WISPBC Chapter 11

◈ 11. Completion of the Fifth Main Oracle

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The moment I saw the message announcing the completion of the newly emerged oracle, a surge of anticipation washed over me.  

This oracle had been particularly challenging to fulfill, so the rewards were bound to be worthwhile.  

After all the hardship, surely, they wouldn’t just toss me a measly handful of coins as compensation.  

“Rubin, I’ll give you one more cloud candy. Just eat this and wait here for a moment, okay?”  

I pulled out the last piece of candy from my pocket and handed it to Rubin, adding,  

“I’ll just check something and be right back. Once this is over, let’s go outside the temple together, enjoy the flowers, and stock up on as much cloud candy as we want.”  

Rubin said nothing, simply smiling with his cheeks puffed out from the candy.  

After giving his head a quick pat, I stepped out into the hallway and opened the oracle window.  

Sub-Oracle (3) ― Locate and purify the final magic source hidden within the ancient ruins of the ‘Crimson Moon Temple’ by the central lake in the Blonka Forest! (1/1) (Completed)

Thanks to purifying the magic source just now, a completion button had appeared.  

And below it—  

[You have completed the Fifth Main Oracle! Would you like to claim your rewards?]

—Yes  

—No  

The system message from earlier was flashing with these options.  

Without hesitation, I tapped ‘Yes’.  

[Oracle Completion Rewards] 

—Karma +200 points  

—2 Superior Healing Potions  

—A Useful Random Box  

—Fragment of a Lost Memory  

—’White Moon’ Shop Voucher (3 uses)  

Fragment of a Lost Memory? Useful Random Box? Shop Voucher?

Just by the names, I couldn’t tell what any of these were.  

To be honest, I had been hoping for a flashy weapon item, so the list was deeply disappointing.  

Among all the rewards, the one that irked me the most was the ‘Useful Random Box’. 

A random box—an item that gives you gold or equipment ‘at random’ when opened.  

From what I knew, the chances of actually getting something valuable from these in games were abysmally low.  

Clicking my tongue in frustration, I reluctantly took out one of the superior potions and drank it.

‘Sigh… I feel alive again.’  

The pain that had been making me scream finally subsided.  

I considered storing the remaining potion in my inventory along with the other items but decided against it.  

Instead, I held it in my hand and made my way back to the chapel.  

“Rubin, if you’re hurt anywhere—”  

I was about to tell him to drink the potion if he was injured.  

However, the sight of Rubin lying limp, as if lifeless, caused the words to die in my throat.  

Thud.  

The sound of the potion bottle slipping from my hand and rolling on the floor echoed hollowly in the quiet space.  

 

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The group, which had split up to search the upper levels, reconvened.  

As he returned a shield to Argelio, Nikellus listened to his report: there was nothing of note elsewhere.  

There had been traps scattered around, but no other items were found.  

While the others returned empty-handed, Nikellus brought back a golden statue that was clearly of immense value at first glance.  

Luciana expected him to be more enthusiastic given the find, but he simply pointed toward the exit with an indifferent expression.  

“Shall we leave now?”  

“Your Holiness, are you injured? You seem…”  

You seem melancholic. 

Sensing his mood, Luciana voiced her concern.  

Nikellus shook his head.  

“No. I’m just tired. There was a lot to deal with.”  

At that moment, he finally revealed what he had been cradling in his arms since earlier.  

It was something carefully wrapped in his white coat.  

Curious about its identity, the group watched as Nikellus slowly unwrapped the cloth.  

“Oh no…”  

Luciana let out a sigh filled with pity.  

What had been wrapped in his coat was none other than the guide of this temple.  

The lively red creature that had chatted so much earlier now lay motionless, limp as if it had entered eternal rest after completing its long duty.  

Breaking the heavy silence, Argelio cautiously asked,  

“This creature… Isn’t it the guiding spirit of this place?”  

“When I purified the golden statue earlier, Rubin helped me. This seems to be the result of that effort.”  

Seeing the somber faces of his companions, Nikellus forced a faint, bittersweet smile.  

“I’ll stay behind to bury him nearby. You all can head back first. It won’t be dangerous even if I go alone—I know how to take care of myself.”  

After some hesitation, Luciana finally nodded.  

Though Nikellus didn’t show it often, she knew how much he cared for animals.  

When his pet cat died during his childhood, he refused to eat and spent the entire day crying in his room.  

Even though he hadn’t known Rubin for long, the fact that he had planned to take the creature with him suggested that he had grown attached.  

“Then we’ll head back first. Please give him a proper burial… but try not to be too late returning.”  

“Okay.”  

Understanding his feelings, Luciana turned to leave. 

Yet, as she walked away, a question suddenly surfaced in her mind:  

‘Why isn’t he taking Rubin to the cathedral for a proper cremation?  

‘He always used to say that animals deserved funerals as grand as those for humans.’  

She thought about asking but decided against it. 

Nikellus likely had enough on his mind already, and she couldn’t bring herself to press him further.  

After watching Luciana and the others leave, Nikellus stood still for a while, lost in thought.

Then, he slowly began to walk.  

By the time he stepped outside the ruins, the sky was painted with the hues of dusk.  

Nikellus wandered around the Crimson Moon Temple, the warm orange glow of the sunset casting a melancholic aura over the area.  

Eventually, he stopped at a spot.  

It was the perfect location—bathed in sunlight, yet shaded by a large tree that provided a cool, peaceful ambiance.  

“What do you think, Rubin? This spot looks pretty good. Should I bury you here?”  

Nikellus murmured softly.  

If no one had been around, his words might have been scattered into the wind as a mere monologue. 

But then—  

“Yes. It looks great.”  

A bright light radiated from the bracelet on Nikellus’s wrist, and from it, a white creature suddenly emerged, answering his question.  

Rubin, who had lost his old, worn-out body, now stood before him with a new form—a pristine, radiant spirit.  

About 40 minutes earlier, Rubin, who had absorbed the magic core, succumbed to the shock and ceased functioning.  

When Nikellus realized what had happened, he tried to heal Rubin with a high-grade potion, but—  

[This target cannot be healed with a potion. If you wish to repair this target, please visit the nearest ‘Polydroid Repair Center.’]

…a system message informed him otherwise.  

Being a Polydroid, it seemed Rubin was immune to the effects of potions. 

Instead, the system suggested visiting a Polydroid Repair Center. 

However, there was no way such an ancient facility still existed in the modern era.  

‘This can’t be… This is just too cruel.’  

Though he knew there were no other options, Nikellus couldn’t bring himself to let Rubin go. 

Holding the lifeless Rubin in his arms, he couldn’t help but think.  

How unbearably lonely must it have been, guarding the temple for such an impossibly long time?  

Though he was a Polydroid, his complex neural circuits made him capable of emotions nearly indistinguishable from a human’s, loneliness included.  

To endure all that time, only to sacrifice himself for a visitor he’d met for a single day—  

To face such an end after waiting so desperately for so long…  

Grinding his teeth, Nikellus opened his inventory.  

‘There has to be a way.’  

The first item he pulled out was a scroll containing a spell for repairing items. 

He tried using it on Rubin, but it had no effect.  

Next, he retrieved one of the mysterious items he had received as a reward for completing the oracle—the ‘Fragment of Lost Memory.’

The item appeared to restore erased memories. 

As he used it, fragments of Nikellus’s original self’s memories began to resurface. 

Yet, it offered no solution to saving Rubin.  

He used items, cast skills, and tried every possible method he could think of, but nothing worked.  

Was there truly no way?  

Despair was beginning to take hold when suddenly, an overlooked item caught his eye. 

[Useful Random Box]

—A random box that produces one item you immediately need.  

The ‘Useful Random Box.’ 

It was one of the items he had received as a reward for completing the oracle.  

At the time, he had dismissed it as likely containing junk and tossed it into his inventory without much thought.  

‘Something useful, huh?’

Clinging to the slimmest hope, he opened the box.  

[The Random Box has been opened!]  

[You have obtained the latest model Polydroid device! (Mammalian type, memory card not included.)]

[You have obtained the accessory ‘Polydroid Storage Bracelet’!]

[You have obtained the accessory ‘Polydroid User Manual’!]

[You have obtained the accessory ‘Spare Polydroid Tail Fur’!]

Incredibly, the box contained an item he could actually use: a brand-new Polydroid device that could serve as Rubin’s new body.  

Following the instructions in the manual included in the box, Nikellus carefully removed the memory card from Rubin’s old body. 

That tiny chip, containing all of Rubin’s memories and data, was inserted into the new device. 

[Synchronizing…]

A message appeared on the screen, and five minutes later, Rubin’s eyes sprang open in his new body.  

“Nikellus…?” 

Rubin called out, remembering the name of his last visitor.  

And now, back in the present.  

Rubin, now housed in a sleek, white body instead of his old, worn red one, flew excitedly around Nikellus, his expression brimming with joy.  

Though it was clear Rubin was satisfied, Nikellus still asked, 

“Do you like your new body?”

“I love it! It’s so much lighter than my old one! It even has nine detachable tails, and they’re easy to clean! Plus, I can hover in complete silence now!”

“Really?”

“The best part is I can rest inside your bracelet when I’m tired and only come out when you summon me!”  

Since Polydroids were ancient technology, Rubin’s new body was still incredibly old by modern standards. 

Even so, it was the most advanced model of its kind, offering noticeable performance upgrades.  

Nikellus smiled warmly, pleased with the outcome, and turned his gaze to Rubin’s old, worn body.  

“I guess I’ll have to dig a pretty deep hole to bury this thing.”

“It’s fine. If I dig, it’ll be done in no time.”  

Excited, Rubin landed on the ground.  

Moments later, the soft, paw-like pads on Rubin’s front feet gave way with a sharp ‘snap!’ as sturdy claws extended outward. 

Lowering himself like a dog burying a bone, Rubin furiously raked the ground with those claws.  

In mere moments, a deep pit large enough to bury the old device had formed with a whoosh, whoosh of flying dirt.  

Nikellus carefully laid the worn-out device in the hole as though it were merely sleeping. 

Following Rubin’s wishes, he gently mounded the earth into a small grave.  

“All done.”  

“Wait, I want to say a prayer first.”  

Rubin stepped forward, standing solemnly in front of the little grave.  

With his eyes closed and head bowed, he looked so reverent that Nikellus remained silent, respecting the moment.  

After Rubin opened his eyes again, Nikellus asked softly, 

“Are you done? What did you pray for?”  

“I apologized to the gods for failing to protect the temple to the end. It feels shameless to ask for anything after that, but… I still prayed not to be left alone anymore.”  

Rubin added with quiet determination, 

“I don’t mind walking through thorny paths or forests full of monsters. I just don’t want to walk anywhere alone.”

Nikellus listened silently, then ruffled Rubin’s soft head affectionately.  

“I’ll make sure I live at least one day longer than you, so you’ll never have to be left alone.”  

“Really?”  

“Really. And you’re not shameless at all. You worked at that temple for free for ages. Asking for something this small is completely fair.”  

Rubin nestled deeper into Nikellus’s hand, savoring the touch. 

Like a pleased cat, he let out a soft purring sound.  

After a moment, Rubin opened his folded eyes slightly, gazing at Nikellus.  

“So, I’m going to your house now, right? That cathedral, or whatever it’s called?”  

“No, not yet. First, we’re stopping by Filma Manor. It’s on the way.”  

“Filma Manor? Are you friends with the count?”  

“Not exactly. I, uh… half-destroyed his manor before, and—”  

Nikellus hesitated, unsure how to phrase his explanation.  

Originally, he’d intended to visit the count to deliver compensation for the damages. 

But after completing the fifth oracle and using the ‘Fragment of Lost Memories’, things had changed.  

That item had restored some of the memories of the ‘original’ Nikellus, memories that had been lost during the possession. 

Among them was the real reason the original Nikellus had caused havoc at Filma Manor.  

Now that he knew the full truth behind the incident…  

“The count is a very, very bad guy. I’m going back to finish what I started and destroy the rest of his mansion.”