I Reincarnated into a Game Filled with Mods – Chapter 40

Chapter 40

The way back to the castle was much quieter than when we left.

I was too busy thinking about the strange feeling I had at the end to talk, and Inerma was humming happily as she walked.

Apart from that, the combination of her empty eye sockets and the dark background was quite eerie.

Since neither of us was talking, our pace naturally quickened. Before I knew it, we had arrived back at the castle.

Inerma bowed her head precisely in my direction.

“Thank you for indulging my whim today, new recruit-nim.”

“No need for thanks. It was nice to get some fresh night air after a long time.”

Actually, my mind was quite preoccupied with what had happened in the forest, but I decided not to mention it. I wanted to avoid suspecting someone without solid evidence.

“I’ll be going in now. I’m getting sleepy.”

“Alright. I should go to sleep as soon as I get in too.”

Just as we were about to exchange our customary goodbyes and head to our respective rooms, Inerma called out to me and stopped me.

“And recruit-nim. I think you’ll be staying up a little late today.”

“Staying up late? What are you talking about all of a suddenㅡ”

“New recruit!”

What?

My body stiffened at the voice that echoed loudly down the hallway from behind. It was Rize, without a doubt. Rize scattered ice shards everywhere as she approached me in an instant.

Then she clung to my right arm and growled cutely at Inerma. It wasn’t threatening at all. It was more like watching a cat or a dog struggling.

“Hello, Rize Knight-Commander-nim. Good evening.”

But regardless, Inerma greeted her with her usual bright smile. Even though she must have known what kind of expression Rize had, as she could tell everything from the tone of her voice.

“…Where did you two go alone at this late hour?”

Her voice was filled with suspicion.

“I went for a night walk with the new recruit-nim.”

“A walk? Really, that’s all?”

“Of course. You were watching us from afar, so you know, right?”

At Inerma’s words, my head snapped towards Rize. Rize’s eyes were wide open, and she looked incredibly surprised.

“…You were watching? Rize?”

“Yes. From the moment we first left the castle until now.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You were secretly following us without telling us. I wondered if you had a reason to do that.”

“…”

Rize’s mouth was agape, with a look of ‘How did she know?’ Inerma, who had dropped the bombshell between us, left with a “Then, good night.”

Only a stunned couple remained in the castle hallway.

“…I thought I hid well.”

“That’s the first thing you say?”

That was the first thing Rize said after standing frozen in place for a while.

I wasn’t angry that Rize had followed us. I just felt absurd. I didn’t want an apology, and Rize seemed to know that well.

Besides, I was in a tricky position to get angry. I knew that all her actions were out of affection for me, so how could I be mad? As long as she doesn’t cross the line, I should just see it as a cute act and let it go.

“So, why did you follow me?”

Of course, that’s that, and this is this. I asked pointedly.

“Well, I couldn’t help it. I saw you and that girl leaving the castle together, how could I just leave you alone?”

Rize answered confidently. I was so dumbfounded that I softened my expression a little.

“You could have just assumed it was a walk and let it go. Why go as far as following us?”

“A man and a woman going out alone late at night, and you want me to leave them alone? What if they do something out there? Are you out of your mind, new recruit?”

“Out of my mind? I think that’s what I should be saying. What kind of thoughts are you having that you can only think of that?”

Even though the mod’s influence makes all the women’s outfits extremely revealing, it doesn’t mean that this world has a shattered sense of chastity like it’s some kind of 19+ erotic game.

One of the women’s fashions that you can easily find on the streets is a shirt with only panties underneath, but people just nonchalantly pass by women wearing such outfits on the street.

Because before the mod was applied, it wouldn’t have been a bare shirt, but just normal cloth or leather clothes. It means that women aren’t showing off their bodies because they’re overflowing with sexual desire.

It’s just Rize being weird on her own.

“Then it’s not?”

“Of course not.”

“Prove it.”

“Huh?”

Before I could react, Rize grabbed my wrist and dragged me outside, and we ended up wandering around the city until sunrise under the guise of a night walk.

Looking at Rize’s expression as we returned to the castle, I thought, ‘You were planning this from the beginning, weren’t you?’

The very next day after that eventful night walk, the girl quietly bid farewell to the Silver Dawn Knights.

Iris and Erika told her she could stay as long as she wanted, but she quietly declined because there was no reason for her to stay any longer.

Since the Emperor had hinted that she had achieved her goal, it was right for her to return immediately.

The girl left the Knights’ Order wrapped in a single piece of cloth, just as she had when she first arrived. However, she seemed to be in a slightly better state than before, as she had washed the cloth clean during her stay at the castle.

After walking and walking into a deep mountain, the girl threw off the cloth that covered her body. She was completely naked.

She infused the discarded cloth with magical power. The cloth then floated up on its own and began to wrap around her body, and soon transformed into the leather clothes she had been wearing before.

A top that clung tightly to her body, revealing her slender figure, a hooded sweatshirt that covered her head, and extremely short leather pants that were only about a finger’s length.

The artifact she used to change her clothes into cloth was once again hanging around her neck.

As she had done before, the girl listened to the surrounding sounds for a moment, and after confirming that no one was around, she activated the artifact hanging from her neck.

A magic circle was drawn beneath the girl’s feet. Along with the pillar of light that appeared immediately, the girl’s body disappeared somewhere, and the magic circle vanished as soon as her body disappeared.

“Have you arrived?”

Instantly transported to the Imperial Palace, the girl knelt on one knee in the direction of the voice and bowed her head deeply, pressing her palms to the floor.

Emperor Kykilia. The person she had to obey absolutely.

“Did you find the person you were looking for?”

But this time, there was another voice. As soon as the girl heard the voice, she stiffened and stopped moving. Golden eyes stared down at the motionless girl.

“Indeed, I have. I have finally found what I desired.”

“Hmm, is that so? If you’re reacting like that, it must be someone really special. I’m curious who it could be.”

“Would you like to see? I can guarantee you won’t regret it.”

“I won’t refuse. Then, let’s see.”

A voice filled with an elegant and mystical aura, different from Kykilia’s, snapped its fingers lightly. The girl, who had been lying prostrate on the floor, lifted her head abruptly.

From the two pupils that should have been empty, mystical ultramarine-colored eyes shone brightly.

Eyes that were the same color as the voice next to Kykilia.

“Oh my?”

How much time had passed? The end of her sentence rose slightly, as if she was a little surprised. Seeing that, the Emperor spoke triumphantly.

“Didn’t I tell you? I guaranteed you wouldn’t regret it.”

“Hmm, you’re certainly right. A child who has amplified her magical power this much in such a short time… It’s quite intriguing. The absolute value itself isn’t much, but that’s not what’s important.”

The ultramarine light overflowing from the eyes faded. The girl, whose eyes had returned to hollow black pupils, lowered her head deeply. The owner of the ultramarine eyes snapped her fingers again.

Then the girl’s body turned blue and scattered into mana, gathering towards the voice.

The girl was not a human from the beginning, but something made of magic. Yet, it was so elaborate and human-like that no one in the Silver Dawn Knights noticed.

The fact that the girl, despite being blind, could move around freely without any discomfort was also due to the special magic applied to her body.

Magic that subtly distorts the perception of those around her.

“To recover the mana you used, you must have really liked her.”

“I’m interested. I’m going to study that man as well, while improving this magic. It seems I’ll have to go to the Magic Tower instead of the Grand Library for a while.”

The woman with ultramarine eyes said so and drew a magic circle on the floor with a flick of her finger. Soon, the magic circle was completed, and a pillar of light enveloped the woman’s body.

“However, there is something I must make clear.”

The woman stopped the teleportation at Kykilia’s words. Her mystical eyes turned to Kykilia once again.

“I won’t mind you taking an interest in that man. I did, and I thought you would too.”

Golden eyes blazed fiercely.

“However, if you become more interested in him than I am, I will not stand idly by. Keep that in mind, Minerva.”

The woman called Minerva did not seem intimidated by the Emperor’s chilling warning. With a seductive smile, she disappeared into the pillar of light with her last words.

“Don’t worry and put aside your jealousy. I have no intention of doing that.”

Soon, the pillar of light faded, and the magic circle disappeared.

Kykilia, her eyes still blazing gold, stared at the spot where Minerva had disappeared for a while, then turned around sharply.