As a Reincarnated NPC, I Want to Live a Peaceful Life - Chapter 17

The flames did not burn out naturally. Instead, they gathered again in one place with the strange flow of air. Soon, the redness faded, leaving behind a large amount of carbon dioxide.

To be honest, I almost suffocated earlier. Sustaining such a large flame requires a lot of oxygen. Even with magic involved, fire is still fire… That fake Alec dissipated in the sea of flames, yet the stone steps remained untouched, as if the fire had no effect on them.

That huge fireball—Fireblast? It was literally “explosively” powerful. It’s a miracle the neighborhood wasn’t affected. Speaking of which, I caught a glimpse of the magic circle earlier—did I learn something from it? Not that I understood any of it.

Fire, the origin of all things, the source of warmth, the reason cooked food exists. I’ve always dreamed of receiving proper magic lessons instead of relying solely on books for knowledge. Of course, this thought only recently occurred to me because I couldn’t handle the cold and had to learn fire magic to protect myself.

I guess that girl must be highly skilled in fire magic. Otherwise, how could she unleash such an enormous, astonishingly powerful fireball? In my memory, I’ve never seen such magical talent… Perhaps she’s not on par with the top mages on the server, but among ordinary players, she’s truly remarkable… By the way, is she even a player? I’m not sure yet—

“Wahahaha! Today’s experiment was another success! Ugh, my Dark Power is only half left.” The girl exclaimed loudly to herself. I could hear her clearly from the opposite end of the street.

Her words seem quite “profound.” Dark Power? She must mean mana. How could she still have over half left after casting such a spell?

“Hey! Unidentified maiden I saved, what are your thoughts?” Noticing me, she greeted me and then teleported to my side using spatial magic. It was so natural I didn’t even see her cast a spell.

Her smooth movements made it seem like she’d always lived in this world. But she has a status bar above her head, so she must be a player.

“Huh? My thoughts?”

“Yes, yes! What did you think of my Dark Fireblast? How powerful was it in your eyes? Any suggestions for improvement? Oh, wait—you’re just a mortal. It’d be foolish to expect you to understand the destructive power of the Crimson Clan. Please forgive my oversight—”

“Ah, well, I actually—”

“Let me introduce myself! I am known as the Dark Flame Envoy, the sole inheritor of the Crimson Clan’s great power—Fireblast. Saving you was merely a side quest.”

She kept rambling excitedly, and I couldn’t understand most of it. Basically, she’s the Crimson Clan’s Fireblast inheritor, the Dark Flame Envoy, and saving me was just a casual act. I’ve never met anyone like this in my past life—I can’t comprehend her way of thinking.

Using 【Soul Detection】, I confirmed her soul is indeed alive, not a manipulated puppet or something. But as expected, aside from a hint of purple, her soul is almost entirely white.

“Um, thank you, Dark Flame Envoy. But that doesn’t seem like your real name.”

“Hmm, I see, I see. You wish to uncover the secrets of the Crimson Clan through my name, don’t you? Hahaha! I’ve already seen through your scheme!”

The girl with the ID 【Megumin’s Little Sister】 said this to me… That’s her player name, but I still need her to tell me her real name. I can’t just call her “Dark Flame Envoy”—that would be too awkward.

“Hmm… My Future Magic Eye sees that you are not an evil villain. Hehehe! Then listen well, mortal! My real name is Huihui!”

“Megumin?”

“It’s Huihui! Not that Megumin!”

“Huihui?”

“Tch, you mortals are so foolish! Huihui! H-U-I-H-U-I! It means ‘wisdom’!”

“Oh, I see. Huihui, Miss Huihui.”

I was wondering how she could tell what I was saying. The pronunciations of Huihui, Megumin, and Huihui are all the same.

…..

(——Currently Available Intel: 《Art World Online》 is open to players from all over the world. Its language translation feature is particularly advanced, covering everything from dialects to obscure languages. Whether players choose embarrassing or overly edgy names, the system can translate them appropriately.)

(——Players are generally assigned to servers based on their country to avoid interfering with other servers’ top players and systems. Servers are interconnected, and players can transfer between them by paying a fee and completing the transfer process. All data is preserved. However, it’s also possible to travel on foot, though the terrain between servers is treacherous, and no player who has attempted it has survived. Therefore, the expensive but relatively safe transfer process is recommended.)

(——The transfer fee is exorbitant, and many cannot afford it. As a result, guilds specializing in smuggling players have emerged. Their prices are relatively low, and their methods are refined… If caught, smuggled players are arrested, sent back, and have their assets seized. As for these smuggling guilds, their methods remain unknown, and no one has captured their leaders.)

…..

This Miss Huihui doesn’t seem to have any ill intentions. Aside from her occasional mysterious remarks, I haven’t found anything suspicious about her yet.

As for the Crimson Clan, I’m not sure what that is. Maybe it’s a hybrid of demons and humans, or perhaps she just made it up—【Megumin’s Little Sister】, could it be related? Hmm… It rings a bell. Were the Crimson Clan created by someone to serve as weapons against the demon clan?

I can’t quite remember. I didn’t read the game manual carefully enough…

“Shouldn’t you do something to repay me, the Dark Flame Envoy—Huihui, for saving you from those monsters?”

“Huh? Oh… Thank you, Miss Huihui. Is that enough?”

【Favorability Calculation: 0 ▶▶ 5】

“Shouldn’t you do something more practical? My magnificent Fireblast only warrants a mere ‘thank you’? Huh? Hey! Don’t walk away—let me finish!”

I didn’t want to listen to her anymore. I thought a simple thank would suffice, so I turned to leave.

But before I could get far, she grabbed my shoulder, pouting and staring at me—everyone’s appearance is partially beautified based on their real-life looks. This girl is undoubtedly pretty, but… why is she wearing an eyepatch over her left eye? I have no idea.

I’ve heard some assassins “enchant” their eyes to acquire higher-tier skills, such as 【Pierce】. Of course, some fail, but those who do are usually healed by priests or clerics from the church.

Did Miss Huihui enchant her eye? Well, as far as I know, mages usually have access to common 【True Sight】 spells and don’t need to enchant their eyes…

Maybe it’s just her fashion sense. Not my business.

“Miss Huihui, is there anything else? As far as I know, there are monsters near the south gate. Shouldn’t you return to your residence and hide for a while?”

“Heh! How dare a few lowly monsters challenge the chosen one of the great Crimson Clan?”

“Ah, I heard it’s an army of murderous orcs.”

After I said this, Huihui stared at me wide-eyed, as if asking, “Really?”

I nodded, hoping she’d abandon her desire to fight and go home to sleep—I’m not sure what time it is in the real world, but this world feels real and tangible to me. The real world’s time doesn’t really matter anymore.

“Ouch, my left arm still hurts… When will this puncture wound heal?”

“Gasp! You’re injured! Did I leave the city too late? I’m so sorry, sorry! I deserve to die for this!”

“Huh? Why are you—”

Before I could finish, Huihui gently held my left arm and pulled out a red potion from a void (PS: virtual inventory)—clearly a healing potion. She glanced at the bottle, then at my wound, muttered “wrong one,” and reached into the void again—

“Let me see… Ah! This universal healing item.” Finally, after pulling out a bunch of random things, she produced something normal—a bandage.

Bandages are indeed healing items, widely used by adventurers. They’re cheap, effective, and common—but is a bandage really suitable for a puncture wound that’s only half-healed? Wouldn’t it be better to see a priest for healing?

But while I was pondering, Huihui had already wrapped my left arm tightly in bandages. Thanks to her, my entire arm felt like it was in a cast—immovable and heavy, though she did leave my hand free.

Seeing my exasperated expression as I stared at my arm, Huihui proudly puffed out her chest, placed her hands on her hips, and beamed with pride, clearly waiting for praise.

“Hehe~ How’s my skills?”

Your bandaging skills are great—maybe you should go apply casts for adventurers with broken bones. Of course, I couldn’t say that. Since she meant well, even if she caused trouble, it’s only reasonable to be polite… Ugh! Why do I have to put up with this kind of “help”? If someone took my dog for a walk and then said, “Sorry, I accidentally sold your dog,” would I have to say, “It’s okay, no problem,” and forgive them?

Well, apparently, yes.

“Uh, thank you for helping me, but it’s going to be troublesome to walk around with my arm like this.”

“Huh? Do you need me to cut off your—”

“No, no, it’s fine, Miss Huihui. Let’s meet again someday.”

“No, no! I was joking! Don’t take it seriously!”

I need to get away from this powerful lunatic. What was she thinking? Even as a joke, that’s going too far.

After that, she followed me, apologizing over and over along the way…..

…..

“Did you obtain her blood?”

“Yes, Master.”

“Good, you’ve done well. How do you feel? It must have been painful for your soul to return to your body after facing cold death.”

“Yes, Master, I feel fine. How is my sister?”

“…Your sister is also fine. She’s sleeping in her room now. Don’t worry, once the city is no longer locked down, I’ll send both of you home.”

“Thank you, Master.”

“But it’s not time yet. Keep watching that girl for me… This blood isn’t pure enough. Charlie Saint Roya, continue your work.”

“Yes, Master. I will continue to watch over the 【Bearer of Seven Spirits】.”

“You’ve been good. Hehehe, soon, she too will become my possession… What will the ultimate war weapon be like, I wonder?”

In the darkness, a girl dressed like a princess, with a cold, lifeless expression, dragged a chain and an axe as she faced a man laughing hysterically.

In the end, she also laughed, but there was no joy in it—only a chilling, blood-red mockery.

…..

“Darn it! Why are these monsters here tonight… Is it a full moon? Are the monsters stimulated, naturally drawn to the orc army?”

“Prince Lyle, we have quite a few beasts on our side. How about yours?”

“Ah, about the same… Even the city’s finest, along with other players, are helpless against these creatures.”

“Prince Lyle! Our defensive line is under attack! The demon wolves are assaulting us fiercely!”

“Lord Winter! More flying monsters are approaching! The archers can’t keep up!”

“Tch! Lyle! You handle the ground monsters. Let me give those sky pests a taste of my bullets.”

“Ah! Understood! 【Earth Collapse】!”

“【O Lord, save this sacred land from the faithless and vile】, 【Divine Grace to Judge the Incompetent and Frantic, Manifest Here】!”

That night, the south gate of 【Marlatus】 was endlessly filled with the flames of war…..