Chapter 43
Chapter 43
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Too Many Secrets. #4
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“You’re the first person to recognize me properly! But you can’t tell anyone you met me. If Mirna finds out, she’ll really chew me out...!”
Narmi Draco, the second daughter of the Draco family, glanced around nervously as if utterly terrified.
I was the one who got caught having a secret rendezvous with Elga by Narmi.
Yet instead of spreading it around to others, Narmi was worried that I might tell someone I’d met her.
“If I let on that I met you, Lady Narmi, why would you get scolded by your sister Mirna?”
“Well... Big Sis doesn’t like me wandering around outside on my own. And if word about me got out, it could cause all sorts of problems...”
Narmi answered weakly.
“I snuck out when Sis got tired. Even being out here like this is supposed to be a secret.”
“Ah—I see.”
Only then did I start to piece together the situation.
The twin sisters Mirna and Narmi shared a single body, but with different minds.
From what I could tell, the body’s control usually belonged to the older sister Mirna, and right now the younger sister Narmi was sneaking around outside without her knowledge.
Sharing one body like that must lead to all sorts of inconveniences and arguments.
Even I, Yi Seong-eum, who had a brother growing up, fought endlessly with him over a single computer. And that was just a machine—if it were an actual body...
A spark of pure curiosity suddenly ignited in me.
“So, does your sister Mirna not know about our conversation right now?”
“Yep! Right! Sis is sleeping in the room of the mind right now. She must’ve gotten tired from meeting all those strangers after so long! I only sneak out and move around when Sis is asleep, hehe...”
“The room of the mind?”
When I raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar term, the younger sister Narmi kindly explained.
“Oh, the room of the mind is like a resting place inside us. It’s an advantage of the Talent 《Subpersonality》, I guess?”
“Advantage of a Talent...?”
“A Talent is like a blessing granted by the Lord God’s system.”
“System...?”
Unintentionally, my questions started chaining together.
“Hmm—” The twin younger sister Narmi seemed lost in thought for a long moment before murmuring as if she’d realized something.
“Viva la vida—”
Blur, blur.
Something blurry appeared in front of Narmi.
It was hazy, like looking through thick prescription glasses, so I couldn’t make it out clearly, but it was probably text?
There was only one thing it could mean.
Narmi Draco.
She had a status window.
「Composed situational judgment!
You gain experience points from the Talent 《Composed Thinking》.
All job experience +5」
I was a bit startled, but thinking about it, it made sense. I’d received a status window as a gift from the imp Marmar myself.
It wasn’t strange for others to have one too.
But I’d heard the system was something Demon King Solomon Angmar had devised for his monsters?
Did that mean it wasn’t exclusive to monsters like imps and ogres, or other races like nymphs?
As I sank deep into thought, Narmi spoke up.
“Students at Arc get granted this thing called the system. It’s the power given to us humans by the God of Light and Salt to fight monsters and darkness!”
“I see. I think I’ve heard of it somewhere. Levels and floating text, right?”
“That’s right! Anyone can gain power through effort! Pretty amazing, huh? Oh, wait—you’re becoming an Arc student this year too, Theo, aren’t you? Then you’ll receive this blessing!”
According to Imp Marmar, the status window was a gift from the Demon King.
But Narmi seemed utterly convinced it was a blessing from the God of Light and Salt. Why did their stories contradict each other?
I didn’t know whose account was correct, but maybe that wasn’t the important part right now.
“Is there any way to see someone else’s system text?”
“No way! That’s personal information!”
“Not even a little possible?”
“Someone who could do that would have to be on the level of Solomon Angmar with his Eye of Wisdom, maybe? Ah—.”
After mentioning Solomon Angmar’s name, Narmi glanced around furtively and whispered to me in a tiny voice.
“Demon King Solomon had the Talent of Clairvoyance that let him see the future. He could peer into others’ hearts too. They say he mastered every kind of magic and miracle?”
“That’s what they say.”
I see.
So viewing someone else’s status window was generally considered impossible.
How lucky for me that my Talent 《Ten-Ri Eye》 was such a rare ability.
If someone else had the same Talent and saw my status window, they’d see ‘Theo Angmar’ plastered there, and I’d end up dragged to the execution block.
Was Solomon the only one with Clairvoyance?
Could my Talent 《Ten-Ri Eye》 have manifested because I carried Angmar blood?
「Composed situational judgment!
You gain experience points from the Talent 《Composed Thinking》.
All job experience +5」
I see.
* * *
Narmi and I talked for quite a while near the balcony.
We mostly discussed the status window, and I even learned that not just anyone could receive one.
“So only heroes receive this system through some secret rite?”
“Yeah! That’s why only the senior cadets in the church’s order get the blessing. Ah—!”
We were deep in conversation when Mirna suddenly jolted as if startled by something.
“What’s wrong?”
“Sis is starting to wake up! If she catches me like this, I’m in big trouble! I gotta go back quick...!”
Narmi spoke hurriedly toward me as she fussed about.
“Keep today’s meeting a secret, okay? Sis doesn’t like me talking to people. Or doing anything, really. She just wants me to stay put quietly...!”
“Ah, of course, if that’s the case.”
“Really? You’re a nicer, better guy than I thought! We get along great!”
A nicer, better guy.
Could someone actually be described that way to their face? The old me might’ve called someone that, but not the current me.
Yet to my eyes, this twin sister—the younger one, Narmi—seemed like the nice, good one.
Pure, without pretense or lies, maybe?
Talking with her put my mind at ease, making me ask and share more than I intended.
But unlike Mirna, I wasn’t a nice, good guy. I was more like a scorpion, ready to sting.
“In exchange, I have a condition.”
“A c-condition?”
“You have to keep secret that I was here today too, Lady Narmi. Everything you saw. Our whole conversation. All of it.”
“Ah!”
Only then did Narmi Draco seem to recall what had happened today, her face flushing red. Probably remembering me and Elga.
“You mean keep secret that thing where you and Lady Lioness kissed with those lips?”
“So you saw everything after all?”
“Not everything! When I saw, you were already kissing. I was so shocked I closed my eyes...!”
Looks like she missed the even more intense stuff afterward. That was a relief.
Still, just getting caught kissing Elga put me in hot water, like the guillotine flickering in the distance.
Mirna said,
“A love transcending status... It’s just like Romeo and Juliet. I’ve read about it in books a lot, but this is my first time seeing it for real. I’ll cheer you on...!”
“You’ll cheer me on?”
“Yeah!”
If it had been Mirna, she might’ve used this as leverage to blackmail and torment me.
But Narmi wasn’t just keeping it secret—she was even cheering me on?
Sisters sharing the same body could be this opposite.
I decided to dodge with a vague response.
“I’m truly grateful and thankful you say that. A relationship transcending status isn’t easy. Lady Lioness is the daughter of a great house, and I’m just a commoner from slave stock...”
Half acting, half sincere.
The golden ratio: half air, half sound—that kind of acting.
Right now, I was the lovesick fool challenging a tough romance. But obstacles loomed before me—that was the setup.
“A great house... I’m a daughter of Draco too. Maybe I could help somehow!”
“Help?”
“Yeah! How ladies from grand noble houses date. What they like. What kind of gifts they want from men—I might be able to tell you that much!”
“Oh—does that mean you have a lot of experience with romance, Lady Narmi? You’re so beautiful, I figured as much...”
At my question, Narmi Draco flinched in surprise.
“...O-of course! Over ten times! I’ve even brought lots of couples together!”
Anyone could tell that was a lie.
Narmi had no talent for lying.
Sneaking out at night without her sister already had her trembling—how could she handle romance?
Was it her sister’s experience?
Did the older sister have a rich romantic history? No, unlikely. Older sister Mirna Draco was a devout follower of the Church of Radiant Flame. On matters of romance, she was the epitome of a conservative villainess.
Anyway.
This direction was good for me.
Hoist the sails when the wind favors you.
I put on my most earnest expression.
“Then, could you help me out a bit? It’d be great to ask an expert like you on romance all sorts of things and get your advice.”
“Of course! Yeah! I’ll help! Uh... how should I help...? I was the love doctor of Corvant, you know...”
For someone speaking so confidently, Narmi looked terribly uneasy.
She was probably anxious that whatever I said next might expose her lack of romantic experience.
「Composed situational judgment!
You gain experience points from the Talent 《Composed Thinking》.
All job experience +5」
So easy to read.
At this point, it was kinda cute.
Suppressing a smile that threatened to break through, I put on a serious face.
“Could you meet me every Wednesday night? I have questions about romance. And I’d like to report on the weekly situation and get your advice on what to do.”
Narmi.
More precisely, my plan was to pursue friendly, ongoing contact with the Draco family.
To control and tame them, keeping them close was the best method, I thought.
However, Narmi let out a hesitant “Mm—” and rubbed her shoe against the floor, showing unease.
“Every week...? Every day would be tough, but once a week, I could probably sneak out without Sis knowing.... Still, if Sis finds out...”
“How about this? If there’s anything I can do to help you, Lady Narmi, I will.”
“Hmm.... Alright, sure!”
She pondered for a long time, but when I offered help in return, she surprisingly agreed readily. Give and take was the way, after all.
“So...”
“Do you have something to say, Lady Narmi?”
“No, it’s nothing big. To help with your romance, I kinda need to know the details of the situation, you know? So...”
I patiently waited for Narmi to finish her sentence. It wasn’t long before the fidgeting Narmi got to it.
“So... how far have you gone...? With that Lady Lioness, I mean.”
Was she asking about the progress of my physical intimacy with Elga?
As I pondered whether to answer honestly or lie, Narmi waved her hands at my silence, misinterpreting it.
“Of course, I’m not asking out of curiosity or anything weird! It’s purely to help with your romance...!”
Curiosity overflowing. People always love hearing about others’ love lives. Should I lie?
“That was actually our first kiss today.”
“Really!? Today was your first...? Wow, then I saw your first one.”
“Yeah, but I was really clumsy. Lady Lioness got mad and stormed off earlier...”
“So the kiss was clumsy. No wonder she got upset. Yeah. That’s why Lady Lioness ran off in such a hurry.”
“Guys who are bad at kissing aren’t appealing, huh? Noble ladies from great houses must feel that way.”
“Yeah. First kisses should be romantic and perfect, ideally. Clumsy ones have their own charm, sure.... But if it were me, under the moonlight amid flowers...”
I realized something while chatting.
This situation was definitely exploitable.
“Lady Narmi, in that case, could you teach me the right way to kiss?”