Chapter 77

I did so. Surprisingly, the dozens of items I’d obtained from the quest—ranging from unique to normal—remained in my Imagery, even though the quest field had collapsed.

At first, I was bewildered, but I soon understood why.

‘These items… they’ve solidified my pure mana using the distortion framework.’

‘Since they’ve been separated from the quest and become my possessions, they weren’t destroyed along with the field and stayed intact.’

I could probably destroy these items to gain even more mana, but I didn’t feel the need.

From my perspective, using a small amount of pure mana to slightly boost my physical stats isn’t nearly as useful as wielding them as weapons.

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“Yuribel’s main weapon was a sword, so I’m guessing you’ll use a sword too. From now on, don’t just beat monsters up with your bare hands—use this.”

Fake-Bel took the sword in wide-eyed surprise.

‘This is the sword you got first and used yourself… Why are you giving it to me?’

“You’ll make better use of it than I will, since you exist in the Imagery.”

Then I summoned an item for fake-Shia as well. A beautiful, pure-white staff made of wood, roughly 1.2 times her height.

‘This…?’

“You’re a mage, so a staff suits you better than a sword. A wand would’ve been even better… but the only unique item suitable for a mage was a staff.”

The girl hugged the white staff with a smile.

‘…No. I’m happy.’

I’d obtained three unique items here in total. I gave two of them to the girls, but seeing their smiling faces, I didn’t feel the slightest regret.

After all, these items could only be used in the Imagery, so there was no reason to feel possessive.

“And there’s one more gift for each of you. Actually, this is the main point.”

‘More?’

‘Again?’

I whispered to fake-Bel first.

“You’re ‘Bel.’”

‘…Bel.’

“I just removed the ‘fake’ part… but it’s still familiar, so I thought it’d be better this way. How does it sound?”

Bel, no, fake-Bel, hugged me tightly, smiling even more brightly than when she received the sword.

Hmm. Good. Let’s not ask what’s good—anyway, it’s good.

“…I really, really like it. Thank you.”

Next, I brought my lips close to Shia’s ear.

“And you’re ‘Sis.’”

‘Si… s.’

“Yes. Sis. I took two letters from ‘Akatasthasia,’ just like with Shia… it sounded the nicest. Not bad, right?”

The girl rolled the name ‘Sis’ around in her mouth several times, then beamed and clung to my leg.

“Yes. Sis. I’m really happy.”

Wait a second… didn’t something feel off just now?

Immediately, I realized the source of my unease and flinched.

“You… you just spoke with your mouths, not your consciousness?”

Bel opened her mouth to answer.

“In the country you used to live in—Korea—there’s a poem like this. Yuribel was deeply impressed by it.”

Until I gave the name, it was just a shape, a presence without life.
The moment I named it, it came to me—and became a flower.

“That’s a beautiful poem. Rarely is existence expressed so beautifully through relationships and perception.”

“I’m a science person, though.”

Bel chuckled at my words.

“By receiving our name, we’ve finally become complete beings. We can now step out of the Imagery roles, meet you eye to eye, and form a ‘you and me’ relationship.”

“…So verbal communication proves that you’ve become independent entities?”

“Yes. Exactly that. And it was something that hadn’t been allowed until now.”

“Hmm…”

“…That’s why we’re extremely happy. We can revere and cherish you with our own will, as independent beings and as others.”

“I’ve been curious about one thing… Sis, you exist because of my mana, that makes sense. But you came from outside, right? Why are you showing me such unilateral affection?”

“I’m not from outside—I came from the Archangel Yuribel.”

“Same difference… Wait. Could it be—?”

“Yes. My feelings come from my original self.”

“Yuribel…? How many times have you met her?”

“It only takes a moment for one rational being to be drawn to another. Attraction is naturally instantaneous.”

“Hmm…”

“And the more important fact is…”

For the first time ever, she kissed me—with a beautiful smile I’d never seen before.

“……!!”

“…I like you far more than Yuribel does.”

Bel, her face flushed crimson, stepped back slightly and flailed her hands in embarrassment.

“I-I’ve spent hundreds of times more time with you. It’s… natural. Of course it is. Really.”

I froze for a moment, dumbfounded, and then my thoughts drifted somewhere.

Wait a second… isn’t this my first kiss? Does this count? Or since it’s with a mindscape entity, is it an air-kiss?

I don’t know. And when you don’t know, verification is necessary.

“…Hmm. Not sure. Then let’s try it once more.”

“Oh my… gladly.”

And so… with an unexpected event, my month-and-a-half-long Imagery exploration came to an end.

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When I opened my eyes, I was surrounded by bikinis.

Lying there, only breathing as I took in the overwhelming sight of flesh and swimsuits, Illeia noticed me and clapped her hands with a bright smile.

“Oppa! You’re awake!”

“Uh… yeah.”

“R-really…! Master! I was doing my duty! I’ve been diligently guarding you all this time! So y-you can’t chase me away…!”

“Y-yeah.”

“Sword God! Finally…! I apologize! Your humble servant dared not trust in the safety of the Sword God and worried! Please, punish me…!”

“Ask Shia for the punishment later. But more importantly…”

“More importantly?”

“Hmm. Since everyone’s beautiful, the bikinis suit you all well. Seeing you like this lying down makes it clear.”

“Hmm.”

“Ah.”

“Uuuh…”

The three of them twisted their bodies at the unexpected praise. Meanwhile, Scala… you really do twist yourself up. Honestly, some compliments are just impossible for you.

“So? What’s going on right now?”

Illeia answered on behalf of the others.

“Well… it’s been about five hours since you fell asleep. In that time…”

“I get the rough idea. I heard the Baronet’s side hired an assassin guild, right? I mean, what did you do with them?”

“Oh, that… All thirty-one of them were subdued. Right now, two mages have dragged them into the forest for interrogation.”

“Hm? Do they really need to take them to the forest?”

“Well… they said they didn’t want the lake at their villa to get stained with blood or bodily fluids.”

“Why is it our house if it’s their villa?”

“Exactly what I said! Honestly.”

Seriously, why are you getting so worked up? Aren’t you just a hired maid? You signed a contract for this.

“What about Shia?”

“She is guarding the mansion. She said the assassins might lose hope and attack the staff, so…”

For reference, mansion management and household work has been handled by Selan’s family and Scala’s younger sibling as staff since last week.

Additionally, Sodin introduced a new “head butler.”

An elf with prior butler experience… apparently wanted to work in a scenic house. Perfect timing, right?

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“My name is Oma Cross!”

“Oma Cross…?”

“Yes. I’m from a branch of our family. Also a retainer of our house. Any objections?”

“No, as long as you do your work properly, it’s fine…”

“Worry not! I’ve served the Cross family since the princess’s time in the Arsus Kingdom! My butler experience is second to none. Just hire me, and I’ll show you what excellence truly is!”

“Wait, didn’t you say your family was some kind of guardian lineage… and they really call you princess?”

“…It’s just a nickname used in the family. Forget you heard it.”

“Not at all! Even now, if you return to the Arsus Kingdom, I’ll always…!”

“Shut up, Oma. Before I kill you.”

“Y-yes!”

“Anyway… she’s a competent one. Strong, too. Even if she looks frail, she’s an elementalist. She can easily keep the mansion secure in your absence.”

“All good, but… why would such a talented person want to be a butler in some distant place? Did you make her do it?”

“Oh, no. Why would I?”

“Y-yes. I applied myself. I’ve always wanted to work somewhere with beautiful mountains and rivers. No one ever ordered me to apply as a butler for the princess, nor told me to report every move of the Sword God. And of course, no one ever told me to prevent weird bugs from swarming the mansion!”

“…….”

“…Should I just kill you on the spot?”

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Well, she seemed a little off in the head, but with her abilities as an elementalist and prior butler experience, she was too valuable to pass up, so I ultimately accepted her.

“If Shia is on it, the mansion should be fine.”

“Yes. And the new head butler is here as well.”

Just then, about seven figures flew through the sky toward us.

More precisely: two mages and five prisoners.

“Sword God. You’re awake. Any results?”

“Eh… more or less. But you said thirty-one, so why are there only five? What about the rest?”

“You don’t need thirty witnesses. The rest were all killed after we extracted the information. These five are decent enough to be spared for now… but eventually, we’ll reduce them to two. Why? Should I have spared more?”

“No. Well done. Anyone crawling into someone else’s home to kill for money should’ve been ready to die.”

Sodin smiled at my words and nodded to Talos.

“Senior, shall I take over from here?”

“Here? Didn’t you say you didn’t want the lake stained with blood?”

“This time, I’ll handle it. No matter how despicable they are, Senior handles people too… messily.”

“Where’s the mess? I just used the tools they brought for torture—what’s the problem?”

“The problem is, Senior, that you’re a mage. Why use your hands when you have good magic?”

“You know, I’m a battle mage.”

“Battle mages use martial arts to supplement magic, not punch people and occasionally remember to cast a spell. Anyway, I’ll show you what being a proper mage looks like.”

“Hmph. You’re going to torture them? I didn’t think you liked that…”

“I’ve been through enough myself, though maybe not as much as you, Senior. Four major wars. If necessary, I can handle this.”

“Interesting. Very well. Show me.”

Talos snapped his fingers, and the floating figures plummeted to the ground.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

“Ugh…!”

“Uuugh…!”

The five of them knelt, their limbs grotesquely twisted, groaning in pain.

Sodin wasted no time and immediately began her work.

“I don’t intend to ask you questions. You’ll only experience long pain with brief pauses. During that time, you’ll have to think hard about what information you need to give me for me to be satisfied.”

She extended her fingers toward them, reciting the activation words for her magic.

“Absolute Command. Suffocation. One minute.”

“…….”

One minute passed.

None of the five spoke. Not surprising—being assassins, holding their breath for just a minute was hardly painful.

But if that were all, Sodin wouldn’t have called it “torture.”

“This is easy, right? Absolute Command. Suffocation. Two minutes.”

“Kyup!!”

Finally, fear appeared on the assassins’ faces. They could already foresee what was coming.

“W-wait! I have something to say! I have something to say!!”

“Too late. Shouldn’t have tested the waters. Absolute Command. Suffocation. Three minutes.”

“Ghhk…!”

Wow. Scary. The mansion really does handle torture well.