Damned System

Chapter 88. The Beginning of Change (4)

It had been an almost reflexive reaction.

The situation had been bothering me immensely.

It wasn’t the first time someone from a different religious group, not Palao, had visited.

Since staying at Rashar’s mansion, it had been a daily occurrence for ten days out of the eleven I had been there.

The only day I didn’t have visitors was simply because I wasn’t around.

And they didn’t just come from one place, either.

The current visitor was from the Order of Agnotia, but about 20 minutes earlier, a priest from the Order of Temoria had arrived.

They were waiting despite my refusal to meet them.

And they weren’t the last of them to come. Not yet, anyway.

‘Another day, another set of four.’

The four other religious groups, apart from Senoa, Karlos, and Palao, were coming to visit me every single day.

“Whew.”

I let out a deep sigh.

At first, I thought I should at least try to understand what was going on, but not anymore.

Meeting them seemed like a waste of time now.

I had already figured out their purpose.

‘They’re trying to recruit me.’

Even though I had already chosen Palao’s faction, they kept coming, attempting to persuade me to switch to their side instead.

They promised to provide everything needed for my transfer.

They tried to convince me with composed attitudes, but if you looked closely, you could see them practically drooling as they spoke.

At first, I couldn’t figure out why they were acting that way.

Objectively, I didn’t think I was that valuable.

Sure, I had contributed to connecting the two worlds by meeting with the gods, but that was in the past.

‘There’s actually no reason to keep me.’

It was clear they were interested in me because they were hoping for something in the future.

There wasn’t much need for exploration to discern the reason.

‘The Mark of the Alliance.’

The reward Senoa had given me.

I couldn’t shake off the feeling it was because of that Trait that made the various religious factions interested in me.

‘Having a player capable of using the authority from a different faction?’

It was a gain if you looked at it; there was no way it could be a loss.

‘Perhaps they heard it through the gods.’

Other gods had been observing when Senoa had given me that feature.

Thinking this far led me to another question.

How on earth did they know I was here?

As the question lingered, my mind fleetingly brought up an image.

‘Maybe “that guy” was the one who talked.’

Hesserma Rivel, the one who knew my name, my appearance, my past actions, and even my whereabouts.

‘I’m not certain, but it’s a suspicion.’

Hesserma was the only outsider who knew I had gone to Rashar’s mansion.

‘But it would be quite the timing.’

Their visits had begun even before I had toured the city of Habon by carriage.

“Tsk.”

Even though it had only been ten days since I arrived, I could already see a slew of unpleasant faces in my mind.

‘People are the same everywhere, huh.’

Taking a couple of meetings to gauge the situation was all it took.

I was drained by the priests’ daily attempts to meet me despite being refused already.

My view of them wasn’t about to soften because of that practice either.

Their one-sided visit requests and proposals were causing damage to those uninvolved as well.

Every time they visited as guests, the mansion’s staff became tense, and Chandler ended up being summoned like an errand boy.

‘The priests have far too much social standing.’

This was a place where the seven great gods existed, and their creeds held the world together.

It’s only natural the religious authority was more powerful than royal authority here.

As a result, the social status of priests was not something one could easily overlook.

It was the reason Chandler was called upon every time a guest arrived from the temple.

Rashar being absent meant Chandler, overseeing the mansion, held the highest position here.

‘Their pretentious inner self shows.’

Their unwillingness to even receive hospitality from lower-ranked folks fouled my mood.

So far, I had played my part silently, respecting my stance as a guest.

My actions could affect Rashar and the Bennett family.

But letting these one-sided visits persist, I couldn’t let happen.

After taking some time to organize my thoughts, I asked Chandler.

“What about Temoria?”

“They’re still waiting in the drawing room.”

Despite my explicit refusal to meet them, they were staying put.

“Is there no way to send them back?”

“Not from my end.”

Then that meant I could. Since they were my guests.

Tap, tap-tap, tap.

I changed my line of thinking as I tapped my knee with my fingers, considering a way forward.

‘I don’t really know the customs here.’

In case of an unintentional mistake, I could cause inconvenience to Rashar.

To prevent such an outcome, it was time to seek advice.

“What do you do here when you have a guest you don’t want to see?”

“You do as you’re doing, sir. Most leave when refused.”

A reasonable answer, though not the solution I was hoping for.

“However, if the requests persist beyond that…”

The ‘solution’ followed the commonsense answer.

“There’s a formal process where you send a written request to refrain from visiting, leading to controlling access.”

“Oh.”

Rather than politely asking them to leave, it leaned more towards using force to block them.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted.

The constant visits from the priests were becoming increasingly irritating.

However, before jumping in, there was a final need for prudence.

“Is it really alright to do this? Won’t it cause trouble for Rashar?”

With a hint of hesitation remaining in my question, Chandler smiled softly.

“Fortunately, as you’ve already joined…”

“Hmm?”

“If you officially declare your stance, the young miss would have a valid reason to take active involvement.”

“Ah.”

Indeed, it was fortunate I had joined the Palao order.

‘Rashar seems to be like the comprehensive head of the Habon branch within the order.’

Meaning the management of outsiders staying in Habon fell under her jurisdiction.

If I said I didn’t want to meet representatives from other orders, she would have ample grounds to intervene.

‘I hesitated for no reason.’

In a noticeably lighter tone, I said, “Let’s refuse all future meetings. I particularly do not wish to meet anyone from the four factions that have frequently visited recently.”

“Understood.”

With a gentle smile gracing his face, Chandler departed.

Even though I had refused the meetings, I knew this wasn’t the end.

Human greed was vast, and there were many justified in acting wrongly for apparent benefit.

‘I’ll need to stay vigilant for a while.’

One could never predict what actions might occur behind the scenes.

Shaking my head and forcing those thoughts away, I refocused on training.

Finding a solution for the stagnant progress in mana control had become crucial.

This time, I opted for maximizing the duration of mana control, akin to a long-distance marathon.

After collecting my thoughts, I started mana control. It continued for over two hours without pause.

So engrossed I was in working up a sweat alone in the training room…

A near presence slightly disrupted my focus.

But eager to prolong my mana control, I ignored it.

Nobody within this mansion intended me harm, after all.

While it seemed someone had come with some business with me…

‘Unless it’s something really urgent, if I appear unfazed, they’ll likely leave.’

I deliberately resisted the now steadily approaching presence.

But rather than retreating, the presence ventured closer.

Wondering if I should stop my training, the swift realization of something suddenly grabbing the collar of my circulating mana within changed my viewpoint.

“Gasp!”

Right at the threshold of resistance, I understood.

This was less about being pulled and more about being guided.

I followed that sudden intrusion, setting aside minor resistance.

The final destination was the heart.

The movement that led me urged the mana to spread evenly and thinly.

Clenching my teeth, I crafted the mana as thin as a feather, like bonito flakes.

Then, internally, one layer after another began to be stacked, just as a message appeared.

「Mana Manipulation is attempting an evolution to Mana Control!」

Without a single ounce of exaggeration, I scraped together every last bit of strength I possessed.

Layer upon layer, stacking one on top of the other.

Every layer of mana choked my breath.

It wasn’t simply a matter of being short of breath from strenuous activity.

Imprisoned in an unending cycle of efforts, I felt like I’d spend an eternity trapped with this sensation.

Time felt endlessly prolonged, struggling within it.

Until I couldn’t hold any longer and ended up conceding.

「The evolution attempt has failed.」

“Hah!”

In a rush, I filled my lungs back with air.

I’d sweat so much that the training room floor was soaked by now.

The unfamiliar lingering sensation of the experience didn’t easily fade.

As I collected myself, I instinctively groped around my chest, hoping perhaps for any trace left behind, but nothing remained there.

The carefully stacked and layered mana was no more.

The sense of fatigue was so great that all strength had ebbed from my body.

“Whew.”

Opening my eyes after a deep breath, I was greeted by a familiar face.

“…… Did you come?”

“I’ve returned, K.”

It was Rashar, who had been summoned and had left.

She stood gazing at me sprawled on the ground.

With an effort costing me every bit I had, I extended my quivering arms, and Rashar firmly grasped and helped me sit up.

With her support, I sat upright, receiving a blend of consolation and encouragement.

“You did well.”

“What was that just now?”

“It was the process of forming a core.”

Creating a more complete sword aura required being a high-ranking knight, which involved the formation of a mana core.

Typically in Bihar, knights without a core were regular knights, while those with a core were high-ranking knights.

“You guided me towards forming that core?”

“I merely led the way.”

Upon listening, I realized it was rather simple.

“Even with guidance, many fail to produce a core.”

Even though embodying mana to become a regular knight was tough, it didn’t compare to forming a core.

The difference was so stark it felt like dealing with an entirely different world.

“Only those who have concentrated their effort, skill, mental strength, and enough mana can own a core.”

Listening to Rashar’s explanation, I thought back on the phenomenon from earlier.

Attempting to replicate it, Rashar stopped me with a gentle hand on my shoulder, shaking her head.

“I understand your regrets, but you should retire for the day. Rest is part and parcel of training; don’t forget it.”

So engrossed had my focus been, I realized the sky had turned pitch black.

Instead of insisting, I reluctantly got up.

My legs trembled so badly that I had to rely on Rashar’s support.

On top of that, I had a nosebleed again.

“Aren’t you overdoing it?”

“Recovery is swift, so it’s fine.”

I lightly replied to Rashar’s worried questioning as I discreetly wiped away the nosebleed.

“But still…”

“I can’t afford the luxury to proceed cautiously, safe, and slow.”

There wasn’t room to progress leisurely and grow at ease.

What if, due to ill-preparation, I missed my chance in the future?

I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself.

Not to mention, there are plenty of reasons to hurry.

‘There are higher level corrupted areas yet to be unlocked.’

My problems were piling up one after another.

However, I couldn’t let myself be forever entangled with problems directly in front of me.

‘I mustn’t be hasty, yet there’s a need to hurry.’

Just because I couldn’t intervene didn’t mean those problems wouldn’t affect me.

‘This assembly decree that just came through as well.’

Rashar, I suspected, had just experienced such a higher-level corrupted area.

Players, myself included, had not grown enough to enter such places.

But that didn’t mean there were no issues there.

It just meant players currently lacked the capacity to solve any problems arising from those places.

I couldn’t allow this to repeat indefinitely.

I refused to be swept along by the tides, helplessly unable to lift a hand.

“Ahem!”

It was then Rashar’s voice beckoned my attention with a soft clearing of the throat.

Damned System