I Reincarnated into a Game Filled with Mods – Chapter 39

Chapter 39
‘…What’s that kid doing?’

Having nothing particular to do, Rize, who was staring blankly out the window in her room, widened her eyes and looked down.

It was because she saw the newbie and Inerma leaving the castle on their own at this late hour. The approaching sleepiness vanished instantly. Rize immediately jumped up from her seat.

Judging from the fact that Inerma was leading the way and the newbie was following, it didn’t seem like the newbie had suggested going out. In other words, it meant that the blind girl had seduced the newbie first.

‘How dare she, without any professional ethics, try to snatch the man I had my eyes on first?’

She didn’t know why those two were going out, but the fact that a man and a woman were going out together at this late hour was a problem in itself.

For example, they could just wander around like that, suddenly fall for each other in a secluded place, and end up having outdoor sex right there.

After casually finishing the delusion that Erika would mercilessly hit her back if she heard it, saying what kind of crazy talk that was, Rize jumped out the window and followed them.

The tailing had begun.

“…”

“…”

I was dragged out on a night walk after receiving a sudden suggestion, but there was nothing to say inside, so it wasn’t like we’d suddenly become talkative outside. We walked and walked in silence.

Even though she clearly couldn’t see, Inerma somehow walked along without any problems. I was on edge, worried she might bump into something, but it seemed like a needless worry.

Since it was quite late, the streets at night were exceptionally quiet. Only the gradually tilting moon lit the way.

“Where are we going?”

“I don’t have anywhere specific in mind. It’s literally a walk. We’re just wandering around aimlessly.”

With that, we closed our mouths again, and the walk eventually led to a small forest within the city. It was the forest where the moon-hanging tree I had mentioned to the Knight Commanders was located.

The forest at night had a rather eerie atmosphere, but I didn’t mind at all. It’s a forest where there’s nothing, be it monsters or anything else. There was no reason for me to be afraid of this place.

The reason people are afraid of places like this is because of the creepy atmosphere where you don’t know what might pop out, but since I already know this is a safe place, there’s no reason to be scared.

If something pops out here, different from my expectations, I guess I’d be a little scared then.

I glanced to the side, wondering if Inerma might trip. Contrary to my worries, she was following along well.

She was just in a strange posture with her head turned to the left, showing me only the back of her ear and the back of her head.

Yet, strangely enough, she walked straight ahead without stumbling or staggering.

I walked along, thinking nothing of it. It’s not like she’s suddenly going to scream and run towards me with her limbs twisted, like in some horror movie.

“…Newbie Knight-nim.”

When I thought quite some time had passed since we entered the forest, Inerma spoke. Her head was still turned the other way. I stopped walking, wondering what she was trying to say.

“Aren’t you scared?”

“Scared? Of what?”

“Of the things you’ve done so far.”

“…?”

Inerma stopped walking too. But she still kept looking in the opposite direction from me.

“I don’t quite understand what you mean.”

“It’s literally what I said. Weren’t you scared of the things you’ve done so far?”

What things have I done so far? I pondered for a moment.

Killing the Human Butcher in prison with a single sword, having a sparring match with Rize for the entrance exam, and soloing the Headless Ironclad Cavalryman.

It seems like these three things are all I’ve told Inerma.

The story about killing the lord using the demon-possessed book wasn’t something to tell outsiders, so I kept it quiet, and naturally, I had to keep my mouth shut about what happened after that as well.

Oh, did I tell her about beating up that golden knight guy? I don’t think I did, but Rize bragged about me, so I’m not sure.

“Why would that be scary?”

“They were things that could have gotten you killed. Wouldn’t it be natural to be scared?”

‘Is that so?’

I chewed on her words for a moment.

Of course, when I first realized that Darkest Light mode was applied, I was genuinely anxious about having to defeat the Human Butcher, who was significantly strengthened by the enemy strengthening mode.

But whether I could call that being scared was a bit ambiguous.

It was something I had done thousands of times already, and it was an opponent whose countermeasures were all in my head, from one to ten. So, as long as I didn’t make any mistakes or slip-ups, there was no way I would die.

Of course, there’s the anxiety of what if I make a mistake. But that wasn’t a feeling of fear or being scared at all.

Because anxiety and fear are similar yet different emotions.

“I haven’t thought about it deeply, but I don’t think I felt that way. As long as I don’t make any mistakes, there’s no way I’ll die, right?”

Honestly, it still didn’t feel completely real that I was possessed by Brightest Darkness 4.

I don’t need to take care of basic human physiological needs.

No matter how much I run or how heavy a load I carry, I never get tired.

No matter how roughly I treat my body, I don’t feel fatigue.

Sleep isn’t essential either; it feels more like I sleep because I have to sleep at night.

The things I used to dismiss as ‘it’s because it’s a game’ are unfolding right before my eyes, so it’s too unrealistic a situation to feel like it’s reality.

It’s to the point where if someone suddenly appeared and ended the game, saying it was actually the VR version of Brightest Darkness 4, I wouldn’t feel any sense of incongruity. Of course, it wouldn’t feel real.

“…Mistakes?”

Inerma’s tone was laced with doubt. As long as you don’t make any mistakes, you won’t die? What on earth does that mean?

“You heard about my situation, right?”

“Yes, that you were cursed by a witch…”

“I don’t know what I used to be, but at least when I followed my instincts and memories, I never lost. In other words, as long as I don’t make any mistakes when I follow them, I won’t die. It means I don’t move by thinking with my head, but by moving as my body remembers and reacts.”

It was an excuse I had already used on the Knight Commanders. I don’t move by thinking with my head, but by moving as my body remembers.

It wasn’t entirely wrong, as there were plenty of patterns where I would be too late if I reacted after seeing them. Kykilia’s basic attacks are a prime example.

“If I don’t make any mistakes in the process, I’ll be safe, just like I’ve been so far. So, I’m not really scared.”

“Is that so…”

The girl seemed to be lost in thought for a while, then she spoke in a slightly eerie voice.

“Even if something happens in the future?”

“Huh?”

“Even if a trial far greater than anything you’ve faced so far comes your way, you won’t be scared?”

“…”

I was momentarily speechless at the expression I had heard somewhere before.

‘A trial far greater than anything you’ve faced so far’ was the expression the Emperor used when referring to the final boss of Brightest Darkness 4, which appears near the end of the game.

The final boss’s difficulty was so atrocious that it naturally gained a meme-like status.

“I probably won’t be.”

But even so, nothing would really change.

If that guy is the same as the final boss in my memory, I just have to beat him up like I did in the game. Just like I’ve always done, without a single mistake.

“As expected…”

Even with my vague answer, Inerma sounded surprisingly convinced. She muttered something else after that, but her voice was too low for me to hear.

As Inerma continued to mutter to herself, she suddenly turned her head towards me.

‘Huh?’

For a very brief moment, I thought I saw golden eyes glinting in her eyes.

Yes. Just like the Emperor’s.

‘Was it my imagination…?’

It was truly just for a fleeting moment. The instant I blinked, wondering if I had seen wrong, only the vacant black pupils remained where the girl’s eyes should have been.

“Then let’s go back now. We’ve enjoyed our walk enough.”

Inerma spoke in a lighthearted voice and started walking out of the forest without hesitation, just as she had come in. I followed behind her, feeling a bit uneasy.

Something continued to bother me.

“So it was true.”

The central hall of the Imperial Palace, where all the lights were out.

Kykilia, seated on the throne overlooking the entire place, raised one corner of her lips into a chilling smile. Her golden eyes, bathed in moonlight, gleamed menacingly.

“So it was true.”

Her voice, filled with ecstasy, echoed through the empty hall.

It was a very pleasing answer. To be precise, it wasn’t the content of the answer that pleased her, but the posture and demeanor in which it was delivered.

The words themselves were vague and lacked conviction, but the attitude with which they were spoken was full of confidence. There was no hesitation, and it was as if it was only natural that it should be so.

In other words, it meant that he had absolute confidence in his own abilities. And in himself, who had regained all his memories.

But if that was all, Kykilia would still have been unsure. There was another reason why she was so ecstatic.

Kykilia had also watched the new knight use the ability-checking orb from beginning to end, borrowing someone else’s eyes.

And she noticed that his magic power had increased ridiculously after touching the orb. It was something that shouldn’t be possible. It was something that shouldn’t be allowed to happen.

He was definitely hiding some kind of secret.

“Finally… Finally, I have found what I have longed for.”

He would be able to handle her grand dream. He wouldn’t be crushed by her dream, but would be able to bear it and achieve it together with her.

In this terribly empty and fleeting world, he would be the only one who could match her.

A chilling laughter erupted from Kykilia, seated on the throne.