be a motive for some players to kill each other, but for someone like me or Arthur who has no intention of going back, it has no value.

Then, what about altering the original world a bit more, such as "reviving the dead in the original world" or "altering the history of the original world"? However, if there is no certainty that these wishes can be fulfilled, the reason to kill each other is weak. In fact, players are not foolish enough to kill each other just because they are told that any wish can be granted.

Moreover, Tsukishima says he wanted to bring players under control because "he wanted to prevent them from killing each other." However, from my perspective, Tsukishima, who tries to bring them under control, seems more like the mastermind who wants to kill players for skill upgrades.

"I know there's no trust, but I have no intention of being grateful even if my wish is granted. I came to this world, and I'll obtain everything I want with my own power. That's why I don't like the intention of giving us candy and making us kill each other. That guy... is probably watching from somewhere high up, but it makes my skin crawl."

Spitting out and showing irritation, Tsukishima. While giving players such skills, if we consider the meaning of granting the ability to fulfill any wish, it seems that whoever created this system wants us to fight each other. However, believing that and trusting what Tsukishima says are different.

Seeing me maintaining a firm attitude, Lisa also steps in to defend.

"Hehe. Tsukishima-kun and I intended to have a mutually non-interfering, mutually inviolable contract regarding our actions and purposes. So, you can probably believe it to some extent."

"I'm dropping out of the level race. I don't think I can beat you from now on, so I'll be quiet."

Having continued to accumulate experience points by letting the fatigue-free and immortal Skuld lurk, and surpassing all players to become an advanced job in the fastest time. At this point, he should be able to overwhelm and subjugate any player who comes. 

Judging that controlling the adventurers' school with a skewed game story and mobilizing the controlled nobles and players would be enough to handle without Akagi-kun and Pink-chan, he took action—only to face an unexpected defeat.

From now on, if he let Skuld lurk alone, the efficiency of hunting will decrease, so he has no choice but to drop out of the level race. If that happens, the vision of winning against me will become even more elusive. Saying that he won't stand out from now on, Tsukishima slumps his shoulders.

"So, I've told you everything I can say. If you have any other questions, ask, but..."

"No, it's okay now. But I'll warn you. If you try to destroy the game story any further... I won't show mercy."

"That's right. I'll keep an eye on you to make sure you don't do anything strange. If something happens, I'll mediate hehe."

Tsukishima had a reason for attempting a duel. The player-specific skills behind it, and their secrets. There are many actions that are hard to accept, such as controlling the school, but I can understand the logic to some extent. For now, considering that the remaining time for the transformation potion is precarious, it should be enough to hear this much in this situation.

However, once you've caused this much trouble, it's hopeless to try to restore the game story to its original state. I want Sagara to move so that I can make some adjustments, but the student council president's term is already short, and there is an overwhelming sense of being cornered. Even though there are terrifyingly cruel events waiting in the future, the anxiety is only growing.

"If you have no more business, I'm going home... I'll leave the management of the four players who are not here to you. Well then." 

Putting his hands in his pockets, Tsukishima walks away with a slightly hunched back, exuding a sense of melancholy.

――But wait a minute. Who are the four players who are not here that he's talking about?

TL Note- Lisa seems sus....Everyone I wish you a Merry Christmas 🎅 🎄 ❤ in advance. 

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