Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Unimaginable True Identity: VER.C. DAWN
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Prim, who had dropped that bombshell, sent off the note and immediately closed the record parchment.
Her heart pounded wildly. She couldn't predict Dun's reaction. He would definitely hate it. He might even try to kill her.
She waited anxiously for his reply, but minutes passed with no response.
'Why isn't he replying?'
The moment she started wondering, someone suddenly shattered the window and burst in.
"You little princess bitch, I'm gonna kill you."
Dun charged into Prim's room with his eyes blazing red. It was a terrifying sight.
"Haha, Dun! My love. Come on, come on. Don't, don't get mad."
"Say your last words, you bastard."
"My closest friend turning into an assassin coming to kill me. What a tragic life."
"Who's your friend, you enemy bitch? Hah, huff. Damn, you're slippery. Get caught already, you rat bastard."
A chase broke out inside the room. With the bed in the middle, Dun and Prim circled around it.
Dun was already out of breath from sprinting all the way to Prim's quarters, so catching Prim—who was even using magic to evade—was proving trickier than expected.
"You've been throwing every bastard under the sun at me: bastard, rat bastard, enemy bastard, princess bitch. Yeah, that's right. You turn into a kid around the one you love."
"What the hell are you yapping about, you son of a bitch? Get over here. Now. Let me kill you."
"No way! I wanna live a long life with you!!"
In the end, Dun collapsed to the floor, gasping for air. As he crouched there panting, Prim sneaked closer, gauging his mood. Then she reached out and cautiously pulled him into a hug.
"I just... I mean... Haah, I'm sorry. I was selfish and wrong. If I put myself in your shoes, I'd feel awful. I clung to you as a friend, you opened up, and then I dump everything on you and say I'm gonna die."
"I never opened up."
Ignoring his retort, Prim stroked the back of Dun's head.
"I should've said it from the start. But even I couldn't figure out how things were unfolding..."
Prim trailed off awkwardly, still holding Dun tight.
Dun, who had been sitting there stiffly in her arms, relaxed and suddenly yanked his head back for a headbutt.
Pow!
She'd aimed for a light "bonk," but it still landed with a solid thud.
"Argh, assassination failed, Dun."
Prim clutched her aching skull and checked Dun's expression. Fortunately, he didn't have that hollow, empty look from earlier.
He just seemed troubled.
"So after you blow yourself up in the Emperor's arms and the Empire falls into chaos, you were planning to hand all your forces over to me. That was your rebellion scheme."
"Exactly."
"And you kept calling me to your secret hideouts to keep me out of the rebellion mess? So I'd get used to commanding the troops there later?"
"Uh... yeah! You're so smart. I figured if you had an army, there'd be less backlash when you became Emperor."
No wonder Prim's intentions had felt so suspicious.
Dun had assumed she wanted his help but couldn't bring herself to ask due to pride. He'd totally misread it. That explained why she kept turning down his offers.
"Forget you dying—that's secondary. You were gonna dump that annoying Emperor crap on me."
"Don't play lazy. I know you're sneakily diligent."
"...You need another hit."
Replaying it all in her head, another wave of grievance hit her. Dun grabbed a pillow from the bed and whacked Prim with it repeatedly.
"Aaagh! Ahaha, oof! Sorry! The pillow burst! You clean it up. Aah, fine. I'll get it. Sorry, Your Tyrant Majesty has arrived."
After getting pummeled with the pillow, Prim started gathering the feathers spilling from the burst seam.
"Anyway, that was the plan, but hanging out with you changed my mind."
"How many times does your thinking change midway?"
"Hear me out. Now that you get the situation, listen to my new plan."
"What is it."
"But you're more of a free spirit than I thought. You seem to prefer dodging complications and living simply with Rihaowel."
"Yeah. Don't mess up my peaceful life."
"Right, and I figured if you died, you'd curse me from beyond the grave with voodoo dolls yelling 'go to hell.' So I couldn't decide easily. And above all..."
Lately, with all the stress from Emperor Luisa, dreams of the Montgehel incident kept resurfacing.
Suffocating flames choking her throat. Fiery teeth tearing into her flesh. Thinking Luisa would grieve if she died here, she'd desperately fought to survive. Foolish, shameful dog-like emotions and faith.
Just as her ragged breaths were about to give out, that child always appeared.
A kid with long, light brown hair and sparkling red eyes. Her features were blurry, but she felt strangely familiar, like someone she'd seen often.
The dream shifted to another crisis.
She'd given Luisa power and strength, wrapped in the guise of love. When the love peeled away to reveal the ugly malice beneath, she felt like a corpse still breathing.
Locked in that crude garden, she'd sat listlessly all day. Then the familiar girl appeared in the garden. This time, her features were clearer.
The girl often napped in her domain and sometimes muttered curses in her sleep. It was amusing to watch.
The nightmare twisted into a silly dream.
'Come on in, Prim. I love you.'
'Then hand over all your fortune.'
'Hey, hey, double or nothing on rock-paper-scissors for 5 gold. I've gotten better.'
'Who are you.'
All the horrific nightmares woven from her subconscious always boiled down to everyday moments with that girl. Even if she woke up crying, she'd end up giggling.
"I wanna grow old with you and Granny Hoho, cackling over trashy romance novels."
"What kind of horrific life goal is that."
"Life's motivations start from little joys. Living ain't that deep."
Prim tucked Dun's disheveled hair—mussed from the pillow fight—behind her ear.
"So when you stormed off cursing earlier, I reflected deeply, scrapped the self-destruct option entirely, and mapped out a concrete life plan."
"Nice. Recite it."
"Rebellion succeeds, I become Emperor, make you Grand Duke, build our own secret spot in the palace, and enjoy a fun retirement."
"You're kidding?"
No seriousness at all. Dun clicked her tongue and ripped a page from the picture diary she'd left in Prim's old room, bringing it over.
"Forget it, toss that. This veteran rebel will sketch the rebellion blueprint for you."
"Veteran rebel?"
Dun started scribbling plans on the paper, and Prim leaned in to peek.
『1. Build an army.
2. Gather monsters. (Backup)
3. Always strike first.』
"Uh... Ahem. Brilliant plan."
"I said blueprint. Add a little pressure to #1 and it changes everything."
"You'll apply pressure?"
Prim watched Dun carefully fold the scribbled paper and tuck it into her pocket.
"I'm gonna be vice-commander of the Third Army."
"Hm?"
"You need revenge, so I'll help build it up a bit. But I'm busy with my own stuff, so I can't stick around long."
Dun recalled the vibe of Prim's forces. Since crushing the Emperor with the army wasn't the core of the rebellion, Prim had been soft on them.
Joking around during training, sharing snacks, total tea party atmosphere.
But Dun planned to utilize the army, so she'd tighten discipline and structure.
Her childlike demeanor wouldn't help set the tone. She could manage, but it'd be messy and annoying.
"Can you use body transformation magic or something?"
"I can, but maintenance and precision are iffy. Eats a ton of mana too."
"Then transform me a bit."
Prim summoned a staff from her ring and began murmuring the incantation for body transformation magic.
Soon, a bright light emanated from Dun's body, reshaping her form.
"How's it look?"
"Disgustingly uncanny valley..."
Her reflection in the mirror was horrifying.
A hooked nose, flat eyes like crayon scribbles, crooked shoulder lines.
"Why'd it turn out like this?"
"It's a magic needing 3D imagination. And you have to keep supplying mana while holding that image."
Struggling to maintain the delicate mana control fused with imagination, the grotesque Picasso-human Prim created started warping and crumbling.
"You okay? You're turning into a chimera."
Prim sighed, released the staff, and Dun reverted to normal.
"If you were a Bachinum, you could transform without magic... Kinda disappointing."
"Bachinum can transform without magic?"
Dun perked up at the new Bachinum info she'd never read in books.
"Of course. But only within their own baseline: age, height, gender, etc. Lasts a day to a week minimum."
Seemed like a perk for their long lifespans.
"Amazing! You feel like an alien now. Change into something right now!"
Dun's eyes sparkled.
Caught up in Dun's rare childlike excitement, Prim moved a bit hastily.
"Got it. Keep that enthusiasm. No mana, but we'll need materials."
Prim raised her staff, walked to the room's center, and tapped the floor.
A complex magic circle glowed, revealing stairs.
"Come down here first, Dun. This is my personal secret spot no one else knows."
"Why do you have so many secret spots?"
Prim's new hideout was cozy, like a lived-in attic. The trash bin overflowed with shattered photos of Emperor Luisa.
Prim fetched a jar from the corner, filled with dirt. A tap of the staff made the contents float out and land in her palm.
"The material is dirt?"
"Yep."
"How do you change without mana? Chant something?"
"No spells or circles since it's not magic. Just grab the dirt, picture the form roughly in your head. I'll imagine my 20-year-old self first."
Bones lengthening, body growing. Baby fat melting away, facial contours sharpening. Dirt fills in any missing flesh or bone.
When Prim opened her eyes, the youthful girl was gone—replaced by a stunning woman with golden hair and sparkling pink eyes.
The precision was leagues beyond magic. Even individual eyelashes and fine hairs were perfect. It was her, through and through.
"Well? Pretty adult now, huh?"
"Your clothes look painfully tight."
"Whew... Good catch. Gotta wear loose stuff for transformations."
The snug pajamas made breathing tough; Prim's breaths came heavy.
Dun grabbed the dirt Prim had used.
[Normal] Dirt
Description: Ordinary soil formed from decomposed lifeforms.
Just plain dirt, yet it fueled body transformation.
And so simply: pure imagination. No mana. Insane.
Dun gripped the dirt like Prim had and playfully imagined herself grown up.
The dirt bubbled in her hand, absorbing into her skin.
"...Huh???"
[You have acquired the skill [Bachinum (dc143c-O) Body Transformation lv.1].]