Chapter Index





    Ch.106Deviation (1)

    [Play Time: 9,742 hours]

    “I’ve figured it out.”

    After two days had passed, Melody gathered everyone and began speaking.

    It wasn’t surprising. Everyone quietly looked at her as Melody habitually pulled out various documents from the pouch at her waist.

    To be honest, even looking at them, I couldn’t tell what they were. If it was important, Melody would explain it herself.

    “Servan and Marsi. This is information discovered from two cities in this area.”

    “…Since I can’t read, would you mind explaining?”

    The old man raised his hand, and Melody looked at him briefly before nodding.

    “It’s circumstantial evidence, witness information, and reconnaissance results. Those who need detailed information should read it themselves.”

    She gently pushed the documents forward, but except for my sister and Lorian, no one seemed interested in reading them, so they quietly stared at Melody.

    “To summarize… A powerful individual suspected to be a minion was discovered in Marsi, and there are large numbers of black mages in Servan’s cemetery.”

    “Black mages?”

    “Yes, the same kind of black mages that Luwellin defeated.”

    Black mages. I recalled the magic used in the cemetery back then.

    Magic that desecrated death and manipulated death itself.

    It wasn’t new, but thinking about it, that magic bore traces of Mother’s influence.

    “So black mages are also beings touched by Mother’s influence.”

    “Huh? Didn’t you already know that?”

    Seeing Melody’s surprised expression with wide eyes, I realized how much these people were overestimating me.

    I could barely memorize things and always had to whine to my friend for help, so how could I possibly know everything?

    Ah, that bastard had an amazing memory. Why couldn’t I be like that?

    Feeling a bit conflicted, I decided to keep my words brief, and Melody quickly hid the momentary disappointment on her face.

    “As Luwellin said, there’s a high possibility that black mages are also Mother’s minions. If they’re gathering in one place preparing a ritual, it must be Mother’s plot.”

    “So the plot and minions are in both cities.”

    “That’s right. What do you want to do?”

    Plot and minions.

    Both deserve to be crushed, but the order is important.

    After thinking for a moment, I spoke.

    “The minion in Marsi, are they strong?”

    “I investigated personally, and they possess considerable magical power. At least on the level of myself, your sister, or Lorian.”

    “They can’t possibly match me, a blood knight of the three clans. At best, they’re below my level and around yours.”

    Ignoring Lorian’s boasting, I thought to myself.

    Probably level 20. Hertol was weakened, and Selma was defeated easily through unconventional means, so the conditions would be quite different now.

    Above all, I wasn’t sure about Selma’s level. It didn’t seem like level 20.

    Considering these points, I thought we should prioritize Marsi over the black mages in Servan.

    “Why?”

    “Because when we attack the black mages in Servan, there’s a high possibility that the minion in Marsi will come to support them.”

    “Couldn’t the opposite happen as well?”

    She didn’t seem to genuinely believe that.

    It was more of a procedural question to confirm if my thinking was truly sound.

    So I firmly shook my head.

    “No. The black mages won’t move because they’re preparing for the ritual. Completion will be their priority.”

    “Then the black mages’ ritual will be completed, and wouldn’t that be more dangerous?”

    “Yes, it would be. But it’s better than facing the minion while also dealing with the backlash of magic used in the ritual.”

    Setting such priorities was an essential virtue for someone like me.

    When two teammates are caught by enemies in different lanes, considering who will lead the team fight better in the future before saving them.

    This is the kind of insight that any skilled player must have, and I was confident in this area.

    From my perspective, Marsi should be prioritized.

    As a port city, there are many newcomers, and as I mentioned, it would be difficult to deal with reinforcements coming to aid the black mages.

    Above all, though it was a meta-game thought, I had this judgment:

    Even if black mages came as reinforcements, they would be damn slow as a group of magic users, but if the minion from Servan came to support, they would be extremely fast.

    “So what should we do?”

    “We need to conduct a force reconnaissance.”

    A phrase that stuck in my memory from when a friend mentioned it during a game.

    I figured it meant something like investigating while exerting force.

    “Force reconnaissance. That sounds good. Then the composition is important. I’ll definitely go.”

    Thankfully, whatever the status window translated worked. I was actually worried it might not be properly conveyed since it sounded like military terminology.

    As long as it got through, that’s what matters. I nodded and looked at Isla, who was wrapping her tail around my wrist.

    “I want to go too.”

    Certainly, for reconnaissance, there’s no better talent than a hunter. I smiled and nodded, but…

    “Ah, Isla can’t come.”

    At Melody’s words, we both turned our heads simultaneously.

    “Why?”

    “Because Isla is pretty. Pretty people stand out.”

    Ah, that’s true.

    Marsi was the second city where we had been active after Servan.

    And there, Isla had drawn quite a bit of attention.

    “What about Lu?”

    “Luwellin always wore armor. Only those at the temple know her bare face.”

    “And you…?”

    “I can somewhat change my appearance with magic.”

    That makes sense since she’s fundamentally a bard. I understood, and Isla stared at me expressionlessly.

    “Sorry.”

    “…See you when you get back.”

    Her tail that was wrapped around my arm slowly unwound, and Melody smiled at the sight.

    “For the rest of the composition… how about three more people?”

    “Three, huh.”

    My eyes turned to the people filling the seats.

    It wasn’t difficult to decide.

    *

    “So.”

    Lorian gazed distantly.

    “You’re saying I, Melody, and three human collaborators will explore?”

    Lorian’s gaze returned to me, and she was visibly displeased.

    “Well, that’s how it turned out.”

    “I can’t accept this.”

    “It’s because of your appearance.”

    Lorian still looked displeased but seemed to resign herself as she looked at me and my sister beside me.

    “Sorry, can I borrow this?”

    My sister, with her kind smile, looked almost identical to me.

    Gray eyes and black hair, straight enough that anyone would recognize us as siblings.

    That seemed like it could be advantageous.

    Even Melody, who had magically dyed her hair and eyes red, was clearly displeased, pressing her lips tightly.

    Eventually, they were practically dragged away by the old man, and we dispersed into the city of Marsi.

    I had selected five people including myself.

    Me, my sister, the old mourner, Melody, and Lorian.

    All were people familiar with this city or skilled in reconnaissance and infiltration.

    Isla, who was familiar with the city and skilled in infiltration and reconnaissance but whose face was known, couldn’t come.

    So with the mindset of making do with what we had, these five people would carry out the force reconnaissance together.

    It sounds nice to call it force reconnaissance, but in reality, it’s closer to a direct confrontation.

    The team composition was made with “contingencies” in mind.

    The old man, who as a mourner couldn’t be ambushed and possessed excellent survival instincts and combat abilities.

    Then Melody with her excellent combat power and utility abilities, and Lorian from the three clans who could both tank and deal damage, were put in one team.

    My sister, who as a Maan-sa was virtually omnipotent, and I, who like the old man excelled at countering ambushes, formed another team.

    Everyone understood this. They weren’t naive enough or inexperienced enough not to realize it.

    But.

    “It feels like a date. This is fun.”

    That’s what my sister said. Even though she must have known.

    She even went a step further.

    “We’re siblings. Our family life became boring… so a little deviation.”

    She even casually told such a half-truth while stopping at a street stall to hear rumors.

    At the same time, my sister’s intentions became clear. She wanted me to pretend to be siblings. Even though we actually were.

    The absurd thing was that both my sister and I knew who the other was.

    Yet she wanted to pretend to be siblings. I read the underlying intention.

    But I couldn’t refuse.

    Pretending to be siblings with my sister. Perhaps because we hadn’t been able to do so for a long time, I found myself eagerly going along with it.

    I walked beside my sister, who was humming a tune with her arm linked with mine.

    The song she was humming was familiar. A song I had heard back when I was still on Earth.

    But I didn’t reveal it. That’s what my sister would want too.

    I know that my sister is my real sister, and she knows that I am indeed her brother.

    Yet we don’t reveal it. It felt strange to be pretending to be siblings while actually being siblings.

    Only then did I realize that there was one less lie in what my sister had said earlier.

    Deviation.

    This is a deviation. As I thought about it, I felt something indescribable run down my spine.

    Chilling and tingling. But it wasn’t an unpleasant sensation.

    Rather, it was the opposite. I was on a date with my sister while knowing she was my sister.

    It felt like doing something forbidden.

    Clearly that was the case, but…

    “What do you think?”

    “Huh? Oh, well…”

    “About the city, I mean.”

    Ah, that’s what she meant. I finally calmed down and looked at the city.

    Marsi, the port city.

    Once a New Continental Empire territory governed by proxy through Melody, and now presumed to have been taken by “Mother.”

    Somewhere here is a level 20 powerhouse who is Mother’s minion.

    But for some reason, the city seemed no different from when I had left it.

    There were no special rumors, the people seemed peaceful, and if anything, the overall standard of living had improved due to the Empire’s intervention.

    That was clearly strange.

    The ruler had changed, yet there was no unrest? Even with the involvement of someone like Mother?

    “It feels too normal. As you said, sister…”

    “No.”

    A cold voice. When I flinched, my sister tightly hugged my arm.

    Then I felt the soft sensation against my arm. That massive volume made me tremble slightly and swallow my breath.

    “Don’t call me ‘sister’ formally, call me ‘nuna.’ We’re siblings, after all.”

    Nuna.

    It wasn’t just about pretending to be siblings. I instinctively knew that. Because we both knew, this deviation could remain just a deviation.

    And through this deviation, my sister wanted to take it one step further.

    The choice was entirely mine. My sister was telling me to hold onto that choice well.

    I felt cold sweat forming.

    But.

    “…Nu, na.”

    I couldn’t refuse. My sister leaned her head on my shoulder and smiled broadly.

    “Good.”

    A paradoxical pleasure swept over me, and I barely managed to steady my rough breathing.

    We wandered through the city as night fell.

    Similarly, it felt like night was falling within my heart as well.


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