I'm the Only Totem in Another World - Chapter 94

Chapter 94: 7 Paladins （4）

It’s a dark night. The perfect time to send a private message.

[Hanna]

[Not a Netkama: Why?]

[Did you meet Malak-nim?]

[Not a Netkama: Yeah]

[How is he?]

[Not a Netkama: What do you mean?]

[Isn’t he overflowing with divine majesty?]

[Not a Netkama: He’s just a talking totem]

[Not a Netkama: A glow-in-the-dark totem that vibrates sometimes]

[;;]

The totem does tremble when I use blessings.

[Not a Netkama: It was kinda cool seeing potatoes grow]

[Not a Netkama: A farmer god? Something like that]

[Aren’t you being too harsh?]

[Not a Netkama: What are you even talking about?]

[Not a Netkama: Whatever. I’m sleepy. I’m going to bed]

Forget it. I shouldn’t bother.

I tried to use Sanz’s private messages to ask things that were awkward to ask as Loa Malak, but I made a bad start.

I decided to just get to the point.

[What happened to Dina’s Special Forces?]

[Not a Netkama: No reply. I don’t even know if they checked the message]

Hmm. This isn’t good.

According to Hanna, Princess Dina showed interest after hearing about the sea monsters in Martba.

They exchanged messages and shared information about the sea monsters, but she stopped responding after I mentioned Loa Malak.

…Does she suspect it’s a cult or something? It’s not an incomprehensible judgment from Princess Dina’s perspective.

A woman （whose face I don’t even know） who was giving information about the enemy suddenly starts talking about a Loa, whose existence is uncertain, and asks for cooperation… I would’ve cut ties too.

She might even think I’m in cahoots with the sea monsters.

[Okay, I got it for now]

What should I do? Should I change the plan, grab the magic stones, Hanna, and the residents, and return to the Tribal Federation?

It’s the most reasonable choice for now. The problem is that I’ll have to deal with Asha, who will be even stronger then.

Of course, I don’t know how strong Asha is now. Judging from the energy I felt when she came out of the giant artificial womb… she wasn’t an unbeatable opponent.

She’s the Goddess’ Avatar, so I just figured she’d get stronger.

[Not a Netkama: What are you doing?]

She said she was going to bed, why is she asking more questions?

[Just lying down]

[Not a Netkama: At the Tribal Federation headquarters?]

I was about to type ‘Yeah’ but remembered I told her I was on a mission and quickly corrected it.

[I told you I’m on a dispatch mission]

[Not a Netkama: Oh, right]

She wouldn’t be testing me, would she? Is she suspicious?

[Not a Netkama: What’s the Tribal Federation like?]

If I give half-hearted answers, my lies might be exposed, so I decided to answer carefully.

[It’s a place where Barbarians and civilized people live together in harmony]

Is this the only kind of abstract explanation I can come up with when I’m being careful? My vocabulary is trash.

[Not a Netkama: Are there lots of kids too?]

Lots of kids. They mostly play by throwing axes, so it might take some getting used to.

[There are people of all ages and genders]

I almost said it’s a chance to see a boomer wizard and a kid priestess at the same time, but I held back.

[Not a Netkama: It’s a utopia]

I feel proud for some reason. It’s not a group I made alone, but it’s even more rewarding because I took the lead in creating it.

[Not a Netkama: Are you happy with your life there?]

Yeah.

[I’m not at the Tribal Federation headquarters]

[I’m living a nomadic life because I have to act as Malak-nim’s messenger]

I thought about what to send and sent this.

If Hanna joins the Tribal Federation, she’ll realize that no one knows the Paladin named Sanz. Then she might suspect me.

[Not a Netkama: Then how do you know?]

[Malak-nim showed me]

[Not a Netkama: …Really?]

What can she say when a god showed me?

[Not a Netkama: So even if I go to the Tribal Federation, I can’t meet you?]

[It seems likely for now]

[Not a Netkama: …]

She’s disappointed.

[Are you that disappointed that you can’t beat me to a pulp?]

[Not a Netkama: What are you talking about?]

[Not a Netkama: That was just a joke, you idiot]

I know. I was joking too.

[It’ll be hard to meet right away, though?]

[Not a Netkama: So even if I go, I’ll be alone]

[There are other Paladins in the Tribal Federation besides me. Don’t worry ㄴㄴ]

I can introduce her to Noah. They’re both women and Earthlings, so they should be able to get along.

[Not a Netkama: It’s the same as not knowing them]

I wonder if Noah is also shy like Hanna, making it difficult.

We exchanged meaningless words like that.

[Not a Netkama: Ah, I’m really sleepy. See you next time]

[Bye]

Maybe it’s because of the upcoming event. I couldn’t sleep well.

Come to think of it, I’ve always been like this. I used to lose sleep if I had a presentation or an interview. Even though I lost my body, the elements that made up me as an individual seem to remain.

I repeated my real name, which is now fading from memory. It feels awkward. Malak or Sanz feel more familiar.

━ …

I drifted off to sleep listening to Rake’s breathing beside me.

▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄

The next morning, I went with Rake to find Hanna.

━ I have some business in the city, will you come with me?

After much deliberation, I decided to retrieve the magic stones first. I’m thinking of staying here for about three days to look for Dina’s Special Forces, and if it doesn’t work out, I’ll take Hanna and the residents back to the Tribal Federation.

If we prioritize urgency, subjugating the Shadow Demon comes first. If I can’t get the Giant moving within the time limit, I’ll have to make a drastic move and change headquarters.

“The city? …There are no demons, it should be fine. Yes, I’ll go.”

The demon that ruled Martba was killed by the Black Coral Tribe, no, the sea monsters a while ago. If we go now, there will only be corpses of the cultists.

Barbarians are basically uncomfortable with the buildings built by civilized people, so there won’t be any sea monsters.

━ Let’s go.

Rake and Hanna crossed the reed field and arrived at the city. It was quick, with Rake, who has superhuman senses, and Hanna, a specialist in hiding, working together.

A combination of a dog-like woman and a cat-like woman. This is quite a hit.

We entered the center of the city. On one side, there was a pile of bones presumed to be from the cultists. There wasn’t even a shred of flesh left, as if they had been eaten clean.

“I think the Infected passed through here.”

Hanna said casually. It seems she’s become desensitized enough to just pass by human bones.

━ No. It must be the work of the sea monsters.

They are cannibals. I saw their warrior class wearing ornaments made of human bones.

“That’s right. I don’t sense any traces of the Infected.”

Rake, who looked around, agreed.

“…Ah.”

Hanna also seemed to have guessed it and nodded. She must have seen it since she lived here for a few months.

She must have thought it was simple because whenever they killed a cultist, the Infected always came to dispose of the body.

━ The chest containing the magic stones is in the lord’s mansion’s garden.

The note indicating the location of the magic stones stated that Martba was a territory where Beatrice briefly stayed. It seems she ‘renovated’ the garden in her own way and hid the magic stones.

Wasn’t she a very playful person in life?

“I found it.”

Rake, who opened the secret door and disarmed the traps as described in the note, took out the chest. It all happened in an instant: the mysterious device attached to the chest blinked and created a hologram of a young girl.

[Nice to meet you! My name is Beatrice!]

Ah, that startled me! The sound is too loud? I need to do something quickly…

[The Seven-Colored Mage…]

Crack!

Rake crushed the device playing the hologram with her grip….It’s not residual consciousness, right? Let’s just believe it’s a recorded video.

“…What a frivolous mage.”

Rake clicked her tongue.

Tell me about it. Why did she only do this to this one chest when she didn’t add this function to the others? Was she aiming for a surprise event?

“Someone might have heard. We should get going.”

Hanna, whose hair was standing on end like a startled cat after seeing Beatrice’s hologram, looked around anxiously.

Rake, carefully lifting the chest, moved with Hanna.

“…There’s someone nearby.”

Rake, who was moving stealthily to minimize noise, suddenly stopped.

“What? There’s no one.”

“I heard the rustle of clothes. Be quiet.”

“…Okay.”

Rake, who scolded Hanna, perked up her ears.

“He’s stopped too. I guess he’s even listening to our voices.”

“Tsk.”

Rake drew her Meteor Sword. Hanna, who was watching, also took out the sword and shield she was carrying on her back.

Just like that, we entered a stalemate with an invisible enemy. An invisible enemy.

…Ah, I think I know.

━ Princess Dina.

Just in case, I called out a user’s nickname.

Goja Buro, no, Close-Range Spy said that Princess Dina could even temporarily erase her presence with her hidden skill.

Could it be that she was following us, got caught by Rake, and then used that skill to hide?

━ Princess Dina, is that you?

My vision wavered for a moment, and then a platinum blonde beauty in pure white armor appeared. This must be what a princess knight from a fairy tale looks like.

And she was 50 meters ahead of us. It would have been a disaster if we hadn’t noticed.

The Paladin glanced at Rake, then made eye contact with Hanna and spoke.

“Are you ‘Not a Netkama’?”