152. Exploration (2)
“Wow. Look at them.”
“I know what kind of doll it is.”
“Are they prettier than dolls???”
“No, don’t all three of you know who those people are?”
“who?”
“Crazy guys. It’s Abella, Cain of the combat world, and Shiana Flaen of the magic world.”
“Wow. Are those people!?”
“no wonder… … .”
“I only buy two in the world. It’s not fair, really.”
The streets are whispering.
Originally, the Joongang-dong Cafe Street was rumored to be pretty thanks to the cute buildings and well-paved roads, but today it has surpassed that level.
Everyone walking down the street glances at the two beauties who are sitting on the terrace of a cafe with an expressionless expression on them and expresses their appreciation one by one.
Wherever I go, everyone’s eyes are the same. People of all ages praised the beauty of the two. The space they were sitting in was a different world.
Even if there is only one person, the place turns into a photo shoot location, but since there are two of them, it is almost a mistake to think that this place is a runway or a Hollywood one.
Usually, the two of them don’t pay attention to such stares and compliments, but today was a little different.
From the moment they started to realize that each other was a sure match, they couldn’t help but care about their looks and reputation.
It was because everything could fall into Aren’s ears, and he could instill a sense of self-esteem and superiority by hearing the same story about who was prettier.
Contrary to the wishes of the two, there was no talk of evaluating whose superiority. I just admire the unrealistic beauty of the two.
‘What is this doing?’
Cain, who had been conscious of his surroundings for about 10 minutes, sighed inwardly. Also, this didn’t suit her. Competition is also competition, but we must not forget the purpose of coming here.
“Shall we get to the point soon?”
“yes. That would be great.”
Shiana seems to have the same thoughts as Cain, so she immediately bites off the rice cake when changing the topic.
No matter what, ‘competition’ over one man doesn’t fit the aptitude of the two.
Both of them felt extremely tired in a short period of time, so they gulped down the caffeine.
“Hey.”
Siana sets down the coffee cup with a small sigh.
And blow the first bread
“I found out during vacation, but Aren is… … . It’s related to the demons.”
Shiana spoke as if she were proud of Aren’s true ‘circumstance’, which only she knew.
‘I know more about Aren than you do. So keep quiet and do as I say.’
Shiana smiled faintly at the thought of winning by decision. But the smile didn’t last long.
“… … I know.”
It was because an unexpected answer came out of Cain’s mouth.
“I know, there was… … ?”
“Yes.”
Cain gave a slightly hesitant answer.
The timing was a bit off.
I’ve been told that Aren’s condition is not good, but tomorrow evening I will hear the ‘correct’ story.
So, for now, I was going to keep quiet for now, and when I heard from Aren tomorrow, I was going to gain the upper hand in earnest, but no, Shiana knew it too.
Above all, Siana even mentioned the specific content of ‘figuration’.
Putting it all together, it was clear that Cyana was slightly ahead of Cain.
Cain was furious.
Sianna wasn’t as easygoing as she thought, and she wasn’t a careless child either.
Cain, who could not easily admit that fact, decided to ‘pretend to know’.
It is the beginning of a search war that takes a narrow line.
“How do you know?”
Shiana, who did not know Cain’s circumstances, also asked, thinking similarly to Cain.
“I heard from Aren.”
“Aren, did you tell Cain?”
“yes. By the way?”
Every word is filled with all kinds of male and female and elaborate calculations.
While trying not to find out each other’s weaknesses, they worked hard to figure out the other’s intentions.
‘How far do you know? Aren and Cain are that close!? When the hell… … ?’
‘sh*t. Sianna knows too much. Are the two of them too close together? I’m anxious. Should I separate them?’
The sense of superiority disappeared, leaving only tension and a sense of crisis. The enemy in front of him was not as easy as he thought.
‘Stop, no way. Skinship too?’
‘a. no way… … . But what did you do with Aren with that innocent face… … would it? no. I’m not sure about this anymore.’
Above all, the most important thing is the closeness with Aren. But neither of them could put it into their mouths.
Neither of them is ready to face the truth yet.
‘You have to be alert! I can’t lose Aren to Cain.’
‘Let’s relax. This is war.’
Their eyes cross each other in midair.
The flame didn’t fly. Because we were smiling kindly at each other. Instead, a chill grew around them.
The conversation continued with fierce battles going back and forth. After all, the purpose was to help Aren, not to fight between the two.
The conclusion was not easily reached.
This is because the literature or research data related to ‘Evils’ are precious materials that have never been disclosed to the public.
Even if she was Shiana, there was a limit to finding an answer with no knowledge at all.
After three hours of heated discussion, the two reach an agreement.
1. Individually conduct research on demonization, and share information once every two weeks.
2. If you put Aren next to the candidate saint, your condition will improve, but you can’t keep your eyes open and see it. A fundamental solution must be found.
3. One of them wins the Grand Festival and wishes for the trophy. Please heal Aren. and… … .
In number 2, Cain and Cyana hated it, expressing the same opinion for the first time. That was better than having one more powerful enemy called a saintess candidate.
I ended up with option 3 in the end.
However, the true intentions of the two were hidden there. The fact that both knew but did not bother to mention each other.
Whoever wins the Great Trial will soon win Aren.
“then. See you in two weeks.”
“That, yes. How are you Cain?”
* * *
―――!
The fireworks exploded, and pollen covered the sky.
In the procession of the 3rd Prince Aiden and the Grand Festival trophy, the academy campus was in full swing.
It was an obvious development after that.
The cadets cheered at the appearance of the three princes.
The contestants of the Great Festival lost their eyes on the trophy.
The long journey of the grand festival to be declared splendidly.
Even what you can see right away is a scene minus the ‘Olympic’ of this world.
royalty and nobility.
A flag representing each class.
Even the audience cheered when the participants of the grand festival entered.
It’s a sight I’ve seen many times in my life, and I’ve seen it tirelessly in games.
There was nothing surprising about it, but it made me feel strange to be in the scene as a main character.
“hey. Aren’t you late for your appointment today?”
As I was waving to the crowd and walking, Cain came to me.
Tonight, I have to meet with Cain and give a briefing on my ‘Asmodian Flower’. It was because he weighed in with the judgment that it might be better to inform him in advance, rather than just being caught and explaining later.
“Okay.”
“okay. Just look straight ahead and walk.”
“Only the front?”
“yes. Because you fall.”
He tells me to only walk forward, but he seems to keep looking towards the magic world, but I don’t know why.
―I am the possessor. How have you been?
‘Five. Acheron. long time no see.’
Ackerman was walking behind me. It was a little funny that he was the representative of the 2nd year of combat and put a lot of energy into his costume.
―This hero really has a lot of clumsy sides. As you say.
‘Understand. Because he’s that kind of guy.’
That’s because I told Acheron in advance that Ackerman is stupid. Otherwise, Acheron would have hated Ackerman by now.
‘Did the training go well?’
-Don’t worry. Who am I? And really, as you said, when I went to the Great Elf Forest, there was an injured elf kid.
‘Look at that.’
It seems that the vacation training episode before Act 4 was safely cleared. Everything on the Ackerman side seems to have gone according to my plan.
―Anyway, as you said, I will help you work hard in the Great Festival.
‘okay. Please, Acheron.’
Since he communicated separately with Acheron, it became much easier to control Ackerman.
At first, I tried to keep the secret to myself, but Acheron and Cyana and Cain and so on… … .
I feel that the more people who help me, the easier the job becomes. It feels like my values are changing little by little. I was very happy that it seemed to be going in a positive direction.
“On behalf of the royal family, this Aiden will announce the start of the great festival!”
The declaration announcing the start of the great festival was over.
During this time, the entire school year is like a festival. It may be rather inconvenient for a nerd like me who only studies quietly.
Following the three princes, the headmaster, the representative of the aristocracy, the president of the Magic Society, and the cardinal, etc., climbed onto the podium one by one and offered their support.
It is the most boring time before the festival begins.
Of course, it was a time of opportunity for me.
‘Shall we take a closer look?’
It would be very rare for all the assistant professors and cadets of the Warriors to get together in one place.
The priority is, of course, the traitors I know through the game.
The names of the worshipers of the demons, which were scheduled to be revealed around Act 5 or 6, were already organized in the notebook, so all I had to do was find them and confirm them.
Spread the shadows across the square.
Thanks to the increased magic power and the fate speciality of the demon cult, the ability to operate the shadows has now become as proficient as my own limbs.
Like a sniper, I started checking off the list one by one.
‘First of all, don’t bomb.’
Name: Simon Cleur
Gender: male
Age: 36
Personality: [Provocative] [Enterprising]
Specialty: [Explosive Magic] [Powder Storage]
‘Simon. 3rd year magic assistant… … . He pretends to be decent, but he’s a crazy bomb maniac.’
But I soon noticed a problem. That was a very serious problem.
‘what. Why can’t I see it?’
Ackerman, that is to say, when checking the status window with the player’s eyes, the demon worshipers were clearly distinguished.
It was because the title ‘Evil worshiper’ was attached to their status window.
But now I couldn’t see that title.
At first, I thought it was a variable, so I checked the 3 princes who were definitely worshipers of the demon tribe, but this guy didn’t have that title either.
in short-
‘ruined.’
This was a variable I hadn’t really thought about.
I was used to the convenience of the status window, so I hadn’t thought about this situation at all.
If you think about it, when you play as Ackerman, the title of ‘Elysian Worshiper’ started to show when his specialty ‘Path of the Hero’ appeared.
So, you have to have your special skill, ‘Road of the Warrior’, to see that title.
On top of that, on the contrary, I even possessed the f*cking specialty of ‘fate of worshiping demons’, so it was only natural that they could not be distinguished.
The status window system seems to be very kind to me.
‘It’s a headache.’
Well, there was no need to know all the time.
After all, the named demon worshiper is in my head. Why I want to check this is a ‘variable’ I don’t know. Because it was to try to identify another demon worshiper.
… … I tried mentally winning, but it’s true that I felt uncomfortable.
Act 4 is a matter directly related to my life, so I have to focus and be more careful than what I have been careful about so far.
If even one variable exists, it is easier to eliminate or deal with it.
‘What number do I need to find?’
Can’t I just go and see them one by one?
Then it stands out too much. It would be easy to get suspicious if I separately found the guys who would be communicating with me while monitoring me and asked about those things.
If it is argon, it will inevitably smell strange.
The relay training is coming to an end. If this is the case, you will have to return without income.
It’s a rare opportunity, but it’s a waste of time.
A sharp number doesn’t immediately come to mind.
Rather, I felt that a breakthrough would come if I met and talked with Aiden again.
‘Should I aim for that time as well.’
There is a time to meet the three princes only for the participants of the Great Festival. Now that the instructional message is over, the time has come to meet him separately.
Then, while paying attention to Aiden, I must create a chance to be alone.
Now that the status window is useless, that’s the only way.
* * *
“Welcome to see His Highness the 3 Princes!”
“Nice to meet you. Gentlemen. I am very happy to meet talented people who will be responsible for the future of the kingdom. On behalf of His Highness the King, I express my gratitude to you.”
All 27 participants in the great festival kneel in front of the third prince, Aiden, and bow their heads.
Only one candidate, a saintess whom she treated as having an almost equal status, did not bend her knee and bowed lightly.
“now. wake up I don’t like to create a rigid atmosphere. Here’s a beautiful chapter… … . Mum. No, get up.”
Aiden glanced at me and paid attention to my choice of words. Still, he seems to be a guy with a learning effect.
“Come on, sit down comfortably. Hello. Bring the prepared food.”
“Yes— Your Highness.”
Even the chef working in the royal kitchen came to see him alone. It was the moment when I realized the scale of the Great Jejeon once again.
Well, that’s it… … .
While Aiden was working hard on the female students with his unique conversational skills, I slowly started paying attention to him.
“The field of interest in the royal family these days is astronomical prediction, which is the specialty of Luna cadets… … Well?”
“majesty? Do you have any problem?”
“Oh, no.”
Every time Iden flirted with a girl, I glared at him.
I had no intention of interfering with his love life unless it specifically touched the main characters, but today is an exception.
“Also, there are some plans to reorganize the structure of the Royal Knights… … ?”
Are you slowly noticing it? Are you this rogue?
“Hmm. ho, maybe what is your name?”
In the end, Aiden, who was looking at me, couldn’t bear to finish what he was saying to the female student and asked.
“This is Arren Blackfire.”
“Ah, Aren Blackfire. Oh, I have heard your name.”
“It is an honour.”
“Um, do you have any questions for me… … ?”
It was hard to keep from laughing.
It’s truly a masterpiece to see the kingdom’s bastard get so flustered by a mere cadet.
“It’s the time that His Highness the 3rd Prince is talking about, Seol. mind. Do you have any questions for me?”
= Take care of yourself, you foolish bastard.
“ah. Aha… … . Is that so?”
“Yes. sorry. It was such an honor to meet His Highness, the Three Princes, that I stared hard at him without realizing it.”
= I’m talking this far, did you understand it roughly?
“… … haha. uh, it can be.”
“Yes. I apologize for interrupting you.”
= See you later?
Cain just looked at the two of us strangely.