Chapter 29
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Stay the Night
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I had no intention of telling her everything.
I left out anything about my ability 'Duplication,' or the fact that I was someone who had crossed over from another world.
Explaining those things would be too complicated anyway, and there was something off-putting about revealing such facts to others.
'Especially the part about coming from another world.'
I hadn't gone around advertising it before either... but after studying this world's history and such over the past few days, I'd concluded that I absolutely had to keep the fact that I came from another world hidden.
The reason for that conclusion was the existence of the 'Evil Gods' in this world.
The Evil Gods, who once drove the continent to the brink of destruction, were said to have been defeated by the five Good Gods and banished beyond the world.
Yes, beyond the world.
And the concept of 'another world' might somewhat align with that expression of being outside the world.
'If I carelessly mention isekai or transmigration... I might end up being branded even more as an Evil God's lackey.'
That's why I had no plans to mention that I'd transmigrated from another world unless absolutely necessary.
The same went for the mysterious power 'Duplication' I'd gained upon crossing into this world.
This was my livelihood, after all, and even I didn't know where this power came from, so there was no need to spout nonsense about it.
So, what I could tell Karen was...
"Before coming to Riville, I took a commission from a mage named Laila..."
I revealed a bit about the incident where I'd gotten tangled up with Evil God followers before.
Of course, this was also something Laila's master had told me not to go around talking about...
'Laila's master, not mine.'
After nearly getting dissected by the Temple inquisitor while trying to keep that promise, I felt that blindly staying silent wasn't the way to go.
And aside from that... my intuition told me it would be okay to talk to Karen about this.
'When I mentioned earlier that I'd gotten involved with a lot of Evil God followers.'
When Karen had shown her trust in me just moments ago, her expression as she said she'd been tangled up with those Evil God follower scum had held a hint of anger and hatred.
Rather than distrusting everyone outright, I decided to trust Karen—at least her, since she'd shown faith in me—and confide in her about that time.
And that choice of mine...
"That thing in the underground was a Black Sacred Relic..."
"A Black Sacred Relic?!"
Brought about a more intense reaction than I'd expected.
"The Black Sacred Relic of the King of All Sins? What was it? Don't tell me Luxuria?"
"N-No. It was a sword named Gula..."
"Ah... right. It was just a few weeks ago, you said? Then it couldn't have been Luxuria."
'What was that?'
It was the first time I'd seen Karen show such intense emotion. She was so shocked that, for a brief moment, she even grabbed my collar with her own hands and shook me—her, who normally wouldn't let even a fingertip touch.
...Somehow, her collar-grabbing technique looked similar to that Clarice woman's from earlier, who she'd seemed friendly with.
"I see... So that's what that knight meant earlier about you being connected to the Magic Tower. It makes sense why Clarice let you go. If the Magic Tower's name hidden in the investigation came to light, even Clarice would hesitate to push further."
"You believe me?"
"You don't seem like you're lying. And from the description of that high-ranking mage from the Magic Tower you mentioned... I think I know who it is."
The pieces fit together well enough, and Karen nodded.
"I'm grateful you trusted me enough to tell me. But you shouldn't go blabbing that story to just anyone else."
"......Master. What about the Temple side...?"
"Hm... It'd be best to hide it from the Temple as much as possible too. There are good people in the Temple... but there are also some pretty radical ones."
"Radical how?"
"Information on Black Sacred Relics is treated as top secret even in the Temple. And since you witnessed one in the flesh... if you're not careful, you might get eliminated."
I felt a slight chill crawl up my neck.
Come to think of it, Laila's master had said it'd be better to keep this info from the Temple too. Was she worried about something like this happening?
"Unless you're someone with a certain status or affiliated with a place like the Magic Tower... the fewer people who know about Black Sacred Relics, the better. They might even try to eliminate a low-rank adventurer like you."
"I... see."
"Even if not, keep it hidden as much as possible. Evil God lackeys could be hiding anywhere, not just among Temple members. Just look at the ones hiding in the city's sewers this time..."
As I listened to Karen continue, I gradually felt my mind at ease.
I'd thought she was trustworthy based on intuition or the emotions leaking from her, but it hadn't been absolute certainty.
"Still, the fact that you opened up to me like this means you trust me that much. That's kinda grateful, huh?"
"...Y-Yeah."
I lowered the hand I'd stealthily raised behind Karen's back, ready to duplicate Gula and stab her in a pinch if things went south.
...Whew. Good thing. I'd even been prepared to just thrust it in if her attitude flipped.
She didn't notice, right? It was just my bare hand raised with no weapon.
"More importantly... in what you just said. You used Gula for a moment, right?"
"Yes."
Thanks to Karen's purely concerned attitude, I judged it safe to share more detailed backstory I'd been holding back. I told her about using Gula too.
'Laila's master knew I'd used Gula but surprisingly didn't say much.'
Based on that experience, I figured this level of info was okay to share with Karen and explained the events in more detail.
Of course, excluding the Duplication ability.
Karen's expression turned slightly grave.
"You actually used a Black Sacred Relic... That was dangerous. Unlike the sacred relics bestowed by the Good Gods, the Black Sacred Relics scattered across the earth by the Evil Gods have no consideration for their wielders."
"Mm."
Watching Karen speak gravely after hearing my words confirmed my choice was right.
It wasn't just to build some trust with her...
"As I thought, Master. You know a little about Black Sacred Relics, don't you?"
Her reaction made it obvious she knew something about them.
'That Luxuria she mentioned earlier... probably another Black Sacred Relic's name? I suspected from her reaction... yep.'
Bringing up Black Sacred Relics and using one was risky even with evidence... but it was worth it.
Ever since using the Black Sacred Relic back then, I'd been treating my changed body like a bomb that could explode anytime.
But with my current status and connections, getting info on it was impossible.
So the only option left was to ask someone who might know.
"Before that... hold on a sec."
Instead of answering my question, Karen approached me with a slightly serious expression, took a small breath, and extended her hand.
"Master?"
"Stay still."
Uncharacteristic for Karen, who avoided contact so much, she slowly placed her bare hand on my shoulder and closed her eyes.
-Twitch!
'Hm?'
Why was she flinching at the moment her skin touched mine when she was the one reaching out?
My bewilderment at Karen's sudden action lasted only an instant before a strange warmth spread from where her hand touched my shoulder.
'This... what is it?'
A warm, free-flowing energy I couldn't identify slowly seeped into my body, probing my insides like it was inspecting them.
Instinctively, I wanted to shake off her hand, but since I'd decided to trust her once, I held back and accepted the sensation.
And after a moment, Karen—with a slightly flushed face and a bead of sweat—pulled her hand away.
"I even flowed mana directly to check, but I don't sense any of their power. Well, if it were there, even a Magic Tower mage wouldn't have left her benefactor alone..."
"Master. What was that just now?"
"Ah. Surprised you, huh? You can't handle mana yet... That energy you felt is mana. I was planning to let you feel it soon anyway..."
"Mana...?"
"Pretty surprising, right?"
It was surprising.
But in a slightly different way than Karen thought.
'That energy just now... it felt different from the energy I consume when using 'Duplication'?'
This world has a power called mana.
The energy expended when using magic, or when swordsmen display miraculous powers like sword aura.
And I'd assumed the intangible energy I depleted every time I duplicated was that 'mana.'
But... was it not? It felt somehow different?
"Anyway. Seems like your body's fine, no problems. You said changes happened to your body after using Gula?"
"Yes."
"I don't know much about Black Sacred Relics... but I know a bit about the ones made by the King of All Sins."
Karen explained about the sword I'd used before. Gula.
A sword of destructive gluttony that devoured anything.
Extremely powerful, but at the same time, so dangerous because it even tried to devour its wielder.
"The changes to your body... seem like the 'digestion' phenomenon that happens when using Gula..."
"Digestion?"
The gluttonous sword Gula devoured anything. But its ability wasn't just 'devouring.'
Its true value lay in the process of digesting what it devoured.
"There's a legend that the better the quality of the prey offered to the sword, the more of that power seeps into the user during digestion."
"Power from the digestion process..."
"Because of that trait, during the Great War in the past, the King of All Sins' champion—the apostle—grew stronger by massacring countless lives. But..."
Tilting her head slightly, Karen prodded my body with the tip of her wooden sword. More precisely, my muscles.
"According to legend, only a tiny fraction of the power seeps into the user during digestion..."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. They say the sword devours most of the energy, and only residue-like scraps seep into the flesh."
Poking around my body here and there, Karen looked at me with wonder.
"Doesn't seem like the legends are wrong... but you said your body changed? To what degree? Was it prominent enough to openly say it transformed?"
'...To what degree? No. Isn't the point that using Gula shouldn't change the body like this in the first place?'
As expected, Karen knew a fair bit about Gula.
And she'd even inferred the cause of my body's changes.
Listening to her explanation, I recalled that when I'd duplicated and used Gula, a very faint energy had seeped into me.
But...
'According to Karen, using Gula shouldn't cause such drastic physical changes. Then why?'
Her words didn't seem false at all.
Her description matched Gula's appearance and abilities that I'd experienced firsthand...
So if she was right, the changes from using Gula should be minimal. But what about these intense changes in my body?
Did Gula have another ability Karen didn't know about? Or...
'Because it wasn't the original but a duplicate... Wait. Duplicate? Duplication...'
As I listened to Karen, I rummaged through my memories.
I recalled the moment I'd duplicated and used Gula, based on the sensation when it briefly touched me and tried to devour me.
In just about a second, it greedily swallowed the Evil God follower and even tried to swallow me.
'Gula first went for the high-quality prey... then bared its teeth at me too.'
But at that instant, my energy depleted, and the Duplication cut off.
And no matter how much it was a Black Sacred Relic made by a god, being a duplicate created by my power, Gula vanished just like that.
Without fully digesting the energy from the prey it had just devoured.
'The moment I passed out...'
The split-second after duplicating and using Gula, when I blacked out. I'd definitely felt something.
The sensation of something seeping in.
That power... was definitely not 'scraps.'
'Could it be that during the duplicate Gula's disappearance... since the 'digestion' didn't complete properly, the power Gula should have absorbed flowed straight into me?'
Karen said Gula digests prey and passes only scrap-like power to the user.
The user grows stronger, but only minimally.
But the changes that happened to me couldn't be explained as minimal.
My body had undergone changes close to overall evolution, and my senses—including the five—had sharpened.
What if all those changes... weren't just from Gula, but my 'Duplication' ability interfering with and meshing into how Gula's power manifested?
'Just speculation, but...'
It was just speculation... but a pretty plausible one. Derived under the premise that nothing Karen said was false.
'For now, let's assume that's the case.'
I had no intention of revealing Duplication even if I disclosed Gula, so I simply told Karen that my body had gotten moderately tougher and sturdier.
Hiding the near-mutational changes.
"You're really lucky. To use a Black Sacred Relic and come out unscathed..."
"...But Master, you're surprisingly chill about it?"
I gazed at Karen anew as she expressed concern again while I continued explaining.
Honestly, even with solid grounds, it might sound far-fetched to just hear, but Karen accepted my story quicker than expected.
"Well... it doesn't seem like lies. Just the fact that you have info on Gula that I barely managed to obtain gives it credibility."
"Ah... But Master."
I was grateful Karen believed me so readily... but one question arose in its place.
"How do you know about Black Sacred Relics, which are supposed to be top-secret...?"
"Nothing much. I learned it while active as an adventurer, taking commissions to subjugate or hunt Evil God followers."
...Yeah, that makes sense? I'd heard high-rank adventurers handle Evil God follower-related commissions.
For a former A-rank like Karen to know about them or Black Sacred Relics wasn't that strange.
As I nodded in moderate acceptance, Karen muttered something in a voice too quiet to hear.
"One of them I experienced firsthand..."
"Pardon?"
"Never mind. Anyway... the sun's already set."
It was later than I'd thought after being released from the Temple. By the time our talk with Karen wrapped up, the sun had set, and it was dark outside.
I had more to discuss, but Karen said it was too late, so we'd continue later.
"Oh, right... Yuseong. Where are you staying?"
"Ah. I'm at... an inn called Moonlit Night..."
Come to think of it, how long had it been since I left the sewers? I'd prepaid a week's stay—did I lose some of that?
"Hm. So no real home, huh?"
"Yeah."
"Then just stay the night here."
".....Pardon?"
"I said stay. You must be exhausted."