A Covert Meeting (3)
I will say just one thing, in all seriousness.
Long live the level window.
Even if it didn't look like much, it had been a massive help to me.
In the dark city of Dawnguard, it had allowed me to notice Adelia tailing me, and even in the pitch-black tunnels of Labyrinth Village, it had warned me of monster ambushes in advance.
'But...'
I stared at the level window that had appeared before my eyes once again.
'...I never expected it to see through the Cloak of Tristan, though.'
At first, I thought Isaac Berylof had used some kind of stealth magic.
After all, stealth magic was his specialty.
But looking at it now, that wasn't the case.
"...?"
Adelia was still looking around with a bewildered expression. She was staring in a completely wrong direction, far from where the level window was floating.
'If he had used stealth magic, Adelia would have noticed.'
Her talent for detecting mana was exceptional.
Maybe not in a bustling marketplace crowded with people, but in a quiet back alley like this, she would have sensed active stealth magic immediately.
Yet, if it was a form of stealth that even she couldn't detect at all...
'It could only be the Shadow Society's holy relic, the Cloak of Tristan.'
The Cloak of Tristan.
A broken, cheat-like holy relic that was practically impossible to detect in this world.
Although it came with many restrictions, its pure stealth capability was undoubtedly the absolute best.
Ah, of course.
My game system had easily bypassed even that top-tier stealth.
'But...'
A sudden question crossed my mind.
'...Even for a system, isn't this a bit too much?'
Even when I played the game, the quality-of-life features weren't this outstanding.
An opponent's level was only displayed during combat.
In particular, if the level difference was too vast or if the enemy was concealed, the system window wouldn't appear at all.
But ever since I was reincarnated into this game, everything had changed.
'The system has become much more user-friendly.'
Until now, I hadn't thought much of it, assuming the game's rules had simply adapted to fit reality.
But seeing the system pierce through the Cloak of Tristan, a sense of incongruity finally began to wash over me.
It was almost as if someone had intentionally upgraded the game system for me.
"...?"
Slide.
It happened at that very moment. The level window, which had been floating still in one spot, began to drift slowly to the side.
I tracked the subtle movement with my eyes.
"..."
The level window came to a sudden halt.
Then, it began to scurry back in the opposite direction.
'...Are you playing with me right now?'
Was he testing to see if I could actually see him?
A dry chuckle almost escaped my lips. At this point, his desperate struggles were starting to look cute.
"This is your last warning, Isaac Berylof."
Barely holding back my laughter, I gripped the hilt of the Feather Sword.
*Flinch.*
Was it just my imagination? I could sense Isaac Berylof freezing in terror.
Although nothing was visible, I could easily picture him shivering in fear.
"That thing you lot revere as a holy relic is nothing but a toy in my presence."
"...!"
Naturally, it was a complete bluff.
The only reason I could pinpoint his location was because of the system.
But there was no need to reveal that.
It was far more beneficial to let him believe I possessed some extraordinary ability that allowed me to see through his trick.
"So stop playing games and show yourself. Before I slice you in half, cloak and all."
*Tighten.*
I gripped the hilt firmly, as if I were about to draw the blade at any second.
A heavy silence fell over the alley.
Just as Adelia began to look back and forth between me and the empty air with a confused expression—
"...!"
*Rustle.*
Isaac Berylof slowly began to pull back the cloak.
"Unbelievable..."
Though he tried his best to maintain a calm composure, his face was painted with an undeniable look of sheer bewilderment.
"...How did you see through our holy relic?"
Isaac Berylof's hands were trembling slightly.
He was desperately trying to act composed, but his body refused to cooperate.
'...This is impossible.'
This was none other than the Cloak of Tristan.
A holy relic imbued with the authority of the Great Ones. A divine artifact gifted by the Elder for humanity's sake.
To see through this item, one needed power rivaling that of a god.
'And yet...'
Looking at Gaon, who treated the Shadow Society's highest-grade holy relic like a mere toy, Isaac couldn't help but feel an instinctual terror.
"Sir Gaon,"
Adelia finally spoke. Her eyes were filled with deep wariness as she glared at Isaac.
"Who on earth is that?"
"Isaac Berylof. An assistant at the Wintersield Magic Academy," Gaon replied simply.
"He's also the client for the Earth Dragon subjugation quest. We briefly met him a few days ago in Hakun Durdamel's office."
Hearing this, Adelia looked puzzled.
"An assistant from the magic academy? Why would someone like that tail us...?"
"Who knows."
*Slide.*
Gaon didn't offer a proper answer, choosing instead to stare intently at Isaac.
His gaze seemed to say that he wanted to ask the exact same question.
Seeing this, Isaac's mind began to race furiously.
'W-What should I say...?'
Isaac Berylof possessed three distinct identities.
An assistant at the Wintersield Magic Academy, a spy for the Ruins Merchant Group, and a member of the Shadow Society.
Gaon was one of the very few people who knew all of those identities.
Yet, the fact that Gaon had specifically introduced him to Adelia as an assistant of the Wintersield Magic Academy meant...
'...Gaon wants me to answer that question in my capacity as an academy assistant.'
It made sense.
After all, the woman standing next to Gaon was a member of a Holy Family.
The Ruins Merchant Group and the Shadow Society. Both were factions hostile to Midtemple.
There was no reason to provoke Adelia's hostility by bringing up those affiliations here.
Having reached that conclusion, Isaac began to spin his excuse.
"Please forgive my rudeness."
Bowing deeply, he spoke in the most polite tone he could muster.
"To be frank, the professors of the Wintersield Magic Academy ordered me to tail you."
"...The professors of the magic academy?"
"Yes."
Adelia questioned him with a suspicious look, but Isaac calmly continued his explanation without losing his composure.
"A powerhouse capable of subjugating an Earth Dragon for the first time in three years had appeared, but we were concerned that your identity was somewhat unclear. The identity you received through the Durdamel Golden Merchant Group is less than a month old."
"Ah..."
"As I mentioned to Lord Gaon before, the research on 'cultivating Labyrinth Village specialties' that my professor is conducting happens to be in its final stages."
"..."
"Therefore, the academy decided it was necessary to learn more about the two of you who resolved the request before we could initiate a joint research project."
Adelia's expression gradually softened. She looked as though she understood the situation now.
'It worked.'
Isaac let out a silent sigh of relief.
Of course, this excuse wouldn't work on Gaon...
But at least he had managed to deceive Adelia.
And it seemed Gaon wanted it that way under the current circumstances as well.
'Even I have to admit, that was a brilliant and witty excuse.'
Feeling much more relaxed, Isaac continued in a lighter tone.
"Whatever the reason, conducting a background check in this manner was highly disrespectful."
"..."
"I sincerely apologize for my rudeness—"
"You're lying."
Gaon cut him off with a cold voice.
Hearing those words, Adelia's eyes widened.
"...It was a lie?"
Isaac was thrown into utter panic.
What?
Hadn't Gaon just introduced him as an academy assistant?
What on earth did Gaon want him to say?
"Just speak the truth."
"T-That is..."
Isaac glanced at Adelia with anxious eyes.
Speak the truth? Who knew how that member of the Holy Family would react?
'The moment I say I was ordered by the Scarlet Empress, she will definitely treat me as a heretic and try to kill me...'
*Gulp.*
Adelia looked incredibly strong at a glance.
Judging by the aura radiating from her, he even wondered if she might be stronger than Gaon.
If she fought him with everything she had, he had no confidence in surviving.
'W-What should I do...?'
He was trapped in a complete dilemma. As Isaac desperately racked his brain, unable to move or speak—
"Wait a minute."
At that moment, Adelia looked as if she had realized something. Her eyes narrowed.
"Now that I think about it... didn't you mention a 'holy relic' earlier, Sir Gaon?"
*Flinch.*
Isaac flinched instinctively.
The words Gaon had casually tossed out to threaten him just moments ago.
"That thing you lot revere as a holy relic is nothing but a toy in my presence."
Adelia tilted her head.
"As far as I know, there are only three factions that possess holy relics."
Midtemple, the Ruins Merchant Group, and the Shadow Society.
"..."
"..."
A chilling silence fell.
Adelia's eyes glared fiercely at Isaac Berylof.
Her expression seemed to ask:
I've never seen someone like you in Midtemple.
Ah, right. Then you must belong to either the Ruins Merchant Group or the Shadow Society.
*Shring!*
"Die, heretic."
Having made her judgment, Adelia instantly lunged at Isaac.
"A-Aaargh...!"
Isaac Berylof screamed as he stumbled backward.
He quickly began to conjure defensive magic, but Adelia was far faster.
*Boom!*
A fierce gust of wind swept through the alley. Adelia came to a sudden halt right in front of Isaac's nose.
*Drip.*
A thin line of blood welled up on his neck.
If Adelia had moved even a single step further, Isaac would have died on the spot.
"A-Ah, ah..."
*Thud.*
Isaac collapsed to the ground.
He fell flat on his face and began to beg for his life.
"P-Please spare me! I was wrong! Please..."
Indeed. Isaac Berylof was an absolute coward.
One might wonder how such a wimp could operate as a multi-identity spy, but...
'...It was precisely because he was a coward that he ended up this way.'
Originally, Isaac Berylof was just an ordinary assistant at the magic academy.
He had only wanted to live a quiet life conducting research in a corner of a laboratory. He had absolutely no desire to get involved with massive factions like the Shadow Society or the Ruins Merchant Group.
But fate rarely goes as planned.
From the moment he accidentally stumbled upon a secret of the Ruins Merchant Group, his life began to spiral out of control.
To avoid being killed, he volunteered to be an informant for the magic academy. Then, while carrying out espionage for the Ruins Merchant Group, he somehow got entangled with the Shadow Society as well.
In the end, while he wavered and hesitated to make a choice, Isaac's life became hopelessly tangled.
Thus, he had survived until now by walking a tightrope as a spy for multiple factions.
What a tragic life.
All of this happened because Isaac was a coward, yet uselessly competent.
Well, in that sense...
"Follow me if you want to live."
"...Pardon?"
The cowardly Isaac would never be able to refuse my offer right now.
"Because there's something I need you to do."
As it happened, I was in need of a mage.
"Empress."
In a dark basement where purple runes emitted a faint glow, a member clad in a black robe knelt before the throne.
"We have received word from Brother Berylof."
A smile played on the lips of the woman seated on the throne. Her expression suggested she was expecting information on the new Sword Master.
"As expected of Berylof. It seems a competent and loyal member of our society has already brought good news."
The Scarlet Empress smiled thinly and asked:
"So, what did our Berylof say?"
"Ah, well..."
The member hesitated for a moment before delivering an unexpected reply.
"He says he was caught by the Sword Master while tailing him."
"...?"