Astrea Record: Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Tales of Heroes - Volume 3 - Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

The Price of Talent

“An incurable illness?”

In the war room of Guild HQ, Lyu repeated Riveria’s words with a sense of shock.

Finn took over the explanation. “Yes,” he said. “According to our sources, Alfia has had it since birth. Even receiving a Falna didn’t cure her of it—instead, it manifested as a negative Skill.”

The Skills and spells granted by Blessings were usually beneficial, but not always. They were a reflection of that person’s inner truths, and so sometimes they were all downside without any merit.

Alfia was one such example. Finn had learned as much, back in the glory days of Zeus and Hera.

“You could call it the price she pays for her exceptional abilities.”

“It is the one rule that even Alfia must follow,” said Riveria. “Something that no magic or item can overturn.”

Everyone in the room was shocked, save for Lyu. After scanning the surprised faces of the team, Gareth moved on to the next point.

“As for Zald,” he said. “While Alfia’s weakness is inborn, his is acquired. A pestilent rot slowly consumes him.”

“Acquired? Rot? What do you mean by that?” asked Kaguya.

The dwarf’s gaze became unfocused, as if he were looking far into the past.

“It happened when we slew the Behemoth,” he said. “In the battle, Zald was afflicted by the beast’s poison.”

““!!””

Alize and Lyu were both surprised to hear talk of that old battle come up.

“This is top-secret information, but Zald possesses a Rare Skill called Deus Ambrosia.”

Any records the Guild kept on its familias and the adventurers within them were considered strictly confidential. Some were so afraid of having information leaked that they secretly avoided reporting to the Guild at all. However, Zeus and Hera shared a special relationship with Ouranos, the founder of the city. They had delved deeper into the Dungeon than anyone else, mapped out each of its floors, discovered how to unlock Advanced Abilities, and studied the best way to develop Statuses. It was safe to say that, without them, Orario would not be what it was today. The city’s history was their history.

Hidden somewhere in those thousand years of recorded history were Zald’s and Alfia’s secrets. After their familias crumbled, Finn had gone to the Guild to request it.

The Guild, with Ouranos’s blessing, agreed, thus pinning their hopes on a new generation of hero.

Reading those reports for the first time blew Finn’s mind. The Abilities those adventurers possessed were off the charts.

And Zald’s was the most unbelievable of them all.

“Have you ever wondered why they call him Glutton? It’s because his Skill is activated by eating. Animals, people, even monsters. And when it does, it boosts his stats.”

“Wha—?!” exclaimed Lyra. “He gets stronger just by eatin’?! That’s basically cheating!”

“Of course, many things only offer a miniscule increase,” explained Gareth. “It depends on what he eats. The stronger it is, the greater the effect. I’ve heard he eats anything from materials gathered in the Dungeon to the bodies of his fallen allies. But what he ate most of all was monsters.”

“So you mean…” Lyu trembled, realizing where this was going.

Gareth closed his eyes. “Yes. Zald ate the Behemoth, too. In order to win, he bit straight into its flesh. That granted him the power to deal the killing blow, but Behemoth’s deadly poison struck back like a curse, devouring him slowly to this very day.”

Astrea Familia was at a loss for words, hearing for the first time how the Behemoth was really slain.

To bite into the flesh of any monster was a vile, repugnant act for most people. It was unthinkable to try that with an incarnation of death like the Behemoth. What must have passed through Zald’s mind when he did it? Was it a necessary step to take down a powerful foe? Or an act of bravery to protect those dear to him?

At last, the girls understood what Gareth had meant when he described Zald’s weakness as “acquired.”

“He, too, was fighting his own torment. One that we couldn’t possibly understand.”

“That’s awful…” muttered Lyu, imagining the price Zald paid for his heroic act. Though he was their foe, she couldn’t help but feel a little sympathetic.

Lyra grimaced. “In the end, the Behemoth had the last laugh… Ironic, ain’t it?”

“Both Glutton and Silence played important parts in the slaying of the Leviathan and the Behemoth,” explained Riveria. “But due to their actions, Zald was forced to retire from frontline combat, while Alfia’s condition dramatically worsened.”

“So then, the weakness you wanted to tell us about…” Alize ventured.

“Yes,” answered Finn. “They can only fight for so long. If the battle drags on, their curses take their toll. Perhaps Ottar can get away with ignoring this, but for anyone else, it’s the only way to even have a chance against them.”

After a short pause, Lyra piped up. “Even if they did have these tickin’ time bombs strapped to them back in the day—and I’m not sayin’ I totally believe it, either…” she said. “But who’s to say they still have those conditions? I mean, they weren’t shy about marching straight into the city, and they sure aren’t actin’ like their days are numbered. Maybe they found some way to cure themselves while they were away all those years doin’ gods know what.”

The coolheaded brain of the party was never one to indulge in optimistic thinking. Plan for the worst, hope for the best was her mantra. Sensing somewhat of an affinity with his own personality, Finn grinned and explained to her the basis of his theory.

“You’re right, Slyle,” he said, “but I have reason to suggest that’s not the case.”

“How’s that?”

“On the night of the Great Conflict, Zald and Alfia could have easily struck a decisive blow, but they chose not to. What if that wasn’t caution on their part, but simply necessity, imposed by their respective conditions?”

Alize’s face lit up with understanding.

“Oh! You mean, they wanted to finish us off but couldn’t? Like, they needed to rest after the battle?”

“That would explain why it took some time before we saw those two again…” added Kaguya.

Finn nodded. “But that’s not all. Even before the Great Conflict began, we realized the Evils were up to something.”

The way Finn spoke suggested that of his two points, what he was about to say was what had convinced him his hunch was right. With confidence in his voice, he spilled what he knew of the Evils’ plans.

This was what Astrea, Freya, and Loki had convened to discuss only two days before the Great Conflict began, and what Hermes Familia had discovered eight days before that.

It was Gareth who picked up the remainder of Finn’s tale. “We know they conducted raids on magic-stone factories in order to acquire the detonators for their suicide bombs. However, there were two other points of activity that didn’t make much sense at the time…”

“The first were the actions of unblessed followers in Dedyne,” Riveria explained. “And the second was the theft of holy tree branches.”

“Dedyne…home of the Black Desert, where the battle with the Behemoth was fought…”

The eighteenth floor still burned. Atop a cliff, Astrea was discussing with Erebus the very same topic her children were.

“The land lies barren as a result of the King of Beasts’ toxic flesh,” she said, “but it is said that somewhere in the desert, a single species of plant thrives.”

Astrea didn’t even need to say the rest for Erebus to admit it. “Quite perceptive,” he said. “Yes, we sent our followers there to harvest that plant and make from it a tonic to keep Zald’s illness in check.”

“And the elven tree branches…”

“A partial remedy for Alfia’s condition. The ample magic power those branches contain is perfect for easing her symptoms.”

All of it had been in pursuit of these two items, so the conquerors could fight at full power for as long as possible.

Meanwhile, aboveground, Hermes muttered to himself.

“That’s why we never saw the bigger picture,” he mused. “The detonators, the activity in Dedyne, and the holy tree branches—they were all for different purposes.”

It was Hermes Familia who first learned of the goings-on elsewhere on the continent, but they only realized their significance on the night of the Great Conflict, with the arrival of Zald and Alfia.

They had informed Finn at once—that the enemy’s trump cards were limited-use.

That information was what had allowed Finn to stay hopeful, even when the conquerors’ might seemed overwhelming.

“All along, the Evils were funneling resources into their three secret weapons: the suicide bombs, Zald, and Alfia,” said Hermes, grasping at the singular line that led to victory. “But now that we know that, it’s proof enough that Glutton and Silence still possess their weaknesses.”

“Cough! Cough! Hack!!”

No matter how much Alfia choked, the blood kept coming, staining her sickly pale skin in sticky crimson.

Kaguya blanched at the sight. “Just how much blood have you lost?”

Lyu couldn’t help but ask. “And how much pain have you lived through your whole life?”

“How can I possibly answer that?” Alfia replied, after her fits had finally subsided. “This is all I have known from the moment I was born. If I asked you to describe the blood that flows through your veins, what would you say?”

With a slender arm, she wiped the blood from her lips.

“Alas, this detestable sickness has taken everything from me—even my own twin. If not for this, could I have slain the Black Dragon?”

This was her regret. Her curse. Her twin sister was the price she paid for her power—power that still fell short of fulfilling her goals.

“Could I have escaped this odious noise? Could I have escaped your scornful and piteous glares?”

Neze, Noin, Lyana, Maryu, Iska, Asta, Celty. Their eyes were all focused on her, causing Alfia to twist her lips in rage.

The witch spoke the truth—if not for her illness, she would have obliterated Astrea Familia. Perseus’s accessory, Alfia Belador, and Riveria’s spell, Veil Breath, had allowed the girls to survive Alfia’s opening gambit long enough for her ailment to kick in and decide the fate of the battle.

Since the fight began, Alfia’s condition had been steadily deteriorating. It was as if someone had been casting anti-Status Magic on her every second.

Alize had realized it first, when she noticed the witch’s power level was dropping.

The name of her Skill, the manifestation of her illness, was Gif Blessing. It induced a perpetual Limit Off state, but at great cost. In battle, or whenever she suffered her fits, she was hit with many simultaneous status conditions, including poison, paralysis, and immobilizing sickness. Plus, for as long as it was active, her stats, stamina, and Mind all continuously decreased. It was the price of her monstrous talent, unmatched by even the most costly of curse spells.

No matter how hard she tried to mitigate it with technique, tactics, or going all out, Alfia at present possessed no greater combat ability than a Level 5. Perhaps even only a Level 4.

As she was now, even Astrea Familia’s victory began to sound possible. That was because any adventurer party was capable of overcoming a one-level gap through teamwork—it was the basic theory behind fighting a floor boss.

It wasn’t only that Alfia could flatten her foes in an instant—she needed to. If the battle was allowed to drag on, she was doomed.

“Grh…! Alfia, we…!”

Lyu stepped forward and yelled at her but wasn’t able to find the words to go on. Before she could think of them, Lyra butted in.

“Let’s cut to the chase,” she said, casting the witch a deadly glare. “We both know you’re boned, so why not give up and come quietly, eh?”

“It’s painfully obvious you cannot keep up the fight any longer,” Kaguya agreed, directing a look at Alfia that one might give a decomposing corpse. “As much as it vexes me to give up on my revenge, I will not bring my sword down on such a pitiful sight.”

“Alfia,” said Alize with sincerity in her voice. “It’s best you surrender. We might not be able to overlook the things you’ve done…but I understand why you did them; I really do.”

There wasn’t long left. From the very beginning, Alfia had been paying with her life just to be here, and now it wasn’t even certain she’d survive to see it through. Alize’s gaze held a fierce condemnation for Alfia’s evil acts, but there was still a trace of respect.

“Surrender… Surrender, you say…”

Her words played on Alfia’s lips. Feeling the battle was reaching its inevitable conclusion, the girls began to lower their weapons.

And then…

“When will you vermin stop disappointing me?!”

She unleashed a wave of magical energy and rage.

“Gah?!”

“Do not make the mistake of taking pity on me, whelps. It does not matter how far my sickness progresses, it will never stop me burying every last one of you!”

The sound blast hit Lyu and her allies all at once. Alfia straightened her back, tall and proud once more, determined to live up to her name.

“And what does it change, in any case? Even if I am destined to die, Orario is finished! Killing me changes nothing! Behold, the monster rages yet!”

Alfia swept her arm, and as if on cue, the girls heard Delphyne’s terrifying roar.

“Roaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar!!”

Lyu looked in its direction and grunted. “Grh…!”

“Th-the monster!” cried Celty.

“It’s regenerating!” said Kaguya. “It’s somehow even uglier than before! At this rate, it’ll break through Loki Familia!”

Delphyne began to take up even more of the cavernous space. Its jaw split into many shapes, odd protuberances grew across its length, and it spread a pair of toxic, purple, butterfly-like wings.

At last, it managed to shake free of Aiz’s wind and Riveria’s barrage of spells, and its roar alone was enough to shake the entire floor.

“I’ll end you all here and allow that beast to reach the surface! I will shatter the Dungeon gate!”

Alfia’s prediction was close to becoming reality. If Lyu and the other girls fell here, and if Aiz, Riveria, and Gareth couldn’t stop Delphyne, the evil dragon’s breath would burn a hole through the ground itself, drawing the curtain on the Age of Gods and ushering in a new Age of Heroes, just as the conquerors had planned.

“I have made my pact! Traded my soul to the god of the underworld. I cannot bend my knee to justice now! I must see this ruinous path to its end!”

Her will shone brightly, even if it was an evil one. Alfia was not ready to give up on all she had worked for. The sands in her hourglass continued to fall, and until the very last grain stopped, the witch would follow her chosen road.

“Godsdammit, woman!” snarled Lyra.

“Why would you go that far?!” growled Lyu.

“What I seek is the past!” she proclaimed. “A return to the Age of Heroes! So long as you look to the future, we can never coexist!”

The girls gave her bitter looks, but her answer remained unchanged. Then the force of her next spell flung them all backward.

“………”

Alize was silent, arm raised to protect her face. She lowered it, then stood at ease.

“How can I stop you, then?” she asked, her face a mask of pure sorrow. With nothing but regret for her own powerlessness, she raised her sword and pointed it at Alfia—the one sinner she could not save.

“There is only one way,” replied the witch.

“Become a hero.”

““““!!””””

The eyes of Alize, Lyu, Kaguya, and Lyra all flew wide open. On Alfia’s lips was a smile. Her eyes were open for the first time: one green, the other gray.

“Become a hero, and strike me down!” she said. “If you want to see the future, then show me you have what it takes to protect it!”

Neze, Noin, Lyana, Maryu, Iska, Asta, and Celty all clenched their fists.

“Show me this justice you so staunchly believe in! Show me it surpasses my evil!”

The witch made her principles known. There was no meaning in intent without the power to see it through. There was no value in power without a strong will to guide it. Only a noble soul, possessing both, would be capable of stopping evil.

In spite of the despair she had endured, Alfia was still a hero, and she presented her challenge to the unhatched eggs of justice who stood before her.

Lyu was stunned. It was Alize, standing beside her, who spoke first.

“Alfia…” she said, closing her eyes. And then, “Grab your weapons, girls. We’re doing this.”

“Alize…”

Lyra watched as her captain readied Crimson Order. She spoke her leader’s name, then nodded.

“Just you watch,” said Alize, pointing her sword between the witch’s bicolor glare. “We’ll show you! We’ll show you that justice goes on and carries the light of the past forward! We’ll take the hope we’re building and shove it in an old hero’s face!”

“…I know.”

Kaguya drew her katana. Neze readied her twin blades. Noin had her one-handed sword. Lyana, her wand. Celty, her rod. Maryu, her mace. Asta, her ax. Iska, her fists.

Lyu took up her wooden sword in one hand, and the blade of her fallen friend in the other.

“Adi…” she muttered. “Give me strength. Give me justice! Let me overcome the hero who stands in my path!”

The girl’s legacy filled Lyu’s heart and became her courage for the fight ahead.

“You’re going down, Alfia! This we swear, on the sword and wings of justice!!”

Alfia smiled.

“Come, then.”

She narrowed her eyes at the dazzling light of justice before her. The next moment, she roared with ferocious spirit.

“I’ll show you what a true hero is made of, insolent children!!”