The Sub-Heroine’s Butler Is a Vicious Bastard

15. Imprint of the Flame (2)

It was said that the ordeal was at the top of the mountain, but in fact, that is not the truth.

Stairs at the back of the temple hidden by the bushes.

If you go up the stairs, the top of the summit that was not revealed appears.

“Schmitz-kun, everyone is here.”

The head monk who was guiding me turned around and said,

In front of him was a small gentleman.

The statue of a fox, a symbol of the ordeal history, is located on either side of the door.

“When you enter the shrine, sit in the middle and place the bead in the very center of your chest. The Guardian God will take care of the rest.”

The chief monk withdrew at the last word.

“…Schmitz, come on. I will definitely come back alive.”

“……”

When I turn my head, Choji and Silence Soju see me off with a firm expression.

Originally, only the trainees and the head monk could set foot here.

The two were accompanied by special consent.

And, seeing the worried faces of the two, I smiled for some reason.

“Do not worry too much. It’s just a simple ordeal.”

“…I could die. No, everyone who took that ordeal died.”

Choji made a rare serious voice.

Well, I had listened to his warning until my ears were worn out.

There were many who passed the 9th level of trials,

The fact that no one had ever overcome the 10th stage of the ordeal.

“Do not worry. I’ll be back soon.”

“It is a promise.”

With those words, Choji turned his back without hesitation and went back the way he had come.

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Just before he turned around, his face, as expected, was full of agony.

Choji, who values tradition and discipline, broke the rules and came all the way here.

It was a part where his worried heart was desperately felt.

It was the time when I was about to move to the shrine, feeling a strange feeling about it.

-Kwook

“…silence sozer?”

Someone gently grabbed my sleeve.

It was a silencer who had been silent since before.

“… The other day, I was going to ask… ”

“ah… It was. Please speak.”

After undergoing the 8th level ordeal, there was a time when the silent master raised his voice.

You said there was something you wanted to ask.

I wanted to ask why at this timing, but…

‘Because from her point of view, I’m going to die.’

“why… So desperately, step 10… ?”

She spoke indistinctly, but I could understand what she was saying.

Why is he desperately trying to undergo the 10th level trial?

What is the purpose and why are you doing this?

It may seem reckless and crazy to others.

Now that I, who has only been in for a month, accepted the ordeals that even strong adult men find difficult.

I was just curious about its purpose.

There was no reason not to answer.

“It’s to protect someone important.”

“… !”

Silence Sojeo’s eyes widened beyond words.

Was it that surprising?

As I stared at her reaction, she mumbled again.

“…If, if, I couldn’t protect someone important to me… What are you going to do?”

That was a pretty long question.

It was also a family I didn’t even want to imagine.

But because her eyes were so serious…

I decided to answer her question.

“… You have to protect the things that person wanted to protect.”

“… ”

Silence Sojeo’s eyes trembled lightly, and soon he lowered his gaze.

The reaction was funny, so I stroked her hair.

“Enough then.”

Finally, I stepped into the shrine.

* * *

The shrine was smaller than expected.

Should I say it’s about the size of a bedroom?

Sitting in the middle of the tatami mated shrine, I slowly took out a ball.

‘… Did you say it was self-confidence?’

Looking at the beads, I felt a strange feeling.

If I hold this orb against my chest, my whole body will start to burn in pain.

Burning pain, the greatest pain that humans can experience…

“Sup… Whoa… ”

After taking a few deep breaths, I undid the upper body of the robe.

If you bring a bead to the center of your chest, the bead will disappear and immediately engrave a ‘imprint of fire’.

And with the ceremony in front of me, I checked the plan to prepare for it once again.

Based on the original work, the damage per second inflicted by the ordeal is close to 1000.

My total stamina, which is E+ on the stats, is 200 to 300 even if I hit it well.

When entering an ordeal, it is common to die in less than a second.

But I have two tricks.

The first trick is to use a system called ‘Ogi’.

This guy, who appears with a low probability to a skilled protagonist or a heroine with high intimacy,

It is a system that expresses ‘gogi’ when receiving damage that exceeds the maximum health, and withstands the attack with 1 health.

In the original work, it is a system that relies heavily on luck, but in this world, the story is a little different.

No, it has to be different.

‘With ‘Ogi’ for Eral, it withstands more damage than physical strength.’

Because this foolish and hopeless plan should be the first key to overcoming the ordeal.

Of course, even if you hold out for 1 second with 1 HP, you will not be able to use ‘Oki’ for the next damage that follows immediately.

This is because in order for ‘Oki’ to activate, it must be at maximum HP at the time of receiving damage.

What is needed at this time is this second trick.

The name of the guy you took out of your arms is ‘Superlative Health Regeneration Potion’

This elixir, secretly taken from the archduke’s treasure house, replenishes your HP by 500 for a set number of turns when you drink it.

This fills my physical strength, which became 1 due to the effect of ‘Oki’, to full again,

Withstands subsequent dot damage with ‘Oki’ again.

That’s the trick he twisted his body to overcome the ordeal with his stats.

“… After all, it has no taste.”

When you drink a potion that is as tasteless as the visual, energy surges from within.

Now it’s time to start the ordeal.

“… come!”

– Hurreuk

As soon as the sphere touched his chest, his whole body was on fire.

I didn’t feel much at first, but…

“eww… ugh… aaagh!”

The pain that seemed to twist his whole body, the five organs groaned.

Burning pain, the worst pain a human being can endure.

The reality of that sensation that burns your whole body…

It was different from the experience of Burns who endured in the 4th stage ordeal.

The pain that cuts through the skin of the whole body and burns the nerve nodes

The smell of burning flesh entered my nostrils as I was losing my senses.

The eyes, which were hard to distinguish right in front of the nose, were gradually stained with darkness.

‘This is a burning pain.’

When I took my hand off the marble, I felt it absorbed into my chest on its own.

I put my hands on my knees and bit my teeth.

The flesh was burned to ashes and scattered, but new flesh quickly sprouted due to the regeneration of stamina.

‘this… The pain Arlott had to go through dozens of times.’

Even in a situation where your eyes go out and your brain feels like it’s about to turn off from the mad pain all over your body,

The reason why I was able to take care of my mind.

It was only because of Arlott’s existence.

This pain should have been mine long ago.

The only atonement I could do for her, who had only spoken for her.

Lost in that thought, I raised the corners of my mouth that were grilled.

At that time, when I felt a strange sense of stability, Arlott’s voice was suddenly heard.

“Schmitz, look at this!”

Is it an hallucination created by me in extreme pain?

When I raised my head to the place where the voice came from, there was –

The figure of Arlott, whom he had missed so much, appeared.

“Come on, do you want to see me?”

Arlott is… was walking

No, it wasn’t just walking

The dull eyes were revived, the legs moved lightly, and—

She had become a lively girl appropriate for her age.

“A doctor in the imperial family came and treated my body. So Schmitz, come back. There is no need for such an ordeal!”

She said that with a bright smile on her face.

I felt uncomfortable with her words.

‘It can’t be.’

The condition of Erral de Arlot, who appeared in the play, was clearly an incurable disease.

Only contact through the ‘Fire Imprint’ obtained from the ordeal is the only way to cure the disease.

In a word, seeing her playing in front of his eyes was an obvious fantasy.

“Schmitz, am I really better?”

“… … ”

“Schmitz, look at me! Shumi-”

In an instant, Arlott disappeared with the flames.

Was it an illusion after all?

In my mind nearing the ashes, I heard another voice.

“…Schmitz, are you here?”

-Kirik. Kirik.

Arlott reappeared with a familiar metal sound.

However, it was quite different from the previous appearance.

Blurred eyes and a wheelchair…

It was the look I had seen of her.

“Me, it’s so hard without Schmitz… come quickly Because I don’t need that kind of engraving… !”

Dragging the wheelchair on her own, she came closer to me.

With a sharp voice I had never heard before.

“I am dying. where you are not you were my only friend You abandoned me in a place like this… ”

Cold tears flowed from Arlott’s eyes.

As it touched the burning body, an indescribable pain came over me.

Eventually, I unconsciously distanced myself from her.

“That’s right. My existence… my tears, only hurt you. So, you left me… Schmitz?”

not.

It wasn’t like that, I tried to comfort her, but…

The larynx and tongue were ripe and only let out a weak wind noise.

Eventually I closed my eyes.

There was no more ability to endure the mental and physical limitations of being driven into a corner.

I prayed that the damn ordeal would end soon.

After another few seconds passed like that…

I started to feel a cold sensation on my cheek.

When I opened my eyes, there was Eral, who had fallen from the wheelchair and crawled with only the strength of her upper body.

“You, because of you, I am suffering like this… It’s so painful. Why didn’t you come to rescue me sooner? why? why?”

The shiny white straight hair has become scattered,

Her hazy eyes couldn’t focus even though they were right in front of her.

Arlott’s words completely broke my heart.

“If you had decided sooner, you wouldn’t have lost your sight. you just had fun They fell into the consciousness of being chosen by the people to take care of this stupid body, and they just took care of me out of self-satisfaction… ”

It was an unacceptable sale.

I could have dismissed all of that as nonsense uttered by fantasy, but…

I didn’t.

The gums seemed to have melted away, and there was no feeling of the teeth.

My vocal cords also creaked uncontrollably, and I couldn’t even feel my lips.

Even so, I squeezed my voice with all my might.

“… Sorry… ”

“…!”

Painful fantasy words.

Half of it was undeniably true.

Having grown accustomed to her suffering, I had to live with a heart of atonement for her for the rest of my life.

and,

Faced with my apology, she put on a surprised face.

“…Really, a fool.”

Arlott said with a smile.

The colors around her suddenly changed to the point where she thought she was a different person.

… No, that guess may have been correct.

-Sueug

Arlott held me in his arms.

Unable to move my body due to enduring the ordeal, I surrendered my body as it was-

[Let’s rest now. You stupid man.]

With Arlott’s voice and a voice I couldn’t tell who belonged to me, I lost my mind.