Chapter 84
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: Trap (4)
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Hiding my presence, the place I headed to was the inn where Roselin was staying.
The only private space suitable for a deeper conversation right now was there.
She let me inside without any particular wariness. Whether she trusted me, was indifferent, or simply didn't care at all, I had no way of knowing.
Judging by the silence permeating the room, it was probably the latter.
A few unorganized items, simple bedding, clothes hanging on the wall—nothing special about the space, but it reflected her easygoing personality.
Aside from the peculiar scent unique to a woman's room, I could easily believe it was a man's.
Well, she hasn't stayed here long, so such an evaluation doesn't mean much. Just a glimpse of her personality.
Due to recent events, I've spent so much time mimicking others—whether through clones or direct transformations—that now I habitually gauge people's tendencies from even the smallest clues.
Especially since my perception has expanded, those subtle differences stand out even more.
I continued with what I had been saying.
"About the pact... you don't need to know that yet. The important thing is that they've done something they absolutely shouldn't have."
"There must be something they need to achieve, even at the cost of such deeds."
Roselin mulled it over for a brief moment before grasping the meaning right away.
From the information I'd gathered so far, the Moonlight Afterglow was little more than a subcontractor for the forces of evil. Something to be used when needed and discarded like a tail if things went south.
They hadn't received the essence of evil to be corrupted by it, nor were they a group made up of incredibly powerful transcendents.
Looking back, the Moonshadow Conclave I'd faced before was a far more formidable force. Philip Deran alone was a Dragon Rank transcendent, and there were plenty of others who dismissed even him.
"But how do you already know so much detail? Ah, not that I'm doubting you—I'm just surprised."
"...I told you earlier. I've already been tracking them myself."
What the Moonlight Afterglow had prepared might seem like a mere blip in time from a transcendent's perspective.
But its origins stretched back at least several years, to when Roselin was still a child. Easily a decade or more.
Their immediately apparent goal was singular: to indiscriminately cut down any sprouts of heroes.
But whether that was their ultimate aim or merely the prelude to something grander, I couldn't be certain yet.
And that was something I couldn't tell Roselin just yet.
The fact that she was a hero... she needed to learn that after I forged the sword. At the very least, after entering the chat room.
So I planned to use that fact.
To keep her from rushing down reckless paths like this one—by making her wait—using the goal she so desperately wanted to know as bait.
Luring her in with it.
In a way, it was deception. A trick. Ironic that it was all to protect her.
Then, a sudden thought crossed my mind.
'Is this arrangement?'
The being trying to convey something to me through the oracle stele might have similar intentions.
The one walking the path can't see it. But the end of that path is prepared for the walker, along with the responsibility left behind.
'If she learns the truth later...'
I didn't have her personality fully figured out, but I could tell she wouldn't take kindly to something like this.
And neither would I.
I had no idea what the one who arranged this for me wanted, but I didn't want to shoulder that responsibility.
Taking the good for myself and pretending not to see the rest might be selfish.
But honestly, that's just how I am.
Roselin probably wasn't as bullheaded as me... but she wouldn't welcome it either.
The least I could do for her was not force the hero's burden on her.
I only knew she was a hero; I had no idea what lay beyond that.
Leaving the choice at the end to her seemed like something I could manage.
As those thoughts flickered through my mind, she spoke up.
"I did ask you, but I didn't expect it to go this smoothly."
It won't be smooth. You'll end up taking a very long detour...
"Then... do you know what it is they're so desperate to achieve?"
And there it was.
I paused for a moment and looked at her.
Her eyes were clear. Staring into those pure, unwavering depths, it felt impossible to even think of lying.
The old me couldn't have lied to those eyes. Even if I tried, my face would have given it all away.
But now it was different. The words that came from my mouth were astonishingly calm and detached.
"Do you need to? They're all going to die anyway."
I'd already made up my mind. Their fate was sealed.
She might not know it, but they'd relentlessly tried to assassinate her—not to mention slaughtering all the talented children to nip any hero sprouts in the bud.
They deserved death. Except for Zmol, who held the core information.
Of course, if I caught him, his end wouldn't be pleasant either.
Am I too numb to killing now? The thought suddenly struck me.
In the old days, I might have felt some hesitation, but since becoming a transcendent and expanding my perception, my mind had hardened—no particular emotions stirred.
Come to think of it, planning this out hadn't hit any snags either. Whether I could pull it off—that was my only concern.
"Kill them...?"
A strange reluctance flickered across her face.
Opposition to killing? No, that wasn't it.
"Without learning anything...?"
She was worried about not uncovering their goal.
Well, they'd been trying to kill her since she was a kid. And though it was coincidental, since Parthan had killed her parents, she probably didn't hold them in high regard either.
Still, her cautious question stemmed from being the one who'd made the request.
"Those guys don't know much anyway. There's a separate transcendent managing them. Zmol. He's the key."
"...I see."
She nodded as if convinced.
"...Sorry. For suggesting we kill them without knowing anything."
...Is she going to apologize for every little thing?
She didn't need to be so deferential.
"No need to apologize for every single thing. I'm just fulfilling your request and sharing information."
"No. You don't need to worry about me at all."
From her tone and expression, she seemed to think it was only natural.
Hm... She's pretty stubborn too. Note to self.
"I just... thought it was impressive that you always have an answer for everything. There's so much I can learn from you. Ah, not that I'm asking you to teach me. Just that I'll figure it out on my own..."
At her embarrassed words, I kept my reaction in check and replied.
"I see. Then there's something for you to do."
"What is it? Just tell me..."
"Get out of the room."
"...Pardon?"
"I need to prepare some things, so I need the room empty."
"... "
"Are you going to fight the transcendents?"
"...Realistically, I don't think I'd be much help."
"That's why I'm telling you to leave."
"Yes..."
Roselin turned to go but paused at the door and looked back.
"How long should I stay outside?"
"A day."
"...This is my room, you know?"
I nodded while looking at her.
"...Yes, as long as you know."
She left without asking more. As the door closed, the sound of her footsteps faded down the hallway.
Of course, I hadn't sent her out just to be alone in a woman's room.
I immediately began preparations to execute the plan I'd devised.
I'd come to her to eliminate the hero's risk factors while handling her request—not to do it together with her from the start.
As she'd already said, she wouldn't be much help in a fight between transcendents.
My traps don't discriminate about who they activate on...
As that thought crossed my mind, another one followed.
What Philip Deran had been pondering before dying.
He'd tried combining his trap with the pattern recognition device I'd made.
A trap that only activates for those with specific patterns.
I didn't have time to implement it now, but it was an idea worth considering later.
You never know. I might need to truly collaborate with someone someday.
My mind was already stocked with various trap designs—the fruits of my week-long frenzy before catching Jackal.
I'd succeeded in both modifying existing ones with different attributes and creating entirely new traps.
Obviously, for now, I needed to modify them with Cedric's wind attribute, but I'd sent the Cedric clone to another city.
Quite a distance away, so the Cedric clone was still dutifully sitting in the carriage.
That meant I couldn't blatantly leave Cedric's traces here.
And traps powerful enough to take down transcendents leave massive aftereffects on the surroundings.
In truth, capturing without a trace is harder than just erasing them. Something I'd realized facing Garn and Jackal.
Since I planned to kill the Moonlight Afterglow's transcendents, I had to account for the aftermath.
'Though I do plan to draw them outside.'
Even so, traces would remain. Even if not Zmol, if transcendents clashed, someone would investigate.
Only one solution, then.
'I need to turn it into another kind of trace.'
This was yet another reason to keep Roselin in the dark.
'...But is this really okay?'
Distorting the original traces and artificially manipulating them.
It was the best way to utilize my trait transformation ability...
I had no idea if something like this had ever happened among transcendents before. Trait transformation wasn't a common trait to begin with. And among those, climbing the hierarchy of creation was even rarer. That's why I'd found the hero's tomb first, right?
Which meant I couldn't help but worry a little about whether this would cause unnecessary ripples.