Bro, I'm not an Undead!

“<Hic>, <Hic>… I know what he did was wrong but… he did what he could to redeem himself! Even I… even I see it in his eyes… the guilt… the pain… please! Please save help me save him!”

The Priestesses looked at each other with mixed emotions. The girl who was curled up into a ball while pulling on the robes of one of them here..

They couldn’t decide what to do with her.

One of them tried to comfort the poor girl.

The story sounded convincing but even while these women were trained to be kind and gentle, they weren’t fools. If it was that easy to pull at their heart strings, they’d be losing Temple resources every other day which was why there was a strict selection for their occupation.

Emotional bias couldn’t be included when the Purity’s treasures were the object of focus.

“There, there sister…” one of the Priestesses said as she lifted up Yuyui who had tears gushing out of her eyes endlessly.

The lime haired girl sniffled excessively and on her expression, there was a genuine showing of grief and desperation that gave a 99% level of authenticity.

“Sister… we have heard your pleas,” another of the Priestesses said. “I can tell you this. My impression of your brother has changed a bit from your story. If having you taken by the cultists and them locking you up for that long was another way they chose to make your brother suffer then… indeed, he has suffered a great deal. And yes, the lengths he went to rescue you from that dark place…it… it warrants forgiveness at least.”

The Priestess couldn’t help but believe this story a bit more as she recited it, trying to make Yuyui feel better.

The story that this lime haired girl had been told to tell by Skullius was just a watered down version of her real story in the Temple of Unlusted Tears but pitted with add-ons of Evenfall Cultists as her captors, their objective being to punish Skullius for leaving his ‘job’ – bringing them innocents to sacrifice.

This was easy for Yuyui to sell.

Gathering up heaps of self-pity from this to make herself cry was child’s play.

Just thinking about the century and more that she spent eating a whole tree and drinking a whole lake made her ball out realistically.

From there, Yuyui just had to retell a more heroic tale of how her ‘brother’ came to rescue her, getting mortally wounded as he battled against the evil cultists for her sake.

This seemed to work ever so slightly.

“Will you… <sniff>… help me then? The curse upon him can claim him at any time. Despite how strong he is… he won’t last much longer,” Yuyui asked. “He’s even bedridden at this moment.”

The final nail to the coffin was to encourage urgency.

Yuyui had told the Priestesses that Skullius’ curse would claim him soon and if he died from it, then she would be all sappy… which was correct.

“Fine,” another one of the Priestesses with a strict demeanour said. “The Grand Priest will be the one to decide your brother’s fate, however. All we can do is allow you an audience with him.”

Yuyui sniffled once more.

“Alright,” she said as she sat on the chair.

The Priestesses had taken Yuyui to a separate room when she had begun crying. It was one of the many small spaces in the Temple designated for unexpected situations with congregants or for personal encounters with anyone from the Temple.

“It may take you some time though. The Grand Priest is busy right now and may only attend to you at nightfall. Are you still willing to wait?” another of the three Priestesses with Yuyui asked with an unsure gaze.

“I am willing.”

That was easy.

Skullius could only use whatever item she was given here at night anyway.

With that, the Priestesses offered Yuyui some food and refreshments before leaving. They told her that she was free to go out and explore the areas close to this room but she was forbidden from going anywhere else without being escorted.

Yuyui nodded.

She didn’t plan to go out anyway. Anything that could jeopardise the mission was immensely undesirable.

When she was left alone, she wiped away her tears and puckered her lips.

“I hope this works,” she said before, with mild difficulty, she opened her status in the guidance field.

Unlike Skullius who had VOW to show him the ropes, Yuyui and Kenno didn’t have such a luxury. Skullius knew they’d figure it out eventually though. It wasn’t that hard. You pretty much just had to see the guidance field as part of you to manipulate it effortlessly. Considering it as a separate entity would only cause you problems.

Yuyui looked at her stats and contemplated.

~~~

Name : Yuyui Yuyui Yuyui ]

[ Level : 6 ]

[ EXP : 200/200 ; <Task Pending> ]

[ Class : Pinnacle Occuluthon ]

[ Race : Human ]

[ Inv. Status : Mildly Nervous ]

——-

[ Stats ]

[ STRENGTH (I) : 210 ]

[ AGILITY (I) : 135 ]

[ INTELLIGENCE (I) : 267 ]

[ ENDURANCE (I) : 156 ]

[ LUCK : 44 ]

—–

[ HEALTH : — ]

—–

[ MANA (I) : 366/366 ]

——

[ Skills ]

[ Ballading | Lv.124 ]

[ Greater Voice | Lv.98 ]

[ Broken Mind (Special) | Lv. 40 ]

[ Greatest Soft Tune | Lv. 150 ]

[ Greatest Music Tool Art | Lv. 11 ]

[<Class>]

[ Body configuration (Special) | Lv.4 ]

[ Inhumane Eye ]

[ Eye of Dispersal ]

[<Oddities>]

[ Inhumane Eye ]

[ Eye of Dispersal ]

[<Affinities>]

[ None ]

~~~

Seeing this felt surreal.

Everything she currently had was well presented before her sight clearly, removing the need to keep fussing about it and having to guess.

What was most concerning for Yuyui however, was her Task.

~~~

EXP : 200/200

Sixth Task : Sing a life-changing ballad

~~~

“I don’t have a problem with singing but… how am I going to get stronger if all my tasks don’t have anything to do with what I need right now?” Yuyui asked herself.

Her love for music and the arts had not waned one bit even after centuries but now with her new class and her resolve to fight with her master, she felt conflicted.

She had expected her Tasks to change, becoming more suited to what she needed to become a true Pinnacle Occuluthon but they remained the same.

What did this mean?

Was she really destined to be a simple bard Skullius kept on his adventure, doing menial tasks and whatnot with the occasional need for her special eyes?

How would she grow then?

She just couldn’t see it.

She didn’t want Skullius to know this either.

She said it was fine but she hadn’t been making progress with Bassbion at all.

All she did day in, day out was to get smacked around by the Spirit Guardian who refused to train her.

She would always say the same thing.

‘If you want me to train you, take just one of my hits without flying off like a shooting star, you poser!’

Sigh.

‘At least if I can accomplish this silly job…’ Yuyui thought as she looked out the window.

From the distance she saw children playing in a sparsely populated street.

The freedom, the smiles, the innocence.

She had been like that once.

She had sought only the brighter things in life, yet sadly…

‘I still can’t remember it well. Should I have Ferex… look into my soul?’ she thought.

She seemed to be the only one concerned with her past as Skullius didn’t seem too interested in it, which wasn’t a problem of course.

‘Yea. I think I should.’

Yuyui leaned against the window.

This room was on the second floor which made the view quite exquisite. For a simple person like Yuyui, killing time by watching happy little faces playing all day was bliss and before she knew it several hours passed with her not shifting much from her position.

Soon, the door opened and a Priestess walked in.

Yuyui hurriedly rushed up to her and eagerly awaited what the verdict was for her performance.

The Priestess looked deep in her eyes and…

“Sadly, the Grand Priest is quite busy and will not be able to tend to you today. Please let me escort you out.”

…!

It was as if something in Yuyui shattered.

The Grand Priest was too busy?

Bullshit!

All he had to do was give them what they needed and they would return it promptly!

If that was hard they could just send someone with them, right?

That was Yuyui’s reasoning.

Then why…?!

“Please…” Yuyui begged, this time, a hunching dread filling her heart. It was real and genuine for the current time.

“I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can do. You can come again tomorrow and attempt to wait,” the Priestess said as she motioned for Yuyui to follow her back outside.

The lime haired girl huffed and clenched her fist.

This wasn’t right.

She got the feeling that even if she came tomorrow, things wouldn’t change.

No wonder Skullius had said eventually. He knew these people probably wanted him to suffer but… they didn’t get it!

This wasn’t the time!

Yuyui nearly buckled.

If she failed at this.

At something like this…

No!

Yuyui suddenly dashed out of the room!

“Hey, miss!” the Priestess she had just left behind called as she followed after her but could in no way compete with Yuyui who had a headstart and a vibrant blue core!

Because Yuyui had seen the way she and those Priestesses had come – going around the Temple and entering it from a door to the right that led to the rooms away from the main hall – Yuyui easily found her way.

She dashed into the hall where many people were getting up from their seats on the benches and moving out, her eyes zipping this way and that.

Surely, if everyone was just now leaving, the Grand Priest must still be close!

Yuyui rushed up to a young man who was getting ready to leave and hurriedly asked.

“Excuse me, where did the Grand Priest go? He was the one addressing everyone, right?”

The young man turned to Yuyui curiously.

“Who else would speak to us? Haha. You weren’t here for the service, were you? Maybe you’re new to the faith. It’s actually a pleasure to meet—”

“Please stop!” Yuyui said while withholding ‘bad words’ from leaking from her mouth and wearing an awkward smile. “Where did he go?”

The young man jerked back a little from her exclamation before pointing in the direction of a door way beyond a well decorated stage. Yuyui saw and immediately rushed to it but…

“Stop right there! Meell, stop that woman! She’s after the Grand Priest!” the Priestess from before yelled, attracting the attention of the Priest she had just called and many of her peers.

The eyes of the followers, Priest and Priestess alike were ignited with a dangerous glint as they all turned to Yuyui, their bodies thereafter speeding towards her!

“Ah!” Yuyui yelped.

That was scary!

Were these the same people who had been showing kindness earlier?

Really?

The lime haired girl sped faster, nearing the door before any of her pursuers were even a five meter distance close to her!

She was so close.

Maybe if she could talk some sense into the Grand Priest, he would listen.

Surely he must feel some level of pity if she put her heart into this!

Soft words won hard hearts after all.

Yuyui stretched her hand.

She was just a meter and some away from the doorknob to the place she needed to get to.

She was just a little bit shy when…

A glowing rope whipped towards her from a distance and wrapped around her wrist before pulling her back!

“Argh!”

Another one swam through the air quickly and with a crisp slap tightened around her leg and jerked her back, causing the poor girl to slam hard on the floor!

Yuyui gnashed her teeth!

An astonishing energy was imbued into this rope!

Wait!

It wasn’t even a rope to begin with!

It was Divine energy, Primus energy tangled up to form a rope!

The Priests were using the Divine energy provided by their class to construct ropes that bound Yuyui!

Unfortunately for them, this girl was stubborn!

Her fighting spirit had been awakened a while ago and it kept growing!

From Yuyui’s forehead, a dark eye with an ice blue iris emerged, only for a brief moment.

As it did, its gaze fell on ropes binding her and…

SNAP!

They all broke off from her before disappearing into spots of light that wrestled against space!

…!

“No way!”

“What the hell?!”

“How…?!”

The moment the ropes disappeared, Yuyui rose, turned to the group that had caught up and was weaving more of the Primus energy into different form for another method to restrain her and…

A dagger appeared in her hands and she pointed it at her neck with a determined gaze, a fire burning in her eyes.

…!

The Priests and Priestesses immediately stopped, their intent to capture the girl momentarily halted.

“If you don’t let me see the Grand Priest, I’ll kill myself right now!” Yuyui said as she went on to plunge the tip of the blade in her neck!