SYMDF 47

Chapter 47

[Due to the restraining force field surrounding the Imperial Capital, the flow of mana is limited. After a certain point in time, a curse enhancement effect can be gained.]
[The current player’s death probability is 27%.]

Ion had been trying to ignore the warning message floating above his head for some time. However, the dull throbbing headache gradually intensified. As if to prove it was no mere sensation, the death probability steadily rose.
[The current player’s death probability is 28%.]

His blinking slowed down noticeably. Worried about Ion’s condition, Duke Krager kept a close watch on him.
It was extremely rare for a coronation to follow immediately after a funeral. Holding two grand ceremonies back to back meant the process dragged on interminably. Concerned for his son, Duke Krager leaned in to whisper quietly.
“If you are very tired, find somewhere to rest. The building for this evening’s banquet will have rooms opened where you can avoid the crowds.”

Hearing this, Ion nodded obediently, realizing he could no longer endure.
“…Understood.”
“Be careful, since you’ll be alone.”

He could not bring servants or knights with him, and today the attendants were fulfilling their roles as nobles, so aid was scarce.
Although nervous, Ion slipped through the crowd and quietly left the hall. He felt the gaze of many upon him as he went, but his matters were urgent, leaving no time to care.

It was then that he spotted two figures concealed in the shadows of the corridor.
Paused in curiosity, his eyes met one person’s by chance, and a question-filled system window appeared.
[???
Age: ?? years
Occupation: Mage (estimated)
Features: Right eye blue, left eye black. Face is said to be consumed by magic, always wears a cloak.]

“…!”
This was the mage who had visited the Krager estate long ago with Vernian. Surprised not knowing why he was here, Ion’s attention was drawn to a voice that was not the mage’s.
“Duke Krager’s son?”

Turning, Ion saw a face unfamiliar to him. He guessed the person came from the Mage Tower because they wore a cape like the other.
“…Who are you to know me?”
[Unable to retrieve entity information.]

With no data, it seemed clear this was someone Ion had never met. When Ion questioned cautiously, the stranger placed a hand on his chest and bowed.
“I am Janice, servant of the great Clodel dynasty and…”

The introduction was long-winded. Ion’s headache worsened, and although he wished to leave, as a noble child of a duke he could not rudely turn his back.
“Master of the Mage Tower.”
“Mage Tower Master…?”

As the introduction ended, Ion flinched.
[Unable to save entity information.]
A message he had never seen before appeared.
‘What is this?’

Before he could reveal his doubt, Janice suddenly stepped close, locking eyes with Ion.
“You seem to need help.”

His pupils, so dark as to be indistinguishable, carried an eerie quality.

At that moment, an unexpected choice prompt appeared:
[Janice wishes to offer help to the player. Do you accept?

1. Accept 
2. Decline 
3. Do nothing]
   [This choice may affect the player’s survival.] 

‘Why is this happening now?’
Early on, there had been moments when tutorials or quests triggered unexpectedly when entering this body. But life had recently stabilized, and Ion had thought such things had ceased…
In any case, this was an ill omen, and Ion was no fool to accept unprovoked kindness from a stranger.
Naturally, he declined.
“No, it’s nothing important.”
[Entity’s goodwill or hostility cannot be measured.]
‘What on earth?’

It was a series of mysteries, but none were matters to confide in others just yet.
“Then I will take my leave first.”

Ion gave a slight nod of acknowledgment toward the junior noble, who lacked a formal title but was treated as a lower noble, and turned away, clutching his aching head. He urgently needed to find a place to rest.

Turning down a side corridor, Ion glanced back at Janice. Their eyes met briefly with the stranger’s heterochromatic gaze.
But…
‘What does it mean?’

The stranger’s lips curved into a faint smile.
Though ominous, there was no clear reason for unease.

Following Duke Krager’s advice, Ion entered the building designated for the evening banquet and slipped upstairs amidst preparations. Numerous rooms were set aside for those wishing solitude or preferring to avoid crowds.

Ion found a room with a bed and collapsed onto it.
Pale from lack of sunlight, his usual pallor worsened as he closed his eyes against the nagging headache. His hand instinctively moved to the mana stone at his throat.

He tried to calm his headache through deep breaths when he felt something wriggling in his pocket.
“Kkuuuu.”

Stretching like a yawn, Yomnyong, whose tail had been squashed by Ion’s body, emerged. The little creature looked up at Ion and pressed a small hand to his forehead, as if taking his temperature. Ion chuckled quietly at the gesture.
“Are you worried about me?”
“Kkuuk, kku.”

Yomnyong furrowed his brow and his large eyes filled with sorrow. With affection, Ion wrapped the tiny doll-like creature in his arms.
“It will be fine, I will recover soon. But your master is here now. What will you do? Return?”
“Kku?”

Yomnyong tilted his head, as if questioning the question.
“Didn’t you see Camillus earlier?”

For that question, the creature averted its gaze and feigned ignorance, perhaps disliking the topic. But Ion, having observed Yomnyong for years, knew the truth: the creature adored Camillus. So he proceeded unfazed.
“He seems to have come much stronger.”

Muttering, Ion recalled the image of Camillus he’d just seen.
Though himself small and stunted, Camillus appeared impressively large and solid—no longer the boy who once blushed before him.
He had grown into an adult, commanding enough presence to overshadow everyone around him.

Yomnyong then began to chatter, blending voice, gestures, and motions.
“Kkuuuu, kku!”

Ion, trained from eight years with Yomnyong, interpreted the speech.
“Your master was originally very strong?”

Yomnyong nodded fiercely and gestured eagerly again. Ion questioned back,
“From a long time ago… but your master is only twenty-four now?”

Dragons are known to live exceedingly long lives. Perhaps Yomnyong is younger than Camillus, seeming quite young itself.
“Kkuuuu.”

The meaning was roughly the same. Ion smiled.
“Looks like you have a crush on Camillus too.”
“Kkyu kkyu!”
“Don’t deny it. Eventually, you’ll side with Camillus.”
“Kkuuu…”

Foreseeing no counterargument, Ion closed his eyes again. His head felt pressed down like a heavy stone. Even lying down, seasickness overwhelmed him, and his expression soured.
“Kku?”

Yomnyong’s voice seemed to ask if he was alright. Ion pulled the creature closer for comfort and thought:
Sadly, when I meet Camillus again, I will have to give back the mana stone and Yomnyong.
No longer wishing to be held back by him.

Ion’s emerald eyes, blurred and fading, closed beneath heavy lids. Soon after, Yomnyong’s small snoring softly cut through the silence.

In the thick shadows of the corner, a wisp of black smoke rose, slowly coalescing into human form. Once fully formed, a figure clad in a cloak stepped out from the shadows.

Watching the sleeping Ion and Yomnyong silently, he lowered himself before Ion. Then, quietly taking his hand, he began to secretly infuse mana into him.

Amid the faint glow at his fingertips, the figure murmured to himself softly.
“Strange, the more I see, the stranger it becomes…”

Though fascinated upon first sight, the mystery only deepened with repeated observation.
Outwardly, he had grown into an ordinary young man, if slightly small in stature, but there remained one part that eluded even this body’s understanding.

He voiced a question despite knowing no answer would come.
“And you, what are you?”

In the shadowed room, Mariel gazed steadily at Ion with differing-colored eyes.
The child whose soul bore twin faces, Ion Krager.
Distinct from Camillus, he was another unusual individual.

Footnotes

Restraining Barrier of the Imperial Capital (황성 결계): Magical field that limits mana flow and affects spellcasting potency within the capital.