Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Veronica
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Veronica.
A day had passed.
Forget the fact that I apparently had more aptitude for magic than I'd expected—that was secondary.
There was no reason to neglect everything else because of it.
Right after waking up in the morning, I'd eat breakfast and train my physical strength.
For lunch, I'd buy herbs and poisonous plants, then brew antidotes, poisons, and potions with them.
After that, I'd meet Volkan or Burkan for some light sparring.
In the evenings, I'd carve out some time to practice archery.
The adventurer's guild was nice because it was lit by magical lanterns made by mages.
And I'd squeeze in a bit of time to practice magic.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Skill: Magic level has increased.] -Looks like you're getting hooked on it more than you thought?
'Well, the more options I have at my disposal, the better.'
-That's not the only reason, of course. Still, be careful not to get too absorbed. Magic will fill your vessel like water.
Rishiel said that, then added,
-Of course, your vessel isn't that small, but you never know.
'Vessel.'
Everyone has their own vessel.
You could expand it through level-ups, but magic, holy power, and swordsmanship filled that vessel, so eventually, you'd hit a limit.
'Complicated.'
I trained my martial arts and swordsmanship. I brewed poisons and honed my archery and stamina.
That was my routine.
Three days like that.
I entered the library again.
But while I usually walked in boldly, this time I slipped inside while suppressing my presence.
-Stealth this time?
'Something from last time bothered me.'
Celly, one of the Mage Hero candidates.
But the system had defined her as a fiend.
'That's the weird part.'
Fiends were beings corrupted by the Labyrinth.
Hero candidates received gift cards at a certain age, and they were selected based on the number of gifts.
Empires, kingdoms, and clans in the adventurer's guild poured massive support into hero candidates, helping them grow through it.
But Celly wasn't at that level.
'She hasn't even been confirmed for gifts yet.'
And she hadn't entered the Labyrinth.
So how could she become a fiend?
Snuck into the Labyrinth?
That made even less sense.
Rishiel had said that guilds always stationed powerful experts near the Labyrinth because of people turning into fiends.
Would they let Celly sneak in?
'No way.'
Then there was only one possibility.
'Transformation type, maybe.'
Or perhaps possession.
In that case, the chances of the real Celly still being alive were slim to none.
'...Kinda unfortunate.'
Thinking that, I moved deeper into the library.
There weren't many people in the library. It made sense—the resources in the Mage Tower were far more specialized for learning magic.
'This place is for picking up basic common spells.'
Common magic referred to pure magic. It sounded impressive, but mages went through a process with their mana attributes.
'In simple terms, it's magic that's inferior to the Mage Tower's.'
But it had its advantages.
It didn't fill your vessel much.
'Of course, I don't plan to learn it unless I have to.'
What was I best at?
I had aptitude for magic, but swordsmanship suited me the most.
The ability to learn other races' sword techniques was unique to me, so honing that made sense.
As I thought that, I ventured deeper into the library.
There I saw Celly.
No—a fiend pretending to be Celly. And in front of her was...
Clara.
She looked at Celly with an emotionless expression.
"...Boring."
"S-Sorry."
"No, come on. Acting like this makes me look like the bully. Anyone would think that."
Her tone clearly indicated bullying.
I watched them and thought,
'...A one-sided dominant relationship.'
And the victim was a fiend, no less.
Come to think of it,
The system hadn't reacted to Clara at all when we met.
'That's intriguing too.'
Clara was definitely a person of interest. But maybe it deemed the fiend more dangerous.
'That scene doesn't suggest it.'
Or perhaps the system needed a cooldown after intervening once.
As I pondered that, Clara led the fiend disguised as Celly somewhere.
I tailed them until a strange sensation gripped me.
'Going further risks detection.'
Rogue Mastery whispered it. Any further, and I'd be spotted.
Just barely.
Clara had reacted oddly, subtly.
'Regrettable, but that's enough for today.'
Still, I'd caught something big.
The concern was the real Celly, the Mage Hero candidate.
'Rosennta will be sad.'
Another thought struck me.
Ermé would've done something about it, or noticed.
'Ask her later.'
I hadn't asked right away due to the shock of my magic aptitude.
And I hadn't seen her at the inn since.
After that, I dropped my stealth and picked up a magic book.
The magic I'd learned was for swift movement.
'There's something bothering me, though.'
I wondered whether to learn the glasses' alarm spell that eliminated the need for night watches.
Last time I went solo, the lack of it nearly killed me from inconvenience and fatigue.
'Thought about learning enchant too.'
But I had Blood Spirit Blade from my bloodsword, Whisper of the Wind, purple lightning, and poison.
'...Realizing how scattered my skills are.'
But I couldn't refuse the gifts and skills from the system.
If I didn't have the system, I'd have quietly given up on magic.
'Quitting now when I'm using talent cheats would be ridiculous.'
I chuckled and browsed the spells. Rishiel stood beside me.
-Planning to learn magic?
'A couple that help in combat would be good.'
-I don't recommend it much... but for you, it might not be bad.
Rishiel opposed me learning magic. I started thinking maybe I shouldn't.
Just as I turned to leave, someone approached.
"You're here today."
Golden eyes radiating holiness. Silver hair gleaming. Her actions seemed timid, but I recalled what she'd done to the fiend Celly.
'...Similar to Veronica.'
-...Is that an insult?
I ignored the baffled Rishiel and shook my head.
"I came to learn magic, but nothing worth learning, so I'm heading out."
"W-Well, Y-You, Yuseong, you're famous for your sword, so no need for magic. Better to master one than half-ass both."
Clara said that and looked at me.
"B-But you could learn a bit more magic. Your gifts and aptitude don't match?"
-What nonsense from this woman. Yuseong has insane aptitude for gifts. Using elf Dark Moon with fighting spirit? Does she think that's funny?!
Rishiel bristled at Clara's words.
I ignored both and bowed lightly, heading to the inn.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "You're back?"
A beaming smile. Crimson eyes like twilight crescent moons.
"Where'd you go?"
"Dropped by the library."
"Again? Well, seeing how Clara acted, you do seem to have magic aptitude."
"Seems like it."
"Of course, you're Yuseong. But I wouldn't say 'Han Yuseong, magic suits you more than the sword.'"
"...?"
"The sword suits you better. Great magic aptitude, but... seeing you use Dark Moon, sword's the way."
"Something like that."
-...What is with this woman? How does she know about those two?
I ignored the flustered Rishiel and sat across from Ermé.
"You okay? You've been training hard lately."
"This much is nothing. But you've been busy."
"Haha, suddenly lots of work."
"Related to Celly?"
"Oh, you remember."
"Yeah, my gift inside resonated."
"As expected, best Thief Hero."
Ermé said in an impressed tone. What had she been through to say that?
"...Anyway, notice anything off?"
"Off? With Celly?"
"Yeah."
At my words, Ermé furrowed her brow, and a membrane-like sensation enveloped us.
Soundproofing, probably.
"Something off with Celly?"
"...Like the glasses incident."
"Same as Marcel... Already at this point...?"
Ermé muttered blankly, looking shocked.
"What to do? Looks kidnapped. Maybe already..."
Dead.
The word wouldn't come out easily.
"First, catch the bi... thing pretending to be Celly."
"One problem."
"What?"
"Clara seems to have it as a subordinate."
"Clara? No way..."
"Know her?"
"Yeah, Veronica told you? She's the acting Saintess."
"Right."
"Clara's the real Saintess. She has a special gift, so the church designated her."
"...Just one?"
"Veronica's historically amazing, like she said... but with Clara's gift, Veronica's forever second."
"...?"
I thought of Veronica. Arrogant, self-centered.
'...But skilled.'
That's how she survived her personality.
Yet Ermé called her eternal second to Clara.
"What gift?"
"...Can't say that much. Not distrusting you. It's a constraint."
"...Constraint?"
"Yes."
Ermé sealed her lips.
Like she couldn't say more.
I didn't press.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The next day, I ran into Clara.
Not in the library, but nearby.
'Just picking up Durin's stuff.'
Our paths overlapped.
It annoyed me a bit.
"Oh, we meet again."
"Why's a noble priestess here?"
"Priests fight too. Isn't this Master Durin's place?"
"Know Durin?"
"Who doesn't? Especially weapon users—they all want gear from here."
Durin really was famous.
"M-Me, I was a battle priest once. I'd s-swing my sword like whoosh—whoosh, and paladins would turn pale and come to me."
Clara mimed gripping something and flailed awkwardly.
One thing clear: Clara shouldn't wield weapons.
"So, business? None, I'm going."
"W-Well..."
As Clara hesitated to speak,
"What're you doing here?"
A cold voice rang out.
Turning, I saw a woman with purple eyes and purple hair.
Viola.