24 Hearts

[Hey guys, this novel is doing really badly on NU, however, site stats say that it is actually doing quite well. I’ve released 10 free chapters this week so far to promote this series. Please add this series to your reading list on NU and/or an honest review. Either would go a long way to support and create awareness for this series. Premium now is being uploaded at 25-40 chapters a week.]

59====================

The twenty-fourth fragment, Carpe Diem

After shaking hands, Jeanne stumbled back down to her seat. Her bleeding wound condition may have gotten better, but its effect continued to linger, keeping the Lancer in a dizzy state.

Should they pursue their journey, Judah decided it was best for them to spend the night and rest.

He had already experienced spending a night in ruins, so it was nothing to him. But before they could settle in, they had to take care of the Flying Fighter’s body. They made her tomb with roughly stacked stones as a funeral, as leaving her out in the open felt difficult for them both. There was an urge to leave her as a meal for the monsters, but he had no choice, or else his conscience would pester him endlessly.

Her burial mound was of stones in varying masses, some pebbles rolling around roughly. It was far from a tomb, but it was enough for Judah as his heartfelt much lighter after the attempt.

He came up with Jeanne to the abandoned building’s third floor, where he stayed the night before. Although a part of its walls collapsed and a hole in the ceiling showed the night sky above, it was suitable for shelter.

The Lancer hadn’t eaten anything yet, so Judah offered Jeanne what he had. He gave her his stocked jerky and dried fruits, and while it served her well, Judah thought it wasn’t enough. To make up for her the blood she lost, he took out some herbs and black wolf meat he had collected hidden in the depths of his -Bag-.

Despite their stay in it, they came out as very fresh meat and herbs. His -Bag- betrayed the constraints of time, and anything put within it remained as it was when it was collected or slaughtered. Taking out his pot and pouring water in it, Judah prepared stew to feed his new companion.

“Wow… This is very delicious. You certainly have amazing cooking skills.”

“Want me to teach you?”

“I think I’ve told you this before, but to my shame, I’m afraid I can’t season my cooking because I don’t have the expertise for such a task.” Jeanne groaned, avoiding his gaze.

Judah laughed, “That’s okay. We’ll be companions in the future, so I’ll cook what I always do. Of course, sometimes I might have to eat jerky.”

“Oh, that’s okay. I am grateful enough to eat this delicious and hot food outdoors, no matter how often or not it is.”

Jeanne ate the stew-like she hadn’t eaten in days. In no time, she emptied her bowl by downing its leftovers, as if there were even some left before getting seconds. They ate in silence the whole dinner time, with not a single word exchanged between them.

‘…Come to think of it, wasn’t there one place around here where I can find a treasure chest?’

In the game, around those parts, there was supposed to be a treasure chest. Anyone familiar with these sorts of games, there was always something to find in the corners of castles and private houses or hidden places. These little boxes contain small items such as recovery items or even money. In this reality, of course, entering someone’s house or castle and scavenging through their things was stealing. However, much like these ruins in the open lands, items were free to claim by whoever found them first.

But these ruins had already been robbed of all things worthy by both adventurers and monsters. If he looked through the rubble of a collapsed building or walked through a blocked street, well, he might be lucky enough to stumble upon something to use but nothing that can be exchanged for money. Even if he tried looking for something like a weapon, h would probably find a rusty and useless scrap of metal. The quality of the weapons sold at the forge in Serenia Castle would be much better. Unbeknownst to the citizens of this game, there was one treasure chest for only its players beyond the reach of adventurers or monsters.

‘I didn’t put anything useful.’ He took a spoonful of his stew as his musings continued.

Recruiting the Fighter or the Lancer as companions was a hidden feature in itself, and those who did not know could not proceed. To find the secret quest, players had to experiment with their companions’ performance. Naturally, they go around to catch the monsters located in ruins and go around thinking that there were hidden items.

Then, the players had to enter an old mansion in the north. Inside, goblins built a nest and became a dungeon. After killing all of them, the player can get an old box inside as a reward. It contained three or four gold coins collected by the goblins and a weapon used at the beginning of the player’s journey. They can get the code for it with a low probability, but that option wasn’t gratifying at all.

‘Do I have to get it?’

If it were money, he wouldn’t need it so much because Judah has been hunting black wolves consistently and selling their skins and gemstones, blessing him enough riches. Of course, the more money, the better, but there are other ways to get it anyway. Right now, Judah had a wolf hunting quest given by the lord, and if he crossed Serenia Castle and went to the knight’s country -Philoria-, he could participate in a martial arts contest and get a generous reward. The items that can be obtained by opening the box were not very important to Judah now. If he chose to get it, will the experience reward him well?

“What are you thinking about?”

“What?” Judah raised his head then blurted in response.

He saw Jeanne’s bowl was already empty while his bowl still sat half full. He took a spoonful of what he expected to be lukewarm stew, only for it to end up cold. He had been sitting there long enough while Jeanne watched him with concern.

“You’ve been looking down at your stew without a word… Are there any problems?”

“No. It’s not a big deal. I just wondered if Tia is doing well.”

“Won’t she be joining us? It might be awkward without her.”

In those two years, Jeanne was with Judah, Tia, and the boy wasn’t together yet. Like twins, wherever they went, they were together and acted together. Despite this, the energy around the two of them always felt stranger and deeper.

Judah nodded as he ate her, stew, “You know what? I think I’ll be leaving Serenia Castle now.”

“Aren’t you going together?”

Judah smiled bitterly with the stew in his mouth. Jeanne couldn’t understand why he had such a reaction.

“Why? If you were looking for a trusted companion, she would have been more suitable than I am.”

It was because of the stats. It was simple, but how can he say that? Just as Judah judged a person by their appearance, Judah had to judge his companions by their stats. He had no choice but to collect fragments in this world. Jeanne said that Judah couldn’t evade her question, and she couldn’t be fooled. He had to tell her the truth, or this could be another trust issue.

“?”

When he was just about to open his mouth, Jeanne waved a gesture to silence him. Both of them fell silent as they stared at each other, trying to listen to the air around them. Judah moved to the open wall as he carefully put down the bowl and spoon in his hand.

Kirk!

‘Goblins.’

Roughly twenty or so goblins were approaching, guarding the grounds. They found the bodies of their people piled up on one side before booking around into the dark. The other ten goblins approached the stone grave Judah built for the Flying Fighter, and the moment their noses caught the scent of blood, they thrashed the stone away to pull the corpse within. Judah frowned.

They ruined everything he worked hard for in two hours, and all it took was less than ten minutes to break apart just from the monsters to get their meal. After rejoicing, they grabbed the body of the Flying Fighter as well as the remains of their kin before taking one last glance around, then retreating the way they had come. Judah sighed, looking down from above the building.

‘Are they from the dungeon with the treasure chest?’

He already planned to skip the treasure chest, but Judah felt compelled to go as soon as they showed up. And there was Ea’s body that he hid under stones to keep it away from monsters, and yet they snatched her away nonetheless. Jeanne walked up to his side, watching the goblins move in groups just as he did. Her lake-like eyes stared at him, asking what to do.

“I’ll tell you a story later. But your body, how is it? Can you move?”

“I have more energy now that I’ve eaten good food. It’s in perfect condition for a post-meal exercise.”

Judah nodded his head.

“All right. Shall we go? I even made a grave, but we can’t let them go like that, right?”

Jeanne nodded her head as if she sympathized with him. Her eyes then glanced up at the sky intently. The open sky, tinted intricately by the sunset, seemed to be soon covered with darkness. Goblins were nocturnal, so they saw well in the dark, but she and Judah couldn’t. Can they kill all the goblins before the light was completely gone?

“But the sun is going t set soon. Would you still like to continue?”

As if waiting for that very question, Judah pulled out three glass bottles of ominous fluorescent liquid from the -Bag- then handed them over to her.

“What is this?”

“A liquid that emits bright light when it’s hit. If it’s dark once the sun goes down, you throw it on the floor. If you can’t, it can still light up for about 10 minutes.”

Jeanne had never bought it, but she used to hear of it from general stores, offering them at a low price. Looking at the boy who gave her the items, Jeanne was curious to know what and how many Judah could carry in his sub-space. Jeanne laughed at the thought that his sub-space might be a convenient magic portal that gave him everything he wanted.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Ah, it’s nothing, don’t worry!”

Judah gazed at her suspiciously, but he soon moved on down the steps without saying much about it. Jeanne chuckled to herself again before following after him. The goblins hopped around in excitement, unaware of the hunters tailing behind. And soon, the creatures entered a mansion.

‘Of course, here it is.’

It matched up to the location on the map. In the north stood a mansion infested by a goblin’s nest. Judah glanced at Jeanne as the last reddish sunlight illuminated the dimming night sky. The light was shining on her face as well, and the face looking back at his was void of fear nor joy.

“Jeanne, uh, are you okay with your arms? Can you fight?”

“Of course, Judah. The Blue Lancers are not weak for you to be so worried.”

Silver particles bloomed around her body, then her magnificent armor and helmet peculiar to a Blue Lancer manifested into physicality. All but her shield and lance were in good condition, and even her right arm stained with blood again. Judah’s gaze turned to her wound. Jeanne knew she looked out of shape, so as Judah studied her, the Lancer reassured her companion.

“…Even if I look like this, you don’t have to worry about the goblins.”