Hero's Coffin Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Noi, who had paid for the ribbon, asked softly. Though he knew this cat was a familiar, his gaze seemed captivated by its cute appearance.

"Does this cat have a name?"

...I don't know either.

However, for some reason, he didn't want to give that answer. He could have just said it didn't have one, but then he'd probably receive disapproving looks, thinking 'You didn't even name it because it's a familiar?' While that was the kind of look Isaph would deserve, and he was used to such looks, he didn't want to invite them unnecessarily.

And in fact, among cats, he especially liked black cats. In his previous life, the few moments of luck he had always involved black cats. For someone who had no family, black cats were almost like family. In the backyard of the orphanage, and even at school...

Suddenly recalling old memories, he impulsively opened his mouth.

"...En."

Since the letters that appeared in the status window were H.N, he took 'En' from it. 'Aitch' was five letters, and he didn't want to put in the effort to call it that long, so he chose two letters. It even overlapped with the first letter of NPC, didn't it?

-...

At that moment, the cat stopped struggling. It looked up at him quietly as if it had understood his words, which gave him a strange feeling. Though it was a simple name, it felt odd to give a name to an NPC. After all, once you name something, you tend to get attached to it.

Tap tap, he checked once more that the ribbon was tied securely before turning his gaze away.

"Is this okay now?"

He asked, looking at Harenir, who regarded him with a subtle expression. Was giving a name to a familiar and tying a cute ribbon on it inconsistent with Isaph's character? Was it out of character? As he was pondering this internally, Harenir shrugged.

"Always be careful not to draw unnecessary attention. In that body's current state, it doesn't seem like you could escape as well as before."

It was an absurd warning to hear from the very person who had elevated Isaph's notoriety. But if he were discovered, there was a possibility that the others would be implicated as well, and Isaph's abilities were essential for searching the Encroachment Zone. He nodded obediently.

The companions seemed very familiar with this city.

They moved without checking a map, and despite the complex streets of the bustling area, their steps showed no hesitation. Given that the streets were full of people and robed mercenaries were a common sight, he wondered if this was a place where many travelers stayed...

Based on their destination, this place was likely related to the first emperor. It was said that all sorts of treasures were buried with him in his tomb, but since it was 'floating' in the air and no one could approach it, there probably wasn't a place that stimulated adventurers' exploration desires more. Old buildings were noticeable throughout the city; perhaps this was the capital at the time of the empire's founding?

As he connected various deductions, he inwardly heaved a deep sigh. He had heard of the technique of deliberately limiting information to increase immersion in games, but wasn't this too much? How was he supposed to find a way into the tomb when he was barely figuring out the city...

Just then, ding— a blue light appeared before his eyes.

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Rus, the first capital of the empire.

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Objects cherished by their users have a part of their soul imbued in them.

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If you succeed in summoning that soul, you can obtain clues.

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Was that possible with necromancy too? He was pleased that his guess about the city was correct, and while surprised at this application of necromancy, he was also very bewildered. There had never been such an informative notification like this before.

To begin with, the status window itself rarely appeared. It had only shown up when giving the quest at the start, and then when using skills. Even those skills were provided without proper explanations, just giving action keys recklessly.

As he read the text in a daze, he suddenly had a lightning realization. Could it be that if he got closer to the cat, that is, if he built up affinity with the NPC, it would provide more information? Had the affinity increased because he had just given it a name?! Was that why it had been sleeping next to him all this time?!

Surprised, he looked down at the cat, and their eyes met exactly. A strange light swirled in its purple eyes, as if it had been watching him from the start.

Feeling elated, he tried to hug the cat—no, En—tightly, but it quickly ran away. Whoosh! It walked daintily on top of a distant wall, far beyond his reach.

As he regretfully watched its retreating figure, they arrived in front of an inn.

"We plan to move at dawn, so rest until then. Everyone's tired from traveling by carriage."

At Harenir's gentle explanation, he tilted his head back to check the sky. The sun was still high. According to the information the status window had just given, it seemed he needed to summon the souls imbued in objects, so they probably had to raid a museum or ruins at dawn. The companions would also need to enter the sky island avoiding outside attention, so they had no choice but to move at a quiet time.

As soon as they arrived at the room and put down their luggage, Harenir turned around.

"I have some business to attend to, I'll be back around midnight."

"Yes! Have a safe trip!"

Kalterik answered loudly. Harenir gave him one last glance, and even without words, the message 'stay put' was conveyed. Having already sat down on the sofa as if lying down as soon as he entered the room, he didn't bother to answer. His whole body conveyed 'I don't have the energy for that'.

Even after Harenir left, the other three bustled around the room. Noi took out various items from his bag and organized them neatly, while the two knights polished their swords with oiled cloths. How were they not tired after traveling by carriage for so long...

As he watched this curiously, at some point he started dozing off, and in the meantime, some conversation must have passed because the three were preparing to go out. Noi came up to him and suggested,

"Isaph, you come with us too."

"...It's bothersome. I'm not going to run away anyway."

The reason they probably wanted to take him along was the possibility of him escaping. Wouldn't it be a big problem if he disappeared while the commander was gone?

But he had no reason to run away at all. Not only because of the quest, but also because of the leash around his neck right now. Tap tap, he tapped the collar on his neck and answered indifferently.

"Even if I ran away, I'd just get caught by the hero, so why bother? It's a waste of energy."

"You bastard, even if you were brought here forcibly, aren't you being too uncooperative?!"

But Kalterik suddenly became angry. What's this about? Wouldn't it be better if he just stayed quietly by himself? Wasn't it uncomfortable to be with Isaph?

As he looked up in confusion, Noi stopped him with a troubled expression. A few days ago, Harenir had specifically told him and Kalterik not to cause unnecessary commotion.

"He must be confident in his necromancy. He probably judged there was no need to gather information..."

"...Huh? Where are you going now?"

His attention was suddenly piqued. Information?

"We were planning to go to the historical hall. We thought we might find clues about how to enter the tomb, or information about the tomb's terrain, by examining the records of the first emperor..."

"I'll go."

He quickly got up. You should have said that from the start! Places like this historical hall or library were often quite important in games. Not only could you find small clues, but sometimes even crucial strategies were hidden there. It was a very welcome place for him, who had been struggling due to lack of information.

While information about the current empire might be limited in the first emperor's historical hall, that was better than nothing. Noi looked at him very bewilderedly as he suddenly showed enthusiasm, but he urged them to leave quickly.

[History of Rus]

Following his companions, he arrived at a magnificent building. The tower, so tall that it was difficult to take in at a glance even with his head tilted back, seemed to be the highest in the city. Perhaps it was built so high to commemorate the first emperor's achievements.

As a building tracing the empire's history, the exhibition hall near the entrance was open to everyone, but access became more strictly limited the deeper one went inside.

"If we had our original identities, we could have gone in deeper..."

Noi muttered regretfully, but he thought this was just right. Not only could they view the displayed items like in a museum, but there was also a library inside. He had never been so glad to see books before. Did people really change after nearly dying and coming back to life? He had actually died, but anyway, he walked around happily.

Even with history books, the more recently published ones tend to contain more stories about modern times. Following this assumption, he looked for the cleanest and newest-looking books. It was meaningless to check the publication year, as he didn't know the imperial calendar. His tricks were only increasing since coming here.

Just then, he saw a librarian inserting a very shiny, seemingly brand-new book into a bookshelf. He immediately approached and asked,

"Is that a new release?"

"Eeeek!"

The librarian was terribly startled. While a sudden approach would be surprising, after checking his appearance, the librarian's face turned pale.

Suspecting the gloomy figure in a black robe, he lightly nudged En, who was somehow beside him, with his toe. Though he didn't know when it had arrived, he had gotten used to it suddenly appearing and disappearing. That too was very cat-like.

–...Meow.

At the cute cat sound En made, the librarian's face softened. Seeing the cat with a light purple ribbon tied around its neck, which definitely didn't look like a familiar, the librarian even smiled.

Somehow, En seemed a bit embarrassed.