episode_0083

I looked at Clara.

Golden eyes with pupils that shimmered silver.

If Veronica’s gaze was sharp and piercing, Clara’s was soft and gentle.

But aside from that—

They were so alike that calling them sisters, twins, wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

‘Only in appearance, though.’

Veronica was arrogant.

As if she were the best, she made no effort to hide herself. If anything, she exaggerated her presence.

Clara, on the other hand, was the opposite. She hid herself, concealed herself.

Though now, I couldn’t see that side of her anymore.

‘Why me?’

A request to kill Veronica.

Why had she entrusted that to me?

I looked at Clara. She was still ambiguous. Ever since she asked me to kill Veronica earlier.

I couldn’t quite figure her out.

‘I don’t know what it is, but…’

This request felt fake.

Like it was just a test.

“Focus on your senses. There’s something exceptional about them, even I’ll admit that.”

At the Holy Sword’s words, I nodded inwardly.

I looked at Clara. She still wore a tense expression, but—

‘It’s an act.’

A thief’s mastery sees through even this.

That’s why it was suspicious.

‘Why is she acting to get close to me?’

Maybe she was after something.

I didn’t know what, though.

‘Probably nothing good for me.’

Honestly, I didn’t want to get involved with Veronica.

Her temper was violent, and yet she demanded I cook for her. Always making a racket, causing trouble for everyone around her.

At this point, I sometimes wondered how someone like her could be a saintess.

So—

“I refuse.”

“……I thought so.”

“……?”

Clara looked relieved, as if she had expected me to refuse.

“You may dislike Veronica on the surface, but when she’s in danger or trouble, you always help her.”

“No, I just don’t want to get involved.”

“You indulge her tantrums so well. Normally, that’s hard to do without some affection.”

“No, what am I supposed to do when she just shows up?”

“Still, I’m relieved. Her personality is a bit… Honestly, I thought she’d never have anyone on her side.”

“Why would I be on her side?”

This was beyond absurd.

I felt like screaming and jumping in frustration.

“I have one request.”

“…….”

Clara’s expression was unusually serious.

“If—just if—the whole world turns against my sister, what would you do?”

“……I’d probably turn against her too.”

“Then, at that time… could you lend her just a little help?”

“I’m not—”

I wasn’t even close to Veronica. Couldn’t she let me finish?

I swallowed my words.

I had meant to say it sincerely, but—

In the end, I couldn’t.

Because Clara wore the expression of someone about to disappear.

“…….”

“I’m sorry. For making such a request at the end.”

With a bow, Clara turned and walked away.

—

When I entered the clan, people were bustling about.

Some faces were unfamiliar.

Many were familiar.

As I stepped inside—

“Hey, who the hell are you? Here to spy on our clan?”

A punkish guy blocked my way.

If the word “delinquent” were personified, it’d look like this—golden hair, slightly tanned skin, carrying a sword and shield.

“I think that guy’s our rear guard?”

A middle-aged voice came from the other side. Turning, I saw—

‘A dwarf?’

A dwarf stood there, a massive axe strapped to his back.

‘Two vanguards?’

They seemed around Level 3 and Level 4.

“Ah, are you Han Yuseong?”

“Purple eyes are rare, so it must be him. And the glasses match the description of that parasite-like bastard.”

“As expected of Senior Marcel.”

“And you are?”

“I’m Hansen. And that brat over there is Finn.”

“Nice to meet ya!”

“Why does that kid talk like that?”

“Don’t mention his speech impediment.”

“…….”

I hadn’t even said anything that harsh.

Hansen was definitely more dangerous than he seemed.

After exchanging greetings, I headed further inside, where Marcel and Teresa were.

“Oh, Yuseong. Long time no see.”

“Yeah.”

As we spoke, I paused. The aura radiating from them was impressive.

“They must’ve leveled up while you were gone. Time flows differently in the labyrinth, after all.”

I agreed with the Holy Sword.

It had probably been about a week for me, but for them, it might’ve been several times longer.

“Good timing. With you here, we can finally go on that expedition.”

“……Another expedition. I’m a little tired.”

Teresa, unusually, showed signs of exhaustion.

‘If even she’s tired, they must’ve been pushing themselves hard.’

Come to think of it, Glasses never took off his glasses during labyrinth explorations.

Teresa had been enthusiastic, but—

She was the vanguard, the one who bore the brunt of monster charges.

‘The hardest yet most essential role.’

I could never do it.

That’s why Teresa held the most crucial position in our clan.

‘Irreplaceable.’

I could handle both front and rear, but I didn’t have the strength to block waves of monsters.

With Glasses’ magic and Rosenta’s divine power, I might manage once or twice, but—

‘Not more than that.’

In a way, Teresa might be the second most important member after me or Erme.

People with her level of defense were rare.

“How about we just do a light run today? With Yuseong back, we can start planning the expedition.”

“Expedition?”

“Yeah. Preparing to go at least ten floors down.”

“Ten floors…”

“With two mages and a priest, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Glasses’ suggestion made me and Hansen nod.

“Then we’ll prepare for the expedition… Probably not today, though. We’ll need at least until tomorrow to stock up.”

“Expeditions require supplies, after all.”

“So we can rest today?”

“Of course, Teresa. We need you at full strength to keep the clan stable.”

“Thanks, Glasses.”

Teresa headed upstairs to the clan building.

“Ah, right. Yuseong, you haven’t been assigned a room yet, have you?”

“There are rooms in the building.”

“The rooms here are amazing.”

Finn, the punkish lackey, chimed in.

“I didn’t get to introduce myself properly earlier because of Hansen. I’m Finn, the monster rookie who leveled up three times in just a year!”

“……Ah, I see.”

So leveling up three times in a year made you a monster among rookies.

Good to know.

“……Of course, Marcel here reached Level 3 in half a year. Teresa did too.”

“But you don’t know this guy?”

“……How could I not?”

A faint sense of inferiority lingered in his voice.

“[The Violet-Eyed Sword Demon]. He’s already insanely famous in this field.”

“…….”

…What?

V-V-Violet-Eyed what?

“Pfft—HAHAHAHA!”

As I froze, the Holy Sword burst into laughter.

“You can make that kind of face?! This is hilarious! Though, it’s not a bad title, is it?”

It sounded genuinely curious.

I felt dizzy.

‘Why me…?’

The Violet-Eyed Sword Demon? Seriously?

‘Come on…’

—

I headed to the office where Erme was.

Officially, I was the clan master—though only in name.

I hadn’t cared, but Erme had insisted.

‘Honestly, it’s a pain.’

I really meant it.

Power, authority—none of that interested me.

I could barely handle my own life, let alone manage relationships with others.

‘Such a hassle.’

Erme handled most of it, but—

As clan master, there were still things I had to do.

“An expedition tomorrow? Well, now that we have two parties, it’s about time.”

“Right.”

“Though Lucia’s combat ability is still a bit of an unknown.”

“She’s probably stronger than me, though.”

I hadn’t seen Lucia lately, but—

The last time we met, my chances of beating her were nearly zero.

‘Less than 1%, statistically.’

But now?

I tried calculating the difference, but no clear answer came.

‘She’s said to be exceptionally strong even among Level 5s.’

If Vulcan said it, it was probably true.

“But Lucia won’t be joining immediately. She has family matters to attend to.”

“Family matters?”

“Yes. Unlike us, she’s from a noble family. Lots of troublesome affairs. But she said she’d join by next week.”

“……So nine of us are going?”

“We could recruit someone in a hurry, but…”

‘Trustworthy people are hard to find.’

That’s what Erme implied.

“Ah, right. What about you, Yuseong?”

“What about me?”

“The saintess situation. Something terrible is about to happen there.”

“…….”

I’d already sensed it.

The fact that Clara had come here meant—

‘Something irreversible is coming.’

That’s the feeling I got.

“I once told Veronica that she was a temporary saintess.”

“Yeah.”

“And Clara is her replacement. No—more accurately, she’s the most perfect saintess in the Church’s history.”

“What does she have that makes her so special?”

“Veronica is the strongest saintess in history. She can heal and attack with divine magic, though her support skills are slightly lacking. But for her, that’s not a problem. Clara, on the other hand, excels only in support compared to her. Based on that alone, Veronica should remain the saintess.”

Erme smiled faintly, a hint of sadness in it.

“Clara is her other half… The most perfect saintess, completed by Veronica’s death.”

“Veronica’s death completes the most perfect saintess?”

“……A Twin-Birth Gift.”

The Holy Sword sounded troubled.

“The Twin-Birth Gift—more precisely, the ‘Twin-Birth Singularity’ Gift.”

“You don’t mean…”

“Two existences bound by one law. When one life is lost, all the accumulated achievements of one are transferred to the other. That’s the nature of Clara’s Gift.”

“…….”

I really didn’t want to get involved.

And the next day—

“Hey, I heard you’re short one clan member?”

“…….”

Veronica stood before us, grinning triumphantly.