VRMMO: My first Contractee is Yandere

Chapter 36 Exploration

The elves were prostrating themselves in apology.

The princess, on the verge of tears, tried to lower her head as well, but as royalty, she couldn't. Liora and Shio watched the scene without any visible emotion.

And then there was me, a Dark Spirit, floating nearby.

It was a rather strange sight.

Apparently, the elves are a conscientious race. Even after Liora kicked their princess, they expressed gratitude, saying, "Pouncing at a warrior out of nowhere is enough to get you killed! Thank you for only kicking her!"

They also assumed we didn't realize the elven girl was their princess. So, the handsome elf explained it to us, just in case.

Well, both Liora and I understood perfectly well who she was.

Liora kicked her to guard against a surprise attack—or so they thought.

Even though she's "sanctioned" by the gods (fraudulently), I'm a bit worried Liora might become too violent. I hope she'll listen if I ask her to be careful.

"Liora, that's enough. I'd like to hear what they have to say."

"The gods have spoken. That's enough. Tell us what's on your mind."

The elves stood up simultaneously, bowed deeply once more, and then got to the point.

"We're headed to the catacombs, a vast graveyard where royal elves have been laid to rest for generations."

"Then, are outsiders allowed there?"

"Not at all! Normally, we elves practice tree burials, but for royalty, we make an exception and entomb them in the catacombs. It's a point of pride, not something we hide from other races."

"Then, we'll just go in on our own."

"Please, do take a look. Ah, this is the brochure for the catacombs—my apologies, I slipped into work mode."

Sebas, the handsome elf, blushed and quickly stowed away the brochure he had pulled out.

"For the past few hundred years, we've been frozen in time. Because of that, the catacombs have fallen into the hands of monsters and the undead. We are now working to reclaim them."

"...I see."

Uh oh, Liora is losing interest. It seems the hassle of it all is outweighing her curiosity. She's still listening because I told her to, but it's clear she's not fully engaged.

What Sebas is saying is essentially, "We're going into the catacombs to exterminate monsters." It's the same thing we were planning to do, so there's not much need to discuss it further.

Though, I suppose some people might be going to bury bodies instead...

"What do you want from us?"

"I see you prefer to skip the preliminaries… We intend to enter a restricted area only accessible to the royal family. There, the sacred treasures of the elves are enshrined. Our goal is to retrieve these weapons and bring them back to face the Demon King's army. That is our current mission."

"Sacred treasures? Are they powerful?"

"They possess immense power. They are the trump card of the elven race, but… last time, we didn't have enough time to retrieve them before the temporal freeze. The goddess's wrath came upon us without warning."

Quite the story, isn't it?

The elven sacred treasures sound intriguing. I don't expect they'll let us use them, but I don't mind if the NPCs get stronger. It wouldn't be fun if the Demon King's army invaded and Liora was forcibly made to lose the battle.

"Let's accept it, Liora."

"Alright, the lord god of darkness says it's fine to grant you protection."

"Oh! Thank you."

But it seems that the enemy is also after these so-called sacred treasures.

They probably wanted a living elven royal—Remelia—to access the secret room in the catacombs. It seems they sent a lich to do the job.

Unfortunately, they failed and now have added a powerful entity such as Liora as their enemy.

Escort quests are more fun than fetch quests. If this were an old game, the AI would be so dumb that they'd drag you down, causing much frustration.

Fortunately, the elves seem to be elite warriors.

?

I was mistaken.

Indeed, the elves are elite.

However, we underestimated how troublesome the undead in this world can be.

Instant revival.

No matter how much we cut down the undead, it was pointless. Blasting them away with magic was effective, but even elves have limited resources.

They don't seem to have anyone with [Regeneration] like Liora.

The elves took turns chugging MP potions from their magic pouches. Some even looked unwell from drinking too much.

I'm so glad I acquired the [Regeneration] skill!

Recently, the combined evolution skills have also become known, and it seems more people are aiming to acquire both skills, including [Regeneration]. It's a useful skill, after all. While there aren't many characters whose HP fluctuates as much as Liora's, it's a must-have.

Personally, I prioritize a stable strategy over aggressive play in games.

I know my choices might seem reckless, but what I'm ultimately aiming for is stability. Honestly. It's not like I quit my job and am acting out of desperation.

Please believe me.

"Liora, let's keep pushing forward. We want to level up our skills too."

"Yes, my lord."

It's been about an hour since we arrived at the catacombs.

The number of undead here seems endless. Even though only the royal family is supposed to be buried here, meaning there should be only a few, the swirling miasma has caused more to naturally spawn.

Liora's scythe, imbued with light attributes, easily sends the skeleton knights back to the afterlife. I'd like to contribute more, but there's really nothing for me to do. Since I am a darkness Spirit, my abilities are limited in this situation.

At best, I could hold a staff in my off-hand to increase my magic attack power, which in turn also boosts Liora's attack power a bit.

Oh, right!

"[Summon Weak Vine Hound]! Go!"

I released a weak vine hound created with a weapon skill of my staff to support Liora in battle. The dog silently rushed toward the undead, only to be crushed and disappear.

So weak!

No wonder it's called [Weak Vine Hound].

"My lord?"

"—Ah, that was close, Liora. If I hadn't summoned that dog just now, who knows what might have happened."

"! M-my lord...!"

Liora gazed at me with a blank expression, her face radiating devotion.

I haven't really done anything; in fact, I wasted MP and tried to cover it up with words. Oh, gods, please punish this bad adult.

Liora tightened her grip on her scythe.

"I'll work even harder!"

'...'

Shio, floating nearby, glanced at me with an exasperated look, but quickly returned to work.

Uh…did she see that?

Using sonar to pinpoint the enemies' exact locations, Shio ensnared even the ones behind us with her tendrils. While she couldn't kill them, immobilizing them was certainly beneficial.

This unexpected benefit of her scouting ability is invaluable.

Liora followed up by finishing off the captured enemies with [Shining Slash]. For those out of reach, she repeatedly used [Hound Lightning] to keep them at bay.

She seems to find it easy to use and keeps firing it in quick succession.

As the enemies dodged her magic, Liora's true strength—close-quarters combat—came into play.

With just one person and her summon, the battlefield was being subdued.

"You're amazing, Lady Liora!"

The one saying that and embracing her was Princess Remelia, the elven princess. A pure and beautiful young girl. Even among the handsome elves, her outstanding beauty was as if she had stepped out of a painting. Her lush red hair draped over Liora's face.

Liora, looking annoyed, brushed her hair away with her hand.

Without changing her expression, she coldly said,

"You're in the way. You smell."

"S-smell!? Eek!"

Well, she might smell a bit sweaty.

We've traveled a considerable distance, and just a while ago, the elves were repeatedly fighting for their lives (and in a disadvantaged position at that).

Incidentally, the reason we encountered the elves was that they had given up once. They were on their way back from the catacombs. They said they were fending off a pursuing lich.

…Since they were fighting the undead, they likely picked up the stench of death as well.

"The s-smell…"

The princess fainted.

Sebas fainted too, as if his sanity had shattered after witnessing the princess collapse. Perhaps elves are prone to fainting. Maybe it's a side effect of their long lifespan. They might have a tendency to faint when their emotions reach a certain level… though I've never heard of such a thing.

"This is enemy territory... or rather, this used to be their homeland?"

"We don't need them, my lord."

"This is a quest, Liora. We must endure it. These people will give us a powerful reward."

"I'll endure it."

Three hours have passed since we entered the catacombs.

Our levels and skills have improved. For Liora, the compatibility was good, and with the large number of weak enemies spawning, the efficiency was excellent.

We decided to make camp in the cemetery. This part is oddly realistic. Constant movement is impossible; food and rest are essential.

And, this exploration doesn't seem to end anytime soon.