LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 38
‘……What’s that over there?’
With nothing particular to do, Lize gazed out of her window, her eyes widening as she spotted the newbie and Inerma sneaking out of the castle at this late hour. The drowsiness that had been creeping in was instantly gone. Lize immediately leaped to her feet.
From the fact that Inerma was leading and the newbie was following, it was clear the newbie hadn’t suggested going out. In other words, it meant that the blind woman had gone ahead and snatched the guy Lize had her eyes on.
‘How dare they go after a man I had my sights on first without any sense of decency?’
Lize didn’t know what those two were planning, but the mere fact that a man and a woman were out at night was already a problem.
For instance, if they wandered around carelessly and suddenly found themselves gazing into each other’s eyes in a secluded spot, they could end up having outdoor sex right then and there!
If Erica were to hear this, she would think it’s absolutely crazy and might slap Lize without mercy. Finishing this casual thought, Lize jumped down from the window to follow them.
Mission of stealth activated!
“…….”
“…….”
Though she had been dragged out for a late-night walk due to some random proposal, it wasn’t as if words were flowing now that they were outside. We walked quietly, step by step, without saying a word.
Despite it being dark, Inerma walked as if it was nothing. Lize was on alert, worried that she might bump into something, but it seemed like unnecessary concern.
Since it was quite late, the night was as quiet as could be. Only the slanting moon illuminated the path ahead.
“Where are we going?”
“There’s no specific destination. Just a walk, so we’re wandering aimlessly.”
With that, we fell silent again, and our stroll ended up leading to a small forest within the city. The same forest where I had mentioned a tree with a moon hanging on it to the Knight Commanders.
The nighttime forest had quite a creepy atmosphere, but I didn’t care at all. After all, it was a place where no monsters lurked. There was no reason to fear this place.
People were scared of locations like this because of the eerie feeling of not knowing what might pop out. But I already knew it was a safe spot, so I had no reason to be scared.
If something unexpected were to jump out, then that would be slightly frightening.
I glanced sideways, wondering if Inerma might trip. To my surprise, she was keeping up perfectly.
With her head tilted left, she was merely showing me the back of her ears and the nape of her neck. Yet, she miraculously walked straight ahead without stumbling or wavering.
I walked along, thinking: Wouldn’t it be like a horror movie for someone to suddenly scream and come charging at me?!
“……Knight-in-training.”
After some time had passed since entering the forest, Inerma finally spoke up, though still facing the opposite direction. I halted my steps, curious about what she wanted to say.
“Are you not scared?”
“Scared? Of what?”
“Of the things you’ve done up till now.”
“……?”
Inerma stopped walking too but continued to face the opposite direction.
“I don’t quite understand what you mean.”
“Literally. Haven’t you been scared of the things you’ve done?”
I thought back to what I had done so far.
I had taken down the Human Butcher with a single sword in prison, had a match with Lize during the entrance exam, and managed to subjugate the Headless Armored Cavalier all on my own.
Those were the three things I had shared with Inerma.
I couldn’t mention that I killed the lord using a Book Inhabited by a Demon since that wasn’t something to discuss with outsiders, and naturally, I had to keep quiet about the events that followed.
Oh, did I share about beating that Golden Knight? I wasn’t sure since Lize had boasted about it rather than me.
“What’s scary about that?”
“It’s about things that could kill you. Isn’t it normal to be scared?”
‘Is that so?’
I pondered for a moment.
Of course, I was anxious when I first realized that the Darkest Light Mod was activated and I needed to take down the Enemy Enhanced Human Butcher. But could I really call that fear?
That was a move I had done thousands of times, and I had every countermeasure memorized. So, as long as I didn’t mess up or misstep, I wouldn’t die.
There was indeed a concern about potentially screwing up. But that didn’t translate into fear or fright at all.
Anxiety and fear are similar yet different feelings.
“I hadn’t thought that deeply about it, but I don’t think I felt scared. I mean, as long as I don’t make a mistake, I won’t die, right?”
Honestly, I still couldn’t fully comprehend that I had been reincarnated in Brightest Darkness 4.
I didn’t have to deal with basic human physiological needs.
No matter how much I ran or how heavy the load, I’d never tire.
Even if I pushed my body to the limit, I wouldn’t feel fatigue.
Sleep wasn’t mandatory; I just slept at night because, well, it was nighttime.
Considering all of these “game-like” traits were unfolding right before my eyes, it felt too surreal to perceive it as reality.
If someone suddenly popped up claiming it was a VR version of Brightest Darkness 4, I wouldn’t even bat an eye; it made total sense that disbelief would occur.
“……Mistake?”
Inerma’s tone dripped with curiosity. What did she mean by not dying as long as I avoid mistakes? It sounded absurd.
“You know the situation I’m in, right?”
“Yes, you’re under a witch’s curse…”
“I don’t know what I used to be back then, but as long as I followed my instincts and memories, I never faced losses. In simpler terms, as long as I don’t screw up while following my instincts, I won’t die. It means I act based on what my body remembers and not from my mind.”
I had already used that excuse on the Knight Commanders. It wasn’t that my head worked to calculate moves; it was that my body had drilled them into muscle memory.
Seeing and reacting late to situations was quite common, so it wasn’t entirely untrue. Take Kaiquilia’s basic attacks, for example.
“As long as I don’t mess up in the process, I should be fine just like I always have. So, I’m really not scared.”
“Is that so…?”
The girl seemed to ponder something deeply for a time before speaking in a slightly eerie voice.
“No matter what happens in the future?”
“Hmm?”
“Even if a trial far greater than anything before comes our way, you won’t be afraid?”
“…….”
I momentarily struggled for words, the expression feeling eerily familiar.
‘A trial far greater than anything before’ was a phrase used by the Empress to refer to the final boss of Brightest Darkness 4, appearing in the game’s last stages.
The extremity of the final boss’s difficulty had turned it into a meme of sorts.
“I probably will.”
But that didn’t mean anything would change.
If that being was the same final boss from my memories, I could just take it down like I did in the game—without a single mistake.
“Indeed……”
Inerma somehow seemed to accept my vague response with surprising understanding. She mumbled something else, but it was too quiet to catch the words.
While muttering to herself, Inerma suddenly turned her head towards me.
‘Oh?’
For an instant, I thought I saw gleaming golden eyes gleam from her gaze.
Yes, just like the Empress’s.
‘Was it just my imagination…?’
It was only for a fleeting moment. Just as I blinked, what should have been her eyes were replaced by a hollow black void.
“Then let’s head back now. We’ve had enough of a walk.”
Inerma said in a light voice and started walking out of the forest without hesitation, just like when we arrived. I followed her, oddly filled with unease.
Something was weighing on my mind.
“So, it was like that.”
In the main hall of the Imperial Palace, where all the lights had been extinguished.
Sitting on a throne overlooking the entire area, Kaiquilia raised one corner of her mouth, forming a spine-chilling smile. The golden eyes reflected in the moonlight glimmered sinisterly.
“Indeed, it was like that.”
Her joyous voice echoed through the empty hall.
It was a response that pleased her immensely. Not entirely for the content of the answer, but for the demeanor and attitude with which it was given.
The words themselves sounded vague and uncertain, yet the very act of saying them was filled with conviction. There was no hesitation, and the tone said it was simply natural.
Meaning, she had a solid confidence in her own abilities. Including her regained memories.
But that wasn’t the only reason Kaiquilia basked in ecstasy. She also had another reason to be thrilled.
Kaiquilia had been observing the scene where the newbie knight used the magical affinity confirmation orb from the start to finish.
And she noticed a startling increase in magical power after using the orb compared to before. It was an impossible and unfathomable outcome.
There was surely a hidden secret at play.
“At last… at last, I have found the thing I so desperately yearned for.”
If she didn’t manage to crush that goal, she would carry her grand dream. Rather than being crushed under it, she would bear it and realize it together.
In this brutally empty and fleeting world, she would be the only one who could match Kaiquilia.
A chilling laugh erupted from the throne where Kaiquilia sat.