“Eternal Statue Method.”
It is, along with the “Infinite Corridor Seal Method,” a famous method for eliminating NPCs in “Nekoneko.”
In truth, I didn’t believe that simply deleting the “Eye of Heaven” would be enough to completely shake off Layla.
Well, I hoped it would, but when I decided to visit the Arken Family, I can’t deny that another objective besides deleting the “Eye of Heaven” flickered in my mind.
That other objective was none other than to obtain the ultimate anti-NPC weapon, the “Ring of Immortality.”
“Nekoneko,” which dedicates all its efforts to troubling Players, naturally has a wide variety of status ailments.
“Weakness,” which halves your stats, “Shadow Bind,” which prevents movement, and “Restraint,” which prevents all actions except movement.
There are also various other status ailments familiar in RPGs, such as poison, paralysis, sleep, and confusion, but all of these wear off over time.
Even petrification, said to be the hardest to cure, will almost certainly heal naturally if left for ten to twenty minutes.
Status ailments never have a permanent effect.
However, there are exceptions.
The “Ring of Immortality” that I obtained from the Arken Family.
While wearing this ring, status ailments do not heal.
In other words, if you can make the opponent wear the “Ring of Immortality,” you can turn status ailments into permanent effects.
Of course, you cannot equip monsters or hostile NPCs with equipment, so the applicable targets are limited. However, this combo of the “Ring of Immortality” + status ailment is extremely powerful.
With the “Ring of Immortality,” it doesn’t matter even if it’s a character with high abnormal status resistance like Mitsuki.
Abnormalities pass with 100% certainty, so for example, you can instantly eliminate a character by simply throwing paralysis and poison potions, which can be easily obtained from Ramur.
However, if you kill an opponent in that way, the “Ring of Immortality” also disappears with the death of the character, and there’s a possibility of various disadvantages occurring when an NPC dies.
Therefore, the “Eternal Statue Method,” which deprives the character of their freedom solely through the status ailment of petrification, gained popularity.
If petrification isn’t available, it can be substituted with sleep or paralysis, but the basic principle of this technique is to make the opponent who has been made to wear the “Ring of Immortality” permanently unable to act and then leave them somewhere.
This way, it doesn’t hurt as much as killing them, and there’s the advantage that the “Ring of Immortality” isn’t disposable because cursed equipment can be removed at a church.
“If I were to use it, it would probably be petrification.”
If I used paralysis or sleep and they died of starvation without me realizing it, that wouldn’t be funny.
There’s also the option of using restraint to limit only their actions, but with their consciousness intact, it would likely be even more painful, and it’s unclear if that would prevent the “To the Disloyal, Death!!” curse.
With petrification, there’s no such worry, and I’ve already raised my Earth attribute proficiency with Torch Sisyo, so I can use petrification magic immediately.
I can, but, however…
“—Excuse me, Soma-san.”
Hearing the voice from behind, I instinctively hid the hand holding the ring behind my back.
“Ena? What’s wrong?”
While putting the ring away behind my back, I put on a smile and asked, but Ena shook her head with a troubled expression.
“Oh, I’m sorry for interrupting your thoughts. I don’t really have any business with you.
I was just a little worried about you, Soma…”
Somehow, I felt relieved.
It seemed she had come to check on me, thinking I might be depressed.
“I see, thank you. But I’m alright. …How is everyone?”
When I asked, Ena shook her head again.
“…Nothing. Everyone seems to not know what to do.”
Ena’s face was also gloomy as she spoke.
Perhaps the situation is more serious than I’m thinking.
It’s a bit late now, but I shouldn’t have been getting excited about whether or not the Deathbringer could be duplicated.
…Actually, frankly, I don’t even know if they’ll have a selling price, and their performance is mediocre now.
There isn’t much benefit to increasing them, but the romance of the word “infinite duplication” is a sad fate of a gamer.
“Um, Soma-san.”
Perhaps my silence made her uneasy, Ena took a step closer to me.
Ena’s teary eyes approached me.
“…It’s alright, isn’t it?”
Vague, pleading words.
Sensing Ena’s anxiety, I smiled to appear as reassuring as possible.
“Of course. I’ve overcome countless hardships like this, and I have a few ideas.”
“Really!?”
…It was a lie.
Not quite a “few.”
Still, I answered casually so as not to make Ena more anxious.
“Yeah. Depending on how the ‘To the Disloyal, Death!!’ curse works on a systematic level, the countermeasure will change, but it can be handled.
Even if I can’t think of a good solution right away, if I use the ‘Eternal Statue Method’ for now…”
After saying it, I regretted my slip of the tongue, but it was a little too late.
Even though I have no memory of that time, I shouldn’t have said that to Ena, who had been turned into something like a statue by the Demon Lord’s Curse.
“Eternal, Statue…?”
A small word slipped from Ena’s lips.
I wish she had just ignored it, but it seems I made her consciously aware of it.
“So, shall we head back soon?
Everyone must be getting bored.”
Hurriedly pushing Ena’s shoulder, I tried to return to the room.
“W-wait. That thing you were saying earlier…”
“Come on, let’s go!”
While pushing Ena, who was still concerned about my previous words, I thought.
Certainly, if I use the “Eternal Statue Method,” all problems will be solved.
—But then, what’s the difference between that and the Demon King’s Blessing that robbed Ena of her freedom?
Hiding my uneasy feelings, I returned to the room where everyone, including Layla, was waiting.
As I entered the room, thinking about what to try next, I stopped in my tracks at the strange atmosphere.
I couldn’t help but frown when Layla, with a determined expression, walked up to me.
She pursed her lips tightly, then opened her mouth.
“Um, Soma. I’m leaving from here after all.”
Her words stunned me.
I never thought she, who was even called a Death Stalker, would say she was leaving me of her own will.
I hastily replied.
“W-wait! You went through all that trouble to come see me, right?
And now you’re just going to leave so easily…”
“It’s not easy at all.”
With a distorted face, as if holding back tears, Layla gave a pained smile.
“I heard from Mitsuki-san. She said that if my knife hits you, you might die.
…I, I like you. More than anything in the world.
That’s why I can’t bear the thought that you might die.
I hate not being able to be by your side, but if it means you’ll be in danger, then that’s even worse.”
As I couldn’t reply properly, Layla continued to speak with a sad smile.
“I’ve never once wanted to kill you.
But, but when I see you getting along with someone else, my mind goes completely blank.
Then, my body moves on its own… I just can’t stop it.
Even though I scream in my heart to stop, I just can’t…”
“Layla…”
That’s the power of an event.
Although I knew it wasn’t Layla’s fault, I had no way to tell her that.
And at that moment, I finally understood.
She was no longer the game’s Layla, the Death Stalker.
She had become a different person, with a different personality.
With tears welling up in her eyes, she continued to blame herself.
“I-I didn’t know I was this kind of person.
I’m sorry. Truly, I’m sorry, Soma.
But I’ll never see you again, so…”
“—That’s not enough.”
Mitsuki’s voice, carrying a chilling presence, cut off Layla’s pained words.
“Not… enough…?”
Layla turned around with a frightened look, and Mitsuki coldly stated.
“Even if you are far away, nothing will be resolved if your feelings don’t change.
Can you guarantee that you won’t remember us while you’re away, and that you won’t be driven by jealousy even once?”
“That, is…”
That’s right.
If Layla feels jealous, she will activate “To the Disloyal, Death!!”.
If she stays away from me, the frequency might decrease, but if the timing and subsequent actions are unpredictable, it might be even more troublesome.
“I, I… Then, if that’s the case…”
A dull light appeared in Layla’s wavering eyes.
Her gaze drifted to the Deathbringer sheathed at her waist.
Layla’s hand weakly reached for the knife.
(Is she going to commit suicide!?)
I rushed to stop her, but before I could, Mitsuki’s words struck Layla.
“Oh? You choose suicide? However, don’t you think it will cause trouble for him if you die now?
The townspeople will suspect a connection between your death and him, and he will feel responsible for your death.
Choosing death there is a completely selfish choice.”
Mitsuki’s words, spoken as if amused, precisely pinned Layla’s actions.
Ultimately, those words were the final blow.
“Th-that… Then what, what should I do…”
Layla, having lost all hope, sank to her knees.
“Mitsuki!”
I instinctively leaned towards Mitsuki, and she wryly tilted her cat ears to the side.
Then, in a voice barely audible to me, she whispered.
“The stage is set. Now, she will surely agree to any unreasonable proposal you make.”
I widened my eyes at her unexpected words.
To my questioning gaze, Mitsuki replied with a blank expression that could be interpreted as either kind or cold.
“You have some plan, don’t you? You had that kind of look on your face when you entered the room.”
“Mitsuki, you…”
Did she deliberately corner Layla for my sake?
But that didn’t fit with Mitsuki’s image as a person of justice.
Mitsuki slightly averted her gaze from my questioning eyes.
“I always lecture you on reason in a condescending way… but I absolutely do not want to lose you.
For that, I wouldn’t hesitate to get my hands dirty.”
While I was stunned by her further words, Mitsuki quickly turned away.
“…We’ll be leaving then.”
Then, grabbing Bear by the scruff of his neck, who had been looking at us with a grin, she left the room with resolute steps.
“…Let’s go.”
“Eh, uh…”
After that, Ringo also left the room, taking a bewildered Ena with her.
And so, only I and Layla, sitting on the floor, remained in the room.
(…I have no choice but to do it.)
At this point, I finally made up my mind.
After all, I couldn’t maintain the status quo forever, and right now, I had no other good ideas.
In that case, I’ll just have to move forward.
“…Layla.”
I squatted down, trying to meet Layla’s gaze as she sat on the floor.
Then, I chose my words carefully, trying to make them sound as gentle as possible.
“Actually, just now, I thought of one way Layla might be able to stay in this house.
It will make Layla feel a little cramped, but if it works, I don’t think Layla will try to kill me anymore.”
I spoke with a tiny lie.
But Layla, especially the current Layla, probably wouldn’t understand that.
As expected, Layla, who found hope in my words, looked up pleadingly.
“R-really?”
“…Yeah.”
There was still a slight hesitation in my nod to her hoarse voice.
However, I outwardly maintained a calm demeanor, nodded, and looked at Layla as if to ask what she would do.
“I-I’ll do it! Let me! W-what do I need to do?”
Layla latched onto my words with heartbreaking speed.
Feeling a slight pang in my chest at that fact, I maintained my composure and explained.
“It’s simple. You just need to wear something on your finger.”
With that, I took out “that something” from my bag.
“That…?”
With its black, sinister design, she probably felt uneasy.
Layla seemed to flinch for a moment.
But before I could offer any comforting words, she looked back at me with eyes filled with strong resolve.
Her gaze, stronger than I had imagined, almost made me flinch.
“…Extend your left hand.”
Giving in, I averted my eyes and curtly demanded.
“Yes.”
Layla obediently extended her hand.
It was a slimmer, more delicate hand than I had imagined.
With my slightly trembling hand, I took hers and…
“—You don’t doubt it?”
Unconsciously, such words escaped my lips.
“…Huh?”
To Layla, who looked as if she didn’t understand what I said, my irritation grew, though I knew it was unreasonable.
“I’ve lied to you once before.
Don’t you think it’s strange to suddenly tell you to put this on for no reason?”
Even as I continued speaking, Layla still looked bewildered, but then she let out a small chuckle.
“—It doesn’t matter. If it makes you happy, then that’s my happiness.”
A shiver, the first in a long time, ran down my spine.
In other words, Layla is saying that even if she’s deceived, she’s fine with it as long as it makes me happy.
For some reason, that scared me, so I deliberately used exaggerated words.
“…Even if I told you this is a cursed ring of darkness that will torment you forever, you’d still wear it?”
“Yes.”
Even so, Layla nodded without hesitation.
Moreover, she even pushed out her extended left hand as if to urge me on.
(I see…)
Layla, the one called the Death Stalker, is no longer here.
But Layla still possesses the same passion and harbors it within her.
And all this is because I adopted that strategy for my own safety…
“—Don’t make that face.”
Suddenly, Layla’s hand reached out and enveloped mine.
“You saved me, who was supposed to live alone forever.
Just that made me happy.”
“That, kind of…”
As I was about to reply, I remembered the knight who approached Layla at Maki’s command and was ignored.
It might be true that only I, with my knowledge of the game and its modifiers, could connect with her when her heart was closed off.
…I saved her.
As a result, my actions could be described as such, couldn’t they?
“B-but, I approached you to obtain the grimoire from the ruins…”
“But when I heard that, it was the first time I felt needed and was happy.
When you saved me in the depths of the ruins, my heart pounded, and it was the first time since my father that someone was interested in the ruins, and it was so much fun.”
Layla then gave a beautiful, truly beautiful smile and said,
“There’s nothing for you to worry about. So… will you?”
Her hand left mine once and was again extended before me.
“Layla…”
How could I repay this feeling, this resolve?
I still only knew of one method.
“I’m going to put it on, okay?”
My mind was completely made up.
Still, I declared briefly, chided my trembling fingers, and pushed forward.
“…Ah.”
A sound escaped from Layla’s lips.
And then, the black ring, with its rugged design that ill-suited Layla, was forced onto her left hand…
“—NOOOOOOOOOO!!”
At that moment, the door burst open from the outside, and something shot in like a bullet.
“Wha! Don’t do that—”
I didn’t even have time to say anything.
That brown bullet sent me flying, and with momentum, I was knocked to the ground.
“No! Soma-san! You absolutely can’t do that!”
“Hey, Ena! Why the sudden…”
Ena, the brown bullet clinging to me, pinned my shoulders with strong force and cried out, her eyes welling up.
“I remembered Bear-san and realized what Soma-san was talking about with the ‘Eternal Statue Method’!”
“That, is…”
I averted my gaze from my guilt.
Regret flooded me, thinking I shouldn’t have told Ena.
“You can’t do that! Soma-san, you’ll definitely regret it!
It’s too early to decide! I, and everyone, will do anything if we can!
So, so just a little more…”
Just as Ena said that.
“—Run.”
From above Ena, from beyond her body, a small voice was heard.
“Layla?”
“Layla-san?”
We both looked up simultaneously.
There stood Layla, about to draw her knife.
(Damn it! This posture!!)
The sight of us two lying on the ground would be enough to incite Layla’s jealousy.
And with this posture…
“Run, Ena!”
“Soma-san!”
Seeing that the knife was finally drawn, I and Ena moved at the same time.
I reflexively tried to push Ena out of the way, while Ena tried to cover me, and our movements collided.
“Kya!”
The collision was momentary, and in the end, I, with my stronger force, won.
However, due to Ena’s resistance, her retreat was delayed by a tiny bit.
“—!”
The Deathbringer’s blow, delivered with ruthless speed, sliced through the sleeve of Ena’s clothes and approached me.
I watched it unfold as if in slow motion.
“…Ah.”
In the final moment, I think a flaccid sigh escaped my lips.
When I came to my senses, the blade was already before my eyes, and I could no longer evade or defend…
“—SOMA-SAN!!!!”
Ena’s ear-splitting scream.
But at that moment, Layla’s knife mercilessly struck my exposed hand—
“—Haa. I was really scared!”
—Confirming that the instant-death effect didn’t activate, I let out a deep sigh.
This time, I really thought I was going to die.
I had noticed that the Deathbringer had cut through Ena’s clothes, and thought it might work, but honestly, the success rate of this countermeasure was about fifty-fifty.
I can only say I was truly lucky this time.
“Huh? Soma-san? Huh, huh?”
Ena let out a puzzled sound.
She was happy that I was safe, but she didn’t understand why it happened.
She had that kind of expression.
As usual, I sighed at her familiar demeanor.
I slowly, as if breaking it down, explained.
“Weapons cannot be equipped on the same hand twice due to the system.”
“Eh? What are you talking about?”
Sighing again at Ena’s lack of comprehension.
“Ena. Calm down and look at Layla’s left hand.”
“Left hand…? Ah, ahh!!”
Ena snapped back to reality from her daze and looked at Layla’s left hand.
There, the equipment I had put on her earlier, the “Cursed Dark Chain,” also known as the Black Knuckle, was worn.
Black Knuckle “I’m not a cursed weapon! > <" I've moved the previous announcement about being published to activity reports and added follow-up reports there. There's probably news that will surprise you all, so if you're interested, I'd be happy if you'd take a look. ...When I registered on Narou, I absolutely swore I would never write activity reports, but somehow I feel like I've lost.
