Chapter 403 - 306: Zorayas

After putting away the Cerulean Hidden Tear, Lucian glanced at Asimi and casually asked, "While you were out, did you happen to see any other Mimic Tears?"

Lucian remembered that there had been another stray Mimic Tear near the Ulcerated Tree Spirit in Mt. Gelmir.

Like the other members of their kind that had arrived in the Lands Between, that Mimic Tear would disguise itself as an ordinary Undead, wandering aimlessly without any particular destination.

Once attacked, it would imitate the most powerful creature it had ever encountered to protect itself.

The Mimic Tear in the vicinity of Mt. Gelmir was a little special, however. It had imitated the Wormfaces commonly found in the luxuriant forests.

Remembering those disgusting creatures, Lucian couldn't help frowning.

The Wormfaces didn't have an official name in the game. Their internal name was simply something that meant "rootless grass."

Among the Lands Between's downright beastly monsters, the Wormfaces ranked near the very top, and their most outstanding feature was undoubtedly their appearance.

Compared to them, even the Royal Revenants seemed to have a certain cuteness about them.

After all, although the Royal Revenants were also horrifying to look at, what really made them disgusting was their infamous rapid-fire palm strikes.

The Wormfaces, on the other hand, made Lucian feel physically ill just by looking at them.

They had no faces or eyes. The only features that offered any proof they had once been humanoid were a pair of ears. Their bodies were emaciated, with disproportionately heavy heads and spindly legs.

And speaking of their top-heavy bodies, it was impossible not to mention those incredibly heavy heads, covered in countless plump, writhing worms.

Some kind of mutation had apparently taken place. They had been infested by Death-infested worms, which had also transformed their bodies.

Their entire faces had disappeared, replaced by enormous cavities resembling the human large intestine that extended straight down into their necks. Countless Death-infested worms clung to the cavities.

Worse still, they used these things to attack. One of their moves involved vomiting worms and bodily fluids from their diseased heads, spraying the mess all over their enemies.

That was why Lucian had also taken to calling them the showerheads of Hidetaka Miyazaki's household.

In the game, no matter how many New Game Plus cycles he went through, he never wanted to look at a Wormface for any longer than necessary.

Faced with Lucian's question, Asimi tilted her head and thought for a moment before answering.

"I did run into one…"

"Just like the one we saw in the Consecrated Snowfield, it had disguised itself as an Undead."

"But when I tried to communicate with it, it didn't respond. I don't know whether it simply hasn't developed intelligence and a mind yet."

"For some reason, though, it eventually transformed and attacked me instead."

"It turned into a gigantic creature with a really strange appearance…"

Asimi clicked her tongue, finding it difficult to describe.

Even by the standards of the Mimic Tears, whose tastes in appearance could be incredibly diverse, this was a creature that was very difficult to accept.

With that, Asimi took out another lump of Larval Tear.

Apparently, the uncommunicative Tear had already ended up in her hands.

Looking at Asimi's strange expression, Lucian couldn't help feeling a little schadenfreude.

Thank goodness he hadn't gone there himself. Otherwise, just seeing the thing would have disgusted him all over again.

As expected, the Mimic Tear had imitated the same Wormface he remembered.

And it was a gigantic Wormface, specifically a female.

Yes, although it was almost impossible to distinguish any obvious physical differences between male and female Wormfaces, these things really did have sexes.

Those enormous Wormfaces, several meters tall, were the females of the species.

Unlike their smaller, thinner male counterparts, their huge cavities contained great clusters of worms.

But the most disgusting part was their grab attack. They would seize a person and stuff them directly into the cavity in their heads, where the worms would defile them.

The only explanation Lucian could come up with for someone designing such an utterly unhinged grab attack was that Hidetaka Miyazaki had used a Fiji Cup as a child, forgotten to wash it afterward, and only discovered that worms had grown inside when he used it again.

No… Forget it. He'd better stop thinking about these stomach-turning things.

Lucian had originally wanted to disgust Miyazaki, that old rascal, but merely imagining the scenario was enough to disgust himself as well…

Lucian took the Larval Tear from Asimi and put it away.

Resting his knuckles against his chin, he considered the matter. It seemed he should start collecting more Larval Tears.

Ranni would need a new body in the future, and there might even be a chance of rescuing Aesthra from the spirit world and bringing her back to life.

Looking at it that way, the demand for Larval Tears might actually be rather substantial.

Speaking of Tears…

Asimi hadn't been doing much lately. She had spent most of her time asleep, and Lucian wasn't sure why.

Turning to her, he asked about her condition.

"How much of the Tear Chalice have you digested?"

"This time, you've been asleep for much longer than before."

Asimi rubbed her hair and took a couple of steps back and forth around the room, thinking about how to explain it.

Finally, she dragged over a chair, sat on it backward, rested her chin on the backrest, and grinned foolishly.

"Hehe, actually… I'd already digested almost all of it quite a while ago."

"After all, I'd already digested a lot of it before, and that last little bit wasn't particularly difficult to digest either."

"But there wasn't really anything you needed me to do most of the time, so I figured I might as well just keep sleeping."

Lucian smiled and shook his head.

He'd been wondering whether something had happened to her, but it turned out to be this.

It seemed he'd have to let Asimi stretch her legs a little more often from now on.

"Fine. If there's a chance, I'll leave some enemies for you to deal with."

"If you want, I can also let you go out and act on your own, just like this time."

Asimi giggled and stood up from the chair.

"Hehe, then I'll look forward to it!"

Afterward, Asimi transformed back into mist and returned to Lucian's body.

Lucian also got to his feet, preparing to leave the room.

Rya had told him where her room was earlier. Once he'd rested enough, he could go find her, and she would take him to Bernahl afterward.

―

Following the route Rya had pointed out beforehand, Lucian soon arrived at her room.

He knocked on the door, and Rya's voice quickly came from inside.

"Ah, coming, coming!"

When the door swung open, a red, four-legged lizard standing upright on two legs appeared before Lucian.

Rya was wearing a simple green robe, and her round, emerald-green eyes looked up at him.

Lucian's expression turned a little strange as he looked at her.

Of course, he'd already known that Rya could look like this. Her appearance itself wasn't what surprised him.

He just hadn't expected that, even after returning to her room to rest for such a short while, Rya would transform again.

And it seemed she'd once again forgotten that she hadn't changed back yet.

Rya tilted her head and asked in confusion, "Sir Lucian, why do you look so surprised…?"

Seeing his expression, Rya suddenly realized what was wrong.

She lowered her head. Sure enough, a pair of short, scaly hands came into view.

Rya froze for a moment, then turned to look into the room, clinging to one last glimmer of hope.

And there, on the bed, she found the trousers that she could only put on when she had a human body.

Her last hope was completely shattered. She finally understood what she looked like at the moment.

"!!"

"No way! I'm still in my snake form?!"

Rya stared with her mouth hanging open, then hurriedly slammed the door shut with a loud BANG.

Standing outside, Lucian could clearly hear Rya's voice through the closed door.

"Ahhh! How could this happen? How could this happen…?"

"I forgot to change back!!!"

"…What am I supposed to do now?!"

Lucian gently knocked on the door again.

"Rya?"

Inside the room, something crashed to the floor amid a flurry of frantic movements. Rya's reply followed immediately.

"Yes!"

"Please wait a moment!"

With a smile in his voice, Lucian said, "It's fine. You look cute like this, too."

The commotion inside gradually died down, leaving only the rustling of clothes.

Rya's footsteps approached the door again, accompanied by a hesitant, timid question.

"…Sir Lucian, do you really mean that?"

"Do you really think so?"

Lucian smiled and replied, "Of course."

"I've traveled all over the Lands Between. What kind of creature haven't I seen?"

"It's only a snake's appearance. There's no need for you to panic so much over it."

"Ah, now that I think about it, I'm actually related to snakes in a way, too."

"In a manner of speaking, my brother-in-law could also be considered a snake."

Thinking about it that way, Lucian realized that he seemed to have some connection to Rya as well.

After all, in terms of family relationships, Rya could probably be considered Ranni's niece, couldn't she?

Rya didn't say anything. She simply pushed the door open a tiny crack.

Having transformed back into her human form and put on her clothes, Rya revealed only a pair of eyes, as though she were trying to determine whether Lucian's words had been sincere.

She blinked, then let out a sigh of relief. Only then did she open the door fully and welcome Lucian inside.

As soon as Lucian entered the room, Rya hurriedly shut the door firmly behind him.

With her back against the door, Rya bent forward and repeatedly bowed to Lucian in apology.

"…I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"

"I completely lost my composure when you saw me looking like that just now."

She raised her head slightly and explained to Lucian, "That was my true appearance, and my real name is Zorayas."

"I sincerely apologize for not meeting you in my true form…"

"But please believe me when I say that only my own identity is false."

"Everything concerning Volcano Manor, as well as everything I've told you about Lady Tanith, is absolutely true."

Seeing that Rya was more concerned with defending Tanith than with herself, Lucian shook his head and replied, "It's all right. I've always believed you."

"And I know that everything you've told me is true."

Though it was only the truth that Rya herself believed in. She knew nothing about the true, dark secrets of Volcano Manor.

She didn't even understand her own origins or the circumstances of her birth.

Nevertheless, Rya had indeed told Lucian everything she firmly believed in, just as she understood it.

Seeing that Lucian showed no sign of treating her differently, Rya finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Even after seeing what I look like, you still treat me so warmly."

"…Compared to that, my panicked behavior just now was terribly rude."

Lucian waved his hand dismissively, showing that he didn't mind at all.

"In the Lands Between, everyone has a few secrets of their own."

"There's nothing shameful about your body or your origins."

"Besides, I'm more curious about you than about any of that."

Rya thought about it for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

"Since you've already seen what I look like and accepted me…"

"Then there's nothing about myself that I need to hide from you anymore."

"If I'm going to tell you about myself, I suppose I should start with my mother."

Remembering her childhood at Volcano Manor, a faint smile appeared on Rya's face.

"…Lady Tanith is actually my mother."

"I've lived with my mother at Volcano Manor since I was little, in the form of a snake."

"It's said that my mother received the favor of a great king, and that was how I came into being."

"So this appearance of mine is also a symbol of my mother's joy… and this form is a source of pride for me as well."

Rya spoke with great enthusiasm. She had never believed there was anything wrong with the circumstances of her birth.

However, the prejudices of the outside world had forced her to disguise herself. And what came next was not quite so worthy of pride.

After pausing for a moment, Rya continued.

"However, not everyone sees things that way."

"If I reveal my snake form, the heroes I've chosen are no longer willing to listen to me."

"That's why I disguise my true appearance, so that I can properly fulfill my duties as a recruiter."

"Fortunately, perhaps because of my mother, I'm also able to transform into a human quite naturally."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't know what to do. I might not even be able to fulfill my recruiting duties in the Lands Between."

"…But you're different from them."

"Even when I looked like that just now, you didn't mind at all!"

Lucian nodded, a few thoughts forming in his mind.

Although Tanith genuinely doted on Rya, she undoubtedly had her own considerations as well.

Rya wasn't the only recruiter working for Volcano Manor. There were quite a few of them.

And yet, she had still sent Rya out to recruit people. Perhaps this was also meant to help her grow stronger.

Through this experience, Rya could learn how to live in the Lands Between while presenting herself as a human.

After all, as long as she kept her snake form hidden and said nothing about where she came from, no one would associate the kindhearted Rya with the Recusants.

Perhaps Tanith was preparing a way out for Rya, in case the day came when Volcano Manor finally fell apart.

With the exception of a very small number of people, probably everyone understood perfectly well that Volcano Manor's rebellion against the Erdtree was nothing more than an unrealistic fantasy.

Rya looked at Lucian timidly and said, "…This snake form of mine, along with the name Zorayas, is a secret shared between Lady Tanith and me."

"Now, Sir Lucian, you've become part of that secret as well."

"I have one request. Please promise me you'll grant it."

"Please don't tell anyone about this."

"Not even Miss Millicent, who's traveling with you… I'm begging you."

Faced with Rya's earnest request, Lucian nodded seriously.

"Of course."

"I'm not the sort of person who goes around telling everyone other people's secrets."

"And since you've asked me so sincerely, naturally I won't reveal it."

Having received Lucian's promise, Rya finally broke into a delighted smile.

"Wonderful! Thank you so much."

Now that she had completely put her worries to rest, Rya finally remembered the matter she'd been instructed to tell him about earlier.

"Oh, right, Sir Lucian."

"I was so flustered just now that I completely forgot to tell you something."

"Lady Tanith sent someone to find me earlier."

"She would like to meet you. I wonder if you have some time available?"

Lucian nodded slightly. It seemed the other party had recognized his identity after all.