Eun-young began to sweat as if it were raining at my gesture.
She, trembling with her hands, brought the handheld mirror close and muttered something.
Then, a soft light rose from the mirror, wrapping around her, and Eun-young’s tremble noticeably calmed down.
Ham Eun-young started to follow in my footsteps.
“Uh… um, where are you going…?”
“……”
The distance from Noh Ha-yoon was about 20 meters. It’s frustrating that we can’t close this short gap. It wasn’t even about a camouflage operation, it was just infuriating to watch.
Anyway, if the reason she wants to get close to me is what I suspect, then this method of forcing them together might work. There must be some curiosity between them, and if given a chance, they’ll become friends quickly.
I wasn’t worried about whether Noh Ha-yoon has the traits Ham Eun-young desires, but I had an instinct that the two would click well together.
However, just a few steps of walking with Ham Eun-young, the world suddenly began to flow slowly.
Yeon-hee’s eyelids, blinking at me, were falling slowly like a scene from another dimension.
It felt similar to entering a void space…
At that moment, a sinister aura wrapped around my entire body, and just like when summoned creatures communicate with each other, I heard a distant voice.
(······ You… what do you want to do?)
Chills ran down my spine.
‘What the heck? It’s talking to me?’
Surprisingly, the one who spoke to me was a creature suspected to be a demon bound in the mirror.
‘Honestly, that’s an understatement to call it a monster.’
When it first revealed itself, the power it unleashed when it struck down the Ghoul Champion was probably less than one-tenth of what it could do. That’s what my senses told me.
Not only did it have the ability to bounce back enemies, but it also had other abilities.
(Ham Eun-young regained her vitality, right…?)
Powerful reflection abilities and a temporary ability to bring Ham Eun-young back to a normal state.
‘What could its true identity be? It doesn’t seem like just a simple demon…’
With a somewhat trembling heart, I shot my first text at it.
(You say “doing things.” Why don’t you help your master with what they want?)
(What? Master…? How dare you! Who says who’s the master here─!)
Boom—Boom—
Startled by its enraged voice ringing in my head like a bell, I flinched. Oh man, this guy’s got some attitude.
(Ah, my ears! If you’re not the master, then what are you? Aren’t you stuck in the mirror? Could you even maintain yourself without Eun-young?)
I confidently asked again, and the monster fell silent for a moment before speaking in a somewhat calmed voice.
(Yes… I lost…)
(So.)
To my surprise, it quickly became docile, so I continued.
(You don’t seem to dislike Eun-young. Rather, it feels like you’re looking out for her.)
(Yes. This girl… is innocent…)
The monster grew solemn for a moment before asking me with some curiosity.
(So, what would please this girl? I was concerned that she is always alone.)
‘Oh my, really? Was Ham Eun-young in this state because of this guy?’
I didn’t reveal my doubts and cheerfully replied.
(Haha, just watch over her quietly.)
(…… With what faith should I do that?)
(Since Ham Eun-young joined our party, she has changed a lot, haven’t you noticed?)
(…… Go on.)
(For a hunter to walk the right path, freeing both body and mind is essential. Acting according to your heart will cause your potential to explode too.)
Of course, there are many who fall into darkness while doing so, but that didn’t need to be mentioned.
(… Are you trying to exploit this girl’s twisted traits? That’s a whole story-)
(The story is none of my concern. There’s a suitable partner here anyway, so just wait.)
(……)
With my persuasion, the monster in the mirror fell silent for a moment before returning to the original flow of time.
‘That’s one crazy ability… To manipulate a field that I can barely touch only when timing and luck align, but it does so at will. It’s not just visually monstrous, huh?’
Ham Eun-young’s grandmother, who trapped such a creature in a mirror, must be quite a monster as well.
“……”
Ham Eun-young continued to follow me silently as we returned to the original world, eventually reaching Noh Ha-yoon.
“Wait? What’s this? You’re approaching me first?”
Since a certain moment, Noh Ha-yoon had casually dropped her formalities with me, and only then did she notice Ham Eun-young, who was nervously shuffling behind.
“Why is your friend behind you?”
‘They should greet each other first. Properly.’
I grabbed the back of Ham Eun-young’s neck and threw her directly at Noh Ha-yoon.
Thwack─!
“······!”
“Ahhh-!”
Smack─!
Ham Eun-young’s head collided perfectly with Noh Ha-yoon’s abdomen, and Noh Ha-yoon groaned in pain, clutching her belly.
Caught off guard, it hit harder than expected.
“Ugh… Wh-what are you doing…”
“Why… why me…?”
Both Noh Ha-yoon and Ham Eun-young looked up at me, bewildered, but I merely shrugged my shoulders.
“Ahh… that hurts… Hah…”
While Noh Ha-yoon was still kneeling and groaning in pain, her expression began to shift dramatically for some reason.
And meanwhile, Ham Eun-young, looking down at Noh Ha-yoon, seemed to have a slight smirk creeping up on her lips. It was such a sinister expression that it felt like a scene out of a horror movie.
“Hah… uh, heh… Are you okay?”
“How could I be okay! Hnnngh… It hurts… Heu…”
The perpetrator and the victim exchanged gazes. Strictly speaking, both were victims, but nonetheless, they were both struggling to maintain their expressions while covering their mouths with their hands.
It was clear that they should be angry at me, but they appeared lost in other thoughts.
(How was that? Did it work?)
(…… I don’t get it. It’s clear she got her vigor back.)
The demon didn’t seem to comprehend, but appeared intrigued.
After about a minute of static, Noh Ha-yoon was the first to stagger to her feet.
“What… what was that!?”
Noh Ha-yoon rushed at me, and as she lightly hit my shoulder with her fist, I wore a triumphant smile.
– Information collection on Ice Mage Noh Ha-yoon and Bard of Salvation Ham Eun-young has slightly increased.
‘Haha— just as I thought. It matched my expected preferences, and the moment I confirmed it, it shot up.’
That meant whether it was a secret preference or whatever, the system reflected the recognition of information that couldn’t be easily discerned.
Delighted to have grasped even a little of the hidden structure of the camouflage, I momentarily lost sight of Yeon-hee, who was glaring at Noh Ha-yoon from behind.
“Clap, Clap, Clap!”
“What, what?! Instead of apologizing, you’re enjoying this?!”
Pretending to be angry, but she knows full well it’s a good thing.
I shrugged my shoulders again and walked back to Yeon-hee.
As I walked over, Yeon-hee shot a glare at Noh Ha-yoon, who had punched me, but then abruptly turned her head away.
“Why did you suddenly do that? Explain.”
‘Yikes… that’s intense.’
I provided some helpfully simple explanations through Ran.
“So… if more people can camouflage, the camouflage time… increases, right?”
“Clap, Clap, Clap!”
Of course, whether the time actually increases or not, I couldn’t tell either, but I answered that way nonetheless.
“Mmm… So, provoking fights helps with information gathering… that’s really odd!”
Nodding—
I nodded in agreement as well. Then, she whispered with a somewhat displeased expression.
“While it’s good that the time increases… changing into other people feels… well, whatever.”
‘Is it… that Yeon-hee doesn’t like it?’
Even if she might not feel positively toward Noh Ha-yoon, she also referred broadly to others, namely Bae Joo-ah or Baek Ah-rin, in generic terms.
In any case, it means she doesn’t like changing into other people, right? Okay. Got it.
Since I was working to extend the camouflage time, it didn’t matter much to me. I certainly wouldn’t think of changing into Noh Ha-yoon. Surely, that wouldn’t happen?
“Tch… I don’t know. I want to lean on you.”
Yeon-hee confidently demanded a thigh pillow, and I quickly adjusted myself to let her rest her head on my thigh.
It’s hard because it’s stiff, so I didn’t forget to place Lime between us.
(Bewww….!)
Lime reacted somewhat displeased, but for some reason, it didn’t seem to be in pain like before, maybe because it had leveled up significantly.
‘It’s become really big. That elasticity has improved too.’
I was thinking of Lime, not Yeon-hee.
Lime had grown large enough to wrap around Yeon-hee’s torso and even her thighs to the extent that it could provide decent protection.
At this point, even if an Orc Low-Rank Warrior swung down at me, it would be hard to cause any damage. After all, it had become the base of the shield now wrapped around my neck.
I took out a blanket and covered her body, gently stroking her hair. Whenever I paused, she would grab my hand and move it back to her head.
In moments like this, she had this oddly cat-like charm.
‘Ah… I want to do it again.’
The slight glimpse of her cleavage was constantly pulling my gaze.
A skeleton soldier filled with desire… I wondered if there were any monsters as ridiculous as me in this world.
For a moment, the hunters who had been watching my sudden behavior sat back down and resumed their relaxation.
Who knows what dangers lie within that maze ahead, but the hunters fundamentally shared a laid-back mindset, believing that the me three hours later would handle it.
I wanted to introduce my minion to Yeon-hee, but I was hesitant because there were too many onlookers.
Especially since Joo Ye-seul would certainly become suspicious of me.
I licked my lips and checked the entrance of the maze. Leading the people and deciding the route were important tasks, so I quickly focused.
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