Chapter 94
[You have entered a cooperative relationship with the strategist Sian! (Suspicion level 15%, excluded from display)]
—
[Tip. The suspicion level of allies such as those in a ‘cooperative relationship’ or ‘accomplice’ is not displayed in the total suspicion level! When the cooperative relationship ends, it will switch to public display.]
[Tip. Check the hidden suspicion level of your allies through the ‘Suspicion Level Details Window’!]
—
She wasn’t sure exactly what kind of cooperative relationship this was, but it seemed Sian had made up his mind. He had decided to cooperate with her side.
It meant he would make up some story about her to Yéniel’s group.
That was good news for her.
“Run! Lady April! Jump this way!”
Ibelin shouted to her. Then, amidst the waves of people moving every which way, she looked back at April.
“We’ll join up with Yurel and Kyle like this!”
“Yes!”
Seeing April’s mouth form the word, Ibelin confirmed she understood and ran forward again, facing ahead.
The storm created by the wraith filled the entire banquet hall. Dark clouds gathered, and howling rain and wind lashed fiercely.
As if it were divine punishment, lightning split the ornate floor.
*CRACKLE—! CRUMBLE—!*
The cracked floor split apart.
Surviving right now was urgent, but she was more concerned about the execution system that would appear in the Grand Council after the banquet hall.
*’Suspicion Level Details Window.’*
While running after Ibelin, she called up the details window in her mind.
—
[Suspicion Level Details Window]
▶ Strategist Sian (Cooperative Relationship): 15%
▷ (Empty Slot)
▷ (Empty Slot)
…
—
Just as she was about to close it, the Suspicion Level Details Window suddenly scrolled down rapidly. As if someone was pressing the down arrow key on a keyboard.
—
…
▷ (Empty Slot)
▷ Lee Seo-woo (Permanently Unavailable)
▶ ?? (Obs■rver)
—
There was something strange at the very bottom.
She unconsciously held her breath, then forced herself to exhale to focus on the situation.
Unlike Yéniel, Ibelin seemed to have high stamina stats and ran well. She also seemed to have good motor skills, dodging the smoke with ease.
—
[We waited for the master of the mansion to return.]
—
Meanwhile, the Archmage’s wraith succeeded in grabbing several banquet hall survivors. Screams erupted.
“Head for the banquet hall entrance!”
“It’s blocked!”
“KYAAAA!”
At that moment, the world flickered with an odd light. The sepia-toned, splendid evening banquet hall—and the less splendid, empty banquet hall seen from the 3rd floor of the mansion.
It felt strange, as if two screens were overlapped and playing simultaneously.
—
[At the evening banquet, the master did not appear.]
—
The survivors caught in the black smoke were lifted up while still entangled, rising slowly to a height visible to everyone in the banquet hall.
—
[If he had returned without delay-]
—
And then the black smoke enveloped them. Soon, sand trickled down from within the smoke. Several of the captured survivors were nowhere to be seen.
It was a horrifying death.
*CLANG—!*
At the same time, the chandelier shattered completely.
Howling sounds and murmuring voices filled the entire banquet hall.
—
[I will kill all who entered my mansion.]
—
The Archmage’s wraith fully settled above the long table in the center of the banquet hall. The smoke coalesced, forming a giant human shape.
At that moment, the world flickered again.
*Flicker—* Sepia light.
*Flicker—*
*Flicker—* Empty banquet hall.
The two worlds completely overlapped.
And there, at the far end of the banquet table, sat a monster made of black mud.
Across from it, at the head of the table, were the shadows of the First Emperor and the four founding contributors.
The monster, facing them, looked at her.
—
[Fill the special plate.]
—
Time in the banquet hall seemed to have stopped; everyone was frozen in their places.
She looked up and saw even the Archmage’s wraith motionless.
*’Was I supposed to get the heart here?’*
She slowly approached the faceless First Emperor. She took the Heart Dagger from her inventory and gripped it.
—
[Heart Dagger: You can steal the heart from your adversary.]
—
The dagger pulsed red.
The closer she got to the First Emperor, the more the tip of the blade turned crimson.
—
[Do what we could not do then. Bring us the heart of Aquilium.]
—
Multiple voices rumbled from the monster.
She intuitively felt it was the combined grudge of several cooks. This monster was the amalgamation of their resentments.
Finally, standing close to the shadow of the First Emperor at the head of the table, she brought the tip of the dagger to the shadow. And pushed.
*CRUNCH—!*
*PSSSSSH—*
The shadow scattered and crumbled like it was breaking apart.
In the place where the ashes vanished, only a single, crimson-pulsing gem remained.
She picked up the heart-shaped gem.
—
[Item Acquired.]
[Heart of Aquilium (Hidden Item): The heart of the usurper! It is an illusion that exists only within the monster’s dream.]
—
There was a silver-lidded plate placed before the monster. She was to place this heart inside it.
She then proceeded to stab the remaining four founding contributors one by one. Probably among them was the First Marquis of Sharon, April’s ancestor.
—
[Heart of Genesis (Rare Item): The heart of the traitor who lent wisdom to the usurper!]
[Heart of Sharon (Rare Item): The heart of the foolish and dull-witted one who placed hope in the usurper!]
[Heart of Devkail (Rare Item): The heart of the villain who pretended to be one person with two!]
[Heart of Harborn (Rare Item): The heart of the vile one who swore loyalty to the usurper!]
—
She had collected all five.
*’There’s a possibility my guess is wrong. There might be a specific order for placing them, or maybe I only needed to take the Heart of Aquilium.’*
If it was wrong? Well, nothing she could do.
She approached, opened the silver lid of the plate, and placed the five small, red gems on it.
If she was wrong, she would just kill them all.
If she killed every monster on the 3rd floor, a hidden path would open anyway.
Since it was Hard Mode, the monsters would be stronger, but that part probably wouldn’t differ from the original.
And—rather fortunately, she seemed to have guessed correctly, as the monster crunched and chewed the five gems with a *scrunch, munch*.
As the sound grew louder, the sepia-toned background crumbled away.
—
[Finally, I shall end this long, old dream.]
—
She woke from the dream.
Her head throbbed as if it would split. Her ears still rang.
“What is it?”
“Where is this? Hey, get up!”
Everyone in the banquet hall opened their eyes, just like her.
Realizing they had been lying on the floor asleep, they hurriedly got up.
It seemed that when time had stopped a moment ago, they had all fallen asleep.
“My head hurts. Yurel, bring me some headache medicine.”
And beside her stood Ibelin.
Ibelin, who had opened her eyes and was pressing her temple in annoyance, met her gaze—
“Did you sleep well? Lady April?”
She greeted her as if the long nightmare of the night had ended and morning had arrived.
“Yes!”
When April laughed brightly, Ibelin frowned as if unsure how to react.
At that moment.
“Master. I’ve been here for a while too.”
Yurel silently leaned out from beside Ibelin. Startled, Ibelin glared daggers.
“Yurel! Do you want to die?”
“Actually, I also….”
Kyle the Archduke tried to interject subtly, but Ibelin cut him off.
“Don’t talk to me in that unpleasant way.”
“So now even just talking to you is unpleasant. Ive. For someone saying that, you look quite happy though….”
When Ibelin glared, Archduke Kyle fell silent.
“Everyone, calm down.”
In the distance, she could see Yéniel and the heroine’s faction, including the Crown Prince. Yéniel stepped forward and addressed the people.
“Everyone, stay calm. It seems we were drawn into that monster’s dream. It’s possible for an evil spirit that died harboring specific emotions to become a monster in this hidden world. What matters is that we all survived. There should be some change on the 3rd floor.”
Yéniel’s eyes clearly passed over her among the crowd, but her expression showed no change.
Beside her, Sian stood with a composed face, having apparently managed to convince that side well.
“That woman is making a fuss again. She’s acting like she holds all the initiative, isn’t she?”
As Ibelin grumbled, Archduke Kyle replied slickly.
“Still, having a leader like Lady Genesis helps people survive.”
“…I know. That’s why I’m leaving that low-born woman alone.”
Having come from a place that always focused on how to survive, to now being in a faction that badmouths Yéniel…
“Lady April. You’re smiling.”
Yurel said flatly. Archduke Kyle also looked at her, his eyes widening slightly.
“What? It’s true. Are you in a good mood?”
“Lady April smiles quite a lot. In front of me, she keeps smiling even when I don’t ask her to.”
Ibelin raised her chin, as if boasting about her first friend.
“Ive….”
A strange glint appeared in Archduke Kyle’s eyes.
—
[Archduke Kyle’s affection has slightly increased!]
—
At that moment, a loud crash echoed from outside. From the direction of the Sky Garden.
*CLANG—! CRASH—!*
It was the sound of something massive shattering.
She saw Sian in the distance turn pale instantly and say something urgently to his group, and she sensed that something serious had happened.
“There’s a Mirror of Obsession out there! The one that can confirm someone’s existence and location. We need that to get out of the 3rd floor.”
Ibelin, gritting her teeth, gave them orders.
“Let’s go check it out immediately.”
