Chapter 113
If Karin was a 99, then she was a 100. If Karin could be described as “flawless,” Odette was “perfect.” She followed the standard to the letter in every aspect.
I wanted to win. I had to win. But I simply couldn’t. Every fingertip angle, every step she took, was just a little more perfect than mine.
Karin hated Odette as she tried to surpass her. And the more she hated her, the more she understood her.
She must have undergone even harsher training than I had. To make everything come naturally, she must have practiced hundreds, maybe thousands of times more than I ever did.
There were times I despised her, times I envied her. Times when I thought if I could just win once, my life would be complete.
But I never wanted to win like that. I didn’t want Odette to crumble the way I imagined.
“…Lady Odette.”
Karin gripped the newspaper. The gossip about Odette being a “fallen woman” had now become an openly recognized title for her.
Fake Purifier, executioner, notorious villainess.
The words on the newspaper twisted in Karin’s hands.
“So what if I’m a fake Purifier? Lady Odette’s etiquette has always been genuine.”
Karin subtly defended Odette in society, but people said it was only because she was kind.
That’s when I realized: people didn’t understand. They hadn’t worked as hard as I had to achieve perfect etiquette, not just acceptable etiquette.
Those who hadn’t tried didn’t know how remarkable she was. Only those who polished themselves could understand her perfection.
You don’t get it. You don’t know how perfect she is.
Do you even know what it takes to be perfect in every movement, down to the fingertips? Do you know how much practice is needed to eliminate any flaw in one’s walk?
To raise a 99 to 100 requires as much effort as making a 1 into a 99! These stupid humans…
Ah… I wanted her approval.
I wanted to be recognized as a rival. I never wished for her to be worse than me. I wanted to be better than her.
You were my goal. The wall I wanted to overcome.
I had feelings of hatred and envy, yes, but it wasn’t only that.
You can’t collapse like this.
Karin cheered for Odette.
Run. Run as far as you can.
You’re a hard worker. More determined than me. You can do this.
Surpass even the S-rank.
The day Karin read the article that Odette had been beheaded, she cried like a child for the first time.
Huff.
Her vision returned. As always, it felt like time on this side hadn’t moved at all.
[Reward: Invisible Truth (Dagger)]
[Reward will be automatically received in your inventory.]
[Four months from now, you’ll need to cut what is invisible. Use it then.]
“…Why does the status window show me Karin?”
Carl might make sense as the male protagonist in the game, but Karin wasn’t even a target character.
‘The creator of the necklace was said to be the First Transcendent.’
After acquiring the necklace, I had already looked up the First Transcendent in the world’s records. But all the documentation was limited to a brief mention in scripture:
A being who became transcendent, dared to kill a god, and became a god themselves. Then, someone who gave up becoming a god afterward.
‘There was a moment when they became a god. Omnipotent, surely they could see the future.’
Could it be that this necklace was designed anticipating I would acquire it?
But I couldn’t linger in thought for long. Karin, who had been crying, spoke.
“…Y-You still think I teamed up with Dolly, right?”
At first, she had, surely. But now, after seeing Karin’s memories…
Losing a unique rival felt like losing an old friend.
Grief, mourning, despair. The endless emptiness one feels after searching for rivals out of habit in high society.
It was as if a part of one’s world had shattered.
Having experienced being Karin, I could understand. She was too proud of herself to bring others down through underhanded means.
Her pride was hard, built through walking a narrow, rigid, and upright path.
“No. That’s not it. …Well, I did misunderstand for a moment, though.”
Now I understood why Karin had sat at the same table as me.
“You were trying to protect me from Dolly’s slander. That’s why you deliberately chose theology.”
Karin didn’t pick theology to embarrass me, thinking I was ignorant. She trusted that, as a Purifier, I would be most confident in theology.
She wanted to uphold my dignity in front of others at the salon. She wanted to cut off gossip about me.
‘Even making the salon’s rules was probably for me.’
The Duke of Brentano knew the Count Albrecht had a deep feud with him and that the Count was far worse than his reputation suggested.
The Duke stopped there, but Karin went a step further.
‘The misdeeds attributed to Odette might actually be the Count’s doing.’
Karin in her previous life speculated that my act as a fake Purifier might have been a trap set by Count Albrecht.
At first, she disliked me and watched me with suspicion, but once she realized the truth, she continued observing me to seize opportunities to help.
‘That way, the Count wouldn’t hear any rumors. And Dolly probably asked for a rule to keep secrets too.’
“Thank you, Karin.”
Karin looked flustered at my sincere words.
“Wh-What! I haven’t done anything deserving of thanks!”
Her face turned red, her voice cracked, then she awkwardly changed the topic.
“More importantly, think about Lady Odette’s safety! Do you know how dangerous it is for her right now?”
“…Dangerous?”
“It wasn’t just a rumor that she was foolish. Dolly made her act and brought her to the salon for a reason. I overheard him talking consistently with a journalist.”
I focused on Karin’s words.
“Rudolph Kaspa, who writes the cheap gossip ‘Secret Leaks’… I overheard him whispering that he wanted to make a new rumor. I think Dolly was the one closest to him, so they wanted to fire Dolly.”
So the two of them were already in contact.
Of course, there was no way their methods of troubling me would suddenly become refined.
Apparently, Dolly intended to use both the gossip publication and salon embarrassment methods simultaneously.
“At first, I wanted to send a note through the post… But everyone only knew that I disliked Lady Odette, so it would have caused more misunderstanding. I thought that if I helped you at the salon first, you’d believe me… but… it seems I just kept causing misunderstandings.”
Karin bit her lip. It seemed she had been biting it throughout the conversation, anxious because she felt I was growing more disappointed.
It was a chaotic mix of suspicious me and naïve Karin.
“…Karin, firing Dolly is difficult.”
I gave a bitter smile.
“Wh-If you doubt me—”
“No. I don’t have the authority to fire Dolly.”
“…I see. So she’s being treated badly by the Count’s household?”
I nodded. Karin paused for a moment, then spoke with a pale, resolute expression.
“I’ll help you, Lady Odette.”
Her voice was so determined it sounded almost overbearing.
“…Then, could you go out and say it wasn’t because of me that you cried? My salon reputation is at stake.”
“Ah…! Oh no…! I must have caused a misunderstanding. Sorry. I got ahead of myself.”
“I’ll probably be dragged back to my room by Dolly as soon as I leave. So please.”
“Got it. I’ll stay in the salon and clarify everything. As long as Dolly isn’t there, I can defend you fully.”
She coordinated with me, making up a story about how Dolly would assume I was humiliated in the lounge, and agreed on some details.
“I’ll go now. If I stay too long, Dolly will get suspicious.”
Karin walked out stiffly, hesitated, then looked back.
“Don’t lose to Dolly… Before I beat you, don’t lose to anyone.”
Then, embarrassed by her own declaration, she ran off.
‘…I’m embarrassed just hearing that…’
Honest, naïve. She must have cared more about what wasn’t visible than what was seen. Unlike me, who invested cleverly in appearances.
Did Karin consider herself a 99 and me a 100?
From my perspective, Karin was a perfect 100. Unbeatable by anyone.
After Odette left the lounge, finishing her tearful performance, a thoroughly intimidated Dolly was waiting in the hallway.
“Let’s go. I’ve already told the salon you were ill.”
He must have been thoroughly reprimanded by the nobles while I was away.
Not daring to return to that place of humiliation, he didn’t even look toward the Hall of Wisdom and immediately dragged me back to my room.
‘Does he fully believe no one will reveal what happened in the salon? Or was the humiliation there that shocking?’
Everyone had seen me perfectly well; who would believe Dolly’s sudden excuse of being ill?
But he clearly didn’t have the mental capacity to handle that.
‘Whatever. I don’t care. I wanted to rest anyway.’
Odette no longer had any attachment to the salon. She had already gained all possible benefits.
She had mostly restored her reputation in the salon and exhausted the knowledge of Han Su-wan.
Any more questioning would only reveal that her knowledge was shallow.
So Odette followed Dolly back to her room with peace of mind.
By the time she lay down on the bed, ding—the status window rang.
