episode_0058

To be honest.

I didn’t particularly want to get involved with Veronica.

Sure, I stole her purity, but wasn’t she also the one who tried to brainwash me into this situation?

For me, it was an unavoidable act of self-defense.

From her perspective, she might feel wronged, but that’s just how it had to be.

‘……Well, she doesn’t seem like the type to care about that sort of thing anyway.’

Veronica’s face was painted with shock.

She hadn’t even considered the possibility that I was a Thief Hero candidate.

‘Not that I’m eager to be treated as a hero either.’

Seeing her expression like this, the title of Hero candidate didn’t seem so bad.

Of course, I wouldn’t accept it unless absolutely necessary.

“Huh? N-no way, this guy’s a thief?”

“Hmm? Ah, I guess you haven’t seen him fight. He handles a sword like nobody’s business, but yeah, he’s a thief.”

“Seriously? Then when he… when he did that to me, was he…?”

“Did what to you?”

“You know what I’m talking about!”

When Vulcan pressed her, Veronica flustered.

Then, she stared at me with a blank expression.

“Wait, then why did you refuse my offer?”

“I just suddenly didn’t feel like it.”

“Wha—why?!”

“Got a sudden headache…”

“You’re faking it out of nowhere?”

Vulcan gave me a dry look. Veronica, however, instead of glaring at me like that—

“Heal, Cure, Purify.”

—suddenly showered me with divine energy. Unlike Rosenta’s healing, my body recovered swiftly.

‘……Oh, this.’

I felt refreshed. Like waking up from a deep sleep in perfect condition.

“If you accept this request, I’ll provide you with everything.”

“Not really interested.”

“Why not?! I’ll pay you, give you a house, and even infuse you with divine energy—me, the greatest Saintess!”

Veronica stomped her foot, visibly irritated.

But honestly, part of me was tempted.

‘A house? Well, I’ve got money, so it’s not like I need it.’

Sure, having her around would save me some expenses, but it’s not like I’m broke.

I’ve got a decent amount of coin in my pocket—enough that I don’t need to take on troublesome requests from people like her.

‘Vulcan’s presence makes this awkward.’

Of course, I had no choice but to refuse her request.

“Hm? Wait, are you worried about what I’ll think?”

“No, it’s just… if he’s doing stuff like that, how are you not master and disciple…?”

I wish they’d both stop with those implications.

Like I’m some troublemaker who doesn’t care about others’ opinions.

‘Come to think of it, I haven’t even caused any trouble here yet.’

I haven’t done anything wrong, and yet they’re looking at me like this.

It’s downright depressing.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I handpicked this guy myself. He won’t do anything you need to worry about.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, lots of things. That girl might be immature, short-tempered, and weak-willed from being pampered, but she’s not ungrateful.”

“Hey, can’t you say something nice about me? And not just gossip right in front of me?”

“Fine, call it gossip then. Point is, she at least knows how to repay a favor.”

……She doesn’t look like the type to appreciate favors.

But if Vulcan says so, it’s worth considering.

‘There’s one thing I’m curious about, too.’

If.

The Church is the kind of place I think it is.

‘It might be even more dangerous.’

The Church is exactly the kind of place where someone like me could be quietly disposed of.

Infiltration there would be no different from suicide.

I’d be lucky if I just died—torture was a real possibility.

‘And she wants me to infiltrate that place?’

I take pride in my stealth.

Most dungeon monsters only notice me when I attack.

But this is different.

‘Dungeons are dark, after all.’

The Church, though?

As a place that worships the Goddess of Light, it’s bright all day.

I’ve been inside before.

At night, the brightest place in the Cradle isn’t the red-light district—it’s the Church, so illuminated that stealth was impossible.

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that.”

“No, no matter what, I’d still panic in that situation.”

Veronica declared confidently.

“Even someone as incredible as me, the greatest Saintess in history, can make mistakes sometimes.”

She puffed out her chest proudly.

I could only stare at her in disbelief.

“So, what’s the request?”

“First, find the proxy Saintess the Church made to replace me.”

“Proxy Saintess?”

Veronica unfolded a sheet of paper.

“You’ll recognize her immediately. She looks a lot like me.”

“Even if she resembles you, there must be some distinct features…”

“It’s not just resemblance. She looks exactly like me.”

“……?”

“The greatest Saintess in history and some hastily assembled replacement look identical. Just imagine me, but timid, wearing glasses, and hunched over—that’s her.”

Veronica gritted her teeth as she spoke.

“My request is simple: investigate her. Any little detail will do. Find out if she’s truly fit to replace me.”

“Why?”

“Hah, as if the greatest Saintess in history could ever be overshadowed by her… but something feels off.”

“In short, you’re worried about your twin sister.”

Vulcan summarized Veronica’s words.

“Huh?! That’s not it!”

“Sigh, I must be getting old. The girl who used to address me so politely is now tormenting me like this.”

“She just seems rude to me…”

When Veronica snapped back, Vulcan and I exchanged glances and muttered under our breaths.

She scowled and pressed a hand to her forehead.

“Anyway, that’s the request. Find out about her.”

“No.”

I replied flatly.

“What? I’m offering you this house! Do you know how much it’s worth? Two hundred platinum coins!”

That’s enough to live comfortably.

Not that I’d buy such an obnoxiously large house.

It’s too big for me, and cleaning it would be a pain.

And most importantly—

‘I don’t like it.’

She might acknowledge her mistakes, but she doesn’t feel sorry toward me.

‘She tried to brainwash me into being her pawn.’

And yet, she acts so entitled.

Dealing with someone like her is grating. I don’t want anything to do with her.

Above all, I can’t trust her.

Sure, Vulcan’s presence keeps her in check, but that just means she’ll turn hostile eventually.

Most of all—it’s a hassle.

That’s why I refused her request.

But explaining all this would undermine Vulcan’s authority, so I kept it simple.

“Too much trouble.”

In other words, find someone else.

“Ugh, seriously!”

Veronica stomped her foot and glared at me.

Humanity has established two empires.

One in the east, and one in the west.

Setting aside the distant eastern empire, the power structure can be summarized as one empire, followed by an alliance.

The alliance is a coalition of non-human races formed to resist humanity—home to orcs, elves, beastkin, and dwarves.

Then, there’s the weakest faction: a union of five kingdoms.

Roughly speaking, that’s the hierarchy.

And the empire…

‘Even if it appears weak on the surface, internally, it’s said to be on par with the [Cradle].’

It’s a little absurd.

If anything, a human empire should surpass the Cradle.

But in a way, it makes sense.

The [Cradle] was built to suppress the dungeon, but the dungeon strengthens adventurers.

The mana there tempers people, and its strange energies elevate the very grade of a person’s soul, enabling level-ups.

So why are the empire and the [Cradle] considered equals?

Because most of the empire’s key figures were produced by the Cradle.

After adventuring to their heart’s content, they sought stability in their later years.

Or to restore their family’s honor, or because the empire offered them treasures.

Their reasons varied, but the ties between the Cradle and the empire are tighter than one might think.

As a result, the empire has been pouring resources into the Cradle for the past 500 years.

State-of-the-art training grounds, the [Magic Tower] and [Library] for nurturing mages, and workshops of all kinds—funded by imperial wealth.

What emerged from this is the Cradle as it is today.

Or so Vulcan and Erme explained.

“Among them, the [Magic Tower] and [Library] are incredibly popular.”

“Really?”

“Because they house spellbooks mages treat like gold.”

“Spellbooks…?”

“Yes. In a kingdom, they’d be worth dozens of gold coins each, but here, they’re practically lying around.”

“……Spellbooks became that cheap?”

“Extremely. Now that the Cradle is fully active, a single gold coin can buy you a spellbook teaching magic up to level 10. Ah, level 10 magic is around what Marcel uses.”

“Huh, is that so?”

Then I’d like to learn some.

Marcel handles most of the party’s buffs, but he can only enchant four people at once.

If I could learn some myself, I could cover for one person.

“You could learn magic, Yuseong.”

“Me?”

“Magic talent is the most important factor. That said, even if you learn, you’ll never surpass your potential as a Thief Hero, so I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“Oh?”

“A person’s soul is like a vast vessel. The hierarchy of the soul and body may differ, but you have the talent to reach the peak as a Thief Hero, don’t you?”

—……This girl, I’ve been wondering since last time—what’s her deal? How does she know the secrets of the Three Families who serve the World Tree?

Lysielle shot Erme a wary look.

If Erme says so, it must be true.

“But why do you suddenly want to go to the library?”

“Just curious, that’s all.”

Honestly, a few things Veronica said bothered me.

As a newcomer, I don’t know much about the [Cradle].

So I figured I’d take this chance to learn more.

“Ah, I see! Then how about a date with me while we explore the Cradle?”

“……”

Erme suddenly beamed.

Soon, we arrived at the library.

“This is the [Cradle]’s library. Present your identification to enter.”

“Here.”

“Oh… the two who’ve been making waves lately. Welcome to the library.”

After a quick verification at the entrance, we stepped inside.

The library was filled with countless books.

Some radiated faint traces of mana.

‘Books with mana?’

—Be careful with those. They’re likely the kind that [choose their owners] or [devour them].

I had a bad feeling about touching those.

“Oh? Silli’s here.”

“Silli?”

Who was that again?

The face looked familiar—a girl around twelve years old.

A quick mental search brought the answer.

The kid we rescued when we went to recruit Rosenta from her church.

Erme’s target—the Mage Hero candidate.

She was here.

And at the same time, a blue window appeared before me.

[Encounter Quest]

You have encountered the Demon, Bellua.

Find a way to capture her interest—or lose it.

Alternatively, killing her will yield the greatest reward.

Reward: ???

Failure: No penalty.

“……”

The system had always been generous to me.

Even if it forced connections on me, it clearly wanted me to grow.

No matter what I did, the rewards were plentiful.

Lately, though, it hadn’t been as kind.

‘……This is too blatant.’

Telling me to kill someone?

First, I scanned the surroundings. No immediate threats.

‘Wait, there’s one.’

But she’s not my enemy.

Silli, the Mage Hero candidate.

Yet the system called her the Demon, Bellua.

What’s going on here?