Fujiwara promptly laid “The Footsteps of Death” upon the sofa in the back yard, before heading down to the underground warehouse, many keys in hand.
Many items his Teacher had purchased are stored underneath the store, in this location.
“I think it was right about here…”
Fujiwara was flipping through the contents of various wooden boxes, one after another, fiddling about them and looking for the item which was needed. For this issue, a Granting Tool was needed.
The items in here were called ‘stock’, but in truth, his master collected things as a hobby. After she (tl: Store owner is a she according to pronouns) messed around with them until she gets bored, she dumps them in a suitable nearby wooden box at random.
In addition, they weren’t sorted by any method and some didn’t even have Certificates, so it made searching for an item very difficult.
“…Why are books and wooden shoes together!? …There are dried apples, some with bites out of them, and toilet paper!? … This place is a dump, I’m getting irritated!”
Fujiwara wondered why she couldn’t just try to match things together.
Things had gotten worse since the recent Recession in Labyrinth City, since the store would not manage to sell anything, leading to the stock growing larger. The Master of the store’s normally laughing appearance had also become somewhat melancholic, Fujiwara thought.
“How frustrating!”
“…It was.”
Finally, from the bottom of the box, he found a useful item.
A necklace.
A silver tipped metal plate, with a circular chain of medals it hung around, it was quite eerie. Upon it is depicted a dinner of skeletons, toasting around a table. When this was found, Fujiwara’s master barely looked at it, because they did not like creepy objects.
Fujiwara dusted it off, and went up to the back yard rapidly, without even closing the door to the warehouse behind. With the condition of the ‘Footsteps of Death’, grace was the least important aspect.
◆
The deadly poison undermining her body was ‘Blood Drink’. (tl: Blood Sipping)
It drains the magic out of the blood, and it makes the blood thin out to the point you can no longer breathe, until you reach the point of death.
Fujiwara was uncertain how much time exactly had passed, but there wasn’t very much time by now, probably.
But, while Fujiwara was thinking this, ‘The Footsteps of Death’ was trying to lift herself from the sofa, straining and letting out a low roar. Such terrifying strength and willpower.
“Why are you getting up!?”
“Where… is this…?”
“I’m a curio dealer from ‘The Good Old Magician’s Shop’, so please don’t be reckless and get back to sleeping!”
“…Armor…where…is my armor… I need it…”
“Then-“
Fujiwara began to say it was in front of the store, but he held his tongue.
He noticed what was in her hands.
It was a Long Sword which had been placed in the back yard. It was covered in rust, but it had already been unsheathed, and what she was holding turned out to be the sheath.
He had a bad feeling.
Wind was striking her frame, with some coming towards him as well.
With this, her hair was dancing in the night sky.
“Footsteps of Death” was striking a battle pose, as well.
What Fujiwara thought was wind approaching was actually the long sword, thrown by her hand. The throw had followed a semicircular orbit with ridiculous speed, Fujiwara only barely able to dodge, grazing his glasses and tearing his bangs, though he was unable to see it coming towards him.
He felt sweat dripping down his spine.
“Hey, hey, if it weren’t for me, you’d have already died… Why would you so suddenly try to cut me, huh?”
Could it have been a symptom of the poison, hallucination?
But it couldn’t be.
There were many potions which could attack the senses or cause great fear and anger, but Fujiwara had already appraised the poison. It was only ‘Blood Drinking’, and nothing else. Hallucination was not a symptom for this poison, and even if the consciousness became dim from blood loss, it would not become deranged.
The flash occurred a second time.
This time it flew towards his chest, tearing his pocket clean off.
Now his knees were quaking.
“Hey, wait a minute. Can you bear killing your benefactor?”
“Can…Kill… It is…”
It seemed as though she could not hear him.
This “Footsteps of Death” seemed to be in a frenzy. He had no idea why.
Currently, she was dressed in a troublesome way, only in her underwear.
But, of course, this is because she only wore that full body armor, but this could be one source of misunderstanding.
But, even if that was the misunderstanding, how was she able to merely condemn him as ‘Enemy’ and refuse to reason out the situation? Fujiwara decided to attempt to converse again, asking the reason why.
“Let’s talk about it for a bit…”
“Oh…Can…”
The third and fourth flashes.
A coffee cup meant for customers was shattered with a flash, and the thermos flew away with a dull and metallic sound. Finally, the sword dug into the wall on the fourth throw, not boomeranging back.
Miss “Footsteps of Death” dropped the sheath in her hand.
Her eyes were not cloudy, and they did not seem to be frightened, though they were somewhat angry-looking.
This monster had returned straight from the dungeon, with eyes indeed like the malice a monster had looking at a Seeker.
Fujiwara couldn’t understand why.
Fujiwara remembered then his unease when he found ‘The Footsteps of Death’ in the storefront.
At that time, she was still wearing her armor, even if it trapped in the poison. Even though it was fatal, she had not removed it even if it would save her.
Fujiwara was beginning to catch on.
“The Footsteps of Death” began running forth. Fujiwara began to retreat, taking one step before stamping on something and losing his balance. It was the thermos.
“-Urah!”
Upon him was a body, dealing a blow to his abdomen and forcing him to the ground fully. A vivid heat was against him.
“Gua-a”
Fujiwara couldn’t breathe. Around his neck were her thin fingertips.
He was being hamstrung by a person who had been poisoned so badly, it was inconceivable.
“I’ll… Kill you! Kill you… K-i-ll!”
Her hair was disturbed, face fully clear.
He could hear her hard breathing, like a predator upon its prey.
However, her eyes were a different matter altogether.
It was two human eyes, swaying now in conflict.
“…If you’re willing to… kill me, do it…”
“…Damn!”
“The Footsteps Of Death” could clearly not finish him off, hiding her face and growling, weight still on Fujiwara.
He knew why she always wore that unfitting Full Body Armor. The reason she would not remove it at any cost. The reason she wouldn’t turn around and greet anyone, the reason no one knew her name, character, or race. The reason why even while poisoned she refused to remove the suit.
It was all for one reason.
Fujiwara now knew the words he needed to say.
“…Please… calm down, I’m… not going to tell anyone… about your identity.”
Something cold began dropping on his shoulders, suddenly wet. “The Footsteps of Death’s growly turned into sobs. The power of the fingers on his neck loosened as well.
He didn’t know the exact circumstances, but she was extremely afraid of her identity being revealed.
Enough that seeing her face was enough to kill him over.
The Footsteps of Death fell upon him, no longer able to hold herself up. Fujiwara pulled her off of him. It was as though her prior actions were all fake, throwing the sword and running up to attack him.
The poison was progressing so fast she was in an exhausted state, getting close to passing out. Yet she was able to stand up, attack him, and be threatening. How could she move that much with this poison?
“…”
Fujiwara didn’t know if ‘The Footsteps of Death’ accepted the situation or not, or if he should help her. In such an extreme situation, she too was an extreme existence which would likely be nothing but trouble. At any rate, Fujiwara decided that this one was an unimaginable entity.
◆
He began with first aid.
He placed the necklace upon her. It was a Poison Amulet, which would negate poison effects if you wore it in advance. It would stave off the spread of the poison in her blood.
However, detoxification was not so easy. He couldn’t neutralize the corrosion already done to her body.
“The Footsteps of Death” was having a nightmare.
After losing consciousness, it would be difficult to start the granting tool. Therefore, Fujiwara would have to pay the cost on behalf of her.
Upon filling it with magic in his palm, a pale light film wrapped around “The Footsteps of Death”.
“Fu…”
Her poison resistance should have increased, aiding Fujiwara in suppressing the danger. Again, he could not purify the toxin itself, but the situation would not get worse.
“Well.”
The problem was something other than the poison now.
This ‘Blood Drinking Poison’ was a fairly popular trap in the Dungeon. It invaded through the lungs and converted the blood magic into toxins that would continue to spread through the blood vessels. Dizziness, difficulty breathing, and convulsions would all occur until consciousness was lost.
Fujiwara continued pouring magic into the amulet, taking out another item he looted from the store.
A glass vial. It was the ‘Detox Potion’, luxury quality.
He poured it out onto a spoon, sure not to spill it, directly feeding it into her mouth before pinching her nose to be sure she’d swallow. This would neutralize the poison. Most Detox would require a long time, but Luxury had an immediate effect.
Over the course of a few minutes he emptied the vial into her mouth, spoonful by spoonful, until it was dry. Since such an item was valuable, his Teacher would be angry he used it without permission, but he stopped caring about that. The amount of poison ingested likely exceeded an ordinary person’s lethal dose by spades. Such a capability to withstand it is phenomenal.
“After that…”
After the detox potion, he began feeding her a “Mana Potion”.
It’s a nutritional supplement that aides in restoring Magical Power to a person who has used it. Due to the Blood Sucking poison’s interference, she was likely all out of it. Blood Magic Power was not only important for spells, but also normal activity. A Human has 40,000 drops that they maintain in their body, on average, and when this gets low or depleted, severe impairment occurs. So, he supplemented it.
“The Footsteps of Death’s” condition was immediately improved immensely, gradually becoming stable. Fujiwara was now occupied with standard First Aid. He wiped the sweat from her brow with a damp towel and looked at her a bit closer.
Age, seventeen or eighteen. Cheeks were somewhat hollow, likely hungry.
She had likely been unable to eat while reaching the Tenth Floor, so he decided to give her some food in a bit.
“…It should be alright now.”
Fujiwara stifled a yawn.
By now it was time to close “The Good Old Magician’s Shop” up, since it was not busy.
All of this work didn’t mesh with his low wage.
“The Footsteps of Death” better buy an item as collateral, he thought. I’ll also ask Teacher for a pay increase, he thought. Ten times, no twenty. And as he was thinking this, he began sleeping at the counter.
◆
When he woke, “Deadly Dance” had already left, along with the armor. The only thing left in the back yard was a letter. The words “I won’t say thank you. You did this selfishly. Tell no one my identity, I will kill you if you do.”
A visitor that might leave him as a dead body.
He remembered the bet Tristan had made earlier. If he told Tristan about her he might be killed in retaliation, so he stopped that line of thinking. Even if he told them, no one would believe it anyway.
“Huuh…”
Fujiwara let out a small sigh.
Fujiwara absentmindedly retrieved the dented thermos and checked the condition of the back yard.
Of course, he was going out to buy Coffee.
For the daily abuse he suffered, it was the only reward, getting him through these harsh days.
◆
That was the first time Fujiwara and Anemone had met.
◆
Discrimination Certificate “Amulet of Poison Resistance” (Off The Mark)
“Those primarily of the house of Anvil, give blood equal to ½ the specific weight of the poison you are suffering, and The World will lend the protection of to your offal, to feed the flesh and blood.”
This was a plainly popular item. It’s considered a necessity while exploring the Dungeon. This amulet is used as a Poison-Proof.
During the Dark Ages, aristocrats would wear these to protect their decadence, in case of poison. The manufacture method of this amulet is still known, but most are custom-made according to preference and fashion, again meant for noble use.
During those days poison was rampant as a way to kill off a rival secretly; it was a symbol of social status.
As far as use, only one note is needed. The Amulet of Detoxification is a different item. This will only strengthen your immunity and resistance, but it will not cure poison in and of itself. Therefore, if you’re poisoned, putting it on will not be a cure-all, and it will only help you a little. Always go to the Clinic as soon as you think you’re in danger! It’s never too early.
Fujiwara promptly laid “The Footsteps of Death” upon the sofa in the back yard, before heading down to the underground warehouse, many keys in hand.
Many items his Teacher had purchased are stored underneath the store, in this location.
“I think it was right about here…”
Fujiwara was flipping through the contents of various wooden boxes, one after another, fiddling about them and looking for the item which was needed. For this issue, a Granting Tool was needed.
The items in here were called ‘stock’, but in truth, his master collected things as a hobby. After she (tl: Store owner is a she according to pronouns) messed around with them until she gets bored, she dumps them in a suitable nearby wooden box at random.
In addition, they weren’t sorted by any method and some didn’t even have Certificates, so it made searching for an item very difficult.
“…Why are books and wooden shoes together!? …There are dried apples, some with bites out of them, and toilet paper!? … This place is a dump, I’m getting irritated!”
Fujiwara wondered why she couldn’t just try to match things together.
Things had gotten worse since the recent Recession in Labyrinth City, since the store would not manage to sell anything, leading to the stock growing larger. The Master of the store’s normally laughing appearance had also become somewhat melancholic, Fujiwara thought.
“How frustrating!”
“…It was.”
Finally, from the bottom of the box, he found a useful item.
A necklace.
A silver tipped metal plate, with a circular chain of medals it hung around, it was quite eerie. Upon it is depicted a dinner of skeletons, toasting around a table. When this was found, Fujiwara’s master barely looked at it, because they did not like creepy objects.
Fujiwara dusted it off, and went up to the back yard rapidly, without even closing the door to the warehouse behind. With the condition of the ‘Footsteps of Death’, grace was the least important aspect.
◆
The deadly poison undermining her body was ‘Blood Drink’. (tl: Blood Sipping)
It drains the magic out of the blood, and it makes the blood thin out to the point you can no longer breathe, until you reach the point of death.
Fujiwara was uncertain how much time exactly had passed, but there wasn’t very much time by now, probably.
But, while Fujiwara was thinking this, ‘The Footsteps of Death’ was trying to lift herself from the sofa, straining and letting out a low roar. Such terrifying strength and willpower.
“Why are you getting up!?”
“Where… is this…?”
“I’m a curio dealer from ‘The Good Old Magician’s Shop’, so please don’t be reckless and get back to sleeping!”
“…Armor…where…is my armor… I need it…”
“Then-“
Fujiwara began to say it was in front of the store, but he held his tongue.
He noticed what was in her hands.
It was a Long Sword which had been placed in the back yard. It was covered in rust, but it had already been unsheathed, and what she was holding turned out to be the sheath.
He had a bad feeling.
Wind was striking her frame, with some coming towards him as well.
With this, her hair was dancing in the night sky.
“Footsteps of Death” was striking a battle pose, as well.
What Fujiwara thought was wind approaching was actually the long sword, thrown by her hand. The throw had followed a semicircular orbit with ridiculous speed, Fujiwara only barely able to dodge, grazing his glasses and tearing his bangs, though he was unable to see it coming towards him.
He felt sweat dripping down his spine.
“Hey, hey, if it weren’t for me, you’d have already died… Why would you so suddenly try to cut me, huh?”
Could it have been a symptom of the poison, hallucination?
But it couldn’t be.
There were many potions which could attack the senses or cause great fear and anger, but Fujiwara had already appraised the poison. It was only ‘Blood Drinking’, and nothing else. Hallucination was not a symptom for this poison, and even if the consciousness became dim from blood loss, it would not become deranged.
The flash occurred a second time.
This time it flew towards his chest, tearing his pocket clean off.
Now his knees were quaking.
“Hey, wait a minute. Can you bear killing your benefactor?”
“Can…Kill… It is…”
It seemed as though she could not hear him.
This “Footsteps of Death” seemed to be in a frenzy. He had no idea why.
Currently, she was dressed in a troublesome way, only in her underwear.
But, of course, this is because she only wore that full body armor, but this could be one source of misunderstanding.
But, even if that was the misunderstanding, how was she able to merely condemn him as ‘Enemy’ and refuse to reason out the situation? Fujiwara decided to attempt to converse again, asking the reason why.
“Let’s talk about it for a bit…”
“Oh…Can…”
The third and fourth flashes.
A coffee cup meant for customers was shattered with a flash, and the thermos flew away with a dull and metallic sound. Finally, the sword dug into the wall on the fourth throw, not boomeranging back.
Miss “Footsteps of Death” dropped the sheath in her hand.
Her eyes were not cloudy, and they did not seem to be frightened, though they were somewhat angry-looking.
This monster had returned straight from the dungeon, with eyes indeed like the malice a monster had looking at a Seeker.
Fujiwara couldn’t understand why.
Fujiwara remembered then his unease when he found ‘The Footsteps of Death’ in the storefront.
At that time, she was still wearing her armor, even if it trapped in the poison. Even though it was fatal, she had not removed it even if it would save her.
Fujiwara was beginning to catch on.
“The Footsteps of Death” began running forth. Fujiwara began to retreat, taking one step before stamping on something and losing his balance. It was the thermos.
“-Urah!”
Upon him was a body, dealing a blow to his abdomen and forcing him to the ground fully. A vivid heat was against him.
“Gua-a”
Fujiwara couldn’t breathe. Around his neck were her thin fingertips.
He was being hamstrung by a person who had been poisoned so badly, it was inconceivable.
“I’ll… Kill you! Kill you… K-i-ll!”
Her hair was disturbed, face fully clear.
He could hear her hard breathing, like a predator upon its prey.
However, her eyes were a different matter altogether.
It was two human eyes, swaying now in conflict.
“…If you’re willing to… kill me, do it…”
“…Damn!”
“The Footsteps Of Death” could clearly not finish him off, hiding her face and growling, weight still on Fujiwara.
He knew why she always wore that unfitting Full Body Armor. The reason she would not remove it at any cost. The reason she wouldn’t turn around and greet anyone, the reason no one knew her name, character, or race. The reason why even while poisoned she refused to remove the suit.
It was all for one reason.
Fujiwara now knew the words he needed to say.
“…Please… calm down, I’m… not going to tell anyone… about your identity.”
Something cold began dropping on his shoulders, suddenly wet. “The Footsteps of Death’s growly turned into sobs. The power of the fingers on his neck loosened as well.
He didn’t know the exact circumstances, but she was extremely afraid of her identity being revealed.
Enough that seeing her face was enough to kill him over.
The Footsteps of Death fell upon him, no longer able to hold herself up. Fujiwara pulled her off of him. It was as though her prior actions were all fake, throwing the sword and running up to attack him.
The poison was progressing so fast she was in an exhausted state, getting close to passing out. Yet she was able to stand up, attack him, and be threatening. How could she move that much with this poison?
“…”
Fujiwara didn’t know if ‘The Footsteps of Death’ accepted the situation or not, or if he should help her. In such an extreme situation, she too was an extreme existence which would likely be nothing but trouble. At any rate, Fujiwara decided that this one was an unimaginable entity.
◆
He began with first aid.
He placed the necklace upon her. It was a Poison Amulet, which would negate poison effects if you wore it in advance. It would stave off the spread of the poison in her blood.
However, detoxification was not so easy. He couldn’t neutralize the corrosion already done to her body.
“The Footsteps of Death” was having a nightmare.
After losing consciousness, it would be difficult to start the granting tool. Therefore, Fujiwara would have to pay the cost on behalf of her.
Upon filling it with magic in his palm, a pale light film wrapped around “The Footsteps of Death”.
“Fu…”
Her poison resistance should have increased, aiding Fujiwara in suppressing the danger. Again, he could not purify the toxin itself, but the situation would not get worse.
“Well.”
The problem was something other than the poison now.
This ‘Blood Drinking Poison’ was a fairly popular trap in the Dungeon. It invaded through the lungs and converted the blood magic into toxins that would continue to spread through the blood vessels. Dizziness, difficulty breathing, and convulsions would all occur until consciousness was lost.
Fujiwara continued pouring magic into the amulet, taking out another item he looted from the store.
A glass vial. It was the ‘Detox Potion’, luxury quality.
He poured it out onto a spoon, sure not to spill it, directly feeding it into her mouth before pinching her nose to be sure she’d swallow. This would neutralize the poison. Most Detox would require a long time, but Luxury had an immediate effect.
Over the course of a few minutes he emptied the vial into her mouth, spoonful by spoonful, until it was dry. Since such an item was valuable, his Teacher would be angry he used it without permission, but he stopped caring about that. The amount of poison ingested likely exceeded an ordinary person’s lethal dose by spades. Such a capability to withstand it is phenomenal.
“After that…”
After the detox potion, he began feeding her a “Mana Potion”.
It’s a nutritional supplement that aides in restoring Magical Power to a person who has used it. Due to the Blood Sucking poison’s interference, she was likely all out of it. Blood Magic Power was not only important for spells, but also normal activity. A Human has 40,000 drops that they maintain in their body, on average, and when this gets low or depleted, severe impairment occurs. So, he supplemented it.
“The Footsteps of Death’s” condition was immediately improved immensely, gradually becoming stable. Fujiwara was now occupied with standard First Aid. He wiped the sweat from her brow with a damp towel and looked at her a bit closer.
Age, seventeen or eighteen. Cheeks were somewhat hollow, likely hungry.
She had likely been unable to eat while reaching the Tenth Floor, so he decided to give her some food in a bit.
“…It should be alright now.”
Fujiwara stifled a yawn.
By now it was time to close “The Good Old Magician’s Shop” up, since it was not busy.
All of this work didn’t mesh with his low wage.
“The Footsteps of Death” better buy an item as collateral, he thought. I’ll also ask Teacher for a pay increase, he thought. Ten times, no twenty. And as he was thinking this, he began sleeping at the counter.
◆
When he woke, “Deadly Dance” had already left, along with the armor. The only thing left in the back yard was a letter. The words “I won’t say thank you. You did this selfishly. Tell no one my identity, I will kill you if you do.”
A visitor that might leave him as a dead body.
He remembered the bet Tristan had made earlier. If he told Tristan about her he might be killed in retaliation, so he stopped that line of thinking. Even if he told them, no one would believe it anyway.
“Huuh…”
Fujiwara let out a small sigh.
Fujiwara absentmindedly retrieved the dented thermos and checked the condition of the back yard.
Of course, he was going out to buy Coffee.
For the daily abuse he suffered, it was the only reward, getting him through these harsh days.
◆
That was the first time Fujiwara and Anemone had met.
◆
Discrimination Certificate “Amulet of Poison Resistance” (Off The Mark)
“Those primarily of the house of Anvil, give blood equal to ½ the specific weight of the poison you are suffering, and The World will lend the protection of to your offal, to feed the flesh and blood.”
This was a plainly popular item. It’s considered a necessity while exploring the Dungeon. This amulet is used as a Poison-Proof.
During the Dark Ages, aristocrats would wear these to protect their decadence, in case of poison. The manufacture method of this amulet is still known, but most are custom-made according to preference and fashion, again meant for noble use.
During those days poison was rampant as a way to kill off a rival secretly; it was a symbol of social status.
As far as use, only one note is needed. The Amulet of Detoxification is a different item. This will only strengthen your immunity and resistance, but it will not cure poison in and of itself. Therefore, if you’re poisoned, putting it on will not be a cure-all, and it will only help you a little. Always go to the Clinic as soon as you think you’re in danger! It’s never too early.
