episode_0122

Clatter. Clatter.

The carriage continued its journey toward its destination.

Amidst the ride, I occupied two seats, lost in meditation.

The reason was simple.

—What exactly is that “Divine Realm of the Thief” ability?

‘……Hmm.’

I wasn’t sure either.

It was simply the pinnacle of what a thief could achieve—the ultimate limit of a thief’s capabilities.

And then, it evolved into a gift: the Divine Realm of the Thief.

It seemed far more extraordinary than I had imagined.

‘Volkan fell into traps twice in a row.’

What’s more, it barely took any time to set them up. Just a flick of the wrist, and they were done.

If I could properly master and utilize this, things could really change.

‘It even worked on Volkan.’

The explanation had mentioned transcending the human realm and stepping into the divine.

If this was the divine realm, then it made sense that it would work even on Volkan.

‘……Under normal circumstances, I could just focus on honing this.’

But I had the System.

Even the abilities I couldn’t fully use now would eventually become available if I kept refining them.

And the ones I was already using would evolve on their own.

‘For now, though—’

The most important thing was to properly utilize what I could use.

And so, my days of meditation continued.

[Mana has increased by 1.] [Mana has increased by 1.] [Mana has increased by 1.] . . .

Training endlessly was fun.

But even endless training had its limits.

Things like cooking could all be left to Cheongju, but—

[Unfair. Demand compensation.]

‘……Later.’

Lost in meditation, I pondered.

The further I got from the Cradle, the less… saturated the mana felt, I suppose?

Because of that, the efficiency of my training wasn’t particularly high.

‘……At this rate, it’s dropping to the point where I might as well just goof off.’

That was a little frustrating.

—If you think about why a city was built above the labyrinth, it’s not that strange.

The Holy Sword responded to my complaints.

‘……Let’s just finish this Hero Selection or whatever and go back.’

We arrived at the town.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen such a bustling city.” “You’ve had it rough, huh?” “Aside from the [Cradle], it’s similar to the old orc hatcheries I’ve heard about.” “Orc hatcheries?” “Ah, that incredibly famous incident.”

Erme broke into a cold sweat and hurried off somewhere.

Why, though?

“There were two types of orc hatcheries. For humans, it’d be like gathering pregnant women near their due date in isolation facilities to give birth, and another place to encourage reproduction among young orcs just starting to mature.” “Oh.” “But… then the elves raided it, and male orcs were abducted en masse… or emaciated male orcs were discovered in large numbers, so it eventually disappeared. Now, only traces remain.” “……Oh.”

Elves… are you guys okay?

The first thing we did upon arriving in town was look for an inn.

“But in a small city like this, the inns probably aren’t great. What should we do?” “I don’t mind. Just find something decent.”

The Crown Prince answered the question, which had clearly been asked with him in mind.

The moment he replied, Erme’s expression stiffened slightly.

“You’re asking for the hardest thing.” “Just prepare something passable. If it’s really bad, I’ll go with you.” “Then let’s go together.”

Volkan interjected, and Rishiel spoke up.

“Then I’ll take a short walk with Sir Diago.” “Where are you going?” “Me? Probably to buy some ingredients.” “Hmm, your cooking is delicious. I’ll look forward to it today.” “……Too much trouble. Just eat at the inn.” “You could just have your robot do it, no?”

Diago glanced at Cheongju.

Cheongju crossed her arms in an X shape in protest.

[Denied.] “……Takes after its owner.” [Gratitude for the compliment.]

I handed Cheongju over to Erme, telling her to order her around as needed, then left alone.

Since my appearance was too noticeable, I wore a robe-like garment over my clothes.

‘Feels like a hoodie.’

—You surprisingly enjoy going off alone, huh? ‘More like, when I arrive in a new town, sightseeing is just my hobby.’

Before getting dragged into this game-like world, I used to travel all over the place.

At some point, I became too famous, and even that became difficult.

As I wandered around, I spotted a strangely unsettling man.

Or was it a woman?

A figure with a black eyepatch, their entire body wrapped in bandages.

Their hair was long, and their jaw was slender, but their height made me think they might be male.

‘Everything about them is ambiguous.’

That was the impression they gave.

Even weirder was how no one around seemed to notice them, as if they were invisible.

I quickly averted my gaze.

—We’ve been spotted. ‘……No, I only glanced once.’ —If someone can see through my concealment in a single glance, anyone would notice. ‘……’

But the bandaged figure just gave me a brief look before walking away.

—Heading toward the Cradle. ‘Is that one of the reinforcements sent by the Empire?’

With hunting in the labyrinth stagnating, the Empire had called for direct reinforcements.

‘For something that important…’

It was a little strange why Volkan had come here, but apparently, the Hero Selection was considered significant enough that he was forced to attend.

—I sense presences all over. At least two on Volkan’s level. ‘……That many?’ —That so-called “Black Nether Duke” was said to have at least five… The Empire must have that kind of military strength.

After saying that, the Holy Sword fell silent.

A short while later, as I headed back to the inn, I saw a bizarre sight.

‘……An elf, an orc, and a dwarf?’

Judging by the city’s architecture, it seemed mostly human-dominated, but there were more other races than expected.

But upon closer inspection, that wasn’t quite the case.

“What’s this, a walking stump?” “That stump doesn’t even have a weapon. Are you just muscle-brained cowards running away?” “Sorry my brain’s all muscle. In that case, how about I take your weapons—” “Elf! An elf has appeared!” “Tch, hey stump, let’s call a truce for now! No choice, temporary alliance just this once!” “No, dammit! Why are elves even joining the Hero Candidate competition?! Sorry, but I still haven’t forgiven you for stealing our weapons!” “We’ll settle that petty stuff later… Here they come!” “……”

The orc and dwarf joined forces, while outside, an elf tch-ed in annoyance, licking her lips.

Then, with the eyes of a snake scanning for prey, she looked around—

And stopped when she saw me.

“……Oh? A rather sturdy male, huh.” “Hey, you! Human just standing there! Come here!” “Hurry! Even if you’re just a human, I can’t stand to see you get devoured by them!”

The orc and dwarf beckoned me over.

As I walked toward them, I glanced at the elves.

A group of entirely female elves.

Among them, one stood out.

—That one’s pretty impressive, no?

The Holy Sword rarely gave praise.

A single woman stood out.

Silver hair, blue eyes. There was something sharp about her, giving off a haughty vibe.

With the long ears typical of elves and striking features, she stared at me with dazed eyes.

“Wait, how are you this beautiful?”

She spoke in a dazed voice while looking at me.

What, could she see through the robe covering my face?

‘……Ah, a thief.’

I could tell at a glance.

After obtaining the pinnacle of thievery, I had learned to recognize the habits, footsteps, and quirks of thieves and archers within the Cradle.

As a result, I realized she was quite skilled as a thief.

‘……Still far below me, though.’

I was basically cheating.

—A thief far below you… The level difference isn’t even that big. Not worth much.

The Holy Sword’s assessment was obvious.

What did the pinnacle of thievery mean?

It meant mastering the absolute limit of what a thief could achieve.

If we had met earlier, maybe. But now, I had even obtained the Divine Realm.

To put it simply—

‘Fighting thieves is really not worth it.’

There was nothing to gain.

I pulled my hat lower, looking at the elf.

In the past, maybe. But now, I didn’t want to waste time on someone like her.

“You… Your face is quite to my taste—” “You’re not mine, though.” “Hah? So you’ve got a sharp tongue to match that face, huh.”

The elf’s eyes narrowed before she looked at me with amusement.

“But once you hear my name, the story might change.” “Your name?”

What difference would a name make?

I gave her a disinterested look.

“I am Seraphina. Of the Duskveil family.” “……?” “……?”

When I tilted my head in confusion, the elf woman mirrored the gesture.

“Hoh, could it be you don’t know?” “No idea who you are……”

I had memorized the names of all the rising stars among clan masters recently, so if I hadn’t heard of her, it meant she wasn’t notable enough.

Rising stars, or those who had made a name for themselves.

That list had been compiled by Erme.

Her opinion wasn’t absolute, of course.

But the person in front of me, while skilled, wasn’t at a level to be on that list.

‘And yet she’s this confident?’

It was puzzling, but her smug expression was too much to ignore.

“You might not know, but I’m the most promising female candidate for the Thief Hero position. Watch me closely.” “Why should I?” “Heh, well, a face like yours deserves attention. Don’t worry too much. Once I become a Hero, I’ll take you in.”

Quite the ambitious dream.

—The person giving out rice cakes isn’t even thinking about it, yet here you are shoving them down your throat until you choke…

The Holy Sword clicked its tongue sympathetically.

“Remember this. Seraphina Duskveil will be waiting for you.” “That human, of all people, had to catch her eye……” “If the Empire’s genius swordsman is confirmed as the Sword Hero, then among the elves, there’s Seraphina. Indeed, her demeanor alone is on another level……”

The orc and dwarf trembled as they spoke, looking at me with pity.

I was a little shocked.

‘……On the same level as the genius swordsman, this kid?’

Soyeonhwa, that guy, was supposedly a once-in-a-millennium genius.

Turns out he was just a benchmark for promising candidates…….