Chapter 34

The scary guy, the bad guy, the last guy (4)

'Was the author someone I knew? Those I studied with knew I went onto a publishing company... Is that why they sent me the manuscript?'

The nickname and the style of writing were mature, so it was an unexpected possibility. Jungjin wasn't familiar with his old classmates, so he wasn't sure who might've been an aspiring novelist. It felt like he had a fever as his heart pounded in his chest. When he thought that someone he didn't know was the author, it didn't matter, but once he considered it could be someone he knew, he felt oddly mixed up about it. Besides, that wasn't the only problem.

"Who is the Archbishop Istoria?"

She wasn't a person who existed in the previous manuscript. The answer came from not Kleio's head but a voice from behind him.

"The Archbishop was the last priest to hold divine power."

If God spoke, it would be in such a voice.

"The Archbishop Istoria, who had been asleep for thirty-two years, has now awakened, but she cannot speak, hear, or see. Since the blessing of the goddess Mnemosyne has completely left the ear, the religion left for us is nothing but a monument."

That pure voice made every word sound like a hymn.

"You might not be able to recognize the Archbishop at your age, Kleio Asel."

A person who could suffocate others with only his presence stood behind him. Kleio's body felt stiff, betraying the orders of his mind as he listened, immobile. Kleio struggled to turn around towards an unknown horror.

There he was. Melchior Riognan, crown prince of the Albion kingdom. Kleio's eyes went wide in astonishment. The black and white photographs in the newspapers had been insufficient to replicate his image. He wasn't someone who could only be reproduced with the sensitivity of light and shadow. His face lacked any elements that could help determine gender or age, like an angel that brought heartless revelations or a god carved of stone. Could he be called beautiful? Humans shouldn't be shaped that way. Anyone who faced Melchior would be overwhelmed by his inhumanity.

He had eyes that didn't blink, shaped too perfectly. The edges of his pupils were framed with a bright bronze color and a pale orange towards the center. The pupils hidden under his golden eyelashes were cold but radiant, and the color of his eyes grew darker as he gazed at Kleio. Kleio staggered back with shock. A sense of incongruity mixed with fear scratching at his insides. The prince of Albion was like a ghost on the screen, looking straight into the lens. It was like he was an actor who couldn't know the existence of the observers watching him, yet he was consciously staring back at them. Promise flashed and shined, a familiar string of golden letters grabbing Kleio's attention.

[Unique skill: Structural View

-It is the eye that sees the essence of objects.

-Users can grasp the true intention of the subject of the skill. History, status, and past with additional features...

-Users directly ◇@#$◈...

User: Melchior Riognan

□Speed: ∞

Additional function uses A□ Number of times: TQ@T$#h... ]

'Unique skill?!'

The letters continued.

[-Melchior Riognan is partly involved in the composition of the world.

-Melchior Riognan's unique skill and the item Promise could not retrieve information due to the conflicting characteristics $#^#@56□... ]

Suddenly, gravity seemed to press down on him. Kleio knelt, unable to overcome the pressure bearing down on his whole body. He began to tremble in fear as his breathing stopped, and cold sweat drenched his back.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeee-

A high-pitched ringing rang in his ears, pricking his brain like a sharp ice pick. At the same time, hot energy seared his left knee that was on the floor. Promise gave off a white light as if trying to protect him.

[□□□ Promise

-A serious threat to the user's mind has been detected. The 4th stage function, Separate, has opened.

-「Separate」 will free the user from Melchior Riognan's unique skill.

-Melchior Riognan cannot detect the history, condition, and true intention of the item user.]

"Heeok..."

His breath, which had stopped for a while, came back. His body greedily brought in the oxygen it had thirsted so desperately as his fear subsided and an artificial calm came over him. Melchior was still looking down at Kleio. Sitting on the floor, Kleio noticed gloves wrapped around the prince's delicate hands.

'Is the reason why the prince wears gloves because of that unique skill?!'

He thought it was a device to emphasize the delicacy of his personality since the manuscript didn't mention even once that the crown prince had a unique skill.

'You should've told me about this ability! Put a footnote or a post-it on the manuscript! Or maybe the author didn't know? Is this possible?'

"How can you defend yourself? You aren't part of the royal family..."

He was murmuring to himself, but thanks to Perception, he could pick it up.

'Is that because his skill didn't work? What, does it not work on his brothers?'

That could be the case. Kleio's own unique skill didn't work on Arthur, after all. The novel's title was -The Prince of Albion Kingdom-, and there were three princes on Albion. At first, he considered it referred to Arthur, but that might not have been the case. Arthur was deeply involved in the composition of the world, and Melchior was partially involved. Although their degrees were different...

'An antagonist is as important as a protagonist. If so, what about Aslan? It's getting complicated.'

Heavy silence weighed in the air between them. Kleio continued to breathe steadily. Even after his fear went away, his frustration remained. He could smell blood from this man. Finally, the prince's hand reached out, and his body reflexively moved back as if to avoid it.

'Oh, fuck.'

It was too late by the time he thought he shouldn't have reacted. Looking at Melchior nervously, the young man had a slight smile.

"It's late; I guess I was tired. I should wake up."

Reluctantly, Kleio grabbed the prince's hand.

"I've heard a lot about you."

'I guess his secret intelligence service knows everything, right?'

"It's good to meet you, crown prince."

Kleio awkwardly greeted him as he stood up. The crown prince, who held his hand, scrutinized Kleio's face like a man investigating a crime. He didn't realize it because of his appearance, but he was a tall young man with wide shoulders.

'Ah, how annoying... my body is still growing, but when will I be taller?'

The prince spoke with a graceful smile a beat later.

"It's okay; you don't need to be so formal. You are my brother's friend. It may be my first time seeing you, but may I call you by name?"

"Rather, it's an honor."

Melchior began to ask about Arthur's school life and Kleio's magic level. If he didn't know, he would think the two brothers had a full friendship. The crown prince's acting ability was better than Dione's.

'Is it because he has a good voice? If I didn't know the inside, I would've forgotten.'

Melchior's voice was great. If it were the era of radio broadcasting, he could've taken over the world in moments.

'Well, that's something that fits a politician better than royalty.'

As he answered dryly, Kleio was desperately thinking. Though their conversation seemed light, he felt an undeniable sense of crisis.

"-But the upset that happened with my brother was amazing. Probably a subspace creation skill?"

"Yes?"

"Kleio, you were also attacked in the back alley on the east side. I heard that there was trouble, so I was worried that your health might've suffered."

'...How much does this man know?'

With his unique skill, he would be able to uncover any secrets in the world easily. Even though he knew he could defend against it thanks to 「Separation」, he was on high alert.

"I was saddened to hear Arthur suffered, but I'm relieved that there is a wizard who can be relied on in the future."

It was a kind speech perfect for an older brother who truly cared about his younger sibling. His long lashes cast a shadow, and his concern seemed deep. If that were true, he would've attached a guard to Arthur. However, neither in the last manuscript nor this one, Melchior showed no such favor to Arthur. An intense migraine formed in Kleio's head as he watched Melchior's acting as if possessed. It felt like the pain was squeezing the inside of his skill. Again, Promise sent a clear warning.

[Unique skill: The charm of □□□]

[―Gives users a strong charm to gain love and admiration.

― Grants strong, convincing power to the user's voice.

User: Melchior Reignan]

'Wow, he'll cut me down even with my eyes wide open. What is this charm?'

It was clear that the charm was an element outside of the boundaries of the story, like Promise or Palimpsest. Its true name was still unknown.

'Is this author too generous? He gave a character that ability?!'

Promise popped up with another message a moment later. Perhaps Melchior's skill wasn't too advanced for Promise to block.

[―「Separate」 has liberated the user from Melchior Riognan's unique skill.]

It was clear that Melchior knew that his skill did not affect Kleio as he stared intently. It was that same look of a character looking outside the pages towards the book's reader.

'If a character can recognize the limits of the world, doesn't it mean this story is falling apart? Will putting in one NPC help?'

As Kleio speculated, the three princes already possessed imperfect memories. This was due to an error that occurred from rewriting the manuscript several times.

'In addition to that, the charm of □□□...'

Kleio had the Promise of □□□, but he wasn't a person who had a name in the original manuscript. However, could Melchior, who was a being involved in the composition of the world from the start, be something other than a person of this world?