“Paaah…!”
“Cough!”
“Village Chief!”
“Cough! What in the world is going on…”
With the recovery of the Village Chief, all residents have been treated.
They had ingested spores, but given the short exposure time, their condition wasn’t that serious, and only the weak old man and young child suffered critical injuries.
And all of this…
Glance.
“All done.”
That woman did it.
Lady Lily, a knight who suddenly used magic.
What on earth is her motive?
“No motive or anything.”
“Huh?”
“Is there a reason to save people? It’s something we should naturally do.”
“Thoughts. Reading?”
“It’s written on your face.”
Lady Lily chuckled and lowered her hands, filled with mana.
Suspicious. Very suspicious.
Perhaps saving the villagers was a ploy to create a crisis, then act like a hero for the show.
Lady Lily is on the same side as the wicked commander who devised the evil plan and actually stopped me from killing the other knights.
But…
‘Is there a reason needed to save people?’
She saved lives.
I stood by as the scum of a commander, who deserved to die, met his end, but she saved everyone else.
There’s some sort of principle and justice unique to her.
It might be hard to accept easily, but it’s not completely incomprehensible.
‘But I can’t trust…’
“You don’t have to believe me if you don’t want to.”
“Huh?”
“I’m tired now. It’s just too much trying to match your expectations every time.”
Paaah!
With a bright white light, mana swirls around her.
A considerable amount of mana.
No, that’s not mana.
‘…Light?’
Radiance flows.
While ordinary knights have blue-hued mana, this power appears excessively white.
Not the strength typical of an ordinary human knight.
“You… you’re human. No, you’re not.”
“I am human. Just not an ordinary person.”
Step.
As she took one step forward, some of the not-yet-settled spores disintegrated.
“I am the daughter of the House of Lyons, a member of the Silver Lion Knight Order, and the Deputy Master of the Tower with a 7th circle in the White Tower of Magic. I also have talents in techniques like spear skills and blunt weapons.”
“…Talents. Many.”
“And as you’ve picked up, I have a bit of different blood mixed in too.”
So she’s an illegitimate child.
“Not completely, but… at least I consider myself closer to human.”
“Suspicious.”
“I told you. If it’s suspicious, feel free to think it’s suspicious.”
“Well, if it seems suspicious, think of it as suspicious.”
“……”
“I’ve thought about it. Can we really solve this case as it stands?”
Swoosh.
Lady Lily raises a brilliantly glowing spore.
Something that looks so ‘holy’ it’s almost as if it’s being purified.
“Is their relationship simple enough to solve this terribly tangled issue by ‘hiding’ it?”
“……”
“I had my doubts. My head hurts. So, I decided to just step up.”
Clearly, what Lady Lily is talking about is the evil deeds of throwing people to the monsters.
The Second Prince’s evil acts to ascend to the throne.
The talk about having hidden skills must be about a race mixed with humans.
After all, they’d be more likely to be rejected in a human kingdom if they’re ‘not human.’
“……”
But after repeating the same thing for many long years, Ertarn suddenly recalled another phrase.
‘…a happy life?’
Perhaps the problem is rooted in something more fundamental than just evil deeds.
That thought crossed my mind suddenly, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it aloud.
If I did, it felt like that ‘happy life’ would come to an end right then.
“Now and then, the majority suffers because of the greed of a few.”
“…?”
“The majority dies too easily with just a word or a gesture. For them, their lives are worth less than bugs. No, bugs might even be more useful.”
Because they’ve never been underneath anyone.
Even if they scream and plead, they treat it as completely natural.
Lady Lily was not fond of that.
“The royalty. What is there to say?”
“I’ve never had proper authority being the outcasted child. They probably don’t even know my name.”
Lady Lily chuckled softly, but there seemed to be a hint of bitterness on her face.
Was there some backstory?
It could just be a simple act to brush off, but…
‘Something feels genuine.’
It didn’t seem like just an issue of being the king’s daughter or a knight of the Knights.
Maybe it’s a story related to her other bloodline?
Could just be my imagination, though.
“…Alright.”
Snap.
“I’ll believe you.”
“That’s a good choice.”
…
…
…
‘A happy life.’
“One life.”
It seems this place is fake.
I feel a sense of discomfort so strong that I want to turn back right away.
But why is that?
“Maybe this time will be different.”
Perhaps this time I can enjoy a happy life.
“So… it wouldn’t hurt to be a little strange, right?”
Let’s believe in her.
■
Ding!
[Collapse Rate – 17%]
■
Upon receiving Ertarn’s “permission,” the collapse rate dropped sharply.
This wasn’t the original plan.
I had intended to reveal the truth to Ertarn, kill those who needed to die, and convince those who could be saved, but the situation unfolded in a much more complicated way than I expected.
With my hands and feet bound, I found myself in a situation where I could only be dragged around.
In this situation where I couldn’t do anything, I felt frustrated and decided to do things my way.
First, I released the village’s protection, which was originally set to be lifted soon.
Although the protection was expected to be lifted within a day or two, I forcibly lifted it using Jeokhye, resulting in a disaster for the village.
The disaster was horrific enough to kill everyone, but thanks to Ertarn’s quick response and my healing, not a single person died.
Furthermore, by persuading her, I gained the legitimacy to use my power…
“It’s been managed well.”
Now I can use my power without worrying about anything.
[LOL]
[This actually works]
[Can I start using the spear now?]
[I should’ve just done it from the start]
[Is it for real that things work when I go all out?]
[Let’s start with wiping out the kingdom]
[Did I just cause chaos all this time? LOL]
Thinking back, maybe I didn’t need to worry so much about the discomfort.
Though I had many doubts, the reason the dream almost collapsed was that I had cut the sky halfway through with Cutting the Sky.
Other than that, even if I showed some strange behaviors or used my power a bit more, it wouldn’t be enough to collapse the dream.
The collapse rate would just rise a bit.
“From now on, if I just control the collapse rate, most things should work out.”
Ertarn went to take care of the removal of the vile spores planted in the ground and to look after the residents.
She said those spores were hidden so well that even she couldn’t detect them.
It’s something she, as someone who manipulates the earth, can’t comprehend.
I examined the protective magic cast in this place.
‘This isn’t ordinary magic.’
The protective power enveloping the entire village and the restraining power to keep the spores that could instantly contaminate the village in check.
In terms of magic level, it’s on par with a grand mage.
It seems that since they’re dealing with monsters that rival the Knights, they certainly prepared countermeasures.
They’re the ones dealing with formidable opponents, so they must have their countermeasures firmly in place.
Having confirmed the magic, I immediately examined the fallen knights.
Each one fainted from a single blow to some part, but they weren’t dead.
First, I should wake Jeokhye…
“Hmm…”
[?]
[Why?]
“I’m just contemplating.”
Since I’ve received Ertarn’s permission and as long as I’m not engaging in anything too outrageous that splits the sky, there’s no need to be cautious.
So, the question is, ‘How far should I go’?
“This new continent has a quest without a specific target. The only condition is that it ends when the collapse rate hits 100%, everything else is free.”
Typically, a dungeon ends when you defeat the boss.
In the case of other special scenarios or interferences, like a seawater dungeon, you have a clear goal, so you just follow through.
World Quests are the same.
But Ertarn’s ‘Dream of the Celestial Being’ doesn’t have a defined goal.
A happy dream?
How happy is happy enough?
Is it sufficient to wipe out the Second Prince and anyone associated with him and just laugh it up with the village residents afterward?
That could be a possibility, but I doubt it would end so simply.
A celestial being lives an eternity, and someday they’ll have to let go of those people.
And there’s no guarantee that something like this won’t happen again.
It’s not for nothing that ‘Giants’ appeared.
Tap tap.
“Ugh…?”
“Jeokhye. Wake up.”
“Ugh… my head…? P-Princess Lily?! What happened…?”
Jeokhye’s eyes widen in surprise as she quickly rises to one knee.
By the looks of her, she hasn’t fully grasped the situation yet.
Since a fight occurred, I was worried, but thankfully, it seems she’s still in the same state.
“With Captain Kyle absent, I am entrusting you with full authority over this scene. Make a detailed record of what’s happening here and do not engage with that stone monster over there.”
“W-What…?!”
“There’s no time. The other knights haven’t woken up yet, so they will follow if you show them this badge.”
I handed Jeokhye the pure white badge with the lion emblem of the royal family while she wore a blank expression and then mounted my horse.
“W-Where are you going, Princess…?”
“I’m going to the Second Royal Palace.”
First, I’ll inherit the throne.
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