True Name
Estdel, president of the Alchemist Association, came to the mansion without warning. Her purpose was to deliver the completed Elixir prototype directly into my hands.
“Here you are.”
Estdel carefully offered me a luxuriously wrapped emerald-green box. When I lifted the lid, a glass vial revealed itself, filled with a liquid that shimmered like liquid rainbows.
“I mixed it exactly according to the ratios you specified. The purity was so extreme that charging the mana density took longer than expected, but the final result is something you can look forward to.”
As she claimed, the finished product surpassed all expectations. Judging its completion was simple: the final volume of the elixir. By eye, it looked to be roughly thirty milliliters. An amount like this meant she had wrung out every last drop possible.
An involuntary sigh of admiration slipped from my lips.
Estdel watched me with a proud, almost smug expression.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“It was nothing.”
Only one final step remained in the Elixir’s creation: the Holy Solvent. Once a precise ratio of the solvent was dripped onto the prototype and the mixture heated to extreme temperatures to burn away only the impurities, it would be complete.
Isabelle Ustia. I felt uneasy relying on her, but her ability to purify was genuine. She would bring the solvent without incident.
Estdel continued to stare at me with visible anxiety. I asked her bluntly, “What are you looking at?”
“……Is the purpose of what you’re creating still a secret? I assure you, I can keep my mouth shut far better than you seem to think.”
I simply smiled and said nothing. The silence was my way of telling her that if she had no further business, she should leave.
Understanding my intent, Estdel let out a heavy sigh.
“Fine. I wasn’t expecting an answer anyway.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“Why is it so difficult to just tell me…”
Estdel clicked her tongue, rummaged through her belongings, and eventually handed me a neatly wrapped letter.
“It’s an invitation.”
“An invitation?”
“Yes. I don’t know the details myself. It was delivered to the Association while you were absent.”
In a few days the Founding Festival shall commence. Kyle Winfred is hereby commanded to attend without fail and escort the Imperial Princess.
I stood motionless for a moment before breaking the seal. The Founding Festival… In the previous round I had never once attended, so the event had completely slipped my mind. I slowly dredged up what memories I had.
Despite its grandiose name, the Founding Day festival was little more than another noble social gathering. The only real difference was that the imperial family itself played host.
Escorting the princess? That posed no particular difficulty. The problem was—
‘The Founding Festival coincides with the first wave, doesn’t it?’
The erosion of the Black Mist. Commonly called the monster wave. As I recalled, the moment the festival began, a true catastrophe would descend upon the empire. The once-quiet Black Mist would begin devouring the continent in earnest. Monsters would surge forth. Every conceivable plague would sweep across the land.
Rudine surely knew this. She could not not know. She had inherited every memory from the previous round intact. Yet she still intended to attend the Founding Festival? In the eastern territories, no less—the very origin point of the disaster?
‘Here we go again.’
Did she have a death wish? If so, I would gladly welcome it. I wouldn’t need to lift a finger; I could simply seize the Holy Relic and be done with her.
“Will you be attending the Founding Festival?”
Diana, who had been watching silently, finally spoke.
I gave a slow nod. “Most likely.”
“Shall I accompany you?”
Diana asked with careful formality. I looked her up and down. Her current appearance was far too recognizably Diana. I still had no intention of letting Rudine learn of her existence. However, with the Black Mist looming as an unpredictable factor, I would need someone to protect me during this particular event.
I spoke deliberately. “Not in that form.”
Diana’s shoulders twitched. She lowered her head, looking strangely dejected.
It was fine. There was a solution.
“Merlin.”
“What?”
The method was simple: change Diana’s appearance.
“That disguise artifact.”
“Why do you need it?”
Why? Because I required it, obviously.
“Do you have it?”
At my question, a smile curved Merlin’s lips. “Of course I do.”
The imperial family would handle all preparations for the Founding Festival, so I spent the following days in uncharacteristic leisure at the mansion. The single change was that Merlin had decided to stay here for the time being.
“Why aren’t you going back?”
“It’s my decision.”
“So you’re staying here indefinitely?”
“For now. I can’t allow anything to happen to you, so I’ll keep watch. Isn’t that reasonable?”
It was leisurely, yet never truly quiet. Not a single day passed in silence within these walls. To think that adding just one person—Merlin—could create such constant commotion. It was almost impressive.
Still, I didn’t dislike the noise. In fact, I rather enjoyed it. Thanks to the bustle, I never had time to feel bored.
“Uwek—”
Merlin gagged after tasting Diana’s cooking. I understood completely. Diana’s food possessed a truly wondrous—by which I mean horrifying—flavor profile.
“This is unbelievable. You’ve been serving this and calling it cooking? At this point it’s not cuisine, it’s alchemy. How does soup even develop a taste this grotesque?”
Crack. The fork in Diana’s hand bent cleanly in two under the pressure.
“It appears your taste buds have gone numb.”
“What kind of excuse is that? Boiling plain meat in water would taste better than this.”
“That is a misconception.”
They really got along, those two. Just eat whatever and fill your stomach—how hard could it be?
I had expected Merlin to be somewhat gloomy, yet she turned out to be surprisingly talkative, bickering with Diana at every opportunity. At first I thought she simply had a terrible personality, but the way she reluctantly looked after others when it truly mattered suggested something far more complex.
And so the chaotic days continued.
Then one evening, Merlin came to my room and asked if I would speak with her privately. She had located Luna Winfred. The carriage Luna had taken was discovered near the Papal See. The reason she had headed there so abruptly was almost certainly Isabelle.
What kind of mess was she trying to cause this time?
Merlin gave a small laugh at my visibly souring expression.
“It must be hell every single day. Falling into an unfamiliar world is bad enough, but every woman around you turns out to be a complete psychopath.”
“It’s fine. I only need to endure a little longer before I can return.”
“Yes… we’re almost there.”
Merlin murmured in a subdued voice. After a moment she asked carefully, her face showing genuine incomprehension.
“There’s something I’ve been wondering.”
“What is it?”
“How can you trust me so easily?”
Because the official setting book had listed Merlin Trivia’s alignment as clearly good. Besides, the dimensional gate had no limit on passengers. What possible reason would a good-aligned character have to betray me?
“It’s strange, isn’t it? Honestly, what if I abandoned you here and crossed over alone? What if I had been planning to deceive you from the start? Aren’t you being far too defenseless?”
I chose my answer slowly, careful not to arouse suspicion while giving her every reason to feel trusted.
“Why? Would you deceive me?”
“It’s possible.”
“And how would you adapt once you arrived? Sorry to say, but the world I came from isn’t nearly as forgiving as this one. Without my help you’d immediately become an illegal alien, spending the rest of your life running from authorities.”
“Illegal… what? What does that even mean?”
“It’s a thing.”
I chuckled and added, “And that’s not all. What about language? How would you adapt to the culture? You’d need at least one reliable companion, wouldn’t you?”
“……It almost sounds like you’re promising to help me adjust personally.”
“You heard correctly. I’m very thorough with after-service.”
Merlin fell silent. With her head lowered I couldn’t read her expression, but she seemed at a loss for words.
Had she been moved?
If I could return to my original world, I was even willing to empty my savings to help her settle in.
Merlin slowly lifted her head and continued.
“How touching.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“Tsk. Of all the worlds you could have been dragged into… Well, perhaps it’s fortunate for me. Because you were summoned here, I’ve gained at least a sliver of hope.”
“If you understand that, then behave. Don’t even think about stabbing me in the back.”
Merlin let out a bright laugh. The smile I had never witnessed even in the game was unexpectedly innocent.
“No need to worry. Unless your soul personally passes through the dimensional gate, there is no way for me to reach your world—no matter what I do. If I crossed over alone and left your soul behind, I would simply become lost within the void between dimensions.”
I already knew this. The dimensional gate was merely a passageway. Crossing it did not automatically deliver one to my world. Only my soul could return. Therefore, without my accompaniment, no one could ever reach the world I once lived in. If it had been possible, Merlin would have left long ago without needing my help at all.
“You.”
“Speak. I’m listening.”
Her deep green eyes pierced straight through me. Strangely, I felt no tension. At least in front of Merlin, I didn’t need to hide behind the mask of Kyle Winfred.
“What is your name?”
“Kyle Winfred.”
When I answered casually, Merlin’s brows drew together. She pressed again.
“That is not your name.”
“……?”
“Your real name. Not the false one forced upon you, but the true name you have carried your entire life.”
True name. Not the false one forced upon me… the name I had been called my whole life.
My throat closed. I had never once imagined that anyone in this world would ask for my real name.
“……Lee Seung-jun.”
“Lee Seung-jun?”
“Yes. That is my name.”
Lee Seung-jun. Lee Seung-jun. Lee Seung-jun…
Merlin repeated it several times, tasting the syllables.
“It’s a good name.”
“…You think so?”
“Yes. It resonates nicely, doesn’t it?”
Merlin gave a small laugh. When I pursed my lips, she rose from her seat and extended her hand.
“Then I look forward to working with you from now on, Lee Seung-jun.”
I stood slowly and took the offered hand.
“Likewise.”