Chapter 10

Chapter 9 - 9. The Inspectors (2)

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In fact, the plan was perfect.

No matter how much Elpante prepared various security magic, the "supply room" is almost like a front yard for early-stage users of Sera.

If you take too much, you will eventually be caught and penalized, but even so, taking out a few necessary items is practically an essential part of the progression.

The route and method to break through are so familiar that I could recite them with my eyes closed.

And if you can use the "Point Shop" like me and have enough points to spare, this is the easiest way to break through.

◎ Haste Potion

◎ Shadow Mask

◎ Catwalk Shoes

After taking the potion, you can quickly move to break through various security systems, use the Shadow Mask to hide your identity from the video recording magic placed everywhere, and use the Catwalk Shoes to block any sounds made during the infiltration.

This is a cost-effective combination for early-stage stealth and infiltration. With this, you can avoid a significant number of security facilities in the academy.

“...Points are really useful.”

I immediately shortened the infiltration of the supply room, which would normally require several days of preparation, by spending just a few hundred points. In terms of performance, it might be as good as a C-rank stealth skill from the Assassin tree.

The downside is that they disappear after one use, but the ability to equip all kinds of items is a huge advantage.

Items that cost thousands of points can even turn the tide in a crisis.

“Huff...”

I climb through the window, half-exhausted, and jump down.

Thanks to the Haste Potion, I gained some agility, but my base stats are all F, making me a miserable mess. Even this simple exercise is tiring.

‘I feel like I’m going to die...’

I think to myself and search my pocket.

There’s something useful for situations like this.

◎ Vitality Recovery Biscuit x2

“...”

It sounds like an advertisement, but the effect is genuinely useful.

I’ve been using it well up to this point.

As I chew on the biscuit, I feel my body regain its vigor, and I scan the surrounding items.

I quickly find what I’m looking for.

‘That’s right.’

A palm-sized incense burner. For a ritual item, it’s quite small, but that makes it more noticeable.

“Hmm.”

The supply room is filled with old items haphazardly stacked, so it’s rarely well-organized.

I struggle to pull out the incense burner, which is buried at the bottom of a pile that almost reaches the ceiling.

The Ultima of Holiness. A thousand-year-old incense burner said to be imbued with ancient power.

In fact, it doesn’t have any remarkable abilities on its own. It has only one simple function.

This is essentially a ‘telephone’.

The recipient is just... an overwhelming existence.

‘The most important part is already done...’

I turn my gaze to find additional items to take.

Normally, to activate this, you would need various rare items, but this is the Sera users’ official honey spot for farming rare items. It shouldn’t be too hard to get what I need.

I gather the necessary items and put them in my pocket.

Powder made from the horn of a unicorn, used to light a fire, a phoenix feather to ignite it, a coral fan to control the incense burner...

Taking too much might get me caught later, but at least taking a few items I’ve selected should be okay.

“Ouch.”

While I was focused on taking items, the things stacked above me started to collapse, but it wasn’t a big enough noise to cause trouble.

“...?”

That’s what I thought.

Until a ‘person’ buried among the collapsing items came out with me.

“...!”

I instinctively catch the small body that’s falling directly towards me.

I acted on the intuition that leaving it to hit the ground would cause a bigger commotion.

As soon as I see the face of the person I caught, I immediately regret it.

“...”

A small girl, hugging a sword tightly bound with chains, sleeping soundly.

She looks like a cat that has fallen asleep and is about to fall apart.

From my perspective, as soon as I recognize who she is, chills run down my spine.

Yes. Who would have imagined.

This peaceful sleeper is a human butcher who has committed hundreds of murders.

“...Hmm.”

And unfortunately for me, it seems that my recent activities have woken her up.

The girl, still in my arms, stretches and yawns.

“Haa... Hmm...?”

As she stretches her arms, her yawn gradually fades, as if she senses something strange.

She blinks her yellow eyes and looks around, eventually meeting my gaze.

“...”

“...”

First, I put her down.

I hold her with both hands and set her straight on the ground.

A few seconds pass. We just stare at each other in silence.

And finally.

The girl realizes that she was ‘hugged’ by a stranger she’s never seen before.

Of course, the next action is to quickly grab the hilt of the sword she was hugging.

Yeah.

I’m screwed.

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There are various reasons why a character in Sera is classified as evil, but one of the criteria is ‘Karma’.

A more straightforward term would be ‘number of murders’.

The more people you kill, the easier it is for your alignment to shift towards evil.

The higher your Karma value, the easier it is to become corrupt.

The demons, who are the main antagonists throughout the story, usually approach those with high Karma first.

And the person standing in front of me now is the embodiment of that system.

She’s not usually that harmful.

As long as you don’t get too close.

“...”

What happens when you get close, well...

I’ll answer by saying that this person has the highest Karma value, which even Elnoir, who can cut people like feathers, can’t match.

This small girl in front of me has killed the most people in this academy.

“...!”

And seeing the sword swing coming towards me, I can easily understand how this was possible.

Even Elijah, the protagonist, couldn’t react to the EX-enhanced critical skill and was knocked out in one hit.

Now, I can only react to the trajectory of the sword Uria swings.

“-...!”

Realizing that I’m at the brink of life and death, my concentration sharpens to the point where the world seems to slow down.

Unlike with Elijah, this time the attack is genuinely trying to kill me, which adds to the intensity.

I block the fatal strike aimed at my neck with the incense burner I was holding. Even as a relic, it can withstand a few hits, so it serves as a shield.

A loud clang and sparks fly.

‘What kind of monster is this...!’

Despite her enhanced strength, which can send humans flying like feathers, my whole body tingles.

For a strike launched without proper stance right after waking up, it’s absurdly powerful.

Fortunately, I know how to avoid getting hit again.

I roll backward, throwing my body.

In a battle, this is a foolish move.

It has no meaning other than to create distance.

But against this woman, it’s definitely effective.

As soon as I touch the ground, I instinctively gauge the distance between us.

‘Three and a half steps.’

For her, it’s a distance where she can approach and cut me down in a single breath.

But Uria remains frozen in place.

When an opponent enters ‘her three steps’, she becomes almost invincible in combat, but she cannot enter ‘the opponent’s three steps’.

A person who must maintain a forced distance from everyone.

The ‘curse’ on her is designed this way.

Of course, from the way she floated a sentence in the air with teary eyes, it’s clear she wasn’t happy about being hugged by a stranger.

“...So it’s easier to cut, right?”

Let it go, at least to that extent.

Of course, regardless of my intentions, my current situation is a deadlock.

A wall behind me. Uria with a sword in front of me.

I’m safe if I keep more than three steps away, but then I can’t escape.

At least I can touch a human body. If she didn’t burn with such intense hostility, I might have tried to negotiate...

“...?”

Wait a minute.

Negotiation.

Negotiation.

I recall a few settings in my mind.

As a person who must maintain distance from everyone, Uria usually lives a life similar to a vagrant.

Meeting her unexpectedly in the supply room was a surprise, but considering she prefers ‘isolated’ and ‘sustained’ environments, it’s not impossible.

Since staff members rarely visit, it’s likely she made it her own sanctuary.

And a person in such an environment always suffers from something chronic.

“...”

I slowly put my hand in my pocket, clearly showing that I have no intention of provoking her.

I solemnly take out the biscuit I was eating earlier.

“...”

I can feel Uria’s gaze fixed on the biscuit I’m holding.

When I shake it in front of her, her eyes follow it.

I can hear her swallowing.

“Crunch, crunch, crunch.”

I throw the biscuits one by one, like feeding a cat.

I do this in a way that makes her move away from me, setting a path with the biscuits, like Hansel and Gretel.

The advantage of communicating with floating text is that it distinguishes between speaking and using your mouth.

She can do this while eating the biscuits with incredible reflexes.

But her body is honest.

She becomes happier with each biscuit she eats.

She’s grinning and chewing, and if she had a tail, it would be wagging.

And when she realizes I’m watching her, she suddenly snaps to attention.

There.

“Do you want more?”

A little later.

Uria is growling and munching on the bag of biscuits I gave her.

She’s really like an animal.

“...”

Indeed, a person can only communicate civilly when they are full and warm.

This question only comes up now.

‘...But I can’t really tell her the truth.’

How do I explain that I came to steal?

Even if Uria lives a semi-wild life, she’s not completely incapable of communication.

If the story leaks to other staff members, it would be troublesome.

Is there a good excuse...

Ah, right.

Before speaking, I glance at the incense burner rolling on the ground.

If I take this and leave, it will draw her attention. So, let’s try to smooth things over.

“I came to bring you food. Someone asked me to.”

A topic that will definitely catch her attention.

Uria asks, dazed.

Judging by the question marks floating around her, she must be quite confused.

“A friend said to take care of you.”

There’s no such person, but if I smooth things over now, it might help later.

In the original story, creating such variables is impossible, but if it were the original game, I wouldn’t have met Uria in the supply room.

Since I’ve met her, I should use this opportunity to make things smoother later.

“Your sister is doing well in the Holy Kingdom, so don’t worry.”

The key is to deliver this information in advance.

Uria’s body stiffens noticeably.

“The Pope won’t pay attention to you or that side for a while. You still need to lie low in the academy.”

The girl tightly hugs the sword wrapped in chains, which she never lets go of.

The emotions swirling in that small action are intensely violent.

She’s here in the Elpante Academy, far from her homeland, the Holy Kingdom, all because of that person.

This is content that would be detailed in Chapter 2, but...

At least I can tell her about the whereabouts of her only family.

“...”

My gaze lingers on the sword Uria is still hugging.

It looks like an ordinary sword, but it’s one of the most malevolent items in all of Sera.

Uria acts as a ‘seal’ to suppress it. The curse related to the three steps also comes from this item.

She must be constantly threatened with mental corruption, even if not as severe as Elnoir.

I should give her some hopeful news. She must be suffering.

“I’m leaving.”

Of course, I don’t tell her everything in detail.

‘There’s nothing else to tell anyway.’

Oh.

A lie can be tripped up if it’s too long.

It’s better to exit mysteriously while wearing a mask.

I pick up the incense burner, which is rolling on the ground from the earlier collision.

Uria, who must know the value of this item as a Holy Kingdom native, seems to be in shock from what I just said and isn’t paying attention to me.

Lucky...!

It was worth it...!

“...I’ll come back.”

I leave a parting message.

I’ll probably have to visit the supply room again to take more items.

When I do, please be lenient. Okay?

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