The Hero’s Party Members Treat Me Well for Some Reason - Chapter 76



Imperial Expedition (10)

It was just like that time.

[WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!······]

Entering, the dangerously rising warning messages surged like madness.

An ominous darkness that obscured even a step ahead.

A chilling shiver creeping up my spine.

As if to prevent my approach to this place, all my senses were warning me.

[권 !으?# ¶띿맟궸⁋랣뮒···]

[저 !$⧓∏∐▣□■▣※▣···]

In the midst of it all, the system seemed to be malfunctioning, outputting broken characters.

But knowing that all of this was just bluffing, I simply ignored it and descended.

Before long─

[시 륅∑∏∀······]

Whoosh!

My vision brightened.

The ringing alarm in my head and the darkness that had obscured my path vanished, revealing an empty clearing.

A rough space devoid of any decoration or patterns.

The only peculiar thing here was a blue stone placed in the center. Without hesitation, I picked up the stone.

[달 ▣△뭻▲※궯#@%₩]

This made it the second one.

Of course, having two didn’t change anything.

Just because I had them didn’t mean I could use them right away.

‘In the game, gathering them increased the effect…’

Typically, it had extended the duration of power restrictions and incapacitation.

If the effects from the game were the same, then this item would likely be the same as well. Of course, it would be best if I never had to use it.

“Ugh… what the hell are you?”

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t predict the identity of this stone, so I pulled another stone from my pocket.

It was another stone I had obtained last time in the Chunghoe Fortress.

I thought maybe there would be some differences if I compared them.

Fortunately, I quickly discovered that difference.

“Huh?”

The names of the two were similar yet distinct.

[▣△뭻▲※궯#@&∑]

[Moon ▣△Moth▲※Gong#@%₩]

The broken letters remained the same. Yet among them, there was one character that stood out as particularly neat.

‘Moon.’

Thinking back, it had been like this before.

Every time the broken system window appeared, the first letter maintained its neatness. As if its performance had improved compared to before.

Of course, it could just be a simple coincidence.

It’s the same broken character, but it happened to appear as a neat letter, and perhaps I, foolishly, mistook it for something significant.

But without any clues, shouldn’t I cling to that at least?

With that thought, I gathered my items and stepped outside again.

And I couldn’t help but be startled.

“Huh, huh!”

Because right in front of the abandoned house was Yulis.

As if she had been waiting for me just moments ago.

“Wow, you scared me. How long have you been there?”

“······.”

Yulis looked at me with a meaningful expression.

“I just… found you while investigating and followed you…”

She continued speaking.

“And I stumbled upon this scene.”

“Haha…”

I laughed awkwardly.

In a word, it meant it was a coincidence.

As I stood there awkwardly, she leaned her head in to take a closer look inside.

“…That thing we saw last time is here too.”

It seemed she had noticed it as well. That large hole.

I thought its presence was so faint that she wouldn’t notice, but it seemed I had inadvertently made it recognizable when I popped out.

Thanks to that, I lost my words.

What should I say in my defense? No, can I even defend myself in the first place?

I don’t even know exactly what that is, so what should I say?

As I pondered these thoughts, she let out a sigh.

“Is that perhaps a difficult topic to discuss?”

I remained silent without any response.

Whether the silence itself became an answer, she continued speaking.

“If that’s the case, I won’t pry any further. But it’s not dangerous, right…?”

This time, I fervently nodded my head.

“Then that’s good.”

I let out a sigh inwardly.

Thank goodness. I’m relieved she didn’t pry. The moment this space is discovered by Ennen, it would become a headache, so I have to be careful with my words.

I don’t know why, but I could feel that she was being considerate of me.

Normally, I would have been suspicious, but this time I decided to simply appreciate her thoughtfulness.

Thanks to her approaching me, I had become somewhat comfortable around her.

With my mind at ease, I suddenly asked her something I was curious about.

“Oh, by the way, Saintess.”

I figured this much wouldn’t be a problem to ask.

“Do you happen to know anything about the moon?”

“The moon? Are you talking about the moon that rises at night?”

“Just… everything about the moon. Anything at all.”

“The moon, the moon…”

She lowered her head as if pondering deeply.

After a brief silence, her eyes widened in surprise.

“Wait, could it be…?”

“What is it?”

I asked her, seeing her reaction.

“No, it’s nothing. I must have been mistaken.”

But the only response I got back was her vague answer.

“It’s getting late. I should head back first. You must be tired too, so make sure to return before it gets too late.”

And then she hurriedly turned to leave.

She looked as if she was running away from something.

‘There’s definitely something going on.’

Thanks to that, I couldn’t help but think this way.

There is something there. It’s just that I don’t know what it is.

From what I can see, she seems to know something, but it seems she can’t tell me.

If that’s the case, there’s nothing I can do.

‘I have no choice but to find out on my own.’

Thinking that, I headed back to the center of the territory.

To be precise, to the library there.

*

The library is the cradle of knowledge.

Even in this world, where information is heavily controlled, that fact remains unchanged. It is the same that not only a specific class but also ordinary citizens can enter.

However, the difference is that most people in this world cannot read letters, and there is no one to easily teach them.

Anyway, back to the point.

I was currently reading a book in the library.

The reason, of course, was to find information about the ‘moon.’

“Ugh… No matter how much I search, nothing comes up.”

But unfortunately, there was no progress.

If it’s about the moon, it’s just fairy tales about the moon in the sky.

The meaningful content I wanted was nowhere to be found, even with my eyes wide open.

It seems like there should be something.

Yet, there is not a single piece of information I can find.

In the first place, there was very little relevant material about the moon.

Still, isn’t it strange? The moon is just sitting there in the night sky, yet these people have no interest in it.

“Haah…”

As a result, I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

No matter how much I look, I can’t figure it out. There needs to be some information to make inferences.

So, I closed the book. When I suddenly looked outside, it was already late at night.

The number of people walking on the street had decreased, and now only the investigation team looking for the puppet corps was bustling about.

The library, which had been crowded around sunset, now had only two or three people left. Come to think of it, people had started leaving gradually since I came in…

‘Could it be because of the curse?’

Just then, as I realized this uncomfortable reality and was about to slap my knee in realization, a person entered my line of sight. It was a member of our party, slightly shorter than an adult woman, with strikingly fiery red hair.

It was Lily.

Now that I think about it, it seems she was also doing research in the library.

Indeed, her concentration was that of a true magician. Even with this cursed body appearing, I didn’t expect to catch her eye even once.

Because of that, I had this thought.

‘Should I approach her?’

In the past, I wouldn’t have even considered it for fear of what she might say.

These days, she had become quite amiable. She would apologize first and often glance my way.

I don’t know what caused this change, but in any case, it was easier to approach her than before.

So, I went up to her.

To be considerate, I called out to her from a few steps away.

“Excuse me, Lily.”

“Ah!? W-when did you get there?”

Unfortunately, my consideration backfired.

“I’ve been here for quite a while. By the way, what are you doing here, Miss Lily?”

“Me? I’m just… not really suited for running around.”

She held up a book to show me.

It was a dictionary-like book related to the Four Heavenly Kings.

“I was just looking through this book while doing some research.”

On the page she showed me, there was a drawing of a puppet master.

It was somewhat clumsy and had some missing details, but it contained information that humanity had bled for up to now. As expected, there was a lot of information about the well-known Four Heavenly Kings.

“Um, could you not just stand there and sit in front of me…?”

As I stared at her blankly, she cautiously spoke to me. It seemed my standing was making her uncomfortable.

I sat down in the seat in front of her, just as she suggested.

And it didn’t take long for me to realize.

‘Wait… did she just consider me?’

Really?

Even with this dark curse clinging to me?

Just a few weeks ago, she hated me so intensely?

Her astonishing demeanor didn’t end there.

“Um… about what Lord MacGuff said earlier today. Like I mentioned before, don’t take it too much to heart… He’s quite a radical person, after all.”

She actually comforted me!

Goodness, this is a scene you wouldn’t even easily find in games.

There must be something going on. Or maybe it’s a high-level deception.

I don’t know why she’s acting like this, but it’s a good thing for me. It’s just perfect.

I had something I wanted to learn before facing the puppet government anyway.

“Excuse me, Lily.”

“Yeah?”

She perks up as I call her.

I took a breath and then made my request.

“Could you teach me just one magic spell?”

It would be faster to learn from someone than to self-study.