The Banished Villainous Noble Son Who Was Used as a Stepping Stone in the Original Work Awakens to Combat and Destroys the Laws of the World - Episode 48: Artificial

Episode 48: Artificial

──Morning.

Outside the window, the bustle of the city still hasn’t reached here. In air so quiet it feels unnatural, I sit on the bed. I slowly clench and open my hands.

A body I cut many times last night with a sword. The wounds are already closed by potion. But inside, a definite “sensation” remained.

(…Clearly, different.)

The quality of pain, the speed of reaction, and also… the feeling that something inside me has become “fine with it.”

This is not just familiarity. Against the stimulus of pain, my breathing unconsciously adjusts. And I can control it. As if turning pain into nourishment.

“Indomitable: Lv.3.” Seen as a number, the path ahead is still long. But now, at last, I feel I’ve drawn closer to the “true purpose.”

(I can grasp the limits of my body more clearly.)

The “depth” of damage taken in battle can now be measured not from the skin’s surface, but from the sense of muscle fibers.

For example, when cut, I can instantly judge: “this hasn’t reached the artery.” That alone makes combat far more advantageous. Pain is no longer an “enemy,” but “information.”

(This is, a “body for fighting.”)

I close my eyes, realizing again. I live for battle. This body, this pain. They all exist for that.

I don’t care if they call me “battle-maniac.” This is madness built on reason. I’m not doing it because I “like” it. I sharpen myself because it is “necessary.”

Breathing deeply, I stand. It’s about time. Around evening today, there will be a talk with Irina――so I want to head out early, take a light request first.

◆

At the guild, I accept a light request. Same as yesterday: a subjugation request for Stone-Fanged Beasts.

Though low-rank monsters, their bite reflex is fairly fast. They are weak in raw strength. But in turn, they test one’s timing and reading.

Here, I intentionally let myself be attacked once.

Just before the blade pierces, I position myself in the biting range. As expected, right after a sharp head-shaking motion, the beast’s fangs reach my arm.

《HP: 99%》

(As I thought, it’s different.)

In the last fight, I had fought with my “reading” thrown off. If I stayed with that sense, the next battle would bring fatal delays.

That’s why I needed to be confronted with reality like this. Even if I have skills like “Indomitable” and “Pain Tolerance”, I have no intention of depending on them.

I finish subjugating all the Stone-Fanged Beasts and complete the request. Since I want to allocate all potions to the “Indomitable” skill, I keep the testing moderate and return to the guild.

――The sense distortion is almost gone. Next, when I raise “Indomitable” to Lv.5, I’ll have to align the sensations again.

Savoring today’s results, I head back to the guild.

After completing the report and receiving the reward, the receptionist makes a small signal from across the counter.

“Good work.――Now, please come to the interview room. Irina-san is waiting.”

I lightly nod and head to the interview room.

A few days ago comes to mind: the map, the magic reactions, the miasma, the ice monster――looking back, I gained much. But more than that, it was an exploration that left much “unknown.”

I stop before the door. I exhale once deeply, then knock…

“――You may enter.”

(Now then――what kind of talk will this be.)

After the reply from inside, I step in.

Inside, Irina is already seated. I bow lightly, she nods.

“Sorry for making you come.”

“Not at all.”

With a short reply, I sit opposite. Before Irina are an envelope sealed with wax and a fairly good leather pouch.

“Let’s get to the point… this is about the reward for the ‘magic instability investigation.’ The guild is treating this matter as important.”

Irina pushes the rather good leather pouch to me.

“Normally, it would have been about thirty silver coins… but with the magic instability and the information you reported, like the string-shaped monster. Combined, it totals eighty-five silver coins.”

A far greater amount than expected. With eighty-five silver, leveling skills will advance greatly.

“And also, in communication with the guild headquarters, your work this time was judged as ‘exceeding the benchmark for promotion consideration.’”

Irina flips a sheet of documents at hand.

“Currently, you have risen from F rank to E――but even compared to the original standard, it is recognized as achievement equivalent to C rank or above. In the next evaluation, a skip promotion to C rank will be formally applied for.”

“…C rank, is it.”

Without showing emotion, I accepted calmly. C rank――that is where the scope of requests widens. Both “danger” and “freedom” increase.

“However, this is only ‘after passing evaluation.’ The process takes several days. Until then, if you take additional requests, you’ll still be treated as E rank.”

“Understood.”

Reward and promotion. Indeed a big step forward. But my eyes were already on what lies beyond.

The higher the rank, the harder the requests. But the rewards increase too. At high rank, opportunities to see gold coins also increase. Then, this is an opportunity.

“…Also, there is one more thing I must tell you.”

Irina lowers her tone while looking at the report.

“About the ‘string-like monster’ you defeated――the Academy reported it as ‘artificial.’”

“Artificial?”

Artificial. That means, that monster was “made.”

“It’s not confirmed yet. But from analyzing the ‘black crystal’ you submitted, there is opinion that it differs from natural occurrence… especially the property of ‘causing magic instability.’ It might have been deliberately built in.”

“I see.”

“They say the details will be analyzed further… but.”

Irina hesitated slightly. She then continued.

“Soon, there might be further questioning. The higher-ups at the Academy place importance on information from those who actually faced it.”

“…Understood.”

It was not a mere monster. Division ability, and magic instability. If all that was intentional――

(It wasn’t coincidence, then.)

Someone had sent that monster into “that place.” The purpose unknown. But if artificial, it would be far more troublesome than a natural monster.

And where did the magic that monster absorbed go? Likely, quite a few days had passed since it was released… then.

(…Should I take a skill?)

For example, if I foresee cases like this, a skill that can visualize magic or track traces… if I had such, I could gain stronger information.

Anyway, for now, I should raise the everyday-use skills first.

(Raising the level of everyday-use. That is what I must do now.)

Calmly. But surely. I thanked Irina, stood, and left the interview room.

Original Author’s Comment:

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Thank you very much for reading until the end!!

I’ll be taking a rest tomorrow to recover my condition.

Next update will be on 7/31!

I’ll keep doing my best to deliver the story with full effort but without pushing too hard, so please continue supporting me…!!

(Here’s the link if you want to support the Author: https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818622176303375188.)