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“Alright. Back to square one. If you don’t remember the question, should I ask it again?”

“No, there’s no need for that.”

Skylar accepted it surprisingly calmly.

That was different from my expectations.

To be honest… I was hoping he would be angry.

I felt like I had only been the victim so far, and every time he treated me like I was a child.

I might have unconsciously thought that I wanted to win this time.

“Are you going to answer?”

“Yes. Because I’m a wizard. I can evade the answer or hide the information I want, but I can’t spit out a lie.”

“Okay. Why are you avoiding the Mad King?”

“The Mad King collects bodies, and I have an ill fate with him.”

“I’d appreciate a more detailed answer.”

“The answer ends here. A wizard speaks the truth, but has no obligation to answer the same question again. That’s part of the contract.”

“Got it. I see.”

I could feel drowsiness creeping in.

I would fall back asleep and wake up again.

But when I wake up… what kind of me will I find?

My head throbbed.

I needed to continue the conversation as much as possible before I fell asleep. Enough for the foolish me upon waking to understand…

What question should I ask?

Most questions would likely be evaded by Skylar. So it would be best to keep my questions simple.

I couldn’t directly find out his personality or goals… but I needed a question that could be somewhat related. What kind of question could that be? Starting from the simplest?

Yeah. This should do.

Like throwing a stone into a calm lake.

I threw out my question.

“What do you think of me?”

Lying on the bed, with my slightly hazy mind, I asked Skylar.

There are many reasons a man might help a woman without any apparent reason. Perhaps because she is pretty, or maybe for some other purpose.

Naturally, Skylar is the kind who has other motives.

After all, he was just a child.

Maybe it was simply because I was a ‘test subject.’ I wasn’t an actual test subject, but he could be under that impression.

Compassion is a great fuel. It makes people help others without any reason.

So, what answer would come?

“I think you’re rather malevolent…”

“…Huh?”

“Maybe not for a fool like you, but you’re quite malevolent as you are now. Yes.”

I wanted to be angry, but I couldn’t overcome the drowsiness flooding over me.

With my molars tightly clenched, I could feel my consciousness blurring.

When I wake up… I’ll see.

Pipsqueak.

*

“Finally, it’s quiet.”

The foolish personality had its cute sides, and aside from its aimless eyes, it was relatively easy to deal with.

It seems the intelligent side is the one to watch out for.

To add the larger variable of ‘multiple personalities’ after erasing memories to use someone as a test subject—are they in their right mind? It doesn’t seem to be a wizard’s way of thinking.

If you’re going to control the variables, you ought to do it properly.

‘…Memories seem to be shared between personalities, and the switching mechanism is random. A specific trigger is needed for a switch to occur.’

I organized what I had learned so far.

Skylar is a wizard.

He may be a scroll-user who can’t move or see magic power, but he is still a wizard.

He instinctively analyzes, organizes, and deconstructs others. That is the job of a wizard. He is skilled enough to handle wizardly tasks unconsciously.

Among wizards, it’s rare to find anyone more experienced than him…

“A precious test subject, an object of observation, and also… a compass that can find other bodies.”

Skylar was not a body hunter. Rather, you could say he’s closer to being the hunted. So, what is his purpose?

*

I opened my eyes. I still felt tired.

My body was heavy.

I looked around. Nothing special to see.

Two beds.

One bed was mine, and the other was empty.

A basket of fruit…? Inside was an apple and a note. I decided to check it later and continued to look around. For some reason, my head felt light.

I got out of bed. …Barefoot.

My feet slightly grazed the rough wooden floor. It was just a scratch, and an ordinary person could easily overlook it, but I had thin skin.

I checked to see if there was any bleeding.

Fortunately, there were no rips or cuts. I merely brushed against a sharp wooden thorn.

‘…Where is Skylar?’

My companion was nowhere to be seen.

The note probably has the reason.

I unfolded the note.

–

I’m going out for a quick resupply.

Restocking scrolls and dealing with a lot of work.

​

I’ll also look for worthwhile requests, but local jobs won’t cover expenses.

​

You should find a way to rank up quickly.

​

If you visit the Guild on the first floor, they’ll explain things to you.

I just can’t promise to explain it easily to you right now.

–

You can’t promise to explain things easily to me right now?

‘They’re really looking down on me.’

Even if my status is a bit unstable, to say that they can’t explain it to a person… I felt like my pride was being deeply scratched.

But more importantly.

‘Are there other ways to rank up besides completing requests?’

The way I knew was the previous method. Just how far has the system changed… I’ve reached a level where just hearing new settings gives me a headache.

How are fans of the previous work supposed to survive!

There’s no respect for older fans in modern games.

In the past, when you drank a potion, you’d shout hooray or… if your request partner tried to escape, you’d set chase with a tracking spell or something… there were so many traditions, you know.

‘Well, thinking about it, it’s probably fortunate that this has changed.’

At any rate, if there are other ways to rank up besides requests, that was very good news for me.

It would be impossible for me to consecutively handle multiple requests with this weak body.

The previous method was simple and foolish.

‘If you just solve a lot, it naturally rises…that kind of feeling.’

Thanks to that, new players would always fill the community with questions like “How do you level up as an adventurer?” with no research done, leading to official announcements.

Did I ramble too much?

Lately, I’ve been feeling like I’m thinking too much.

It would have been fine to just expel my thoughts in the community, but without the internet, no friends to speak of, and a shady wizard accompanying me…

‘In the end, it’s most comfortable to think inside.’

Anyway, should I go visit the Adventurer’s Guild?

If I stay idle, nothing will happen. It’s better to attempt something rather than waste time in vain.

*

The street was somewhat larger than the previous town.

How do I know that?

‘It’s just… the road is wider.’

The previous town had streets barely wide enough for two wagons to fit, but this town could accommodate at least four.

There were more people passing by on the street, and the average quality of clothes was higher too.

In the previous town, you could infer a building’s purpose by merely looking at it, but in this town, the purposes were clearly indicated with signs and writing.

Thanks to that, I didn’t have much trouble finding my way.

The sign saying “Adventurer’s Guild” was right there.

Not a two-story, but a five-story building.

This Adventurer’s Guild must be… quite rich.

I cautiously opened the door.

Inside, there were more well-groomed adventurers than grim-looking ones. Several appeared to be wizards as well.

Considering Skylar was the only wizard in the last town, it definitely felt like I had crossed into a larger city.

The gazes and attention of others turned towards me.

Even if this town was bigger than the last one, it was still too small to call it a big city. Yes. It was still rural.

What defines a rural area?

There were many characteristics, but the biggest one is that everyone knows each other’s faces.

‘…A new face has popped up.’

Yes. Not only has a new face appeared, but what if that face is quite pretty?

What kind of situation could unfold?

To be honest, I was a bit hopeful.

Receiving the attention of others felt better than expected, and for some reason, since receiving the “Lyute,” I had become more sensitive to the interest of others.

However, surprisingly… nothing happened.

Maybe they had high self-control, or perhaps they had seen prettier women before, more than the adventurers in this small town—I don’t know the reasons well, but… what’s important now is that I was disappointed.

As I walked by, I casually glanced at a mirror.

‘It looks like Skylar fixed the eyes while I was asleep. They’re black.’

Anyway, I shouldn’t forget the purpose of being here.

I pushed my disappointment aside and asked the receptionist.

“Is there any way to rank up as an adventurer other than through requests?”

“…Yes. But, are you going to do it?”

What does that mean?

And why are the people around me looking shocked?