Quartz.
Ever since I was immersed into this world, I’ve been pondering about my surname.
In the original work, it didn’t exist even as an extra character’s name, and unless you’re a figure from an ancient past, you wouldn’t even know that it exists.
There was a time when I thought they might just have given me an original surname, but starting from the library, I began to sense that there was some secret hidden within this name.
What exactly that secret is remains unknown, but I also know that it falls under the category of forbidden knowledge that I shouldn’t be aware of now.
“Quartz… huh. It’s a dead end.”
[Dead end? So, you’re saying I’ve lost?]
I suppose so.
To mean that I shouldn’t say a word, I tapped Rue twice and glanced at the crow disguised as an old gentleman.
Harpas wore a bewildered expression for the first time at my question, closing his eyes. His face seemed to acknowledge defeat.
A single question and he admits defeat—what on earth is hidden behind this name that evoked such a reaction?
I awaited his response with a mind that felt quite relaxed.
However, Harpas kept his mouth shut for quite a while, staring blankly into space.
Why is he acting like that?
Can even a demon not utter that taboo? What could the identity of ‘Quartz’ be that would make even beings beyond humanity hesitant to mention it?
Is it akin to ‘He-Who-Should-Not-Be-Named’ from an old fantasy novel I once read?
So frighteningly hard to even speak of?
“Why can’t you answer, Harpas?”
“I see, your surname is Quartz. I feel like some of my questions are being answered. If it’s Quartz, then it wouldn’t be strange for you to possess such abilities.”
What on earth did the person with this surname do to provoke such talks? I glared at Harpas, who was spilling information as if he was muttering to himself.
“So what’s your answer?”
“Seeing that you don’t know anything, it seems something transpired along the way. Memorizing the entirety of the Quartz family’s history is the very first thing you should do as a member of the Quartz family.”
It seems there’s still no censorship… yet.
Is he intentionally avoiding certain things? It’s hard to make a judgment unless Harpas explicitly explains his intent.
Could it be that he’s only speaking about things that aren’t censored right now?
“Oh, you’re hearing the answers you wanted, yet your expression doesn’t seem too pleasant. Doesn’t my answer satisfy you?”
The old gentleman, who bore a demon inside, wore a gentle smile. Of course, that smile was merely a facade, just a probing maneuver. I tried my best to maintain my composure and nodded.
“Just talk more. This was quite an intriguing revelation.”
“You seem pleased to hear about a family you had no knowledge of. Johann Quartz.”
“Well, because I didn’t know anything.”
“Ha. How refreshingly honest.”
Harpas looked at me with a low, entertained laugh. His gaze felt oddly warm. Perhaps he wasn’t just spouting nonsense when he said he found me likable.
But there was a fair chance that look was a façade, so I couldn’t let my guard down.
“Then let’s continue the tale. Where to begin… Ah, indeed, that would be interesting.”
Harpas grinned as if he had thought of a good story and continued to flick his pinky as he spoke.
“The fact that you know nothing about your family indicates that either the family was extinguished due to some reason or you had left for some reason. Or… you’ve lost your memory.”
Lost my memory… huh.
“You seem to have hit a nerve.”
I opened my mouth to respond but closed it again. I couldn’t gauge how much to disclose to the demon in front of me. Though I had declared defeat, there was still uncertainty as to whether I could handle that demon in this game.
…But should I take the plunge? I felt it was the time to be bold.
“My first awakening was on a deserted island.”
“Oh.”
“I couldn’t recall any past memories.”
Should I open up just this much? I waited for Harpas’s reaction.
Harpas smiled slyly, as if reveling in the excitement, and spoke to me.
“I understand why you were on a deserted island.”
What?
“And I suspect this will be the last piece of information I can provide. That deserted island is the exam site for the coming-of-age ceremony of the Quartz family. And !)(@)#&!($&@&!ㅛ(*#ㅛ!(”
The timing of the interruption was very precise. I tried to guess the content through Harpas’s lip movements, which seemed to speak a tongue foreign to this world, but oddly, I couldn’t decipher them.
It felt like there was noise clouding my brain.
“Oh dear. So that’s a non-discussable topic as well. It seems I cannot divulge any more, Johann Quartz.”
Harpas looked disappointed, glancing up at the sky.
“Too bad, but our pleasant time ends here. Hey, Johann. I pay my respect to you, for you’re the first human to force a declaration of defeat from a demon.”
“First…?”
“The first human to win a bet, to be precise.”
The ominous aura that had surrounded us vanished. He spread his arms dramatically, rising from his spot on the magic circle.
“Now, what kind of punishment do you intend to impose? With just a word, you could gain anything you desire, so speak freely. I would like to savor this sweet despair.”
“Stay right there. Someone will come to punish you instead of me. Principal.”
“Understood.”
The signal stone in the principal’s hand shattered.
“Oh.”
I turned my head to look at the first defensive line, the direction of the portal. As I stared for about ten minutes, I started to see someone rushing toward me, creating a whirlwind.
Harpas also peeked at the human charging in without restraint, bound by the pitch-black chains that had sprung from the magic circle, scattering an ominous aura.
Wow, quite frightening.
Thank goodness he’s not the enemy.
“Johann! Where’s that crow bastard! Today I’ll make soup out of him!”
“That’s a scary thing to say. But I suppose it wouldn’t be a bad experience to be on the menu for once.”
Despite the threatening words that felt as if he would peel off flesh and bones immediately, Harpas spoke with a calm demeanor. Was he genuinely willing to accept whatever fate awaited him as a loser?
Thinking back, even in the original story, he died dramatically, like the cunning and intelligent guy he was.
At least that part hasn’t changed.
“Johann, is that guy Harpas?”
I nodded in response to Renny’s deadly tone, as if she would split me in half if I said otherwise.
“I wouldn’t mind receiving the price of defeat, but there’s someone with a grudge against you deeper than mine.”
“I see. A gaze filled with plenty of grudges. Before you kill me, do tell me. Who are you?”
“I am Renny. The knight protecting Karina, who placed the curse upon you!”
Renny raised her sword above her head with both hands. Is she going to split him in half?
I quietly placed my hand on Renny’s shoulder, infusing her body with the power of the Phoenix.
“Thank you.”
“Just leave the finish to me.”
I exchanged glances with the veteran and stepped back a good distance. All the way to where Harpas appeared to be the size of a palm.
Renny’s sword stopped, poised like a guillotine just about to drop. Were they chatting, and then it happened.
[Contractor, wh-what is this? What’s happening?!]
“Renny’s sword just swung.”
Even though I had seen this scene countless times in the original work, it was terrifying.
I felt a shiver witnessing the spectacle caused by a mere downward strike.
“It’s not without reason she was called the strongest mercenary.”
“I wanna fight her!”
“You really don’t need to. You’ll lose.”
“What?”
Geren glared at Kalintz as if he were displeased, but he couldn’t argue back.
“I don’t know who it is, but a man marrying that woman wouldn’t dare defy her…”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
And rightfully so, the ground—sliced by the sword enveloped in the overwhelming aura of the temple and Renny—had shattered as if an earthquake had struck.
————–
“I’m feeling an overflow of energy…”
While reading a book, Karina suddenly looked away from the dense array of characters and gazed out the window.
The clear window revealed a bright scenery of daylight.
On normal days, she could only gaze without participating, but today, she felt like she could enjoy the view on her own.
“My legs feel light.”
Her legs, which usually felt as heavy as lead, felt free today. Karina wiggled her toes and twisted her ankles, then slowly bent her knees.
Normally, just lightly bending her knees would make her sweat profusely.
But not today. Karina’s knees settled down naturally, and her eyes widened as she gazed at them.
“My body…”
Karina’s gaze shifted to the slippers placed next to her bed. The slippers she hadn’t worn since awakening from the curse. She cautiously turned to let her legs dangle off the bed.
‘Right now…’
Karina moved her pure white feet to slip into the slippers. The sensations felt vivid, causing her to jerk back her foot from the slipper in surprise.
“So soft…”
She slipped her foot back into the slipper and put some weight on it.
Her legs, which hadn’t obeyed for nearly half a year, moved her body more smoothly than she ever thought possible.
And then, one step.
Two steps.
Three steps.
Awkward, but still her steps did not stop.
Until she reached the doorknob.
“Just a bit more…”
With a creak from the hinges, the door swung open.
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