Chapter 169

“…Do you really believe that and came here?”“I’m telling you, yes. Have you been deceived all your life?”

“Hmm…”

While I haven’t been deceived my whole life, I’ve certainly been tricked a fair share of times.

Believing the words of nobles only to find myself in a mess happened more than once.

In my younger, more naïve days, I suffered for not knowing their ways, and later on, I simply let myself be fooled.

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

“No, it’s different. Later, I had power.”

The nobles’ battles are dirty yet meticulous, grand but quiet.

There was a time when I got to hear about the intricate schemes of nobles, and it only confirmed that staying out of it was the right choice.

What appeared completely unrelated was actually part of a carefully crafted plan behind the scenes, while what seemed straightforward was just a bait wrapped in deception.

And then, all those schemes were unleashed at once—Bang!—crushing their enemy.

Avoiding their traps is simple.

Either disrupt the flow they try to create, or have enough strength not to be swept away by it…

Or, be so powerful that they wouldn’t even dare to create one, like the duke who held the noble faction in the palm of his hand.

There’s a reason nobles constantly hold banquets and participate in parties.

That’s why I, too, gained power.

A power different from theirs.

“…What kind of power?”

“This.”

I tapped the Crimson Aegis, which I had brought from Silia Online, as I replied.

After gaining such power, I became more relaxed, even tolerant of the things they said.

It was more of a “Well, it’s a bit suspicious, but it’s too much hassle to think it through, so let’s just hear them out” kind of attitude.

And if they revealed their true intentions and tried to trick me, I could just turn the tables on them.

“Did Grasis not have laws?”

“Can a country exist without laws?”

“…That’s true. It is a valid point, but…”

Hesitating, Da-eun opened her mouth.

“For someone who just said they’d overturn everything if it doesn’t go their way, it’s a weird thing to say, isn’t it?”

“…”

Responding to a valid point with sophistry is one method.

But the most effective weapon against reason is, of course, reason itself: law.

Using facts against me, how underhanded.

I puffed up my cheeks.

“Face me with propaganda and fabrication instead.”

“Canaria, what are you even saying…?”

“Even laws ultimately need to be backed by force, don’t they?”

Why do people follow the law?

Because of the coercion that force brings, isn’t it?

“So, I’ve merely cultivated the most primal form of power.”

“That doesn’t sound like something a civilized person would say… Anyway.”

Perhaps realizing this conversation would go nowhere, Da-eun switched topics.

“Let’s drop the ‘Have you been deceived all your life?’ part. I’ll rephrase: have I ever deceived you?”

“That’s happened more than a few times, hasn’t it?”

“…Anyway! Just trust me this once. If it’s Yuki, she’ll definitely come.”

“…Alright.”

Despite Da-eun’s confidence, considering how she said they weren’t in regular contact, I wasn’t fully convinced. Still, I nodded quietly.

‘There’s no way she’s coming.’

But, well…

The thought of Da-eun’s smug face turning into a dejected pout seemed a bit amusing.

The idea of mocking that expression was oddly tempting.

Munching on a piece of chocolate, I decided to leave it for the future…

…Only to find—

Right in front of me.

Someone who, if familiar, felt entirely familiar, and if not, felt like a complete stranger, was sitting on the sofa where I always sat or lounged.

Those black eyes stared at me.

From the moment the door opened until now.

Except for the brief exchange of greetings with Da-eun, those dark eyes hadn’t left me for a single moment.

“Why is this real?”

“See? I told you I was right.”

That’s the wisdom of an adult, I suppose.

I couldn’t say a word to Da-eun, who was now grinning with pride.

The same exam paper had been given.

Da-eun’s answer was correct, while mine was wrong.

“Sometimes, a single word can spark curiosity more than an elaborate explanation.”

“Got it.”

“Over-explaining things can even kill interest. It’s the art of minimalism, you know?”

“I said I got it.”

If you’re going to talk about the art of minimalism, you should stop there.

Dragging it out like this just makes it less convincing.

“…Are you really my master?”

As if her intense gaze might drill through me, Yuki finally broke the silence and spoke.

“Yes. Should I show you proof?”

The moment I drew the Crimson Aegis, a fiery red light filled the room.

“Ahh! Why are you pulling that out?”

“No one’s watching. Why does it matter?”

“Still! If you keep drawing it out so casually, you might pull it out while walking down the street, and that would be a huge problem.”

“Walking down the street with a sword strapped to your waist is already a big problem, isn’t it?”

In the middle of chatting as usual in front of a guest, Yuki suddenly interjected.

“Listening to you talk, I’m sure now—you’re the master.”

“…That’s how you’re determining it?”



Da-eun threw in a comment.

But Yuki didn’t seem to care about her objection at all.

As if she had gained confidence from her observation, the tension that had been in Yuki’s gaze faded.

Her eyes returned to the ones I knew—sparkling with curiosity while carrying a deep-seated boredom beneath.

While Yuki was observing me, I was also observing her. Because of this, I could notice her subtle changes in detail.

“You’re a bit different from how I pictured you.”

The first thing I noticed was her hair.

In Silia Online, and now, she had silver hair, but when examined closely, there were notable differences.

The Yuki in Silia had a more natural, sleeker, and shinier appearance… something like that.

Next, moving my gaze slightly downward, I noticed her eyes, which I had mentioned before.

Instead of the familiar red irises, there were the typical black eyes unique to Koreans.

The plainness I felt wasn’t just because of the color.

Other factors like her outfit and muscle tone also caught my attention.

There was plenty more I could point out, but I stopped my observation there.

“I don’t like wearing lenses. They make my eyes hurt.”

At the same time, Yuki started to speak.

She must have noticed me watching her for a while.

“Lenses?”

“They’re items you put on your eyes for vision correction or cosmetic purposes. Depending on the type, they can even change the color or pattern of your iris.”

“…I know that much.”

I’ve become a proper Earthling now.

…Well, not really, but I do know more than I used to.

I snapped at Da-eun with a sharp tone.

“I meant why you’re suddenly talking about lenses.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Were you curious? Or not?”

“I was.” seaʀᴄh thё novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Her seemingly oblivious demeanor hid an unexpectedly sharp insight.

“I dyed my hair. To feel more cohesive.”

“Cohesive?”

“When you move around in the game, you sometimes see your hair fluttering in front of your eyes, right? The difference in color between reality and the game bothers me.”

“…Wow.”

Da-eun let out a small exclamation, a mix of admiration and indescribable emotion.

Though I didn’t say anything, I felt the same as Da-eun.

“Why didn’t you just start with black hair?”

“That would’ve been boring.”

“Ah, so this is the kind of person you are.”

“Aren’t comments like that supposed to be said quietly?”

“You don’t really care about what people say anyway, do you?”

“Well, that’s true.”

“So, what do you think?”

Da-eun smirked.

“See? I wasn’t lying, was I?”

“You weren’t.”

At Da-eun’s question, Yuki’s gaze shifted slightly.

Her eyes, now filled with a bit more curiosity than before, settled on me.

“To think my master would appear here… I was genuinely surprised.”

“You’re not going to ask how this all happened?”

“I am curious, but…”

Yuki stood up from the sofa where she had been sitting.

Even before, Yuki had been taller than me. Now, as I sat and she stood upright, it felt as if she were looking down from a daunting height.

That irked me, and I squinted slightly.

Noticing this, the corners of Yuki’s mouth pulled into a sly grin.

“First, let’s spar.”

The moment she said those words, I found myself replying involuntarily.

“Ah, so this is the kind of person you are.”

“You feel it too, right, Canaria?”

“Yeah.”

Though her appearance had changed, Yuki was still Yuki.

Her behavior was no different from how she acted in Silia.

Even during the times when I was grieving the loss of my father and being scolded by Aeron to get my act together, I wouldn’t have acted to this extent.

What on earth made Yuki this way?

I pondered the question, but there was something more urgent to address than resolving my doubts.

Stopping the rampaging wild horse in front of me.

“Calm down.”

The rampaging horse quieted down.

In fact, it didn’t just quiet down—it ended up flat on the floor, unable to get back up.

“?”

Even forgetting to struggle, Yuki blinked her eyes in confusion, seemingly not understanding what had just happened.

It wasn’t like I had done anything extraordinary.

Knowing she wouldn’t listen to words, I had used a bit of force.

Now Yuki, face pressed against the cold marble floor, lay sprawled out.

Sitting on Yuki’s back, I turned to Da-eun.

“See? Nothing is as effective as brute strength.”

“…But still, that doesn’t sound like something a civilized person would say.”

Why not?

And why is this chair so wobbly?



Since my body weight wasn’t enough, I pressed down with mana, and only then did the “chair” stop moving.

Ah, now this is comfortable.

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