9. Traces>“Did you enjoy your conversation?”
Lagaophe came down and asked as he looked at Rimaine and Veronica.
“Ah……”
It seemed they had discussed something important, but Veronica trailed off at the end of her sentence, as though she still had much more she wanted to say.
“Well, take your time and continue. Since you came all this way, you should discuss everything you wish to.”
“Thank you.”
“Think nothing of it. Hehe.”
Lagaophe’s attitude toward Rimaine was markedly different from the way he treated Veronica. Sian watched the sight with curiosity.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“This may sound strange, but you treat Mr. Rimaine very well.”
Sian could not bring himself to say that Lagaophe treated him like a human, so he expressed it indirectly. Lagaophe understood what he meant and laughed.
“Haha. We judge people primarily by their abilities. Even if Rimaine were not a superhuman, he would still be worth more than that. Well… he can be incredibly frustrating at times, but there fortunately aren’t many unusual cases like him.”
Seeing Lagaophe speak with a sigh, Sian realized that he still did not regard Rimaine as entirely human.‘Will I end up like that too…….’Though he understood, he did not like the idea, so Sian decided to try a little harder.
“We have some time left, so you might as well look around downstairs. Would you like to take a tour? I’ll show you around.”
“Hmm… Is that really all right? I hear confidentiality is considered extremely important here……”
“Haha, it’s fine. I trust that you won’t go around telling anyone.”‘It’s not as though you’d understand anything even if you saw it.’Lagaophe swallowed the words.
“Then I’ll impose on you a little. Please continue your conversation. If you need anything, just call my name loudly.”
“……?”
Seeing Veronica look at him as though asking what he meant, Sian explained further.
“I mean that as long as I’m somewhere on this island, I can hear sounds made here, so I’ll come if you call.”
“…
I understand.”
“It hurts my feelings when you look at me like you don’t trust me at all.”
Leaving the two of them alone to talk, Lagaophe came downstairs with a quiet chuckle.
“My, it seems Ms. Veronica still hasn’t quite grasped the concept of superhumans.”
“Well… she’s never seen one before.”
She had only heard that they were extraordinary and had no idea what they could actually do, so she had probably made the same expression as before, as though asking whether what he said made any sense.
“First, please come this way. I’ll show you the things you might find interesting, Mr. Sian.”
With that, he began touring the lower floor.
Sian did not know how Lagaophe was perceived here, but the people seemed quite afraid of him.
“Do those people know that Mr. Lagaophe is a La
-vander?”
“I’ve never told them directly, but I’ve shown them my strength a few times, so they must know. They’re all intelligent, after all.”‘Is that why they’re so frightened…….’It was none of his concern, so he let it pass.
Lagaophe’s explanations were extremely detailed. It was not merely that he knew the place well because he was in charge of managing it; rather, he gave the strong impression of being knowledgeable about everything in the first place. At the same time, there was depth to his knowledge, making Sian think that even if he had not been a superhuman, this man would have succeeded at whatever he tried. Of course, Sian understood very little of it.‘Sigh… At least I’m good with a sword…….’Comforting himself with the thought that a person had to focus on one thing to succeed, Sian listened to Lagaophe’s explanations and was able to get a rough idea of what this place did.
“Is this place something like an armory?”
“You’ve seen it correctly. Here in Amaran, research related to weapons is being conducted.”‘Here……?’That implied there were other places as well. That was not what mattered, however.
The weapons Sian had in mind were things like swords, sabers, and spears. Even if he extended the range, cannons were the limit.
But the things being made here were completely different. If not for the ominous aura emanating from the objects under construction, he would not have realized they were weapons at all.
“They’re quite unusually shaped weapons.”
“Hehe. I suppose you imagined swords or cannons.”
“Yes. But seeing the things made here, they look completely different.”
There were yellow spheres riddled with holes; square plates densely engraved with arcane patterns.
There were transparent, star-shaped entities with something inside them roaring violently, as well as small beads circling through the air.
Seeing Sian’s expression, Lagaophe spoke with a laugh.
“Hehe. The things here are simply designed to fulfill their original purpose as faithfully as possible.”
“Their original purpose being……”
“Killing. Every one of them was designed to maximize destructive power, accuracy, efficiency, durability, and so on. The reason they have no long barrels or blades is… because there is no need for them.”
“Hmm……”
When Sian tilted his head, apparently unable to understand, Lagaophe walked to one side.
“It would be better to see it once than hear a hundred explanations. Hmm… Shall we try this one first?”
As Lagaophe approached, the people conducting research parted in a long line, like the parting of the Red Sea.
There was a small rod sitting there.
“Hehe. You don’t know what it is, do you? You use it like this.”
When Lagaophe took hold of the rod and infused it with energy, something suddenly sprang out with a buzzing sound.
“Oh?”
The ordinary rod was instantly reborn as a shining sword.
“This is an item created by bringing Rimaine’s idea to life. Normally, you carry it in your pocket like this, then activate it in battle to produce a blade. Its power is quite usable as well. Try touching it.”
At those words, Sian took the rod Lagaophe handed him and grasped the glowing part.
“Gah……!”
The people nearby recoiled in horror, but nothing happened. Instead, the part Sian held crackled and rapidly lost its light.
“It is interesting, but……”
Sian wore an ambiguous expression, and Lagaophe responded as if he understood.
“It’s a little weak, isn’t it? Hehe. Everything here is a prototype to begin with. Anything that appears complete and useful is moved to the main base for further enhancement research. Shall we go to the next place?”
Lagaophe tossed the rod he had taken back from Sian aside and moved on.
It was the group of beads Sian had found fascinating earlier, flying around with a buzzing sound.
The beads were spinning furiously around a point in midair. Looking closely, Sian saw something blue shimmering at their center.
Once again, when Lagaophe approached, the researchers stepped quietly backward. Lagaophe walked between them and reached his hand without hesitation through the violently rotating beads, grabbing the blue thing.
At that moment, a bizarre, ear-splitting scream leaked from the shimmering object.
“The research into changing the Koderan coefficient is still in progress… Ugh.”
The researchers nearby covered their ears and continued speaking.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. Mr. Sian, come this way.”
He then held out the object in his hand to Sian.
“This is……”
“Fascinating, isn’t it? It’s a self-aware energy aggregation. The beads are all being spun by the will of this aggregation. Apparently, this was created when the research team here accidentally tampered with something……”
The blue energy mass in Sian’s hand struggled frantically, then seemed to tire itself out and quieted down. Perhaps reflecting its mood, the beads that had been spinning at tremendous speed now revolved weakly around the energy mass in Sian’s hand.
“He’s rather cute.”
“Hehe. Isn’t he? We were wondering whether, if the research progressed, we might be able to use him as a pet even if he couldn’t be used for combat. He hasn’t been given a name yet. We intend to choose something as cute as possible.”
Sian had considered giving one to his older brother if they ever became available, but he eventually gave up on the idea. His brother probably would not be able to control this cute-looking but foul-tempered creature.
Right now, Lagaophe and Sian could toy with it in their hands because of their abilities, but someone at the Master level would have been burned to death the moment they approached the sphere.
No, to begin with, they would have been struck by the beads flying around furiously, leaving holes all over their body and breaking something along the way. They would not even have been able to get close.
They probably had to be superhumans to keep this thing as a pet.
“If you have the opportunity, I’ll give you one later as well, Mr. Sian. Let’s see… how much would it cost to adopt this one?”
Lagaophe asked a researcher beside him.
“With about six more months of research, I believe we’ll be able to produce high-energy aggregations stably.”
The researcher answered while panting softly, apparently having regained some composure now that the screams leaking from the energy mass had grown quieter.
“Well, there you have it. When you come later with the materials for the Soul Jade, you can take one home. Haha!”
Sian nodded, having taken quite a liking to the cute little creature.
“Let’s see… Next… You’ve only seen prototypes so far, so let’s take a look at the materials section as well.”
As he spoke, Lagaophe left the building they had been in and began walking toward one corner of the island.
“That section must be in a corner of the island.”
“Yes. Depending on their properties, some materials require a great deal of water for cooling. They research materials and metals collected from all over the continent there.”
After walking for quite some time, they entered a building with an atmosphere entirely different from the previous one.
“It feels like a smithy.”
“Well… the Decon tribe insisted that it had to have this sort of atmosphere… I really don’t understand why they would leave perfectly good facilities unused and do this……”
Even with the development of technology and arcane arts, there were many cases in which people could not match the Decon tribe’s skill at handling materials and metals.
That was why there were so many Decon people here, and some areas where they worked had been arranged according to their tastes.
However, the area visible in the distance had the same atmosphere as the previous building, creating a strange sense of incongruity.
“There are many metals here that even I find fascinating. This is a particularly remarkable one… The Decon people made it into an alloy.”
As he spoke, Lagaophe waved the small metal rod in his hand.
But it appeared entirely unremarkable on the outside, so Sian asked with a puzzled expression,
“What property does it have?”
“This club changes the impact by altering the impact coefficient. In the weaker direction, that is.”
“……?”
Lagaophe rambled on as he explained the principle. Sian could not understand most of it, but he was able to grasp what sort of effect it had.
“So… even if you hit someone as hard as you can, they’ll be in terrible pain, but they won’t die?”
“That’s right. Of course, it would be a different story if you swung it with all your strength……. Hehe. It’s completely useless as a weapon, but… I’ll give this to you, Mr. Sian.”
Lagaophe handed the metal rod to Sian.
“Hmm?”
“Use this to hit people from now on, instead of your fists.”
“……”
“It won’t even leave bruises.”
“Sorry….”
Unlike before, Lagaophe had been taking good care of him, and Sian had developed quite a favorable impression of him. Feeling apologetic, he apologized.
“Since I’ve shown you the most useless metal, this time I’ll show you the most useful metal we’ve acquired recently. Come this way.”
With that, Lagaophe went outside.
“Why are we going outside?”
“Hmm… It’s very difficult to store this metal… We couldn’t keep it inside the building. Come along.”
Following Lagaophe outside, Sian saw a huge arcane formation drawn on the ground. The formation was continuously supplied with energy, creating a dark-blue barrier above it.
Sian did not know what the enormous formation did, but he could not see the inside of the dark-blue barrier clearly, so he narrowed his eyes and tried to look in.
“What kind of metal requires a formation like this……”
“Ah, well… It is useful metal, but it’s so heavy that… it was too difficult to store unless we were physically holding it. Of course, we can’t keep holding it forever. So normally, we forcibly create a subdimensional zero-gravity space like this and store it inside while conducting our research.”
Lagaophe pointed to the formation mages beside him and ordered them to stop the formation. The formation mages manipulated the formation here and there.
As the formation gradually ceased operating and the dark blue-black barrier disappeared, Ragaope swiftly dashed inside and grabbed the metal that was beginning to come into view.
Apparently finding it somewhat burdensome in weight, Ragaope caught it with both hands, staggering, then carried over the small piece of metal with a grunt.
“Whew… As you can see, I’m a La-vander myself, but this is incredibly heavy. What in the world is this… Hmm? Mr. Sian? Why do you look like that?”
Ragaope had been looking at Sian while holding the metal, but when he noticed Sian’s unusual expression, he asked in puzzlement.
“…
Where did you find this?”
“I brought it back from where it was buried in the Usharan Desert four years ago. Whew… I heard there had been a tremendous explosion, so I went to investigate. There was only this one fragment lying alone in the melted desert. Do you know what it is?”
Sian could barely hear what he was saying.
‘Why is a fragment of Krona-phon…’
The thing Ragaope was holding was a fragment of the cracked Krona-phon that Sian had asked Miss Steel to retrieve five years ago.
☆ ☆ ☆
Veronica spent a long time talking with her younger brother, whom she had not seen in ages.
“Whew… So, are you satisfied with your life here?”
“Hmm… I like it, Sis. There are so many new things here, and there’s so much to learn and research.”
‘He was always like this…’
Even back when they were in Korea, he had been famous as a genius.
He had attracted attention from a young age and was called a prodigy.
That was why their parents had created an environment in which he could devote himself entirely to research. Their parents had possessed the power to do so.
As a result, her younger brother had made his talent bloom brilliantly and become a world-renowned scientist.
But from his sister’s perspective, there was no choice but to worry about him.
His innocence had been created by the combination of his parents’ protection and his terrifying devotion to research.
He had never experienced hardship or met frightening people, and thus had never learned that the world was not as beautiful and just as a book made it seem.
It was good that he was being protected after meeting such powerful people, but she was always worried that he might be taken advantage of.
Seeing that expression, Limaineu answered with a smile.
“Don’t worry so much, Sis. I’m extremely satisfied with my life right now. And the research I’m doing is far more remarkable than anything I could do in Korea. The miracles here are so unbelievable that I can hardly accept them as real.”
The things called miracles had easily surpassed the limits of science that had existed in his mind.
Conversely, there were things that miracles could not accomplish but science could achieve with remarkable ease.
As he researched both simultaneously, Limaineu’s talent bloomed even more brilliantly, and he was extremely satisfied with his current life.
Even if he was being used, it would not matter to him in the slightest. He was too busy satisfying his thirst for new knowledge. At the very least, the organization he belonged to,
And among all those countless mysteries, there were beings he found the most unbelievable.
When Limaineu saw them through a video device five years ago, he doubted his own eyes.
They had supplied all the energy required by that grand formation with human bodies!
Once he finished all the projects he was currently working on, he wanted to conduct research on the superhumans as well—if they permitted it, that was.
Ever since seeing that video, Limaineu had honestly been afraid of the superhumans. That was why he had been on edge earlier when his sister had boldly questioned Ragaope.
While they were talking about this and that, Limaineu asked something he had been unable to bring up earlier in his joy at meeting his sister.
“Um… But, Sis, how do you know Sir Sian?”
“Hmm? You know the young master? Ah, right. You said you had met him in Kerval, didn’t you?”
Limaineu was slightly surprised by her words. He had learned from their earlier conversation that she was married, but Sir Sian was a young master?
“Yes. I saw him in Kerval back then. I never imagined I’d see him again like this. And certainly not as someone so close to me.”
Veronica and Limaineu continued talking for a while before Ragaope returned, at which point they both wore regretful expressions.
“Did you have a good conversation?”
“Yes.”
Seeing Veronica’s disappointed expression, Ragaope said with a smile,
“Well… There’s no need to be so disappointed. You can meet again next time, can’t you?”
At his unexpected remark, Veronica looked surprised.
“Why are you so shocked? As long as confidentiality is maintained and the project isn’t obstructed, we have no intention of forcing Mr. Limaineu to stay.”
“Ah…”
Now that she thought about it, that was true. This place felt so secretive that she had assumed that once someone entered, they would be imprisoned for life and forced to do nothing but work like a black slave. But Ragaope had clearly said something like that before.
“Well, Mr. Limaineu’s knowledge is important to us, but we respect his creativity even more. There would be no point in forcing him. In a way, we think it’s fortunate that Miss Veronica appeared. Shall we head back now?”
Reassured by the knowledge that this would not be their final meeting, Veronica bid farewell to Limaineu. Ragaope then took Veronica with him and headed toward La-Shar-Roa.
But as they traveled, Veronica noticed something different from when she had arrived.
“Um… Where is the young master?”
When she could not see the young master, Veronica suddenly became frightened and asked anxiously.
Ragaope answered as if he had just remembered.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. Mr. Sian entrusted Miss Veronica to me, saying he had something urgent to take care of, and left first.”
“What?”
Veronica asked again in bewilderment.
“He left with an extremely urgent look on his face… But please don’t worry too much. I’ll escort you to the Roman residence myself.”
Seeing Ragaope’s expression, which seemed to say that he found this terribly bothersome but had no choice, Veronica could only struggle to understand this sudden turn of events.
☆ ☆ ☆
The Carit Great Desert lay north of the Usharan Kingdom—or, now that its territory had expanded, in what should be called the northwestern region of the Usharan Kingdom.
The great desert, which forbade the approach of humans, lay in the northwest of Usharan and across the southern border of Taran.
In other words, geographically speaking, it was the desert that separated Taran and Usharan.
From Usharan’s perspective, this land was not worth a single penny of aid, but it was meaningful in that it reduced the length of the border.
After all, no army would try to cross this place to invade the other nation. Not even Taran’s army.
Thanks to this desert, Usharan was able to concentrate its current areas of conflict with Taran into the Cromata Great Plains, located between the Contian Mountains and the Carit Desert. From Usharan’s perspective, which operated Kelupeun—a force that demonstrated greater power the more units gathered together—this was clearly advantageous.
Thanks to that, the Kingdom of Taran, whose six Grand-vanders still possessed sharp fangs, could not easily cross into Usharan.
In any case, something was racing across the barren expanse of the great desert at tremendous speed, a place even the armies of that powerful kingdom could not approach.
It was Sian, who had arrived through La-Shar-Roa in the Cromata Great Plains.
‘For now… thank you, Mr. Ragaope.’
Before coming here, Sian recalled his conversation with Ragaope and expressed his gratitude inwardly.
‘The use of La-Shar-Roa by civilians is strictly prohibited in the Usharan region. But if they stopped you there now, you’d blow up the entire place, wouldn’t you? That area is useful to us as well, so that would be troublesome… Take this.’
As he said that, Ragaope handed him the small artifact Sian had used earlier when passing through La-Shar-Roa.
‘This is…’
‘It’s nothing special. If you carry this while traveling, no one will give you trouble. Keep it with you.’
‘Uh… But…’
‘Haha! No need to thank me. It’s just a small kindness.’
‘That’s not it… I sense some kind of faint pulse from it. This doesn’t have some sort of location-tracking function or anything, does it?’
‘…
You misunderstand. That function is only there in case I ever get stranded.’
‘…
For you, Mr. Ragaope?’
At the claim that such a function had been installed for Ragaope, a man who seemed capable of returning alive even if thrown into hell, Sian had stared at him with a flat expression.
‘Don’t look at me like that. Surely we’re allowed to be curious about Mr. Sian’s location, too? And I’m sure this will be helpful. Sigh… Without something like this, it’s too difficult to manage our unruly members.’
‘I’ll trust you.’
Since he could simply discard it if Ragaope tried anything strange, Sian took the artifact with him. For some reason, he felt that he might need it.
And because he was in a hurry, Sian exchanged a few more words with Ragaope before coming here through the Cromata La-Shar-Roa.
Perhaps thanks to the artifact Ragaope had given him, no one stopped Sian when he suddenly burst out and ran off. Not that they could have stopped him even if they had tried.
‘Miss Steel… Nothing happened to her, did it…?’
The artifact Ragaope had given him possessed several additional functions, including a map.
Sian ran toward the place Ragaope had marked—the spot where the fragment had been discovered—and arrived at the site before long.
‘…
This is bad…’
Sian had come here hoping that he might find some kind of trace.
Even if Miss Steel had fought a battle here, he had been confident that by examining the traces, he could determine what had happened to some extent. But the situation had unfolded differently from what he had expected.
‘The difference between mountains and deserts is this great…?’
There were still clear traces of the battles he had fought in Ragrang and Kerval. By examining those traces, one could infer the opponent’s strength and style.
But the desert had not left behind even a trace of anything like that. If Ragaope had not shown him the location with the artifact, he would not even have been able to find this place. If he had not listened to Ragaope, he could have searched the entire desert and still never found it.
He had hoped that perhaps some remnant of the battle’s momentum might remain, but he had heard that the fragment had been discovered more than four years ago. After four years, no matter how remarkable the battle, no trace of its energy would remain.
Sian looked around a little longer, but when he learned nothing, he wore a dejected expression.
Then he felt something blinking inside his pocket.
He checked what it was and found the artifact Ragaope had given him.
‘What is this…?’
Wondering why it had suddenly begun doing that, he pressed here and there. Suddenly, something stretched out into the air.
“Huh?”
When he looked more closely, green light had extended from the artifact and formed the shape of a person in midair.
“…
Mr. Ragaope?”
Astonishingly, the artifact was projecting Ragaope’s moving face into the air.
And it even transmitted sound.
“Video communication… This thing really does have all sorts of functions.”
“Thank you. But why did you contact me all of a sudden?”
Sian had been wearing a dejected expression, and now he tilted his head in puzzlement, unable to understand why Ragaope had contacted him.
“You’re exactly right.”
“Huh? Would that let me find it?”
As Sian stared intently at the desert beneath his feet, Ragaope spoke as though dumbfounded.
“Ah…”
Then there was no point in expecting to find anything here.
“Hmm? Do you have a way?”
Sian stared at Ragaope with a puzzled expression as he spouted words he could not understand.
“Have you arrived?”
When Xian returned to Cromata, Lagaophe was already waiting there—with an unexpected person in tow.
“…
Sister-in-law, you haven’t gone back yet?”
“I was about to, but he asked me to wait a little….”
Seeing Veronica’s flustered expression, Xian asked Lagaophe,
“Why is my sister-in-law here?”
“Let’s talk about something else first. Mr. Xian, we’ve been very interested in you from the beginning.”
“Oh my.”
Veronica, who had not heard the circumstances, seemed to have misunderstood something and blushed.
“It’s not like that, Sister-in-law. But how did you know about me?”
“When you blew Kerval away five years ago, one of our organization’s members was watching. Mr. Livias.”
“Ah….”
If she had witnessed that scene, it made sense that she knew a certain amount about him. No one in Margaran had been able to confirm his face, but a superhuman could have observed him from a distance without being detected.
“You have no idea how long we searched for you after that. We were absolutely smitten back then.”
“Sister-in-law, please stop imagining strange things and continue, Mr. Lagaophe.”
“Well… we ultimately couldn’t find Mr. Xian… but through a certain informant, we determined that the monster of Kerval was you. But to make a recruitment offer, you first have to know what the other person likes, don’t you?”
At that, Xian nodded. To recruit someone, one had to understand their tastes.
“Strangely enough, despite being a superhuman, you care very deeply for your family. So from then on, we investigated your family members. Please don’t take it too badly. We didn’t look into anything as far as their private lives.”
“Well, that’s fine.”
Thanks to that investigation, his family had also been offered Soul-Transference Jades, so from Xian’s perspective, there had been no loss at all.
“But as we investigated, the number of people we had to consider your family kept increasing, didn’t it? Really, if I were human, I’d have been jealous of Mr. Rian. He seems to be living a life straight out of a novel.”
“Haha….”
“His wives include a dracon, a beastkin, an otherworlder… Hehe. Amazing. In any case, we also conducted a brief investigation into the women married to Mr. Rian. Even while doing so, I kept wondering what on earth I was doing… but it seems that investigation will be quite useful now.”
Only then did Xian understand why Lagaophe had not sent his sister-in-law home.
“Don’t tell me my third sister-in-law’s ability is something that can help me?”
“Hmm… You didn’t even know what sort of ability she possessed?”
“…….”
Come to think of it, he had no memory of ever hearing what supernatural ability his third sister-in-law wielded.
“What’s going on, Young Master? Is there… something I can help with?”
Veronica still did not know what problem Xian was trying to solve, and having been caught in the middle of the conversation, she continued to look on curiously.
“If it’s Miss Veronica’s ability, I’m certain it can help Mr. Xian. Hehe. If it is the ‘Path of Fate’ that led Miss Veronica to meet Lord Rian, that is.”
Lagaophe spoke with a quiet chuckle.
☆ ☆ ☆
When Veronica first fell here, she was terrified, unable even to grasp what was happening.
She had definitely fallen off a cliff, yet when she came to her senses, the car was nowhere to be seen, and she had landed on the slope of some unfamiliar mountain. Her younger sibling, who had been beside the car, was nowhere in sight. Fortunately, she was not injured, but the sudden change in circumstances left Veronica with no choice but to panic.
The first thing Veronica, who had grown up in a well-to-do—no, exceedingly wealthy—family, wished for was neither food, water, nor safety.
At that moment, Veronica felt something strange begin to grow within her heart.
A strange feeling that she ought to walk somewhere.
However, Veronica was not someone who believed in intuition or anything of the sort, so at first she thought this strange feeling had arisen from her fear.
Thus, rather than following what her heart told her, she blindly headed toward the distant lights. There would be people there, after all.
But the farther she went, the more violently her heart pounded, and the more her head throbbed as though it might split open. It was as if someone were sending her a warning.
In the end, Veronica could not overcome that feeling and began walking in the direction her heart urged her toward. After wandering aimlessly for some time, she discovered a small cabin on the mountainside.
It looked like a haunted house where some ghost might emerge at any moment, but Veronica was in no position to be picky. She knocked on the door, and the moment it opened and she saw the person who came out, the strange feeling in her heart vanished, and she collapsed.
When she regained consciousness, an ordinary-looking old man was nursing her.
It was a language she had never heard before. Though she could speak eight languages fluently and understand twenty-one, she had never encountered this one.
She was flustered, but perhaps because she felt she was in a safe place, she soon regained her composure. She immediately began learning the language and trying to understand the situation.
Fortunately, the old man was kind and cared for her as though she were his own granddaughter.
Veronica had always possessed an exceptional talent for languages, so she learned the new tongue without difficulty and soon became able to converse reasonably well with the grandfather who had looked after her. Later, she learned that the area in the direction of the lights she had been trying to reach was inhabited by utterly barbaric thugs.
Yet the more she learned about her surroundings, the more bewildered she became.
Even Veronica, who had thought that the worst-case scenario would be losing her memory, being kidnapped, and abandoned somewhere else, had never imagined such a situation.
She fell into a panic for a while, but once she accepted reality, her mind grew calmer. Then, immediately afterward, she felt the need to adapt perfectly to this place.
That resolve became even firmer one day, when the old man she had been living with was attacked by mercenaries on the road and beaten to death.
Having learned of the savagery and violence of this world—things she had failed to realize while under the old man’s protection—she once again felt that strange sensation rising within her heart.
At that moment, she felt the same strange sensation she had experienced before.
She had ignored that feeling then, but now she believed it. This was not the world she had lived in, and it was a world where strange abilities called supernatural powers existed.
This feeling arising within her heart must also be some kind of supernatural ability.
Thus, Veronica followed the sensation and began walking.
However, the first person she encountered when she followed that feeling was a merchant. He was certainly kind to her, but she did not feel that he was someone who could protect her completely.
The proof was that the strange sensation in her heart merely flickered, yet continued to remain.
This person is only an intermediate step.>
She worked under the merchant, handling calculations and accounting, while continuing to move according to the strange feeling.
The strange sensation led her sometimes to travelers, sometimes to administrators, and sometimes to armed men.
Although Veronica lacked martial strength, she was clever, and by helping the people she met and receiving their help in return, she was able to continue her strange journey.
But after two years of travel, Veronica grew exhausted. No matter how far she crossed the land, following where the strange feeling guided her, it did not disappear.
Moreover, it was far too dangerous. Veronica’s beauty was striking enough to draw attention, and for an exotic-looking woman to travel alone was practically an invitation to death. Without her supernatural ability, she would have suffered horribly several times over. Ironically, whenever her life was in danger, her ability grew stronger, and the strange resonance within her heart grew stronger as well.
When she was so exhausted that she finally decided to give up and settle somewhere, Rian appeared before her eyes as if by a lie.
And the strange resonance in her heart came to a stop.
At last, she had found a man who could keep her safe in this continent ruled by violence.
All thanks to her supernatural ability, the ‘Path of Fate,’ which allowed her to find the person she desperately wished for in her heart.
For reference, she had named the ability herself.
☆ ☆ ☆
“Hm… So there was such a background to my brother and sister-in-law’s meeting.”
Xian had wondered how his brother had found his sister-in-law, but it had been the other way around. His sister-in-law had found his brother.
“With her ability, I’m certain she can lead you to Miss Stil. According to our investigation… her ability had clearly grown enough by the end of her journey to help other people. She has even helped Mr. Rian several times. Isn’t that right?”
Veronica nodded.
“That’s true, but… there are many restrictions, so I might not be able to find her. In fact, when I tried using this ability to find Young Master Xian or my younger sibling, I failed. I couldn’t even sense anything in the first place.”
“Even so, wouldn’t it be best to give it a try? Oh! But there is one problem. Of all people, it turns out the one with this ability is Mr. Xian’s sister-in-law.”
Lagaophe cried out as though he had just remembered something.
“Wouldn’t that make it even better? What’s the problem? Don’t tell me using it shortens her lifespan or something….”
“No, it’s nothing like that. It’s just….”
Only then did Veronica realize what Lagaophe was about to say. She hurriedly tried to speak first, but she was too late.
“I heard that in order to use this ability to help someone else, she has to be kissing them. That’s why she hasn’t been able to help anyone besides Lord Rian until now….”
“Gasp….”
That was a serious problem.
Xian sighed at this absurd penalty.
“No… No matter how diverse Exers are, what kind of bizarre restriction is that….”
“I found it fascinating while investigating it as well… but since this was the first time such a supernatural ability had appeared in Miss Veronica, I suppose that might explain it.”
“Ugh….”
He had been glad to find a clue after hearing about his sister-in-law’s ability, but he had hit a wall right from the beginning.
Then, a voice like a ray of light reached Xian.
“That’s a misunderstanding, Mr. Lagaophe. The ability has developed one step further, so she can now use it without that restriction.”
“Hmm, is that so? Hm… I suppose the data was a little slow to update. Mr. Xian, that’s wonderful! Why don’t you try it right now?”
“Sister-in-law, can you do it immediately?”
Xian was in a hurry, so he asked Veronica’s permission. Veronica nodded.
“Come over here, Young Master.”
Then, when Xian sat in a chair, Veronica stood behind him, placed her forehead against the back of his head, and cradled his head in both hands.
“Now, vividly recall the person you want to find, Mr. Xian. You must not resist the Exar I send into you under any circumstances.”
“Understood.”
Before long, a current of Exar extending from Veronica’s heart passed through her brain and hands before making contact with Xian. Afraid that his sister-in-law might be hurt, Xian lowered his defenses and accepted the flow without resistance, vividly picturing Miss Stil.
The current of Exar flowing into him gradually weakened. It meant the process was almost over.
When the activation of the Path of Fate ended, Xian turned around and asked,
“Were you… able to find her?”
Veronica nodded.
“I can feel her. I don’t know how long it will take, but once I get this feeling, I can definitely find the person.”
At that, Xian’s face brightened.
“That’s wonderful! Thank you, Sister-in-law.”
“It was nothing.”
However, Xian opened his mouth with a curious expression.
“Sister-in-law, but….”
“Just a moment. Let’s talk about that later. For now, we should move as quickly as possible.”
Veronica spoke firmly. Xian looked puzzled, but perhaps pleased that his sister-in-law was hurrying for his sake, he nodded.
“Mr. Lagaophe, then I’ll see you again later.”
“Hehe. Be sure to find Miss Stil. People like Miss Stil are precious. And keep what I gave you. Having it will grant you various benefits.”
After saying that, Ragaofe disappeared first, claiming that he had something to do, and only then did Sian open his mouth.
“Shall we go as well? Ah, but, sister-in-law…”
“Yes?”
Veronica asked in reply, her expression uneasy.
“Going by what you did earlier… it seemed you didn’t really need to kiss him.”
Sian asked with a peculiar look on his face. Judging by the way she had manifested her ability earlier, there seemed to be no reason at all for her to use a kiss to activate it. Exar had moved through her brain and hands, and even if her ability had been weaker than it was now, there still appeared to be no need to manifest it through her mouth. That was why Sian had asked, puzzled.
At his words, Veronica’s face reddened as she answered.
“…Please.”
“Pardon?”
“Please keep this a secret, Young Master.”
“……?”
Wondering what she was suddenly talking about, Sian listened to her story. The circumstances were as follows.
Not long after Veronica and Rian first met, Veronica’s heart had ached. After a long journey, she had finally found the ideal man of her dreams, only to discover that there were already two goalkeepers guarding him. No—come to think of it, it was fortunate that there were only two. Even Veronica had to admit that Rian was a truly perfect man.
Though there had been a sensual atmosphere between them, the situation continued to prevent them from developing an intimate relationship. Then, one day, an opportunity came to Veronica.
“Your younger brother?”
“Yes… My younger brother is missing, and I really want to find him.”
At that moment, Veronica displayed her quick wit.
“It is possible, but… there are restrictions when using this ability on another person.”
“Restrictions? What kind of restrictions?”
What happened afterward was exactly as one would expect. The first time was difficult, but after that, everything proceeded smoothly.
Although she failed to find Sian, Veronica had built up an impressive inner cultivation through countless dramas and romance novels. She coaxed and cajoled Rian, who knew nothing but training, and rapidly advanced through the stages beyond the ability’s restrictions. In the end, the two married.
‘Good heavens…’
The third sister-in-law, who had seemed the most delicate of the three, was actually the most terrifying of them all.
Perhaps she felt relieved after telling someone, because Veronica looked at Sian and said with a smile,
“You do understand that this story is a secret, right? I’m helping you this much, so surely you wouldn’t…”
“Hehe. What are you talking about, sister-in-law? What kind of person do you take me for? But… more importantly… would it be possible for me to learn something like that as well?”
“Hmm? What do you mean, Young Master?”
“Ah, well… the thing you used on my brother in that story just now… Is there a male version of it?”
Veronica answered with a peculiar smile.
“Hehe. Of course there is.”
The two exchanged strange smiles as they set off to make use of
La
-Shar
-Roa.