Mage and Alchemist (Rare)
“I won’t say I’m sorry. I had no other choice.”
“I’m not crazy.”
“You still trust me? Really? Do you?”
“If you truly trust me… then trust me and take my spear. Please.”
“Will you… die for me?”
“Ugh… ugh…”
Ansol was sobbing uncontrollably in my arms. After hearing the whole story, Anhyeon was glaring at Yujeong with a face full of anger, as if he could pierce through her with his eyes. If I hadn’t been there, he might have swung the spear he was holding. He seemed like he wanted to say something, but he just clenched his jaw and fumed silently.
“Sola, I’m sorry. I was wrong. There, there. Be a good girl. No more tears.”
“Sniff… Sniff… Did… did you really use me as bait, oppa?”
Though her words were broken by hiccups, I could grasp the meaning behind them. I shook my head immediately, denying any knowledge of it. Honestly, I had a vague suspicion, but Yujeong hadn’t told me the truth.
Hearing my answer seemed to calm her down a bit, and she finally stopped crying. Though she was still hiccuping and sniffling, I thought it was enough, so I stopped patting her head and tried to pull away. She immediately looked like she was about to cry again, so I quickly hugged her and resumed patting her head. Her tear-streaked face looked so pitiful as she wiped her eyes.
Yujeong was kneeling in front of Sola, hands raised in a gesture of surrender. It was almost comical to see such a scene in a dungeon, and I felt a surge of emotion welling up inside me. I was getting swept up in the kids’ atmosphere, but Anhyeon’s anger was too intense for me to intervene.
Yujeong hung her head, looking defeated. Both Anhyeon and I had stern expressions, and the atmosphere was heavy. Usually, she was full of mischief, but now she was like a cat cautiously gauging the situation.
“Well, go ahead. Explain yourself.”
At Anhyeon’s sharp words, Yujeong pouted, then hesitated before speaking in a reluctant voice.
“So… the reason I did it was…”
“Ah, boohoo…”
I cradled Sola, who was rubbing her face against me, seemingly overwhelmed by sorrow. I saw a spark of defiance in Yujeong’s eyes, but she bit her lip and continued in a remorseful tone.
“Well… Sola has a good sense, right? There were four holes, so I thought she might be able to tell which ones were safe and which were dangerous…”
So that was the real reason for bringing her to the holes. Hmm. It wasn’t entirely baseless, so I nodded thoughtfully. But feeling Sola squirming and whining in my arms, I resumed patting her back like soothing a baby. What was I even doing right now?
Luck is the least understood of all the attributes. All I knew was that it had a greater impact on magical abilities than physical ones. There were a few other minor things, but they were mostly unfounded rumors.
Anhyeon’s expression was ambiguous, but he seemed to accept it, nodding and tapping Yujeong’s head with the tip of his spear. It must have been annoying, but Yujeong didn’t seem to mind.
“Then you should have said so from the start. Bait? Really? There are things you say and things you don’t. Hyung, you should say something to Yujeong too. You always spoil her, and that’s why she’s like this.”
“Sorry… what?”
As Anhyeon finished speaking, Yujeong and I exchanged incredulous looks. What nonsense was he spouting now? Yujeong seemed equally wronged, pursing her lips and tilting her head. Still, Yujeong was clearly in the wrong, and Sola was looking at me with eyes full of expectation, so I felt a bit at a loss.
After settling the commotion, we finally managed to move forward again. Sola’s eyes were red and swollen, Yujeong was sulking, and Anhyeon was silent. I sighed inwardly. Just when I thought we were making progress, it felt like we were back to square one.
“Oh. This feels promising.”
In the end, we chose the second hole. We decided to give it a try by having Sola stand in front of all four holes, and the results were strikingly different. She shivered in front of the first hole, tilted her head slightly at the second, made a displeased face at the third, and ran away from the fourth.
Using my third eye and sensing abilities, I was amazed. As a mage, magic was crucial, but I wondered if investing just one point in luck might be worthwhile. Seeing how 100 points in luck could produce effects similar to the third eye, I felt a subtle pull.
Noticing my praise, Sola’s posture straightened beside me. Her neck was held high, and her eyes were still puffy, which was honestly quite amusing.
I walked calmly, sensing the surroundings. It felt like it was about time for monsters to appear again. Sure enough, I sensed something. When I stopped, the kids tensed up. They were used to battles following my pauses.
“We should be careful from now on.”
As I spoke cryptically, their faces grew serious. There were two types of monsters ahead, but only three in total. One living creature and two statues. Sensing their confusion, I felt the need to warn them before they panicked. As we walked, I glanced at Sola, who was still brimming with confidence, and spoke gently.
“Sola.”
“Yes?”
Her usual soft voice returned, indicating she was no longer upset with me. Seeing her smile, I was about to continue when a voice echoed around us.
“Help! Please help!”
I frowned at the sudden interruption. Just as I was about to explain, the creature had beaten me to it. As expected, the voice from inside made Anhyeon and Yujeong’s expressions change drastically.
“Hyung, it sounds like those other users we heard about earlier.”
“Maybe they’ve been kidnapped around here…”
“Stop. I’m in the middle of talking.”
Cutting off Yujeong with a stern voice, they immediately fell silent. But their anxious faces showed their impatience to rescue whoever was calling for help. I clicked my tongue and was about to speak again.
“Is anyone there? Please, help me!”
”…”
It was a cunning creature, and my irritation grew. I was already frustrated from wasting time at the holes earlier, and though I was partly to blame, I had been holding it in. I didn’t want to take it out on the kids, but I was reaching my limit.
I drew my sword and swung it lightly toward the front, then sheathed it again. I had sent a subtle wave of magic with the swing, hoping the creature would take it as a sign to shut up.
“Help… Aaaah!”
Confirming that my magic wave had sliced through the creature’s right arm, I exhaled. The kids looked bewildered. They hadn’t noticed the subtle control I had exerted, but the horrific scream at the end must have clued them in.
“Ahem. Let’s continue. Sola, do you know anything about a monster called Lamic?”
“Uh… Lamic? Hmm…”
Watching Sola ponder, I clicked my tongue. It wasn’t a major monster, so it was understandable that she struggled to recall. But the answer came from an unexpected source. Yujeong, who had been fiddling with her dagger, cautiously raised her hand.
“Oppa, isn’t Lamic… a variant of the doppelgänger?”
“Hmm?”
I looked at Yujeong with surprise. Encouraged by my nod, she continued in a low voice.
“I heard it can’t change its appearance perfectly or for long like a doppelgänger, but it can mimic voices. Its physical abilities aren’t great, but that’s only against experienced users. New users should be careful. They often set traps and provoke emotions to lure users in, so we should never go in recklessly…”
“Correct. But how did you know? Lamic isn’t usually emphasized.”
“Just happened to know.”
Yujeong stuck out her tongue playfully, and I looked at her with pride. Ansol pouted, muttering, “I knew that too…” Anhyeon shook his head in disbelief and then turned to me to speak.
“Hyung, are you saying that the voice we just heard was Rameek’s?”
“That’s right. It probably mimicked the voice of one of the intruders after consuming their vocal cords.”
As expected, Ahn Hyun was the quickest to assess the situation and think on his feet. If only he had a bit more basic knowledge, he’d be perfect. While I was lamenting this, Ahn Hyun swiftly aimed his spear at Yoo Jung. In that instant, something sparked in my eyes, and before I knew it, I reacted.
Clang!
Whirr! Thud!
With lightning-fast reflexes, I drew my sword and struck the spear from Ahn Hyun’s hands before he could even react. The spear spun wildly and crashed into a corner. It all happened so quickly that everyone was left gaping, frozen in shock.
Ahn Hyun, in particular, seemed deeply shaken. He glanced between me and the spear, then stammered out a few words.
“Hyung, it was just a joke…”
“A joke?”
“I just… I was suspicious that Yoo Jung might be Rameek…”
Normally, Yoo Jung would have spoken up immediately, but perhaps cowed by my fierce demeanor, she remained silent. The anger I’d been suppressing since the Black Forest finally erupted. Whether intentional or not, pointing a weapon at an ally was a personal trauma and one of my most despised actions.
“Ahn Hyun, Ahn Sol, Yoo Jung. Are you all just here to play around? Is this how you want to act?”
”…”
My rebuke left them speechless, but I didn’t stop there.
“Do you think you can just laugh it off because I’ve been lenient? You need to know when to be serious. How long are you going to stay in this carefree mindset? And Ahn Hyun, a joke? You pointed a spear at Yoo Jung as a joke? What if you start doing this too?”
“No, it’s not like that, oppa. I did the same to Sol, and it’s fine. I’m not mad, so please calm down, okay? Oppa~”
“Hyung, I’m sorry.”
Yoo Jung tried to lighten the mood with her clumsy charm, and Hyun immediately bowed in apology, but my anger didn’t subside. It’s fine to have fun, but there are limits. Since the battle with the Rengas, their attitudes had become too relaxed. The deeper we ventured, the more vigilant they should be, yet they were doing the opposite.
If they recalled what I emphasized in the Black Forest, they’d realize how far they’ve overstepped. I’ve never heard of a caravan like this, and even if one existed, I couldn’t comprehend it. I addressed Ahn Hyun in a cold voice.
“The prank on Sol was harsh, but it had some merit and was within acceptable bounds, so I let it slide. But now, inside a dungeon, during a real situation, you point a weapon at an ally? Do you think that’s sane? A joke? Should I try the same joke on you?”
Having experienced my intimidation at the inn before, Hyun waved his hands frantically, his face showing a hint of remorse, as if he finally grasped the gravity of my words.
A tense silence followed, but I nodded curtly with a stern expression. Ahn Hyun hung his head and retrieved his spear. Sol, who had been watching the scene unfold, swallowed hard and gripped his staff tightly.
After casting a disappointed look at the three of them, I let out a deep sigh and spoke up.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
I just woke up from a nap and posted this, so my head’s a bit muddled.
I’ll revise and upload a proper note and response later today.
I ask for the readers’ understanding.