Chapter 153
Chapter 153
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 153
Chapter Title: Verification
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“Alright, then let’s go over it from the beginning.”
Nix nodded at my words. Her chest jiggled along with it. I compiled all the information I’d gathered so far in my head, then threw out the first question.
“First. You cast two spells on me. One that degenerates my physical abilities, and the other that prevents me from feeling more than a certain amount of fear while keeping me perpetually calm. Right?”
“Yes.”
Nix opened her mouth to answer. She could respond up to this point. Once I confirmed that, I moved on to the next question.
“Second. Is there any chance you erased or altered my memories?”
“If it were a spell that corrupts the mind, maybe, but anything involving tampering with memories... hehe.”
Nix trailed off with a hesitant chuckle. She could answer this far too.
Well, since I could clearly recall everything from before I possessed this body, it was safe to assume my memories hadn’t been touched.
The four knight commanders and Aurora thought I’d lost my memories, but that was just me brushing it off vaguely since I couldn’t spill the full truth. I planned to come clean properly later.
“Third. You and I—we—”
“Past life.”
“...Right. Past life. Anyway, you’re saying we had a connection in our past lives?”
Nix nodded vigorously, her expression brightening even more. Her chest shook much more intensely than before.
*This is serious.*
That was my conclusion.
Not content with just having a split personality, she was now suffering from delusions that she and I knew each other in a past life. Her mental state was far beyond the ordinary.
If I left her like this, who knew what other settings she’d come up with? She might even start insisting we were married in a past life.
*What the hell is this past life stuff?*
Was it due to the mod’s influence that she had this setting, or some other reason? Nix firmly believed in this delusion that we’d had a connection in our past lives.
“Fine. Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that we knew each other in a past life, like you claim.”
“...It’s not ‘for argument’s sake’... It’s real... And it wasn’t just ‘knowing each other’—it was a really, really deep relationship...”
Sensing I didn’t believe her at all, Nix shrank back in an instant, glancing timidly my way while fidgeting with her index finger pressed against her chest. I ignored it and continued.
“So, why cast spells on that ‘someone you knew’?”
—Clack!
Her upper and lower teeth crashed together with a chilling sound, and Nix’s mouth, which had been about to say something, clamped shut again. It was such a loud noise that my own jaw ached just watching.
“...”
Nix shook her head side to side. It meant she couldn’t speak.
She clearly knew something, but there was no way to access it. Even trying to convey it in writing was impossible—her arms stiffened up completely.
She’d said she’d never experienced this herself before, so it was clear some immense force was blocking me from the truth.
Whatever that immense force was, anyway.
I leaned back in my chair. I’d only piled up useless info about how this witch’s mental state was worse than I’d imagined, while gaining nothing on the core matters.
The fact that a spell degenerating my physical abilities was on me matched the game, but everything after that was problematic.
Why would Nix, who harbored such special feelings for me that she’d blurt out stuff like this without hesitation, use black magic tantamount to a curse on that very special person?
And then, like giving medicine after poison, why pair it with black magic that prevented fear and maintained calm? I couldn’t figure out either reason.
I’d identified the spell types, the caster, and even when they were cast, yet I didn’t know *why*. It was ridiculous.
I’d solved one mystery, only for new ones to sprout in its place. In the end, I was right back where I started.
“...Got it for now.”
I stood from the chair. Seeing me approach, Nix flinched reflexively and started fidgeting anxiously.
Then she squeezed her eyes shut and tilted her head up toward me. Her lips pursed forward just a bit. I stared at her in bewilderment. Her intent was too obvious.
She apparently thought I’d put a hand on her shoulder and kiss her or something. She’d know otherwise if she checked my expression.
“I’m not gonna kiss you, so you can open your eyes.”
“Eh? Ehehehehe...”
Nix cracked one eye open cautiously. Seeing my dumbfounded look, she scanned around nervously, shrinking even more while fidgeting with her fingers again. I sighed inwardly.
I’d once thought that if she didn’t have the original NPC’s bitchy personality, everything would be fine—but Nix was personally proving that even with goodwill toward me, things could still be not fine.
If only she’d stop being so damn vigilant about everything. Every little action made me feel like the bad guy.
“So, you came to see me just because you wanted to see my face? Nothing more grand than that?”
“Yes, hehe...”
At first, I thought her sneaking in like that meant something important, but nope—she’d just come because she missed my face.
Three times, even.
The first time, she’d figured out I was in the palace and come to Minerva’s workshop, but she and Minerva weren’t on good terms, so she’d been on pins and needles until she ran into Kaikilia.
With her split personality, did she think she had two lives or something? Right in front of Kaikilia, who demanded to know who she was, she’d bragged about our “deep relationship”—and gotten beaten within an inch of her life before being chased off.
That explained why I’d been wearing a suit treated as combat gear when Kaikilia summoned me.
Whether Kaikilia suspected it was Nix’s delusion or not, she wouldn’t have taken kindly to someone boasting about their connection to me right in her face.
Considering the emperor’s interest in me and her terrifying personality, surviving that stunt was a miracle.
*She said at first she sent a clone out of consideration for the people here, so she didn’t seem like the bitchy NPC from the game...*
Right after returning from the palace, Lana had reported to Aurora about a woman with purple and green hair looking for us—that was Nix.
But instead of coming herself, she’d sent an identical clone. She knew if she came in person, the city would panic from fear, and she wouldn’t get proper answers.
She didn’t use clones in the game’s boss fights, but since she knew Minerva here, I figured she’d picked it up somehow.
And the third time was this meeting.
Coming three times just to see me gave me the feeling I should treat her well, but knowing it stemmed from delusion made it a bit awkward.
“Hmph.”
Our eyes met, and Nix broke into a goofy grin.
If she didn’t smile so weirdly, dressed more normally, lacked the split personality and delusions, trimmed her hair, and ditched the gloomy vibe, she’d just look like a small, cute pet.
*Ah, then she’d be normal, huh?*
“Um...”
Nix, who’d been fidgeting nonstop with her fingers, cautiously spoke up.
“What... are you gonna do now...?”
“What am I gonna do?”
Truth be told, the answer was already set in stone.
If I’d learned something useful, maybe different, but I’d only gathered weird info—no breakthroughs on the essentials.
I could aim to uncover the nature of that spell-like gag order on her mouth, but I had no clue what it even was right now, so that was impossible.
What else was there to do? Finish what I’d been doing before.
“Hunt monsters like usual. Why?”
“Hehe, then...”
[Stats]
[Level] 65(+3)
[Health] 1
[Mana] 10
[Faith] 4(+3)
[Stamina] 5
[Proficiency] 1
[Strength] 25
[Magic Power] 10
[Holy Power] 10
[Durability] 7
I checked my final stats, locked them in, and let go of the Ability Check Orb.
Having obtained Wingless Nightmare, investing some stats in Faith wasn’t a bad idea. Solar Eclipse and Lunar Eclipse performed so outstandingly that unless the enemy had holy resistance, they’d more than earn their keep anytime.
*I’ve taken down all the bosses I can hunt around here... Time to venture farther out?*
Hunting bosses was starting to hit level-up limits. Early-game bosses gave less EXP than mid-to-late-game elite mobs.
For reference, I didn’t touch regular mobs unless they attacked first.
This area was early-game, so enemy levels were low overall. Killing trash mobs here wouldn’t register at my current level.
Meanwhile, I could one-shot them just brushing past, making it terrible cost-performance. That’s why I’d only plucked boss horns while circling the area and headed back.
“Welcome back, Knight Commander. It’s been a while.”
Exiting the room with the Ability Check Orb, Laksia bowed toward me. From the timing, she’d probably heard I was back and waited outside.
I’d been out roaming for over three days, so yeah, it had been a while.
“No issues?”
“None, sir. All incidents were handled at the guard level.”
“And Nix? Still the same?”
“...She seems to spend about 20 out of 24 hours sleeping.”
Nix’s request to me was to let her stay here. Of course, it wasn’t free—she’d teach black magic to whoever needed it.
The vice-commander, regular knights, and even Aurora objected to a witch living with us, but after confirming the terms, I convinced everyone and got approval.
If Nix taught black magic directly, we wouldn’t need to dungeon-dive for grimoires.
In exchange, she was absolutely forbidden from leaving the castle where the Obsidian Night Knights resided alone, and Nix calmly accepted.
And she kept her promise.
A bit *too* well.
From day one, she’d holed up in her room. Three days later, we had to break in the door, worried she’d escaped through the window.
She was curled up in a ball under the blankets, sleeping soundly.
According to her, she slept 18 hours, rolled around 4 hours, researched magic for 2, then slept again. Fitting for her appearance.
“If she’s just sleeping, at least she’s not causing trouble.”
“Indeed. From our perspective, it’s not a bad thing... but is your body alright?”
Laksia glanced at my left arm.
I nodded casually. Black magic didn’t need a staff or holy catalyst as a medium. It channeled through the user’s hand.
I needed my right for the sword, so black magic naturally went through my left—which was why she worried about it. Black magic’s trait of consuming stamina with use.
Heading out for three straight days to test it right after learning? Yeah, understandable concern.
“You can tell since I came back alive, right?”
“I suppose so. And here—a letter.”
Laksia rummaged in her pocket, pulled out an envelope, and handed it over.
“A letter? From who?”
“No idea. But the seal confirms the sender’s identity.”
I tore it open curiously. Was it from some noble house? The page was crammed with ornate, flowery prose. I read through carefully.
*...Huh?*
Then I froze.
Unbeknownst to me, the main story had progressed.