[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 293

I didn’t bother putting real strength into the hand gripping his wrist.

He’d trained a little, sure, but his aura was far below standard, so the enhancement it provided was pitiful.

All I did was quietly let my necromantic mana seep into him.

Necromantic mana is fine once you’re used to it—but for those unfamiliar, it brings with it an extreme, bone-deep chill.

Sensing something was wrong, the guy tried to pull his hand off my shoulder, but there was no chance.

Slowly, the necromantic mana kept pushing in.

The others couldn’t tell, but Gu Hwan’s face was gradually turning pale.

He didn’t even seem to understand why this was happening to him.

And just as I was about to stop fooling around and chase him off—

“I heard there was someone causing trouble inside the territory of the Four Heavens Clan, so I came to see… Gu Hwan, I see you still haven’t kicked that filthy habit of yours.”

A cold voice suddenly cut in, drawing everyone’s eyes toward the doorway.

Standing there was a neatly dressed woman, glaring straight at Gu Hwan.

Just like that, the attention shifted.

Before long, Gu Hwan clicked his tongue.

“So it’s So Wuryeong, huh? Hmph. The moment this branch meeting ends, your precious position will be finished anyway, and yet your mouth’s still running. My mood’s gone. Let’s go.”

He turned and left.

I was about to call out to stop him.

I never said he could just start trouble and walk away.

“Ugh…”

That was when Lispa Elde, who had been quietly focused on her meal, frowned in discomfort and clutched her wound.

“You all right?”

I let Gu Hwan be and turned my attention to her.

“I think I ate too much. My recovery rate suddenly shot up… and now it’s itchy.”

“…”

What am I going to do with this precious idiot?

I couldn’t help but laugh.

The mountain of extra dishes on the table had already been cleared.

She must have taken quite a bit from their pockets earlier.

“I’ll say it again—I don’t usually eat like this. I just didn’t want to be a burden to you, so I needed to recover quickly.”

“I understand.”

A likable answer.

Very human.

“Have you had enough to eat?”

“Yes. I can move around to some degree now. It’s still hard to fully heal from Eve’s power, though—it’s too vicious.”

She stood up.

“Do you have something you want to ask?”

“Why did the Goddess of Life, Eve, turn out that way?”

“I didn’t even know she was alive, but one thing is clear—she doesn’t belong to this memory world. Her actual body has entered this place.”

She hadn’t been bound to this space in the first place.

Which meant—Eve, the goddess, had been hiding inside here all along.

“Whatever the case, it’s definitely not a good sign. The fact that an Outer God is being aided and empowered by none other than a goddess… that’s reality for you.”

Great.

As if the Outer God wasn’t enough of a headache, now the Goddess of Life joins the fight…

“We should keep our heads down until we get out of here.”

“It seems wiser to find some answers about her.”

“It could be dangerous.”

She was right.

But if we just leave Eve alone and walk away, who knows what kind of backstab we might get later?

“At the very least, we should figure out what’s going on—and disable her if possible.”

After some thought, she nodded.

“Fine. Luckily, it seems Eve can’t get out of here for now. We need to investigate further. For now, let’s fulfill the request from that Four Heavens Clan heir candidate.”

“I did receive the request, but… is that really important right now?”

“If there’s a place where the energy of this entire area is converging, it would be that building, right?”

She pointed out the window toward a four-story structure.

It bore a large plaque with the characters for Four Heavens Clan.

“Once I’m inside, I’ll extract as much information as I can, quietly. In the meantime, you can deal with them.”

That was easy enough.

And now I even had an excuse.

* * *

Getting into the Four Heavens Clan compound itself was no problem.

The moment I presented the heir candidate’s plaque, I was immediately led to the clan lord’s hall.

Along the way, I asked the innkeeper—who had apologized profusely—to prepare me a face scarf and bamboo hat.

The main hall was just as grand as Cheon Ryeong and Hwa Ryeong had described.

As planned, Lispa Elde offered to act as my guard and waited outside, investigating the area, while I went straight inside to meet the clan lord.

“I hear you’ve brought Dan Ryeong’s plaque.”

At the center of the hall stood a man radiating a heavy, seasoned presence.

Around him were people exuding equally impressive pressure.

Among them was the woman I’d met earlier at the inn.

“That’s correct.”

“…It really is that child’s. May I ask how you came to have it?”

The clan lord’s expression darkened when he saw the plaque I handed over.

That question wasn’t out of simple curiosity—he already dreaded the answer.

It was more like Please tell me I’m wrong. Please don’t lie to me now.

“There was a small village nearby.”

“…”

“It was attacked by wicked men. The heir candidate, Dan Ryeong, fought bravely against them… and fell in battle.”

A ripple of agitation ran through the hall.

The young woman from before went pale.

“You’re lying!!!”

She couldn’t hold back her shout.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

“Wuryeong!”

“It’s a lie! Dan Ryeong wouldn’t fall so easily… impossible!”

She looked ready to rush me, screaming for me to take it back, but others quickly restrained her and dragged her out.

Even then, she kept shouting that it couldn’t be true.

“…”

In the heavy silence that followed, I recounted what had happened and what Dan Ryeong had told me.

“The Blood Sect… those filthy bastards dared to—”

“Clan Lord, we should send a pursuit unit immediately.”

“Assemble the elites and set out at once.”

While the others sprang into action, I looked at the clan lord, who seemed to have aged years in mere seconds.

“I heard he was an heir candidate. You must have been very fond of him.”

“Forgive me for showing such an unsightly face before a guest. I’m grateful that you conveyed Dan Ryeong’s last words. Is there something you desire in return?”

He spoke with a tired expression, and I replied calmly.

“Do you perhaps think that I was the one who killed him?”

“……That couldn’t be.”

Yeah, right, old man.

Out of nowhere, one of the young masters’ successors suddenly dies, and then a foreigner with distinct features shows up claiming to bring his last words?

Frankly speaking, it’d be hard to believe so easily.

“I can’t sense any inner energy from you. Even if you truly had intended to harm Dan Ryeong, he wasn’t the sort of child who would lose to an ordinary civilian.”

Well, if that’s what he wants to believe, I’ll let him.

But he’s not dropping his guard entirely.

“The truth is, my bodyguard was injured rather badly while protecting me.”

“You mean the young lady outside, wearing the veil?”

“Yes. If it’s not too much trouble, might we borrow a place to rest for a few days and take shelter from the rain?”

After some hesitation, he nodded.

“Very well. I can’t simply send away the one who brought me Dan Ryeong’s last words. Steward, take them to a room where they can rest, and call for a phys—”

“Oh, it’s not an external wound, just a lingering illness. No need to trouble yourself over it.”

At my words, his eyes flickered with some strange light, but I didn’t bother to explain anything to ease his suspicion.

There was no point.

* * *

“For now, I couldn’t investigate as openly as before, so I haven’t learned much. But it’s certain that the Eve we met actually exists, and that she came from outside and is trapped here.”

She spoke.

“Nothing else you found?”

“She’s basically like a doll now. Looks like her sense of self has been completely taken over by the Outer God.”

That much I already knew.

What mattered was whether there was a way to suppress her.

“That’s all?”

“What? Why? Did you think I could figure it all out at once?”

“Haa… This might take longer than I planned.”

At my sigh, she chuckled.

“Don’t worry. Who do you think I am? I was the one who managed this space, you know.”

“And?”

“While investigating Eve, I adjusted one of the flows. Now, there’ll be a time differential between the inside and the outside.”

In other words, no matter how much time we spend here, time outside will flow differently.

“How much of a difference?”

“Roughly… a month here will be only a day or two out there.”

“That’s manageable. Keep working on it without letting Eve notice.”

“I’ll do my job properly, so you make sure not to cause trouble.”

Causing trouble is my specialty… what am I supposed to do about that?

After that, about three days passed.

Lispa Elde, while focusing on healing her wounds, also spent her days eating well and, under the pretext of seeking the most energy-rich spots, would visit certain locations and sit in quiet meditation to subtly interfere with the space.

To others, it probably just looked like a beautiful foreign woman enjoying a scenic view.

The people of the Eastern Continent might reject outsiders, but there was no denying her beauty.

Some even seemed smitten with her looks and bearing.

Then, on the third night—

While I was quietly meditating in a nearby training yard not far from our guest room, I felt a very faint presence approach.

“What is it?”

“……How did you know?”

Her cold demeanor was the same as ever, but after just a few days she looked shockingly worn out.

So Wuryeong, if I remembered correctly.

Our first meeting had been at the inn, when she showed hostility toward Gu Hwan.

The second had been at the clan leader’s residence.

Back then, she’d seemed like a lofty, untouchable flower on a cliff.

Now, her image had withered quickly.

“You don’t look well.”

“People don’t usually say that right to someone’s face.”

She slowly stepped closer.

“I have something to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“The Blood Sect that killed Dan Ryeong—don’t you know anything more about them?”

“Unfortunately, by the time I arrived, they had already vanished without a trace.”

Blood Sect.

One might think of cultists, but that wasn’t it.

Anyone who’s read the history of the Eastern Continent would know—the Blood Sect is just a collective term for a group of dangerous people, so it’s hard to tell which faction is which.

“His final moments…”

I mixed in a bit of falsehood as I answered.

“He closed his eyes with dignity. But…”

“Yes? What is it?”

“No… nothing.”

With that, I slowly rose to my feet.

So Wuryeong just stared blankly at my back.

Still… for someone so young to be wearing a human-skin mask, what a pity.

Not that it’s my business to interfere.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]