Chapter 41. Collaborator and the One Who Burns (1)

"What did you say?"

I stopped in my tracks abruptly.

Clack!

Startled, I clenched my teeth. Rena laughed at my reaction, her hand resting below her chest. It seemed to be a habit of hers when she laughed. I thought about my own habits. If repeated actions could be considered habits, maybe losing or breaking things were mine.

Rattle.

I resumed walking, and Rena kept laughing. Her slightly unhinged laughter echoed against the cave walls.

"

Ahaha...

you get startled so easily over little things. I was just joking."

"Joking?"

She nodded with a mischievous grin.

"Yes, it was a joke," she said, pouting slightly. "I just felt like I was the only one getting spooked all the time."

Our eyes met, and I noticed the remnants of drowsiness in her gaze had vanished.

"You kept saying things to startle me as soon as I woke up. Was it a coincidence, or are you just that observant?"

"Observant?" I asked.

"Yes, you pointed out all my weak spots so precisely. Anyway, thank you. I thought you were... pricklier."

"Prickly?"

I raised my hand and looked at it. Indeed, there wasn't much flesh covering it.

"

Haha...

I didn't mean physically. I thought you seemed guarded. Then again, living as a skeleton in this world, that's probably expected." Rena chuckled. "So, are you really curious about my mother?"

Rattle.

I nodded. I wanted to know more about her.

"She was a street woman, and she worked to satisfy men. She couldn't even charge much and mostly attracted lowlifes."

Rena briefly recounted her mother's life in a neutral, composed tone, and I didn't interrupt. The story was brief.

"She eventually died, torn apart by an illness and depression, without holding even a few coins for herself." After a pause, Rena added thoughtfully, "Hatred sticks to you like inertia, doesn't it?"

I didn't fully understand what she meant or why her expression held such sorrow, but I thought I understood a little.

"She couldn't adapt to life?" I asked implicitly about her mother.

"She just... couldn't go numb." Rena brushed the edge of a pendant with her fingertip a few times before tucking it back into her clothing.

Rattle.

I quietly mulled over Rena's story and stared at her. Our eyes met once more. If I had a heart, it might have quickened its beat. I felt a sense of closeness.

At that moment, a sound I had never heard before accompanied a translucent blue screen that appeared before my eyes.

Doo-doo-doo~♬

[Rena's Affection cap has increased by one level!]

[Current cap: 20]

[New cap: 40]

[Current Affection: 17]

What?

The bizarre sound shattered my thoughts.

An Affection cap?

Is that really a thing?

I recalled how Rubia's Affection for me had never surpassed 20.

So there's a fixed cap....

It didn't really matter, though. I looked at Rena. I had already decided how to treat her once I returned to this place, just like before. I would release her. She could run away or betray me, and I'd let her do as she pleased. I had made things difficult for her in the previous life, so this time, I would repay that debt.

For a moment, I felt uneasy about my own thoughts.

This life?

I was assuming I would keep returning to live these lives over and over again after death. Such a mindset was dangerous.

It's already changed.

I died five times. As a result, the timing of my rebirth had changed. In this world, Rubia no longer existed. She had died miserably. Rubia's death was part of a fixed past. There would be no chance to turn back. I hadn't returned to the beginning. It had become clear that this cycle was not guaranteed to be permanent.

I felt unsettled.

Can I really not go back?

I had hoped to become stronger and meet her again, to protect her properly this time. She had been someone I couldn't leave alone, someone I couldn't help but stay beside. But the memory of the brown-haired necromancer, the one who had been mercilessly cut down, had become part of the past.

Rattle.

A heavy feeling settled in my heart. In the next cycle, even Rena's death might be predetermined. It felt as though the air beneath my ribs was chilling and settling. The tension wrapped around me.

Tap tap.

To ease the tension, I tapped the hilt of my sword a few times with my fingers, the small sound echoing in the hall.

Rena looked at me intently.

I broke the silence. "Thank you for sharing your story."

"Oh, it's nothing. I just suddenly felt like telling it as well."

"Go rest in the city."

"What?"

"Just don't stay for more than ten days."

Beyond that, I would lose control over the dungeon, and my mind might succumb to it.

Rena looked taken aback at my words. "You're really letting me go?"

I nodded.

Rena blinked and let out a small sigh. "

Uhh

..."

"Don't you want to?" I asked.

She took a deep breath to calm herself. "No, I'll go."

This time, our conversation flowed a bit differently. She was more accepting of my decision to let her go.

"Sell that for me. I can't exactly handle the trading."

"

Haha...

alright." Rena nodded and gathered her belongings with practiced efficiency.

With her things packed, she began walking toward the dungeon's entrance.

As she left, I muttered to myself, loud enough for her to hear, "If someone feels like washing up in the river, it'd be wise to carry a weapon."

Rena glanced back at me, chuckled, and left the dungeon.

"..."

Rattle!

I realized I'd forgotten something important. I hadn't taught her how to open or close the stone walls or operate the mechanisms.

Guess I'll have to leave it open.

***

A night passed. The waiting wasn't filled with anxiety. It was different from waiting for Rubia because Rena was capable of protecting herself. For her, driving a dagger into someone's neck or pouring poison into their ear came naturally. She was not a child left out in the elements. Rena could handle herself effortlessly, especially men.

I waited with ease. By the second day, the dungeon felt confining, so I stepped outside. It was night. Sitting on a rock, I looked at the moon. Its light, which didn't penetrate inside, now washed over my body. It was the night of the new moon, close to the thirtieth day. The moon cast shadows over the autumn mountains and eerily tinted the closed doors of the ominous mausoleum. The chirping of the crickets on this autumn night felt friendly. I held my sword up to the sky as though drunk. Instead of moonlight, starlight rested on me, reflecting off my figure.

"..."

Rattle!

Something came to mind.

That cart with the scattered books.

There was a spot where books had spilled from a cart as if bandits had ambushed a book peddler. I had found it while strolling after tying Rena up. It wasn't far. Even if it were farther, I had a reason to go. Among those books were some that increased Wisdom just by reading them.

Was it... Kevin Ashton?

I absolutely had to get my hands on those two books by that author.

Swish!

I dashed across the ground. It didn't take long to reach the overturned cart, but only the cart was there. No books. No matter how many times I looked around, they weren't there. Nothing.

After circling the area a few more times, I realized I'd gotten the timing wrong. The books were already in the mausoleum. I had brought them to the corner of the dungeon. Because this was my first time coming to life at this point in time, it had confused me.

Swish!

I kicked off the ground and returned to the mausoleum. The skeletons still had not fully recovered, and the dungeon was very quiet, a good environment for reading. I quickly found the books I had stored in a corner.

On Unofficial Armed Groups of the World - 1

Kevin Ashton.

After confirming the author, I opened the book with a serious expression. Although I'd already read it, I was hoping to gain another point in Wisdom.

These poems, in over a hundred versions, were spread by the assassin group Red Flake to raise their own bounty...

I read up to the last page, but there was no real information of value.

Tap.

I closed the book, my heart tense. At that moment, I heard the system message sound.

Ding!

[Wisdom increased by 1!]

Got it!

Rattle!

My wisdom had gone up by 1. It might not seem like much, but the thrill of discovery made me want to dance. Reading a book I had already read had increased my Wisdom.

Status screen.

I summoned the status screen to confirm.

Ding!

[Name: None

Skeleton Soldier Lv. 1 (70)

Health: 34

Strength: 40

Agility: 39

Wisdom: 12]

[Skills:

Swordsmanship Lv. 5]

The blue window displayed my stats clearly. The Wisdom stat, which had been 11, was now 12. I hadn't specifically raised Wisdom but focused on Strength and Agility. Wisdom had never felt useful, but any improvement in stats was welcome.

Let's read something else.

It was another book by Kevin Ashton. This time, I took out

The Ugly Wizards

. It was a book filled with scorn and disdain for the Azura wizards. I read it with an even more serious attitude than before.

Without an Arcane Heart at birth, no effort or training can make a difference. Nobles and wizards alike are merely products of random chance, as though spinning a roulette wheel...

I nodded as I read. According to the book, I was an entity that couldn't use magic anyway. Even if my wisdom increased, it might be of no use.

Tap.

Another chime sounded when I closed the book, and my Wisdom increased by one.

Is it thirteen now?

Regardless, increasing stats was always good. Buoyed by excitement, I strolled through the dungeon with a light heart.

***

Several more hours passed. By now, it should've been morning. Though sunlight didn't enter, I could tell.

Ding!

[An intruder has entered the dungeon!]

[Number: 1]

Just one person. I walked toward the dungeon entrance.

It must be Rena.

Rena exclaimed happily, "Oh, you came for me!"

We spotted each other simultaneously. Her face seemed bright as she entered the dungeon. It looked like she had picked up a few things from the city.

She set down her bag and said, "So, how do you like my outfit?"

Initially, I had declined to give my opinion. This time, though, I decided to indulge her.

A different outfit.

It was different from the black evening dress she had worn before. It was a natural change since I hadn't devised any schemes to lure adventurers. Unlike the voluminous-sleeved evening dress, her leather jacket and pants now looked comfortable for movement.

"How is it?"

"It looks practical."

"That's it?"

"It suits you. It has lots of pockets, so it seems functional."

Rena pouted. "You don't have any comments about the sleek fit or anything?"

"

Hmm?

"

"Never mind. Next up..."

Rena stepped back and reached into her large bag beside her, pulling out a tightly wrapped object.