Chapter 316
Chapter 316
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 316
Chapter Title: God's Atlantis
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-Your reaction is a bit slow. Is someone next to you?
A chill ran down my spine.
I had indeed been looking at Owen beside me, so my response was delayed. But that was only for a fleeting moment. In terms of time, it was just 2 or 3 seconds.
'She figured out someone was next to me just from my slightly delayed reaction?'
For a split second, Yuria came to mind. Their names, voices, and appearances were nothing alike, but there was one thing they shared: genius beyond my comprehension. Elena and Yuria were similar in that regard.
A glance sideways showed Owen's face had stiffened too.
"Are you hiding nearby by any chance?"
-Do you think I have that much free time?
"......The one next to me is Owen."
"O-Oh, it's Owen! Mirror ma'am!"
-......Mirror, huh. You bastard. Did you just tell her about me?
"I only said the code name."
-...Hah. Even so, I didn't think you'd actually say it.
"You never told me not to."
-Even so, I didn't expect you'd blurt it out right away.... I try to maintain an air of mystery, you know.... No way, you! You're not the type who needs everything spelled out from one to ten, are you? ......Or are you?
"Cut the jokes."
-It's not a joke.... Anyway, we'll talk about this later, step by step.
"What should I do? We don't have enough teleport scrolls to get to the designated area."
-I see. You're in sector 1,122, right?
"Yes. Sector 1,122, Hoz's Forest."
It was near Austen Prison, but not Viscount Austen's territory. Still, it wasn't safe by any means. Lingering here could let Austen's knights track us down.
-Head to sector 1,591 to the west of 1,122. Meet me there.
"Meet? You mean you're coming to 1,591 yourself?"
-I have some questions for this Owen. It was always the plan to meet in person; just the location's changed.
Click.
The voice shell connection cut off.
I turned my head to the side. Owen's face was rigid.
"Why are you so tense?"
"...It just hit me that I'm meeting an executive.... And... why does this Mirror executive want to meet me in person? Thinking about it now, I don't get the reason."
"Probably because you're an informant. And after working in hell for 13 years, isn't it about time you met an executive? Could be a promotion."
"A promotion...? Me, to executive...?!"
"As if."
"Ha, haha. Right, yeah. No way I'd make executive even if promoted. But branch manager level might be possible, right?"
Branch manager brought Pesica to mind. She was pretty high up in Helten at Helten, as I recalled.
"...Yeah. If it's a promotion, that'd be about right."
I led Owen and his comrades westward.
???
After trekking nonstop for 2 hours, we arrived at sector 1,591, the Giant's Ruins.
The Giant's Ruins were littered with shattered temple pillars everywhere. No people or animals in sight.
I didn't know much about this sector either. It never appeared in the original story, and there was zero info in the setting materials.
"You're here."
Elena, cloaked and wearing her mirror mask, leaned against a broken pillar, waiting for us.
She strode toward us purposefully. Then she addressed me.
"Good work. Here's the promised reward."
I took the bright pink pill she handed over.
The name was a bit odd, but it was a rare elixir that boosted Mana. I stowed it straight into my inventory.
"Not eating it right away? I figured you'd pop it in without a second thought."
"I'll eat it later."
"Hmm."
I planned to enhance it with Light Ascension Sword before consuming.
'Eating it in reality wouldn't be bad, but it'd only raise Mana by 1 or so.'
Plus, if this world's me didn't eat it, Elena might get suspicious.
I'd considered giving it to Yuria, but for an Aura Master and Archmage like her, it wouldn't help much. Better for me to use it.
"You're Owen?"
"Y-Yes. Owen Tailronde. Ma'am Mirror."
Owen bowed nervously in greeting. His four comrades nearby looked baffled but followed suit and bowed to Mirror. I'd planned to leave them elsewhere since they weren't Helten-related, but Elena wanted everyone brought.
"Owen Tailronde. Do you have any idea why I went to the trouble of rescuing you?"
"...No idea. I've been locked in prison for over three months. The only reason that comes to mind for pulling me out is a mission... but if it's something I can do, others could too."
"Right. It's not about assigning a mission. I just had a question for you."
"...What question?"
"Why you deliberately went into Austen Prison. Actually, two months ago I considered pulling you out, but figured a pro like you had your reasons, so I left you be."
Owen hesitated slightly.
I got how he felt. The mirror mask Elena wore was unsettling. You could see the other person, but seeing yourself reflected through the mask made it weird.
"Ah.... That's not a big deal. Publicly, I work as a fixer."
"I know."
"Got a job from a loan shark. Some debtors fled to Austen Prison after stiffing him, but the owner bribed a guard to torture them to death."
"Common story. People sometimes see prisons as sanctuaries. Exiles especially."
"The job was to find the assets the debtors hid inside the prison. The loan shark was convinced they'd converted their wealth to goods and stashed it there. I judged solo infiltration and escape impossible, so I called in these four comrades who do similar work."
"Intriguing. But more than that, I'm curious how much you got paid."
"...3 million peni upfront. Another 3 million on successful completion."
"So, did you find the debtors' treasure?"
"No. The loan shark was mistaken."
"Too bad. Guess you won't get that second 3 million."
"Yeah, he's ruthless. But it's fine. 3 million for three months... 600k each for five of us. Decent profit."
600k peni.
About 60 million won. As Owen said, solid earnings for three months' hardship.
"Mirror ma'am. Satisfied with the answers?"
"Yes, plenty. But talking to you sparked another curiosity."
"What is it? I'll answer any question from you, Mirror ma'am."
"No need. I'll find out myself."
"...Pardon?"
Elena shed her black cloak. A white uniform appeared underneath. Owen still looked clueless up to then.
Next, Elena removed her mirror mask. Blue bobbed hair flowed freely, revealing her arrogantly smiling, beautiful face.
Owen's eyes widened massively, mouth agape.
"The Duke of Illusions...!"
A Helten executive had revealed herself.
What that meant hit quick-witted Owen. He yelled at his comrades.
"Run!!!"
But Owen's comrades couldn't move. From the moment he uttered "loan shark," they'd fallen to Elena's illusion magic, drooling like idiots with blank faces.
"You mad bitch! Duke of Illusions! What the hell do you lack to join Hel... ten... uh...."
Owen's face changed like his comrades'. Eyes glazed, drool spilling from his mouth.
Probably trapped in hellish illusions by now. Or reliving old memories.
"Why not just do this from the start?"
"I gave him a chance. If he'd told the truth, this wouldn't have happened."
"You'd have let him live if he did?"
"No. I'd have granted a happy death."
"......And that happy death is?"
"A dream where he achieves everything and lives his ideal life. Followed by a peaceful death without pain. ...Hmm. Saying it out loud, it's mercy so beautiful even angels would weep."
"You drunk?"
"I don't drink much. Family trait makes me weak to it."
"So what illusion are they seeing now?"
"Torture. Endless torture, repeating. Probably died around 30 times by now."
"Possible?"
"It's illusion magic. Accelerating consciousness to turn 1 second into 1000 is easy."
"......"
No, that's not easy at all. I swear it.
Elena questioned the illusion-trapped Owen.
"Why'd you enter Austen Prison?"
"......His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince ordered me to verify the rumor."
"Oh? Crown Prince's spy?"
"......Yes. I infiltrated Helten as His Imperial Highness's spy."
"Really? You operated as a lowly informant for 13 years. Incompetent. Not you—the Crown Prince using you. I wouldn't task a hack like you with spying."
"......"
"What'd you confirm in the prison? Was the rumor true?"
"It was true. A monster lives in Austen Prison...."
"Info on the monster?"
"......Eats prisoners alive every Friday...."
"That's it? Got it."
Faint blue butterflies appeared around Elena. They fluttered about. I kept my distance to avoid contact.
The butterflies brushed past Owen and his comrades.
They reacted strangely, forming a circle, arms outstretched to grab each other's necks on either side. Then they squeezed and collapsed dead.
The blue butterflies gathered around her, circling.
"Heavenly Demon. Scared of me?"
In the original, most who knew the Duke of Illusions' power feared her. Even protagonist Kang Myung-jin avoided her.
Without Mental Resistance, I might fear her too.
"Nah. You're sexy."
"...Sexy? First time I've heard that. Hehe."
Elena chuckled softly, unoffended by my rudeness.
"What rumor anyway?"
"Nothing big. Rumor that Viscount Austen keeps a man-eating monster in his prison. Pretty famous in imperial high society. Crown Prince sent these guys to check since Austen's noble faction... just in case."
Man-eating monster?
This world overflows with them. Man-not-eating monsters are rarer.
"No big deal then. Feeling peckish anyway—wanna grab a drink?"
"Your ulterior motives are obvious. Sorry, got work. Heading out first."
Elena vanished via teleport scroll.
I smacked my lips in regret.
'How do I bed Elena?'
Elena seemed open but was strictly conservative. Brainstorming yielded nothing.
'Use original story info to seduce her?'
I shook my head. She's formidable. Botch it, and I'd get drained dry.
'Whatever. I'll fuck her someday. No, I will fuck her.'
I pulled a teleport scroll from inventory. The bodies? Nearby beasts would handle them.