042 – Hero? Saint?
“..Goddess? If you’re watching, could you perhaps display a message from you on my status window?”
—
Ella Eloise (21)
[Abduction] – Activated
[Surveillance] – Ella Eloise
[Sleep] – Activated
[Stealth] – Active
—
“..Change ‘Active’ next to Stealth to ‘Available for Use’ again.”
—
Ella Eloise (21)
[Abduction] – Active
[Surveillance] – Ella Eloise
[Sleep] – Active
[Stealth] – Active
—
‘If I can’t just change the words in the status window myself…’
“..Goddess? Could you possibly change ‘Active’ next to Stealth to ‘Available for Use’ again?..”
—
Ella Eloise (21)
[Abduction] – Active
[Surveillance] – Ella Eloise
[Sleep] – Active
[Stealth] – Available for Use
—
“Huh…”
What Isabella-ssi used to tell me when she saw me use my skills…
“It’s not Ether… nor is it using life force… and it’s definitely not Divine power…”
She said it was similar to the power of ‘Miracle.’
“If a Goddess watching over the Arcane Continent were to use magic, I imagine it would feel exactly like this?”
It’s not magic using Ether.
Nor is it Divine magic using Divine power.
And it’s not even black magic using life force, but the power of ‘Miracle.’
Something humans cannot explain… a Goddess’ power that doesn’t even use any sort of price.
‘..Was that the truth?’
The first time I heard that story, it was just a fresh shock…
But the fact that I was using the Goddess’ power…
And that the Goddess’ abilities were ‘Abduction, Surveillance, Sleep, Stealth’… these things.
Judging by the change in the text on the status window just now, it’s impossible for her to send me messages, but… that she’s watching over me from somewhere.
‘Did I… commit some sort of blasphemy??’
Everything else is fine, but the biggest shock was that all my actions since coming to this world were being broadcast live to the Goddess.
“Umm… should I do a donation reaction to commemorate receiving a new skill?..”
Now that I’ve received the skill, I wondered if I should at least give a thank you.
‘..But what if I accidentally blaspheme with a donation reaction??’
Being new to this world, I didn’t want to do anything unnecessary that might displease the Goddess.
Like the saying, ‘If you stay still, you’re halfway there,’ I decided to just act as I normally would.
…
The freshmen received their official rankings from the initial mock spars.
Of course, an academy, being an institution of higher learning, wouldn’t engage in such childish acts as penalizing those with lower rankings.
Even so, among the students, those rankings often took on the air of a personal hierarchy.
“So, what is your rank, then?”
As an example, nobles who had accumulated extensive practical data from their families naturally found themselves in the higher ranks.
And since the freshmen didn’t know much about each other, they tended to identify one another by their rank.
“208th. Dead last, I am.”
Naturally, my score, having not participated in the duels, was 208th. I couldn’t help but be last in the entire year.
“A hero in last place? Surely this is a historical first, is it not?”
“Oh, I hear the hero placed last this time? Where did he manage to come in last, pray tell?”
“I’m told he came in last in the academy freshmen’s first sparring exam.”
“The hero is rather pitiable, no? In my case, I’m last because of my arms and legs…”
The note that Professor Layton had given me, written by the Tower Lord himself, contained instructions to accompany him this Saturday and Sunday to the Papal State to expose a doppelganger.
And so, riding in a carriage with the Tower Lord, we were en route to the Papal State.
Realizing that the flow of our conversation was… off, I immediately looked up at the Tower Lord.
“Why do you look at me with such eyes, Mihyun?”
“Uh…”
“Hmm?”
Normally, I would have made some absurd remark like, ‘You’re quite the jokester,’ or, ‘The time has come to reveal my true identity. Ta-da! I’m a doppelganger detector that requires no water!’
“..Nothing, sir.”
But, knowing that the Goddess was watching me…
I wasn’t even certain myself whether I was a hero or not.
‘…Am I even a hero?’
What kind of hero would be pursued by the Imperial Family?
Although, that was all due to the doppelganger Mihyun’s framing.
What kind of hero would associate with a True Ancestor vampire who could easily kill a human if she so desired?
Though Isabella was just a talking pet cat who could only use 1/100th of her true power.
What kind of hero would possess such shady skill sets as ‘kidnapping, spying, sleeping, and infiltration?’
But these skills were all abilities granted by the Goddess.
‘Am I really a hero??’
Since we were already heading to the Papal State…
I’d have to stop by the Papal State and offer a heartfelt prayer to the Goddess.
If I truly was a hero… this was quite problematic, I’d say.
…
“You must do exactly as before. Act as if you are here as my bodyguard. If someone standing before me is a doppelganger, caress both of their cheeks.”
“Understood.”
With all the things that had happened, I nearly forgot.
But there were still hundreds of doppelgangers within the Magical Kingdom.
“You may enter, one at a time, starting now.”
I began the doppelganger sweep, here within the hallowed halls of the Papal State – a place humanity should hold most inviolate.
One.
Ten.
Fifty.
One Hundred.
Two Hundred.
Four Hundred.
“Is your health holding up alright?”
“Perfectly fine.”
“I know you pushed yourself quite hard today. I insist you rest a little while, for the sake of your well-being.”
“I assure you, I’m perfectly fine.”
“Very well. Will you go and rest now?”
“…You’re not listening to a word I say, are you?”
Using approximately one minute per person, 527 souls in total, equaling 527 minutes.
For a staggering eight hours and forty-seven minutes, I ceaselessly hunted for doppelgangers within the Vatican’s walls.
The result: a staggering 77 doppelgangers flushed out from the very heart of the Papal State.
“That’s the right answer. But take the elixirs before you go, will you?”
Back at the Arcane Campus Gallery, even the most dedicated player struggles to down more than eight or nine elixirs in a single game, or so they say.
I, on the other hand, was already at around five bottles.
“Just how many elixirs does the Arcane Magocracy have?! Will they ever run out?!”
“Our artisans diligently continue their work. Even now, they produce two or three bottles per year, unfailingly.”
Thanks to that, the amount of aether pooled within me now approaches that of an average person.
If I were to consume any more elixirs, the aether within me would grow to rival even that of an Academy student.
“Surely… these precious things would be far better shared with those in need.”
“We do share them with those in need.”
“Not me…”
“Have you not flushed out the doppelgangers? This is your reward.”
“No, no… I’ve already been rewarded quite enough, truly…”
“I am not so without conscience, Meehan.”
“I’m afraid I’m becoming so without a conscience…”
“That information you uncovered on the doppelgangers lately has somehow become my accomplishment, I’m sure I’ve received too much, so don’t feel pressured. I shall present you with a new weapon soon, so please look forward to it.”
The disquieting feeling that I am hoarding far too many elixirs creeps in.
Indeed, I was just about to reveal that my skills stemmed not from innate talent, but from the Goddess’s authority, when—
“Your requested tea has arrived.”
—
LUMIA (20)
[Kidnap] – Active
[Spying] – Chris Liandri
[Sleep] – Active
[Infiltration] – Active
—
When the search for doppelgangers was done, at the Master Mage’s request for warm tea.
A woman named Lumia brought a fragrant brew.
“Drink.”
“Wasn’t that for the Tower Master?”
“Nay.”
“Shouldn’t you… at least consider my opinion on this?…”
“Will you drink it?”
“Thank you.”
“There, drink.”
“Mmm…! Mmmm…!”
When scolded by parents, it’s, You’ll get no food, understand!
When making a move on someone, it’s, Would you care to dine with me sometime?
When grateful, it’s, Seriously, thanks a ton. I’ll buy you a meal later.
When asking a friend how they are, it’s, Are you eating properly these days?
When someone around is ill, it’s, Be sure to eat well, and so on.
*Slurp*
For a Korean, to whom “Have you eaten?” is the default greeting, rejecting food was simply not an option.
“It’s fragrant and lovely.”
Thus, I spent a moment in something vaguely resembling witty banter with the Master Mage.
“…”
“?”
I noticed Lumia, mouth agape, staring at me with a blank expression.
‘Come to think of it, I feel like I’ve seen that face somewhere before.’
I wondered if this woman was some well-known NPC from the Arcane Campus.
“Never… pass by someone in need…”
“Huh? That’s what my mother always told me too.”
In an attempt to charm Lumia, I deployed the “Sell your mom as the ultimate filial son” strategy.
*Thump*
“?”
Suddenly, as if her strength had given out, Lumia sank to her knees.
“???”
Tears welled in her trembling eyes as she spoke…
“Saint… I finally meet the Saint…”
“?????????????”
“Indeed, I did think you looked too delicate for a Hero… So you were the Saint all along?”
“Uh oh..”
At first, I seriously wondered if I was a hero or not.
Now, I was seriously wondering if I was a saint.