episode_0059
by fnovelpiaSally is a candidate for the Magic Knight.
Erme had once described her as a promising talent, someone with exceptional abilities worthy of high expectations.
“…My Gift reacted to her too.”
Whenever I saw these so-called famous knight candidates, something inside me resonated.
Erme was an exception, though.
“But Sally did.”
And Veronica was another such case.
Only two.
Yet the System seemed indifferent to others labeled as knight candidates.
The villainess, Lucia.
The knight candidate, Erme.
The saint candidate, Rosenta.
But after listening to my friend’s words and observing them for a while, I realized they all shared a common trait.
“They’re all good people.”
Selfish to a degree, yes, but most of them acted with kindness.
They repaid what they received.
Easier said than done—how many people in this world actually do that?
The System connected me to such people.
As if insisting I should surround myself with the virtuous.
And what about Veronica, the one I resonated with?
“Not a bad person, but…”
Arrogant.
A life spent being swept along, only ever receiving adoration.
The saint, Veronica.
Information about her was widespread—no need for me to investigate.
“Just saying this in case, but I wouldn’t recommend adding Veronica to your party.”
The Hao Moon Lord smiled at me as he spoke, his gaze almost as if he wanted to place me in his debt.
“She’s incredibly arrogant.”
Upon meeting her, she wasn’t as haughty as he made her out to be.
But the way she carried herself—as if the world revolved around her—and her attempts to brainwash me came to mind.
The fact that she did it so casually…
Even if others called her a saint,
to me, she was no different from a villainess.
“……”
I stared at the blue spear.
The System, blatantly urging me to kill someone.
And before me stood a being introduced as Sally, the Magic Knight candidate.
“…Someone disguised as her, but—”
She carried the same aura as the Sally I had met before.
My Gift resonated with her too.
By instinct, I couldn’t detect any difference between the previous Sally and the one before me now.
“Hello.”
Sally greeted us with a blank expression.
Then, something slightly off caught my eye.
A fleeting awkwardness.
A momentary gap.
The instant I observed her with caution, a subtle flaw became visible.
“Like a puppet forced to move unnaturally.”
A motion so slight it would’ve gone unnoticed without focus.
A question arose.
The “Mine” the System mentioned—
what exactly was it?
“I have a guess, but…”
Just a guess, nothing more.
“Risiel.”
—What’s wrong?
“Do you know what a Mine is?”
—……
Risiel fell into deep thought at my question.
—”First, to define a Mine… they are betrayers who have offered themselves to the Demon King.”
“Demon King?”
—”Yes. In the past, such beings were called Mines—traitors to humanity. But over time, the meaning has warped into something slightly different.”
“Warped how?”
—”Nowadays, a Mine refers to those subjugated by a certain presence within the labyrinth.”
“…Subjugated by a presence in the labyrinth?”
One suspect came to mind.
The Green Bone Demon that had possessed Angyeon’s body.
That thing had taken over his form and used it as it pleased.
—”That’s a slightly different case. If it were like that, the danger level would’ve been much higher.”
“Really?”
—”By submitting to a presence in the labyrinth, they gain its power.”
“The labyrinth’s power?”
I couldn’t even begin to guess what that meant.
—”Hunting monsters in the labyrinth is preparation to elevate the soul and body. Accumulating that is what we call leveling up.”
—”But those subjugated by the labyrinth’s presence… forcibly distort that process to gain power. Of course, such cases are rare.”
“Why?”
—”You know of Volcan, don’t you?”
Now that I thought about it…
Volcan was usually stationed in front of the Adventurer’s Guild.
There were times he wasn’t there, but never for long.
—”They’re troublesome beings. If they slip into society, they’ll commit terror without regard for their lives, so at least a minimal force is always stationed. Though that’s not the only reason they stay there.”
Something else, huh?
Anyway.
I observed the being pretending to be Sally before me.
If this was a Mine, would poison work?
“I have some poison, but…”
Not much in quantity.
Nor in variety.
There was a reason I wanted to buy an expensive alchemy device from the guild.
The pricier ones were more efficient and could craft a wider range of items.
“Not that I’d mess with it now.”
A soul and body distorted.
This was the kind of monster beyond my usual scope.
Annoying, but…
“Not my problem to deal with.”
I had Erme, didn’t I?
With her vast knowledge, she’d handle such obstacles easily.
Even if she was staring at Sally with adoring eyes now, the moment a gap appeared, she’d be ready to slit its throat.
That was the Erme I knew.
“Our Sally is just too adorable…”
“You’re pretty too, unnie.”
“……”
Right.
A bit ominous, but I decided to trust Erme.
The library housed all sorts of magic tomes. Though Erme had discouraged me from learning magic,
I was curious about it.
With Sally and Erme separated for now, I took the chance to browse the library.
“Not that I plan to seriously study it.”
Just intellectual curiosity, that sort of thing.
“Interested in learning magic?”
Tap, tap.
Someone approached. A quiet voice, yet carrying an inexplicable pull.
“……”
I looked at her.
Silver hair, golden eyes that shimmered.
I knew this woman.
—”…This goes beyond just resembling her.”
Risiel sounded stunned.
I agreed. This wasn’t just similarity. From the bridge of her nose to the mole by her lips, the silver hair and golden eyes—
Though her hair stuck out slightly differently.
“…Veronica?”
No, not her.
Unlike the narcissist who flaunted her superiority,
the woman before me, though carrying the same air, knew how to conceal herself.
“O-oh, s-sorry for intruding.”
“I am interested in magic. But it doesn’t suit my talents.”
“Really?”
“Though, judging by your eyes, you’re a cleric. Should you even be here?”
“The power granted by the Goddess of Light differs, but there are useful things here too.”
Her golden eyes curved into a smile.
“Ah, pardon me. I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Clara.”
“Han Yuseong.”
“Oh! The famous rookie!”
“…You know me?”
“How could I not?”
Her eyes sparkled, brimming with curiosity—like a girl hearing a hero’s tale.
“You’re the hottest topic in [The Cradle] lately! The Sword King himself took you under his wing. Not to mention destroying a Level 1 scarecrow and reaching Level 3 in under a month.”
“……”
She knew way too much.
“And with Volcan himself marking you, all the major clans want to recruit you but can’t! That only makes you more intriguing!”
This was unexpected.
No wonder I hadn’t seen any recruitment attempts lately—the old man must’ve pulled strings.
“Above all, you recently saved your party member from a labyrinth monster that possessed them! Your reputation couldn’t be better!”
“My reputation’s good?”
“Yes! A bit rough around the edges, but you’re seen as the stoic adventurer who cares for his party.”
—Hoh, quite the accurate assessment.
“……”
Had I really come off that unrefined?
Something to reflect on.
“But what could I do?”
I wasn’t completely defenseless, but I’d been dumped into this world out of nowhere. Then, after being warned about the villainess Lucia, I ended up stealing her obsession too.
“Honestly, without Erme’s help, I might’ve been lost.”
I owed her a lot.
“Anyway, it’s an honor! Meeting the hottest topic in [The Cradle]!”
Clara grinned, clasping my hands—then flinched and hastily hid them behind her back.
“S-sorry! I got too excited meeting someone I… ah! I mean, someone I admire…!!”
Flustered Clara.
Most men might’ve let it slide, but…
“…This feels off.”
Thanks to [Thief’s Zenith], perhaps.
Her actions felt calculated. I’d take Veronica over this—at least she didn’t hide her true nature in front of me.
“One too honest, the other not honest enough.”
They looked like twins, yet were polar opposites.
How could two people be so different?
With that thought—
“I’ll avoid her.”
There was a reason I refused Veronica’s request.
I didn’t want further entanglement with her.
Clara here was more unsettling than Veronica, but that didn’t make Veronica any better.
“Not that Veronica’s any good either.”
But one thing puzzled me.
Veronica was rough, yes—
but she had skill. The blue lines a sword master could see.
Veronica had none, yet Clara’s were countless.
“They’re really using her as the saint’s proxy?”
The gap in ability was this vast?
Everything about her was suspicious.
Clara was…
“Sorry, but if you don’t have business with me—”
“My apologies! I’ve taken your time, haven’t I? But for what it’s worth, I’m quite knowledgeable about magic.”
“Aren’t you a priestess?”
“Hehe. Normally, when one serves the Goddess of Light, their mana is replaced by divine power, preventing magic use. But I’m different.”
She beamed proudly.
In moments like this, she did resemble Veronica.
Clara raised her index finger, gazing at me.
“Watch closely. This is the foundation of magic.”
A pentagram-like shape formed above her fingertip, soon glowing gold.
“Most mages simplify their magic circles, but as a priestess, I… Yuseong-ssi?”
She called my name in surprise, but I couldn’t respond.
The moment I saw the magic, an intense focus overtook me—and simultaneously,
“This feels… familiar?”
A strange sensation, as if relearning something long forgotten.
[Skill, [Magic], has been unlocked.]
[[Magic]’s level has increased.]
“…?”
I blinked.
Did I just see something weird?
“Wait, why do I suddenly know magic?”
[Learn Lv.2 Magic, [Swift Movement]?]
“…No.”
I fell into serious thought.
To outsiders, my mastery of swordsmanship, archery, and more might seem genius-level.
But I knew better.
All of it was thanks to the Gifts derived from the System.
“But…”
I had nothing related to magic.
At most, [Purple (A)] and [Mana Control (B)].
So then—
“Am I actually a genius?”
A perfectly reasonable suspicion.
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