Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Veronica
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Veronica.
Celly was the Mage Hero candidate.
Ermé had described her as a promising talent worth watching, the kind of prodigy that sparked high expectations.
'...My Gift reacted to her, too.'
Every time he encountered these famous Hero candidates, something inside him resonated.
Not with Ermé, though.
'Celly was like that.'
And Veronica had been the same.
Just those two.
Yet the System seemed to dismiss all the others as Hero candidates, ignoring them entirely.
Villainess, Lucia.
Ermé, the Hero candidate.
Rosenta, the Saintess candidate.
From his friend's conversations and observing them firsthand, Han Yuseong had noticed a common thread among them.
'They're all good people.'
Selfish enough to look out for themselves, sure.
But most of them did good deeds.
They gave back as much as they received.
Easy to say, but how many humans actually lived that way?
The System had connected him with people like that.
As if insisting he should surround himself with the righteous.
Veronica, on the other hand—the one who'd resonated with him?
'She's not evil.'
But arrogant.
She'd lived a life swept along by the crowd, basking only in their adoration.
Saintess Veronica.
Her reputation preceded her; he didn't even need to dig.
"Just so you know, I wouldn't recommend adding Veronica to your party."
The Hao Clan leader had said it with a smile, eyes gleaming like he was doing Han Yuseong a favor.
"She's incredibly arrogant."
Meeting her in person hadn't shown outright arrogance, but...
The way she only seemed to care about herself. The subtle attempts to brainwash him.
The casualness of it all.
Others might call her a Saintess.
To him, she was no different from a Villainess.
'...'
He stared at the blue window.
The System blatantly urging him to kill someone.
And the being before his eyes was Celly, the Mage Hero candidate.
'...Someone's disguised as her.'
She had the exact same aura as the Celly he'd met before.
His Gift resonated with her.
His instincts detected no differences from the original.
"Hello."
Celly greeted them with a curt expression.
That's when he spotted it. Something off.
A fleeting, awkward gap.
The briefest slip as she guarded against scrutiny.
'Like forcing a puppet to move—unnatural.'
He wouldn't have noticed without focusing.
A sudden curiosity hit him.
The "fiend" the System mentioned—what exactly was it?
'I have a guess.'
But just a hunch.
'Rishiel.'
-What's up?
'Do you know what a fiend is?'
-...
Rishiel fell into deep thought at his question.
-First, the old definition: fiends were traitors who offered themselves to the Demon King.
'Demon King?'
-Yeah, back then they were called fiends—betrayers of humanity. But over time, the meaning twisted.
'Twisted how?'
-Now, fiends are those subjugated by certain entities in the Labyrinth.
'...Subjugated by something in the Labyrinth.'
He had a suspect.
The green demon that had possessed Ankyung's body and used it freely.
-That's a different case. If it were that, the danger level would be way higher.
'Really?'
-Those subjugated by Labyrinth entities gain the Labyrinth's power.
'Labyrinth's power?'
No clue what that meant.
-Hunting monsters in the Labyrinth builds up soul and body tiers—that accumulation is leveling up.
-But fiends... they force a mutation for power. It doesn't happen often, though.
'Why not?'
-You know Volkan, right?
Come to think of it.
Volkan was almost always stationed at the Adventurer's Guild.
He'd be absent sometimes, but never for long.
-Fiends are tricky and a hassle. If they slip into society, they terrorize without regard for their lives, so we keep minimal guards posted. Not the only reason, but...
Something else, huh.
Anyway.
He eyed the fake Celly.
If it was a fiend, would poison work?
'I have some poison.'
Not much, and limited types.
That's why he planned to buy an expensive alchemy synthesizer from the guild.
The pricier ones were more efficient and versatile.
'Not touching it now, though.'
Soul corrupted, body warped.
Way beyond his pay grade.
Annoying, but...
'Not my problem.'
Didn't he have the ever-reliable Ermé?
With all her knowledge, she'd handle any snag easily.
She was cooing over Celly now, but the moment an opening appeared, she'd slit her throat.
That's the Ermé he knew.
"Our Celly is just too cute..."
"You're pretty too, sis."
"... "
Right?
It felt ominous, but he decided to trust Ermé.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The library held all sorts of magic tomes. Ermé hadn't recommended magic to him, but.
He was curious about it anyway.
With Celly and Ermé off elsewhere, he took the chance to browse.
'Not committing to learning it properly.'
Just intellectual curiosity.
"Thinking of learning magic?"
Footsteps approached.
A quiet voice, yet laced with a magnetic pull.
"... "
He looked at her.
Silver hair, golden eyes sparkling.
He knew this woman.
-...This isn't just a resemblance.
Rishiel sounded flustered.
He agreed. It went beyond similar. The nose, the mole by her mouth, shimmering silver hair, golden eyes.
Her hair stuck out a bit more than hers.
'...Veronica?'
No, not her.
Unlike the narcissistic Veronica who flaunted her superiority.
This woman had that vibe but knew how to hide it.
"Oh, s-sorry. I shouldn't have approached you like that."
"I'm interested in magic. Just doesn't suit my talents."
"I see."
"Your eyes suggest you're a cleric—should you be here?"
"The Light Goddess's power is different, but there's useful stuff here too."
Golden eyes smiled warmly.
"Oh, sorry. I'm Clara."
"Han Yuseong."
"Ah, the famous rookie!"
"...You know?"
"Who doesn't?"
Her eyes sparkled with curiosity, like a girl hearing hero tales.
"You're the hottest topic in Cradle right now. The Sword King personally training you. Knocking out a straw dummy at level 1, hitting level 3 in under a month."
"... "
She knew way too much detail.
"And since the Sword King—Volkan—has claimed you, other top clans want to recruit but can't. You're under even more spotlight!"
Unexpected.
No wonder the clan invitations had dried up. The old man had pulled strings.
"Best part? You saved your party member from that Labyrinth monster possessing her. Impossible to have a bad image now!"
"Good image?"
"Yeah, like a stoic adventurer who cares for his team. A bit prickly, but solid."
-Ho, spot-on assessment.
"... "
Had he come off that prickly?
Something to reflect on.
'Couldn't help it.'
Dropped into this world half-naked. Warned about Villainess Lucia right away, then stole her obsession.
'Honestly, without Ermé's help, I might've floundered.'
He'd leaned on her a lot.
"Anyway, honored! Meeting Cradle's hottest sensation."
Clara grabbed his hands excitedly, then yanked them behind her back with a gasp.
"S-sorry! My favorite... N-no, I mean, my idol...!!"
Flustered Clara.
A lesser man might've fallen for it.
'...Feels forced.'
Thanks to Rogue Mastery?
It screamed calculated. Veronica seemed more genuine by comparison.
At least she didn't hide her intentions in front of him.
'One too honest, one not honest enough.'
They looked like twins, but polar opposites.
How could they differ so much?
'Gotta avoid her.'
That's why he'd turned down Veronica's request.
He didn't want deeper ties. Clara felt more uncomfortable than Veronica, and Veronica better than Clara—but.
'Doesn't make Veronica good.'
Still, something odd.
Veronica wasn't prickly.
She had skill. But the blue lines of Sword Master were absent on her.
Clara brimmed with them.
'They're using her as acting Saintess?'
The skill gap was huge.
Highly suspicious all around.
This Clara.
"Sorry, but if there's no business."
"My bad! Wasted your time? I'm no slouch at magic myself."
"Aren't you a priestess?"
"Hehe, once you serve the Light Goddess, your body fills with divine power instead of mana—normals can't cast spells. But I'm different."
Clara beamed proudly.
Made them seem like twins again.
Anyway, she pointed her index finger at him.
"Watch—this is magic basics."
A pentagram formed on her fingertip, glowing gold.
"Mages simplify the circle, but as a priestess... Yuseong?"
Clara called his name in confusion.
But he couldn't respond.
The magic triggered insane focus, and...
'Feels familiar?'
Like relearning something from long ago.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Skill unlocked: Magic] ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Magic level has increased.] "...? "
He blinked.
Did he see that wrong?
'Why do I already know magic?'
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Lv.2 Magic: Swift Movement acquired?] '...No.'
He pondered seriously.
Swordsmanship, archery, all his skills—anyone watching would call him a genius.
But he knew.
All thanks to System-derived Gifts.
'But.'
Nothing magic-related.
[Violet (A)] and [Mana Control (B)], if anything.
So.
'Am I actually a genius?'
A perfectly reasonable suspicion.