Astral Online: Cursed by the Demon Lord to Become the Strongest Beautiful Girl, I Rapidly Grow and Dominate with Cheat Skills Despite Being the Weakest Profession - Chapter 52

Chapter 52: The People I Couldn’t Protect

 

“I’m home…!?”

 

As Sora swiped the card to unlock the door and stepped inside, she suddenly froze.

 

In front of her, she could see a heavy, cold air thick enough to be almost visible, filling the entrance hall. This was a sign that her sister Shiori’s mood had hit rock bottom, triggering her unique barrier.

 

Its name was “Darkness Legion.”

 

Once activated, all the curtains in the house would close, the lights would turn off, and the entire house would be shrouded in darkness. Things would only return to normal once Shiori’s heart had calmed down.

 

*Sigh* what could have happened this time?

 

Sora carelessly kicked off her slippers and stepped into the chilled house, a stark contrast to the warmth outside. In the living room, she found Shiori curled up on the sofa, hugging her knees—a scene straight out of a horror movie.

 

To be honest, it was a bit creepy.

 

Sora thought about how she’d probably wet herself if Shiori turned her head to look at her, but with that unlikely scenario in mind, Sora approached her and sat down next to her. With her knees hugged tightly and head down, Sora couldn’t see Shiori’s expression.

 

There was only one reason she could think of why she was this upset.

 

“They failed to escort the wind spirits, didn’t they?”

 

At her words, Shiori’s body flinched.

 

But she still didn’t lift her head.

 

…This is more serious than she thought.

 

Looks like I’ll have to use the last resort.

 

Sora moved her hand away from her knee and spoke softly to her.

 

“Shiori, would you like to use my lap as a pillow?”

 

“…Okay.”

 

She nodded faintly, her voice barely audible, and buried her face in Sora’s lap.

 

As she suspected, she had been crying. She could feel her tears gradually soaking into her pants.

 

After a while, Shiori began to speak slowly.

 

“…Miss Verdandi from the first temple, she always listened so happily when I talked to her.”

 

“Oh, the beautiful blonde woman, right?”

 

She was the second NPC I encountered in Astral Online, after the gatekeeper. Both of them had left a strong impression on me because of how they responded so kindly to even the smallest actions.

 

But why is she bringing this up now?

 

As Sora wondered, Shiori continued.

 

“When you become friends with her, she will allow you to advance your ?Priest? profession if your ?Priest? skill reaches level 10.”

 

“Really?”

 

So that means characters like the special priestess of Aria and the mysterious dark knight Hart also offer special professions if you increase your favor with certain NPCs. Verdandi was a high priestess. Since there’s a priest profession, it’s likely there is an advanced profession.

 

This implies that other professions, including the ?Enchanter?, might also have advanced professions.

 

From what Shiori said, Sora realized something.

 

Talking with NPCs in Astral Online might be incredibly important.

 

Aria was the key character for starting a special quest, and the woman at the armor shop gave me rare equipment for free after talking with her. I should definitely focus more on conversations with NPCs moving forward, Sora thought.

 

Then, Shiori, steeling herself, spoke up.

 

“Brother, will you listen to me…?”

 

“Of course, I’ll listen to anything you have to say.”

 

“Well, I…”

 

Shiori gripped her clothes tightly and began to voice the sorrow she had been holding inside.

 

“I couldn’t protect them…”

 

“Shiori…”

 

“They were all such good people. As soon as we talked, we became friends, they even gave me delicious treats, and the children too…”

 

The grip of her hands grew even stronger.

 

With her face buried in Sora’s lap, Shiori choked back sobs and whispered in a trembling voice.

 

“They were such good kids…”

 

Hearing her murmur, Sora picked up her smartphone and sent a message to her two friends, asking, “What exactly happened?”

 

The response came quickly.

 

As she read the message, it became clear that Shiori and her team had been on the verge of success when they were ambushed by one Leviathan General and ten of its Army soldiers, causing their defensive line to collapse.

 

They managed to handle the Leviathan Army soldiers, but despite their best efforts, the Leviathan General broke through the defensive line just before they reached the spirit village.

 

And then, the spirits…

 

They were all slaughtered by the Leviathan General’s greatsword.

 

After sending a thank-you message to her friends, Sora placed her smartphone on the table.

 

…Sigh.

 

She let out a deep sigh from within.

 

As expected, the situation was as awful as the bits she overheard at the convenience store, but it was still far worse than she could put into words.

 

The image of the children playing within the base came to mind.

 

They were all good kids, always greeting Sora, Kuro, and Aria with smiles whenever they passed by.

 

The adults were the same, always greeting them and offering words of appreciation. Some even gave them handmade treats, and those cookies were simply delicious.

 

While the spirits Shiori was escorting weren’t the ones Sora knew, they were undoubtedly kind people as well.

 

To be unable to protect such people right before your eyes…

 

Calling it painful wouldn’t even begin to cover it.

 

She must have grown quite attached to them.

 

As Sora gently patted her head, Shiori spoke in a small voice, “Everyone keeps saying, ‘They’re just NPCs, so don’t worry about it,’ but I can’t…”

 

Her voice was filled with genuine sorrow.

 

The sadness and frustration of not being able to protect them from the Leviathan General weighed heavily on her.

 

Sora understood that feeling all too well.

 

If she hadn’t been able to protect Aria and the others in yesterday’s battle, she likely would have been just as devastated as Shiori.

 

As she continued to comfort her grieving sister by stroking her head, Sora looked up at the ceiling.

 

“Well, you know, there are plenty of other VR games with human-like NPCs, but the NPCs in this Astral Online… I think they’re on a whole different level.”

 

NPCs that are this emotionally expressive and capable of seamless conversation are unheard of.

 

Sora had tried a high-end VR dating simulation game once, which used advanced AI, but it still felt off.

 

While she understood the viewpoint of Shiori’s clan members, who believed there was no need to care about the death of NPCs—they were, after all, just data—Sora couldn’t fully agree.

 

I think that mourning the death of NPCs in this game isn’t wrong at all.

 

“Shiori, cry now. Then get up, and tomorrow, make sure to protect them no matter what. By then, I’ll have solved the poison and barrier issues for you.”

 

“Big brother…”

 

With that, Shiori buried her face into my stomach and cried out loud.

 

As I gently stroked her head, I picked up my smartphone again and logged into the Astral Online website. The quest name displayed was ?Antidote Formula?.

 

The details were still unclear, but the reward was listed.

 

?Clear Reward?: Antidotes will be sold in all item shops.

 

As for the unique quest involving the barrier, its effectiveness was still unknown. However, given that the Spirit King mentioned sending ten soldiers who were all wiped out, there would likely be some kind of monster to face.

 

While thinking about this, I continued to gently pat Shiori’s head, and about an hour passed.

 

Suddenly, an alarm went off nearby.

 

Shiori, who had fallen asleep at some point, suddenly sat up, wiped her tears, and pulled out her smartphone. A quick glance at the screen showed the appearance time of the Leviathan.

 

She lightly slapped her cheeks to refocus.

 

The girl who had been mourning the wind spirits’ deaths moments ago was gone.

 

Shiori looked straight at me and said,

 

“Thank you, big brother. I’m going!”

 

With a tear-streaked face, she gave me the biggest smile she could muster and stood up. She then turned around and dashed up to her room on the second floor.

 

Left alone in the dark room, I watched her go and then smiled wryly.

 

It’s not just Shiori—I need to do my best too.

 

After all, we’ll probably be storming the temple today.

 

Sora, like Shiori, steeled herself for the task ahead. First, she decided to take care of her adorable little sister by doing the housework: cleaning, preparing the bath, and getting dinner ready.