A Transmigrator’s Privilege-Chapter 249

A space decorated with colorful, geometric patterned tiles.

There were waterways running through the area, and at the center, a fountain that trickled water softly.

<The garden?>

In fact, there were no flowers or trees. The soil of Sanarak is not one that nurtures life but instead kills it, so not even a cactus could survive.

Still, as Agnes had said, it looked like a small flower garden.

The flowers and trees, made of jewels, reflected the light of the twilight stone, sparkling.

Petals hit by droplets of water produced a sound as clear as the music of a glass harp.

It was like being in an exotic garden built in an oasis, and I almost became mesmerized by the light and sound.

"Honestly, it's a beautiful place."

<As much as I hate to admit it, it's true.>

The earthen tiles, in particular, caught my attention.

Unlike the stained glass in the Holy Office, this opaque, colorful beauty was both mysterious and beautiful. [The 'Architect of the Tower of Trials' explains it's in the Arabesque style.] I crossed the flower bed path with neither haste nor slowness.

At the center of this lifeless garden was a pretty pavilion.

The roof, patterned with holes, was quite charming. To get to the other side of the path, I had to pass through here.

As I was about to step into the shadow cast by the roof,

<Ayleth.>

It wasn’t a loose voice. The soft call was an effective warning that dug into my ears.

Someone was there.

I took half a step back, tensing every nerve, ready for anything.

Step, step...

The sound of slow footsteps reached me.

When I felt that the other person was deliberately making noise, a figure appeared from behind a pillar's blind spot.

The silhouette, emerging from the darkness, took on color and form under the twilight stone's light.

My eyes widened at the familiar figure.

The person spoke.

"Child."

"......"

It was as though a white moon had risen in the oasis of the night.

Pure silver hair that seemed to be born from the ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) moonlight, eyes the color of the oasis water.

And even the pure white paladin uniform, befitting of sincerity and goodness.

"......"

Tesilid Arzent was standing right there in front of me, as if he were a dream.

‘How?’

While my gaze was filled with questions, Tesilid, standing in front of me, merely smiled like a work of art.

A moment later, his voice, like a string instrument, resonated.

"So you've finally come, child."

The one who welcomed my presence took a few steps closer. I silently watched as he approached.

Three steps, two steps, one step.

When he was just a half-step away, he gently extended his right hand toward me.

His irresistibly charming face grew closer as his hand moved to gently caress one of my cheeks.

In that moment.

"There's no ring, and no cufflinks either."

"......"

"Isn't that a bit careless?"

"......Oh."

The words, neutral yet slightly sarcastic, slipped out. His feigned discomfort felt hardly convincing.

He didn't step back.

He stayed close enough that our breaths almost mingled, then, as though it were his turn, he spoke.

"I was wondering how far you'd allow this."

"......"

"Don't you feel any resistance to this face, this distance?"

"What kind of answer do you expect?"

Our gazes collided fiercely.

And just like that, the confirmation was complete. We called each other at the same time.

"Reed."

"Ayleth Rodeline."

Only then did the charming face of the man in front of me recede. Smiling, he spoke as if teasing.

"You should have stopped me just a little later."

"......"

Was the regret genuine, or was it mockery?

I didn’t respond to his ambiguous words.

More pressing was the issue right before my eyes. [‘The World-Constructing Incantation’ is startled.]

[‘The Secretive Investigator’ is flustered.]

[‘The Scales Judging Souls’ is confused.]

I too was equally stunned.

What stood before me was a pure-looking, handsome man with silver hair and sea-colored eyes.

<How... how can the corrupted Reed look like this? He’s the master of the demon sword, right? The Demon Sword... the Holy Sword should be bound until death, so how can he appear like this...? Did he change with magic...? >

Agnes' words unraveled my confusion. As my mind became a whirlwind of thoughts, I couldn't help but chase after them.

In the meantime, I observed Reed closely.

He never even glanced at my necklace, his gaze fixed solely on me.

"......"

And then it hit me.

So it’s true, Reed.

‘You can’t hear me.’

Another piece of evidence piled up in my hands.

If I let go without grasping it, would it slip away like this? I thought this for a moment, but then bitterly mocked myself.

...Of course, this wasn't the time for such thoughts.

I snapped back into focus and voiced my question.

"How did you manage to look like this?"

"This is my true form."

"The Demon Sword's master shouldn't say that."

The power of the Demon Sword to alter the host's appearance is absolute. It overwhelms the effects of any magic or artifact.

Reed smirked as he pulled his lips into a smile.

"There's something you don’t know."

"......"

"You seem to be doing well."

As expected, Reed was cunning. He took me off guard and then swiftly changed the subject.

However, the words that followed carried a certain significance.

"Try to figure it out. You're smart, so I’m sure you'll notice before I die."

"......"

"I'm curious to see what kind of eyes you'll look at me with then."

"......"

Was it just me, or did he seem to want me to understand the answer, given that he avoided answering earlier?

I couldn't guess what he intended or expected.

I felt the distinct realization that Reed had become a shadowed figure from the original.

Then, in a teasing tone, Reed stirred my thoughts.

"Ayleth Rodeline, don’t you want to come to me?"

"What?"

"I’ll treat you like a queen."

I almost blurted out what a ridiculous statement that was.

With my guard raised, I opened my mouth and decided to ignore his absurd proposal.

"So, why have you shown yourself before me? Didn’t you learn that meeting each other doesn’t end well for either of us?"

"Doesn’t end well... In this situation, that's a contradictory statement."

Reed looked at my face with a detached gaze.

When I gave him a confused look, he chuckled, as though sighing, and turned his attention away from me.

"You’re heading to the Altar of Chaos, right?"

"So everything’s part of your plan."

"Come along. I’ll guide you."

Reed turned and began walking ahead. I stared at his receding back, pondering.

Was this to show me that he had no ill intentions?

If so, was this time a reprieve before the inevitable catastrophe?

After a brief moment of contemplation, I silently turned on my heels and caught up with him.

Our shoulders brushed, but for some reason, the companionship felt like parallel lines with no intersection.

Swoosh.

Reed shed his deception. His silver hair grew dark in an instant, and the clear sea in his eyes became tainted with blood.

He tore off the paladin uniform he had been wearing and burned it with fire.

Back to the chaos and demonic energy he once had.

Thanks to Reed's swift actions, I quickly regained my breath and steadied myself.

"This way."

Reed led me to a dead-end.

This time, there were no mysterious cat bronze reliefs offering riddles. Instead, as soon as we stood at the end, a gridded iron gate came down.

Clank!

"......!"

In an instant, we were trapped in a narrow prison.

Before I could react, the space that imprisoned us separated from the corridor.

Thud, thud, thud...

The vertical force decreased as the floor slowly began to descend. The view beyond the bars passed by rapidly, the layers flashing by.

‘There’s an elevator.’

I realized my position was changing rapidly on the map, in a vertical direction.

As I stared ahead, waiting for our arrival, a low, mellow voice echoed in my ears.

"By the way, did you know?"

"What?"

"I met that guy in the Magic Tower."

That guy. The vague reference was obvious.

"You met Terry?"

I immediately reacted. Turning my head, I came face to face with eyes that had probably been watching me all along.

"Yeah. I was going to kill him, but he ran into a dungeon just before it closed."

The written conversation I had shared with Tesilid flashed in my mind.

"I fell into the demon realm’s trash heap. I went into the dungeon called 'The Eternal Library' to figure out where you were, but something went wrong. I’ll explain it when we meet later."

‘The small problem was meeting Reed?’

I was shocked and left speechless at this revelation.

But the next moment, the subject Reed had brought up poured cold water on my thoughts.

"He’s become an Aura Master."

"......"

"Isn’t that interesting?"

"......"

"You look like your expression’s frozen."

I didn’t like having information taken from me unilaterally. I decided to get something out of this too.

"What did you two talk about in the Magic Tower?"

"You’d have more fun hearing it directly from him."

"What’s funny is that you’re referring to 'himself' and 'someone else' as if they’re different people."

"You could say that. We’ve completely parted ways, so it’s really different. Honestly, I’m better off."

"......"

"Well, let me tell you one thing..."

Screech!

The floor transition stopped.

The gridded iron gate opened, revealing a passage. Reed stretched his long legs into it and spoke.

"That guy? He’s not the fresh 17th cycle you think he is."

I already knew.

I answered inwardly and followed Reed. [ Entered 'The Labyrinth of the Depths'.]

"Just like the dungeon beneath the Demon King’s Castle."

The depths were a complex maze.

The walls stretched all the way to the high ceiling, blocking my view and creating a sense of suffocation.

It felt like stepping into a labyrinth where a half-man, half-beast monster from mythology was imprisoned.

Is there a monster here that someone wants to keep locked up?

Rather than focusing on the question that popped into my head, I asked something else.

"Do you know the way?"

"Of course."

Even with Reed, I figured it would be impossible to memorize this path, but his answer was confident.

Then Reed immediately followed up with something that undermined my trust in his guidance.

"I think you’d enjoy wandering around together."