Chapter 26

Chapter 26 : The Traitor Under the Lamp (2)

I was grateful for every single thing: being able to control my own body, having my mind turn sharply when I wanted it to, not forgetting what I had just seen, not making my conversation partner uncomfortable, being able to fully exercise my faculties and chew meat, having my head freed from the headache, and being able to spring to my feet without caring about something like orthostatic hypotension.

Mm. I was a little excited.

After one good sleep, I woke to find that the penalty time was almost over. Thank God.

And on top of that, the backlogged rewards had finally been settled too.

[The Executor’s contribution to the Original Work increases significantly.]

[Current rank of the Executor: Minor Role C → Minor Role B]

My stagnant rank had risen by one step.

I was still only a minor character, probably no better than Passerby No. 1 or No. 2, but still, it was something.

[Phantasm Domain—Passive

Detects objects and living creatures imbued with the ‘power of phantasm’ within the domain.

The range varies according to the Executor’s rank.]

And on top of that, I had gained a skill.

Compared to the skill I used once in the Black Forest and nearly died from under the penalty afterward, this one was small and humble and precious, but what more could I ask for?

I had also learned what form my Frame took.

I fingered the clinking earring and looked at myself in the mirror.

Perhaps it was because of the influence of the Frame, or perhaps because of the strange dye I had used.

My hair had returned to its original color.

With a sigh, I lifted the bangs that had grown longer in the meantime.

It had already been absurd enough when I first saw my irises turn golden, but now one eye had taken on a reddish tint.

It was pale, as though a single drop of blood had fallen into it, but anyone would immediately notice the difference.

They said the traits of the Underfolk were black hair and red eyes.

And I was displaying those traits exactly.

I pressed hard against the reddened eyelid, then let my bangs fall back down again.

At least if I kept it covered, people’s attention would be drawn to the Golden Eyes still showing, and perhaps at a glance they might pass over the rest without noticing.

“It must be because of the Phantasm Domain.”

Only after confirming this did I understand why Pan had stared at me like that.

He had been the one who told me it would be better not to bring out my Frame.

Since I had ignored him, made it obvious everywhere, and then gone around half-dead, he had probably wanted to scold me.

“It is a relief that it wasn’t horns, or wings, or tattoos……”

It was called a skill, but the problem was that I didn’t really know how to switch it off. Since it was a passive, it felt more like it was being forcibly applied.

In the earring reflected in the mirror, I could see that same red power wavering.

It was nothing like the vast, savage, violent feeling from that day when I had ripped my way through the black fog.

“No, I hated that.”

I had no desire to be trapped again in that distracted, disordered red world.

Still, the colors were emphasized enough that I could tell, Ah, that is where the power is, so there was no issue recognizing it.

“But why does it have to be called, so unpleasantly, the power of phantasm…….”

I turned my gaze and brought up the long-neglected Field Quest once more.

The treasure-hunt quest in the Record Archive.

It had definitely told me to find the Trace Left by the Master of Phantasms.

Naturally, there was a high chance it would be imbued with the power of phantasm.

And I now had a kind of phantasm navigation that could recognize it.

“It overlaps in such a strange way……”

Pan knew Sek, who was Underfolk.

Pan knew me, who was also Underfolk.

Sek was said to resemble me.

And then there was the Master of Phantasms.

At the sudden wave of nausea, I grabbed one corner of the mirror and frowned.

‘The penalty is already ending, so this is inconvenient.’

I covered my mouth and protested to the system.

Ding!

[It argues that this is your own fault for walking around with a hole in your abdomen.]

Through my dizzy vision, text appeared between the mirror and me.

The system, which had done nothing but throw a few stiff, unfriendly quests at me and then vanish, was now responding to what I said.

“What are you?”

Ding!

[This is the guide system for 〈Your Regret After Killing Me〉.]

[We aim to provide an immersive experience together with enjoyable appreciation of the Original Work.]

I stared at the text for a moment, then let out a soft laugh and scrubbed at the mirror.

I felt satisfied watching the text scatter and vanish under my hand.

It had already been disturbing enough when, during the last warning, it barged in using strange emoticons. I would really prefer that the system not start talking to me directly now.

It was not as though I could grab it by the collar. If it stood off to the side speaking primly and needling me, then one of two things would happen: either the victim would reach the limit of his patience, or he would be branded the one with the ruined personality.

“When I was going through all that hell, I called for you and you didn’t even show up, so why now?”

Suppressing another wave of dry nausea, I sat down in the chair in the corner of the office, surrounded by plants said to be good for purifying the air.

The place I had retreated to after, the moment I woke up, dealing first with Pan, then Ochel, Pering, Ru, and even some elders I had never seen before, was the fixer’s office.

If I pulled down the shutters, turned off the lights, and collapsed inside, it looked closed, which made it a good place to be alone for a while.

I grimaced as another sharp pain lanced up, then rubbed my face.

I was the one who needed something here.

“Hey.”

I gestured at the empty air and called again.

“Hey. Don’t play push-and-pull games with me.”

Ding!

[Gasp (⊙_⊙;)]

That was not meant to be funny, was it?

I smiled thinly and took a long, deep breath.

I was the one who needed something, after all.

“Tell me why I’m supposed to find what the Master of Phantasms left behind. Am I some kind of heir to Sek or whatever?”

The system fell silent again.

It was a silent act of defiance: it would not offer advice that might directly affect a quest.

Staring into the dark, empty air, I turned the thought over and over.

The way the system had suddenly appeared only now, sounding weirdly urgent, and then making excuses for itself.

Was it because my rank had risen? Because I had gained a skill? Had some specific condition needed to be met? I ran through one possibility after another, then raked my hands through my hair.

“If you’re not going to help, did you just want someone to talk to when you got lonely?”

Ding!

[It agrees that this is a very good idea.]

Shut up.

One thing was clear.

The system recovering from its glitched state had something to do with me raising my rank and gaining abilities.

Which meant I had to tackle either the traitor or the treasure hunt first.

“Let me ask just one thing. About the ending. Does whether it’s happy or tragic depend on me?”

A breeze drifted in through the slightly open window.

The system, which seemed as though it would once again remain silent, responded after a pause.

Ding!

[The standard for the ending is the protagonist.]

Mm. In that case, fine.

---

“So this is where you ran off to?”

When I opened the door after someone had been banging on it noisily, Pan barged in with that usual smirk on his face.

It had been barely an hour since I had fallen asleep, so naturally, nothing pleasant came out of me.

“No peddlers.”

“Mm, refused.”

“Hey.”

“Hey?”

“I didn’t recognize you…… because it’s nighttime.”

It turned out that humans were animals after all, and in the animal world, the strong devoured the weak.

Since he was staring at me with that chilly expression, as though frost were dripping off him, I immediately stepped aside. Pan gave a snort of laughter and passed by me into the office.

Would the Mist domain actually be better?

I shook my head, dismissing the idiotic thought of fleeing to dig my own grave. Leaving home only led to suffering.

After checking that there was no one out on the street, I locked the door firmly and turned back toward Pan.

Even in the dark office, he wandered around easily enough, doing strange things to the nearby plants.

I stood near the entrance pillar with my arms folded, glaring at his shamelessness, then sighed.

“No one got hold of anything, right? It’ll be a nuisance if they did.”

“I thought maybe you had something important to do, running around before you’d even fully recovered. But it was just because you found it bothersome?”

“Do you have any idea how troublesome it is to deal with people dragging you off to kill you? I thought we’d agreed you would talk to them properly.”

“Did you forget that I said we’d discuss it again later?”

Pan, who had revived one of the flowerpots that had gone limp during the days I was away, perched himself on the edge of the table and tilted his head.

I uncrossed my arms, passed by him, and slanted myself onto the soft sofa inside.

He was right. I still wasn’t finished recovering.

“Has Timol woken up?”

Rubbing at my swollen, sleep-starved eyelids, I gave the roundabout version of, Just the important part.

“This afternoon.”

“And what is he saying?”

“That an Underfolk tried to kill him. That there was a strange fog. Something or other about the Phantasmal Species.”

“So he didn’t mention the sphere.”

“That’s right.”

His answer was so unsurprising that I was left without words.

Clicking my tongue briefly, I frowned while looking at Pan, who sat quietly by the moonlit window.

What I couldn’t understand was why he was being kind to me in this situation.

And on top of that, that trust of his, without conditions.

The unpleasant feeling began crawling up inside me again, so I stood and opened the cabinet.

I thought tea might make me feel a little better.

“Ah, I’ll have some too.”

“Money.”

“Hah……? You do realize you’re siphoning off supplies from my house.”

“Even Butler Pol buys it.”

“By that logic, it’s mine, isn’t it?”

“I’m the one who processes it.”

When I stared at him, Pan blinked a few times, then fished a coin out of his pocket and tossed it over.

It was a coin I had never seen before.

It was different from the ones Pol, or Ochel, or the Surface Folk children had brought.

I caught it and held it up before my eyes, examining both sides carefully.

The edge of the gold coin was ringed with a design like a laurel wreath, and in the middle there was a great tree—

“Is this the same design as the one carved on the office door?”

“You’ve got a good memory.”

“A commemorative coin?”

“It isn’t.”

“If it isn’t, then fine.”

I tossed the coin into the glass jar inside and set the kettle over the flame.

“That isn’t a coin you should be handling so carelessly. It’d fetch at least a hundred gold, so don’t go showing it to just anyone.”

As I filled the tea strainer with leaves, I looked at the particularly eye-catching coin wedged among the others.

So it wasn’t a coin with a fixed face value, but one whose value fluctuated? What was this, some kind of B-coin?

After quickly acknowledging that Pol paid 10 gold for a month’s worth of tea, which meant this thing was worth nearly a year’s supply—

I handed Pan his finished cup with a smile.

‘Welcome, valued regular customer.’

Pan paused halfway through taking the cup, narrowed one eye at me, and muttered that he had seen something unpleasant.

Even so, once he tasted it, becoming a regular customer would be inevitable.

I took my own cup, sank deep into the sofa again, and savored the rich fragrance.

“Oh, this is good. So the tea Pol brought had been supplied from here?”

“That stuff grows all over the roadside.”

“It grows everywhere?”

“The fruit from that tree you stuck on my terrace the other day.”

“That?”

“Didn’t you know? I saw the method in one of the books from the Record Archive. Ru told me about it, so I assumed everyone knew.”

A monopolized business wouldn’t be bad either.

As I nodded to myself, I imagined perhaps expanding my future private purse just a little more.

“I checked what you said back then.”

Pan set down the cup he had emptied in one gulp, then picked up the container of tea leaves and inspected it from several angles.

“Timol is directly under the ruler’s castle, but he wasn’t called into this operation.”

“He wasn’t part of the operation, and yet he was there?”

“He was returning from a long-term external assignment. That’s why he didn’t recognize you.”

“That means—”

A man who had been away on a long external mission happened to appear, at exactly that time, in front of that sphere, after coming through the fog, and then encountered me, an Underfolk.

“—you’d have to be an idiot not to find that suspicious.”

“And those idiots are still saying you ought to be killed.”

Pan returned the tea container to its place and laughed at someone beneath his breath.

I scratched the back of my neck and let myself sink fully down into the sofa.

Whatever Timol’s suspiciousness might mean, my Epic Quest still hadn’t cleared.

Which meant the system’s traitor was someone else.

But I couldn’t say that outright, so I rolled my eyes.

“He may not have acted alone.”

“Oh?”

“There were two spheres, weren’t there?”

At my words, Pan curled one corner of his mouth as though amused and silently urged me to continue.

“The fact that he used an Underfolk device, and then the moment he saw me, also Underfolk, he got agitated and tried to kill me—it doesn’t add up.”

I laid a hand over the wound in my abdomen, not yet fully healed, and continued.

“There’s a strong chance someone else was giving the orders.”

A strong chance he was nothing more than a piece on the chessboard.

That would explain both why the Epic Quest hadn’t completed and why he was so desperately trying to frame me, the Underfolk, as the culprit.

“What does the ruler of the forest think?”

I tossed the judgment back to Pan, who was now trying to brew tea the way I had done. Since he had failed to catch the timing properly and produced a bitter cup, he grimaced magnificently, then shrugged as he answered.

“First, we need to understand the cause of this whole incident.”

“The cause?”

“You.”

Pan stretched out the hand holding the stirring stick and pointed it at me.

“They were trying to find you, Sek.”

I frowned at the drops of tea dripping from the tip of the stick, and only after a beat did I react.

“……Sek?”

Me?