Rune of Resurrection♥
It floated midair, rotating counterclockwise like a beautifully carved ruby. A rune composed entirely of the Stigma of Vitality♥, capable of reviving the dead.
With a condition, of course—only those whose survival was still within reach.
In other words, it couldn’t bring back a body whose head had been severed, or one that had been completely destroyed. Even if decomposition had begun, it was no use. A rune that was both miraculous and limited—but I bought it anyway. Because Rebecca had gritted her teeth and tried to get it. In short, I had no need for it, but bought it just because. I plan to resell it, obviously.
And with this, I fulfilled the 100 million Hika minimum purchase required for VVIP access.
I spotted soone walking out far beyond the auction hall. The reason I’d been lingering here was to talk to that person.
Rebecca.
“Stop right there.”
As I approached, soone leapt out from the air and pointed a sword at , then froze.
“Professor?”
It was Lay of the Shadow Guard.
“What are you doing here...”
A beat later, Rebecca turned her head and saw .
Then she froze.
“.......”
“.......”
It was our first reunion since I’d left Hiaka Academy. It had only been a month or two, but felt like ages.
She was silent for a mont, then frowned.
“...Don’t tell you were Number 231?”
“I was.”
Rebecca looked like she was about to say sothing, then shut her mouth. As if in resignation.
“.......”
Only the length of the exhale through her nose told anything.
***
We went to a café.
At my signal, Lay stepped back.
After a long silence and so wrinkling of her brow, Rebecca was the first to speak.
“You’re alive. Not dead.”
“Sohow found a way.”
“.......”
In truth, from the mont she left the Academy and the Dormant Dragon Cadets, Rebecca had nothing to do with . I also had no plans to reconnect.
And yet, I went out of my way to et with her.
Because as the auction progressed, I’d noticed several strange things about her.
“How did you know?”
“Know what?”
“The value of the auction items.”
“That’s your first question after eting again?”
“Well, we’re not exactly the chatty type, are we?”
“......”
Rebecca clicked her tongue and looked away.
“Because I can see it.”
“See what?”
“The value of things. Roughly.”
“You even bid on [Unappraised Items]. How did you know those?”
“Those show up too. Sort of.”
“Since when?”
“Always.”
That made it even stranger.
According to the setting, not even [Challengers] can know what’s inside unappraised items. The curse of the demon race obscures the options.
“And you, Professor—how did you know? You only bid on things that would sell for profit.”
“I can see it too.”
“...The mana particles?”
In my case, it was the bugged status window. No need to explain that.
Still, her ntion of “mana particles” stuck in my ears.
“Sothing like that. By the way, didn’t you say you joined the Virgin Church? What brings you here?”
“......”
Rebecca turned her gaze back to .
“...Are you interrogating now?”
Her tone was slightly raised.
“If I am?”
“If you et soone, aren’t you supposed to talk like a person?”
“And you’re one to say that—looking at people like they’re bugs?”
“Excuse ?”
Rebecca frowned.
“Forget it. If you’re going to be like that, then drop it. I ca out all flustered thinking soone died, and now this...”
I didn’t understand that part.
She shook her head and spoke again.
“So the answer is yes. I’ve devoted myself to the Virgin Church now.”
“To beco a cardinal?”
“You think a royal princess would join the Church to be a lay believer?”
“Do they allow cardinals who kill people, like you?”
“Professor. Watch your words. I don’t kill people anymore. ...I’ve been reborn.”
This ti I turned to her in surprise.
Even she seed a little embarrassed after saying it, glancing away.
To be “reborn” ant she’d received a religious mission—but Princess Rebecca?
“...Is that sothing just anyone can do?”
Rebecca frowned again and looked back at .
“Excuse ? Professor Dante? Is picking a fight all you can do after eting soone for the first ti in ages?”
“I’m asking seriously.”
“Anyone can do it? Kneeling on the stone floor of the pulpit like a dog every morning for two hours—is that easy for you?”
“......”
“Holding hands with unwashed beggars covered in piss and praying with them? You think you’d last three days doing that? You don’t know anything. You’re just pissing off...”
At that mont, I felt sothing strange—Rebecca seed a little different.
Before, even if her mood soured, she’d keep up the pretense. But now, she was more honest.
Though her language was still rough, her tone and expression had lost their forr venom.
The ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) Virgin Church is truly amazing.
They’d managed to turn this insane tyrant into sothing resembling a person?
Not that her awful personality had gone anywhere.
“So answer my question.”
“...What now.”
“A princess who smashes her knees at dawn and holds hands with beggars—what brings her to the Empire’s auction house?”
Rebecca made a sour face.
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t? Didn’t you co to buy the rune?”
“I said I don’t know. I just felt like I had to co. And once I got here, it looked good, so I bid on it.”
“That’s the ‘gut feeling’ you ntioned before?”
She nodded.
Rebecca,could read the value of unappraised items through mana particles,and when Bomiteka accelerated the main story, she just “felt like she had to co.”
Rebecca had previously displayed this kind of startling intuition or instinct on several occasions. For example, when she insisted that Adele needed to be killed the mont she saw her—even before we had confird the 『Curse of Instant Death』.
The only person who realized it at a glance back then was Eternal Constellation ∞, Song Chien. And Rebecca, who wasn't even a Constellation, was able to do that?
This isn’t sothing covered in the setting of “Hiaka Academy: Assassination Departnt.”
This is...
Suddenly I recalled that there was a matching setting in “Hiaka Academy: Magic Departnt.” It was a level 9 trait called 「Master of Mana」.
“Is the interrogation over? I must be innocent then?”
Maybe because I’d been lost in thought.
Rebecca stood up abruptly.
“I’ll be going now.”
“Where. Back to the auction hall?”
“No need for that damn auction anymore. I didn’t know why I even ca here in the first place, but I’ve seen everything I needed to. Ti to go hold hands with so beggars.”
“The rune—don’t need it? If you cover the commission, I’ll give it to you.”
“Don’t need... Are you acting like this is so favor now? Use it yourself. Throw it away. Do whatever you want.”
“So you’re just going to leave like that?”
I tried to hold her a bit longer because I still wanted to talk more about her abilities.
“Don’t concern yourself. After all...”
Her sharp gaze stabbed into .
“We’re not exactly the type to have a friendly chat, are we?”
With that, she started walking away with quick, irritated steps, grumbling as she went.
Why the attitude?
Ah, right. That’s just who she is.
But suddenly, I had the feeling I should test her.
I didn’t call out to her. I simply cast [Illusion].
『World Forgery: Form Forgery [Door]』
Then I observed Rebecca. After descending the stairs to the first floor, she paused in front of the fake door I had conjured, glanced up at , and frowned. She even bit her lower lip.
When I kept staring, she scowled like she was about to smack with her chin. “Princess?” Lay, who had quietly approached beside her, looked confused for a mont. Rebecca, without a word, pushed open the real door embedded in the blank wall and walked out.
Ah.
A lightning bolt struck through my mind.
Holy shit.
Rebecca had just seen through my level 9 [Illusion] with her bare eyes—without any supernatural ability!
Which ans—
...Rebecca’s true identity is...
At the sa ti, an alarm went off in my head.
If the idea forming in my brain was correct, I couldn’t let Rebecca leave like this. If she returned to the Church, she’d just be locked up in a monastery again.
So I hurried out of the café toward the plaza outside. I was following Rebecca.
While I habitually scanned the 【Script】, an unwelco thought crossed my mind.
【Nibelung Matriarch’s Guard No.3: “Found her. Princess Rebecca.”】
Nibelung Matriarch’s personal guard?
Why was that na showing up here?
Reflexively, I cast [Illusion] to conceal my face and checked the [Minimap].
On top of that container. He’s using [Stealth].
But why would the Nibelung family be at an imperial auction?
【Nibelung Matriarch’s Guard No.3: “The Church’s tip was right. She really ca to the Empire with just a single Shadow Guard escort.”】
【Nibelung Matriarch’s Guard No.3: “Tch, she really is the type to walk into her own trap. If she’d just stayed put at the Church, this wouldn’t have happened.”】
The guy was transmitting sothing.
Probably to the Matriarch herself.
【Nibelung Matriarch’s Guard No.3: 】
【Nibelung Matriarch’s Guard No.3: 】
After roughly guessing his intentions, I quickly turned my eyes to scan the area around us.
We were in the heart of the Empire.
A busy public plaza.
An open space.
All the conditions for not fighting were in place, but none of that ant anything in front of the [Stigma] of Black Star⚉.
【Guard No.3 has activated 『Black World』.】
Of course. A black mark appeared in the air and spread outwards like a do.
The entire plaza, surrounding Rebecca and , fell into darkness.
“Wha!? Whoa—what the hell!”
“I can’t see anything!”
“Who turned out the ligh—huh??”
The crowd erupted in panicked cries.
I couldn’t see anything either. I had no supernatural ability to pierce through the [Stigma]’s darkness.
“Ugh! What is this... Light, co forth!”
At that mont, Lay—trained in magic—must’ve attempted to release a burst of light. But I couldn’t see it. Normal light doesn’t work inside [Stigma] darkness.
【Nibelung Guard No.3: “Kukuku.”】
【Nibelung Guard No.3: “It’s useless, Shadow Guard. No matter what you do, you won’t be able to see anything now.”】
Sa went for . Light made from [Illusion] couldn’t shine through the [Stigma]’s darkness.
【Nibelung Guard No.3: “There’s no need to hide from another’s eyes. Just block the eyes themselves. Ultimately, it symbolizes the state of being unperceived. Once that’s achieved, all humans are nothing more than brains trapped inside skull-shaped jars.”】
【Nibelung Guard No.3: “Even if you’re a royal Shadow Guard, the mont you allowed to ambush you, the result was already decided.”】
Shlak- thud!
“Ugh!”
“Lady Lay!”
It sounded like Lay had been struck by a shuriken. The nearby civilians flailed helplessly, afflicted by [Slow], [Weaken], and [Blind] debuffs.
But just then, I completed the formula I’d been working on.
Right after identifying the enemy, I’d hurriedly morized the entire layout of the area—a divine move.
⋮
『World Forgery: Perception Forgery [Street]』
⋮
In an instant, the darkness vanished from my vision.
The street’s scenery erged. There was Lay. The crowd, collapsed in place. Rebecca. And up on the rooftop—the bastard forming hand signs with both hands.
【Nibelung Guard No.3: “......??”】
The guy looked stunned, seeing striding toward him.
As soon as I had the direction, it beca my [Illusion] domain.
⋮
『World Forgery: Phenonon Forgery [Black World]』
⋮
In that mont, he too beca just a brain trapped in a jar.
“Khrrgh...!!”
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