A cool, soft sensation came from his fingertips.
In the next instant, the familiar system text slowly emerged before Lynn's eyes.
【Physical contact condition met. Target's traits revealed.】
【Name: Irene Durandal】
【Mana: 1.3 (Barely entered Tier 1; the path of magic is long and arduous.)】
【Physique: 4.7 (A humanoid beast in the skin of a beautiful girl.)】
【Charm: 3.5 (White hair, white hair, white hair!)】
【Possessed Traits:】
【Mortal's Sword (Gold): You are not proficient in any advanced techniques, yet you have mastered all the basics. Millions of trials have forged your own unique 'Unadorned Sword.'】
【Natural Physique (Gold): Your physical body possesses near-infinite growth potential. Any tempering will yield rewards far exceeding ordinary people.】
【Eyes of Insight (Gold): You can perceive the emotions of all things, and easily discern the flow of others' mana and battle qi to strike their weak points.】
【Femme Fatale (Gold)】, 【Feral Instinct (Gold)】, 【Unyielding Spirit (Purple)】, 【Heart of Pure Glass (Purple)】...
“...”
Should he expect any less from an overpowered heroine?
'Is this absolute power creep or what?'
Five... That was a whopping five Gold traits! Both of you are warriors specializing in swordsmanship. Sena, look at your panel, why is it so pathetic!
(A certain Head Maid, comfortably slacking off while no one was home, sneezed.)
'If I had known, I wouldn't have looked so early...' Gazing at his Emotion Points, which had barely broken past 1,000, Lynn felt deeply regretful.
'Why isn't there some kind of free trait-draw benefit at a time like this? With my meager Emotion Points right now, I can't afford anything...'
Suddenly, the text on the panel flickered.
As if a tranquil lake had suddenly been struck from within by something, the entire translucent screen rippled with a bizarre shimmer.
Then, an unfamiliar shadow slowly draped over Irene's name.
【Abnormal mental fluctuations detected.】
【Unknown interference exists within the target's soul state.】
【Re-identifying...】
【Identification failed.】
In the next moment, the trait panel that had already been revealed was cleanly split into two from the center.
The left side still glowed with Irene's bright golden light.
But the right side was completely shrouded in a dark mist as thick as midnight.
【Name: ???】
【Mana: ???】 【Physique: ???】 【Charm: ???】
【Possessed Traits:】
【??? (Gold)】, 【??? (Gold)】, 【??? (Gold)】...
...The string of question marks made Lynn's eyelids twitch wildly.
He had never seen anything like this before.
Even when facing Sena, who was far above his level back then, the system had been able to accurately read her attributes and traits.
Yet now, Irene's panel could only display half. The other half seemed to be deliberately hidden by some entity, leaving even her basic name unidentifiable.
Lynn subconsciously tightened his grip.
Perhaps the contact wasn't sufficient enough?
“Lynn?”
Irene blinked in confusion.
The two of them had been shaking hands for quite a while, but the blond youth in front of her showed absolutely no intention of letting go.
Not only that, his expression had gradually shifted from surprise to confusion, and then from confusion to ghost-seeing shock.
Did a handshake between nobles of the Imperial Capital... really have to last this long?
Although Irene found it strange, she worried that pulling her hand away abruptly would seem impolite, so she could only continue to stiffly maintain the pose.
Her cheeks gradually turned red.
【Emotion Points +100】
“Young Master.”
A sweet, cloying voice sounded from beside him.
A sudden chill ran down Lynn's spine.
Lilian had stood up behind him at some point, her hands gently resting on his shoulders. The girl still wore a sweet smile, but there was not a hint of warmth in her azure eyes.
“It is just a self-introduction.”
She gently reminded him, emphasizing every word, “Holding hands for too long is very impolite~”
【Emotion Points +100】
Lynn quickly released Irene's hand.
“Ahem, I just felt that Miss Irene's hand... is very strong.”
“Really?”
Irene looked down at her palm, her expression suddenly filling with a bit of excitement.
Complimenting her hand for being strong—rounding it up, wasn't that basically acknowledging her swordsmanship?
This Young Master Lynn in front of her indeed had great taste.
“Your hand is very strong too.”
She returned the compliment, “It's much harder than I imagined.”
“...”
Why does a perfectly normal compliment sound so strange coming from your mouth?
Lynn was speechless.
But compared to these trivial matters, what was clearly more worthy of attention right now was the abnormal panel he had just seen.
Dual personalities.
This was the first thought that popped into Lynn's mind.
In the game's storyline, Irene had always been portrayed as a passionate, righteous, and never-giving-up hero.
She would stand up for strangers, grow furious over her companions being injured, and pick up her longsword again after countless failures.
Yet in some extremely specific side quests, players would occasionally catch glimpses of a completely different her.
Cold.
Silent.
Lacking interest in everything.
She would even gaze upon the world she was supposed to save with an almost misanthropic look.
The game had never explained this in detail. Players once assumed it was merely a special narrative choice temporarily added by the development team to add depth.
Others speculated it was a brief mental anomaly Irene suffered under immense pressure.
But looking at it now... perhaps it wasn't a narrative choice at all.
Inside Irene's body, another consciousness might truly exist. And judging by the system's reaction—
...the power possessed by that personality was likely not inferior to Irene's as the protagonist.
Lynn looked back at the white-haired girl in front of him.
Currently, Irene was looking down, arranging her napkin. Her light purple eyes were bright and soft, and a satisfied smile from being full hung on her lips.
No matter how one looked at her, she was a warm, cheerful, and occasionally airheaded super-beautiful girl.
Seemingly sensing Lynn's gaze, Irene raised her head.
“What is it?”
“Nothing.” Lynn shook his head, temporarily suppressing the doubts in his heart.
'Even someone like me, who has the game's plot memorized inside out... still has things I completely don't understand...'
He relaxed his body and leaned back against the soft seat.
“I just feel like... the days ahead are going to get more and more interesting.”
A biting, cold wind suddenly rushed through the carriage window, and drifting snowflakes landed on Lynn's outstretched palm.
“It's snowing?” Irene murmured softly.
“This phenomenon only occurs at the borders of the North, which means—”
On the distant horizon, the outlines of buildings gradually emerged.
Lilian followed his gaze, her pupils shrinking instantly.
It was a heartfelt shock from the magnificent sight before her.
“Isn't this... a bit too massive?”
It was an archway soaring straight into the clouds, with countless floating islands of various sizes quietly hovering beside it like stars surrounding the moon.
Characteristic Gothic buildings were densely hidden in the clouds, where crowds of people moving back and forth could be vaguely discerned.
The entire world seemed to collapse into this small plain. The train crawled into the giant's living room like a worm.
“Ah, indeed.” Lynn clenched his fists.
The Cradle of Magic, the Golden City, the Great Capital of the Kingdom... That city possessed far too many beautiful names like those, but besides that, the impression most deeply engraved in Lynn's mind was—
“It is the beginning of all stories—the Imperial Capital, Granmire!”
Rate on N.U.
