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Chapter 48
Lake of the Dead (2)
“We’ve been circling the same place over and over.”
Cedric, who was driving the carriage, finally voiced his frustration.
“Cedric, are you bad with directions?”
“How pitiful. You can’t even handle something as simple as steering a carriage?”
Izumi’s innocent question and Lilliana’s sharp rebuke both flew at him. The only one who stayed quiet was me.
“Both of you, wait a moment.”
[Eye of Mana: 300,000p]
[You can directly see mana through your eyes. When this skill is active, a white cross-shaped mark appears in your pupils.]
My current points were about 300,000.
It seemed like the right time to finally buy that skill I had only browsed before.
[Purchase complete.]
[You have acquired the skill ‘Eye of Mana.’]
[Remaining advance points: 901]
And once I activate it—
[Skill ‘Eye of Mana’ is now in use.]
My blue eyes gleamed.
“Yus? Your eyes—”
“Shh.”
What I could see with this skill was only the mana drifting in the air.
If my real sight were intact, would it have overlapped with my normal vision?
The world through [Clairvoyance] was always slightly different from normal sight—more like adjusting the camera angles in a computer game.
I zoomed [Clairvoyance] out while viewing mana, catching a glimpse of myself. My black pupils split into white cross-shapes, which looked a little grotesque.
…And of course, there was no way to turn off this effect.
More importantly—this is dizzying.
Holding two separate visions at once was hardly something a normal human could adapt to. I adjusted the clairvoyant view until it more closely aligned with what my real eyes should’ve seen.
There. Now it’s clear.
And so was the cause of our problem.
“Cedric, this isn’t your fault.”
“…Are you trying to defend me?”
“It’s different.”
I shook my head at Lilliana.
“This whole area is wrapped in mana. It’s a trap—forcing us to loop the same path endlessly.”
“You can sense mana?” Izumi asked, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
“Or… does it have something to do with Yus’s eyes?”
I nodded.
“After the battle with Changcheon, I suddenly gained the ability to see mana.”
“You mean your sight returned?” Cedric cut in hastily.
“No. I’m still blind… but I can literally see mana now. I wasn’t sure it would even work.”
The three of them blinked at me.
“Think of it as reading the flow of wind against a black backdrop—that’s what it feels like.”
“I think I get it,” Lilliana muttered, stroking her chin.
“Mana is a type of energy, after all. When I first fired a gun, I glimpsed something like a mana flow myself. It was brief, but it was there.”
“You saw mana? A human?”
“Ordinarily, it should be impossible.”
Lilliana’s gaze slid toward Cedric.
“There are realms beyond what a common constitution like yours could ever imagine.”
“Hah! You trying to provoke me?”
“Both of you, enough.”
I silenced the two who were already bristling at each other.
So Cedric still can’t…
Being a demon, Cedric should’ve been able to see mana almost the same way I did, but perhaps since he hadn’t awakened yet, he remained clueless.
Lilliana, however—
So she’s seen mana…
That was unexpected.
In the original story, only demons like Cedric could perceive it.
Could it be because her mana circuits were damaged?
Maybe that unique constitution had manifested. In any case, it was a good thing. In this world, being able to see mana was a gift more precious than life itself.
“So Yus, is there no way out? Once the sun sets, we won’t be able to see anything.”
“It’s already setting,” Lilliana said, pointing at the horizon.
True enough, the sun was dipping behind the western hills, painting the sky a deep crimson that would soon sink into complete darkness.
“There’s no choice. We should find a spot to camp nearby and try escaping tomorrow.”
“I’ll prepare everything. You rest in the carriage.”
Before I could argue, Cedric lifted me into his arms.
“Cedric!”
“You’re already worn out from the long ride. You’re not sleeping outside.”
“But… everyone else will be busy setting up camp. At least let me help with the cooking—”
“Just stay still.”
“Yus, you just rest!”
Their refusal was instant and firm.
Well… fair enough.
Making a crippled, blind girl cook would be cruel.
Of course, my vision was just fine, but still.
I guess I should rest, if only for my legs.
It really was inconvenient.
I’d always carried a staff, but there was a world of difference between pretending to use it for balance and actually needing it like a crutch.
Should I reset?
So far, every skill I’d bought had been permanent.
The only exception was [Extra Life].
Which brought me to a question—
Can I buy it multiple times?
It seemed possible. Unlike other skills, [Extra Life] never disappeared from the shop after I purchased it. Only the price tag had vanished.
So multiple purchases are possible, just more expensive.
The system always priced skills based on their utility—like adjusting growth in an RPG.
By that logic, the second purchase would probably cost somewhere between 500,000 and a million points.
If it suddenly demanded ten million, that’d be ridiculous.
This wasn’t a pay-to-win game; there was no point in making it impossible to buy.
Either way, an extra life was an expensive investment. If I were going to use one, I had to make that death count.
“Will you stay here, Lady Lilliana?”
“Someone has to guard you. Since I’m the least mobile, it makes sense for me to stay.”
She dismissed Cedric and Izumi, then sat down heavily inside the carriage.
“By the way, does seeing mana also let you sense presence? You noticed me right away, even though I didn’t make a sound.”
“I’m not looking at mana right now. I noticed because of your scent.”
“My scent?”
Startled, she stiffened and quickly sniffed at her arm, looking exactly like a flustered golden retriever. I couldn’t help but laugh.
“You always smell of fresh flowers, Lady Lilliana. Is it because you use the same perfume at the palace?”
“That… that’s what I smell like? Even now?”
“Scent doesn’t fade so easily.”
She glanced down at herself with a curious expression.
“Fresh flowers, huh. Makes me sound like a hothouse plant. Not very flattering.”
“Why? I like that about you.”
“…You—you don’t even get embarrassed saying things like that?”
“Not at all.”
People change.
But change always comes with pain.
Sometimes, living unchanged in the safety of a greenhouse might be a happier fate.
Not that it applies to me anymore.
Once you set out on an adventure, change is inevitable.
Izumi smelled of sweets, always carrying a faint chocolate fragrance.
Others carried the scents of blood, sweat, dust, steel, or talismans burning.
Everything changes.
Just as Cedric, who once smelled like bread, had become a scentless assassin.
When I shared these thoughts, Lilliana gave me a strange look.
“Are you really twenty-two?”
“Yes, I am.”
“…I don’t understand.”
“You’re only three years older than me, Lady Lilliana.”
“Well, yes, but…”
She sighed, running her fingers through her soft golden hair. Her butterfly-like lashes fluttered.
“You really are a strange one.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“It wasn’t meant as one.”
“Still… you do like me, don’t you, Lady Lilliana?”
“W-what?!”
She jumped up like a cat doused in water.
“I do not!”
What a delightful reaction.
Unlike Cedric, who always fell into teary repentance mode, or Izumi, who was basically a wide-eyed lunatic, Lilliana had the perfect “impact factor.”
…She’s the best, isn’t she?
She definitely had the talent for being a punching bag—though she’d probably get angry if anyone but me teased her.
“Yus! Lilliana!”
Just then, the carriage door swung open.
Izumi peeked in, tilting her head at Lilliana’s flustered state.
“Lilliana, what’s wrong with you?”
“Ahem. Nothing of concern.”
“Really? …Oh! Cedric and I found something amazing!”
Apparently, Izumi had already dropped the honorifics with Cedric. Either incredible friendliness, or sheer rudeness—both very protagonist-like.
“Found what?”
“While we were circling the area, a village suddenly came into view.”
“More precisely, a lake and a village,” Cedric added, stepping in behind her.
“A village hidden within mana, suspicious as that may be… it’s better than sleeping outdoors. We should take the carriage there.”
