episode_0060

A day had passed.

Even if I had more aptitude for magic than I’d initially thought, that was beside the point.

It wasn’t a reason to neglect other things.

As soon as I woke up in the morning, I ate breakfast and trained my stamina.

At noon, I bought medicinal and poisonous herbs, then used them to craft antidotes, poisons, and potions.

After that, I met with Vulcan or Burkan for a light sparring session.

In the evening, I made time to practice archery.

The adventurer’s guild was nice—it was brightly lit by magical tools created by mages.

Then, I set aside a little time to use magic.

[Skill, Magic level has increased.]

—Seems like you’re enjoying it more than you expected, huh?

‘Well, the more methods I have at my disposal, the better.’

—Of course, that’s not the only way. Still, be careful not to get too absorbed. Magic will become the water that fills your vessel.

Lixiel said that, then added:

—Of course, your vessel isn’t that small, but you never know.

‘A vessel, huh.’

Every person has their own vessel.

While its size can be expanded through leveling up, magic, divine power, and swordsmanship fill that vessel with content, so eventually, one will reach their limit.

‘Complicated.’

I trained in martial arts and swordsmanship. I crafted poisons and worked on my archery and stamina.

This was my daily routine.

Three days passed like this.

I entered the library again.

But unlike usual, when I walked in confidently, this time I suppressed my presence as I stepped inside.

—Hiding this time?

‘Had a bit of a problem last time.’

Cellie—one of the candidates for the title of Magic Hero.

Yet the System had defined her as a demon.

‘But that’s the weird part.’

Demons were said to be beings corrupted by the labyrinth.

Hero candidates received Gift Cards once they reached a certain age, and their status was determined by the number on that card.

The Empire, the Kingdom, and the clans within the Adventurer’s Guild poured enormous support into hero candidates, helping them grow through that aid.

But Cellie wasn’t at that level.

‘She hasn’t even had her Gift confirmed yet.’

She hadn’t even entered the labyrinth.

So how could she have become a demon?

Did she sneak into the labyrinth?

That made even less sense.

Lixiel had said that because of those who turned into demons, the guild always stationed powerful individuals near the labyrinth.

Would they really let Cellie slip in unnoticed?

‘No way.’

That left only one possibility.

‘A shapeshifting-type, maybe.’

Or perhaps she’d been devoured.

If that was the case, the chances of Cellie still being alive were practically zero.

‘……Kind of a shame.’

With that thought, I moved deeper into the library.

There weren’t many people inside. The [Magic Tower] was more specialized for learning magic, after all.

‘This place is for learning basic public magic.’

Public magic referred to pure magic. Saying it like that made it sound impressive, but mages simply processed their mana through [Workshops] based on their own magical properties.

‘To put it simply, it’s magic that’s inferior to the [Magic Tower].’

But it had its advantages.

Namely, it didn’t fill the vessel’s contents as much.

‘Though I don’t plan on learning it unless I have to.’

What was I best at?

Even if I had an aptitude for magic, swordsmanship still suited me the most.

The ability to learn other races’ swordsmanship was unique to me, so honing and developing that was the right path.

Lost in thought, I ventured further into the library.

Then, I saw Cellie—or rather, the demon pretending to be Cellie. Standing before her was—

Clara.

She stared at Cellie with an utterly expressionless face.

“……How boring.” “S-Sorry.” “No, why are you apologizing? If someone saw, they’d think I was bullying you.”

Her tone made it obvious that she was bullying her.

I watched the two and thought:

‘……A one-sided power dynamic.’

And one of them was a demon.

Come to think of it—

When the System had encountered Clara, it hadn’t taken any action against her.

‘That’s a bit curious too.’

Clara was definitely a person of interest. But maybe the System considered demons more dangerous?

‘Looking at that scene, probably not.’

Or maybe the System needed time between interventions.

As I pondered this, Clara led the disguised demon away somewhere.

I tailed them but soon felt an odd sensation.

‘If I go any further, I might get caught.’

The pinnacle of thievery whispered to me—any further, and I’d risk exposure.

Just a little.

Clara’s reaction had been slightly off.

‘A shame, but I’ll stop here for today.’

Still, I’d gotten a big lead.

The only concern was—

Cellie, the Magic Hero candidate.

‘Rosen might be sad.’

Another thought crossed my mind.

If it were Erme, she’d have taken some kind of action—or at least tried to.

‘Maybe I should ask her later.’

The shock of the magic incident had kept me from asking right away.

And after that, I hadn’t seen her at the inn.

I dropped my stealth and flipped open a magic book.

The magic I’d learned was for swift movement.

‘There’s one thing I’m a bit conflicted about, though.’

I wondered if I should learn the alarm magic that had disabled our watch.

Last time I’d gone solo, the lack of it had nearly killed me. It was exhausting.

‘I also thought about learning enchantments, but…’

I already had Blood Spirit Art, activated with my blood sword, Whisper of the Wind, purple lightning, and poison.

‘……Now that I think about it, I’ve really learned a hodgepodge of things.’

But I couldn’t exactly refuse the Gifts and skills the System gave me.

If I didn’t have the System, I’d have quietly given up on magic.

‘But with a talent cheat like this, giving up would be a joke.’

Chuckling to myself, I skimmed through the magic books when Lixiel appeared beside me.

—Trying to learn magic?

‘Having one or two combat-useful spells wouldn’t hurt.’

—I wouldn’t recommend it, but… for you, it might not be bad.

Lixiel had opposed me learning magic. So I started thinking, Maybe I shouldn’t.

Just as I was about to turn away, someone approached me.

“You’re here today.”

Golden eyes radiating holiness. Silver hair gleaming like light itself. Her demeanor was timid, but the way she’d acted toward the demon disguised as Cellie flashed in my mind.

‘……A girl like Veronica.’

—……Was that an insult?

Ignoring Lixiel’s bewilderment, I shook my head.

“I came to learn magic, but there’s nothing worth picking up, so I’m leaving.” “W-Well, Y-Youjin is famous for his swordsmanship, so you don’t need to learn magic. It’s better to master one thing than to half-learn two.”

Clara said that, then looked at me.

“B-But if it’s you, I think you could learn a little more magic. It’s rare for someone’s Gift and aptitude to mismatch so much.”

—What nonsense is this? Youjin’s compatibility with his Gift is incredible. A human wielding an elf’s Shadow Moon while harboring battle aura—does she find that amusing?!

Lixiel was incensed by Clara’s words.

Ignoring them both, I gave a slight nod and headed back to the inn.

“You’re back?”

A bright, beaming smile. Crimson eyes reminiscent of the sunset curved into crescents.

“Where’d you go?” “Stopped by the library for a bit.” “Again? Well, seeing how Clara acted, I guess you have an aptitude for magic.” “Seems like it.” “Well, it’s you, after all. But I won’t say, ‘Han Youjin, magic suits you better than the sword.’” “…….” “Because the sword suits you more. Even if your magic aptitude is exceptional… seeing you wield Shadow Moon and all that, the sword is just right for you.” “That’s how it is.”

—……What’s with this girl? How does she know about those two?

Leaving a flustered Lixiel behind, I sat across from Erme.

“But are you okay? You’ve been training hard lately.” “This much is nothing. But you’ve been running around a lot these days.” “Haha, suddenly got busy.” “Is it related to Cellie?” “Huh? You remembered?” “Yeah. The Gift inside me resonated a little.” “As expected, you’re the finest Thief Hero, Youjin.”

Erme spoke in a voice brimming with admiration. Just what had she been through to say something like that?

“……Setting that aside, didn’t you notice anything strange?” “Strange? About Cellie?” “Yeah.”

At my words, Erme furrowed her brows, and a strange sensation enveloped the surroundings.

A barrier of some sort.

Soundproofing?

“Did you notice something off about Cellie?” “……It was like the incident with Angen.” “The same as Marcel’s case…? Don’t tell me, at this point already….”

Erme muttered blankly, looking utterly shocked.

“What’ll you do? It seems like she’s been kidnapped. Maybe even already….”

Dead.

I couldn’t bring myself to say it outright.

“First, let’s catch the bastard pretending to be Cellie.” “But there’s one problem.” “What is it?” “A girl named Clara seemed to have her as a subordinate.” “Clara? That can’t be….” “You know about Clara?” “Yes, I mentioned her to Veronica before. She’s the acting saintess.” “Right.” “Clara is the real saintess. She has a special Gift—because of it, the church designated her as the saintess.” “……Just because of one Gift?” “Veronica is as exceptional a saintess as she claims, but… as long as Clara has that Gift, Veronica will always be second best.” “…….”

I thought about Veronica. Arrogant, self-centered, but—

‘……She had skill, at least.’

That must’ve been how she survived despite her personality.

Yet Erme called her the eternal second best.

“What kind of Gift could do that?” “……I can’t tell you that. Ah, it’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s related to a restriction.” “……A restriction?” “Yes.”

Erme pressed her lips together firmly.

As if to say she couldn’t speak any further.

I didn’t press her.

The next day, I ran into Clara.

Not at the library, but nearby.

‘I was just picking up something from Durin.’

Our paths had crossed.

And that left me slightly irritated.

“Oh, we meet again.” “What’s a noble priestess doing here?” “Being a priestess doesn’t mean I don’t fight. But isn’t this the workshop of the famed blacksmith Durin?” “You know Durin?” “How could I not? Especially for those who wield weapons—everyone wants to buy from here.”

So Durin really was that famous.

“I-I may look like this, but I was once a combat priestess. When I s-swing my sword like this—whoosh whoosh—the paladins turn pale and run to me.”

Clara struck a pose, wobbling as she moved.

One thing was clear: Clara should not wield weapons.

“So, what’s your business? If you don’t have any, I’m leaving.” “W-Well….”

Just as Clara hesitated to speak—

“What are you two doing here?”

A cold voice cut in.

Turning around, I saw a woman with violet eyes and violet hair.

Viola.