VRMMO: My first Contractee is Yandere

Chapter 37 Deeper into the catacombs

As we descend deeper into the Elven Catacombs, the atmosphere grows increasingly eerie, almost as if the royal palace itself is sinking into the depths. The once-opulent surroundings now bear the marks of centuries of neglect: the lights have dimmed, grime covers the walls, and cobwebs lace the corners. Tattered carpets line the massive corridors.

Seeing this, Sebas sighs deeply, clutching his head.

"Our pride... covered in dust."

We've already reached the eighth floor of the Catacombs. This is a structure that defies reality; magic and special materials must have allowed the elves to build such an incredible place.

The enemies have also grown much stronger, and even Liora is struggling a bit. It's become clear that we need to work together with the other elves. I doubt they would have made it this far without Liora's help.

"Liora, ask them what they planned to do if you weren't here."

"God wants to know—if I weren't here, how were you planning to get through this?"

Princess Remelia lowers her gaze, her long red hair covering her face and hiding her beauty. Yet, even concealed by her hair, her underlying grace exudes an imposing aura. She lifts her face, her long eyelashes fluttering.

"We didn't anticipate it being this difficult. We were only conducting a reconnaissance mission. We've made it this far thanks to you, Lady Liora."

"Reconnaissance?"

"Currently, the Elven Royal Family is fully engaged in resisting the Demon King's army."

She explains that the Demon King's army has been acting strangely. In the past, they were relentless in conquering the world and trampling humanity. But now, the current Demon King is alarmingly inactive.

"If it were the former Demon King, they would have resumed their invasion as soon as the Second Field—Elfland—was liberated, as the Goddess said. If they give us time, we might even liberate the Third Field."

"Why aren't they attacking?"

"That's the question. That's why we elves concluded that if we don't take the offensive, we risk some form of defeat. Time is likely on their side."

Of course, there have been sporadic attacks, like the lich earlier. The princess speaks with a pained expression, as if reading from a tragic play.

"Before time was frozen, we were on the brink of defeat. The remaining elves, except for Lord Eculis and some of the defense forces, aren't that strong. Our usable resources are limited."

It seems they were aware that the Catacombs were overrun with undead. However, the elves, being a defeated army, lacked warriors who could use light magic.

Apparently, [Light Magic] is a rare type of magic, often specializing in healing and support. Offensive [Light Magic], like Liora's [Flash Magic], is evidently quite rare.

"It's not that we don't have anyone. But those capable warriors are being reserved to face the Field Boss of the Third Field, the 'Demonic Knightness Gabbi.'"

"Gabbi?"

"She's a knight who once sided with humanity but betrayed us. She defected to the Demon King's army and now roams eternally as an undead knight. Gabbi is one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's army and is the one responsible for sealing Elfland."

In preparation for Gabbi, the elves' offensive [Light Magic] users are on standby. It seems Princess Remelia's mission was to scout and determine whether to deploy those magic users. Given that, I feel like it would have made more sense to return after the reconnaissance.

"Seeing Lady Liora's abilities has confirmed it for me. Lady Liora must be the legendary hero…! We have sufficient strength with just us. In fact, exploring the Catacombs without Lady Liora would be the real risk."

"?"

"Never mind, Liora."

As we accept this explanation, Sebas, who has been accompanying us, suddenly speaks up.

"Rere, please calm down."

"This place is so creepy! And—Eeek! I smell another spirit!!"

A girl-shaped spirit appears right next to Sebas. She seems to be a player contracted with him.

Name: Rere

Gender: Female

Level: 28

Race: Wind Elemental

Magic: Wind Magic 30

Crafting: Magic Tools 35

Skills: Increased Crafting Efficiency, Mass Production 20, Item Box 19, Summoning 13, Manifestation 18, Appraisal 21, Skill Improvement

Stats: Attack 140, Magic Attack 140, Endurance 140, Agility 140, Luck 140

Title: Unfazed by Trial and Error

It seems she specializes in crafting magic tools. The standout skill is Summoning. It's well-known on the forums that the monsters she can summon are weak, much like the vine hounds I summoned with [Everything, Wretched Branches]. Many players wonder if it's better to use [Tame] instead.

However, Summoning is a popular skill, so many people acquire it. Since it's prone to wasting MP, it seems her skill level hasn't progressed much. Elementals use the contractor's MP to cast spells, so wasting it is frowned upon by NPCs.

Liora is probably the only one who doesn't mind me using her MP extensively. Or perhaps she simply doesn't understand magic and assumes there's always a purpose behind any spell I cast.

She must think, "Wow, the god is amazing."

What am I doing to this innocent girl? Sigh, now I feel bad…but I won't stop.

Wearing glasses and with her black hair tied in pigtails, Rere's appearance is striking. Given that [PHO] allows for avatar modifications, there's nothing unusual about her being an extremely beautiful girl.

"…Kiiiii!" she keeps panicking with her "kiiiii!" While she continues to scream, Rere suddenly looks shocked.

"Ah, Liora!? That Liora!? Why is that reaper with you in Sebas's party!?"

"We're not in a party. It's just me, the god, and Samurai."

"God? …Ah, Zephyr. I remember that Liora calls Zephyr a god, doesn't she?"

"Don't address the god without honorifics. Or else, scythe!"

"Oh, sorry, sorry."

An intimidating reaper girl. Though Liora looks adorable, the madness within her would likely leave adults speechless.

Rere floats and says, "All right, my skill timing is up." She decides to deactivate her skill and return to her fluffy elemental mode. Even in that state, she can still communicate with her contractor.

Sebas explains in a murmured tone, and soon, I receive a friend request notification from Rere. I accept it, although I don't want any friends.

However, people like this can be a hassle to deal with, even if I keep refusing. It might be better to accept the friend request while in a team and then remove it later.

The impression might be terrible, but honestly, I don't care about others' opinions. I am the malevolent god Zephyr, after all.

"Ah, here it comes. Why can't I access your information? Hum?"

I get a message from Rere but leave it on read.

Come to think of it, [Appraisal] doesn't seem to work on Liora, Samurai, or me. It's probably because our statuses are not exposed on the forums. Many characters at that location could bypass our [Appraisal] resistance. Yet, since [Appraisal] wasn't used, it must have been a matter of conditions being met.

I suspect it's due to my title [Voice of the False God]. This title "adds a correction to my lies." Perhaps the title is ensuring that the lie of "I am a god" remains undisclosed. The effect on me extends to Liora as well.

I'm not sure why it applies to Samurai, though. Let's accept it as a "power" of sorts. If it turns out to be disadvantageous, I'll handle it with full force, but if it's advantageous, I won't go out of my way to explore it further.

For now, I've made a new friend. It's only the second one. For someone at the forefront of the MMO like me, it seems like a small number? Hahaha.