Conversations with the Mirror Demon
Seeing me transform into another person made Eun-yeong break into a cold sweat at my mere gesture. Her hands shook violently as she pressed her face close to the hand mirror and murmured something. A gentle light rose from the mirror and wrapped around her, and her trembling visibly subsided. Ham Eun-yeong began walking after me.
“Th-there… where… are we going…?”
“......”
The distance to No Hayun was roughly twenty meters. The fact that she couldn’t close such a short gap was absurd. It was enough to make my stomach twist, even without the Mimicry task.
Still, if my guess about why she wanted to get closer was correct, forcing the two of them together like this wasn’t a bad idea. They each had sides that could spark the other’s curiosity, so once the opportunity arose they would probably grow close quickly. I wasn’t sure whether No Hayun possessed the exact disposition Eun-yeong wanted, but my intuition told me the pair would suit each other well, so I wasn’t worried.
Yet after only a few steps with Ham Eun-yeong, the world suddenly began to flow in slow motion. Yeon-hee’s eyelids as she blinked at me from afar were descending at an excruciatingly slow pace. The sensation was similar to entering a void… Then a sinister energy wrapped around my entire body, and from somewhere far away I heard a voice, the way summoned creatures exchange thoughts.
‘……What the hell? It can talk?’
Shockingly, the one addressing me was the demon tribe trapped inside the hand mirror… or rather, the monster that was presumably one. ‘Honestly, calling it a monster doesn’t feel sufficient.’
The power it had displayed when it first revealed itself and sent the ghoul champion flying couldn’t have been even a tenth of its true strength. My senses were certain of it. It also possessed abilities beyond simply repelling enemies.
‘It definitely restored Eun-yeong’s vitality back then…’
A powerful reflective ability and the power to temporarily return Ham Eun-yeong to a normal state. ‘Just what is its true identity? It doesn’t feel like an ordinary demon…’
With a faintly trembling heart I sent it my first mental message.
(…What do you mean, “do”? Why aren’t you helping your master get what she wants?)
The enraged voice exploded inside my skull like a massive bell. I was so startled my shoulder bones nearly rattled. Damn, this guy has a serious temper.
(Agh, my ears are ringing. If she’s not your master, then what is she? Aren’t you trapped inside that mirror? Could you even maintain your existence without Eun-yeong?)
I asked again, full of certainty. The monster fell silent for a moment, then spoke in a slightly subdued voice.
(I… Yes. I was defeated…)
(Exactly.)
To the creature that had unexpectedly become docile so quickly, I continued.
(From what I’ve seen, you don’t actually hate Eun-yeong. If anything, it looks like you’re protecting her.)
(Yes. This child… has no sin…)
The monster grew solemn for a moment, then asked me with a trace of curiosity.
(So, what is the way to make this child happy? I’ve been bothered by the fact that she is always alone.)
‘Well, well. Now you ask? So it wasn’t because of you that Ham Eun-yeong ended up like that?’
Without revealing my doubts, I answered cheerfully.
(Haha, just stay quiet and watch.)
(……Why should I trust you and do that?)
(You must have noticed how much she has changed since Eun-yeong joined our party, right?)
(……Continue.)
(For a hunter to walk the right path, both body and mind need to be free. When they act according to their heart’s desire, their potential explodes along with it.)
Of course, many who do so fall down the path of darkness, but there was no need to mention that.
(…Are you trying to take advantage of this child’s twisted disposition? That has its own story—)
(I don’t care about the story. There happens to be a suitable partner for her right now. Just wait and see.)
(……)
At my persuasion the monster inside the hand mirror stayed silent for a while, then returned the flow of time to normal.
‘That is one insane ability… The realm I can only reach for a fleeting moment when timing and luck align perfectly, it can manipulate at will. So it isn’t just a monster on the outside?’
The grandmother who had sealed such a creature inside a hand mirror had to be a monster in her own right.
“......”
Even after the world returned to normal, Ham Eun-yeong continued to trail silently behind me until we finally stood before No Hayun.
“Hm? What’s this? You’re the one approaching me first?”
No Hayun, who had grown comfortable speaking casually to me at some point, only now noticed Ham Eun-yeong fidgeting behind me.
“And who’s the friend behind you?”
‘Just greet each other already. Make it intense.’
I grabbed Ham Eun-yeong by the nape of her neck and hurled her straight at No Hayun.
Thud─!
“……!”
“Kyaaaak—!”
Crash—!
Ham Eun-yeong’s flying head struck No Hayun squarely in the abdomen. No Hayun clutched her stomach and let out a pained groan. Because she had been completely off guard, the impact was far stronger than expected.
“Ughhh… Wh-what the hell are you—”
“Why… why me…?”
Both No Hayun and Ham Eun-yeong looked up at me with dumbfounded faces. I simply shrugged.
“Ouch… It hurts… Haah…”
Hayun remained on her knees, still writhing in pain, yet her expression gradually turned ecstatic. The corners of Ham Eun-yeong’s mouth, as she looked down at her, also crept upward in a slow, sinister arc. The sight was so eerie it felt like a scene from a horror film.
“Ha… Are… are you all right?”
“As if I would be! Mmm… It hurts… Heuu…”
Assailant and victim locked eyes. Strictly speaking both were victims, but they covered their mouths with the backs of their hands, desperately trying to control their expressions. It was a situation where they should clearly be furious with me, yet both seemed lost in entirely different thoughts.
The demon sounded confused, yet clearly intrigued.
After remaining frozen like that for about a minute, No Hayun staggered to her feet first.
“You—what the hell are you doing!”
Embarrassed by the situation, No Hayun charged at me. I took her light punch to the shoulder with a triumphant smile.
Information collection on Ice Mage No Hayun and Bard of Salvation Ham Eun-yeong has slightly increased.
Puhaha— Just as I thought. My prediction about their tastes was spot on… The moment I confirmed it, the value shot straight up.
Whether it was a hidden, secret preference or anything else, the System apparently reflected information the moment it was recognized right before its eyes. I was so pleased at having uncovered a piece of Mimicry’s hidden structure that I momentarily failed to notice Yeon-hee glaring at No Hayun from behind.
“Clack clack clack!”
“What the—! Instead of apologizing you’re enjoying this?!”
She was pretending to be angry, but I knew she liked it. I shrugged at them once more and walked back to Yeon-hee.
Even as I approached, Yeon-hee kept glaring at the woman who had punched me, then whipped her head away.
“Why did you suddenly do that? Explain.”
‘Whoa… that’s pretty intense.’
I gave her an explanation through Lime that would help her understand.
“So… if the number of people you can mimic increases, the mimic time… increases?”
“Clack clack clack!”
I had no idea whether the time would actually increase, but I answered as if it would.
“Hmm… Using fights to help with information gathering… That’s so weird!”
I nodded in agreement. She whispered with a slightly displeased expression.
“It’s good that the time increases… but transforming into other people is a bit… anyway, yeah.”
‘So from Yeon-hee’s perspective, that part is unpleasant?’
Her feelings toward No Hayun were still negative, so that was understandable, but when she said “other people” it clearly included Bae Jua and Baek A-rin as well. In the end, she didn’t like me turning into others. Message received.
Since the goal was simply to extend my Mimicry duration, it didn’t matter. I had no intention of turning into No Hayun anyway. It’s not like that would ever happen, right?
“Tsk… Whatever. I want to lean on you.”
Yeon-hee boldly demanded a lap pillow. I quickly got into position and let her rest her head on my thigh. Since my bones would be too hard, I made sure to place Lime between us.
(Kkyuuung…!)
Lime sounded a little discontent, but perhaps because its level had risen considerably, it no longer showed the same pain it once had.
‘It’s gotten really big. Its elasticity has improved too.’
The thought came while watching Lime, not Yeon-hee. The slime had grown large enough to wrap around both Yeon-hee’s torso and thighs for protection, and its defensive power had risen even further. At this point an Orc Lower Warrior would struggle to deal any damage no matter how hard it struck. Since it was the origin of the protective barrier around my neck, that was only natural.
I took out a blanket and covered her, then slowly stroked her head. If I stopped even for a moment she would grab my hand and move it back to her hair. At times like these she had a quirky, cat-like charm.
‘Ah… I want to do it again.’
Her faintly visible cleavage kept stealing my gaze. A skeleton soldier harboring lust. I wondered if there existed a more ridiculous monster in the world.
The hunters who had risen to watch my sudden behavior soon returned to their spots, lay down, and resumed resting. They were the type who basically operated on the carefree belief that whatever dangers lurked inside that maze, the “me” three hours from now would handle it.
I wanted to introduce the minions I had created to Yeon-hee, but with so many eyes watching it was impossible. Especially if Ju Ye-seul saw—she would definitely become suspicious.
Smacking my lips, I examined the entrance to the maze. Deciding how to guide the group and manage our route was an important task, so I quickly became absorbed in it.