Chapter 211

Evan D. Sherden, a decision to make. (5)

The first thing Evan did after accepting the quest was to give instructions to Shine.

"Shine, bring Princess Anastasia here."

When Shine was startled and asked why, Evan briefly explained while glancing at him with a pathetic expression.

"They won't be convinced by mere words. So what do I do to make them behave now, huh?"

"Violence?"

"It won't quiet them down unless you completely kill them."

"You're speaking such terrifying words as if it was nothing. Anyway, what does this have to do with Asha?"

Shine didn't think it would calm the witches by bringing in one more new witch, so he just tilted his head. Evan sighed.

"Try to remember her abilities."

"Druid...? Oh, that power when you made an agreement with that young master?"

Fortunately, Shine could still think with his own brain.

"Yes, Druid's contract is accompanied by a notarization of nature. Witches who deal with mana will never go against that contract. To get a contract, I'll need some... strength, but I'll handle that."

"Ah..."

Shine had begun to look at Evan as if he was talking to a shitty person.

"What's the difference between forcing someone to sign a contract and violence?"

"It's easier than violence, and it's less bothering. And fewer people will die."

"Well, that was a refreshing answer. Then I'll be heading there right away to prevent any more sacrifices of witches."

Shine took all the speed buffs he could get from Raihan, Belois, and Arisha, and he set off immediately. As soon as he was out of their sight, Arisha bit her lips as if she was angry.

"He's still faster than me."

"But you caught up to him a lot."

"I'm trying. Someday, I'll be faster than him."

"Arisha, you..."

In the past, Arisha hadn't been the type of person to say such strange things. She had changed. Evan stared at her with an emotional expression, and she started to smack Evan's back. To him, however, it felt like a pretty good massage.

The guide, who was staring vaguely at the Knights, had come to his senses and asked Evan a question.

"The Anastasia Princess...... Are you referring to the one of Duke Leonine?"

"I guess you know."

"Yes, she's the ruler of this land. I heard that the daughter took over a small, rugged estate near here."

It seemed that it was not completely isolated from civilization. Looking at the level of information he had, Evan assumed that he never entered that estate. This made Evan smile bitterly.

"She's a druid. She's the key person who can help us solve this situation smoothly."

"There were some witches in the past who were born with the power of druids, so I know the power of their natural contract. But, will those witches accept the contract?"

"If all their remaining means disappear and they had no choice, wouldn't they sign it then?"

"......Huh?"

The guide doubted his ears. But he was soon convinced that his ears weren't wrong because he saw Evan simply laughing quietly.

"So, what are you saying?"

"I've already received the quest, so there is no backing out."

"Go back and wait. If Ctheasil shows any suspicious behavior, then squeeze this. That'll send a signal to me right away. It can even send a simple message too."

"My sister... You won't kill her, will you?"

"I told you I'm not going to kill her."

"I will trust and wait for you. I'm begging you...!"

'Instead, she might experience as much pain as if she were dying.'

Of course, Evan didn't tell him this. Evan laughed at the young man turning away whilst trembling. Then, he suddenly thought of something and stopped him.

"Since I received your request, shouldn't I at least know your name? What should I call you?"

"Ah, ah... I was in a hurry and forgot about that. I'm sorry. I don't really like my name....."

The young man looked back and smiled faintly. His age seemed ambiguous, but when he laughed, even his impression started to look faint. The tasteless and odorless face of the young man left a rather intense impression on Evan.

"My name is...... Default."

The moment Evan heard his name, his actions and thoughts stopped.

"Default sounds like a person who doesn't keep promises. And this guy gave you a quest... Evan?"

"...Say that again. What is your name?"

"I'm Default. I have nothing else other than that. My father was kicked out of the village before I even knew how to speak. It was probably at that moment that my sister decided to leave the village."

"You told me that you guys had different fathers. But why did Ctheasil make up her mind to leave the village then?"

Evan was stuck in the same place as he was stunned, so Serena asked Default a question instead of Evan. Default replied with a slightly embarrassed expression.

"My father is actually my sister's... he is her first love."

"Okay, I would be a little miserable if I had a long first love with my mother. Oh no. I mean, if your father was a servant, then Ctheasil could do anything she wanted with him......"

"My lord, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid to delve deeper than that, so let's stop here."

"Does she stare at you with weird looks sometimes? Does she hold onto you after you've returned from the late-night patrol and say: 'You... you look alike with that person.'"

"Please, stop! Turn off those lights on your twinkling eyes!"

Evan was immersed in deep thoughts alone about the name 'Default', as Raihan desperately tried to stop Serena from taking things too far.

'Since the Yo-Ma Great War Series 3, the characters have no default name set.'

This was the reason Evan couldn't find the protagonist of Yo-Ma Great War Series 3 and 4, no matter how much he tried. The appearance can be customized, and the name could be decided at will, so he would not know what his appearance would be in this world.

That must be the reason why he even thought about whether the main character would stop appearing since the start of the Yo-Ma Great War Series 3. There was a possibility he was overlooking this situation until now.

To be precise, he barely remembered the faint memories that he had forgotten about.

'In Yo-Ma Great War Series 3 and 4, if you don't choose a character name, you can't go to the next step, but I found a bug where some of the players skipped the customizing part, like setting the character name, and started the game right away. Moreover, because of these bugs, there was a message on the bulletin board that the character's appearance and exclusive name were now "Easter egg"...'

The developer's announcement implementing the 'Easter egg' made the bulletin board buzz. But now Evan could remember. The name given to the protagonist when the character naming was skipped due to a bug was...

"Default or Name."

"But how......!? I heard that my mother had a conflict about whether to choose between 'Default' and 'creating a name'."

"I've never heard of such a petty name before."

"I wonder how much she downplayed her own son..."

Because of Default's story, the group of Knights was now half-hearted with sympathy for him. However, Evan wasn't. He had only realized everything now. The scenario development of Yo-Ma Great War Series 5!

"You were the main character...!"

"What, what are you talking about!?"

"How old are you this year?"

"I'm 15 years old."

He was younger than Evan thought! He was just very tall for his age!

However, for Yo-Ma Great War Series 5 to begin, one would have to take into consideration when the Yo-Ma Great War Series 3 and 4 started, so it would take close to M years from now, and if one were to think of it that way, then the protagonist wouldn't really be young.

"I never thought that the Yo-Ma Great War Series 5 would start inside the Witch Village..."

"Ah, I think Master is looking at the future again."

"Shine might be able to interpret this."

"I will try to interpret it, as it looks urgent."

The beginning would be set in a village ruled by the villain who created the Devil Rune, as the villain's brother! Instantly, countless stories popped up and disappeared into Evan's mind. It would be fun, but it was so frustrating that he wouldn't be able to play it yet. And there was one more frustrating thing.

'I thought Evan, who is also the son of a witch, was in some way related to Yo-Ma Great War Series 5. But in the end, the main character was a different guy...!'

Yes. Although Evan pretended that he wasn't expecting this, there were times when he thought that Evan's existence was deeply involved in the Yo-Ma Great War Series 5!

He came to this land with low expectations that it would be an opportunity to abandon an Extra's fate and grow into the leading role!

But, after all, an extra role would always just be an extra role. If the protagonist is from a witch's village, there would be no room for Evan!

"Well, it's okay for now because I can still take part. It doesn't bother me at all."

"Young Master, if you are hurt, I can always lend you my arms."

Belois, who quickly noticed that Evan was in sorrow, had approached him carefully. Arisha held her shoulder.

"Belois, didn't we already agree not to seduce Evan when he's weak?"

"But he didn't get hurt! And he didn't get weak!"

"What's that agreement? I've never heard of this before?"

"I never planned on including you from the beginning, Serena."

"What!?"

While Evan's group of Knights were raging, Default, who had been stuck between them, smiled bitterly and quietly withdrew from the spot with the thought that they could simply solve any problem and give and take jokes as if nothing had happened.

"What? The protagonist disappeared?"

A few minutes later, Evan looked stunned as he realized that Default had disappeared. Arisha frowned and questioned what he said.

"The main character is someone who looks so ordinary?"

"It's because there was no customization done to him, but he's definitely the main character. That is, if I hadn't interfered with the situation."

However, Evan would take root in Yo-Ma Great War Series 5 here, today. That way, Default would no longer be able to play an active part!

Of course, this was all intended to prevent major damage that will happen in the future, and it was not an action that contained the resentment of being an extra role. It was, by no means, a grudge against the protagonist.

"Then, let's prepare for the rest. Everyone, make sure you're ready if the battle happens."

"Do we fight the witches?"

"No, I won't make you fight with people. We will fight the Devil Runes."

At that moment, the members were all in shock, except for Belois, who was nodding as if this was obvious.

"It's because I don't think the experiment subjects will only be in the dungeons."

"Yeah, I don't know if they're being controlled successfully, but there are more Devil Runes that are clearly hidden. If Ctheasil wants to see an end to this situation, I'm sure she won't hesitate to use them as well."

In a way, Evan felt a little sorry for Ctheasil because of what he had planned for her. However, he couldn't just let her just slide away. He spoke in a firm tone.

"You take them down. If the senior and junior groups cooperate, it is possible to deal with, however many there are."

"Commander..."

He was not just saying this. In addition to the high dungeon level and solid skills, Evan believed that this would be a possible feat for the dungeon knight members, who all gained intense practical experience over the past week or more.

Jhin was especially thrilled at Evan's words. Evan, however, thought he could perhaps relax a little more. He was really worried about him.

"And Raihan Hyeong..."

"Yes, Master. I am also ready."

"You might have to face all the witches' attacks. You can't use the Eco Shield."

"I can't?"

"Then, I might die."

Evan took out a brightly shining gold shield from his inventory pocket and handed it to Raihan. Even though it wasn't so heavy, the intensity was pretty serious, and the moment Raihan grabbed it, he realized the shield's power.

"Mas... This mana......! Isn't this an artifact?!"

"It is a shield made by adding several other magic metals to EB metal. Hyeong's physical defense is already at the level of a monster, so I made it to compensate for the lack of magical defense. There is also an attached skill to it. If you activate it, you can cut 90% of all magic damage with a lower level than Hyeong's shield skill. So, remember this well and use it at an important moment. The cooldown time is long, it can only be used once per battle."

And, Evan could bet: none of the witches had a higher level of magic than Raihan's shield technique.

Even if Melonia was 130 years old, Evan was sure she could never penetrate the shield's high magic defense!

"There is nothing other to say than this is excellent. Such wonderful... Thank you, Master!"

"Don't thank him because he's just giving that. He's doing this so he can use you."

As he grunted and turned around, the eyes of the Dungeon Knights were all at Evan. Only Serena was looking at Evan's inventory pocket, and she thought he had artifacts for her as well.

"I will also give one to you guys as soon as this is completed, so wait. Now that Ella has been added and the production system has been perfected, everyone will be able to get one before they turn fifteen."

"Would you like to give it to me at our engagement ceremony?"

"I have no intention of bringing such a big gift to someone else's engagement ceremony."

"So, this is how you're going to play it off again and again?"

Evan pulled Serena off of him because she was constantly trying to cling to him. He then declared for the members to rest.

However, before the group could get enough rest, and of course, even before Shine brought Anastasia back, an emergency call came from Default.