Ark.
Originally a port city and the last capital of the Kingdom of Prillecha.
Now, it’s part of Duke Hardenberg’s Territory and has become a trade hub for the Empire of Arye.
Although it’s called a trade hub, it’s really just a place where all sorts of unidentifiable scum mix together.
It’s a hotspot for petty thieves, robbers, and even slave traders and human traffickers.
And it’s also where Adele gets kidnapped in the story.
But in such a place…
“Are you saying you want to go together?”
“Yes.”
The look in Adele’s eyes as she boldly stared at me made my head throb. The fact that she gets kidnapped in the original story is something I only know.
But why would she want to go to Ark, a city that’s practically a breeding ground for all kinds of crime?
When I asked her directly, her answer was surprisingly simple.
“Because it’s the Emperor’s hometown.”
“Ha…”
Her reasoning wasn’t bad.
Since she couldn’t hear about the imperial family’s deep secrets from anyone else, she wanted to find out for herself.
But the problem was obviously the danger that Ark posed.
Before the Kingdom of Prillecha fell, there was a time when it was set on destroying the Empire of Arye by burning down the entire city of Ark.
As a result, Ark suffered irreparable damage and basically became a back-alley city.
Of course, the city was eventually restored under the Emperor’s orders. But they couldn’t restore the humanity of the people living there.
‘Could it be that she doesn’t know about Ark’s notorious reputation?’
When I lifted my head again, I saw Adele’s bright, innocent eyes. No matter how you looked at it, she seemed unaware of the city’s bad reputation.
“Is it no good?”
“Ark is a place teeming with all kinds of crime.”
“Ah…”
She seemed to understand my words as she nodded. But soon, Adele shook her head and countered.
“But I have Evan with me, right?”
Evan.
A knight who has nearly reached Swordmaster level, he’s a sword expert.
Considering the quality of his aura, there are few who can match him. He could probably easily overwhelm even the Crown Prince, the Swordmaster.
It wasn’t entirely his fault that he couldn’t protect Adele during the Hunt Festival. If I had to say, it was mostly the imperial family’s fault for messing with the monsters.
Having him by her side does indeed make me feel more assured.
‘But…’
The real issue was her cavalier attitude. I thought she’d changed a bit these days, but it seems like it would be hard to alter that habit.
She had jumped in front of Lily to take Luke’s attack at the auction house and almost got killed by a monster during the Hunt Festival.
Even after experiencing life-threatening situations multiple times, she still didn’t seem to change, which means it’s not an easy issue.
Although she claims she doesn’t like the ability to regress, ironically, she seems to trust that ability more than anyone.
“Alright.”
This time, it seems best not to interfere. If things really get dangerous, Adele could call for me through the symbol.
Accepting her proposed three opportunities was also with that intent in mind. Just in case the save point messes up and she gets stuck in an infinite loop.
“Really?”
Adele’s face instantly brightened. Did she think I would refuse? She looked more excited than a kid who found a bill on the street.
“Yes, really.”
“Yay!”
“Ahem.”
She was so excited that she didn’t even notice Alan giving her side glances.
“Get ready.”
“Huh?”
Adele looked a bit surprised and tilted her head. Did she not expect we’d leave right away?
“We’re going to Ark right now.”
“Already?”
I shook my head at her pouty question.
“There’s no time if we wait a few more days.”
Thanks to the paperwork I managed to get done over the past few days, I finally had time to spare. Alan would take care of the remaining chores, so I wasn’t too worried.
What I needed to focus on was how to utilize these next few days properly.
“Oh, then what should I prepare?”
“Light clothing, a change of outfits, and…”
I opened a space and dug through it. There were quite a few odds and ends, but I couldn’t find what I was looking for right away.
After rummaging for a while, I finally found the item.
“This too.”
“What is this?”
A necklace adorned with a pure white jewel.
I had accidentally acquired it at the Royal Auction House.
“It’s an artifact, something necessary for disguise.”
It’s an item that, when worn, switches the user’s hair and eye color to the exact opposite. Of course, it lacks any of the key effects of hindering recognition.
Since its performance was somewhat unremarkable, I had shoved it into a corner of the space.
“Do I just wear it?”
“Indeed.”
Adele carefully put on the necklace. When nothing happened, she tilted her head in confusion.
The artifact around her neck vibrated briefly and began absorbing her mana.
Buzz…
Her black hair, previously tied back, started turning silver. Her ruby-red eyes gradually shifted to a sapphire blue.
I momentarily hesitated at her completely transformed appearance.
It was stunning in a different sense.
“Uh… Did something change?”
Perhaps because she couldn’t see any visible changes, Adele appeared a bit bewildered. But from my view, it was a striking transformation.
Her previously sharp, villainous aura was now calming down, morphed into the essence of a saint with a dark past.
I had thought it was a somewhat mediocre artifact, but I never expected it could change a person this much.
Buying it for 300 gold turned out to be worth it.
“Alan.”
“Yes.”
“Bring a mirror.”
“Understood.”
Alan bowed at my command and left the room. As I watched him go, a question mark appeared on Adele’s face.
“Did something really change?”
“Quite a lot.”
If she previously had a sharp evil-witch vibe, now it was more of an undercover saint vibe with a shadier past.
Upon hearing my words, she looked baffled and crossed her arms, letting out a pout.
“What kind of metaphor is that?”
“It’s just the truth. You’ll understand when you see it in the mirror.”
“Here it is.”
Alan returned, carefully placing a full-length mirror on the floor. Adele hurriedly approached the mirror and let out a small gasp.
The reflection looking back at her was distinctly different from usual. Her slightly parting lips seemed unable to close.
“Wow…”
She repeatedly gasped in surprise. Adele walked around, admiring her reflection.
“Really… It’s just as Abel said.”
She seemed to agree with my metaphor, giving a slight nod.
“It shifted from an evil witch vibe to a shady saint vibe!”
“Huh? What does that mean?”
Surprised by her words, Alan’s tone rose. As he looked at Adele, his gaze eventually met mine.
Caught off guard by Alan’s typical strictness, I subconsciously avoided eye contact.
“Sir Duke.”
“…What is it?”
“There are sensitive topics to watch out for when speaking to the lady.”
“Okay, I understand.”
I nodded at Alan’s words. He then chose not to say anything more.
After all, he must know I wouldn’t listen even if he rambled on.
Turning my head, I caught a glimpse of Adele sticking out her tongue out of Alan’s view. I might need to be a bit more careful with my words from now on.
Especially around such a snitch.
§
Clatter clatter.
The distinctive noise of the train filled my ears. The scenery outside the window zoomed by faster than I expected.
The speed wasn’t too different from that of the subways in my previous life.
Is this also part of the power of magic engineering? I felt the level of development in this world was truly asymmetrical. During the Hunt Festival, even the carriages went up to the mountain peak.
In some aspects, it wasn’t much different from the modern world, but in others, it felt more backward than the Middle Ages.
‘This is a strange world.’
Clearing my mind, I turned to see Lily sitting next to me. She was drooling and leaning on my shoulder.
Seeing her like that, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
Well, after sitting for several hours, she must be exhausted.
Across from me sat Abel, quietly reading a book.
‘He looks comfy.’
The serious atmosphere of him combined with the cozy environment of the train created an interesting contrast. Since I’d never seen Abel look so relaxed, it felt a bit strange.
But it was also oddly reassuring.
Turning my gaze back to the window, I caught a faint reflection of a woman.
Silver hair and blue eyes like the sea. It was an unfamiliar sight, but it was something I’d need to adapt to while staying in Ark.
‘Speaking of which, the sea…’
I had never even seen the sea in my previous life. I was so busy working and studying that I didn’t have the luxury. I even turned down my friends’ invitations to go.
Now that I think about it, why did I refuse their offers for something as trivial as a part-time job? I could just find another job later on and take my time studying.
For some reason, I felt a twinge of regret.
‘Should I ask Abel to go with me?’
The thought suddenly crossed my mind, but I shook it off. I didn’t think he would want to join me.
But if he did come along…
It might actually be a bit fun.
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