Chapter 78
The self-proclaimed “angel” answered that there was nothing to say.
Of course, that answer completely broke Elizia’s last shred of patience.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Do you really think that counts as an answer, Mr. Angel? Why did you think I was Lady Semperion in the first place? Were you just watching from inside and playing with people?”
“Ah, no. I’m not playing. Please… spare me…!”
As Elizia knocked threateningly on the door, the angel’s voice faltered in panic. But Elizia didn’t stop pounding on the door.
“Alright! If you guess how many fingers I have up right now, I’ll let you live! Answer quickly! Otherwise, you might be trapped here forever…!”
“I can’t see! I really can’t! I don’t know how many there are!”
‘So they can’t see me from over there.’
Elizia felt sincerity in that panicked voice. She curled the fingers she had been holding up. Right now, this angel couldn’t see her. So how did it recognize her? By her voice?
But to recognize a voice, it would have needed to meet her before.
Elizia muttered, following this thought:
“Have we… met before?”
“…That’s a question I cannot answer.”
After a long silence, the reply came slowly, as if the speaker was genuinely flustered. Elizia instinctively realized:
They had met before.
‘Could it be… my past self came here?’
Even as she thought this, Elizia didn’t stop questioning.
“Why did you ask me to get you out? What do you want me to do? Tell everyone in the temple about this?”
“…That would be dangerous. Aren’t you being chased right now, Lady?”
“….”
How did it know her situation immediately?
Sensing Elizia’s suspicion, the angel quickly continued.
“Even if I’m here… I can roughly tell what’s happening outside. Don’t tell the temple people about me.”
“…Why?”
Isn’t an angel someone the temple would like? They’d be thrilled just by the appearance of a saint. If they knew an angel was here and were told how to break the seal, they’d probably be grateful.
“Could the temple have locked you up?”
“….”
Once again, silence. Elizia raised her fist in frustration.
“Whether it’s divine power or what… can’t I just break it by force…?”
Maybe it would just break. If it’s the angel or a demon, she felt she could win. But wouldn’t it be easier to just break the seal and grab them to talk?
Sensing Elizia’s thoughts veering toward force, the angel urgently interjected:
“…I don’t recommend breaking it by force. If you’re careless, you might just break the door, not the seal, and I could be trapped forever.”
“….”
Of course, the game system wouldn’t be that easy. All of Elizia’s previous shortcuts and hacks had been unusual exceptions. Nodding, she was about to open her skill menu when suddenly:
“Shh, wait. …The Deputy Director has entered this building.”
“…!”
A fast, urgent warning. Elizia shut her mouth at those words.
‘Why the hell did that person come here?’
Had they noticed she’d hidden here? If the Deputy Director also knew of this underground location and followed her, it would be a disaster. Elizia quickly opened her skill menu.
“Does the Deputy Director know about this place?”
“Probably…”
“Damn it.”
Then there wasn’t much time to escape.
“Any way out?”
“There is, but if you go that way, you might run into him.”
That made sense. Elizia quickly opened her skill menu.
“That won’t do. Use Skill Preview!”
She had been saving it, but it couldn’t be helped.
Elizia flicked open her skill menu.
‘Which one should I use?’
Since she was already here, should she look for a skill to break the angel’s seal?
Shaking her head, she dismissed the idea. It was too dangerous to release it blindly without knowing who she was dealing with. There was no guarantee it would work. Using the Skill Preview on something uncertain would be a waste.
She needed a skill that could reliably guarantee escape.
“There’s one I’ve been wanting to check for a while. Skill Preview! Teleport!”
Would you like to preview Teleport (Movement Magic)?
“Yes! That’s it!”
You have acquired Teleport!
Ding!
A bright chime rang, and a radiant light swirled around Elizia.
‘Offensive skills are good, but… this really makes me realize the importance of escape skills.’
With her basic strength, magic, and agility, Elizia could handle most attacks. But in situations like being chased or infiltrating secretly, nothing was as useful as Teleport.
‘I used to prioritize running speed over movement skills…’
Teleport isn’t all-powerful. In the Sairos Saga, Teleport’s range is limited, and it has many restrictions. Elizia’s running speed had been more practical for escaping unnoticed, but having this skill now wasn’t bad.
“Are you leaving now?”
The angel, having heard her acquire the skill, asked from beyond the door. Elizia nodded, remembering something.
“That’s right. Before I go, I should ask. Are there any relics or treasures here?”
It was clear that the source of the strange sacred power was this angel. But maybe some special item was hidden here.
The angel replied carefully:
“Treasure? Hmm… I think the treasure here might actually be me…”
“Goodbye.”
“Wait!”
As Elizia was about to leave, the angel quickly added:
“I can’t tell you everything… what the saint gave… be careful… that’s a trap…”
Some words were unclear, whether deliberately left out or just inaudible. But it sounded significant.
“I can’t hear you clearly. Please explain. What should I be careful about?”
“I… can’t anymore…”
The rest of the answer was lost. With no other choice, Elizia used Teleport. Since the angel said they couldn’t tell her everything, the chance of getting more information was low. If she delayed any longer, she might run into the Deputy Director.
“Teleport!”
Whoosh!
With the spell cast, Elizia disappeared from that place.
‘Phew, that’s why Teleport is such a problem.’
Elizia lightly ran over stones and rocks to avoid leaving tracks. Teleport had brought her outside the temple, but the distance wasn’t great due to the skill’s limitations. From here, she’d have to run the rest of the way home.
Elizia’s Teleport skill had two restrictions: distance, and it could only target places within her line of sight or places she had visited before. So teleporting straight to the Duke’s mansion wasn’t possible.
‘I’m glad I was careful not to leave traces on the way here.’
Elizia skillfully avoided the temple knights searching the forest while recalling her movements. She had left no traces when leaving home, going to the temple, or sneaking inside. Not a single hair fell, not a footprint remained. Even now, she avoided a direct route home in case of unexpected situations.
‘All this trouble because of the Deputy Director.’
She had hidden tracks and even turned invisible. How did they know? Maybe they recognized her… but she hadn’t touched anything inside the temple, so there’d be no proof.
‘No, I did meet the angel…’
Self-proclaimed, but still…
Elizia pushed aside these thoughts and climbed the mansion wall. She could have jumped through the window, but it was closed, so climbing was easier.
Luckily, the Duke’s mansion was wealthy, full of decorations to hold onto. For Elizia, climbing the wall was easy.
‘Finally, I’m home.’
She wasn’t physically exhausted, but the stress had made it a tiring day. Lying on her soft bed and sorting through the day’s events would be perfect.
As she was about to enter her room, she noticed an unexpected silhouette.
…The Duke was inside her room.
Elizia froze, hand on the window.
‘D-did he find out I left?’
She quickly scanned the room. Everything seemed as peaceful as before. Apparently, no one knew she had gone. Elizia quickly understood why:
On the bed was a fake she had made—a projection using illusion magic. The fake Elizia lying there looked perfect, even to herself.
‘Even father was fooled.’
If he knew she had left, he’d turn the mansion upside down looking for her. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case.
‘See, father? I’m sleeping soundly.’
Hoping he’d be reassured and leave, Elizia hung from the window, carefully observing. The Duke, satisfied she was “asleep,” started walking back toward the door.
‘Good! Please just leave, father!’
Elizia silently cheered.
But then…
Step, step.
‘…? Why is he coming back?’
The Duke, seemingly remembering something, returned to the fake Elizia. Did he notice something suspicious? Elizia tensed.
He sat down by her head.
“…….”
The Duke stared at the sleeping Elizia. She tried to read his lips. Was this going to be another scolding? Always the same, even when she was asleep.
After staring for a while, she gave up. It was probably something like, “Do you know how hard I worked because of you today?” or “You’re so troublesome.”
After a while, as if to cover her with the blanket, the Duke slowly grabbed the edge of the comforter.
At that moment…
Shimmer.
The blanket shifted, slightly warping the illusion. A normal person wouldn’t notice, but the Duke immediately raised his eyebrows.
“Eliz…!”
“F-father! Wait!”
Elizia quickly opened the window and jumped inside, cutting off the Duke before he could shout in anger.
