That night.
[One Way to Kill Camilla]
I was staring at the paper with that title written on it.
Thinking about it now that it’s over…
The densely packed letters looked almost grotesque in hindsight.
Covered in signs of being written and erased multiple times, and so heavily edited that it resembled a scrap of tissue more than a piece of paper.
It truly felt like a document written on the verge of death. The traces of extreme stress were all over it.
“…Flare.”
Fwoosh—
Without hesitation, I burned the paper. I had no more use for it.
“…So, one task is done.”
Only then did the feeling really sink in.
Thinking back on it, it really was a hell of an ordeal. Maybe I had been a little overwhelmed too.
After all, I ended up living in this world almost by accident. With no one to rely on and death looming ahead, it’s no wonder I got serious.
Still… I guess I did gain something.
Thanks to it, I came to know Camilla’s true feelings…. something she had kept hidden. I even saw a human side of her twice that never appeared in the original work. Emotionally, that made me quite happy. I feel like I could burn ten thousand more hours for that alone.
Anyway… Camilla’s an adopted child of the Bliss family, huh.
As for the secret Camilla had revealed… It was something worth thinking about.
The Bliss family.
That name never once came up in the game.
Presumably, after the heir Adel died and Camilla became a knight, the family line was completely cut off…
A family that went so far as to adopt someone for a political marriage just quietly disappeared… That doesn’t sit right with me.
Usually when something shady like that is revealed, it’s only the tip of the iceberg.
If what Camilla said is true, then there’s a good chance the Bliss family is tied to something shady.
But if that’s the case, it should’ve shown up in the story somehow.
So, what’s the reality?
It never appeared. I only learned that the Bliss family was an old noble house of magic after coming here.
…Something doesn’t add up. It’s very possible there’s been a misunderstanding somewhere.
This is something I need to investigate quickly.
Even if the misunderstanding between Camilla and me is cleared up, nothing will change if she keeps being obsessed with her family.
She definitely said I’m her only family.
“……”
Personally, I found that touching…but it’s also a bad sign.
Any relationship where someone is seen as the only one tends to breed obsession.
The more Camilla comes to truly feel that I’m her only family, the more likely our relationship could take an unhealthy turn.
…So this isn’t the time to be smiling about it.
Getting Camilla, one of the playable characters, on my side is something to be happy about.
But on the other hand, the position of “Adel who didn’t die and became human” is dangerous.
So if things start getting complicated from here, it wouldn’t be surprising at all.
The conclusion is… in the end, I have to get stronger.
I looked at the mirror.
[Adel Bliss]
Health:15
Mana: 25
Talent: 18
Stamina: 7
Willpower: 9
Intelligence: 17
◆ Trait: Shape Transformation (+1)
◆ Available Mana: 25,590
[View Details] (+)
The growth of the basic stats and mana capacity is quite steep.
It seems that my demonification and intense combat experience had a positive effect. The durability stat dropped significantly, which was a bit of a problem… but nothing too serious.
What really concerned me was something else.
◆ Trait: Shape Transformation (+1)
“…Hmmm.”
This right here.
The “+1” marked next to the trait.
To confirm exactly what it meant, I searched through the past notifications.
◆ The trait “Shape Transformation” has advanced one level. An additional form can now be assumed.
◆ Transformable form: Rage Demon
A new form had been added to the shapes available through my trait.
…So just transforming once was enough for the form to be saved, huh.
I closed my eyes. It was late at night and I was alone. It seemed like the perfect time to experiment.
There shouldn’t be a problem with transforming now. The “Demon Seed” had already been completely eliminated.
Sizzle…
◆ Trait “Shape Transformation” activated.
A faint heat spread through my entire body. It felt like mana waves radiating from my heart were traveling through my blood and crashing around inside me…
Urgh!
Crack—!
Suddenly, horns sprouted from my forehead. With a crunching sound, a tail burst out through the bone, and my feet transformed into those of a beast.
I opened my eyes and checked the mirror. My forearms had thickened as well. My body overall had turned into a muscular build.
…The eyes are fine too. Apart from the color change, they’re still human eyes.
With a sigh of relief, I checked my status window again.
[Adel Bliss (Rage Demon)]
Health: 15 (+150)
Mana: 25 (+40)
Talent: 18
Stamina: 7 (+25)
Willpower: 9
Intelligence: 17
◆ Trait: Shape Transformation (Activated)
◆ Time remaining in transformation: 9 minutes 58 seconds… 57 seconds… 56 seconds…
◆ Available Mana: 25,590 (+40,000)
[View Details] (+)
“?”
And then I froze for a moment. I couldn’t believe my eyes.
An extra 150 in health?
That’s absurdly high. Numbers you’d never see in the early stages of the game.
What the hell? This doesn’t make any sense.
Just for transforming?
Wasn’t the original version of this trait only good for transforming into something like a dog or a cat?
I recalled the “Shifter” trait from the game.
Certainly, rather than applying “Shape Transformation” itself, the main method had always been to utilize the unique magical wave this trait provided…
No, I’m sure of it.
The Kohonbah Empire. From the early days until now, every strategy guide has said the same thing.
Maximizing the use of magical tools.
That was the Shifter’s potential and its limitation. Even with the 20,000 hours I’d sunk into the game, and all the other veteran players too, we all knew it that way.
Yeah.
That’s how we knew it.
Because, up until now, that was the only method ever discovered.
“…No way…? Wait. No way.”
The moment I thought that far, something like a giant exclamation mark flashed through my mind.
…Could it be that the true method of using the Shifter trait is…?
There are countless ways to achieve demonification aside from the “Demon Seed”. And there are many different types of demons too.
In that case, then maybe…just maybe the right way to develop a Shifter… someone with the “Shape Transformation” trait…
“Isn’t by using magical tools, but by constantly transforming into different types of demons and then reverting back…?”
In other words—
You collect the “forms” of demons with your body and use them?
In the midst of demon worshippers and all sorts of shady organizations?
“…Ha, haha…”
I let out a small laugh.
If this were the modern world, I probably would’ve jumped into testing it right away, buzzing with excitement. Saying something like “I’ve discovered a new strategy!!”
And that’s only natural. Because this is a method no one had ever found before.
But now that I’ve realized this… after coming to this world…
“……”
What I felt was simple.
So I’m in for absolute hell… is that it?
That was the only thought I had.
***
No matter what, time moves on.
Though I was too shaken by this new realization to sleep at first—
Morning came before I knew it.
I’d already made plans with Camilla and submitted my outing request form in advance. The only thing left to do was mentally prepare.
But… there was one problem.
I have no money.
I had spent all the gold I had during the fight with Camilla. I was completely broke.
Should I stop by Black Alley for a bit? No, that would mess up my timing.
After thinking for a while, I began searching the room. Maybe I had some hidden pocket money tucked away somewhere.
Got it.
I found some Imperial currency in the wardrobe. But it was only two coins. I was planning to have a drink today, so it clearly wouldn’t be enough.
…That’s not great.
Just then—
I noticed a parcel buried among the clothes.
“?”
It was an unfamiliar, high-end package. I didn’t recognize it at first, but the moment I picked it up, it came back to me. One of the housekeeping maids had brought it to my door.
The recipient’s name clearly said Adel Bliss, so there was no reason not to open it. With that thought, I tore the wrapping open in one go.
…Magical Wave Stabilization Elixir?
Vials of potion lay neatly inside. Reading through the ingredients, I could tell it was made from some pretty high-grade materials.
A premium magical drug that was mild and without side effects. It’s not something sold in Black Alley, and if it showed up in an aboveboard auction house, it would be snapped up instantly.
What the hell? Did I do something to deserve this?
There was nothing written in the sender field. Just a blank space, as if done on purpose.
Still, with my years of in-game experience, figuring out where this came from wasn’t too difficult.
No seal. Probably not from a noble house… But the wrapping and the inner fabric are unnecessarily expensive. Maybe a merchant guild?
A few candidates flashed through my mind.
As I dug through my memory, it didn’t take long to figure it out.
“…The Harunsdel Merchant Guild, huh.”
The moment I realized the source, an unpleasant feeling washed over me.
The Harunsdel Merchant Guild.
Depending on the flow of the story, these guys often ended up as villains.
They were a group that would use any dirty method if it served their profit. A corrupt guild whose ugliness extended into outright illegal dealings.
“…The real question is, why would a company like that send me something like this…?”
Honestly, the answer wasn’t hard to guess.
The cause was probably Professor Quinoron. He worked as a research mage for the Harunsdel guild.
So then, likely on the day his paper made a major breakthrough thanks to my help—
Harunsdel would have picked up on that faster than anyone else.
And they probably found out that the person who helped with the research was Adel Bliss.
A first-year student helping with a professor-level thesis. They saw potential in Adel Bliss and sent this as a kind of bribe… something like that.
Makes sense.
It was a reasonable theory.
“Still, that doesn’t mean I’m going to drink it. Who knows what they put in there.”
Actually, this works out well. I was short on money anyway.
“I’ll stop by the auction house first once I head out.”
If it’s a Magical Wave Stabilization Elixir, it’ll sell right away. I’ll just put it up for sale.
***
“Thank you for visiting our auction house again, Mr. Adel Bliss.”
“I’d like to request an immediate purchase, if possible.”
“Is that so? Immediate purchases are only made when the item’s value is clearly verified. Once the item is sold, ownership is transferred to us, and any future auction price will…”
“No need for the explanation. The item is a Magical Wave Stabilization Elixir. It’s high-grade.”
“…I see. In that case, we can make an immediate purchase. The fair price would be 50 imperial coins, but…”
“You’re thinking 80, right?”
“…You must be from a mage family. You know your stuff. I can offer 65.”
“Let’s make it a clean 70. In exchange, next time I visit, I want to deal with you directly.”
“…Understood. Purchase price, 70 coins. It’ll be prepared as soon as you leave the room. I’m Charlotte of the Imperial Auction House. We hope to see you again, Mr. Adel Bliss.”
That was a successful deal.
Got rid of a shady item and earned some money.
“Heh. I’m rich now, big sister.”
I smiled brightly and turned to look at Camilla. But for some reason, she looked slightly shocked.
“What’s wrong? Something happened?”
“N-No, it’s nothing.”
“Really? You say that, but your expression’s kind of stiff.”
“I didn’t know you had this side to you…”
“My tone? Can’t help it. These employees… they’re quicker to look down on you than you’d expect…”
“…No, it’s not that… Never mind. It’s nothing.”
Camilla nodded, still wearing a stiff expression.
She said it was nothing, but her face looked even more rigid than it did back at the academy.
…Hmm.
And just like that, the conversation died out.
Because of her unsettled demeanor, I found it hard to speak up again.
…Times like this, good food usually does the trick.
That thought crossed my mind as I looked around for a decent restaurant.
Just then, after fidgeting for a while, Camilla finally spoke up.
She even took a subtle deep breath before saying anything.
“…Adel.”
“Hmm?”
“…Are you really okay with this?”
“With what?”
“Th-The whole… calling me ‘sister’ out in public…”
Now it was my turn to be shocked.
“What?”
“I-I mean, you don’t have to call me ‘big sister’ when we’re outside. It must be awkward for you. I’m fine with it…! I’m prepared for that… !”
Leave a Reply