Chapter 74
Elysia had made plans to go to the temple.
Of course, she couldn’t go right away. Too many eyes were watching. For now, she quietly headed back home.
The moment she arrived at the mansion, the servants rushed out to greet her.
“My lady, you’ve returned safely… what a relief.”
It seemed Howell had stormed through the mansion earlier while searching for her. Just the sight of Elysia—who was said to have disappeared—returning home safe and sound was enough to make everyone show clear signs of relief.
The maids who had dressed her that morning tilted their heads when they tried to help her change clothes.
“Huh? My lady’s dress…”
“Doesn’t it look a little different?”
Even though Finn had restored it, whether because of the rushed spell or simply the limits of restoration magic itself, the fallen magic stones hadn’t reappeared. The dress’s design was slightly different from when she had left home.
If the original dress had been decorated with large, shimmering gemstones that sparkled brilliantly, the restored version was now scattered with countless small jewels, twinkling like starlight. Less flashy, perhaps, but its quiet resemblance to the night sky wasn’t bad at all. In fact, it seemed more suited for daily wear than for grand banquets.
As she looked at it, Elysia suddenly recalled the moment when Finn had cast the spell.
“Since you seemed so worried about your dress…”
The glittering effect of the restoration magic, that playful voice—when she thought back on it, the whole scene still felt unreal. Elysia lowered her head awkwardly.
Did I talk about the dress too much…?
On second thought, maybe she really had.
‘I just really, really liked this dress, you know?’
‘I’m so sorry! I feel terrible too!’
‘Didn’t you say that a lot?’
Elysia rolled her eyes in belated embarrassment. Even after throwing the gemstones away, she remembered blurting out things like:
‘Hmm… most of the original stones have fallen off. Feels like I wasted them…’
And then—
‘But Lady Semperion, you’re human, aren’t you? Efficiency is important, sure, but sometimes you have to indulge in a little waste too.’
“…”
Elysia carefully touched the fabric of her dress. He had used healing magic when she wasn’t even sure she was injured, and even restoration magic just to fix her dress. More unpredictable—and inefficient—than anyone else in this game.
And yet, the fact that she didn’t feel bad about it meant…
“…I must have really liked it,” she whispered softly.
She stopped fiddling with her dress. Even though her voice was barely audible, one of the maids nearby quickly picked up on it.
“Right? It’s so pretty, it’s only natural you’d love it. You’ll wear it again, won’t you?”
“You wore it today, but since you didn’t actually attend the banquet, it should be fine to wear again. I’ll keep it safe!”
“You must be tired. Please, this way to rest…”
Whether out of duty to make sure she rested, or worry that she might try to slip out again, the maids busied themselves around her. It wasn’t until much later, when the sky had grown darker, that Elysia was finally free of their fussing.
“Will just going to the temple really be enough…?”
Alone in her room, Elysia gazed seriously at her status window. The daily quest was still there: Stay by the Saint for one hour.
She had told her viewers confidently that all she had to do was stay by the Saint’s side, and she still believed that was 99% true.
But she had also thought about the possibility that it wasn’t.
‘The banquet goes until midnight anyway…’
Lady Marigold’s banquets always lasted until at least 12 a.m. If the quest required her to stay in the banquet hall itself, then even though Frillian had already left, Elysia could just drag her back inside. It would be troublesome, sure, but hopefully going to the temple would be enough.
“It’s just past 8 p.m. now… four hours left. Plenty of time.”
Still, there was one complication. Whether delayed by the incident in the forest or something else, the Duke hadn’t returned home yet. If he came back late and went looking for her, only to find her gone, things would get messy fast.
“But he wouldn’t actually come looking for me, right? He always knocks before entering. If the maids say I was tired and went to bed early, he wouldn’t wake me up.”
In fact, the only one who had ever woken her before was Howell, and even then, only in the mornings to tease her for oversleeping. At night, that seemed unlikely.
“Dinner’s done, I’ve already told the maids I’m going to sleep early, and they’ve all left…”
Elysia went down her mental checklist, making sure there would be no interruptions. She changed into comfortable clothes, donned her mask, and even cast an illusion over the bed to make it look like someone was sleeping there.
“Besides, I already checked earlier—tonight’s security setup around the mansion.”
Why are you even checking that?
LOL she’s gotten way too good at sneaking out now.
Nah, she was already good at running away from day one…
“Of course, it’s harder now than it was that first night.”
With a sharp gaze, Elysia swept her eyes outside. After her multiple escape attempts, the Duke’s mansion had tightened security drastically.
“No gaps at all. And they don’t take their eyes off my window, even for a second.”
Incredibly, the Duke had even assigned guards whose only job was to watch her window all day long. Was that clever, or just inefficient?
“That kind of vigilance really is impressive. But… I still have a way. Illusionis!”
Fwoosh!
The moment she used the skill, magic swirled around her body. But this time, it wasn’t the usual illusion. As the mana enveloped her, Elysia’s form slowly began to turn transparent.
Wait—what??
She’s invisible??
That skill can do that??
“…I didn’t think it would work either, but after a few practice tries, it did,” Elysia muttered.
This was an advanced use of Illusionis. Since illusion magic worked by manipulating light, she had wondered if she could bend light around herself to make her invisible. She had tested it whenever she got the chance.
Since this wasn’t a technique officially used by House Seiros or Lady Marigold, it was likely the first time viewers had seen it. Elysia looked at her now-invisible hands with a strange expression.
“It feels like I’ve been reusing my skills in new ways ever since I came here.”
Like using Illusionis to track the Duke’s position, or now applying it as invisibility or cloning.
Even using magic stone bombs and driving the magic carriage.
At first, she thought she only had to shout the skill name and activate it. But each time she used one, she felt unfamiliar mana leaving her body, and she could see and sense the flow of magic.
‘At this rate… it feels like I could use magic without even buying skills.’
Not a joke—she could already draw out raw mana on her own, little by little. That’s why things like tracking the Duke or driving the carriage had felt easier.
At that thought, Elysia went silent.
She hadn’t even lived here that long, and yet she was using magic so naturally now. Had she adapted to this game world too much?
“…Well, better than not adapting. I don’t want to sit still and die.”
With that firm declaration, Elysia leapt out the window. Despite the heavy security, not a single guard noticed her leaving. Everyone carried on with their duties, oblivious.
‘Being unseen really is convenient.’
Now she just had to run straight to the temple.
Smiling widely, Elysia quickened her pace.
“This is my first time at the temple.”
Fortunately, it wasn’t too far. Back when she had run toward the palace, she had carefully noted the surroundings. She remembered the temple’s distant symbol, its direction and distance—thanks to that, she found it easily in one try.
Do you know what you’re going to say when you get there?
Can you just walk in like that…?
Watching the curious chat scroll, Elysia looked up at the building before her. Built of white and blue marble, the temple exuded grandeur and holiness even from afar.
Soft candlelight flickered on its walls. The faint sounds of crickets, the refreshing fragrance in the air—it was even more beautiful than she had imagined.
Just then—
Rumble, rumble.
The sound of wheels approached from the distance. Elysia turned to look. It seemed to be people returning from the palace.
At this hour, and with such a fine carriage, so carefully arranged?
Most of all, she recognized the design of the largest carriage among them.
A luxury carriage bearing the temple’s emblem—the very one Frillian often rode in during the game.
In an instant, Elysia understood the situation.
‘Frillian must be returning from the banquet.’
