Chapter 107 : Chapter 107
Chapter 107 : The Knights (8)
Yuliana truly could not hide her astonishment.
‘He… repelled Insight?’
How on earth?
A mental barrier was an extremely rare ability.
Especially considering the level of Insight Yuliana possessed, a mental barrier that could repel it this perfectly should not exist.
‘Just what is his identity?’
She was practically convinced that Vell Blackwood was a Player, but possessing a mental barrier of this level was a completely different story.
In the World of Justice Online, mental barriers were extremely rare abilities, and possessing such an ability was, in itself, indirect proof of a Player's level.
‘He’s no ordinary soldier.’
Yuliana felt the need to be even more cautious in dealing with Vell Blackwood.
If, as she worried, Vell Blackwood was not a Demonic person, she could mistakenly turn someone who could be an ally into an enemy.
And an opponent that even Yuliana's Insight couldn't dare to fathom, at that.
‘On top of that, those gauntlets… They're definitely familiar. Where have I seen them?’
When she first met him, he was in plain clothes, so she didn't know, but now Vell Blackwood had just returned, so he was wearing armor.
That was also why Yuliana recognized the gauntlets.
Yuliana searched her memory, but for some reason, the bolt of memory didn't open easily.
As if it were a memory that shouldn't be recalled.
‘……Why?’
Yuliana couldn't find an answer to that question.
***
I could see Yuliana's trembling pupils.
She might be a knight renowned in the world as the Griffin Knights' Commander, but before my eyes right now, she was just one Player.
It wasn't that difficult to deduce what Yuliana was thinking right now.
‘She's flustered.’
And behind that panic was surely the fact that her confident Insight was blocked so easily.
‘I have to use this.’
Just a moment ago, the one holding the initiative in the situation was Yuliana.
This was because, considering individual strength, status, or various situations, Yuliana was the one holding the knife hilt.
But not anymore.
What creates respect is fundamentally the emotion of fear.
Fear of others makes one respect them, and ignorance of the opponent creates fear.
Yuliana doesn't know me.
Who I am.
What magic I possess.
What I am hiding.
Therefore, she had no choice but to judge me with only the fragmented information given right now, and that would inevitably lead to respect for me.
Just like right now.
“……I’m sorry, I was lost in thought for a moment.”
“It’s fine.”
Yuliana's astonished expression slowly returned to normal, and her tightly closed lips parted.
“You’re a Player, aren’t you?”
I expected it, but tossing out this question so bluntly was probably because Yuliana was quite flustered right now.
Since she felt the situation was unfavorable, she probably intended to gain a psychological advantage this way.
“I hope you’ll think carefully before answering. If you are not a Player, we will have no choice but to take various measures.”
Yuliana added with a faint smile.
“I don't want to make the Empire unnecessarily wary of Players. You understand, right?”
The fact that her smile looked awkward somewhere was probably not just my imagination.
She must be trying hard to appear composed.
‘Anyway, I was wondering why the Empire didn't seem very conscious of the existence of Players…….’
It seems the Players themselves were controlling information about themselves.
‘Well… since Players themselves have existed under the name of Travelers, it probably wasn't that difficult.’
In other words, Players weren't exactly an alien presence in the history of the Lagna Continent.
Nevertheless, seeing how Yuliana was being considerably cautious, it seemed she was concerned that the Empire might become clearly aware of the Players' existence.
‘Or it could just be an excuse.’
Whatever it was, it wasn't very important in the current situation.
“Yes. That’s right, I'm a player.”
“……You admit it more readily than I expected, I thought you would deny it.”
“If you've already seen through it, there's no need to drag this out, is there? What is your real business in finding me?”
I had a rough idea of why the Griffin Knights had sought me out again.
The rampage of Demonic energy that had happened outside Winter Castle.
They must have either witnessed it directly, or found traces of it.
In a situation where they already suspected me of being a Player, it was somewhat inevitable that they would suspect me first when such a thing happened.
Well, it was me, but.
“Anyway, if you are a Player, this will be quick. By chance, is there another Player in Winter Castle?”
“Well. I do not know.”
Yuliana's questions continued.
“Do you know about Fragments?”
“I know about them to some extent.”
“Including the fact that they are dangerous?”
Yuliana was talking about the Demonic energy harbored by the Ascension Stone Fragment.
It would be better to be vague here rather than speaking concretely.
“I at least suspect that it is not a safe item.”
“Yes, the Fragment is a dangerous item. It holds a power that humans should not rashly embrace.”
“But isn't it also true that it's the only clue to returning home?”
“The ends cannot justify the means. The power held by the Fragment is not the kind of power that humans can control.”
By the way, why does what Yuliana is saying right now sound somehow familiar?
“By chance, do you know about a player named Dennis?”
Of course.
I wondered why what she was saying sounded similar, it seems Yuliana is a person related to Dennis.
‘Was it Bellerophon?’
A guild closely related to the Pegasus Merchant Guild, and according to Dennis, a guild that is very concerned about the dangers of the Ascension Stone Fragment.
Of course, in my opinion, it just seemed like a ploy to monopolize the Ascension Stone Fragments, but anyway, that wasn't what was important right now.
‘Don't tell me the reason they came to Winter Castle was to find Dennis?’
For that, it was a bit strange that they hadn't shown any signs of looking into Dennis or paying much attention to him until now, but the important thing was that they were looking for Dennis now.
If so, why Dennis all of a sudden?
‘Perhaps their real purpose is to find Dennis, and their other actions might be a disguise.’
In other words, it was quite possible that they acted this way because they thought they might be obstructed if they tried to find Dennis openly.
‘Whatever it is, I can't be sure yet. I must be careful.’
If they found out that I killed Dennis, it didn't seem like they would show a very good reaction.
“I know of him.”
When the Pegasus Merchant Guild visited Winter Castle, quite a few people knew the fact that Dennis had looked for me.
Since this was a fact that couldn't be hidden anyway, it was better to admit the truth quickly.
“You know him?”
“Yes.”
Yuliana's questions continued.
“How did you get to know Dennis?”
“When he came to Winter Castle before, that person was looking for me.”
Yuliana's eyes narrowed.
“Why was he looking for you?”
“He said there was an item he was looking for, and asked me if I knew anything.”
“What was it?”
“Well, I don't remember that part well.”
Concealment of information, neither a lie nor the truth.
There was no better way when it was difficult to grasp the opponent's true intention like this.
“Did Dennis say anything else?”
“Ah, he said something similar to what you just said, Commander. He warned about the dangers of the Fragment.”
“Was there nothing else he said?”
“I don't think so, why do you ask?”
“……No. It’s nothing.”
Unlike what I had worried about, the questions about Dennis ended there.
Whether she judged there was nothing more to ask me or if it was for another reason, it was a good thing for me.
“……”
And then, a moment of silence.
In that silence, Yuliana seemed to have made some sort of decision; she opened the drawer under the desk and took something out.
The box that finally revealed itself was one that looked like it was forged from all sorts of metals, and it looked unusual at a glance.
‘A sealing device.’
Clack-
I wondered what on earth was contained there to require such a sealing device, but when Yuliana finally opened the box, I could understand why.
“You know what this is, don't you?”
There was no way I wouldn't know it.
Because what revealed itself inside the box was none other than an Ascension Stone Fragment.
And, it was an Ascension Stone Fragment larger than any I had seen so far.
If it hadn't been stored in a sealing device, the Demonic energy emanating from it would have slowly devoured the surroundings, so it was an extremely rational choice.
“It's a Fragment.”
“As expected, you recognize it.”
“What is the reason for suddenly showing this to me?”
Why did Yuliana suddenly present such a thing to me?
I remember the scene where Yohan's Demonic energy escaped its master's control and devoured the Ascension Stone Fragment at will.
And also, the moment Dennis faced me, he had bluntly offered an Ascension Stone Fragment.
Is it really a coincidence that those scenes and Yuliana presenting the Ascension Stone Fragment now overlap?
‘It's probably not.’
There must be some reason for those consistent actions.
It's not that coincidences don't exist in the world, but sometimes, some coincidences were just too blatant.
“I told you about the dangers of the Fragment, didn't I?”
“You did.”
“If so, do you also know why the Fragment is dangerous?”
“Well.”
Yuliana gently pushed the box containing the Ascension Stone Fragment toward my side.
“The power dwelling in the Fragment tempts people. It is so alluring that even the strongest person cannot resist it.”
Yuliana continued to speak.
“To Players, this power is extremely dangerous. They slowly lose themselves, and eventually become something else entirely.”
“I see.”
“Are you listening to me properly?”
“Yes.”
When I answered in a calm tone, Yuliana stared at me for a moment with wide eyes.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“……Are you not affected at all?”
“Is there a problem with that?”
“Ah, no! Nothing.”
Yuliana pulled the box back toward her side, then closed the lid and put it back in the drawer.
“……Anyway, you'd best not think about absorbing any more Fragments in the future. That thing is truly dangerous.”
Yuliana warned about the dangers of the Ascension Stone Fragment several times, like a parrot.
As if she was carrying out some mission.
Of course, I wasn't unaware of the dangers of the Ascension Stone Fragment, but it was a danger that was meaningless to me anyway.
“I'll keep that in mind.”
“Is that a promise?”
“Sure.”
Although I wondered what meaning such a promise had.
“Then thank you for your precious time. If you felt any discomfort during our conversation, I apologize. The matter at hand is quite sensitive.”
“No, well, not particularly. It’s fine.”
“Thank you for saying so. If you ever need the help of the Griffin Knights, please let us know.”
“Yes. Then I will be on my way.”
“Please be careful on your way back.”
Thus, the conversation with Yuliana, which I had been concerned about, came to an end, and I left the Griffin Knights' office.
***
After Vell Blackwood left, Royer, who had been waiting outside the office, entered.
“Oops.”
Royer, who had burst through the office door as always, belatedly knocked on the door as if he remembered something.
Knock knock-
“You're late.”
“Still, I did it before you said anything.”
“Sigh.”
Yuliana shook her head, as if she no longer had the energy to speak.
“So, what do you think?”
“Well… I still don't know.”
It was just as she said.
Yuliana had not found out a single thing from Vell Blackwood in this conversation.
How absurd and dumbfounding that was for the owner of Insight, Yuliana still felt like she was dreaming.
“You don't know? You must have gotten a proper look this time. But why don't you know?”
Royer, who knew what power Yuliana's Insight possessed, was just as dumbfounded.
“I couldn't see, not a single thing.”
“……What?”
Royer's face was dyed with shock.
Insight didn't work?
He couldn't possibly not know what that meant.
“Don't tell me, a Demonic person─”
“No. I don't think it's that.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I showed him the Fragment. But there was no reaction.”
Although the Demonic persons' mimicry had been getting more clever recently, there was one thing that a Demonic person absolutely could not fake.
Exactly, the craving for Fragments.
If you thrust a Fragment in front of a Demonic person's eyes, the Demonic person absolutely cannot endure the craving for it.
The discernment method that used this characteristic of Demonic persons was precisely thrusting a Fragment in front of a Player.
And, as large a Fragment as possible.
As the Fragment grew larger, the Demonic energy it held also grew larger, so it was naturally almost impossible for a Demonic person, who held a great craving for Fragments, to endure it.
“Hmm… Then even if the possibility of him being a Demonic person is low, the fact that he's suspicious is true. Why on earth is a Player acting as a soldier in Winter Castle? Even if he was captured as a prisoner, he could just desert.”
“Well, I don't know about that. But it's true we need to keep watching him. There are several things that bother me.”
“Oh? It's been a while since you've been this bothered by something, Commander. What else?”
Yuliana finally found the answer to the strange feeling of familiarity that had been lingering inside her.
“It's possible… that Vell Blackwood is someone connected to Cain.”