“Evil Ghost. I haven’t known him for very long. However, it was undoubtedly me who changed his ways.”
A mechanical voice sounded, and Aslan listened carefully to the robotic female voice before folding his arms.
“Hold on, something seems off here.”
“What is it?”
“I heard you’re from the Ancient Empire, while Evil Ghost is from before the Ancient Empire.”
At Aslan’s words, Tiyalmisof nodded as if understanding.
“It’s similar to how Ados was the chairman of the Uurutin Council until recently.”
Tiyalmisof, she used honorifics as if proving a clear hierarchy, and Aslan glanced at Ados while hearing the respectful tone.
When those emerald eyes turned toward her, Ados unconsciously shrank back before frowning irritably.
She seemed disinclined to explain further, so Aslan turned to look at Tiyalmisof.
Even though Tiyalmisof had a mechanical face, she appeared quite pleased, likely because she now had an opportunity to explain.
“During my research, I accidentally discovered a method to drastically extend one’s lifespan. Although the byproduct of this research has little practical application, I believed it still held some value. So, experimentally…”
“Keep it brief.”
“I put my physical body in a suspended state and moved using mana. Research had to continue, after all.”
Though they didn’t understand the principle, it was clearly the best explanation possible.
Aslan gestured for her to continue.
“Hmm… where was I? Ah, yes. Evil Ghost. Though I haven’t known him long, in my opinion, he seemed quite approving. His village was burned down by a deity, after all.”
The mention brought someone to mind. When Aslan fell silent, Tiyalmisof dramatically spread her arms.
“It was a rather ostentatious act by a deity, and afterward, he was taken in and raised by a dwarf. This dwarf was a genius with craftsmanship, and following the young Evil Ghost’s wishes, he crafted his weapon. I met him around that time.”
Already looking weary from the incessant mechanical sound, Aslan nonetheless watched as Tiyalmisof continued enthusiastically.
“At that time, he was a child angry at the world. I taught him the way, and even though magic hadn’t been standardized yet, I instructed him enough to become a Wild Wizard. He had potential—”
“…Are you saying you were Evil Ghost’s teacher?”
“Yes? Oh, indeed. I am Evil Ghost’s teacher.”
A tone of pride briefly flowed through the mechanical voice, causing Aslan to frown deeply.
So, the current pseudo-crisis was ultimately Tiyalmisof’s fault.
Aslan considered smashing Tiyalmisof’s head but thought better of it when he realized the mechanical body probably lacked sensation.
Ados looked like she wanted to do the same, citing unfairness, but Aslan ignored her.
Instead, Aslan shut off Tiyalmisof’s vocal module as she continued her endless explanation.
“We don’t want a history lesson about how Evil Ghost came to be.”
A mechanical sound resembling muttering flowed, and Aslan removed his hand, adding:
“What we need to know is what he knows how to do, what he doesn’t know how to do, his weaknesses, and where he might be staying.”
Under normal circumstances, Aslan would have improvised, but with an informant present, there was no reason to stick to such impractical methods.
Thus, Aslan intended to hear from Tiyalmisof, but—
“I don’t know much either.”
“What?”
Tiyalmisof confidently answered, causing Aslan to furrow his brow.
“To be precise, I don’t know much about the current Evil Ghost. I’m aware of when he became a deity and events prior to that, but I know almost nothing about the Evil Ghost existing in this era.”
Of course, speculation is possible. There was undeniable curiosity in Tiyalmisof’s tone.
She must have wanted to confront and investigate Evil Ghost directly.
Aslan slowly relaxed his frown as he sighed deeply.
“What do you know?”
“That he worships the Supreme Divinity, has become its sword, and was contemplating whether or not to use its divine power.”
Fortunately, it wasn’t entirely fruitless.
“Use divine power?”
It was a strange statement.
As far as Aslan knew, divine power wasn’t something one could freely choose to use or not.
The divine power granted by the evil deity almost invariably transformed humans, and that corruption was a common trait among priests.
This was consistent in the game as well, so Aslan directed a puzzled expression toward Tiyalmisof.
In response, Tiyalmisof explained again with her uniquely odorless mechanical body, adopting a theatrical attitude.
Stretching out her arm, pointing her hand, moving her fingers…
She must love oratory as much as research.
While Aslan idly thought this and sat on the table, a mechanical voice flowed.
“Exactly as stated. Evil Ghost can freely handle divine power. It’s entirely possible to delay accepting the granted divine power.”
“But isn’t that capability ending now?”
“Correct.”
Aslan recalled something Angie had said while listening to Tiyalmisof.
“That kid is tough. Fought against Ereta’s strength. Even tore my skin. But next time, I’ll definitely—”
In other words, despite not possessing the transcendent physical abilities unique to the Sword of the Supreme Divinity, he managed to fight against the group.
Considering Angie, who remained unscathed in most situations due to her 30 health points and the blessing of a hero, and Ereta with her transcendent stat of 21, their struggle was significant.
Especially since he did this without being a priest, it was impossible to predict what would happen once he became one.
With this in mind, Aslan stroked his chin cautiously.
How should he approach the situation? Should he strike first?
He pondered these questions.
“Why don’t we just kill him?”
“No, it’s not that easy….”
Suddenly, a voice reached them, accompanied by a familiar yet strange, pungent smell.
When Aslan turned his head, he saw a girl.
The girl sat leaning back with her chin resting on the chair’s backrest, wearing an expression like a child.
Her blood-red hair flowed luxuriantly over her cheeks, and she carried a long sword at her waist along with an unfamiliar bow. It was Phey.
“Phey.”
“You didn’t come to meet me, so Phey came to meet you.”
Chuckling, the girl spoke.
“I wasn’t exactly avoiding you….”
“Lie.”
Aslan closed his mouth, speechless, and Phey smiled knowingly as if she understood everything.
“But Phey is kind, so I’ll let it slide.”
Aslan sweated nervously while looking at the seemingly peaceful Elven Girl.
Of course, there was no reason for Aslan to fear.
Phey truly cherished Aslan and would sacrifice her life for him if necessary.
The problem was that Aslan really had been avoiding Phey.
Though mixing with several companions was fine, Phey knew about it and stared at Aslan with a gaze that made his spine tingle.
It was hard to meet that gaze straight on, which was why Aslan had been subtly avoiding Phey.
Not forever, but…
Aslan realized this anew and forced a smile.
“So, what were we talking about?”
“We were discussing Evil Ghost. There’s a high possibility we’ll fight him soon.”
When Tiyalmisof replied, Phey gave her a glance devoid of hostility before turning her attention back to Aslan.
Despite the indifferent stare, Tiyalmisof barely paid attention.
Instead, Phey spoke to Aslan.
“Is she a woman?”
“Hm? If you’re concerned about that, it can be hidden, but….”
“No, I don’t care. But…”
With emotionless eyes but a smiling mouth, Phey delivered an unexpectedly sharp remark.
“Don’t interrupt. I’m talking to Aslan.”
Tiyalmisof hummed at this.
“Obsession isn’t a common trait among elves… is it an acquired habit?”
She mused aloud as usual, and Phey glared at her.
Looking ready to draw her sword at any moment, Aslan extended his hand to stop her just then.
“Phey! Phey, where are you? Phey!”
A voice called from afar, and suddenly the door burst open.
Seeing the shadow appear at the doorway, Phey stuck out her lip petulantly.
Then the shadow stepped into the room.
The strong light disappeared as the door closed, revealing a woman startlingly similar to Ados—Lumel.
“Phey, were you here?”
“Lumel.”
“I’ve been looking for you. Our sparring practice isn’t finished yet….”
“Too clingy, Lumel. Aslan, Lumel keeps bothering Phey.”
Only after hearing Phey’s words did Lumel notice Aslan sitting there and widen her eyes in surprise.
“No, no! It’s just that… Phey is the fastest, so our sparring matched well, it’s not about clinging or anything…!”
“But I didn’t say anything.”
Smiling slightly, Aslan spoke, but Lumel hesitated.
“I somehow felt you wanted to ask something…”
That hesitation ended when her gaze met another.
She looked at Ados.
“Oh, Sister Ados was here too. And Master Tiyalmisof….”
“Sister?”
Ados, who had been silently planning her own agenda apart from all this conversation, was drawn back in by that title.
She looked at Lumel curiously, and Lumel smiled, feeling as if she were looking in a mirror.
“Well, it feels like having a twin sister, so I tried calling you ‘Sister’… Does it bother you?”
“Regardless of whether it bothers me or not, I am not your sister.”
“But we look alike, don’t we? There’s attachment….”
Despite Ados’ cold words, Lumel played with her clasped hands and continued speaking.
Ados, however, snorted.
“Attachment? That doesn’t exist. Your family started as my clone, so anyone wouldn’t feel attached to their reflection in the mirror, right?”
The unexpected fact revealed with her sneer made Lumel’s eyes widen, and Ados proudly explained further.
“You and I look alike because I intended it. In case the future foreseen by Tiyalmisof doesn’t arrive, I created you as a backup to steal my body.”
She sat on the table between the clicking sounds of her heels and crossed her legs.
“The Holn noble family began as a life form reproduced and manipulated magically with identical factors. Naturally, they resemble me. I ensured that each generation produced children who looked like me. Therefore, you should call me something other than ‘sister.'”
For example, Ados elegantly closed her eyes.
“Ancestor, Great Mother. A title filled with respect like that….”
SMACK!
Her elegant expression vanished.
Pain surged across her face, and as Lumel covered her mouth in shock, Ados grabbed her head and lifted it with a groan.
All eyes immediately turned to a man.
The man himself looked surprised.
Aslan apologized.
“Sorry. It was just bad luck….”
It was a poor excuse, but Lumel seemed more shocked by the situation than the flimsiness of the apology.
She opened her mouth after hesitating for a moment.
“Aslan just now….”
“Will Lumel hit me too?”
Phey preemptively voiced the thought she’d kept inside, making Lumel turn to her in confusion.
Phey merely gazed at Lumel expressionlessly.
From that gaze, Lumel sensed something and turned back to Aslan.
Aslan clarified.
“No, no, I only hit Ados. I won’t hit you.”
“But… Ados, Great Mother looks exactly like me….”
“That’s true, but the vibe is different. Look closely.”
Pointing at Ados who was holding her head, Aslan persisted despite her grimace.
“See? She’s making an unlucky face. Plus, she’s always grumbling, so she feels completely different from Lumel.”
Hearing this, Ados frowned even deeper.
It was bizarre to hear such criticism for the first time in front of others.
Wearing an awkward expression, she glanced at Lumel, who opened her mouth slightly before closing it again.
Seeing her not denying it, Ados’ cobalt eyes turned to her descendant, who tightly shut her mouth and avoided eye contact.
Observing this entire scene from a distance, Tiyalmisof stroked her chin for a long while before interjecting.
“Ados does seem unlucky.”
Ados looked at Tiyalmisof with a sense of humiliation, even betrayal, upon hearing this from her ally.
‘Did you think of me like that? We’re allies!’
Ados’ face even reflected a hint of astonishment.
Tiyalmisof, reading her expression, cleared her throat.
This conversation wouldn’t progress if it continued like this, so she ignored Ados’ gaze.
Ados’ sense of humiliation soon turned into a sense of injustice.
But since no one cared about her sense of humiliation, the conversation went on.
Leaving her sense of humiliation alone.
