83
Chapter 83
Crumble. The building collapsed.
Its debris rained down fiercely upon me.
However, there was no way I would get injured from this.
Before I could even think, my wings moved reflexively. Emitting a soft glow, they wrapped around my head and protected me.
Of course, that alone couldn't block all the debris.
But that didn't matter either.
A Stigma capable of curing even incurable diseases would have no trouble healing mere scrapes.
The wounds closed before blood could even flow.
Thanks to the Healthy Body trait, unless it was a serious injury, I couldn't even feel the pain.
In truth, I had practically taken no damage, both mentally and physically.
I pushed away the debris covering me, dusted myself off with my hands, and climbed out of the ruined building.
'......What the fuck is this.'
I stared blankly at what used to be the Training Ground.
I was only going to run a test. I just wanted to try out my strength once.
What kind of bullshit was this?
Why did it suddenly collapse like that?
It shouldn't crumble that easily.
My head spun at the sudden turn of events. It was right then, as I was clutching my forehead from a headache.
Footsteps approached.
There were only three people in the mansion right now, myself included.
"Heok... Hahhk......."
And among them, there was only one person who would be so exhausted from running here that they'd be gasping for breath.
Sure enough.
It wasn't long before the redheaded Noonim came into view.
Her white pajamas were soaked with sweat to the point of being slightly see-through. Her red hair was a disheveled mess, too.
Rubia, who seemed to have rushed out after hearing a loud noise in her sleep, was now standing right in front of me.
Her expression was immediately dyed with astonishment.
A ladle, which looked completely out of place as a weapon and was likely grabbed at random, fell powerlessly to the floor.
Rubia stared at the half-destroyed Training Ground... and rubbed her eyes once.
As if that wasn't enough, she pinched her cheek hard... and let out a groan, perhaps from pinching it too hard.
And finally, Rubia looked at me.
That look in her eyes.
How should I describe it.......
It was the look one would give a lunatic who had demolished a building with their bare fists.
...Well, since that was exactly what happened, it was completely understandable.
She already treated me like some kind of inhuman entity, so it was painfully obvious what kind of misunderstanding this scene would fuel.
I quickly opened my mouth to explain myself to Rubia.
That I was a normal person.
That there was no need to be afraid.
But... those words never came out.
If they did, it would have been even stranger.
Claiming I was a normal person right after demolishing a building with my bare hands—not to mention the wings—and telling someone not to worry was simply too absurd.
There's a limit even to nonsense.
It would be more believable to hear a possessed web novel protagonist claim they want to live quietly and refuse to get involved in the original plot.
That was why I had no choice but to say the most appropriate, most necessary, and above all, most textbook response for this situation.
"...I'm sorry."
Of course, such words alone couldn't solve everything.
I had to desperately calm down a glitched-out Rubia.
Should I call this a blessing in disguise?
Because I had experienced this kind of thing a few times before.
I somehow managed to explain the situation and successfully reassure Rubia.
I could safely say I was now a complete expert at stabilizing a Noonim experiencing infantile regression.
......Though I'm not sure if that's something I should be proud of.
*****
An accident that erupted out of nowhere.
A situation where the Training Ground collapsed for a ridiculous reason.
Fortunately, it didn't lead to any major problems.
There was no one nearby, so no one got caught up in it, and everything in the storage was completely fine.
The sponsorship money my friend Asel had generously provided was still remaining. Repairing the Training Ground was also a simple matter to resolve.
So the issue I needed to focus on now was... the changes that had occurred to my body.
'First of all, this is definitely not a Blessing.'
A Stigma that suddenly appeared.
I had hypothesized that perhaps the God of Light had bestowed a Blessing upon me.
But it was better to discard that theory now.
The idea that the God of Light gave me wings and enhanced my body to this extent...
Having the power to do such a thing while just standing by and watching the atrocities committed by the Holy See—that didn't make any sense.
Then what was the cause of these changes?
In the end, there was only one possibility I could think of.
[Rank of ■■]
[The qualification to stand above anyone else in the world.]
This was it.
This trait that was practically advertising how suspicious it was out in the open.
The change that occurred to Sovereign's Grace was highly likely the culprit behind all of this.
'......Should I consider this a good thing?'
How should I put it.
It was incredibly ambiguous.
Looking strictly at the situation itself, it was definitely a good thing for me.
I had chosen this trait thinking something was hidden within it, and there actually was.
Thanks to that, I was able to make up for my lacking combat power.
Not that I had ever struggled due to a lack of strength, considering how absurdly overpowered my companions were.
Still, having some combat prowess of my own wouldn't hurt.
But... how should I say this.
I couldn't help but feel a little anxious about it.
My body had changed this much, even though it seemed like the hidden elements hadn't fully revealed themselves yet.
It was purely just a gut feeling, though.
It didn't look like this would be the end of the changes.
If so, where exactly was the end?
What in the world was I becoming?
Thinking about all that gave me a bit of a headache. It was right then, as I let out a deep sigh.
-Knock, knock.
A sudden sound reached my ears.
When I opened the door, I saw Rubia standing there.
I was planning to go look for her in a bit anyway, but she had come to me first.
"Um... there's something I wanted to discuss. I-If you're busy, we can talk about it later!"
I told her I had plenty of time and invited her in, pulling up two chairs to set up a space for us.
Just the two of us in the room, sitting in chairs and facing each other.
An awkward silence hung in the air for a while.
I hesitated for a moment before... opening my mouth first.
"I am truly sorry about what happened last time."
That was seriously the only thing I could say.
I had suddenly destroyed the building she went through the trouble of building for me. How shocking must it have been for her?
"Ah, no. We can just rebuild that. Thanks to your recipes, our finances have been pretty comfortable lately anyway."
But Rubia just waved her hands dismissively as she said that.
I had no choice but to repeatedly apologize and express my gratitude to her.
"Besides, you had your own circumstances. Like failing to control the power you had reclaimed after so long."
That was the story Rubia was spinning.
What was this about reclaiming my power after a long time? What kind of existence had I become in her head?
I desperately wanted to correct her misunderstanding.
But telling her at this point that I was just a normal person didn't seem like it would convince her.
I just gave up and steered the conversation back on track.
"So, the thing you wanted to discuss is...."
"There's someone constantly interfering with our business. But he's such a big shot... that we can't just carelessly mess with him."
Saying that, Rubia handed over some documents.
Sian Ludbes.
A familiar name and face caught my eye.
Definitely.
This was no easy opponent.
Family prestige. Wealth and power.
He lacked absolutely nothing, and was even a formidable 8-Circle Mage on top of that.
He was originally supposed to be killed by the protagonist, but perhaps because the plot got twisted, he was still alive.
There was no telling how much stronger he might have gotten in the meantime.
However.......
A smile actually spread across my lips.
'It's true that he wouldn't be an easy opponent if I faced him directly.'
Then wouldn't the issue be resolved if I just didn't face him directly?
Let's make use of the story I saw in the original work. There was no need to go out of my way and struggle.
I could just have someone else fight in my stead.
'I can neutralize this guy with just a few words.'
I knew it.
The Sword Master of the Empire.
The secret that Sian had accidentally killed the son of such a person. And that he had pinned the blame on someone else.
So the solution to this problem was simple.
If he kept interfering with our business like now, I just had to declare that I would whisper that story into the Sword Master's ear, and everything would be settled.
That was why I confidently made my declaration.
"You don't have to worry about him. It's an issue that will be resolved soon."
Rubia's face filled with doubt.
I explained my future plans to the bewildered her.
...No, wait.
I tried to explain them.
A peculiar sound rang out.
The activation signal of Image Transmission Magic.
It wasn't a call directed at me. It was definitely a call for Rubia.
Sure enough, the face of the informant Rubia frequently used popped up on the screen.
And the informant spoke.
-S-Sian Ludbes is dead! Next to his bisected corpse, the letters Fool's Society.......
That bastard Sian.
Of all times, he had to go and die right at this moment.